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Countries
Afghanistan .
Official Name:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan
short form: Afghanestan
int'l long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
int'l short form: Afghanistan
ISO Country Code: af
Time:
Local Time: UTC +4:30hours
Country Calling Code: +93
Capital City: Kabul (population 3 million)
Other Cities: Kandahar (population 226 000), Herat (population 177 000), Mazar-e-Sharif (population 131 000), Jalalabad (population 58 000), Konduz (population 57 000)
Government type: Islamic Republic.
Independence: 19 August 1919.
Constitution: 4 January 2004.
Geography:
Location:
Area: 652,000 kilometer² or 249,935 square mile
Terrain: Landlocked; mostly mountains and desert.
Climate: Dry, with cold winters and hot summers.
People:
Nationality: Afghan's.
Population: 26,556,000
More than 3.5 million Afghans live outside the country, mainly in Pakistan and Iran, although over two and a half million have returned since the removal of the Taliban.
Annual population growth rate (2004 estimated) 4.92%. This rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact.
Main ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani, Kizilbash.
Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%.
Languages: Dari (Afghan Persian), Pashto.
Literacy: 30-35% (male 51%, female 21%)
Natural resources: Natural gas, oil, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron, salt, precious and semiprecious stones.
Agriculture products: Opium, wheat, corn, barley, rice, cotton, fruit, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, and mutton.
Industries: Small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper.
Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems.
Exports - partners: India 42.3%, Pakistan 29%, Tajikistan 7.6% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Pakistan 38.6%, India 8.9%, US 8.3%, Turkmenistan 6.2%, China 6%, Kazakhstan 5.9%, Azerbaijan 4.9% (2015)
Currency: Afghani (AFN)
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Albania .
Official Name:
Republika e Shqiperise
short form: Shqiperia
int'l long form: Republic of Albania
int'l short form: Albania
ISO Country Code: al, alb
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour (in Summer UTC +2hours)
Country Calling Code: +355
Capital City: Tirana (Population 600 000)
Other Cities: Durres (population 200 000), Shkoder (population 81 000), Vlore (population 72 000, 2005 estimated);
Government type: Parliamentary republic.
Constitution: Adopted by popular referendum 28 November 1998.
Independence:28 November 1912 from the Ottoman Empire.
Geography:
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea.
Area: 28,748 kilometer² or 11,100 square mile.
Terrain: Situated in the southwestern region of the Balkan Peninsula, Albania is predominantly mountainous but flat along its Adriatic Sea coastline.
Highest peak: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2764 m.
Climate: Mediterranean, Mild temperate--short, soft, wet winters; hot and dry summers.
People:
Nationality: Albanian'S
Population: 2.8 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Albanian 98.6%, Greeks 1.17%, others 0.23% (Vlachs, Roma, Serbs, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Egyptians, and Bulgarians).
Religions: Muslim (Sunni and Bektashi) 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, and Roman Catholic 10%.
Official Language: Albanian.
Literacy: 86.5%; male: 93.3%, female: 79.5%
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products.
Industries: Food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower.
Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco.
Exports - partners: Italy 43.4%, Kosovo 9.8%, US 7.7%, China 6.2%, Greece %, Spain 4.8% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners: Italy 33.5%, Greece 9%, China 10.1%, Germany 5.2%, Turkey 6.7% (2015)
Currency: Lek (ALL)
Source: Foreign Ministry and Institute of Statistics Albania and others.
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Algeria .
Official Name:
Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah
short form: Al Jaza'ir
int'l long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
int'l short form: Algeria
ISO Country Code: dz
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +213
Capital City: Algiers (Alger, Algier)
population: 3 000 000
Principal Towns: Oran, Constantine, Annaba, Blida, Setif, Sidi be Abbes.
Government type: Republic
Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France).
Geography:
Location: Northern Africa, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the north, Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania on the west, Mali and Niger on the south, and Libya and Tunisia on the east.
Area: 2.38 million kilometer²
Terrain: Algeria consists of four regions: the coastal mountainous chain. Plains and high plateaus. The mountainous chain of the interior. The area of the Grand Sud with its mountainous solid masses.
Climate:
Mediterranean in the north, mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; dry or desert climate for the extreme south of the country; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer.
People:
Nationality: Algerian's.
Population: 40.4 million
Ethnic groups: ~ Arab 83%, Berber 17%, Touareg, European less than 1%.
Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%.
Languages: Arabic (official), French, Tamazight and other Berber dialects.
Literacy: total population, 70%; male 78.8%, female 61%
Natural resources: Rich deposits of iron ore, phosphates, lead, zinc and antimony; deposits of petroleum and natural gas.
Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle.
Industries: Petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing.
Exports - commodities: petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports partners:
Spain 18.8%, France 11.2%, USA 8.8%, Italy 8.7%, UK 7.1%, Brazil 5.2%, Tunisia 4.9%, Germany 4.5%
Imports partners:
China 15.6%, France 14.4%, Italy 9.4%, Spain 7.4%, Germany 5.6%, Russia 4.1%
Currency: Algerian Dinar (DZD)
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Andorra . Official Name:
Principat d'Andorra
Local short form: Andorra
Int'l long form: Principality of Andorra
Int'l short form: Andorra
ISO Country Code: ad, and
Country Calling Code: +376
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Local Time: UTC+1hour
Government:
Parliamentary democracy that retains as its heads of state two Co-princes.
Constitution: first written Constitution of Andorra 14 March 1993.
Independence: with the signing of the Pariatges 1278-1288.
Geography:
Location: Southwestern Europe, on the massif of the Pyrenees between France and Spain.
North: 42° 39' 15'; South: 42° 25' 38'; West: 1° 24' 34'; East: 1° 47' 19'
Area: 468 sq. km (180 sq. mi)
Climate: Temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers.
People:
Nationality: Andorran or Andorran's
Population: 71,700
Ethnic groups: Andorrans, Catalans, Spaniards, French, Portuguese.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Official Languages: Catalan (official), Spanish and French
Literacy: 99.9%
Exports - commodities tobacco products, furniture.
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, food, fuel, electricity.
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Sources: Servei d'Estudis del Ministeri de Finances, Ministeri de Turisme i Medi Ambient and others.
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Antigua .
Official Name:
Antigua and Barbuda
ISO Country Code: ag
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +1 268
Capital City: St. John's (Antigua, population 30 000)
Other Cities: Codrington (on Barbuda)
Government type: Constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style Parliament.
Head of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from the UK)
Constitution: 1981.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico.
Area: Antigua: 281 kilometer² or (108 square mile)
Barbuda: 161 kilometer² or (62 square mile)
Total area: 442 kilometer² or (170 square mile)
Terrain: partly volcanic and partly coral, generally low-lying, with highest elevation 405 meters or (1,330 feet).
Climate: Year-round tropical maritime, cooled by steady trade winds.
People:
Nationality: Antiguan's and Barbudan's.
Population: 89,000 (2016 est)
Annual population growth rate (1999): 1.1%.
Ethnic groups: Almost entirely of African origin; some of British, Portuguese, and Levantine Arab origin.
Religions: Principally Anglican, with evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic minorities.
Languages: English.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: tourism
Agriculture products: Cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock.
Industries: Tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Exports - commodities: petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts, electronic components, transport equipment, food and live animals.
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil.
Main trading partners: USA, UK, Canada, China and other CARICOM countries.
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
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Argentina
Official Name:
República Argentina
for purposes of legislation: Nación Argentina (Argentine Nation)
short form: Argentina
int'l long form: Argentine Republic
ISO Country Code: ar, arg
Time:
Local Time: UTC -3hours
Country Calling Code: +54
Capital City: Buenos Aires (population 3 million)
Other Cities:
Córdoba (population 1 350 000), Rosario (population 1 158 000), Mendoza (population 800 000 ), Santa Fe (population 360 000), Mar del Plata, La Plata, Tucuman.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain). Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994.
Geography:
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay.
Area: 2.8 million kilometer² or (1.1 million square mile); second-largest country in South America.
Terrain: Rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border.
Climate: Varied--predominantly temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to arid/sub- Antarctic in far south.
People:
Nationality: Argentine's.
Population: 43.5 million (2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 13,153 (year)
Ethnic groups: European 97%, mostly of Spanish and Italian descent; Mestizo, Amerindian or other nonwhite groups 3%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%.
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French.
Literacy (2001): 97%.
Natural resources: Fertile plains (pampas); minerals--lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron, manganese, oil, and uranium.
Agriculture products: Grains, oilseeds and by-products, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock.
Industries: Food processing, motor vehicles, oil refining, machinery and equipment, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals.
Exports - commodities: soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat
Exports - partners: Brazil 17%, China 8.6%, US 5.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: intermediate goods, machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics
Imports - partners: Brazil 29%, US 14%, China 10%, Germany 5% (2015)
Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)
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Armenia . Official Name:
Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
short form: Hayastan
international long form: Republic of Armenia
international short form: Armenia
ISO Country Code: am
Time:
Local Time: UTC +4hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST+5h) 28 March - 31 October
Country Calling Code: +374
Capital City: Yerevan (population 1.2 million)
Other Cities:
Gyumri (population 121 000), Vanadzor (population 74 000) and Abovian (population 54 000),
Echmiadzin (seat of the patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church).
Government:
Type: Republic with a presidential governing system.
Head of state: President
Constitution: Approved in 1995 referendum. (Text of the Constitution in PDF format)
Independence: (from Turkey, the then declining Ottoman Empire) 1918; First Armenian Republic .
21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union).
Geography:
Location: Asia, in the southern Caucasus.
Total area: 29,800 km² (11,490 square miles)
Terrain: Rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, one-third of the country is pastureland, forest and woodland cover 12 percent.
Climate:
Continetal, with lower temperatures and more precipitation in higher elevations. In central plateau temperature varies widely with cold winters and hot summers.
People:
Nationality: Armenian or Armenian's
Population: 3.0 million (as of year 2015)
Ethnic groups: Armenian 98%; Yezidi 1.2%; Russian, Greek, and other 0.8%.
Religion: Armenian Apostolic Church (more than 90% nominally affiliated).
Languages: Armenian (Hayeren) 96%, Russian, other.
Literacy: 99%.
Natural resources: Small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina.
Agriculture products: Fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock.
Industries: Diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy.
Exports - partners: Russia 15.2%, China 11.1%, Germany 9.8%, Iraq 8.8%, Georgia 7.8%, Canada 7.6%, Bulgaria 5.3%, Iran 5.3% (2015)
Imports - partners: Russia 29.1%, China 9.7%, Germany 6.2%, Iran 6.1%, Italy 4.6%, Turkey 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Dram (AMD)
(Source: Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others.)
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Australia .
Official Name:
Commonwealth of Australia
short form: Australia
ISO Country Code: au, aus
Time:
Time Zone: EST (Eastern Standard Time)
Local Time: UTC +10hours
DST from, October-March
Country Calling Code: +61
Capital City: Canberra (population 347 000)
Other Cities/towns:
Adelaide, Alice Springs, Brisbane (Population 1.6 million) Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne (Population 3.5 million), Sydney (Population 4.2 million), Perth (Population 1.3 million)
Government type:
Democratic, federal-state system recognizing British monarch as sovereign.
Constitution: 9 July 1900.
Independence (federation) 1 January 1901.
Geography:
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.
Area: 7.7 million kilometer² or (3 million square miile); about the size of the 48 contiguous United States.
Terrain: Varied, but generally low-lying.
Climate:
Relatively dry, ranging from temperate in the south to tropical in the north.
People:
Nationality: Australian's.
Population: 24,13 million (2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 31 020 (year)
Ethnic groups: European 92%, Asian 6%, Aboriginal 2%.
Religions: Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 21%, other non-Christian 5%, no religion 15%.
Languages: English (official), Italian 12,4%, Greek 9.2 %, Cantonese 7.9 %, only 51 000 people speaking an Australian Indigenous Language at home.
Literacy: 85%.
Natural resources:
Bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum.
Agriculture products:
Wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry.
Industries:
Mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel.
Exports - commodities: coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports partners: China 32.2%, Japan 15.9%, South Korea 7.1%, US 5.4%, India 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Imports partners: China 23%, US 11.2%, Japan 7.4%, South Korea 5.5%, Thailand 5.1%, Germany 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
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Austria . Official Name: Republik Österreich
short form: Osterreich
international long form: Federal Republic of Austria
international short form: Austria
ISO Country Code: at, aut
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2)
Country Calling Code: +43
Capital City: Wien (Vienna) (pop. 1.5 million)
Major Cities:
Bregenz, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg.
Government:
Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated May 1, 1945).
Geography:
Location: Central Europe
Area: 83,871 km² (32,382 square miles)
Terrain: Alpine (64%), northern highlands that form part of the Bohemian Massif (10%), lowlands to the east (26%).
Climate: Continental temperate.
People:
Nationality: Austrian or Austrian's.
Population: 8.6 million (2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 32 962 (year)
Ethnic groups: 81.1% Austrians, 2.7% Germans, 2.2% Turks; other recognized minorities include Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Roma.
Religions: Roman Catholic 73.6%, Lutheran 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 5.5, no confession 12.0%.
Language: German 92%.
Literacy: 98%.
Economy:
Natural resources: Iron ore, crude oil, natural gas, timber, tungsten, magnesite, lignite, cement.
Agriculture products: Drains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber.
Industries: Construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs.
Exports partners: Germany 29.9%, USA 6.3%, Italy 6.2%, Switzerland 5.7%, Slovakia 4.4% (2016)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs.
Imports partners: Germany 42.5%, Italy 6%, Switzerland 5.6%, Czech Republic 4.4%, Netherlands 4% (2016)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Azerbaijan . Official Name:
Azarbaycan Respublikasi
short form: Azarbaycan
international long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
international short form: Azerbaijan
ISO Country Code: az
Time:
Local Time: UTC +4hours (DST in Summer +5hours)
Country Calling Code: +994
Capital City: Baku
Other Cities: Ali Bayramli, Baki, Ganca, Lankaran, Mingacevir, Naftalan, Saki, Sumqayit, Susa, Xankandi, Yevlax.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Constitution: Approved in November 1995 referendum.
Independence: 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union).
Geography:
Location: South Caucasus; bordered by Russia to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran to the south, and Georgia and Armenia to the west.
Area: 86,600 km² (33 774 square miles); includes Nakhchivan and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Terrain: Caucasus Mountains to the north, lowland in the central area through which the Kura River flows.
Climate: Dry, subtropical with hot summers and mild winters; forests, meadows, and alpine tundra in the mountains.
People:
Nationality: Azerbaijani, Azeri.
Population: 9.7 million as of year 2016
Ethnic groups: Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9%. Note: the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region is populated almost entirely by Armenians.
Religion: Muslim 93.4% (majority Shi'a), Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox Church 2.3%, and other 1.8%.
Languages: Azerbaijani 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, and other 6%.
Literacy: 97%.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina.
Agriculture products: Cotton, tobacco, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats.
Industries: Petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles.
Exports partners: Italy 26.3%, Germany 13.3%, Indonesia 7%, France 6.9%, Czech Republic 6% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals
Imports partners: Russia 19.9%, Turkey 16.5%, UK 8.6%, Germany 6.6%, Italy 6.3%, US 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Azerbaijan Manat; beginning January 2006, 1 new Manat (AZN) = 5000 old Manats (AZM).
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Bahamas .
Official Name:
Commonwealth of the Bahamas
short form: The Bahamas
ISO Country Code: bs, BHS
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +1 242
Capital City: Nassau on the island New Providence.
Second-largest Cities: Freeport (on Grand Bahama)
Government type:
Constitutional parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK). Constitution: 10 July 1973.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba.
Area: 13,943 kilometer² or 5,383 square mile
Terrain: long, low flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.
Climate: Semitropical to tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream.
People:
Nationality: Bahamian's.
Population: 370,000 (2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 19 139 (per year)
Ethnic groups: African 85%, European 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%.
Religions: Baptist predominant (32%), Roman Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Protestants, Methodist, Church of God.
Language: English (official); some Creole among Haitian groups. Literacy: 93%.
Natural resources: Salt, aragonite, timber, arable land.
Agriculture - products: Citrus, vegetables; poultry.
Exports - commodities: crawfish, aragonite, crude salt, polystyrene products
Exports - partners: Poland 26.3%, Cote dIvoire 20.9%, US 15.9%, Dominican Republic 14.3% (2015)
Imports - partners: US 22.3%, China 14.8%, Japan 9.5%, Poland 7.7%, South Korea 7.3%, Colombia 6.8%, Brazil 5.6%, Singapore 5.5% (2015)
Currency: Bahamian Dollar (BSD)
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Bahrain . Official Name:
Mamlakat al Bahrayn
short form: Al Bahrayn
int'l long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
int'l short form: Bahrain
ISO Country Code: bh
Time:
Local Time: UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +973
Capital City: Manama (population 148 000)
Other Cities: Al Muharraq
Government:
Type: Constitutional hereditary monarchy.
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from the UK).
Geography:
Location: an archipelago of 33 islands in the Persian Gulf located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
Area: 741 km² ( 286 square miles)
Terrain: Low desert plain.
Climate: Arid; mild, pleasant winters with maximum temperatures average 20-30C (68-86F); very hot and humid from May-September, with average highs ranging from 30-40 C (86-104 F).
People:
Nationality: Bahraini or Bahraini's.
Population: 1,23 million, including 666,000 non-nationals
GNI per capita PPP: $ 19 748 (year)
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%.
Religions: 98% Muslim (Shi'a 70%, Sunni 30%), small Christian, Jewish and Hindu communities.
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Farsi, and Urdu are also widely spoken.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: Oil, natural gas, fish, pearls.
Agriculture products: Fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish.
Industries: Petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism.
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners: Saudi Arabia 3.6%, UAE 2.4%, US 2.2% (2015)
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 29.1%, US 9.5%, China 7.6%, Japan 6.6%, Australia 5.1%, India 4.9% (2015)
Currency: Bahraini Dinar (BHD)
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Bangladesh . Official Name:
Gano Projatontri Bangladesh
short form: Bangladesh
int'l long form: The People's Republic of Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan
ISO Country Code: bd, bgd
Time:
Local Tim: UTC +6hours
Country Calling Code: +880
Capital City: Dhaka (population 12 million, metro area)
Other Cities:
Chittagong (population 2.8 million), Khulna (population 1.8 million), Rajshahi (population 1 million), Mymensing, Comilla, Barisal, Sylhet.
Government:
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 26 March 1971 (from Pakistan).
Constitution: 1972
Geography:
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between India and Myanmar.
Area: 144 000 km² (55 813 square miles)
Terrain: Mainly flat alluvial plain, with hills in the northeast and southeast.
Climate: Semitropical, monsoonal; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October).
People:
Nationality: Bangladeshi or Bangladeshi's.
Population: (2017) 164 million.
GNI per capita PPP: $ 1,998 (year)
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims.
Religions: Muslim 88.3%; Hindu 10.5%; Christian 0.3%, Buddhist 0.6%, others 0.3%.
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English is widely used.
Literacy: 54% for males; 32% for females; a total of 43% literacy.
Natural resources: Natural Gas, Lignite Coal, Limestones, Ceramic, Clay and Glass Sand, arable land, timber.
Agriculture products: Rice, Jackfruit, Jute, Tobacco, Sugarcane, Pulses, Oilseeds, Spices,
Potatoes, Vegetables, Bananas, Mangoes, Coconut, Tea and Wheat.
Industries: Garments, Jute, Cotton, Textile, Tea, Paper, Newsprint, Cement, Fertilizer, Sugar, Engineering, Electric cables , Leather, Fish.
Exports - commodities: garments, knitwear and hosiery (80% of exports revenue), agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather
Exports partners: US 13.9%, Germany 12.9%, UK 8.9%, France 5%, Spain 4.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: cotton, machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, foodstuffs
Imports partners: China 22.4%, India 14.1%, Singapore 5.2% (2015)
Currency: Taka (BDT)
(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bangladesh)
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Barbados .
Official Name:
Barbados
ISO Country Code: bb
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +1 246
Capital City: Bridgetown
Government type:
Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II represented by a Governor General.
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from the UK)
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area: 431 square kilometer or 166 square miles
Terrain: Generally flat, hilly in the interior.
Climate: Tropical; rainy season (July to November)
People:
Nationality: Barbadian's and Bajan's
Population: 290,000 (estimated as of year 2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 17,170 (year)
Ethnic groups: Black 90%, White 4%, Asian or mixed 6%.
Religions: Protestant 67%, Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%.
Language: English.
Literacy: 99.7%
Natural resources: Petroleum, fish, natural gas.
Agriculture products: Sugarcane, vegetables, cotton.
Industries: Tourism, sugar, financial services, information services, light manufacturing, component assembly for export.
Major trading partners: Caribbean Community (CARICOM), UK, USA
Exports - commodities: manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals, electrical components.
Exports partners: Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%, USA 11.8%, St. Lucia 9.2%, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 5.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.7%, St. Kitts and Nevis 4.4%, Guyana 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components.
Imports partners: Trinidad and Tobago 39%, USA 31.1% (2015)
Currency: Barbadian Dollar (BBD)
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Barbuda .
Official Name:
Antigua and Barbuda
ISO Country Code: ag
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +1 268
Capital City: St. John's (Antigua, population 30 000)
Other Cities: Codrington (on Barbuda)
Government type: Constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style Parliament.
Head of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from the UK)
Constitution: 1981.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico.
Area: Antigua: 281 kilometer² or (108 square mile)
Barbuda: 161 kilometer² or (62 square mile)
Total area: 442 kilometer² or (170 square mile)
Terrain: partly volcanic and partly coral, generally low-lying, with highest elevation 405 meters or (1,330 feet)
Climate: Year-round tropical maritime, cooled by steady trade winds.
People:
Nationality: Antiguan's and Barbudan's.
Population: 89,000 (2016 est)
Annual population growth rate (1999): 1.1%.
Ethnic groups: Almost entirely of African origin; some of British, Portuguese, and Levantine Arab origin.
Religions: Principally Anglican, with evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic minorities.
Languages: English.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: tourism
Agriculture products: Cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock.
Industries: Tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Exports - commodities: petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts, electronic components, transport equipment, food and live animals.
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil.
Main trading partners: USA, UK, Canada, China and other CARICOM countries.
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
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Belarus . Official Name:
Respublika Bielarus
int'l long form: Republic of Belarus
int'l short form: Belarus
formerly: Belorussia, Byelorussia
ISO Country Code: by
Time:
Time Zone: Eastern European Time
Local Time: UTC +2hours (summer +3hours)
Country Calling Code: +375
Capital City: Minsk
Other Cities: Baranovichi, Bobruysk, Brest,
Gomel, Grodno, Hrodna, Mogilev, Polotsk, Vitebsk.
Government:
Type: Republic (in fact a dictatorship)
Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union).
Geography:
Location: Eastern Europe.
Area: 208,000 km² (80,100 square miles)
Terrain: Landlocked, generally flat with thick forests, much marshland and fields.
Climate: Cold winters, cool and moist summers, transitional between continental and maritime.
People:
Nationality: Belarusian
Population: 9.5 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Belarusian (81%), Russian (11%), Polish, Ukrainian, other (8%).
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Protestant, Autocephalous Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim) 20%.
Language: Belarusian, Russian (official).
Literacy: 98%.
Natural resources: Forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay.
Agriculture products: Grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk.
Industries: Metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators.
Exports partners: Russia 39%, UK 11.2%, Ukraine 9.5%, Netherlands 4.3%, Germany 4.1% (2015)
Imports partners: Russia 56.6%, China 7.9%, Germany 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
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Belgium .
Official Name:
Royaume de Belgique - Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique - België
int'l long form: Kingdom of Belgium
int'l short form: Belgium
ISO Country Code: be, bel
Time Zone: CET - Central European Time
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2)
Country Calling Code: +32
Capital: Bruxelles (Brussels - population 954 460)
Other Cities:
Antwerp (population 445,570)
Brugge (population 116,559)
Charleroi (population 202,233)
Gent (population 224,685)
Liège (population 184,550)
Namur (population 105,248)
Verviers, Waterloo
Government type:
Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch
Independence: 1830 (from the Netherlands)
Geography:
Location: Western Europe
Area: 30,528 kilometers² or (11,786 square miles)
Highest elevation: Signal de Botrange (694 meters)
Climate: Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
People:
Nationality: noun: Belgian's
adjective: Belgian
Population: 11.2 million (2016 estimated)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 31 549 per (year)
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic (although less than 20% practicing); Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox recognized.
Languages: Dutch, French, German
Linguistic regions: Dutch-speaking 58%; French-speaking 32%; legally bilingual (Brussels) 9.3%; German-speaking 0.7%
Literacy: 98%.
Natural resources: Coal, natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates.
Agriculture products: Sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk.
Industries: Engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
Exports partners: Germany 16.9%, France 15.5%, Netherlands 11.4%, UK 8.8%, USA 6%, Italy 5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products
Imports partners: Netherlands 16.7%, Germany 12.7%, France 9.6%, USA 8.7%, UK 5.1%, Ireland 4.7%, China 4.3% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Belize .
Official Name:
Belize
formerly: British Honduras
ISO Country Code: bz
Time:
Local Time: UTC -6hours
Country Calling Code: +501
Capital City: Belmopan (population 16,500 as of yer 2010 census)
Other Cities:
Belize City (population 57,000) Corozal (population 10,000) Orange Walk (population 14,000) San Ignacio & Santa Elena (population 18,000) Dangriga (population 9,500) Punta Gorda (population 5,000) San Pedro (population 11,000)
Government type:
Parliamentary democracy
Independence: 21 September 1981 from the UK.
Constitution: 21 September 1981.
Geography:
Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico.
Area mainland and cayes: 23,000 kilometers² or (8,867 square miles)
Terrain: plain coastline covered with mangrove swamps, low mountains in interior, highest point Doyle's Delight (1124 meters)
Climate: Tropical, hot and humid. Rainy season May to November; dry season February to May.
People:
Nationality: Belizean's
Population: 361,000 ( year 2015 estimated)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 7 635 (per year)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo, Creole, Ketchi, Yucatec and Mopan Mayas, Garifuna and East Indian.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, other Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist.
Languages: English (official) Creole, Spanish, Garifuna, Mayan.
Literacy: 76%.
Natural resources: Arable land, timber, seafood, minerals.
Agriculture Products: Sugar, citrus fruits and juices, bananas, mangoes, papayas, honey, corn, beans, rice, cattle (12.7% of GDP)
Industries: Garment production, food processing, tourism, construction.
Exports partners: UK 30.8%, USA 18.7%, Nigeria 6.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Ireland 4.2%, Jamaica 4.2% (2015)
Imports partners: USA 26.6%, Mexico 11.7%, Cuba 10.2%, Guatemala 9%, China 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.6% (2015)
Currency: Belizean Dollar (BZD)
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Benin . Official Name:
Republique du Benin
short form: Bénin
int'l long form: Republic of Benin
int'l short form: Benin
formerly: Dahomey
ISO Country Code: bj, ben
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +229
Capital City: Porto-Novo (population 295 000)
Largest city and economic capital is Cotonou (population 2 million)
Other Cities: Abomey, Gavie, Kandi, Ouidah
Government:
Type: Republic under multiparty democratic rule.
Independence: 1 August 1960 (fom France).
Constitution: 10 December 1990.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa
Area: 112,622 km² (43,483 square miles).
Terrain: Mostly flat plains of 200 meters average elevation, but the Atacora Mountains with the highest points being Mont Sokbaro 658 m, Mont Tanekas 641 m.
Climate: Tropical, average temperatures between 24 and 31 C. Humid in south; semiarid in north.
People:
Nationality: Beninese
Population: 10 million (2013)
Ethnic groups: 42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, and Bariba.
Religions: Indigenous beliefs (animist) 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%.
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba in the south; Nagot, Bariba and Dendi in the north.
Literacy: Total population 39%; men 53%, women 25%.
Natural resources: Small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber.
Agriculture products: Cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Industries: Textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)
Exports - commodities: cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Exports partners: India 24.2%, Gabon 14.6%, China 7.2%, Niger 6%, Bangladesh 5%, Nigeria 4.9%, Vietnam 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports partners: China 42.1%, USA 8.9%, India 5.7%, Malaysia 4.8%, Thailand 4.3%, France 4% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
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Bhutan . Official Name:
Druk-yul
or Druk Tsendhen, "land of the thunder dragon"
int'l long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
int'l short form: Bhutan
ISO Country Code: bt, BTN
Time:
Local Time: UTC +6hours
Country Calling Code: +975
Capital City: Thimphu (approx. 55,000)
Other Cities:
Paro, Phoentsholing, Punakha, Bumthong.
Government:
Type: Democratic constitutional monarchy.
Previously, various laws and Buddhist values guided the relationship between the state and the people. Constitution enacted 18 July 2008.
National Day: 17 December
Geography:
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India.
Area: 38,394 km² (14,824 sq. mi.) slightly smaller than Switzerland.
Terrain: Mountainous, from the Himalayas to lower-lying foothills to plains with semi-tropical forest, savannah grassland and bamboo jungles.
Climate: Alpine to temperate to subtropical with monsoon season from June to September.
People:
Nationality: Bhutanese. Note: The Bhutanese refer to themselves as Drukpa people.
Population: 760,000 (2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 3 330 (year)
Ethnic groups: Bhutan has three main ethnic groups, Sharchops, Ngalongs (50%) and Lhotsampas, one of several Nepalese ethnic groups (35%), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%.
Religions: The tantric form of Mahayana Bhuddhism (Drukpa Kagyupa) is state religion, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%.
Languages: Dzongka (official language), English (medium of instruction), Tshanglakha, Lhotsamkha ( Nepali) and Khenkha, Sharchop.
Literacy: 54% (est.). Women's literacy (est.)--20%.
Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, timber, gypsum, calcium carbide.
Agriculture products: Rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs.
Industries: Cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide.
Exports - commodities: electricity (to India), ferrosilicon, cement, calcium carbide, copper wire, manganese, vegetable oil
Exports partners: India 83.8%, Hong Kong 10.8% (2013 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuel and lubricants, passenger cars, machinery and parts, fabrics, rice
Imports partners: India 72.3%, South Korea 6% (2013 est.)
Currency: Ngultrum (BTN); Indian Rupee (INR)
Source: Government of Bhutan and others.
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Bolivia . Official Name:
Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
short form: Bolivia
int'l long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
Bolivia changed its official name from Republic of Bolivia to Plurinational State of Bolivia in 2009.
ISO Country Code: bo, bol
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +591
Capital Cities:
La Paz (administrative, seat of the government; population 800,000)
Sucre (legislative/judiciary; population 300 000)
Other Cities:
Santa Cruz (1,500 000), Cochabamba (587,000), El Alto (860,000).
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 6 August 1825.
Constitution: 1967; revised 1994.
Geography:
Location: West central South America
Area: 1 million km² (424.164 square miles)
Terrain: High plateau (altiplano), temperate and semitropical valleys, and the tropical lowlands.
Climate: Varies with altitude--from humid and tropical to semiarid and cold.
People:
Nationality: Bolivian or Bolivian's.
Population: 11.4 million (2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 3 049 (year)
Ethnic Groups: Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%.
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic; minority Protestant.
Languages: Spanish (official); Quechua, Aymara, Guarani.
Literacy: 85.5%.
Natural resources: Tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber.
Industries: Mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Exports - commodities: natural gas, mineral ores, gold, soybeans and soy products, tin
Exports partners: Brazil 28.1%, Argentina 16.9%, USA 12.1%, Colombia 6.3%, China 5.3%, Japan 4.7%, South Korea 4.3% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, petroleum products, vehicles, iron and steel, plastics
Imports partners: China 17.9%, Brazil 16.5%, Argentina 11.8%, USA 10.6%, Peru 6.2%, Japan 5.2%, Chile 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Boliviano (BOB)
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Bosnia . Official Name:
Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine
int'l short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
int'l long form: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
abbreviations: BiH, B&H
ISO Country Code: ba
Local Time = UTC+1hour
Country Calling Code: +387
Capital City: Sarajevo (estimated population 387,876)
Official Site of the Canton Sarajevo.
Other Cities:
Banja Luka (estimated population 220 000); Mostar (estimated population 210 000); Tuzla (estimated population 120 000); Bihac (estimated population 50 000).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence was completed 1 March 1992; independence was declared 3 March 1992).
Constitution: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force; note - Bosnia and Herzegovina, each of the entities also has its own constitution.
Geography:
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia.
Area: 51,200 km² (19,768 square miles)
Terrain: Mountains in the central and southern regions, plains along the Sava River in the north.
Climate:
Hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long severe winters; mild, rainy winters in the southeast.
People:
Nationalities: Bosniak (Muslim), Bosnian Croat, Bosnian Serb.
Population: 3.53 million (2013)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 5 827 (year)
Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48%, Serb 34%, Croat 15%, other 0.5% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam.
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%.
Languages: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian (formerly "Serbo-Croatian").
Adult literacy rate: male 94%, female 78%
Natural resources: Deposits of coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, forests, copper, chromium, lead, zinc, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock.
Industries: Steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining (2001)
Exports - commodities: metals, clothing, wood products
Exports partners: Slovenia 16.5%, Italy 15.9%, Germany 12.1%, Croatia 11.5%, Austria 11.1%, Turkey 5.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemical products, fuels, food and live animals
Imports partners: Croatia 19.3%, Germany 13.9%, Slovenia 13.8%, Italy 10.9%, Austria 5.7%, Hungary 5.2%, Turkey 4.5% (2015)
Currency: Convertible Marka (KM; now pegged to Euro; Iso-Code: BAM)
Note: External links will open in a new browser window.
Official Sites of Bosnia and Herzegovina
State Institutions of BiH:
Predsjednistvo BiH
The Presidency of BiH
Ministarstvo Vanjskih Poslova
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Diplomatic Missions
Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the US
Washington DC.
Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Delhi, India.
OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Official site of OSCE's Bosnia Mission (Peace, and elections monitoring).
Statistics
Federalni zavod za statistiku
Federal Office of Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina .
Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
More statistics by the Agency for Statistics.
Weather
Bosna i Hercegovina METEOBIH Federalní Meteoroloskí Zavod
Bosnia and Herzegovina METEOBIH Federal Meteorolocical Institute.
Entity Institutions:
Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine :: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Serbian Republic.
Vlada Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine
Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Parlament Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine
The Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Republika Srpska :: Serbian Republic
The Serbian Republic is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vlada Republike Srpske
Republic of Srpska Government (Serbian Republic).
President of the Republic of Srpska
Official website of the President.
National Assembly of Srpska
The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska.
Maps
Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Political Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Google Earth Google Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina
Searchable map and satellite view of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Google Earth Google Earth Sarajevo
Searchable map and satellite view of Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital city.
Continent:
Map of the Mediterranean
Political Map of the Mediterranean.
Map of the Balkan Peninsula
Political Map of the Balkans.
Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.
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Bostwana . Official Name:
Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana
former: Bechuanaland
ISO Country Code: bw
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Country Calling Code: +267
Capital City: Gaborone (pronounced ha-bo-ro-neh), population 213,000
Other Cities:
Francistown (population 101,805 ), Selebi-Phikwe (population 49,017), Molepolole (population 47,094), Kanye (population 36,877), Serowe (population 33,335), Mahalapye (32,407), Lobatse (population 32,075), Maun (population 31,260), Mochudi (population 30,671).
Government:
Type: Republic, parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK).
Geography:
Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa.
Area: 582,000 km² (224,710 square miles)
Terrain: Desert and savanna, predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest.
Climate:
Mostly subtropical, warm winters and hot summers.
People:
Nationality: Motswana singular, Batswana plural
Population: 2.2 million (2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 10 866 (year)
Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%; Kalanga 11%; Kgalagadi, Herero, Bayeyi, Himbukush, Basarwa ("Bushmen"), Khoi ("Hottentots"), whites 10%.
Religions: Christianity 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%.
Languages: English (official), Setswana, Ikalanga.
Literacy: 68.9%.
Natural resources:
Diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver.
Agriculture products: Livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts.
Industries: Diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles.
Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles
Exports partners: United Kingdom 85.2%, South Africa 17.3%, China 5%, Zimbabwe 4.5% (2013)
Imports partners: United Kingdom 24%, South Africa 23.4%, Namibia 10.9%, Nigeria 10.1%, Israel 5.0%
(2013)
(Source: Central Statistics Office CSO Botswana)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
Currency: Pula (BWP)
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Brazil .
Official Name:
Republica Federativa do Brasil
short form: Brasil
international long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
international short form: Brazil
ISO Country Code: br, bra
Local Time: Brazil lies within 4 different time zones.
Southern Brazil uses daylight saving time from October until February: +1 hour
Country Calling Code: +55
Capital City: Brasilia (population 2.1 million)
GDF - Governo do Distrito Federal
The Federal District Government (in Portuguese)
Other Cities:
Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife, Porto Alegre, Curitiba
Government:
Type: Federative Republic.
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
Geography:
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
Area: 8.5 million kilometer² or (3 290 000 square miles) slightly smaller than the USA
Terrain: Dense rain forests in northern regions including the Amazon Basin; semiarid along the northeast coast; mountains, hills, and rolling plains in the southwest, including Mato Grosso; and coastal lowland.
Climate: Mostly tropical or semitropical with temperate zone in the south.
People:
Nationality: Brazilian.
Population: (in 2017) 207 million.
GNI per capita PPP: $ 8,745 per year
Ethnic groups: Brazil's population is derived from three main ethnic sources. To the original inhabitants (Indians) were added successive waves of Europeans (mainly Portuguese) and Africans (mostly from the sub-Saharan west coast, belonging to the Bantu and to the Sudanic (Yoruba) ethnic groups)
Religion: Roman Catholic (80%)
Language: Brazilian Portuguese.
Literacy: 81% of adult population.
Natural resources: Iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, gemstones, oil, wood, and aluminum. Brazil has 12% of the world's fresh water.
Agriculture products: Brazil is the biggest exporter of coffee, soybeans, beef, sugar cane, ethanol and frozen chickens.
Other products: wheat, rice, corn, cocoa, and citrus.
Industries: Textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.
Exports - commodities: transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, automobiles
Exports partners: China 19%, USA 13%, Argentina 6.8%, Netherlands 5.4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics
Imports partners: China 17.9%, USA 15.6%, Germany 6.1%, Argentina 6%, South Korea 6.1% (2015)
Currency: Brazilian Real (BRL)
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Brunei . Official Name:
Negara Brunei Darussalam
short form: Brunei
ISO Country Code: bn
Time:
Local Time: UTC +8hours
Country Calling Code: +673
Capital City: Bandar Seri Begawan
Other Cities: Kuala Belait, Seria, Temburong, Panaga, Tutong.
Government:
Type: Malay Islamic Monarchy.
Independence: 1 January 1984.
Constitution: 1959.
Geography:
Location: Southeastern Asia, on the island Borneo bordering the South China Sea and Brunei Bay.
Area: 5,765 km² (2,226 square miles).
Terrain: East--flat coastal plain rises to mountains; west--hilly lowland with a few mountain ridges.
Climate: Equatorial tropical; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall.
People:
Nationality: Bruneian or Bruneian's.
Population: 417,200 (2015)
Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous groups.
Religion: Islam.
Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects.
Literacy: 94.7%.
Natural resources: Oil and natural gas.
Agriculture products: Rice, vegetables, fruits; livestock, forestry, fish.
Industries: Petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction.
Exports - commodities: mineral fuels, organic chemicals
Exports partners: Japan 35.9%, South Korea 14.8%, Thailand 10.8%, India 9.8%, NZ 5.6%, Australia 5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and mechanical appliance parts, mineral fuels, motor vehicles, electric machinery
Imports partners: Singapore 27.9%, China 25.3%, Malaysia 12.4%, UK 10.6%, South Korea 4.9% (2015)
Currency: Bruneian Dollar (BND)
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Bulgaria . Official Name:
Republika Bulgariya
short form: Bulgariya
int'l long form: Republic of Bulgaria
int'l short form: Bulgaria
ISO Country Code: bg, bgr
Time:
Time Zone: EET
Local Time: UTC +2hours (summer +3hours)
Country Calling Code: +359
Capital City: Sofia (population 1.3 million)
Other Cities: Plovdiv (population 370 000), Varna (population 350 000).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary Republic.
Independence: 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Geography:
Location: Southeast Europe
Area: 111,000 km² (42,857 square miles)
Terrain: with large mountainous areas, fertile valleys, plains, coastline along the Black Sea.
Climate: Temperate continental, mild summers and cold, snowy winters.
People:
Nationality: Bulgarian
Population: 7.15 million (2015)
Ethnic Groups: Bulgarian 84%, Turkish 10%, Roma 5%.
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 83%, Muslim 12%,
Language: Bulgarian
Literacy: 98.6% male: 99.1% female
Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land.
Agriculture products: Vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets.
Industries: Electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel.
Exports - commodities: clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels.
Exports partners: Germany 12.5%, Italy 9.2%, Turkey 8.5%, Romania 8.2%, Greece 6.5%, France 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
Imports partners: Germany 12.9%, Russia 12%, Italy 7.6%, Romania 6.8%, Turkey 5.7%, Greece 4.8%, Spain 4.8% (2015)
Currency: Bulgarian Lev (BGN)
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Burkina Faso . Official Name:
Burkina Faso
short form: Burkina
formerly Upper Volta
ISO Country Code: bf
Time:
Local Time: UTC (+-0; no UTC/GMT offset)
Country Calling Code: +226
Capital City: Ouagadougou (population 1 million)
Other Cities: Bobo-Dioulasso (population 450,000), Koudougou (population 90,000), Banfora, Dori, Fada N'Gourma, Ouahigouy.
Government:
Type: Parliamentary Republic
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France).
Constitution: 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana.
Area: 274,200 km² (106,000 square miles).
Terrain: Savanna; brushy plains and scattered hills.
Climate: Sahelian; pronounced wet and dry seasons.
People:
Nationality: Burkinabe (accent on last e).
Population: 19 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: 63 ethnic groups among which are Mossi (almost half of the total population), Bobo, Mande, Lobi, Fulani, Gourounsi, and Sénoufo.
Religions: Muslim 55%, Christian 25%, Traditional beliefs 20%.
Languages: French, Mooré, Dioula, Fulfuldé, others.
Literacy: 30%
Natural resources: Manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt.
Agriculture products: Cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock
Industries: Cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold.
Exports - commodities: gold, cotton, livestock
Exports partners: Switzerland 53.3%, India 14.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum
Imports partners: Cote dIvoire 23.1%, France 11.1%, Togo 7.5%, China 4.8%, Ghana 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
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Burundi . Official Name:
Republika y'u Burundi
Republic du Burundi
Republic of Burundi
short form: Burundi
formerly: Urundi
ISO Country Code: bi, bdi
Time:
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Country Calling Code: +257
Capital City: Bujumbura (population 300 000)
Other Cities: Cibitoke, Muyinga, Ngozi, Bubanza, Gitega, Bururi.
Government:
Type: Republic; democratically elected, post-transition government established 26 August 2005.
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium).
Geography:
Location: East-central Africa south of the Equator.
Area: 27,834 km² (10,746 square miles)
Terrain: Hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains.
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Heha 2,670 m
Climate: Tropical equatorial, with wet and dry seasons, temperature varies with altitude.
People:
Nationality: Burundian(s).
Population: 10.11 million (2016)
Ethnic groups (estimated): Hutu 85%; Tutsi 14%; Twa 1.0%.
Religions (estimated): Roman Catholic 60%-65%; Protestant 10%-15%; traditional beliefs 15%-20%; Muslim 5%.
Languages: Rundi (Kirundi), and French (offiocial), Swahili (trade and governmental language)
Literacy: 37%
Natural resources: Nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides.
Industries: Light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components.
Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
Exports partners: Germany 12.3%, Pakistan 10.7%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 10.7%, Uganda 8.1%, Sweden 7.8%, USA 7.1%, Belgium 6.3%, Rwanda 4.6%, France 4.4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs
Imports partners: Kenya 15%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Belgium 9.9%, Tanzania 8.3%, Uganda 7.3%, China 7.1%, India 4.9%, France 4% (2015)
Currency: Burundi franc (BIF)
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Cambodia . Official Name:
Preah Réachéanachâkr Kâmpuchea
short form: Kampuchea
int'l long form: Kingdom of Cambodia
int'l short form: Cambodia
Former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic
ISO Country Code: kh, khm
Local Time: UTC +7hours
Cambodia does not operate Daylight-Saving Time (TBC)
Country Calling Code: +855
Capital: Phnom Penh (population 1.2 million)
Other Cities:
Ta Khmau, Battambang, Serei Saophoan, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Poipet, Kampot.
Government:
Type: Constitutional Monarchy
The Royal Cambodian Government (RCG), a constitutional monarchy formed on the basis of elections internationally recognized as free and fair, was established on 24 September 1993.
Head of State: His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni.
Geography:
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
Area: 181,035 km² (69,900 square miles)
Terrain: Central plain drained by the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and Mekong and Bassac Rivers. Heavy forests away from the rivers and the lake, mountains in the southwest (Cardamom Mountains) and north (Dangrek Mountains) along the border with Cambodia.
Climate:
Tropical monsoon with rainy season June-Oct. and dry season Nov.-May.
People:
Nationality: Cambodian's, Khmer
Population: 14.6 million (2013)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 2 116 (year)
Ethnic groups: Cambodian 90%; Chinese and Vietnamese 5% each; Burmese, small numbers of hill tribes like Chams and Khmer Loeu.
Religions: Thearavada Buddhism 95% (official); Islam, Christianity, animism, atheism.
Languages: Khmer (official) spoken by more than 95% of the population; some French still spoken; English increasingly popular as a second language.
Literacy: 35%.
Natural resources: abundant natural bio-diversity, oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential.
Agriculture products: Rice, rubber, corn, coffee, vegetables, cashews, tapioca.
Industries: Tourism, textiles and garments, Beverage, Food Processing, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining.
Exports - commodities: clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear
Exports partners: USA 23.1%, UK 8.8%, Germany 8.2%, Japan 7.4%, Canada 6.7%, China 5.1%, Vietnam 5%, Thailand 4.9%, Netherlands 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, fabrics, vehicles, wholesale yarn, cigarettes, electrical communications equipment and medicine.
Imports partners: Thailand 28.7%, China 22.2%, Vietnam 16.4%, Hong Kong 6.1%, Singapore 5.7% (2015)
Currency: Riel (KHR)
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Cameroon . Official Names:
Republique du Cameroun (fr)
Republic of Cameroon (eng)
short form: Cameroun/Cameroon
formerly: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon
ISO Country Code: cm
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1h
Country Calling Code: +237
Capital City: Yaounde (population 1.1 million)
Other Cities: Douala, major seaport and commercial capital (population 1.3 million), Garoua (population 424,312), Maroua (population 409,546), Bafoussam (population 319,457), Bamenda (population 321,490), Nkongsamba (population 166,262), and Ngaoundere (216,300).
Government:
Republic; with a strong central government dominated by president.
Independence: 1 January 1960 (for areas formerly ruled by France) and
1 October 1961 (for territory formerly ruled by Britain).
Constitution: 2 June 1972, last amended in January 1996.
Geography:
Location: Central West Africa bordering the Bight of Biafra (part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean)
Area: 475,650 km² (183,650) square miles).
Terrain: Northern plains, central and western highlands, southern and coastal tropical forests. Highest peak: Mt. Cameroon (13,353 ft.).
Climate: Northern plains, the Sahel region-semiarid and hot (7-month dry season);
Central and western highlands where Yaounde is located-cooler, shorter dry season; southern tropical forest-warm, 4-month dry season; Coastal tropical forest, where Douala is located--warm, humid year-round.
People:
Nationality: Cameroonian's; French noun and adjective Camerounaise.
Population (as of 2016): 24 million
Ethnic groups: About 250.
Religions: Christian 53%, Muslim 22%, indigenous African 25%.
Languages: French and English (both official) and about 270 African languages and dialects, including pidgin, Fulfulde, and Ewondo.
Literacy: 75%
Natural resources: Oil, timber, hydroelectric power, natural gas, cobalt, nickel.
Agriculture products: timber, coffee, tea, bananas, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, pineapples, cotton.
Industries: Petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, and cotton.
Exports partners: China 16.7%, India 15.7%, Spain 6.2%, Belgium 6.1%, France 6.1%, Portugal 5.6%, Netherlands 5%, Italy 5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food, cereals, fish.
Imports partners: China 27.9%, Nigeria 13.9%, France 10.9%, Belgium 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
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Canada .
Official Name:
Canada
ISO Country Code: ca, can
Actual Time:
Halifax Local Time: UTC -4hours
Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Iqaluit Local Time: UTC -5hours
Winnipeg Local Time: UTC -6hours
Calgary, Yellowknife Local Time: UTC -7hours
Vancouver Local Time: UTC -8hours
Map of Canada's time zone anomalies.
Country Calling Code: +1
Capital City: Ottawa (population 1 million)
Other Cities:
Toronto (population 4.5 million) Montreal (population 3.4 million) Vancouver (population 2.0 million) Calgary (population 1 million) Quebec (population 500 s000)
Government:
Type: Confederation with parliamentary democracy.
Independence:1 July 1867 (from the UK)
Constitution: The amended British North America Act of 1867 patriated to Canada on
17 April 1982, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and unwritten custom. (Constitution Act of 1982)
Geography:
Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north.
Area: 9.9 million kilometers² or (3.8 million square miles) second-largest country in the world.
Terrain: as vast as the country is, it offers many different landscapes, mountains, prairies, deserts, artic tundra, glaciers, valleys, foothills, rivers and lakes.
Climate: Varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north.
People:
Nationality: Canadian's.
Population: 36.3 million (as of year 2017)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 34 444 per year
Ethnic groups: British descent (28%), French descent (23%), Italian descent (3%), aboriginal peoples (2%), plus significant minorities of German, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek, Polish and Chinese.
Religions: Religion: Catholic (45%), Protestant (36%) and minorities from most of the world's major religions.
Languages: English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), and 53 native languages.
Literacy: 97-99% of population aged 15 and over.
Natural resources: Iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish.
Industries: Transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products; wood and paper products; fish products, petroleum and natural gas.
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum
Exports partners: USA 76.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods
Imports partners: USA 53.1%, China 12.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2015)
Currency: Canadian Dollar (CAD)
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Cape Verde . Official Name:
Republica de Cape Verde
short form: Cape Verde
international long form: Republic of Cape Verde
international short form: Cape Verde
ISO Country Code: cv, CPV
Time:
Local Time: UTC -1hour
Country Calling Code: +238
Capital City: Praia (population 100 000) on the island Sao Tiago (Santiago)
Other Cities: Mindelo (population 68,000)
Government: Republic.
Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal).
Constitution: 1982; revised 1992, 1995, and 1999.
Geography:
Location: Group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean some 500 km from the west coast of Africa (Senegal).
Area: 4,033 km² (1,557 square miles)
Terrain: Rugged volcanic islands.
Highest point: Mt. Fogo 2 829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)
Climate: Tropical dry, with two seasons. Dry season: November to July, tempered by trade winds. Rainy season: August to October.
People:
Nationality: Cape Verdean(s).
Population: 525,000 (2015 census)
Ethnic groups: Creole (mixed African and Portuguese), African, European.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.
Languages: Portuguese (official); Crioulo (a blend of Creole Portuguese and West African)
Literacy: 76%.
Natural resources: Salt, pozzolana (tuff), limestone.
Agriculture products: Bananas, corn, beans, sugarcane, coffee, fruits, vegetables, livestock products.
Industries: Fish and fish products, food and beverages, ship repair, furniture, metal products, tourism.
Exports partners: Australia 83%, Spain 8.6% (2015)
Imports partners: Portugal 29.9%, Australia 26.4%, Netherlands 11.2%, Spain 5.6%, China 5.6% (2015)
Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE)
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Central Republic of Africa . Official Name:
République Centrafricaine
French abbreviation: RCA
Sango: Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka
int'l form: Central African Republic
formerly: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
English abbreviation: CAR
ISO Country Code: cf
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +236
Capital City: Bangui (pop. 700 000)
Other Cities: Berberati, Bouar, Bambari, Bangassou, Bossangoa, Mbaiki, and Carnot.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France).
Geography:
Location: landlocked country in Central Africa, almost the precise center of Africa.
Area: 623,000 km² (242,000 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Rolling plain 600 meters-700 meters (1,980 ft.-2,310 ft.) above sea level; scattered hills in northeast and southwest, mainly savannah in the north and equatorial forest in the south. The Oubangui river, which forms the southern border and flows through the capital Bangui and then south to the Congo basin, is an important transport route.
Climate: Tropical, ranging from humid equatorial in the south to Sahelo-Sudanese in the north; hot, dry winters with mild to hot, wet summers.
People:
Nationality: Central African(s).
Population: 5 million (2011 UN est.)
Ethnic groups: More than 80; Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandja 13%, Mboum 7%, M'baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%.
Religions: Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, indigenous beliefs 35%.
Languages: French (official), Sangho (national).
Literacy: 50%
Natural resources: Diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil.
Agriculture products: Timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco, foodcrops, livestock.
Industries: Diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles.
Exports partners:Norway 52.2%, China 14.1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 8.3% (2015)
Imports partners:Norway 39.6%, France 6.8%, US 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
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Chad .
Chad is the fifth largest country in Africa and ranks second among Sahelian countries after Sudan. Chad’s land surface presents a dramatic variety of geographic contrasts. The vast northern third is located in the Sahara Desert and is sparsely populated, home to just 1 percent of Chad’s population. The whole central swath is in the Sahel, with average annual rainfall ranging from 150 to 600 mm. Both N’Djamena, the capital, and Lake Chad are found in this region. Lake Chad is fed by the country’s two main rivers, the Chari and the Logone. It is the largest body of water in the Sahel and a major center of economic activity for the region. However, due to erratic variations in the region’s climate and overexploitation of the rivers that feed it, this shallow lake (1.5 m deep on average) has shrunk to a small fraction of its 1960 size. Chad’s population lives mainly in the southern part of the country, in the more humid Sudanian climate zone, where average annual rainfall ranges between 600 and 1,300 mm. Southern Chad has the largest, relatively intact expanses of wooded savannas and woodlands of any of the Sahelian countries. Discovery of artifacts and fossils in northern Chad— especially the 7-million-year-old Toumaï skull from a hominid that is regarded as one of the oldest species in the human lineage — attests to the archaeological and historical richness of the country. Traditionally, Chad’s economy has been based on farming and livestock, but in the last decade the economy has changed dramatically from the oil boom. Besides oil, there are also significant deposits of gold, marble, and sodium carbonate.
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Chile .
Official Name:
República de Chile
short form: Chile
int'l long form: Republic of Chile
ISO Country Code: cl
Time:
Local Time = UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +56
Capital City: Santiago (population metropolitan area est. 6 million)
The legislative body operates in Valparaíso.
Other Cities: Concepcion-Talcahuano (population 840 000) Vina del Mar-Valparaíso (population 800 000) Antofagasta (population 245 000) Temuco (population 230 000)
Government type: Republic.
Independence: 18 Sept 1810 (from Spain)
Constitution: Promulgated 11 September 1980; effective 11 March 1981; amended in 1989, 1993, and 1997.
Geography:
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru.
Area: 756,100 kilometers² or (291,931 square miiles)
Terrain: Desert in north; fertile central valley; volcanoes and lakes toward the south, giving way to rugged and complex coastline; Andes Mountains on the eastern border.
Climate: Arid in north, Mediterranean in the central portion, cool and damp in south.
People:
Nationality: Chilean's
Population: 18 million (estimated from year 2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 11 537 per year
Ethnic groups: Spanish-Native-American (mestizo), European, Native-American.
Religions: Roman Catholic 69.9%; Protestant 15%.
Languages: Spanish.
Literacy: 95.8%.
Natural resources: Copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, wine, garlic, asparagus, beans, beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber.
Industries: Copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles.
Exports partners: China 26.3%, US 13.2%, Japan 8.5%, South Korea 6.5%, Brazil 4.9% (2015)
Imports partners: China 23.4%, US 18.8%, Brazil 7.8%, Argentina 4% (2015)
Currency: Chilean Peso (CLP)
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China .
Official Name:
Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
int'l short form: China
(traditional Chinese: 中國; simplified Chinese: 中国; Pinyin: Zhōngguó
int'l long form: People's Republic of China
abbreviation: P.R.C. (People's Republic of China)
ISO Country Code: cn, chn
Local Time: UTC +8hours
(China extends across five times zones, but the country uses a single time zone.)
Country Calling Code: +86
Capital City: Beijing (Municipality population 19,6 million)
Other major Cities:
Shanghai (municipality population 23 million)
Tianjin (municipality population 13 million) Hong Kong (urban population 6.8 million) Wuhan (urban population 4.4 million)Guangzhou (Canton, urban population 4.1 million) Shenyang (urban population 4 million) Chongqing (municipality population 28.8 million) Harbin (Ha'erbin, urban population 2.6 million) Chengdu (urban population 2.3 million) (population figures 2011)
China's 20 most populated cities
Government type: Communist party-led state
Constitution: 4 December 1982.
Head of state: President Xi Jinping
Independence: Unification under the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty 221 BC;
Qing (Ch'ing or Manchu) Dynasty replaced by a republic on 12 February 1912;
People's Republic established 1 October 1949.
Geography:
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Total area: 9.6 million kilometer² or about 3.7 million square miles third largest country in the world, slightly smaller than the US and almost as large as the combined nations of Europe.
Terrain: Plains, deltas, and hills in east; mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west.
Climate: From tropical in south to subarctic in north.
People:
Nationality: Chinese
Population: 1,367 million people (as of year 2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 6193 (per year)
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.6%; beside the Han population China recognizes fifty-five minority nationalities which comprise 8.4 percent of China's total population among them are: Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uygur, Yi, Mongolian, Tibetan, Buyi, Korean and other nationalities.
Religions: Officially atheist; Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity.
Language: PuTongHua (Mandarin) Wu (spoken in Shanghai) Yue (Cantonese) plus other dialects like Min, Hakka (Kejia), Gan and Xiang.
Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language in the world.
Literacy: 81%
Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, world's largest hydropower potential.
Agriculture products: Rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, fish.
Industries: Iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications.
Exports partners: USA 18%, Hong Kong 14.6%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.5% (2015)
Imports partners: South Korea 10.9%, USA 9%, Japan 8.9%, Germany 5.5%, Australia 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (CNY)
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Colombia .
Official Name:
Republica de Colombia
conventional long form: Rebublic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
former: United States of Colombia
ISO Country Code: co
Local Time: UTC -5hours
Country Calling Code: +57
Capital City: Bogotá formerly Santa Fe de Bogotá, (pop. about 6 million)
Other Cities:
Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena.
Government type: Republic
Independence: 20 July 1810.
Geography:
Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama.
Area: 1.134 million kilometer² or (440,000 square miiles) fourth-largest country in South America.
Terrain: Flat coastal areas, with extensive coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, three rugged parallel mountain chains, central highlands, and flat eastern grasslands.
Climate: Tropical on coast and eastern plains, cooler in highlands.
People:
Nationality: Colombian's
Population: 49 million (as of year 2016)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 7 303 (per year)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 93% in urban areas, 67% in rural areas.
Natural resources: Coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nickel, gold, silver, copper, platinum, emeralds.
Agriculture products: Coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp.
Industries: Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds.
Exports partners:US 27.5%, Panama 7.2%, China 5.2%, Spain 4.4%, Ecuador 4% (2015)
Imports partners:US 28.8%, China 18.6%, Mexico 7.1%, Germany 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Colombian Peso (COP)
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Comoros . Official Name:
Union des Comores (French)
Udzima wa Komori (Comorian)
short form: Comores
int'l long form: Union of the Comoros
int'l short form: Comoros
Hist. name: Djazaïr Al Qamar (Islands of the Moon)
ISO Country Code: km, com
Time:
Local Time: UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +269
Capital City: Moroni (population 60,000)
Other Cities: Mutsamudu (population 20,000)
Fomboni, Mamoutzou.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France, Mayotte remains under French administration).
Constitution: Adopted by referendum on 23 December 2001.
Geography:
Location: Southern east Africa, group of islands at the Mozambique Channel which separates Madagascar from the African continent.
Area: 2,171 km² (838 square miles)
Major islands: Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mayotte (administered by France), and Moheli.
Terrain: Volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills.
Highest point: Le Kartala (an active volcano; 2360 m)
Climate: Tropical marine.
People:
Nationality: Comorian or Comorian's.
Population: 770,000 (2015)
Ethnic groups: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava.
Religions: Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%.
Languages: Shikomor (Comorian, a Swahili-Arabic blend), Arabic, French, Swahili.
Literacy: 57%.
Natural resources: Few natural resources.
Agriculture products: Vanilla, ylang-ylang, jasmine, cassis, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
Industries: Tourism, perfume distillation.
Exports partners: India 28.7%, France 17%, Germany 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, Singapore 6.6%, Netherlands 6.1%, Mauritius 5.3% (2015)
Imports partners: China 18.9%, Pakistan 16.2%, France 14.7%, UAE 11.3%, India 6.3% (2015)
Currency: Comoran Franc (KMF)
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Republic of Congo . Official Name:
République Démocratique du Congo
abbreviation: RDC
former: ZaÏre, Congo belge
int'l long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
abbreviations: DROC, DRC
also in use: Congo Kinshasa, DR Congo
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
ISO Country Code: cd
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +243
Capital City: Kinshasa (population 6.5 million)
Other Cities: Bandundu, Bukavu, Goma, Kananga, Kindu, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Matadi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi.
Government:
Type: Republic; transitional regime highly centralized with executive power vested in the president.
Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium).
Constitution: 18 February 2006
Geography:
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Area: 2,344,858 km² (905 000 square miles)
Terrain: Varies from tropical rainforests to mountainous terraces, plateau, savannas, dense grasslands, and mountains.
Highest point: Pic Marguerite 5 110 m on Rwenzori Range's Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley).
Climate: Equatorial; ranges from tropical rainforest in the Congo River basin, hot and humid in much of the north and west, cooler and drier in the south central area and the east.
People:
Nationality: Congolese
Population: 71 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: More than 200 African ethnic groups; the Luba, Kongo, and Anamongo are some of the larger groupings of tribes.
Religions: Chrisinity 70%, other sects and traditional beliefs 10%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%.
Languages: French (Official). National languages: Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba.
Literacy: 64%
Natural resources: Cobalt, copper, Columbite-tantalite (coltan) refined, coltan becomes tantalum, niobium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber.
Agriculture products: Coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products.
Industries: mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair.
Exports partners: China 43.5%, Zambia 25%, South Korea 4.9%, Belgium 4.8% (2015)
Imports partners: China 20.6%, South Africa 17.7%, Zambia 12.3%, Belgium 6.9%, Zimbabwe 5.1%, India 4.7% (2015)
Currency: Congolese Franc (CDF)
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Congo Democratic . Official Name:
République Démocratique du Congo
abbreviation: RDC
former: ZaÏre, Congo belge
int'l long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
abbreviations: DROC, DRC
also in use: Congo Kinshasa, DR Congo
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
ISO Country Code: cd
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +243
Capital City: Kinshasa (population 6.5 million)
Other Cities: Bandundu, Bukavu, Goma, Kananga, Kindu, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Matadi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi.
Government:
Type: Republic; transitional regime highly centralized with executive power vested in the president.
Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium).
Constitution: 18 February 2006
Geography:
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Area: 2,344,858 km² (905 000 square miles)
Terrain: Varies from tropical rainforests to mountainous terraces, plateau, savannas, dense grasslands, and mountains.
Highest point: Pic Marguerite 5 110 m on Rwenzori Range's Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley).
Climate: Equatorial; ranges from tropical rainforest in the Congo River basin, hot and humid in much of the north and west, cooler and drier in the south central area and the east.
People:
Nationality: Congolese
Population: 71 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: More than 200 African ethnic groups; the Luba, Kongo, and Anamongo are some of the larger groupings of tribes.
Religions: Chrisinity 70%, other sects and traditional beliefs 10%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%.
Languages: French (Official). National languages: Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba.
Literacy: 64%
Natural resources: Cobalt, copper, Columbite-tantalite (coltan) refined, coltan becomes tantalum, niobium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber.
Agriculture products: Coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products.
Industries: mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair.
Exports partners: China 43.5%, Zambia 25%, South Korea 4.9%, Belgium 4.8% (2015)
Imports partners: China 20.6%, South Africa 17.7%, Zambia 12.3%, Belgium 6.9%, Zimbabwe 5.1%, India 4.7% (2015)
Currency: Congolese Franc (CDF)
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Costa Rica .
Official Name:
República de Costa Rica
short form: Costa Rica
int'l long form: Republic of Costa Rica
int'l short form: Costa Rica
ISO Country Code: cr, CRI
Time:
Local Time: UTC -6hours
Country Calling Code: +506
Capital City: San José (population 354 600, greater metropolitan area 2.1 million)
Other Cities:
Puntarenas (population 103 000) Limon (population 90 000)
Government:
Type: Democratic Republic
Independence: 15 September (1821 from Spain)
Constitution: 7 November 1949
Geography:
Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea in the north-east and the North Pacific Ocean in the south-west, between Nicaragua and Panama.
Area: 51,100 kilometer² or (19,729 square miiles)
Terrain: Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes.
Climate: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands.
People:
Nationality: Costa Rican's
Population: 4.8 million (estimated as of year 2015)
Ethnic Groups: European and some mestizo 94%, African origin 3%, Chinese 1%, indigenous 1%, other 1%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 69%, Protestant approx. 18%, none 12%, others 1%.
Languages: Spanish, with a southwestern Caribbean Creole dialect of English spoken around the Limon area.
Literacy: 96%
Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, forest products, fisheries products.
Agriculture products: Coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber.
Industries: Microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products.
Exports partners: USA 33.6%, China 6.2%, Mexico 4.6%, Nicaragua 4.3%, Netherlands 4.2%, Guatemala 4% (2015)
Imports partners: USA 45.3%, China 9.8%, Mexico 7.1% (2015)
Currency: Costa Rican Colon (CRC)
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Croatia . Official Name:
Republika Hrvatska
short form: Hrvatska
int'l long form: Croatia
int'l short form: Republic of Croatia
former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia.
ISO Country Code: hr, HRV
Time:
Time Zone:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +385
Capital City: Zagreb (population 780 000)
Other Cities: Split (population 189 000), Rijeka (population 144 000), Osijek (population 115 000), Zadar (population 72 000), Dubrovnik (population 44 000).
Government:
Parliamentary Democracy.
Constitution: Adopted 12 December 1990.
Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia).
Geography:
Location: Croatia is situated between central and eastern Europe bordering the Adriatic Sea between Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Area: 56,594 km² (21,851 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Rocky coastlines, flat plains along Hungarian border, densely wooded mountains, lakes, and rolling hills.
Climate: In the north it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast, and a semi-highland and highland climate in the central region.
People:
Nationality: Noun: Croats, adjective Croatian
Population: 4.2 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Croat 90%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma)
Religions: Catholic 88%, Orthodox 4.5%, Slavic Muslim 1.3%, others 6.5%.
Languages: Croatian (South Slavic language, using the Roman script).
Literacy: 98%
Natural resources: Oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products.
Industries: Chemicals, machine tools, fabricated metal, steel products, aluminum, electronics, paper, wood products, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism.
Exports - commodities: transport equipment, machinery, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels.
Exports partners: Italy 13.4%, Slovenia 12.5%, Germany 11.4%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.9%, Austria 6.6%, Serbia 4.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs.
Imports partners: Germany 15.5%, Italy 13.1%, Slovenia 10.7%, Austria 9.2%, Hungary 7.8% (2015)
Currency: Kuna (HRK)
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Cuba . Official Name:
Republica de Cuba
short form: Cuba
int'l long form: Republic of Cuba
ISO Country Code: cu, CUB
Time:
Local Time: UTC -5hours
Country Calling Code: +53
Capital City: Habana (Havana, population 2 million)
Other major Cities:
Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Santa Clara, Holguin, Guantanamo, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio.
Government:
Type: Communist state; current government assumed power by force January 1, 1959.
Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902).
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Florida
Area: 109,886 km². (42,427 square miles)
Terrain: Flat or gently rolling plains, hills; mountains up to 2,000 meters (6,000 ft.) in the southeast.
Climate: Tropical, moderated by trade winds; dry season (November-April); rainy season (May-October).
People:
Nationality: Cuban or Cuban's
Population: 11.4 million (2014); 70% urban, 30% rural.
Ethnic groups: 51% mulatto, 37% white, 11% black, 1% Chinese (according to Cuban census data).
Language: Spanish.
Literacy: 95%.
Natural resources: Nickel, cobalt, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber.
Agriculture products: Sugar, tobacco, citrus and tropical fruits, coffee, rice, beans, meat, vegetables.
Industries: Sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals.
Exports partners: Canada 17.7%, Venezuela 13.8%, China 13%, Netherlands 6.4%, Spain 5.4%, Belize 4.7% (2015)
Imports partners:
Venezuela 31.8%, China 17.6%, Spain 10%, Brazil 4.8% (2015)
Currency: Cuban Peso (CUP)
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Cyprus . Official Name:
Kypriake Demokratia (Greek), Kibris Cumhuriyeti (Turk.)
short form: Kypros (Greek), Kibris (Turk.)
int'l long form: Republic of Cyprus
int'l short form: Cyprus
(the Turkish Cypriot area refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), only recognized by Turkey)
ISO Country Code: cy
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Summer Time (DST) UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +357
Capital City: Nicosia (Lefkosia) (population 197 800)
Other Cities:
Larnaca, Limassol (Lemesos)
Famagusta, Paphos, Kyrenia, Morphou.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 16 August 1960 (from the UK).
Constitution: 16 August 1960.
Geography:
Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey.
Area: 9,251 km² (3,572 square miles)
Terrain: Central plain with mountain ranges to the north and south.
Climate: Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
People:
Nationality: Cypriot or Cypriot's.
Population: 848,000 (2015 census)
Ethnic groups: Greek (77%), Turkish (18%), Armenian and other (4%).
Religions: Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Maronite, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox.
Languages: Greek, Turkish, English.
Literacy: about 99%.
Natural resources: Copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment.
Agriculture products: Potatoes, citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables, poultry, pork, lamb, kids, dairy.
Industries: Food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood products.
Currency:
Greek Cypriot area: Beginning 1 January 2008, the Cyprus Pound (CYP) was replaced by the euro;
Turkish Cypriot area: Turkish Lira (TRL)
Exports partners: Turkey 40%; direct trade between the area administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government control remains limited
Imports partners: Turkey 60%; direct trade between the area administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government control remains limited
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Czech Republic . Official Name:
Ceska Republika
short form: Cesko
int'l short form: Czechia
int'l long form: Czech Republic
formerly part of Czechoslovakia.
National motto: Pravda vítezí. (Truth prevails)
ISO Country Code: cz, cze
Time
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time = UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2hours)
Country Calling Code: +420
Capital City: Prague (Praha, Prag; population 1.2 million; Metro: 1.9 million).
Other Cities:
Brno (400,000), Ostrava (population 310,000, Plzen, (Pilsen population 172,000)
Government:
Parliamentary Republic.
Independence: The Czech Republic was established 1 January 1993 (former Czechoslovak state established 1918).
Constitution: Signed 16 December 1992.
Geography:
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany.
Area: 78,864 km² (30,449 square miles)
Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country.
Climate: Temperate; mild summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters, west winds prevail.
People:
Nationality: Czech or Czech's.
Population: 10.56 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Czech (90.4% or 9.25 million); Moravian (more than 380,000 people); Slovak (193,000); Roma (171,000); Silesian ethnicity (11,000 people); Polish (52,000); German (39,000); Ukrainian (22,000) and Vietnamese (18,000).
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.
Language: Czech, Slovak.
Literacy: 99.8%.
Natural resources: Coal, coke, kaolin, lignite, magnesite, timber, uranium.
Agriculture products: Wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry.
Industries: Metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments.
Exports partners: Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 9%, Poland 5.8%, UK 5.3%, France 5.1%, Austria 4.1% (2015)
Imports partners: Germany 30%, Poland 9%, China 8.3%, Slovakia 6.6%, Netherlands 5%, Austria 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Czech Koruna (CZK)
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Denmark .
Official Name:
Kongeriget Danmark
short form: Danmark
int'l long form: Kingdom of Denmark
int'l short form: Denmark
ISO Country Code: dk, DNK
Time:
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2)
Country Calling Code: +45
Capital City: Copenhagen (population 0.5 million in Copenhagen and 1.8 million in the Copenhagen region)
Other Cities:
Aarhus (population 289 000) Odense (population 184 000) Aalborg (population 162 000)
Government type:
Constitutional Monarchy.
Constitution: 5 June 1953.
Geography:
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)
Area: 43,094 kilometers² or (16,638 square miles)
Terrain: Low and flat or slightly rolling hills; highest elevation is 173 meters (568 feet)
Climate: Temperate. The terrain, location, and prevailing westerly winds make the weather changeable.
People:
Nationality: Dane's or Danish.
Population: 5.6 million (as of year 2015)
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, German, Inuit, (Greenland) Faroese.
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 84.3%. Catholics, Jews, other Protestant denominations, and Muslims account for approximately 5%.
Languages: Danish, some German, Faroese, Greenlandic. English is the predominant second language.
Literacy: 100%
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand.
Agriculture products: Barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish.
Industries: Iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills.
Exports - commodities: machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills.
Exports partners: Germany 17.8%, Sweden 11.6%, US 8.4%, Norway 6.3%, UK 6.3%, Netherlands 4.4%, China 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods.
Imports partners: Germany 20.4%, Sweden 12.3%, Netherlands 8.1%, China 7.3%, Norway 6.1%, UK 4.4% (2015)
Currency: Danish Krone (DKK)
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Djibouti . Official Name:
République de Djibouti
Arabic: Jumhuriyah Jibuti
short form: Djibouti
int'l long form: Republic of Djibouti
former: Territoire Français des Afars et des Issas (French Territory of the Afars and Issas), French Somaliland.
ISO Country Code: dj
Time:
Local Time: UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +253
Capital City: Djibouti (City)
Other Cities: Dikhil, Arta, Ali-Sabieh, Obock, Tadjoura.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Constitution: Ratified September 1992 by referendum.
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France).
Geography:
Location: Northeast coast of the Horn of Africa on the Strait of Mandeb, which separates the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Area: 23,200 km² (8,880 square miles)
Terrain: Coastal desert and plateau separated by central mountains.
Climate: Torrid and semi-arid, fresh season, from October to April (average 25°).
People:
Nationality: Djiboutian or Djiboutian's
Population: 850,000 (2016 est.)
Ethnic groups: Somalis (Issaks, Issas, and Gadaboursis) 60%, Afars 35%, Ethiopians,Arab, French, and Italian.
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%.
Languages: French and Arabic (official); Somali and Afar widely used.
Literacy: 65%.
Natural resources: Gold, clay, granite, marble, minerals (salt, perlite, gypsum, limestone), petroleum, geothermal areas.
Agriculture products: livestock, fishing, fruits, vegetables.
Industries: Banking and insurance (12.5% of GDP), transportation (Djibouti harbour), tourism, construction, agricultural processing, salt.
Exports partners: Somalia 79.7%, USA 5.4%, Yemen 4.6%, UAE 4% (2015)
Imports partners: China 41.8%, Saudi Arabia 14.2%, Indonesia 5.9%, India 4.3% (2015)
Currency: Djiboutian Franc (DJF
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Dominican Republic .
Official Name:
Republica Dominicana
Dominican Republic
ISO Country Code: do
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +1 809, or 829 and 849
Capital City: Santo Domingo (population 3 million)
Other Cities:
Santiago de los Caballeros (population 690 548)
Government type:
Representative democracy.
Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) Restoration of independence, 16 August 1863.
Constitution: 28 November 1966, amended 25 July 2002
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, east of Haiti, between Cuba and Puerto Rico. the north of Caribbean Sea to south of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Area: 48,310 kilometers² or (18,652 square miles)
Terrain: Highlands and mountains with fertile valleys.
Climate: Maritime semitropical, with an average yearly temperature of 26°C (78°F)
People:
Nationality: Dominican's
Population: 9.9 million (estimated from year 2015)
Ethnic groups: European 16%, African origin 11%, mixed 73%.
Religion: Roman Catholic 95%.
Language: Spanish.
Literacy: 83%.
Natural resources: Nickel, bauxite, gold, silver.
Agriculture products: Sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs.
Industries: Tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco.
Exports - commodities: gold, silver, cocoa, sugar, coffee, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exports - partners: USA 42.5%, Haiti 16.5%, Canada 8.1%, India 4.8% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: USA 42%, China 9.2%, Venezuela 5.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.5%, Mexico 4.4% (2015)
Currency: Dominican Peso (DOP)
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East Timor . Official Name:
Republika Demokratika Timor Loro Sa'e [Tetum]
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
short form: Timor Loro Sa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form: East Timor
ISO Country Code: .tl, tls (.tp has been phased out)
Time:
Local Time: UTC +9hours
Country Calling Code: +670
Capital City: Dili
Other Cities: Baucau, Dare.
Government:
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 28 November 1975 (from Portugal).
Restoration of independence: 20 May 2002. (from Indonesia)
Constitution: March 2002.
Geography:
Location: Southeast Asia, on the southernmost edge of the Indonesian archipelago, northwest of Australia.
Area: 14,874 km² (5,742 square miles)
Terrain: Mountainous.
Highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Climate: Tropical; hot, semi-arid; rainy and dry seasons.
People:
Nationality: Timorese.
Population: 1.2 million (in 2015)
Religion: Catholic 96 %.
Languages: Portuguese, Tetum (official); English, Bahasa Indonesia (working languages).
Literacy: 41%.
Natural resources: Gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble.
Agriculture products: Coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla.
Industries: Printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth.
Exports partners: Indonesia 100% (2005)
Exports - commodities: Coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports.
Currency: US dollar (USD)
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Ecuador . Official Name:
República del Ecuador
short form: Ecuador
int'l long form: Republic of Ecuador
ISO Country Code: ec, ecu
Time:
Local Time: UTC -5hours
Actual Time: Mon-Sept-3 15:26
Country Calling Code: +593
Capital City: Quito (population 1.4 million)
Other Cities:
Cuenca, Guayaquil (largest city in Ecuador)
Government:
Republic.
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain).
Constitution: 10 August 1998.
Geography:
Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.
Area: 283,561 km² (109.483 square miles)
Terrain: Jungle east of the Andes, a rich agricultural coastal plain west of the Andes, high-elevation valleys through the mountainous center of the country and an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Climate: Varied, mild year-round in the mountain valleys; tropical, hot and humid in coastal and Amazonian jungle lowlands.
People:
Nationality: Ecuadorian or Ecuadorian's.
Population: 16.7 million (2017)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 65%, Indigenous 25%, Caucasian and others 7%, African 3%.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic (95%), but religious freedom recognized.
Languages: Spanish (official), indigenous languages, especially Quichua, the Ecuadorian dialect of Quechua.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: Petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp.
Industries: Petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals.
Exports - commodities: petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, wood, fish
Exports - partners: USA 39.5%, Chile 6.2%, Peru 5.1%, Vietnam 4.3%, Colombia 4.3% (2015)
Imports - commodities: industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods
Imports - partners: USA 27.1%, China 15.3%, Colombia 8.3%, Panama 4.9% (2015)
Currency: US Dollar (USD)
Ecuador in numbers
More statistical data for Ecuador.
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Egypt . Official Name:
Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
Short form: Misr
Int'l short form: Egypt
Int'l long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
ISO Country Code: eg, egy
Actual Time: Mon-Sept-3 22:27
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Egypt does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) since 2011
Country Calling Code: +20
Capital City: Cairo (al-Qa hirah)
(pop. estimated 19 million in metropolitan area)
Other Cities:
Alexandria (population 6 million), Aswan, Asyut, Port Said, Suez, Ismailia
Government:
Type: Republic run by a Military junta
Independence: 1922 (from the UK)
Constitution: 1971
Geography:
Location:Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip
Area: 1 million square kilometers (386 000 square miles)
Terrain: mostly Desert, except the Nile valley and delta.
Climate: Dry, hot summers; moderate winters
People:
Nationality: Egyptian or Egyptian's
Population: 92.4 million (2017)
Ethnic groups: Egyptian, Bedouin Arab, Nubian
Religions: Sunni Muslim 90%, Coptic Christian
Languages: Arabic (official), English, French
Literacy--total adult: 55.2%, male: 66.6%, female: 43.6%.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc.
Agriculture products: Cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats.
Industries: Textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals.
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals, processed food
Exports - partners: Saudi Arabia 9.1%, Italy 7.5%, Turkey 5.8%, UAE 5.1%, USA 5.1%, UK 4.4%, India 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels
Imports - partners: China 13%, Germany 7.7%, USA 5.9%, Turkey 4.5%, Russia 4.4%, Italy 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP)
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El Salvador . Official Name:
República de El Salvador
short form: El Salvador
international long form: Republic of El Salvador
international short form: El Salvador
ISO Country Code: sv, slv
Time:
Time Zone:
Local Time: UTC -6hours
Country Calling Code: +503
Capital City: San Salvador (population 600 000).
Other Cities:
Santa Ana (population 237 000), San Miguel (population 222,000), Ahuachapán (population 100 000), Soyapango (population 222,096), La Union.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: on 15 September 1821 (from Spain). Constitution: 20 December 1983.
Geography:
Location: Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean in the south, between Guatemala and Honduras.
Area: 21,041 km² (8,123 square miles).
Terrain: Mountains separate country into three distinct regions--southern coastal belt, central valleys and plateaus, and northern mountains.
Climate: Semitropical, tropical on coast; temperate in uplands, distinct wet and dry seasons.
People:
Nationality: Salvadoran or Salvadoran's.
Population: 6.4 million (2015)
Ethnic Groups: mixed Indian and Spanish 90%, indigenous 1%, Caucasian 9%.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestants
Languages: Spanish.
Literacy: 75-80%
Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land.
Agriculture products: Coffee, sugar, livestock, corn, poultry, and sorghum
Industries: Food and beverage processing, textiles, footwear and clothing, chemical products, petroleum products, electronics.
Exports - commodities: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, textiles and apparel, gold, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel manufactures
Exports - partners: USA 47.1%, Honduras 13.9%, Guatemala 13.6%, Nicaragua 6.6%, Costa Rica 4.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners: USA 39.4%, Guatemala 9.6%, China 8.1%, Mexico 7.4%, Honduras 5.7% (2015)
Currency: Salvador Colon (SVC) and US Dollar (USD)
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England
England, birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles, is a country in the British Isles bordering Scotland and Wales. The capital, London, on the River Thames, is home of Parliament, Big Ben and the 11th-century Tower of London. It's also a multicultural, modern hub for the arts and business. Other large cities are Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and the university centres of Oxford and Cambridge.
Capital: London
Area: 130,395 km²
Population: 55.62 million (2017) ONS UK
Currency: Pound sterling
Official language: English
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Equatorial Guinea . Official Name:
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Eritrea
Eritrea is a northeast African country on the Red Sea coast. It shares borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. The capital city, Asmara, is known for its Italian colonial buildings, like St. Joseph's Cathedral, as well as art deco structures. Italian, Egyptian and Turkish architecture in Massawa reflect the port city's colorful history. Notable buildings here include St. Mariam Cathedral and the Imperial Palace.
Capital: Asmara
Official languages: None (see working languages)
Recognised national languages: Tigrinya; Beja; Arabic; Tigre; Kunama; Saho; Bilen; Nara; Afar; English;
Other languages: Italian
Currency: Eritrean nakfa
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Estonia .
Official Name:
Eesti Vabariik
short form: Eesti
int'l long form: Republic of Estonia
int'l short form: Estonia
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic.
ISO Country Code: ee, EST
Time Zone: Eastern European Time (EET)
Local Time: UTC +2hours
DST from March - October (UTC+3hours)
Country Calling Code: +372
Capital City: Tallinn (population 398 500)
Other Cities:
Tartu (101 190); Narva (67 752); Kohtla-Jarve (46 765); Parnu (44 781); Viljandi (20 509)
Government type: Parliamentary Democracy.
Constitution: On 28 June 1992 Estonians ratified a constitution based on the 1938 model, offering legal continuity to the Republic of Estonia prior to Soviet occupation.
Geography:
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia.
Area: 45,227 kilometers² or (17,462 square miles)
Terrain: Estonia is a green land, forests cover around half of the country. Flat, average elevation 50m. Steep limestone banks and 1 521 islands mark the coastline.
Land use: 9.5% arable land, 47,4% forest and woodland, 22% swamps and bogs, 21.5% other. Coastal waters are somewhat polluted.
Climate: Temperate, with four seasons of near-equal length.
People:
Nationality: Estonian's
Population: 1.3 million (estimated as of year 2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 16 461 (year)
Ethnic groups: Estonians 65%, Russians 28%, Ukrainians 2.5%, Belarusians 1.4%, Finns 0.9%, other 2.2%.
Religions: Lutheran, the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox, subordinated to Constantinople, the Estonian Orthodox, subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate, Baptist.
Languages: Estonian (eesti keel), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish.
Literacy: 99%.
Natural resources: Oil shale, phosphorite, limestone, blue clay.
Agriculture products: Potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish.
Industries: Engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications.
Currency: Euro
Exports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 34%, food products and beverages 9%, mineral fuels 9%, wood and wood products 10%, metals 7%, furniture 9%, vehicles and parts 6%, chemicals 5% (2015 est.)
Exports - partners: Sweden 18.8%, Finland 16%, Latvia 10.4%, Russia 6.7%, Lithuania 5.9%, Germany 5.2%, Norway 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 28 %, mineral fuels 11%, food and food products 10%, vehicles 9%, chemical products 8%, metals 8% (2015 est.)
Imports - partners: Finland 14.5%, Germany 11%, Lithuania 9%, Sweden 8.5%, Latvia 8.3%, Poland 7.4%, Russia 6.1%, Netherlands 5.5%, China 4.8% (2015)
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Ethiopia .
Official Name:
Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
short form: Ityop'iya
int'l long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
int'l short form: Ethiopia
abbreviation: FDRE
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa.
ISO Country Code: et, ETH
Time:
Ethiopian Standard Time: UTC +3hours
Ethiopia does not operate Daylight-Saving Time.
Country Calling Code: +251
Capital: Addis Ababa (population 3 million)
Largest Cities:
Dire Dawa (180,000), Harar (138,000), Dessie (105,000), Nazret (100,000), Bahir Dar (95,000), Awassa (90,000)
Government:
Federal parliamentary democracy.
New constitution adopted in 1995.
Geography:
Location: Horn of Africa bordered by the Sudan on the west, Somalia and Djibouti on the east, Eritrea on the north and Kenya on the south.
Area: 1.1 million kilometers² or (440 000 square miles) about twice the size of Kenya, France or Texas.
Terrain: Rugged mountains, flat-topped high plateaus, deep river canyons, rolling plains and dry low lands.
Climate: Temperate in the highlands; tropical in the lowlands; dry season from October through May; wet season from June to September.
People:
Nationality: Ethiopian's
Population: 90 millions (estimated as of year 2015)
Ethnic groups (est.): comprised of seventy-eight nations of which the Amhara and the Oromo constitute the majority, Oromo 35%, Amhara 30%, Tigre 6%-8%, Somali 6%
Religions: Ethiopian Orthodox Christian 45%-50%, Muslim 40%, Protestant 5%, Animic
Languages: Amharic (official), Afan Oromo, Tigrinya, Gurage, Somali, Arabic and about 80 other local languages. English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Ethiopian alphabet: Geèz
Natural resources: Small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower.
Agriculture - products: Cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats.
Industries: Food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement.
Exports - commodities: coffee (27%, by value), oilseeds (17%), edible vegetables including khat (17%), gold (13%), flowers (7%), live animals (7%), raw leather products (3%), meat products (3%)
Exports - partners: Switzerland 14.3%, China 11.7%, USA 9.5%, Netherlands 8.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9%, Germany 5.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and aircraft (14%, by value), metal and metal products, (14%), electrical materials, (13%), petroleum products (12%), motor vehicles, (10%), chemicals and fertilizers (4%)
Imports - partners: China 20.4%, USA 9.2%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, India 4.5% (2015)
Currency: Ethiopian Birr (ETB)
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Fiji . Official Name:
Republic of the Fiji Islands
short form: Fiji
ISO Country Code: fj, fij
Time:
Local Time: Summer UTC + 13hours
Country Calling Code: +679
Capital City: Suva on the island of Viti Levu (pop. 167,000)
Government:
Type: Parliamentary Democracy.
Independence (from U.K.): 10 October 1970.
Constitution: July 1997 (suspended May 2000, reaffirmed March 2001).
Geography:
Location: Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean.
Area: 18,333 km²
Terrain: Mostly mountains of volcanic origin or varied, dense tropical forest.
Climate:
Tropical maritime; only slight seasonal temperature variation.
People:
Nationality: Fiji Islander;
adjective: Fiji
Population: 870,000 (in 2015)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 6 282 (year)
Ethnic groups: Indigenous Fijian 54%, Indo-Fijian 40%.
Religion: Christian 52% (Methodist and Roman Catholic), Hindu 33%, Muslim 7%.
Languages: English (official), Fijian, Hindi.
Literacy: 93%.
Natural resources: Timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish.
Industries: Tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries.
Exports - commodities: sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil, mineral water
Exports - partners: USA 13.4%, Australia 10.2%, Samoa 6.7%, Tonga 5.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals
Imports - partners: China 16.2%, South Korea 15.7%, New Zealand 14%, Australia 13.4%, Singapore 8.7%, France 7% (2015)
Currency: Fijian Dollar (FJD)
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Finland .
Official Name:
Suomen tasavalta - Republiken Finland
short form: Suomi - Finland
int'l long form: Republic of Finland
int'l short form: Finland
ISO Country Code: fi, FIN
Time:
Time Zone: Eastern European Time
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +3hours)
Country Calling Code: +358
Capital City: Helsinki (population 560,500)
Other Cities:
Espoo (population 213,000) Tampere (population 195,500) Vantaa (population 178,500) Turku (population 173,000)
Government type: Constitutional republic.
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from the Russian Empire)
Constitution: 17 July 1919, 1 March 2000.
The new Finnish Constitution
Geography:
Location: Northern Europe
Area: 338,145 kilometers² or (130,558 square miles)
Terrain: Low but hilly, more than 70% forested, with more than 60 000 lakes.
Climate: Northern temperate.
People:
Nationality: Finn's or Finnish.
Population: 5.5 million (estimated as of year 2017)
Ethnic groups: Finns, Swedes, Lapps, Sami, Roma, Tatars.
Religions: Lutheran 89%, Orthodox 1%.
Languages: Finnish 93%, Swedish 6% (both official); small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities.
Literacy: 100%
Natural resources: Timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone.
Agriculture products: Barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish.
Industries: Metal products, electronics, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing.
Exports - commodities: electrical and optical equipment, machinery, transport equipment, paper and pulp, chemicals, basic metals; timber
Exports - partners: Germany 13.9%, Sweden 10.1%, USA 7%, Netherlands 6.6%, Russia 5.9%, UK 5.2%, China 4.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, computers, electronic industry products, textile yarn and fabrics, grains
Imports - partners: Germany 17%, Sweden 16%, Russia 11%, Netherlands 9.1%, Denmark 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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France .
Official Name:
Republique Francaise
short form: France
int'l long form: French Republic
int'l short form: France
ISO Country Code: FR - FRA - .fr
Time:
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time: UTC +1hour
DST: March - October (UTC +2hours)
Country Calling Code: +33
Capital City: Paris
The Romans called her Lutetia.
Major Cities:
Bordeaux, Cannes, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse
Other Cities in France
List of links to official French city sites.
Government type: Republic.
Constitution: The Constitution of 4 October 1958.
Geography:
Location: Central western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain.
Area: 551,500 kilometers² or (220,668 square miles) largest west European country.
Terrain: Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east.
Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.
People:
Nationality: French.
Population: 64 million (estimated as of year 2016)
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: French.
Literacy: 99%.
Economy:
Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish.
Agriculture products: Wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; and fish.
Industries: Machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing, and tourism.
Exports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, and beverages.
Exports partners: Germany 15.9%, Spain 7.3%, USA 7.2%, Italy 7.1%, UK 7.1%, Belgium 6.8% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals.
Imports partners: Germany 19.5%, Belgium 10.7%, Italy 7.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Spain 6.8%, USA 5.5%, China 5.4%, UK 4.3% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Gabon . Official Name:
République Gabonaise
short form: Gabon
int'l long form: Gabonese Republic
ISO Country Code: ga
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Country Calling Code: +241
Capital City: Libreville (population 700,000)
Other Cities: Port-Gentil (136,000), Masuku-Franceville (110,000), Lambaréné (25,000), Mouila, Tchibanga, Makokou, Koulamoutou, Port-Gentil, Oyem.
Government:
Type: Republic; multiparty presidential regime.
Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France).
Geography:
Location: Western central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Area: 267,667 km² (103,347 square miles)
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly and heavily forested interior (about 80% forested); some savanna regions in east and south.
Climate: Hot and humid with two rainy (February - May main rainy season)
and two dry seasons (May - September main dry season).
People:
Nationality: Gabonese
Population: 1.5 million (2010 UN estimate)
Ethnic groups: Over 40 ethnic groups: Fang (34%), Bapounou (22%), M'Bete (14%), Bandjabi (11%), Bakota (6%), and Myene (5%).
Religions: Christianity, Muslim, animist.
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish.
Industries: Petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair; food and beverage; textile.
Exports - commodities: crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium
Exports partners: Japan 21.7%, USA 10.7%, Australia 9.7%, India 8.8%, China 8.5%, Spain 6.3%, France 4.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2013)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports partners: France 21.8%, Cote dIvoire 16.6%, China 10%, Belgium 5.6%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 5.1% (2013)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs CFA (XAF)
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Gambia . fficial Name:
Republic of The Gambia
short form: The Gambia
former: Senegambia; federation with Senegal (1982-1989)
ISO Country Code: gm
Time:
Local Time: UTC
Country Calling Code: +220
Capital City: Banjul (population 35 000, with suburbs 500 000)
Other Cities: Serrekunda (population 200 000),
Basse Santa Su, Georgetown (Jangjang-bureh), Juffureh.
Government:
Type: Civilian.
Independence: 18 February 1965 (from the UK).
Constitution:16 January 1997.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean surrounded by Senegal.
Area: 11,300 sq. km. (4 360 square miles)
Terrain: Flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by low hills.
Climate: Tropical; hot rainy season (June to Nov.); cooler, dry season (Nov. to May).
People:
Nationality: Gambian(s).
Population: 1.9 million (2015 UN estimate)
Ethnic groups: Mandinka 40%, Fula 18%, Wolof 14%, Jola 10%, Serahule 9%, Serere 8%, Krio/Aku Marabout, Manjago, Bambara.
Non-Gambians 13% of the population.
Religions: Muslim 95%, Christian 4%, animists.
Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula (Pulaar), Jola, other indigenous languages.
Literacy: 38%
Natural resources: Fish, titanium, tin, zircon, silica sand.
Agriculture products: Peanuts, rice, millet, sorghum, fish, palm kernels, vegetables, livestock, forestry.
Industries: Peanut products, construction, telecommunications, brewing; tourism.
Exports - commodities: peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels
Exports - partners: China 47.6%, India 27.2%, France 5.9%, UK 4.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment
Imports - partners: China 34.2%, Brazil 8.1%, Senegal 6.9%, India 5.7%, Netherlands 4.8% (2015)
Currency: Dalasi (GMD)
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Georgia
Georgia is a southeastern U.S. state whose terrain spans coastal beaches, farmland and mountains. Capital city Atlanta is home of the Georgia Aquarium and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, dedicated to the African-American leader’s life and times. The city of Savannah is famed for its 18th- and 19th-century architecture and leafy public squares. Augusta hosts the Masters golf tournament.
Capital: Atlanta
Abbreviation: GA
Zip code: 30627
Population: 10.52 million (2018)
Points of interest: Georgia Aquarium, Rock City Gardens, MORE
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Germany .
Official Name:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
int'l long form: Federal Republic of Germany
int'l short form: Germany
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich.
ISO Country Code: DE - DEU - .de
Time zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time: CET = UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2hours)
Country Calling Code: +49
Capital City: Berlin
Former (transitional) Capital City: Bonn
Major Cities:
Bremen (population 543 000) Dortmund (population 592 000) Dresden, Düsseldorf (population 568,000) Essen (population 603 000) Frankfurt (population 644 000) Hamburg (population 1.7 million) Hannover (population 516 000) Köln (population 964 000) München (population 1.2 million) Stuttgart (population 582 000)
Government type: Democratic-parliamentary federal state
Founded: 1949 (Basic Law, Constitution, promulgated on 23 May 1949)
On the 3rd October 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic unified in accordance with Article 23 of the FRG Basic Law.
Geography:
Location: Central Europe bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea in north.
Area: 357 031 kilometers² or (137 850 square miles)
Terrain: Low plain in the north; high plains, hills, and basins in the center and east; mountainous alpine region in the south.
Highest mountain: Zugspitze 2 962 m.
Climate: Generally moderate continental climate without sustained periods of cold or heat, maritime climate in the North, in the South mountain climate in the Alpine regions.
People:
Nationality: German's
Population: 81,7 million (estimated as of year 2015)
Ethnic groups: Primarily German; Danish minority in the north, Sorbian (Slavic) minority in the east; 8.2 million foreign residents, 10% of the population (2015)
Religions: Protestants (27.9 million) Catholics (27.3 million) approximately 3.2 million Muslims.
Language: German, second languages: English, French, Turkish.
Natural resources: Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land.
Agriculture products: Potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry.
Industries: Among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles.
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products.
Exports partners: USA 9.6%, France 8.6%, UK 7.5%, Netherlands 6.6%, China 6%, Italy 4.9%, Austria 4.8%, Poland 4.4%, Switzerland 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products.
Imports partners: Netherlands 13.7%, France 7.6%, China 7.3%, Belgium 6%, Italy 5.2%, Poland 5%, USA 4.7%, Czech Republic 4.5%, UK 4.2%, Austria 4.2%, Switzerland 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Ghana . Official Name:
Republic of Ghana
short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
ISO Country Code: gh
Time:
Time Zone:
Local Time = UTC (+-0; no UTC/GMT offset)
Country Calling Code: +233
Capital City: Accra
Other Cities: Kumasi (estimated population 1 million ), Tema (estimated population 500,000), Sekondi-Takoradi (estimated population 370,000).
Government:
Type: Multiparty Democracy.
Independence: 6 March 1957.
Constitution: Entered into force 7 January 1993.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.
Area: 238,391 km² (92,100 square miles).
Terrain: Plains and scrubland, rainforest, savanna.
Climate: Tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north.
People:
Nationality: Ghanaian or Ghanaian's.
Population: 28.3 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Akan, Ewe, Ga, Moshi-Dagomba.
Religions: Christian 69%, Muslim 15%, traditional and indigenous beliefs 9%.
Languages: English (official), Akan (which includes Asante Twi, Akwapim Twi, Akyem, and Fanti) 49%, Mole-Dagbani 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga-Adangbe 8%, Guan 4%, others 10%.
Literacy: 70%
Natural resources: Gold, timber, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish.
Agriculture products: Cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
Industries: Mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building.
Exports - commodities: oil, gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticultural products
Exports - partners: India 25.2%, Switzerland 12.2%, China 10.6%, France 5.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, refined petroleum, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: China 32.6%, Nigeria 14%, Netherlands 5.5%, USA 5.4% (2015)
Currency: Cedi (GHC)
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Greece . Official Name:
Elliniki Dhimokratia
short form: Ellas or Ellada
int'l long form: Hellenic Republic
int'l short form: Greece
former: Kingdom of Greece
ISO Country Code: gr, grc
Time:
Time Zone: EET - Eastern European Time
Local Time: UTC +2hours
DST from March - October; UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +30
Capital City: Athens
Greater Athens (population 3 566 000)
Athens
Municipality of Athens - local government cultural executive body.
Other Cities:
Thessaloniki (750 000), Piraeus (880 000), Patras (170 000), Larissa (113 000), Iraklion (132 000).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence: 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire).
Constitution: 11. June 1975, amended March 1986, April 2001.
Geography:
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey.
Area: 132,000 km² (51,146 sq. mi.).
Terrain: Mountainous interior with coastal plains; 1,400 plus islands.
Highest point: Mytikas on Mount Olympus
Climate: Mediterranean; mild, wet winter and hot, dry summer.
People:
Population: 11,5 million (as of 2016)
Languages: Greek 99% (official); Turkish (Northern Greece), English.
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%.
Literacy: 95%.
Natural resources:
Bauxite, lignite, magnesite, oil, marble; Agriculture Products.
Agriculture products:
Wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products.
Industries:
Tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum.
Exports - commodities: food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
Exports - partners: Italy 11.2%, Germany 7.3%, Turkey 6.6%, Cyprus 5.9%, Bulgaria 5.2%, USA 4.8%, UK 4.2%, Egypt 4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners: Germany 10.7%, Italy 8.4%, Russia 7.9%, Iraq 7%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%, France 4.5% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Greenland
Greenland is a massive island and autonomous Danish territory between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Much of its land surface is covered in ice. Most of its small population lives along the ice-free, fjord-lined coast, particularly in the southwest. Its northerly position, largely above the Arctic Circle, results in natural phenomena such as summer’s midnight sun and winter’s Northern Lights.
Capital: Nuuk
Population: 56,171 (2017) World Bank
Continent: North America
Points of interest: Northeast Greenland National Park, MORE
Official language: Greenlandic
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Grenada . Official Name:
Grenada
Amerindian Name: Camerhogne
ISO Country Code: gd
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Actual Time: Mon-Sept-3 16:37
Country Calling Code: +1 473
Capital City: Saint George's (estimated population 33 000)
Government:
Type: Constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style Parliament.
Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK).
Constitution: 19 December 1973
Coming into operation 7 February 1974.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago, and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Area: 344 km² (133 sq mi)
Terrain: Three volcanic islands (Grenada and the smaller islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique) with mountainous rainforest.
Climate: Tropical; tempered by the steady and cooling trade winds.
People:
Nationality: Grenadian or Grenadian's.
Population: 107,000 (2015)
Ethnic groups: African descent (75%), some South Asians (East Indians) and Europeans, trace Arawak/Carib Indian.
Religions: Roman Catholic, various Protestant denominations, Islam, Rastafarianism.
Languages: English (official).
Literacy: 95%
Natural resources: Timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors.
Agriculture products: Bananas, cocoa, spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables.
Industries: Food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction.
Exports partners: Saint Lucia 12.7%, USA 12.2%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.7%, Netherlands 7.9%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 7.8%, Dominica 7.8%, Germany 7.1%, France 4.6% (2004)
Imports partners: Trinidad and Tobago 29.6%, USA 27.8%, UK 4.8% (2004)
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
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Guetemala
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Guinea . Official Name:
République de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
international long form: Republic of Guinea
international short form: Guinea
former: French Guinea
ISO Country Code: gn, GIN
Local Time: UTC +0hour
Country Calling Code: +224
Capital City: Conakry (populaiton 1.5 million).
Other Cities:
Guéckédou (populaiton 350 000), Boké (populaiton 300 000), Kindia (populaiton 280 000), N'Zérékoré (populaiton 300 000), Macenta (populaiton 280 000), Mamou, Kankan (populaiton 270 000), Labe (populaiton 250 000).
Government:
Type: Military regime.
Independence: 2 October 1958. Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April 1984.
In December 2008 following President CONTE's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup to seiz power. He suspended the constitution as well as political and union activity.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.
Area: 245,860 sq. km. (95,000 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Generally flat along the coast and mountainous in the interior. The country's four geographic regions include a narrow coastal belt; pastoral highlands (the source of West Africa's major rivers); the northern savanna; and the southeastern rain forest.
Climate: Tropical. Generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with a northeasterly Harmattan, a dry and dusty West African trade wind..
People:
Nationality: Guinean or Guinean's
Population: 10.6 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Fulani 40.3%; Malinke 25.8%; Susu 11.0%; Kissi 6.5%; Kpelle 4.8%, other ethnic groups 11.6%.
Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian, traditional beliefs.
Languages: French (official); Eight national languages, Soussou (Susu, in coastal Guinea), Peulh (Fulani, in Northrn Guinea), Maninka (Upper Guinea), Kissi (Kissidougou Region), Toma and Guerze (Kpelle) in rain forest Guinea; plus various ethnic groups with their own language.
Literacy: 28% to 35%.
Natural resources:
Bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, water power, uranium, fisheries.
Agriculture products: Rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber.
Industries: Bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries.
Exports - commodities: bauxite, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Exports - partners: India 22.5%, Spain 8.2%, Ireland 7.3%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.5%, Ukraine 5.3%, France 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: China 20.4%, Netherlands 5.4%, India 4.4% (2015)
Currency: Guinea Franc (GNF)
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Guinea Bissau . Official Name:
República da Guiné-Bissau
short form: Guiné-Bissau
international long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
international short form: Guinea-Bissau
formerly: Portuguese Guinea (until 1974)
ISO Country Code: gw, GNB
Time:
Local Time: UTC (no GMT time offset)
Country Calling Code: +245
Capital City: Bissau
Other Cities: Bolama (former capital of Portuguese Guinea until 1941) Bafata, Gabu, Canchungo, Farim, Cacheu.
Government:
Type: Republic, multi-party since 1991.
Independence: 24 September 1973 (proclaimed unilaterally); 10 September 1974 (de jure from Portugal).
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, between Guinea and Senegal, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean.
Area: (including Bijagós Archipelago): 36,000 km² (14,000 sq. mi).
Regions: Oio, Tombali, Cacheu, Bolama, Quinara, Biombo, Bafata, Gabu.
Terrain: Almost all of Guinea-Bissau is low-lying and bathed daily by tidal waters that reach as much as 62 miles (100 kilometres) inland; savanna in the east.
Climate: Tropical; generally hot and humid; rainy season (Jun - Nov)
People:
Nationality: Bissau-Guinean or Bissau-Guinean's
Population: 1.54 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%, others 16%.
Religions: Indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%.
Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, French, many indigenous languages: Balanta-Kentohe 26%; Pulaar 18%; Mandjak 12%; Mandinka 11%; Pepel 9%; Biafada; Mancanha; Bidyogo; Ejamat; Mansoanka; Bainoukgunyuno; Nalu; Soninke; Badjara; Bayote%; Kobiana; Cassanga, Basary.
Literacy: 40%
Natural resources: Fish and timber. Deposits of bauxite and phosphate are not exploited; offshore petroleum.
Agriculture products: Cashews, tropical fruits, rice, peanuts, cotton, palm oil.
Industries: Very little industrial capacity.
Exports - commodities: bauxite, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Exports - partners: India 22.5%, Spain 8.2%, Ireland 7.3%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.5%, Ukraine 5.3%, France 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: China 20.4%, Netherlands 5.4%, India 4.4% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
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Guyana . Official Name:
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana
ISO Country Code: gy, GUY
Time:
Local Time: UTC -4hours
Country Calling Code: +592
Capital City: Georgetown (population 250 000)
Other Cities: Linden (population 29,000) and New Amsterdam (population 18,000)
Government:
Type: Republic within the Commonwealth.
Independence: 26 May 1966;
Republic, 23 February 1970.
Constitution: 1980
Geography:
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Area: 215,000 sq. km. (83 000 square miles)
Terrain: Coastal plain, inland highlands, rain forest, savanna.
Climate: Equatorial tropical.
People:
Nationality: Guyanese
Population: 748.000 (2012)
Ethnic groups: East Indian origin 49%, African origin 32%, mixed 12%, Amerindian 6%, White and Chinese 1%.
Religions: Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 1%.
Languages: English, Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (primarily Carib and Arawak).
Literacy: 96.5% of adults who have attended school.
Natural resources: Bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish.
Agriculture products: Sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp.
Industries: Bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining.
Exports - commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners: USA 33.5%, Canada 17.9%, UK 6.7%, Ukraine 4.3%, Jamaica 4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners: USA 24.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 24.1%, China 10.8%, Suriname 9.5% (2015)
Currency: Guyanese Dollar (GYD)
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Haiti . Official Name:
Repiblik Dayti - République d'Haïti
short form: Dayti (Haitian Creole), Haïti
int'l long form: Republic of Haiti
int'l short form: Haiti
ISO Country Code: ht
Time:
Local Time: UTC -5hours
Country Calling Code: +509
Capital City: Port-au-Prince (population 2 million)
Other Cities: Cap Haitien (pop. 600 000), Cayes, Gonaïves, Jacmel, Saint-Marc, Jérémie.
Government:
Type: Republic with an elected government.
Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France).
Constitution of the Republic of Haiti: March 1987.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Area: 27,750 km² (10,714 square miles)
Ile de la Gonave and Ile de la Tortue comprise Haiti's principal offshore territories. Terrain: Rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys, and a large east-central elevated plateau.
Climate: Tropical, semiarid, high humidity in many coastal areas, mountains in east cut off trade winds.
People:
Nationality: Haitian or Haitian's
Population: 10 million (2010)
Ethnic groups: African descent 95%, African and European descent 5%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16%, voudou (voodoo) practices pervasive, recognized by the government since 2003.
Languages: Creole and French (official).
Literacy: 50% (est.)
Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble. Agricultural Products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, cacao, sorghum, pulses, other fruits and vegetables.
Agriculture products: Coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, wood.
Industries: Sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts.
Currency: Gourde (HTG)
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Honduras . Official Name:
República de Honduras
short form: Honduras
international long form: Republic of Honduras
ISO Country Code: hn
Local Time: UTC -6hours
Country Calling Code: +504
Capital City: Tegucigalpa (population 850 000); metropolitan area 1.2 million.
Other Cities:
San Pedro Sula the industrial capital of Honduras, (population 500 000); metropolitan area over 1 million.
Government:
Type: Democratic constitutional republic.
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution: 1982.
Geography:
Location: Central America/Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Area: 112,492 km² (43,433 square miles)
Terrain: Mountainous.
Climate: Tropical to subtropical, depending on elevation.
People:
Nationality: Honduran or Honduran's
Population: 8.5 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: 90% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European); others of European, Arab, African, or Asian ancestry; and indigenous Indians 7%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority.
Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects.
Literacy: 72%.
Natural resources: Timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower.
Agriculture-products: Bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp.
Exports - commodities: coffee, apparel, coffee, shrimp, automobile wire harnesses, cigars, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber
Exports - partners: US 36%, Germany 8.7%, El Salvador 8.5%, Guatemala 6%, Nicaragua 5.6%, Netherlands 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: communications equipment, machinery and transport, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: US 35.2%, China 13.6%, Guatemala 9.2%, Mexico 6.6%, El Salvador 5.1% (2015)
Currency: Lempira (HNL)
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Hong Kong .
Official Name:
Hong Kong
in Chinese: 香港
conventional long form:
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local short form: Xianggang
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
Dependency status: special administrative region of China (SAR)
ISO Country Code: hk, HKG
Local Time: UTC +8hours
Country Calling Code: +852
Government type:
since 1 July 1997 a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, with its own constitution (the Basic Law)
Geography:
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Area: 1,100 kilometers², Hong Kong comprises Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and numerous small islands. Terrain: Hilly to mountainous, with steep slopes and natural harbor.
Climate: Tropical monsoon. Cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall.
People:
Population: 7.4 million (estimated as of year 2017)
Ethnic groups: Chinese 95% and the other is 5%
Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Languages: Yue (Cantonese Chinese) and English are official.
Literacy: 92%
Natural resources: Outstanding deepwater harbor.
Agriculture products: Fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork.
Industries: Textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks.
Exports - commodities: electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners: China 53.7%, US 9.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is reexported)
Imports - partners: China 49%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore 6.1%, US 5.2%, South Korea 4.3% (2015)
Currency: Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
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Hungary . Official Name:
Magyar Koztarsasag
short form: Magyarország
international long form: Republic of Hungary
international short form: Hungary
ISO Country Code: hu, hun
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time: UTC +1hour (Summer: UTC +2hours)
Country Calling Code: +36
Capital City: Budapest (estimated population 2 million)
Other Cities:
Debrecen (population 220,000); Miskolc (population 208,000); Szeged (population 189,000); Pecs (population183,000).
Government:
Type: Republic.
Constitution: August 20, 1949. Substantially rewritten in 1989, amended in 1990.
Geography:
Location: Central Europe, northwest of Romania.
Area: 93,028 km² (35,918 square miles.)
Terrain: Mostly flat, with low mountains in the north and northeast and north of Lake Balaton.
Climate: Temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers.
People:
Nationality: Hungarian or Hungarian's'.
Population: 9.8 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Magyar 92%, Romany 4% (est.), German 2%, Slovak 1%, others 1%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 68%, Calvinist 21%, Lutheran 4%, Jewish 1%, others, including Baptist Adventist, Pentecostal, Unitarian 3%.
Languages: Magyar 98%, other 2%.
Literacy: 99%.
Natural resources: Bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land.
Agriculture products: Wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products.
Industries: Mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 53.5%, other manufactures 31.2%, food products 8.7%, raw materials 3.4%, fuels and electricity 3.9% (2012 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 28%, Romania 5.4%, Slovakia 5.1%, Austria 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.7%, UK 4%, Czech Republic 4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 45.4%, other manufactures 34.3%, fuels and electricity 12.6%, food products 5.3%, raw materials 2.5% (2012)
Imports - partners: Germany 25.8%, China 6.7%, Austria 6.6%, Poland 5.5%, Slovakia 5.3%, France 5%, Czech Republic 4.8%, Netherlands 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2015)
Currency: Forint (HUF)
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Ice Land . Official Name:
Lydhveldidh Island
local short form: Island
international long form: Republic of Iceland
international short form: Iceland
ISO Country Code: is, isl
Local Time: UTC +0hour
Country Calling Code: +354
Capital City: Reykjavik
The Municipality of Reykjavik (populaiton 112,000).
Other Cities:
Kopavogur (populaiton 24,950), Hafnarfjordur (populaiton 20,675), Akureyri (populaiton 15,840).
Government:
Type: Semi-presidential, parliamentary.
Independence: 1918 (became "sovereign state" under Danish Crown); 1944 (establishment of republic).
Geography:
Location: Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle.
Area: 103,000 km² (39,600 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Ireland.
Terrain: Rugged.
Highest elevation: Hvannadalshnjukur at Vatnajokull Glacier, at 2,119 meters (6,952 ft.).
Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers.
People:
Nationality: Icelandic or Icelander's
Population: 337,000 (as of year 2016)
Ethnic group: Relatively homogenous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts.
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran, 87%.
Language: Icelandic.
Literacy: 100%.
Natural resources: Marine products, hydroelectric and geothermal power, diatomite. Agriculture products: Potatoes, green vegetables, mutton, dairy products, fish.
Industries: Fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power; tourism.
Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 40%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite (2010 est.)
Exports - partners: Netherlands 26.1%, UK 11.6%, Spain 11.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.7%, US 5.7%, Norway 4.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: Norway 10.1%, Germany 8.6%, US 7.9%, China 7.9%, Denmark 7.1%, Netherlands 5.9%, Brazil 5.8%, UK 5% (2015)
Currency: Iceland Krona (ISK)
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India .
Official Name:
Bharat Ganarajya
local short form: Bharat
Int'l conventional long form: Republic of India
Int'l conventional short form: India
ISO Country Code: in
Local Time: UTC +5:30hours
Country Calling Code: +91
Capital City: Delhi
The Municipality of Delhi (population 21 million)
Other Cities:
Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (formerly Bombay, pop. 18 million)
Chennai, formerly Madras (population 9 million) Kolkata (Metro Kolkata population 14 million) Bengaluru formerly Bangalore (population 8.5 million) Hyderabad (population 5 million) Ahmedabad (population 3.7 million)
Government type: Federal Republic
Independence: 15 August 1947 (from United Kingdom)
Geography:
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan.
Area: 3.3 million kilometers² or (1.3 million square miles)
Terrain: varies from Himalayas to flat river valleys.
Climate: Varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north.
People:
Nationality: Indian's
Population (estimated as of year 2017) 1,339 million urban population 27%, rural population 73%.
Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid 2%.
Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5%.
Languages: Hindi, English, and 20 other official languages. Literacy: 65%.
Natural resources: Coal, iron, manganese, mica, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone, barite, titanium ore, diamonds, crude oil.
Agriculture products: Rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish.
Industries: Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software.
Exports - commodities: petroleum products, precious stones, vehicles, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, cereals, apparel
Exports - partners: USA 15.2%, UAE 11.4%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2015)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, precious stones, machinery, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, iron and steel
Imports - partners: China 15.5%, UAE 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.4%, Switzerland 5.3%, USA 5.2% (2015)
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
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Indonesia . Official Name:
Republik Indonesia
short form: Indonesia
international long form: Republic of Indonesia
international short form: Indonesia
formerly: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
ISO Country Code: id
Time:
Local Time: UTC +7hours to UTC +9hours
Country Calling Code: +62
Capital City: Jakarta (Special Capital City Region of Jakarta), situated on the island of Java (pop. est. 8.8 million)
Other Cities:
Surabaya, Medan, Bandung
Government:
Type: Independent republic.
Independence: 17 August 1945 Indonesia proclaimed independence; on 27 December 1949, the country became legally independent from the Netherlands.
Constitution: 1945.
Geography:
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Largest islands: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), New Guinea.
Area: 2 million km² (736 000 square miles)
Terrain: More than 17 000 islands; 6 000 are inhabited; 1 000 of which are permanently settled. Large islands consist of coastal plains with mountainous interiors.
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; cooler in the highlands.
People:
Nationality: Indonesian or Indonesian's
Population: 258 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: 45% Javanese, 14% Sudanese, 7.5% Madurese and 26% other ethnic groups.
Religions: Islam 87%, Protestant 6%, Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist and other 1%.
Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official, akin to Malay), English, Dutch, plus 583 dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese.
Literacy: 88.5
Natural resources: Petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver.
Agriculture products: Rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra, poultry, beef, pork, eggs.
Industries: Petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism.
Exports - commodities: mineral fuels, animal or vegetable fats (includes palm oil), electrical machinery, rubber, machinery and mechanical appliance parts.
Exports - partners: Japan 12%, USA 10.8%, China 10%, Singapore 8.4%, India 7.8%, South Korea 5.1%, Malaysia 5.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: mineral fuels, boilers, machinery, and mechanical parts, electric machinery, iron and steel, foodstuffs.
Imports - partners: China 20.6%, Singapore 12.6%, Japan 9.3%, Malaysia 6%, South Korea 5.9%, Thailand 5.7%, US 5.3% (2015)
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
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Iran . Official Name:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
short form: Iran
int'l long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
former: Persia
ISO Country Code: ir, irn
Time:
Local Time: UTC +3.5hours
Summer UTC +4.5hours
Country Calling Code: +98
Capital City: Tehran
Other Cities: Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz.
Government:
Type: Islamic republic.
Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Constitution: Ratified December 1979, revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership.
Geography:
Location: Middle East bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea.
Area: 1.6 million km² (636,294 square miles)
Terrain: Desert and mountains.
Climate: Semiarid; subtropical along the Caspian coast.
People:
Nationality: Iranian or Iranian's.
Population: 79 million (in 2017).
GNI per capita PPP: $ 8 065 (year)
Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%.
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other.
Literacy: 80%
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur.
Agriculture products: Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar.
Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments.
Exports - commodities: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets, cement, ore
Exports - partners: China 22.2%, India 9.9%, Turkey 8.4%, Japan 4.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
Imports - partners: UAE 39.6%, China 22.4%, South Korea 4.7%, Turkey 4.6% (2015)
Currency: Iranian Rial (IRR)
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Iraq . Official Name:
Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
short form: Al Iraq
international long form: Republic of Iraq
international short form: Iraq
ISO Country Code: iq
Local Time: UTC+3hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST) April - 1 Oct (UTC +4hours)
Country Calling Code: +964
Capital City: Baghdad (estimated population 5 million)
Other Cities:
Basrah, Mosul, Kirkuk, As Sulaymaniyah, Irbil
Government:
The Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) assumed sovereign authority for governing Iraq on
28 June 2004.
Independence: 1932 (from British mandate)
Constitution: Interim constitution, 8 March 2004:
"The National Assembly shall write the draft of the permanent constitution by no later than
15 August 2005."
Geography:
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait.
Area: 438,317 km²; about the size of California. Terrain: Alluvial plains, mountains, and desert, with many holes caused by various organizations in search for weapons of mass destruction.
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq.
People:
Nationality: Iraqi or Iraqi's
Population: 33,330,000 (2011 est.)
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurd 15%-20%, Turkman, Chaldean, Assyrian, or others less than 5%
Religions: Shia Muslim 60%, Sunni Muslim 32%-37%, Christian 3%, Jewish and Yezidi less than 1%
Languages: Arabic (official); more than 70% are Arabic speakers, Kurdish (official since 28 June 2004), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy: 58%.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur.
Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep.
Industries: Petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing.
Currency: New Iraqi Dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004.
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Ireland . Official Name:
Poblacht na héireann - Republic of Ireland
short form: Éire, Ireland
international long form: Republic of Ireland
international short form: Ireland
ISO Country Code: ie, irl
Time:
Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Local Time: UTC +0hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST): March - October (UTC +1hours)
Country Calling Code: +353
Capital City: Dublin (city population 528,000
Dublin city & suburbs population 1,110,000
Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath)
Searchable map of Dublin.
Other Cities:
Cork (population 123,338), Galway (population 66 000), Limerick (population 54 000), Waterford (population 44 000).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence: 6 Decembe 1921.
Constitution: 29 December 1937.
Geography:
Location: Northern Europe, Northwest of UK
Area: 70,273 km² (27,136 square miles)
Terrain: Arable 10%, meadows and pastures 77%, rough grazing in use 11%, inland water 2%.
Climate: Temperate maritime, mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.
People:
Nationality: Irishman, Irishwoman. or Irish.
Population: 4.6 (2015)
Ethnic Groups: Irish, with English minority.
Religions: Roman Catholic 88.4%; Church of Ireland 3.0%; other 8.7%.
Languages: English, Irish (Gaelic)
Literacy: 99%
Natural resources: Natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite.
Agriculture products: Turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products.
Industries: Food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal; software.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, medical devices, pharmaceuticals; foodstuffs, animal products
Exports - partners: USA 23.7%, UK 13.8%, Belgium 13.2%, Germany 6.6%, Switzerland 5.5%, Netherlands 4.4%, France 4.4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Imports - partners: UK 32.5%, USA 14%, France 10.2%, Germany 9.3%, Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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Israel .
Official Name:
Medinat Yisra'el
short form: Yisra'el
int'l long form: State of Israel
int'l short form: Israel
ISO Country Code: il, isr
Time:
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST) April - Oktober (UTC +3ours)
Country Calling Code: +972
Capital City: Jerusalem
(Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950. But nearly all countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv)
Other Cities:
Haifa, Nazareth, Tel Aviv
Government type: Parliamentary democracy
Independence: 14 May 1948
Constitution: no formal constitution
Geography:
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon.
Area: 22,000 kilometers² or (8,494 square miles) including the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem.
Terrain: Israel has plains, mountains, deserts, and a coast.
Climate: Temperate, except in desert areas.
People:
Nationality: Israeli's
Population: 8.6 million (estimated as of year 2017)
Ethnic groups: Jewish and non Arab Christians: 80%; Arabs 20%.
Religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Druze
Languages: Hebrew (official) Arabic (official) Russian, English
Literacy: total population 95% (female 93% and male 97%)
Natural resources: Timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand.
Agriculture products: Citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products.
Industries: High-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel.
Exports - partners: USA 27.5%, Hong Kong 8%, UK 6.1%, China 4.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods.
Imports - partners: USA 13%, China 9.3%, Switzerland 7.1%, Germany 6.1%, Belgium 5.3%, Italy 4% (2015)
Currency: (New) Israeli Sheqel (ILS)
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Italy .
Official Name:
Repubblica Italiana
short form: Italia
int'l long form: Italian Republic
int'l short form: Italy
former: Kingdom of Italy
ISO Country Code: it, ita
Local Time: UTC +1hour
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2ours)
Country Calling Code: +39
Capital City: Rome (population 2.8 million)
Other Cities:
Italian Cities
Government type: Republic since 2 June 1946.
Constitution: 1 January 1948.
Geography:
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea.
Area: 301,318 kilometers² or (116,303 square miles)
Terrain: Peninsula, mostly rugged and mountainous.
Climate: Generally mild mediterranean; cold winters in the north.
People:
Nationality: Italian's
Population: 60.8 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Primarily Italian, but there are small groups of German, French, Slovene, and Albanian-Italians.
Religion: Roman Catholic (majority)
Language: Italian.
Literacy: 98%.
Natural resources: Mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land.
Agriculture products: Fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish.
Industries: Tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics.
Exports - commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco; minerals, nonferrous metals
Exports - partners: Germany 12.3%, France 10.3%, USA 8.7%, UK 5.4%, Spain 4.8%, Switzerland 4.7% (2015)
Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners: Germany 15.4%, France 8.7%, China 7.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.7% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR) has replaced the formerly used Italian Lira.
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Ivory
. Official Name:
Republique du Côte d'Ivoire
short form: Côte d'Ivoire
int'l long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
int'l short form: Cote d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast)
ISO Country Code: ci, CIV
Time:
Local Time: UTC +0hour
Country Calling Code: +225
Capital City: Yamoussoukro,
Abidjan (the economic capital and de facto political capital)
Other Cities: Bouaké, Daloa, Gagnoa, Korhogo, Man, San Pedro.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 7 August 1960.
Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia.
Area: 322,500 km² (124 500 square miles)
Terrain: Forested, undulating, hilly in the west.
Climate: Tropical, semiarid in far north.
People:
Nationality: Ivoirian or Ivoirian's.
Population: 22.7 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: More than 60; main groups are Akan 40%, Voltaiques (Gur) 18%, Northern Mandes 17%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 3%.
Religions: Indigenous 10%-20%, Muslim 35%-40%, Christian 25%-35%.
Languages: French (official); five principal language groups, the main ones are Diula (Dioula), Baule (Baoulé), Dan, Anyin and Senari.
Literacy: 50%
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower.
Agriculture products: main export goods are coffee and cocoa beans,
other products are: bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber and timber.
Industries: Foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair.
Exports - commodities: cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish.
Exports partners: USA 8.5%, Netherlands 6.2%, France 5.6%, Germany 5.6%, Nigeria 5.5%, Burkina Faso 5.5%, Belgium 5.3%, India 4.6%, Ghana 4.4%, Switzerland 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs.
Imports partners: Nigeria 21.9%, China 14.4%, France 11.4%, Bahamas, The 5% (2015)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
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Jamaica . Official Name:
Jamaica
ISO Country Code: jm, JAM
Time:
Local Time: UTC -5hours
Country Calling Code: +1 876
Capital City: Kingston (population 630 000)
Other Cities:
Montego Bay (population 97 000), Negril.
Government:
Type: Constitutional parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from the UK). At Independence, Jamaica became a member of the Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. The Queen is represented in Jamaica by the Governor-General.
Geography:
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba.
Area: 11,000 km² (4,247 square miles)
Terrain: Mountainous, less than one-fifth of the land is relatively flat.
Climate: Jamaica's climate is tropical marine. The mountainous terrain, the north-east trade winds and land-sea breezes modify the climate.
People:
Nationality: Jamaican or Jamaican's
Population: 2.7 million (as of 2015)
Ethnic Groups: multi-ethnic society, with blacks predominating - 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, Chinese 0.2%, White 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%.
Religions: Anglican, Baptist and other Protestant, Roman Catholic, Rastafarian, Jewish.
Languages: English (official), most Jamaicans speak an English-based dialect which is known as patois.
Literacy: 80%
Natural resources: Bauxite, gypsum, limestone.
Agriculture products: Sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks.
Industries: Tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications.
Exports - commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners: USA 24.4%, Canada 16.5%, Russia 9.3%, Netherlands 8.9%, Iceland 7.2%, UK 6.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners: USA 32.6%, Venezuela 12.4%, China 12%, Trinidad and Tobago 11.1% (2015)
Currency: Jamaican Dollar (JMD
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Japan .
Official Name:
Japan
Local Name: Nihon (Nippon)
Local Formal Name: Nihon Koku
ISO Country Code: jp
Local Time: UTC +9hours
Country Calling Code: +81
Capital City: Tokyo
Other Cities: Chiba, Fukuoka, Hiroshima,
Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, Sendai, Yokohama.
Government type: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government.
Constitution: 3 May 1947.
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu, held as official dogma until 1945.)
Geography:
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan (East Sea), east of the Korean Peninsula.
Area: 377 864 square kilometers or (145 902 square miles)
Terrain: Rugged, mountainous islands.
Highest peak: Mount Fuji (富士山, Fuji-san)
Climate: Varies from subtropical to temperate.
People:
Nationality: Japanese.
Population: (2016) 126.9 million.
Ethnic groups: Japanese.
Religions: Shinto and Buddhist.
Language: Japanese (Nihongo)
Literacy: 99%.
Natural resources: Negligible mineral resources, fish.
Agriculture products: Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish.
Industries: Among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods.
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles 14.9%; iron and steel products 5.4%; semiconductors 5%; auto parts 4.8%; power generating machinery 3.5%; plastic materials 3.3% (2014 est.)
Exports - partners: USA 20.2%, China 17.5%, South Korea 7.1%, Hong Kong 5.6%, Thailand 4.5% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum 16.1%; liquid natural gas 9.1%; clothing 3.8%; semiconductors 3.3%; coal 2.4%; audio and visual apparatus 1.4% (2014 est.)
Imports - partners: China 24.8%, USA 10.5%, Australia 5.4%, South Korea 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Yen (JPY)
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Jordan . Official Name:
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
short form: Al Urdun
int'l short form: Jordan
int'l long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
formerly: Transjordan
ISO Country Code: jo, jor
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Daylight Saving Time (DST) 31 March - 21 October 2005 (UTC +3hours)
Country Calling Code: +962
Capital City: Amman (population 1 million)
Other Cities:
Irbid (pop. 281 000), Az-Zarqa (pop. 421 000)
Government:
Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Independence: 25 May 1946
Constitution: 8 January 1952
Geography:
Location Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, east of Israel
Area: 89,342 km² (34,495 square miles)
Climate: Mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
People:
Nationality: Jordanian or Jordanian's
Population 6.2 million (2012)
Ethnic groups: Mostly Arab but small communities of Circassians (Adyghe), Armenians, and Kurds.
Religions: Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4%.
Languages: Arabic (official), English.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: Phosphates, potash, shale oil.
Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry.
Industries: Phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing, tourism.
Exports - commodities: textiles, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners: USA 21%, Saudi Arabia 16.5%, Iraq 10.3%, India 8.7%, UAE 4.8%, Kuwait 4.4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 15.4%, China 12.8%, USA 6.2%, Germany 4.7%, UAE 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
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Kazakhstan . Official Name:
Qazaqstan Respublikasy
short form: Qazaqstan
international long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
international short form: Kazakhstan
ISO Country Code: kz
Time:
Local Time:UTC +5hours and +6hours
Country Calling Code: +7
Capital City: Astana (capital, population 530 000)
Other Cities: Almaty (former capital) population 1.2 million, Karaganda population 440 000, Shymkent population 370 000, Taraz population 340 000, Ust-Kamenogorsk population 310 000, Pavlodar population 300 000.
Government:
Type: Republic; Kazakhstan has a hybrid system of Government that combines aspects of both parliamentary and presidential systems.
Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union).
Declaration of sovereignty: 25 October 1990.
Geography:
Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea in west.
Area: 2.7 million km² (1.05 million square miles); ninth-largest nation in the world; the size of Western Europe.
Terrain: Extends east to west from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oasis and desert of Central Asia.
Highest peak: Kan Tengri 6995 m
Climate: Continental, cold winters and hot summers; arid and semi-arid.
People:
Nationality: Kazakhstani.
Population: 17,7 million (as of 2016)
Ethnic groups: Kazakh 51.8%, Russian 31.4%, Ukrainian 4.4%, Tatar 1.7%, German 1.6%. There are over 100 other nationalities.
Religion: Sunni Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%.
Languages: Kazakhstan is a bilingual country. Kazakh language has the status of the "state" language, while Russian is declared the "official" language. Russian is used routinely in business; 52% of population speaks Kazakh language.
Literacy: 98%
Natural resources: Major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium.
Agriculture products: Grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock.
Industries: Oil, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials.
Exports - commodities: oil and oil products, natural gas, ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery, grain, wool, meat, coal
Exports - partners: China 15.1%, Russia 12.3%, France 9.2%, Germany 7.9%, Italy 6.7%, Greece 4.1% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Russia 32.9%, China 25.9%, Germany 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Tenge (KZT)
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Kenya . Official Name:
Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa.
ISO Country Code: ke
Local Time: UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +254
Capital City: Nairobi (population 2.1 million)
Other Cities:
Mombasa (population 665 000), Kisumu (population 504 000), Nakuru (population 1.2 million).
Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK).
Geography:
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania.
Area: 580,000 km² (225,000 square miles)
Terrain: From a low coastal plain on the Indian Ocean in a series of mountain ridges and plateaus which stand above 3 000 meters (9 000 ft.) in the center of the country. The Rift Valley bisects the country above Nairobi, opening up to a broad arid plain in the north. Mountain plains cover the south before descending to the shores of Lake Victoria in the west.
Highest elevation: Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga, 5199 m)
Climate: Varies from the tropical south, west, and central regions to arid and semi-arid in the north and the northeast.
People:
Nationality: Kenyan or Kenyan's
Population: 46 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: African--Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%. Non-African--Asian, European, Arab 1%.
Religions: Protestant 40%, Roman Catholic 30%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 10%, .
Languages: English, Swahili, more than 40 local ethnic languages.
Literacy (in English): 59%.
Natural resources: Wildlife, land.
Agriculture Products: Tea, coffee, sugarcane, horticultural products.
Industries: Small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism.
Exports - commodities: tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement.
Exports - partners: Uganda 11.2%, USA 8.3%, Tanzania 8.1%, Netherlands 7.4%, UK 6%, Pakistan 4.2% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics.
Imports - partners: China 30%, India 15.5%, UAE 5.7%, USA 4.8%, Japan 4.7% (2015)
Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KES)
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Kiribati . Official Name:
Republic of Kiribati
short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
ISO Country Code: ki
Time:
Local Time: UTC +12hours
Note: on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line.
Country Calling Code: +686
Capital City: (South) Tarawa (in Gilbertese and English: Teinainano Urban Council or abr. TUC) capital and main island of the Gilbert Group (pop. 30 000)
Government:
Type: Republic - parliamentary democracy.
Self rule granted by UK - 1971
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from United Kingdom).
Constitution: 12 July 1979.
US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Geography:
Location: Oceania, Central Pacific Ocean.
Area: 726 km² (280 square miles) in 32 atolls and one island.
Terrain: Archipelagos of low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs.
Climate:
Maritime equatorial to tropical, dry season from May through October, rainy season from November through April.
People:
Nationality: I-Kiribati
Population: 100,000 (as of year 2012; UN estimate)
Ethnic groups: Micronesian 98%, some Polynesian.
Religion: Roman Catholic 53%, Kiribati Protestant 39%.
Languages: English (official), Gilbertese/I-Kiribati (de facto).
Natural resources: Phosphate (commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979).
Agriculture - products: Copra, taro, pandanus, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish.
Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
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Korea, North . Official Name:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K. or North Korea)
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: 조선민주주의인민공화국
Chosŏn minjujuŭi-inmin-konghwaguk
ISO Country Code: kp, prk
Local Time = UTC +9hours
Country Calling Code: + 850
Capital: P'yongyang
Government:
Type: Highly centralized communist state
Independence: 9 September 1948
Constitution: 1948; 1972, revised in 1992.
Geography:
Location: Eastasia
Area: 120,538 km² (47,000 square miles)
Terrain: About 80% of land area is moderately high mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys and small, cultivated plains. The remainder is lowland plains covering small, scattered areas.
Major Cities:
Hamhung, Chongjin, Wonsan, Nampo, and Kaesong
Climate:
Long, cold, dry winters; short, hot, humid, summers.
People:
Nationality: Korean or Korean's
Population: 25 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Korean; small Chinese and Japanese populations.
GNI per capita PPP: $ 1 400 (year)
Religions: Buddhism, Shamanism, Chongdogyo, Christian; religious activities have been virtually nonexistent since 1945.
Language: Korean
Literacy: 99%
Natural resources:
Coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs.
Industries: Military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism.
Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners: China 75.8% (2015)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
Imports - partners: China 76.4%, Republic of the Congo 5.5% (2015)
Currency: North Korean Won (KPW)
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Korea, South . Official Name:
대한민국 - Taehan-min'guk
int'l long form: Republic of Korea
int'l short form: South Korea
abbreviation: ROK
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to their country.
ISO Country Code: kr, kor
Local Time: UTC +9hours
Country Calling Code: +82
Capital City: Seoul
The Municipality of Seoul (population 11 million)
Other Cities:
Daejeon (Taejon, population 1.3 million)
Incheon (Inchon, population 2.4 million)
Gwangju (Kwangju, population 1.4 million)
Busan (Pusan, population 3.9 million)
Daegu (Taegu, population 2.5 million)
Government:
Type: Republic with powers shared between the president and the legislature.
Liberation: 15 August 1945 from Japanese rule.
Geography:
Location: South Korea occupies the southern part of the Korean peninsula, the peninsula is surrounded by Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea (Sea of Japan)
Area: 99,678 kilometers² or (38 375 square miles)
(entire Korean Peninsula including North Korea: 222 154 square kilometers) or (85 774 square miles)
Terrain: Partially forested mountain ranges separated by deep, narrow valleys; cultivated plains along the coasts, particularly in the west and south.
Highest mountains in S. Korea - Hallasan on Jeju Island, 1950 m.
Climate: Temperate, four distinct seasons, and heavier rainfall in the summer.
People:
Nationality: Korean's
Population: 50.8 million (estimated as of year 2016)
Population growth rate: 0.6%.
Ethnic groups: Korean; small Chinese minority.
Religions: Buddhism 46%, Protestantism 39%, Catholicism 13%, Confucianism 1%, Cheondogyo (the Religion of Heavenly Way) and others 1%
Language: Korean, spoken by 70 million people and 5 million overseas Koreans.
Writing system: Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, was invented by King Sejong the Great in 1443, consisting of 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
Literacy rate: 97.75% (year 2000 estimated) male: 99.1%, female: 96.4%
Natural resources: Limited coal, tungsten, iron ore, limestone, kaolinite, and graphite.
Agriculture products: Rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish.
Industries: Electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel.
Exports - commodities: semiconductors, petrochemicals, automobile/auto parts, ships, wireless communication equipment, flat display displays, steel, electronics, plastics, computers
Exports - partners: China 26%, USA 13.3%, Hong Kong 5.8%, Vietnam 5.3%, Japan 4.9% (2015)
Imports - commodities: crude oil/petroleum products, semiconductors, natural gas, coal, steel, computers, wireless communication equipment, automobiles, fine chemical, textiles
Imports - partners: China 20.7%, Japan 10.5%, US 10.1%, Germany 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.5% (2015)
Currency: Korean Won (KRW)
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Kosovo . President: Atifete Jahjaga (2011)
Prime minister: Isa Mustafa (2014)
Total area: 4,211 sq mi (10,908 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 1,859,203
Capital and largest city (2007 est.): Pristina, 400,000 (2007 est.)
Other large cities: Prizren, 110,000; Peja, 70,000; Mitrovica, 70,000
Monetary unit: euro (EUR); Serbian Dinar (RSD) is also in circulation
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Kuwait . Official Name:
Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
Int'l long form: State of Kuwait
Int'l short form: Kuwait
formerly: Qurain (before the 17th century).
ISO Country Code: kw, kwt
Local Time: UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +965
Capital City: Kuwait (population about 238,000)
Other Towns:
Ahmadi, Jahra, Fahaheel.
Government:
Type: Constitutional Hereditary Amirate (Constitutional monarchy)
Independence: 19 June 1961
Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962.
Geography:
Location: Middle East, in the northwestern corner of the Arabian, or Persian Gulf.
Area: 17,818 km² (about 6.880 square miles)
Terrain: Flat sandy desert; no rivers or mountains.
Climate: Intensely hot and dry in summers; short, cool winters with limited rain.
People:
Nationality: Kuwaiti or Kuwaiti's
Population: 3.7 million, including non-Kuwaiti citizens (2014).
GNI per capita PPP: $ 16,297 (year)
Ethnic groups: Kuwaitis 1 million (30% of total), Arab, South Asian, Iranian, Southeast Asian.
Religion: Islam 85% (most Kuwaiti citizens are Muslim).
Languages: Arabic (official); English widely spoken.
Literacy: male 82%, female 75%.
Natural resources: Petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas.
Agriculture products: Practically no crops; fish.
Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials.
Exports - commodities: oil and refined products, fertilizers
Exports - partners: South Korea 14.5%, China 12.1%, India 12.1%, Japan 10.4%, US 7.6%, Pakistan 5.9%, Singapore 4.3% (2015)
Imports - commodities: food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
Imports - partners: China 13.2%, US 9.6%, Saudi Arabia 7.7%, Japan 6.5%, Germany 5.1%, France 4.3%, India 4.2% (2015)
Currency: Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)
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Kyrgyzstan . Official Name:
Kyrgyz Respublikasy
short form: Кыргызстан
international long form: Kyrgyz Republic
international short form: Kyrgyzstan
formerly: Kirghizia
ISO Country Code: kg
Time:
Local Time: UTC +6hours (Bishkek)
Country Calling Code: +996
Capital City: Bishkek (formerly Frunze, 825,000)
Other Cities: Osh, Cholpon Ata, Karakol.
Government:
Type: Republic; Bicameral parliament with 60 deputies in upper (legislative) chamber, 45 in lower (representative) chamber.
Administrative divisions: 7 oblasts (singular - oblast): Batken oblast (Batken), Chui oblast (Bishkek), Jalalabad oblast (Jalalabad), Naryn oblast (Naryn), Osh oblast (Osh), Talas oblast (Talas), Yssyk-Kul oblast (Karakol).
Independence: 31 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union).
Constitution: 5 May 1993.
Geography:
Location: Central Asia, landlocked, west of China south of Kazakhstan.
Area: 200,000 km² (77,220 square miles)
Terrain: Mountainous, Tien Shan mountain range covering approximately 95%; some desert regions.
Lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m.
Highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m.
Climate: Dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone.
People:
Nationality: Kyrgyzstani.
Population: 5.5 million (as of year 2012)
Ethnic groups: Kyrgyz 52.4%, Russian 18%, Uzbek 12.9%, Ukrainian 2.5%, German 2.4%, other 11.8%.
Main religions:Islam, 75%; Russian Orthodox, 20%; other, 5%.
Languages: Kyrgyz (official); Russian is de facto second language of communication.
Literacy: 97%
Natural resources: Abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc.
Agriculture products: Tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool.
Industries: Small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals.
Currency: Som (KGS)
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Laos . Official Name:
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
short form: Lao
int'l long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
abreviation: Lao PDR
int'l short form: Lao(s)
ISO Country Code: la, LAO
Time:
Local Time: UTC +7hours
Country Calling Code: +856
Capital City: Vientiane - Viangchan (population 640 000)
Other Cities: Savannakhet, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Thakhek.
Government:
Type: Communist state.
Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France).
Geography:
Location: in center of Southeast Asian peninsula, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam.
Area: 236,800 km² (91,430 square miles)
Terrain: The country has three distinct regions: rugged mountains in north, plateaus, alluvial plains.
Highest peak: Phou Bia in Xieng Khouang province 2 800 m.
Climate: Tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (November to April).
People:
Nationality: Lao.
Term for Citizens: Laotian or Laotian's.
Population: 6.5 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland): 68%; Lao Theung (upland): 22%; Lao Soung (highland) 9%, including the Hmong and the Yao; and ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese: 1%.
Religions: Theravada Buddhism, animism among highland groups.
Languages: Lao (official), French, various highland ethnic, English.
Literacy: 53%.
Natural resources: unspoilt tropical forest, timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones.
Agriculture products: Rice, sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry.
Industries: Tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism.
Exports - commodities: wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold, cassava
Exports - partners: Thailand 30.4%, China 27%, Vietnam 17.6% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners: Thailand 60.9%, China 18.6%, Vietnam 7.3% (2015)
Currency: (New) Kip (LAK)
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Latvia . Official Name:
Latvijas Republika
short form: Latvija
international long form: Republic of Latvia
international short form: Latvia
ISO Country Code: lv, LVA
Time:
Time Zone: Eastern European Time (EET)
Local Time: UTC +2hours
DST from March - October (UTC+3)
Country Calling Code: +371
Capital City: Riga (population 1.15 million metro area)
Other Cities:
Daugavpils (population 113 000); Liepaja (population 87 000); Jelgava (population 66 000); Jurmala (population 55 000); Ventspils (population 44 000); Rezekne (population 38 000).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary Democracy.
Constitution: The law "On the Republic of Latvia Status as a State," passed by Parliament on 21 August 1991, provided for the reinstatement of the 1922 constitution.
Geography:
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania.
Area: 64,589 km² (24,937 square miles)
Terrain: Fertile low-lying plains predominate in central Latvia, highlands in Vidzeme and Latgale to the east, and hilly moraine in the western Kurzeme region. Forests cover one-third of the country, with over 3 000 small lakes and numerous bogs.
Climate:
Temperate, maritime; wet, with four seasons of almost equal length. January temperatures average -5°C (23°F); July 17°C (63°F).
People:
Nationality: Latvian or Latvian's.
Population: 1.95 million (as of year 2017)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 12 886 (year)
Major ethnic groups: Latvian 58.5%, Russians 29%, Belarusians 3.9%, Ukrainians 2.6%, Poles 2.5%.
Religions: Lutheran, Orthodox, Roman Catholic.
Languages: Latvian. Russian also is spoken by most people.
Literacy: 99%
Natural resources:
Peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land.
Agriculture products:
Grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish.
Industries: Automotive industry, railroad cars, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, electronics, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles.
Exports - commodities: foodstuffs, wood and wood products, metals, machinery and equipment, textiles.
Exports - partners: Lithuania 17.8%, Russia 11.5%, Estonia 11.1%, Germany 6.3%, Poland 5.6%, Sweden 5.2%, UK 5%, Denmark 4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, fuels, vehicles.
Imports - partners: Lithuania 16.9%, Germany 11.2%, Poland 10.5%, Russia 8.1%, Estonia 7.7%, Finland 5.2%, Netherlands 4% (2015)
Currency: Latvian Lat (LVL)
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Lebanon .
Official Name:
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
short form: Lubnan
int'l long form: Lebanese Republic
int'l short form: Lebanon
ISO Country Code: lb
Time:
Local Time: UTC +2hours
Summer (DST) UTC +3hours
Country Calling Code: +961
Capital City: Beirut
Other Cities: Tripoli (population 275 000) Sidon (population 110 000) Tyre (Soor) (population 60 000) Zahleh (population 68 000)
Government type: Parliamentary Republic.
Independence: 22 November 1943.
Geography:
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria.
Area: 10,452 kilometers² or (4,015 square miles)
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain backed by the Lebanon Mountains, the fertile Bekaa Valley, and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which extend to the Syrian border.
Climate: Mediterranean.
People:
Nationality: Lebanese
Population: 4.2 million (2012 UN est.)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 6 205 (year)
Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%.
Religions: Christian (Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic, other), Muslim (Sunni, Shi'a, other), and Druze.
Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian.
Literacy: 87%.
Natural resources: Limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land.
Agriculture products: Citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats.
Industries: Banking, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating.
Currency: Lebanese Pound (LBP)
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A . is the first letter and the first vowel of the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is similar to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The upper-case version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lower-case version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type.
The earliest certain ancestor of A is aleph (also written 'aleph), the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, which consisted entirely of consonants (for that reason, it is also called an abjad to distinguish it from a true alphabet) In turn, the ancestor of aleph may have been a pictogram of an ox head in proto-Sinaitic script influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphs, styled as a triangular head with two horns extended.
By 1600 BC, the Phoenician alphabet letter had a linear form that served as the base for some later forms. Its name is thought to have corresponded closely to the Hebrew or Arabic aleph.
When the ancient Greeks adopted the alphabet, they had no use for a letter to represent the glottal stop—the consonant sound that the letter denoted in Phoenician and other Semitic languages, and that was the first phoneme of the Phoenician pronunciation of the letter—so they used their version of the sign to represent the vowel a, and called it by the similar name of alpha. In the earliest Greek inscriptions after the Greek Dark Ages, dating to the 8th century BC, the letter rests upon its side, but in the Greek alphabet of later times it generally resembles the modern capital letter, although many local varieties can be distinguished by the shortening of one leg, or by the angle at which the cross line is set.
The Etruscans brought the Greek alphabet to their civilization in the Italian Peninsula and left the letter unchanged. The Romans later adopted the Etruscan alphabet to write the Latin language, and the resulting letter was preserved in the Latin alphabet that would come to be used to write many languages, including English."
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N . is the fourteenth letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. One of the most common hieroglyphs, snake, was used in Egyptian writing to stand for a sound like the English ⟨J⟩, because the Egyptian word for "snake" was djet. It is speculated by many who? that Semitic people working in Egypt adapted hieroglyphics to create the first alphabet, and that they used the same snake symbol to represent N, because their word for "snake" may have begun with that sound. However, the name for the letter in the Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic alphabets is nun, which means "fish" in some of these languages. The sound value of the letter was /n/—as in Greek, Etruscan, Latin and modern languages.
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B . is the second letter of the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It represents the voiced bilabial stop in many languages, including English. In some other languages, it is used to represent other bilabial consonants.
Old English was originally written in runes, whose equivalent letter was beorc ᛒ, meaning birch. Beorc dates to at least the 2nd-century Elder Futhark, which is now thought to have derived from the Old Italic alphabets' 𐌁 either directly or via Latin B.
The uncial B and half-uncial b introduced by the Gregorian and Irish missions gradually developed into the Insular scripts' ⟨b⟩. These Old English Latin alphabets supplanted the earlier runes, whose use was fully banned under King Canute in the early 11th century. The Norman Conquest popularized the Carolingian half-uncial forms which latter developed into blackletter b . Around 1300, letter case was increasingly distinguished, with upper- and lower-case B taking separate meanings. Following the advent of printing in the 15th century, Germany and Scandinavia continued to use forms of blackletter particularly Fraktur, while England eventually adopted the humanist and antiqua scripts developed in Renaissance Italy from a combination of Roman inscriptions and Carolingian texts. The present forms of the English cursive /B/ were developed by the 17th century.
The Roman ⟨B⟩ derived from the Greek capital beta Β via its Etruscan and Cumaean variants. The Greek letter was an adaptation of the Phoenician letter bēt 𐤁. The Egyptian hieroglyph for the consonant /b/ had been an image of a foot and calf /B/ , but bēt Phoenician for house was a modified form of a Proto-Sinaitic glyph Bet probably adapted from the separate hieroglyph Pr Per meaning house. The Hebrew letter beth ב is a separate development of the Phoenician letter.
By Byzantine times, the Greek letter Β came to be pronounced /v/, so that it is known in modern Greek as víta still written βήτα. The Cyrillic letter ve В represents the same sound, so a modified form known as be Б was developed to represent the Slavic languages' /b/. (Modern Greek continues to lack a letter for the voiced bilabial plosive and transliterates such sounds from other languages using the digraph/consonant cluster μπ, mp.">
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O . is the 15th letter and the fourth vowel in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is used in words such as opulent and orangutan, as well as names such as Ophelia and Oscar. Its graphic form has remained fairly constant from Phoenician times until today. The name of the Phoenician letter was ʿeyn, meaning "eye", and indeed its shape originates simply as a drawing of a human eye (possibly inspired by the corresponding Egyptian hieroglyph, cf. Proto-Sinaitic script) Its original sound value was that of a consonant, probably [ʕ], the sound represented by the cognate Arabic letter ع ʿayn.
The use of this Phoenician letter for a vowel sound is due to the early Greek alphabets, which adopted the letter as O "omicron" to represent the vowel /o/. The letter was adopted with this value in the Old Italic alphabets, including the early Latin alphabet. In Greek, a variation of the form later came to distinguish this long sound (Omega, meaning "large O") from the short o (Omicron, meaning "small o") Greek omicron gave rise to the corresponding Cyrillic letter O and the early Italic letter to runic ᛟ.
Even alphabets that are not derived from Semitic tend to have similar forms to represent this sound; for example, the creators of the Afaka and Ol Chiki scripts, each invented in different parts of the world in the last century, both attributed their vowels for 'O' to the shape of the mouth when making this sound.
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C . is the third letter in the English alphabet and a letter of the alphabets of many other writing systems which inherited it from the Latin alphabet. It is also the third letter of the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is named cee pronounced siː in English.
"C" comes from the same letter as "G". The Semites named it gimel. The sign is possibly adapted from an Egyptian hieroglyph for a staff sling, which may have been the meaning of the name gimel. Another possibility is that it depicted a camel, the Semitic name for which was gamal. Barry B. Powell, a specialist in the history of writing, states "It is hard to imagine how gimel = "camel" can be derived from the picture of a camel it may show his hump, or his head and neck!".
In the Etruscan language, plosive consonants had no contrastive voicing, so the Greek 'Γ' Gamma was adopted into the Etruscan alphabet to represent /k/. Already in the Western Greek alphabet, Gamma first took a 'Early Etruscan C.gif' form in Early Etruscan, then 'Classical Etruscan C.gif' in Classical Etruscan. In Latin it eventually took the 'c' form in Classical Latin. In the earliest Latin inscriptions, the letters 'c k q' were used to represent the sounds k and ɡ which were not differentiated in writing). Of these, 'q' was used to represent k or ɡ before a rounded vowel, 'k' before 'a', and 'c' elsewhere. During the 3rd century BC, a modified character was introduced for ɡ, and 'c' itself was retained for /k/. The use of 'c' and its variant 'g' replaced most usages of 'k' and 'q'. Hence, in the classical period and after, 'g' was treated as the equivalent of Greek gamma, and 'c' as the equivalent of kappa; this shows in the romanization of Greek words, as in 'ΚΑΔΜΟΣ', 'ΚΥΡΟΣ', and 'ΦΩΚΙΣ' came into Latin as 'cadmvs', 'cyrvs' and 'phocis', respectively.
Other alphabets have letters homoglyphic to 'c' but not analogous in use and derivation, like the Cyrillic letter Es (С, с) which derives from the lunate sigma, named due to its resemblance to the crescent moon.
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P . is the 16th letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In English orthography and most other European languages, ⟨p⟩ represents the sound /p/.
A common digraph in English is ⟨ph⟩, which represents the sound /f/, and can be used to transliterate ⟨φ⟩ phi in loanwords from Greek. In German, the digraph ⟨pf⟩ is common, representing a labial affricate /pf/.
Most English words beginning with ⟨p⟩ are of foreign origin, primarily French, Latin, Greek, and Slavic;[citation needed] these languages preserve Proto-Indo-European initial *p. Native English cognates of such words often start with ⟨f⟩, since English is a Germanic language and thus has undergone Grimm's law; a native English word with initial /p/ would reflect Proto-Indo-European initial *b, which is so rare that its existence as a phoneme is disputed.
However, native English words with non-initial ⟨p⟩ are quite common; such words can come from either Kluge's law or the consonant cluster /sp/ (PIE *p has been preserved after s)
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, /p/ is used to represent the voiceless bilabial plosive.
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D . is the fourth letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet.
The Semitic letter Dāleth may have developed from the logogram for a fish or a door. There are many different Egyptian hieroglyphs that might have inspired this. In Semitic, Ancient Greek and Latin, the letter represented d; in the Etruscan alphabet the letter was superfluous but still retained (see letter B) The equivalent Greek letter is Delta, Δ.
The minuscule (lower-case) form of 'd' consists of a loop and a tall vertical stroke. It developed by gradual variations on the majuscule (capital) form. In handwriting, it was common to start the arc to the left of the vertical stroke, resulting in a serif at the top of the arc. This serif was extended while the rest of the letter was reduced, resulting in an angled stroke and loop. The angled stroke slowly developed into a vertical stroke.
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Q . is the 17th letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In nearly all languages using the Latin script it is a consonant, not a vowel. The Semitic sound value of Qôp was /q/ (voiceless uvular stop), and the form of the letter could have been based on the eye of a needle, a knot, or even a monkey with its tail hanging down. /q/ is a sound common to Semitic languages, but not found in many European languages.[a] Some have even suggested that the form of the letter Q is even more ancient: it could have originated from Egyptian hieroglyphics.
In Greek, qoppa (Ϙ) probably came to represent several labialized velar stops, among them /kʷ/ and /kʷʰ/. As a result of later sound shifts, these sounds in Greek changed to /p/ and /pʰ/ respectively. Therefore, qoppa was transformed into two letters: qoppa, which stood for the number 90, and phi (Φ), which stood for the aspirated sound /pʰ/ that came to be pronounced /f/ in Modern Greek.
The Etruscans used Q in conjunction with V to represent /kʷ/, and this usage was copied by the Romans with the rest of their alphabet. In the earliest Latin inscriptions, the letters C, K and Q were all used to represent the two sounds /k/ and /ɡ/, which were not differentiated in writing. Of these, Q was used before a rounded vowel (e.g. ⟨EQO⟩ 'ego'), K before /a/, and C elsewhere. Later, the use of C (and its variant G) replaced most usages of K and Q: Q survived only to represent /k/ when immediately followed by a /w/ sound.
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E . is the fifth letter and the second vowel in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is the most commonly used letter in many languages, including Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Latin, Latvian, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.
The Latin letter 'E' differs little from its source, the Greek letter epsilon, 'Ε'. This in turn comes from the Semitic letter hê, which has been suggested to have started as a praying or calling human figure (hillul 'jubilation'), and was probably based on a similar Egyptian hieroglyph that indicated a different pronunciation. In Semitic, the letter represented /h/ (and /e/ in foreign words) in Greek, hê became the letter epsilon, used to represent e. The various forms of the Old Italic script and the Latin alphabet followed this usage.
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R . is the 18th letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet.
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F . is the sixth letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet.
The origin of 'F' is the Semitic letter vâv (or waw) that represented a sound like /v/ or /w/. Graphically it originally probably depicted either a hook or a club. It may have been based on a comparable Egyptian hieroglyph such as that which represented the word mace (transliterated as ḥ(dj))
The Phoenician form of the letter was adopted into Greek as a vowel, upsilon (which resembled its descendant 'Y' but was also the ancestor of the Roman letters 'U', 'V', and 'W') and, with another form, as a consonant, digamma, which indicated the pronunciation /w/, as in Phoenician. Latin 'F,' despite being pronounced differently, is ultimately descended from digamma and closely resembles it in form.
After sound changes eliminated /w/ from spoken Greek, digamma was used only as a numeral. However, the Greek alphabet also gave rise to other alphabets, and some of these retained letters descended from digamma. In the Etruscan alphabet, 'F' probably represented /w/, as in Greek, and the Etruscans formed the digraph 'FH' to represent /f/. At the time these letters were borrowed, there was no Greek letter that represented /f/ the Greek letter phi 'Φ' then represented an aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive /pʰ/, although in Modern Greek it has come to represent /f/. When the Romans adopted the alphabet, they used 'V' (from Greek upsilon) not only for the vowel /u/, but also for the corresponding semivowel /w/, leaving 'F' available for /f/. And so out of the various vav variants in the Mediterranean world, the letter F entered the Roman alphabet attached to a sound which its antecedents in Greek and Etruscan did not have. The Roman alphabet forms the basis of the alphabet used today for English and many other languages.
The lowercase 'f' is not related to the visually similar long s, 'ſ' (or medial s) The use of the long s largely died out by the beginning of the 19th century, mostly to prevent confusion with 'f' when using a short mid-bar (see more at: S)
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S . is the 19th letter in the Modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Further information: Shin (letter), Sigma, San (letter), and Sho (letter)
Northwest Semitic šîn represented a voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/ (as in 'ship') It originated most likely as a pictogram of a tooth (שנא) and represented the phoneme /ʃ/ via the acrophonic principle.
Greek did not have a /ʃ/ phoneme, so the derived Greek letter Sigma (Σ) came to represent the voiceless alveolar sibilant /s/. While the letter shape Σ continues Phoenician šîn, its name sigma is taken from the letter samekh, while the shape of samekh but name and position of šîn is continued in the xi.[citation needed] Within Greek, the name of sigma was influenced by its association with the Greek word σίζω (earlier *sigj-) "to hiss". The original name of the letter "sigma" may have been san, but due to the complicated early history of the Greek epichoric alphabets, "san" came to be identified as a separate letter, Ϻ. Herodotus reports that "San" was the name given by the Dorians to the same letter called "Sigma" by the Ionians.
The Western Greek alphabet used in Cumae was adopted by the Etruscans and Latins in the 7th century BC, over the following centuries developing into a range of Old Italic alphabets including the Etruscan alphabet and the early Latin alphabet. In Etruscan, the value /s/ of Greek sigma (𐌔) was maintained, while san (𐌑) represented a separate phoneme, most likely /ʃ/ (transliterated as ś) The early Latin alphabet adopted sigma, but not san, as Old Latin did not have a /ʃ/ phoneme.
The shape of Latin S arises from Greek Σ by dropping one out of the four strokes of that letter. The (angular) S-shape composed of three strokes existed as a variant of the four-stroke letter Σ already in the epigraphy in Western Greek alphabets, and the three and four strokes variants existed alongside one another in the classical Etruscan alphabet. In other Italic alphabets (Venetic, Lepontic), the letter could be represented as a zig-zagging line of any number between three and six strokes.
The Italic letter was also adopted into Elder Futhark, as Sowilō (ᛊ), and appears with four to eight strokes in the earliest runic inscriptions, but is occasionally reduced to three strokes (ᛋ) from the later 5th century, and appears regularly with three strokes in Younger Futhark.
Long s
Late medieval German script (Swabian bastarda, dated 1496) illustrating the use of long and round s: prieſters tochter ("priest's daughter")
Main article: long s
The minuscule form ſ, called the long s, developed in the early medieval period, within the Visigothic and Carolingian hands, with predecessors in the half-uncial and cursive scripts of Late Antiquity. It remained standard in western writing throughout the medieval period and was adopted in early printing with movable types. It existed alongside minuscule "round" or "short" s, which was at the time only used at the end of words.
In most western orthographies, the ſ gradually fell out of use during the second half of the 18th century, although it remained in occasional use into the 19th century. In Spain, the change was mainly accomplished between the years 1760 and 1766. In France, the change occurred between 1782 and 1793. Printers in the United States stopped using the long s between 1795 and 1810. In English orthography, the London printer John Bell (1745–1831) pioneered the change. His edition of Shakespeare, in 1785, was advertised with the claim that he "ventured to depart from the common mode by rejecting the long 'ſ' in favor of the round one, as being less liable to error....." The Times of London made the switch from the long to the short s with its issue of 10 September 1803. Encyclopædia Britannica's 5th edition, completed in 1817, was the last edition to use the long s.
In German orthography, long s was retained in Fraktur (Schwabacher) type as well as in standard cursive (Sütterlin) well into the 20th century, and was officially abolished in 1941. The ligature of ſs (or ſz) was retained, however, giving rise to the Eszett, ß in contemporary German orthography.
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G . is the 7th letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The letter 'G' was introduced in the Old Latin period as a variant of 'C' to distinguish voiced /ɡ/ from voiceless /k/. The recorded originator of 'G' is freedman Spurius Carvilius Ruga, the first Roman to open a fee-paying school, who taught around 230 BC. At this time, 'K' had fallen out of favor, and 'C', which had formerly represented both /ɡ/ and /k/ before open vowels, had come to express /k/ in all environments.
Ruga's positioning of 'G' shows that alphabetic order related to the letters' values as Greek numerals was a concern even in the 3rd century BC. According to some records, the original seventh letter, 'Z', had been purged from the Latin alphabet somewhat earlier in the 3rd century BC by the Roman censor Appius Claudius, who found it distasteful and foreign. Sampson (1985) suggests that: "Evidently the order of the alphabet was felt to be such a concrete thing that a new letter could be added in the middle only if a 'space' was created by the dropping of an old letter."
George Hempl (1899) proposes that there never was such a "space" in the alphabet and that in fact 'G' was a direct descendant of zeta. Zeta took shapes like ⊏ in some of the Old Italic scripts; the development of the monumental form 'G' from this shape would be exactly parallel to the development of 'C' from gamma. He suggests that the pronunciation /k/ > /ɡ/ was due to contamination from the also similar-looking 'K'.
Eventually, both velar consonants /k/ and /ɡ/ developed palatalized allophones before front vowels; consequently in today's Romance languages, ⟨c⟩ and ⟨g⟩ have different sound values depending on context (known as hard and soft C and hard and soft G)Because of French influence, English orthography shares this feature. The modern lowercase 'g' has two typographic variants: the single-storey (sometimes opentail) 'Opentail g.svg' and the double-storey (sometimes looptail) 'Looptail g.svg'. The single-storey form derives from the majuscule (uppercase) form by raising the serif that distinguishes it from 'c' to the top of the loop, thus closing the loop, and extending the vertical stroke downward and to the left. The double-storey form (g) had developed similarly, except that some ornate forms then extended the tail back to the right, and to the left again, forming a closed bowl or loop. The initial extension to the left was absorbed into the upper closed bowl. The double-storey version became popular when printing switched to "Roman type" because the tail was effectively shorter, making it possible to put more lines on a page. In the double-storey version, a small top stroke in the upper-right, often terminating in an orb shape, is called an "ear".
Generally, the two forms are complementary, but occasionally the difference has been exploited to provide contrast. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, opentail ⟨ɡ⟩ has always represented a voiced velar plosive, while ⟨Looptail g.svg⟩ was distinguished from ⟨ɡ⟩ and represented a voiced velar fricative from 1895 to 1900. In 1948, the Council of the International Phonetic Association recognized ⟨ɡ⟩ and ⟨Looptail g.svg⟩ as typographic equivalents, and this decision was reaffirmed in 1993. While the 1949 Principles of the International Phonetic Association recommended the use of ⟨Looptail g.svg⟩ for a velar plosive and ⟨ɡ⟩ for an advanced one for languages where it is preferable to distinguish the two, such as Russian, this practice never caught on. The 1999 Handbook of the International Phonetic Association, the successor to the Principles, abandoned the recommendation and acknowledged both shapes as acceptable variants.
Wong et al. (2018) found that native English speakers have little conscious awareness of the looptail 'g' (Looptail g.svg) They write: "Despite being questioned repeatedly, and despite being informed directly that G has two lowercase print forms, nearly half of the participants failed to reveal any knowledge of the looptail 'g', and only 1 of the 38 participants was able to write looptail 'g' correctly."
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T . is the 20th letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is the most commonly used consonant and the second most common letter in English-language texts. Taw was the last letter of the Western Semitic and Hebrew alphabets. The sound value of Semitic Taw, Greek alphabet Tαυ (Tau), Old Italic and Latin T has remained fairly constant, representing [t] in each of these; and it has also kept its original basic shape in most of these alphabets.
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H . is the eighth letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The original Semitic letter Heth most likely represented the voiceless pharyngeal fricative (ħ) The form of the letter probably stood for a fence or posts.
The Greek eta 'Η' in Archaic Greek alphabets still represented /h/ (later on it came to represent a long vowel, /ɛː/) In this context, the letter eta is also known as heta to underline this fact. Thus, in the Old Italic alphabets, the letter heta of the Euboean alphabet was adopted with its original sound value /h/.
While Etruscan and Latin had /h/ as a phoneme, almost all Romance languages lost the sound—Romanian later re-borrowed the /h/ phoneme from its neighbouring Slavic languages, and Spanish developed a secondary /h/ from /f/, before losing it again; various Spanish dialects have developed [h] as an allophone of /s/ or /x/ in most Spanish-speaking countries, and various dialects of Portuguese use it as an allophone of /ʀ/. 'H' is also used in many spelling systems in digraphs and trigraphs, such as 'ch', which represents /tʃ/ in Spanish, Galician, Old Portuguese and English, /ʃ/ in French and modern Portuguese, /k/ in Italian, French and English, /x/ in German, Czech, Polish, Slovak, one native word of English and a few loanwords into English, and /ç/ in German.
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U . is the 21st letter and the fifth vowel in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. It is preceded by T, and is followed by V. The letter u ultimately comes from the Phoenician letter waw by way of the letter y. See the letter y for details.
During the late Middle Ages, two forms of 'v' developed, which were both used for its ancestor 'u' and modern 'v'. The pointed form 'v' was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form 'u' was used in the middle or end, regardless of sound. So whereas 'valour' and 'excuse' appeared as in modern printing, 'have' and 'upon' were printed 'haue' and 'vpon', respectively. The first recorded use of 'u' and 'v' as distinct letters is in a Gothic alphabet from 1386, where 'v' preceded 'u'. Printers eschewed capital 'U' into the 17th century and the distinction between the two letters was not fully accepted by the French Academy until 1762.
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I . is the ninth letter and the third vowel in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In the Phoenician alphabet, the letter may have originated in a hieroglyph for an arm that represented a voiced pharyngeal fricative (/ʕ/) in Egyptian, but was reassigned to /j/ (as in English "yes") by Semites, because their word for "arm" began with that sound. This letter could also be used to represent /i/, the close front unrounded vowel, mainly in foreign words.
The Greeks adopted a form of this Phoenician yodh as their letter iota (⟨Ι, ι⟩) to represent /i/, the same as in the Old Italic alphabet. In Latin (as in Modern Greek), it was also used to represent /j/ and this use persists in the languages that descended from Latin. The modern letter 'j' originated as a variation of 'i', and both were used interchangeably for both the vowel and the consonant, coming to be differentiated only in the 16th century. The dot over the lowercase 'i' is sometimes called a tittle. In the Turkish alphabet, dotted and dotless I are considered separate letters, representing a front and back vowel, respectively, and both have uppercase ('I', 'İ') and lowercase ('ı', 'i') forms.
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V . is the 22nd letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The letter V comes from the Semitic letter Waw, as do the modern letters F, U, W, and Y. See F for details.
In Greek, the letter upsilon 'Υ' was adapted from waw to represent, at first, the vowel [u] as in "moon". This was later fronted to [y], the front rounded vowel spelled 'ü' in German.
In Latin, a stemless variant shape of the upsilon was borrowed in early times as V—either directly from the Western Greek alphabet or from the Etruscan alphabet as an intermediary—to represent the same /u/ sound, as well as the consonantal /w/. Thus, 'num' — originally spelled 'NVM' — was pronounced /num/ and 'via' was pronounced [ˈwia]. From the 1st century AD on, depending on Vulgar Latin dialect, consonantal /w/ developed into /β/ (kept in Spanish), then later to /v/.
During the Late Middle Ages, two forms of 'v' developed, which were both used for its ancestor /u/ and modern /v/. The pointed form 'v' was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form 'u' was used in the middle or end, regardless of sound. So whereas 'valour' and 'excuse' appeared as in modern printing, 'have' and 'upon' were printed as 'haue' and 'vpon'. The first distinction between the letters 'u' and 'v' is recorded in a Gothic script from 1386, where 'v' preceded 'u'. By the mid-16th century, the 'v' form was used to represent the consonant and 'u' the vowel sound, giving us the modern letter 'u'. Capital 'U' was not accepted as a distinct letter until many years later.
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J . is the tenth letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its normal name in English is jay /dʒeɪ/ or, now uncommonly, jy /dʒaɪ/. When used for the palatal approximant, it may be called yod (/jɒd/ or /joʊd/) or yot (/jɒt/ or /joʊt/) The letter J originated as a swash letter I [citation needed] used for the letter I at the end of Roman numerals when following another I, as in XXIIJ or xxiij instead of XXIII or xxiii for the Roman numeral representing 23. A distinctive usage emerged in Middle High German. Gian Giorgio Trissino (1478–1550) was the first to explicitly distinguish I and J as representing separate sounds, in his Ɛpistola del Trissino de le lettere nuωvamente aggiunte ne la lingua italiana ("Trissino's epistle about the letters recently added in the Italian language") of 1524. Originally, 'I' and 'J' were different shapes for the same letter, both equally representing /i/, /iː/, and /j/; but, Romance languages developed new sounds (from former /j/ and /ɡ/) that came to be represented as 'I' and 'J'; therefore, English J, acquired from the French J, has a sound value quite different from /j/ (which represents the initial sound in the English word "yet")
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W . is the 23rd letter of the modern English and ISO basic Latin alphabets. The sounds /w/ (spelled ⟨V⟩) and /b/ (spelled ⟨B⟩) of Classical Latin developed into a bilabial fricative /β/ between vowels in Early Medieval Latin. Therefore, ⟨V⟩ no longer adequately represented the labial-velar approximant sound /w/ of Germanic phonology.
The Germanic /w/ phoneme was therefore written as ⟨VV⟩ or ⟨uu⟩ (⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ becoming distinct only by the Early Modern period). By the 7th or 8th century, the earliest writers of Old English and Old High German. Gothic (not Latin-based), by contrast, simply used a letter based on the Greek Υ for the same sound. The digraph ⟨VV⟩/⟨uu⟩ was also used in Medieval Latin to represent Germanic names, including Gothic ones like Wamba.
It is from this ⟨uu⟩ digraph that the modern name "double U" derives. The digraph was commonly used in the spelling of Old High German, but only sporadically in Old English, where the /w/ sound was usually represented by the runic ⟨Ƿ⟩ wynn. In early Middle English, following the 11th-century Norman Conquest, ⟨uu⟩ gained popularity and by 1300 it had taken wynn's place in common use.
Scribal realization of the digraph could look like a pair of Vs whose branches crossed in the middle. An obsolete, cursive form found in the nineteenth century in both English and German was in the form of an ⟨n⟩ whose rightmost branch curved around as in a cursive ⟨v⟩.[citation needed]
The shift from the digraph ⟨VV⟩ to the distinct ligature ⟨W⟩ is thus gradual, and is only apparent in abecedaria, explicit listings of all individual letters. It was probably considered a separate letter by the 14th century in both Middle English and Middle German orthography, although it remained an outsider, not really considered part of the Latin alphabet proper, as expressed by Valentin Ickelshamer in the 16th century, who complained that:
“ Poor w is so infamous and unknown that many barely know either its name or its shape, not those who aspire to being Latinists, as they have no need of it, nor do the Germans, not even the schoolmasters, know what to do with it or how to call it; some call it we, [... others] call it uu, [...] the Swabians call it auwawau ”
In Middle High German (and possibly already in late Old High German), the West Germanic phoneme /w/ became realized as [v]; this is why, today, the German ⟨w⟩ represents that sound. There is no phonological distinction between [w] and [v] in contemporary German.
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K . s the eleventh letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive. The letter K comes from the Greek letter Κ (kappa), which was taken from the Semitic kap, the symbol for an open hand. This, in turn, was likely adapted by Semites who had lived in Egypt from the hieroglyph for "hand" representing D in the Egyptian word for hand, d-r-t. The Semites evidently assigned it the sound value /k/ instead, because their word for hand started with that sound.
In the earliest Latin inscriptions, the letters C, K and Q were all used to represent the sounds /k/ and /g/ (which were not differentiated in writing) of these, Q was used to represent /k/ or /g/ before a rounded vowel, K before /a/, and C elsewhere. Later, the use of C and its variant G replaced most usages of K and Q. K survived only in a few fossilized forms such as Kalendae, "the calends".
After Greek words were taken into Latin, the Kappa was transliterated as a C. Loanwords from other alphabets with the sound /k/ were also transliterated with C. Hence, the Romance languages generally use C and have K only in later loanwords from other language groups. The Celtic languages also tended to use C instead of K, and this influence carried over into Old English.
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X . is the 24th and antepenultimate letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In Ancient Greek, 'Χ' and 'Ψ' were among several variants of the same letter, used originally for /kʰ/ and later, in western areas such as Arcadia, as a simplification of the digraph 'ΧΣ' for /ks/. In the end, more conservative eastern forms became the standard of Classical Greek, and thus 'Χ' (Chi) stands for /kʰ/ (later /x/). However, the Etruscans had taken over 'Χ' from western Greek, and it therefore stands for /ks/ in Etruscan and Latin.[citation needed]
The letter 'Χ' ~ 'Ψ' for /kʰ/ was a Greek addition to the alphabet, placed after the Semitic letters along with phi 'Φ' for /pʰ/.
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L . is the twelfth letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet, used in words such as lagoon, lantern, and less. Lamedh may have come from a pictogram of an ox goad or cattle prod. Some have suggested a shepherd's staff.
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- Lamps
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Y . is the 25th and penultimate letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. In the English writing system, it sometimes represents a vowel and sometimes a consonant. In Latin, Y was named I graeca ("Greek I"), since the classical Greek sound /y/, similar to modern German ü or French u, was not a native sound for Latin speakers, and the letter was initially only used to spell foreign words. This history has led to the standard modern names of the letter in Romance languages – i grego in Galician, i grega in Catalan, i grec in French and Romanian, i greca in Italian – all meaning "Greek I". The names igrek in Polish and i gờ-rét in Vietnamese are both phonetic borrowings of the French name. In Dutch, both Griekse ij and i-grec are used. In Spanish, Y is also called i griega; however, in the twentieth century, the shorter name ye was proposed and was officially recognized as its name in 2010 by the Real Academia Española, although its original name is still accepted. The original Greek name υ ψιλόν (upsilon) has also been adapted into several modern languages: in German, for example, it is called Ypsilon, in Icelanic it is ufsilon i, and in Italian the name is ipsilon or i greca. In Portuguese, both names are used (ípsilon and i grego). In Faroese, the letter is simply called seinna i ("later i") because of its later place in the alphabet.
Old English borrowed Latin Y to write the native Old English sound /y/ (previously written with the rune yr ᚣ). The name of the letter may be related to 'ui' (or 'vi') in various medieval languages;[citation needed] in Middle English it was 'wi' /wiː/,[citation needed] which through the Great Vowel Shift became the Modern English 'wy' /waɪ/. The oldest direct ancestor of English letter Y was the Semitic letter waw (pronounced as [w]), from which also come F, U, V, and W. See F for details. The Greek and Latin alphabets developed from the Phoenician form of this early alphabet. In Modern English, there is also some historical influence from the old English letter yogh (Ȝȝ), which developed from the Semitic gimel (as described below).
Vowel
The form of the modern letter Y is derived from the Greek letter upsilon. The Romans first borrowed a form of upsilon as the single letter V, which represented both the vowel sound /u/ and the semivowel consonant sound /w/. (In modern written Latin, V is typically distinguished from U.) This first loaning of upsilon into Latin is not the source of the Modern English Y (instead, it is the source of Modern English V and U).
The usage of the Greek Y form of upsilon as opposed to U, V, or W, dates back to the Latin of the first century BC, when upsilon was introduced a second time, this time with its "foot" to distinguish it. It was used to transcribe loanwords from the prestigious Attic dialect of Greek, which had the non-Latin vowel sound /y/ (as found in modern French cru (raw), or German grün (green)) in words that had been pronounced with /u/ in earlier Greek. Because [y] was not a native sound of Latin, it was usually pronounced /u/ or /i/.[citation needed] Some Latin words of Italic origin also came to be spelled with 'y': Latin silva ('forest') was commonly spelled sylva, in analogy with the Greek cognate and synonym ὕλη.
The Roman Emperor Claudius proposed introducing a new letter into the Latin alphabet to transcribe the so-called sonus medius (a short vowel before labial consonants), which in inscriptions was sometimes used for Greek upsilon instead.
The letter Y was used to represent the sound /y/ in the writing systems of some other languages that adopted the Latin alphabet. In Old English and Old Norse, there was a native /y/ sound, and so Latin U, Y and I were all used to represent distinct vowel sounds. But, by the time of Middle English, /y/ had lost its roundedness and became identical to I (/iː/ and /ɪ/). Therefore, many words that originally had I were spelled with Y, and vice versa. The distinction between /y/ and /i/ was also lost in later Icelandic and Faroese, making the distinction purely orthographic and historical, but not in the mainland Scandinavian languages, where the distinction is retained. It may be observed that a similar merger of /y/ into /i/ happened in Greek around the beginning of the 2nd millennium, making the distinction between iota (Ι, ι) and upsilon (Υ, υ) purely a matter of historical spelling there as well. In the West Slavic languages, Y was adapted as a sign for the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/; later, /ɨ/ merged with /i/ in Czech and Slovak, whereas Polish retains it with the pronunciation [ɘ]. Similarly, in Middle Welsh, Y came to be used to designate the vowels /ɨ/ and /ɘ/ in a way predictable from the position of the vowel in the word. Since then, /ɨ/ has merged with /i/ in Southern Welsh dialects, but /ɘ/ is retained.
In Modern English, Y can represent the same vowel sounds as the letter I. The use of the letter Y to represent a vowel is more restricted in Modern English than it was in Middle and early Modern English. It occurs mainly in the following three environments: for upsilon in Greek loan-words (system: Greek σύστημα), at the end of a word (rye, city; compare cities, where S is final), and in place of I before the ending -ing (dy-ing, justify-ing).
Consonant
As a consonant in English, Y normally represents a palatal approximant, /j/ (year, German Jahr). This use was possibly influenced by the Middle English letter yogh (Ȝȝ), which could represent /j/. (Yogh could also represent other sounds, such as /ɣ/, which came to be written gh in Middle English.)
Confusion in writing with the letter thorn
When printing was introduced to Great Britain, Caxton and other English printers used Y in place of Þ (thorn: Modern English th), which did not exist in continental typefaces. From this convention comes the spelling of the as ye in the mock archaism Ye Olde Shoppe. But, in spite of the spelling, pronunciation was the same as for modern the (stressed /ðiː/, unstressed /ðə/). Ye (/jiː/) is purely a modern spelling pronunciation.
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M . is the thirteenth letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu (Μ, μ). Semitic Mem is most likely derived from a "Proto-Sinaitic" (Bronze Age) adoption of the "water" ideogram in Egyptian writing. The Egyptian sign had the acrophonic value /n/, from the Egyptian word for "water", nt; the adoption as the Semitic letter for /m/ was presumably also on acrophonic grounds, from the Semitic word for "water", mā(y)-.
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Z . is the 26th and final letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Semitic
The Semitic symbol was the seventh letter, named zayin, which meant "weapon" or "sword". It represented either the sound /z/ as in English and French, or possibly more like /dz/ (as in Italian zeta, zero).
Greek
The Greek form of Z was a close copy of the Phoenician Zayin (Zayin), and the Greek inscriptional form remained in this shape throughout ancient times. The Greeks called it zeta, a new name made in imitation of eta (η) and theta.
In earlier Greek of Athens and Northwest Greece, the letter seems to have represented /dz/; in Attic, from the 4th century BC onwards, it seems to have stood for /zd/ and /dz/ – there is no consensus concerning this issue. In other dialects, such as Elean and Cretan, the symbol seems to have been used for sounds resembling the English voiced and voiceless th (IPA /ð/ and /θ/, respectively). In the common dialect (koine) that succeeded the older dialects, ζ became /z/, as it remains in modern Greek.
Etruscan
The Etruscan letter Z was derived from the Phoenician alphabet, most probably through the Greek alphabet used on the island of Ischia. In Etruscan, this letter may have represented /ts/.
Latin
The letter z was part of the earliest form of the Latin alphabet, adopted from Etruscan. Because the sound /z/ in Latin changed to /r/ by rhotacism in the fifth century BC, z was dropped and its place given to the new letter g. In the 1st century BC, z was reintroduced at the end of the Latin alphabet to represent the sound of the Greek zeta /dz/, as the letter y was introduced to represent the sound of the Greek upsilon /y/.
Before the reintroduction of z, the sound of zeta was written s at the beginning of words and ss in the middle of words, as in sōna for ζώνη "belt" and trapessita for τραπεζίτης "banker".
In Vulgar Latin orthography, z represented a sound, likely an affricate, formed by the merging of the reflexes of Classical Latin /j/, /dj/ and /gj/:[example needed] for example, zanuariu for ianuariu "January", ziaconus for diaconus "deacon", and oze for hodie "today". Likewise, /di/ sometimes replaced /z/ in words like baptidiare for baptizare "to baptize". In modern Italian, z represents /ts/ or /dz/, whereas the reflexes of ianuarius and hodie are written with the letter g (representing /dʒ/ when before i and e): gennaio, oggi. In other languages, such as Spanish, further evolution of the sound occurred.
Early English
Early English used S alone for both the unvoiced and the voiced sibilant. The Latin sound imported through French was new and was not written with Z but with G or I. The successive changes can be well seen in the double forms from the same original, jealous and zealous. Both of these come from a late Latin zelosus, derived from the imported Greek ζῆλος zêlos. The earlier form is jealous; its initial sound is the [dʒ], which developed to Modern French [ʒ]. John Wycliffe wrote the word as gelows or ielous.
Z at the end of a word was pronounced ts, as in English assets, from Old French asez "enough" (Modern French assez), from Vulgar Latin ad satis ("to sufficiency").
Last letter of the alphabet
In earlier times, the English alphabets used by children terminated not with Z but with & or related typographic symbols. In her 1859 novel Adam Bede, George Eliot refers to Z being followed by & when her character Jacob Storey says, "He thought it [Z] had only been put to finish off th' alphabet like; though ampusand would ha' done as well, for what he could see."
Some Latin based alphabets have extra letters on the end of the alphabet. The last letter for the Icelandic, Finnish and Swedish alphabets is Ö, while it is Å for Danish and Norwegian. In the German alphabet, the umlauts (Ä/ä, Ö/ö, and Ü/ü) and the letter ß (Eszett or scharfes S) are regarded respectively as modifications of the vowels a/o/u and as a (standardized) variant spelling of ss, not as independent letters, so they come after the unmodified letters in the alphabetical order. The German alphabet ends with z.
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Countries
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Lithuania
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Luxembourg .
Official Name:
Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
short form: Luxembourg, Luxemburg, Lëtzebuerg
int'l long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
int'l short form:
ISO Country Code: LU, LUX, .lu
Time:
Local Time: UTC +1hours and on summer +2hours
Country Calling Code: +352
Capital City: Luxembourg City (pop. 76,600)
Other Cities: Esch-sur-Alzette (pop. 28,200), Differdange (pop. 19,000), Dudelange (pop. 17,800)
Government type:
Constitutional monarchy.
Independence: 1839.
Constitution: 1868.
Geography:
Location: Western Europe; landlocked.
Area: 2,586 square kilometers or (999 square miles)
Terrain: Continuation of slightly mountainous Belgian Ardennes in the north, in the south the hilly extension of French Lorraine plateau.
Climate: Continental, mild summers and moderate snowfall in winter.
People:
Nationality: Luxembourger's or Luxembourgian
Population: 576,000 (estimated as of year 2016)
Ethnic groups: Celtic base with French and German blend; large communities of ethnic Portuguese, Italians, French, Belgians, and Germans.
Religion: 87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims.
Languages: Luxembourgish, French, and German (Official); English is widely spoken.
Literacy: 100%.
Natural resources: Iron ore, (no longer exploited), timber.
Agriculture products: Dairy, wine,potatoes, wheat, fruits, forestry, animal feed crops.
Industries: Banking and financial services, steel, chemicals.
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass
Exports - partners: Germany 22.1%, Belgium 16.7%, France 16.6%, UK 4.7%, Italy 4.6%, Netherlands 4% (2015)
Imports - commodities: commercial aircraft, minerals, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs, luxury consumer goods
Imports - partners: Belgium 27.6%, Germany 22.9%, China 11.7%, France 9.5%, USA 8.4%, Netherlands 4.2%, Mexico 4.1% (2015)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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