Geography_ A Visual Encyclopedia

A country is a place that has COUNTRY FACTFILE its own government and a permament population, and that is widely recognized by other countries. Today, there are 194 countries— more than ever before.

COUNTRY FACTFILE North America The third-largest continent is dominated by the United States and Canada—two of the world’s largest countries. It is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. At its northern tip, in the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, are the ice sheets of Greenland. In the southernmost part of the continent lie the seven countries of Central America and the Caribbean islands, where the climate is warm all year round. ▼ SONORAN DESERT Stretching across the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico is the hot, dry, and windy Sonoran Desert. It is the exclusive home of the saguaro cactus. Covered in spines, and white flowers in late spring, this huge, tree-sized cactus lives for about 200 years.

United States of America Area 3,716,654 sq miles (9,626,091 sq km) Population 313 million Capital Washington, D.C. Currency US dollar Official language English Life expectancy 78 years The United States of America (USA) was Alaska, on the northwest tip of the North ▲ MANHATTAN SKYLINE COUNTRY FACTFILE founded in 1776 on principles of individual American continent, and Hawaii, an island Manhattan, the smallest but most freedom and a government voted for by the chain in the Pacific Ocean. The country’s densely populated of New York City’s people. It is now the most powerful country Hispanic community makes up 13 percent five boroughs, is an island at the in the world and the third most populated. of the population, and is growing rapidly. mouth of the Hudson River. The main landmass is made up of 48 of The first African-American president, the country’s 50 states. The other two are Barack Obama, was elected in 2008. Canada Area 3,855,103 sq miles countries. Canada also has an indigenous (9,984,670 sq km) population of about one million people, Population 34.3 million who are known as the First Nations. Capital Ottawa Canada is ranked by the United Nations Currency Canadian dollar (UN) as one of the best countries to live in, Official languages English with the cities of Vancouver, Toronto, and and French Calgary featuring in the world’s top ten Life expectancy 80 years cities according to living conditions. Canada is the world’s second-largest country in terms of land area. It spans six time ▶ BROWN BEAR zones, from Newfoundland in the east to One of the largest land animals, the brown British Columbia in the west. To its north bear lives in the mountainous regions of lies the Arctic Ocean. Most Canadians are Canada. Activities such as logging have descendants of immigrants from Britain, affected its habitat and reduced its numbers. France, Ireland, and other European Guatemala Belize El Salvador Area 42,043 sq miles Area 8,867 sq miles Area 8,124 sq miles (108,890 sq km) (22,966 sq km) (21,040 sq km) Population 14.8 million Population 300,000 Population 6.2 million Capital Guatemala City Capital Belmopan Capital San Salvador Currency Quetzal Currency Belizean dollar Currency Salvadorean colón Official language Spanish Official language English Official language Spanish Life expectancy 70 years Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 72 years Once home to the ancient Mayan Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize Located on the Pacific coast, El Salvador civilization, Guatemala is mostly made was the last Central American country to is the smallest and most densely populated up of highlands. More than half of gain independence, in 1981. On its east nation in Central America. Within its Guatemalans are descendants of the coast, in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, borders lie the boundaries of three tectonic original Mayas, who mostly live in lies the world’s second largest coral reef plates, which means there are frequent the highlands as farmers. Agriculture system. Belize has the lowest population of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. contributes to nearly a quarter of Central America, and almost half of its land The volcanic activity provides a source Guatemala’s export earnings. area is still covered in forests. of relatively cheap geothermal energy. 251

Costa Rica COUNTRY FACTFILE Mexico Area 19,730 sq miles The Republic of Costa Rica is a small country (51,100 sq km) in Central America located near the southern Population 4.7 million tip of the North American continent. To its Capital San José east is the Caribbean Sea and to its west is Currency Costa Rican colón the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica was ruled by Official language Spanish Spain until 1821, gaining full independence Life expectancy 79 years in 1838. The population is mostly mestizo, of partly Spanish origins, with only about ◀ RED-EYED TREE FROG 35,000 indigenous Amerindians. The main Known for its bulging red eyes, the colorful language is Spanish, but English Creole red-eyed tree frog can be found near ponds, is also spoken. Coffee, technology, and streams, and rivers along Costa Rica’s tourism are the country’s main industries. Caribbean coast. This tree frog eats insects More than 90 percent of Costa Rica’s that it catches with its long, sticky tongue. electricity comes from renewable sources. Suction cups on its toes allow it to climb trees. Area 761,606 sq miles includes the capital and 18 connected ▼ CHACMOOL, MEXICO CITY (1,972,550 sq km) districts, is one of the largest metropolitan A chacmool is a sculpture of a reclining male Population 115 million areas in the world. Mexican national identity figure holding a bowl. Chacmools were made Capital Mexico City is formed of mestizaje—a combination of by Native Americans and have been excavated Currency Mexican peso European and indigenous cultures. In from sites across central Mexico. Official language Spanish addition to Spanish, indigenous languages Life expectancy 74 years such as Nahuatl, Mayan, and Tzeltal are also spoken. Despite Mexico being a global oil The most populated Spanish-speaking producer, its exports have dropped in recent country in the world, Mexico separates the years and it now faces great wealth inequality. United States from the rest of Latin America More than 44 percent of the population live (the countries whose main language is below the national poverty line. Indigenous Spanish or Portuguese). Mexico was ruled by communities living in the country’s rural the Aztecs until the 16th century, when it areas are the most disadvantaged groups. became part of the Spanish Empire for nearly 300 years. Greater Mexico City, which 252

Honduras Nicaragua Panama Area 43,278 sq miles Area 49,998 sq miles Area 30,193 sq miles (112,090 sq km) (129,494 sq km) (78,200 sq km) Population 7.8 million Population 5.9 million Population 3.6 million Capital Tegucigalpa Capital Managua Capital Panama City Currency Lempira Currency Nicaraguan córdoba Currency Balboa and US dollar Official language Spanish Official language Spanish Official language Spanish Life expectancy 70 years Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 75 years Honduras is a mountainous country lying Nicaragua lies in the heart of Central Panama is the southernmost of the seven COUNTRY FACTFILE between Guatemala and Nicaragua. It has a America. The country is divided into three Central American countries. Deforestation small southern coastline facing the Pacific geographical zones: Pacific lowlands; cooler, threatens Panama’s rainforests, which cover Ocean and a much longer shoreline on the wet central highlands; and Caribbean about 40 percent of the land. Since 1999, north facing the Caribbean Sea. It is the lowlands. About a third of the population Panama has had full control of the Panama second-poorest country in Central America, lives in the capital, Managua. Indigenous Canal, which connects the Pacific and with about 60 percent of the population Miskito tribes and descendants of African Atlantic Oceans and is a major international living below the national poverty line. slaves live mainly along the Caribbean coast. shipping route. Cuba Area 42,803 sq miles a one-party Communist nation led by (110,860 sq km) Fidel Castro since 1959. In 2008, his Population 11.3 million younger brother Raúl Castro took over Capital Havana the reins. Living standards in Cuba fell Currency Cuban peso dramatically in the early 1990s, when Official language Spanish Communist Eastern Europe—previously Life expectancy 78 years Cuba’s main trading partner—collapsed. Since then, the number of people trying The Republic of Cuba is the largest island to leave has risen markedly. in the Caribbean Sea. Cuba has three mountainous regions—the Sierra Maestra, ▶ CLASSIC CARS IN HAVANA the Sierra de los Órganos, and the Sierra Cars dating back to the 1950s dot the streets de Trinidad. Fertile lowlands are used for of Cuba’s capital, Havana. Taxi services offer farming sugarcane and rice. Cuba has been tours in these classic cars, which are well maintained and in excellent condition. Bahamas Jamaica Area 5,382 sq miles Area 4,243 sq miles (13,940 sq km) (10,990 sq km) Population 300,000 Population 2.8 million Capital Nassau Capital Kingston Currency Bahamian dollar Currency Jamaican dollar Official language English Official language English Life expectancy 73 years Life expectancy 71 years The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an ▲ DASHEEN Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea, archipelago (a stretch of water containing A root vegetable, dasheen is a staple crop located 90 miles (145 km) south of Cuba. many islands) of 700 islands and islets. It cultivated in Jamaica. Its leaves are often used to Most Jamaicans are of African descent, with sits to the northeast of Cuba in the western make a popular breakfast dish called callaloo, small Indian, Chinese, and European Atlantic. Two-thirds of the population live which is enjoyed throughout the Caribbean. minorities. Jamaican music is famous the in the capital city of Nassau, on New world over. The musical styles of ska, ragga, Providence island. The Bahamas is a and reggae originated in the poverty-stricken popular destination for vacationers. districts of Jamaica’s capital, Kingston. 253

Dominican Republic Haiti Area 18,680 sq miles Area 10,714 sq miles (48,380 sq km) (27,750 sq km) Population 10.1 million Population 10.1 million Capital Santo Domingo Capital Port-au-Prince Currency Dominican peso Currency Haitian gourde Official language Spanish Official languages French Life expectancy 72 years and French Creole Life expectancy 60 years COUNTRY FACTFILE The Dominican Republic, the Caribbean’s ▲ COCOA POD most popular tourist spot, occupies The Dominican Republic is one of the chief Haiti lies on the west of Hispaniola. In 1804, two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. producers of cocoa beans, which are dried, it was the first ethnically black nation to gain It is home to the Caribbean’s highest roasted, and ground to make chocolate. independence. Already the poorest country point, Pico Duarte, as well as its lowest, in the Americas, Haiti was set back even Lake Enriquillo. Dominica further by a devastating earthquake in 2010. St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia Area 101 sq miles Area 291 sq miles Area 239 sq miles (261 sq km) (754 sq km) (620 sq km) Population 50,000 Population 73,000 Population 162,000 Capital Basseterre Capital Roseau Capital Castries Currency East Caribbean dollar Currency East Caribbean dollar Currency East Caribbean dollar Official language English Official language English Official language English Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 74 years The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is a Dominica became independent from the The island of St. Lucia has many beaches tiny two-island country. St. Kitts, a volcanic UK in 1978. It is known as the “Nature and a rich variety of wildlife in its rainforests. island, is separated from the more lush Island of the Caribbean” because of its The twin Pitons (cone-shaped volcanic plugs) island of Nevis by a channel 2 miles (3 km) spectacular and lush flora and fauna, on its southern coast have been given World wide called the Narrows. It is the smallest which are protected in large national parks. Heritage status. The country’s population is country in North America by land size Dominica’s volcanic origin has given it very mostly of African and African-European and population. The islands’ greatest fertile soils and the second-largest boiling descent. The economy relies on income environmental threat is from hurricanes. lake in the world. from tourism and banana production. Barbados St. Vincent and the Grenadines Area 166 sq miles Area 150 sq miles (430 sq km) (389 sq km) Population 300,000 Population 103,500 Capital Bridgetown Capital Kingstown Currency Barbados dollar Currency East Caribbean dollar Official language English Official language English Life expectancy 77 years Life expectancy 71 years Located to the northeast of Trinidad, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a group ▲ HIBISCUS Barbados was originally inhabited by the of islands in the Caribbean Sea. St. Vincent The St. Vincent Botanical Gardens in indigenous Arawak peoples. Today, most is a volcanic island, made up of volcanic Kingstown are home to many tropical plants, Barbadians are descended from Africans mountains that are partly underwater. The including the colorful and fragrant hibiscus. brought to the island between the 16th Grenadines is a chain of smaller coral and 19th centuries. In the 1990s, tourism islands surrounded by coral reefs. The overtook sugar as the main source of the country is the world’s largest producer of nation’s income. arrowroot, a starchy vegetable. 254

Grenada Trinidad and Tobago Area 131 sq miles Area 1,980 sq miles (340 sq km) (5,128 sq km) Population 109,000 Population 1.3 million Capital St. George’s Capital Port-of-Spain Currency East Caribbean dollar Currency Trinidad and Tobago dollar Official language English Official language English Life expectancy 68 years Life expectancy 70 years Grenada is a group of islands north of The islands of Trinidad and Tobago are ▲ SCARLET IBIS COUNTRY FACTFILE Trinidad and Tobago. A former British located just 9 miles (15 km) from the South The national bird of Trinidad, the scarlet colony, Grenada became independent American mainland. The mountains and ibis, is native to the Caribbean islands in 1974. It was the world’s second-largest swamps of the islands are rich in tropical and parts of South America. producer of nutmeg until Hurricane Ivan flora and fauna. Trinidad has the largest devastated crops in 2004. south Asian community in the Caribbean. Antigua and Barbuda Area 171 sq miles The country was colonized by the British in Luxury tourism is a major industy here. (442 sq km) 1632, and gained its independence in 1981. However, sewage from tourist hotels has Population 89,000 British cultural influence remains strong, caused serious environmental problems: Capital St. John’s and Antiguans have a passion for the Uncontrolled and untreated waste from the Currency East Caribbean dollar popular British sport of cricket. Most of hotels pollute the sea, killing valuable fish Official language English the population of Antigua and Barbuda is stocks in the large mangrove swamps. Life expectancy 75 years descended from the Africans brought to the islands between the 16th and 19th centuries ▼ VACATION DESTINATION Antigua and Barbuda lies between the to work as slaves. There are also small Antigua has 365 beaches. The clear Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. European and south Asian communities. Caribbean waters off these sandy beaches In addition to the two major islands, Antigua In recent years, many Spanish-speaking are ideal for snorkeling and attract and Barbuda, there are also several smaller immigrants from the Dominican Republic many vacationers. islands, some of which are uninhabited. have moved to Antigua and Barbuda.

COUNTRY FACTFILE South America ▼ SALAR DE UYUNI The Salar de Uyuni is a salt flat South America is the fourth-largest continent in (a stretch of solid salt crust) in the world. Its terrain is a mix of mountains and Bolivia. It has formed over hundreds highlands, river basins, and coastal plains. Along of years on a prehistoric lake, is a few its western coast lie the Andes mountains, the yards thick, and stretches over world’s longest mountain range. South America 4,086 sq miles (10,582 sq km). also has the world’s largest river (by volume of water), the Amazon, and the world’s driest hot desert, the Atacama. The continent is home to incredibly rich and diverse animal and plant life unlike anything else on Earth.

Surinam Guyana Area 63,039 sq miles Area 83,000 sq miles (163,270 sq km) (214,970 sq km) Population 500,000 Population 800,000 Capital Paramaribo Capital Georgetown Currency Surinamese dollar Currency Guyanese dollar Official language Dutch Official language English Life expectancy 70 years Life expectancy 66 years The smallest independent country in South Guyana, on South America’s northern edge, ▲ HOATZIN COUNTRY FACTFILE America, Surinam is located on the north became a republic in 1966 after achieving Guyana’s national bird, the hoatzin, is also coast of the continent. Rainforested independence from the UK. People of called the stinkbird because of its foul smell. Its highlands take up most of the inland areas. Indian and African origin make up about chicks are born with claws on their wing tips. About 90 percent of the population live 63 percent of the population. Dense along the Atlantic coast. rainforests cover much of the country. Brazil Area 3,286,488 sq miles (8,511,965 sq km) Population 197 million Capital Brasília Currency Brazilian real Official language Portuguese Life expectancy 72 years Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth-largest nation in the world. Its varied landscape includes mountains, wetlands, grasslands, deserts, and a long coastline. One-third of Brazil’s land area is covered by the tropical rainforests, which grow around the massive Amazon River. Brazil’s biggest and most populated cities are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The iconic statue of Cristo Redentor, “Christ the Redeemer,” overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro and is considered one of the seven new wonders of the world. Brazil has a very diverse population and, as a result, enjoys a rich religious and cultural heritage. The seventh-largest economy in the world, Brazil is the leading producer of coffee and sugarcane ethanol, which is used as an alternative to gasoline. It also has rich reserves of gold, diamonds, oil, iron ore, and uranium. ▶ CARNIVAL IN RIO Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is one of the largest festivals in the world. Celebrated 40 days before Easter, the Carnival is a massive street party with costumes, music, dance, and feasts. 257

Ecuador COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 109,483 sq miles in the Andean Sierra highlands. Many Venezuela (283,590 sq km) of the world’s bananas are grown in Population 14.7 million the Costa region, making Ecuador the Capital Quito biggest exporter of bananas. Another Currency US dollar main source of income is from oil Official language Spanish drilling around the Amazon Basin. Life expectancy 75 years This, however, has had a negative effect on the environment and on the Located on the continent’s west coast, indigenous tribes living in the area. Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America. The volcanic Galápagos ▶ GALÁPAGOS WILDLIFE Islands in the Pacific Ocean are also a part The great frigate bird, native to the Galápagos of Ecuador. Most Ecuadorians live either in Islands, puffs out its inflatable throat pouch to the lowland coastal region called Costa or attract mates during the breeding season. Bolivia Colombia Area 424,164 sq miles Area 430,736 sq miles Area 352,144 sq miles (1,098,580 sq km) (1,138,910 sq km) (912,050 sq km) Population 10.1 million Population 46.9 million Population 29.4 million Capital Sucre and La Paz Capital Bogotá Capital Caracas Currency Boliviano Currency Colombian peso Currency Bolívar fuerte Official languages Spanish, Official language Spanish Official language Spanish Quechua, and Aymara Life expectancy 73 years Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 65 years A landlocked nation, Bolivia lies in the Colombia is in northwest South America, With a long Caribbean coastline, the central part of South America. It has two where the continent connects with Central Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is part capitals—Sucre is the judicial capital, while and North America. A land of extremes, of northern South America. Venezuela has La Paz is the administrative capital. La Paz, Colombia has snow-covered mountains, some of the largest known oil deposits at 11,975 ft (3,650 m) above sea level, is the tropical beaches, deserts, and grasslands outside the Middle East. Though it is one highest capital city in the world. Bolivia is called Los Llanos. Colombia sits on the of the most urbanized societies in South home to the world’s highest golf course, ski Pacific Ring of Fire, and has many America, extreme poverty still exists in the run, and soccer stadium. volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. barrios, or shantytowns, on the hillsides. Peru Area 496,218 sq miles the coast, the mountains, and the ▲ MACHU PICCHU (1,285,200 sq km) rainforests. The arid Pacific coast is where A UNESCO World Heritage site, the historic Population 29.4 million all the major cities, including the capital city of Machu Picchu is nestled on a hilltop in Capital Lima city of Lima, are located. This area is home the Andes mountains. It was built by the Inca Currency Nuevo sol to about half of Peru’s population. From the people around 600 years ago. Official languages Spanish coastal plains rise the Andes mountains, and Quechua dominated in the south by volcanoes. Life expectancy 71 years The east of the country contains Amazon Lying just south of the equator, on the rainforests. These dense forests are home to Pacific coast of South America, is the many unique species of plants and animals. Republic of Peru. It is the third largest Peru is rich in natural resources—gold, South American country, after Brazil and silver, copper, zinc, lead, and iron are found Argentina. Most Peruvians are of mixed across the country. However, Peru remains cultures, including Amerindian, European, one of the poorest nations in the world, African, and Asian. Peru’s varied landscape with about 40 percent of the population can be divided into three regions— living below the poverty line. 258

Argentina Paraguay Uruguay Area 1,068,302 sq miles Area 157,047 sq miles Area 68,039 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (2,766,890 sq km) (406,750 sq km) (176,220 sq km) Population 40.8 million Population 6.6 million Population 3.4 million Capital Buenos Aires Capital Asunción Capital Montevideo Currency Argentine peso Currency Guaraní Currency Uruguayan peso Official language Spanish Official languages Spanish Official language Spanish Life expectancy 75 years and Guaraní Life expectancy 76 years Life expectancy 72 years Argentina is the second largest country Paraguay is a landlocked country bordered Sandwiched between its larger neighbors, in South America and covers most of by Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia. Most Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay lies in the the southern portion of the continent. Paraguayans are of combined Spanish and southeast part of South America. Much of Its capital, Buenos Aires, is one of the native Guaraní origin. Although the Uruguay is farmland, mainly used for the continent’s largest cities. Nearly 40 percent majority of people are bilingual, Guaraní is rearing of livestock, especially cattle and of Argentina’s population live here. largely spoken outside of the big cities. sheep. It is a leading exporter of wool. Chile Area 292,260 sq miles north to fertile valleys in the center. ▼ EASTER ISLAND (756,950 sq km) In the south are the fjords (sea inlets These giant statues are called moai. Carved Population 17.3 million with steep cliffs) and lakes of the Southern by the early Rapa Nui people of Easter Capital Santiago Andes. Chile also includes a part of Tierra Island, they date back to 400–1600 CE. Currency Chilean peso del Fuego, an archipelago that it shares Official language Spanish with Argentina, and the remote Easter Life expectancy 78 years Island in the south Pacific Ocean. Chile has many natural resources, including gold, Chile extends in a narrow ribbon 2,700 coal, oil, and natural gas. It is the largest miles (4,350 km) down the Pacific coast of producer of copper, which is a major contributor to Chile’s export earnings. South America. Its unique shape means However, large-scale logging and gold that its landscape ranges from mining in the Andes have raised concerns the deserts of the High about environmental damage. Andes in the

COUNTRY FACTFILE Europe ▼ BRUGES The city of Bruges in Belgium Europe is made up of 46 independent is a historic center based on a nations, each with its own distinct network of canals and known identity and culture – and often its own for its medieval architecture. language, too. More than half of Europe’s The bell tower shown here is countries are members of the European a popular tourist attraction. Union (EU), a unified group that acts as one economic and political unit.

Iceland Norway Area 39,768 sq miles Area 125,182 sq miles ▼ THE OSEBERG SHIP (103,000 sq km) (324,220 sq km) This Viking ship was excavated Population 300,000 Population 4.9 million in 1904 from the Oseberg Capital Reykjavík Capital Oslo farm in Vestfold County, Currency Icelandic krona Currency Norwegian krone Norway. A burial vessel built Official language Icelandic Official language Norwegian of oak and dating from around Life expectancy 81 years Life expectancy 80 years 800 CE, it contained the skeletal remains of two women, Lying just south of the Arctic Circle in The Kingdom of Norway occupies the along with personal items. COUNTRY FACTFILE the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is a western part of Scandinavia, between former Danish possession that became fully Sweden to its east and the Norwegian 261 independent in 1944. It is a small volcanic Sea to its west. Norway is a island, with many glaciers, volcanoes, and constitutional monarchy, which means geysers. The country produces cheap it has a monarch as the head of state geothermal power, which meets almost all and an elected parliament. Norwegian of its electricity and domestic heating needs. society has social and economic equality, Icelanders are of Scandinavian descent and but living here is costly—Oslo, its more than half the population lives in or capital, is one of the world’s most near the capital city of Reykjavík. In expensive cities. Norway was one of the first July, the warmest month of the year, countries to grant women the vote, in 1913, temperatures average around 50–55 °F and Gro Harlem Brundtland was Norway’s (10–13 °C). first woman prime minister in 1990. Sweden Area 173,732 sq miles (449,964 sq km) Population 9.4 million Capital Stockholm Currency Swedish krona Official language Swedish Life expectancy 81 years Situated in the east of the Scandinavian peninsula, Sweden is a densely forested country with many lakes. A constitutional monarchy, Sweden has a monarch and an elected parliament that is led by a prime minister. It has one of the largest welfare systems in the world, with all Swedes having access to publicly funded childcare, health care, schooling, and care for the elderly. ▶ NORTHERN LIGHTS The Aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, is a natural light display that can be seen in northern Sweden, as well as other Arctic regions. The bright green or red lights are caused by the collision of charged particles high in Earth’s atmosphere.

Finland COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 130,128 sq miles adopted the Euro (the official currency Lithuania (337,030 sq km) of the EU) in 2002. Finnish women have Population 5.4 million long been involved in the running of the Capital Helsinki country. They were the first in Europe, Currency Euro in 1906, to get the right to vote and the Official languages Finnish first in the world to be able to run for and Swedish parliament. Finland has a large high-tech Life expectancy 79 years sector, which includes the mobile phone A country of forests and 187,888 lakes, company Nokia. Finland is bordered on the north and west by Norway and Sweden. To its east lies ▶ REINDEER IN LAPLAND Russia, which ruled Finland from 1809 In Lapland, in northern Finland, until 1917, when Finland became a reindeer are herded by the Sami people, republic. It joined the EU in 1995 and who use the animal’s meat for food and its hide for clothing and shelter. Estonia Latvia Area 17,462 sq miles Area 24,938 sq miles Area 25,174 sq miles (45,226 sq km) (64,589 sq km) (65,200 sq km) Population 1.3 million Population 2.2 million Population 3.3 million Capital Tallinn Capital Riga Capital Vilnius Currency Euro Currency Latvian lats Currency Lithuanian litas Official language Estonian Official language Latvian Official language Lithuanian Life expectancy 73 years Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 71 years After decades of Soviet rule, Estonia gained Latvia is one of the three Baltic countries Lying on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, its independence in 1991. Its terrain is flat, (along with Estonia and Lithuania) that Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic boggy, and partly wooded, and includes gained independence from the Communist countries. It was the last European country more than 1,500 islands. Estonia’s chief Soviet Union in 1991. The Latvian economy to formally embrace Christianity, around energy resource is oil shale, a rock from is dominated by the service sector, though 1400 ce. Its terrain is mostly flat, with which oil is extracted. However, industrial agriculture continues to play an important many lakes, moors, and bogs. A member pollution from power plants burning oil role. More than 25 percent of the of the EU since 2004, Lithuania intends shale has now become a growing concern. population is ethnically Russian. to adopt the Euro in 2013. Denmark Area 16,639 sq miles Islands and Greenland, fall under the (43,094 sq km) sovereignty of Denmark. The population Population 5.6 million is largely of Danish ethnicity with small Capital Copenhagen minorities of Turks and Inuit, Greenland’s Currency Danish krone indigenous inhabitants. Denmark’s income Official language Danish distribution is the most even among Life expectancy 78 years Western countries, with most Danes able to live comfortably. Denmark is also With one of the flattest terrains in the a strong supporter of developing countries, world, Denmark is the southernmost especially in Africa. country in Scandinavia. It occupies most of the Jutland (Jylland) peninsula and ▶ THE LITTLE MERMAID includes the islands of Sjælland, Fyn, This iconic statue of a mermaid in Lolland, and Falster, and more than 400 Copenhagen is based on the fairy tale smaller islands. Two self-governing nations The Little Mermaid by the Danish lying in the North Atlantic, the Faeroe author Hans Christian Andersen. 262

Ireland Belgium Area 27,135 sq miles Area 11,780 sq miles ▲ BELGIAN CHOCOLATES COUNTRY FACTFILE (70,280 sq km) (30,510 sq km) Belgian chocolates are considered to be Population 4.5 million Population 10.8 million some of the best chocolates in the world. Capital Dublin Capital Brussels They come in a variety of flavors, and Currency Euro Currency Euro are sold all over the world. Official languages Irish Official languages Dutch, and English French, and German Life expectancy 79 years Life expectancy 79 years After centuries of struggle against British Belgium is located between Germany, rule, the Irish Republic became a sovereign France, and the Netherlands. The south state in 1937. It covers about 85 percent of includes the forested Ardennes region. the island of Ireland (the rest remains part Belgium has two main communities— of the UK). The population is almost the majority Dutch-speaking Flemings entirely ethnically Irish. and the French-speaking Walloons. United Kingdom Area 94,525 sq miles The United Kingdom (UK) occupies Jubilee in 2012, is the second-longest (244,820 sq km) a major portion of the British Isles. It reigning queen in British history, Population 62.4 million includes the countries of England, Scotland, after Queen Victoria (1837–1901). Capital London Wales, Northern Ireland, and several The UK heads the Commonwealth—an Currency Pound sterling outlying islands. The UK is a democracy organization of 54 independent member Official languages English with a monarch as the ceremonial head of states—is a world leader in financial and Welsh (in Wales) state. Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated services, and is home to many major Life expectancy 79 years 60 years on the throne with her Diamond multinational companies. ▼ RED MAILBOX A traditional red Royal Mail box is mounted in front of a drystone wall in the Lake District, England.

Netherlands COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 16,033 sq miles (41,526 sq km) Population 16.7 million Capital Amsterdam Currency Euro Official language Dutch Life expectancy 80 years The Netherlands lies at the meeting point of four major rivers in northern Europe. The country’s few hills, in the east and south, descend to a flat coastal area bordered by the North Sea to the north and the west. This is protected by dunes, dykes, and canals, since 27 percent of the coast is below sea level. The country became independent from Spain in 1648 and is a constitutional monarchy. Although the Netherlands’ capital is Amsterdam, its government functions from the Hague. The country is a major trading hub, with Europe’s biggest port, Rotterdam, located here. The Netherlands has a highly skilled and educated workforce and a tradition of high-tech innovation, including the development of the music cassette and CD. Multinational companies such as Philips and Shell are headquartered here. ◀ AMSTERDAM The capital and the biggest city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam has a large canal system running through it. It is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. Luxembourg Liechtenstein Area 998 sq miles Area 62 sq miles (2,586 sq km) (160 sq km) Population 500,000 Population 36,700 Capital Luxembourg-Ville Capital Vaduz Currency Euro Currency Swiss franc Official languages French, Official language German German, and Luxembourgish Life expectancy 80 years Life expectancy 79 years Luxembourg shares borders with Germany, This small, politically stable country is ▲ MALBUN, LIECHTENSTEIN France, and Belgium. It has the highest nestled in the Alps. Many overseas banks The only ski resort in Liechtenstein, Malbun per capita income in the EU. It is also and investment companies operate here, and is a small mountain village located 5,200 ft known as a banking center and is the a third of its residents are foreign nationals. (1,600 m) high in the Alps. headquarters of key EU institutions, It has close ties with Switzerland, which such as the European Court of Justice. handles its foreign relations and defense. 264

Austria Slovenia Area 32,378 sq miles Area 7,820 sq miles (83,858 sq km) (20,253 sq km) Population 8.4 million Population 2 million Capital Vienna Capital Ljubljana Currency Euro Currency Euro Official language German Official language Slovenian Life expectancy 80 years Life expectancy 78 years ▲ WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Austria is dominated by the Alps in the west, A small country located at the northeastern COUNTRY FACTFILE The musical genius Mozart (1756–1791) was while fertile plains form the east and north. end of the Adriatic Sea, Slovenia controls born in Salzburg, Austria. He remains one of Its economy is based on income from some of Europe’s major transit routes. It is the most influential classical music composers. high-tech sectors, tourism, and agriculture. a former Yugoslav republic that became Austria’s main trading partner is its northern independent in 1991. Slovenes are of the neighbor, Germany. same ethnicity as the neighboring Croats. Monaco Switzerland Area 0.75 sq miles Area 15,942 sq miles ▲ SWISS CHEESE (1.95 sq km) (41,290 sq km) Cheese making has been a Swiss Population 30,510 Population 7.7 million tradition for hundreds of years. Capital Monaco-Ville Capital Bern Swiss cheese typically has a mild Currency Euro Currency Swiss franc flavor and characteristic holes. Official language French Official languages French, Life expectancy 80 years German, Italian, and Romansch Life expectancy 82 years The Principality of Monaco is a Switzerland, one of the most prosperous city-state located on the Côte d’Azur, countries in the world, lies at the center the Mediterranean coastline of southeastern of western Europe. Its foreign policy has France. Monaco is a lucrative banking remained largely neutral, without favoring center. It is also a popular tourist spot, any country in most of the European especially since the opening of the Monte conflicts since 1815. Switzerland has so Carlo casino by Prince Charles III in 1863. far not joined the EU. Germany Area 137,846 sq miles the Communist East German government. (357,021 sq km) However, the east remains economically Population 82.2 million poorer, with many people choosing to Capital Berlin migrate to the west for better opportunities. Currency Euro The German government is led by an Official languages German elected chancellor. In 2005, Angela Merkel Life expectancy 79 years became the first female chancellor. By and large, women play a bigger role in German Germany is bordered by nine countries, with politics than in most other European coastlines on both the Baltic and North seas. countries. Germany was one of the original Germany is Europe’s foremost industrial 12 nations to adopt the Euro in 2002. power, and the world’s second-biggest exporter. In 1945, after the defeat of Adolf ▶ BAVARIA, GERMANY Hitler’s Nazi regime at the end of World With traditional German architecture and War II, Germany was divided into East first-rate museums, Bavaria is said to be one of Germany and West Germany. The country the most scenic travel destinations in Germany. was reunited in 1990 with the collapse of 265

Italy San Marino Area 116,305 sq miles Area 23.6 sq miles (301,230 sq km) (61 sq km) Population 60.8 million Population 32,000 Capital Rome Capital San Marino Currency Euro Currency Euro Official language Italian Official language Italian Life expectancy 81 years Life expectancy 82 years COUNTRY FACTFILE ▲ OLIVE OIL Italy is a boot-shaped peninsula that A small nation lying within Italy, San Olives are grown across the Mediterranean. stretches southward into the Mediterranean Marino is perched around the slopes They are pressed to produce olive oil, Sea. It is bordered by the Alps to the north. of Monte Titano in the Appennine an essential part of Italian cuisine. Italy includes Sicily, Sardinia, and other Mountains. San Marino is the world’s smaller islands. The two famous volcanoes, oldest republic. It is entirely dependent France Vesuvius and Etna, are located in southern on Italy, which controls most of its affairs. Italy. A world leader in industrial and The people of San Marino are called the product design and textiles, Italy is also Sammarinese. About one-third of them home to many prestigious fashion houses. live in the northern town of Serravalle. Area 211,209 sq miles With a large immigrant population, France is ▼ FRENCH CHATEAU (547,030 sq km) one of the most ethnically diverse countries Chateau de La Brède in Gironde, France, is Population 63.1 million in Europe. It is a secular (nonreligious) a castle dating from the early 14th century. Capital Paris state. Throughout history, French culture, Built on a small islet surrounded by Currency Euro art, philosophy, literature, and fashion have water-filled moats, it was the birthplace Official language French influenced the rest of the world. It is also and residence of the writer and philosopher Life expectancy 81 years the most visited country in the world and Montesquieu (1689–1755). its capital, Paris, is considered to be one of France straddles western Europe from the the world’s most beautiful cities. Many English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea. influential artists, writers, and filmmakers It borders Germany and Belgium in the of the modern era have lived there. north, and Spain in the south. France was Europe’s first modern republic, and once had a colonial empire second only to the British Empire. Today, it is one of the world’s major industrial powers, as well as Europe’s leading agricultural producer. 266

Vatican City Andorra Area 0.17 sq miles (0.44 sq km) Area 181 sq miles Population 800 (468 sq km) Capital Vatican City Population 85,100 Currency Euro Capital Andorra la Vella Official languages Italian Currency Euro and Latin Official language Catalan Life expectancy 80 years Life expectancy 84 years Vatican City is the smallest independent ▲ THE PIETÀ Andorra is a tiny, landlocked country COUNTRY FACTFILE nation in the world. It lies within a walled Housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, between France and Spain, lying high in enclave in the heart of Italy’s capital, Rome. the Pietà by Michelangelo shows the Virgin the Pyrenees Mountains. It is known as a It is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Mary with Jesus’s body after the Crucifixion. principality because the state is headed by Church, led by the Pope. As spiritual leader two coprinces—the Bishop of Urgell of the Roman Catholics, he has supreme and the President of France. Andorra’s powers and usually holds office until he dies. spectacular scenery and mountain climate (In 2013, however, Pope Benedict XVI have made tourism—especially skiing— announced his retirement at the age of 85.) its main source of income. 267

Spain Area 194,896 sq miles held in 1977. Although the economy saw (504,782 sq km) rapid growth in the 1980s, a financial Population 46.5 million slump in 2008 led to severe unemployment. Capital Madrid However, tourism has been a key strength Currency Euro of the Spanish economy; the country’s Official languages Spanish, vibrant culture, dance, music, and food Galician, Basque, and Catalan attract many visitors. Life expectancy 81 years COUNTRY FACTFILE Occupying a major part of the Iberian ▶ CASA BATLLÓ, BARCELONA Peninsula of southwestern Europe, Spain This remarkable landmark in Barcelona, has an Atlantic as well as a Mediterranean Spain, was built by Antoni Gaudí, the coast. Spain was ruled by the military celebrated Spanish architect. Among its unique dictator General Franco from 1939 until features is its arched roof, which is shaped like his death in 1975. His successor, King Juan a dragon’s back, with ceramic tiles for scales. Carlos I, peacefully led the nation toward democracy, and the first free elections were Malta Cyprus Portugal Area 35,672 sq miles Area 122 sq miles Area 3,571 sq miles (92,391 sq km) (316 sq km) (9,250 sq km) Population 10.7 million Population 400,000 Population 1.1 million Capital Lisbon Capital Valletta Capital Nicosia Currency Euro Currency Euro Currency Euro Official language Portuguese Official languages Maltese Official languages Greek Life expectancy 78 years and English and Turkish Life expectancy 79 years Life expectancy 79 years Portugal lies on the western side of the Malta is a group of tiny islands that lie The island of Cyprus lies south of Turkey Iberian Peninsula. Its long-standing between Europe and North Africa. Only in the eastern Mediterranean. The island dictatorship ended with a bloodless military the islands Kemmuna, Gozo, and Malta are was partitioned in 1974, with the north coup (takeover) in 1974. Portugal has been inhabited. After being ruled by successive inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the a multiparty democracy since then. The colonial powers, Malta gained its south by Greek Cypriots. However, economic slowdown in 2008 pushed the independence from the UK in 1964. Northern Cyprus is officially recognized Portuguese economy into severe debt. Tourism is Malta’s chief source of income. as an independent state only by Turkey. Greece Albania Area 50,942 sq miles Area 11,100 sq miles (131,940 sq km) (28,748 sq km) Population 11.4 million Population 3.2 million Capital Athens Capital Tirana Currency Euro Currency Albanian lek Official language Greek Official language Albanian Life expectancy 79 years Life expectancy 76 years The Hellenic Republic, or Greece as it is ▲ DRINKING CUP A mountainous country lying at the popularly known, is surrounded by the This Ancient Greek drinking cup with handles southeastern end of the Adriatic Sea, Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas, rising above the brim, called a kantharos, has Albania is one of the poorest countries and includes about 2,000 islands. Greece’s been styled in the shape of a donkey’s head. in Europe. Albania is home to a small idyllic beaches and historical sites are very minority of ethnic Greeks. Dominated by popular with tourists. The country has the Communist ruler Enver Hoxha for had debt problems since 2009. 40 years, it became a democracy in 1991. 268

Macedonia Turkey Area 9,781 sq miles Area 301,384 sq miles ▲ STUFFED VINE LEAVES COUNTRY FACTFILE (25,333 sq km) (780,580 sq km) Dolma, a popular Turkish dish, consists of Population 2.1 million Population 73.6 million vegetables or meat wrapped in vine leaves. Capital Skopje Capital Ankara The dish is also common in the Balkans, the Currency Macedonian denar Currency Turkish lira Middle East, and in Central and South Asia. Official languages Albanian Official language Turkish and Macedonian Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 74 years The Republic of Macedonia is a landlocked Turkey’s location, straddling both the nation in southeastern Europe. Formerly part European and the Asian continents, gives of Yugoslavia, which collapsed in 1992, it it great strategic influence over the Black remains one of the poorest former Yugoslav Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Middle countries, with more than 30 percent East. Most Turks are Sunni Muslim, though unemployment. Slav Macedonians make up the Shi’a community is growing fast. Turkey the majority of the population, with ethnic is projected to have a larger population Albanians forming the minority. than any EU country by 2020. Bulgaria Serbia Montenegro Area 42,822 sq miles Area 29,905 sq miles Area 5,333 sq miles (110,910 sq km) (77,453 sq km) (13,812 sq km) Population 7.4 million Population 9.9 million Population 600,000 Capital Sofia Capital Belgrade Capital Podgorica Currency Lev Currency Serbian dinar Currency Euro Official language Bulgarian Official language Serbian Official language Life expectancy 73 years Life expectancy 73 years Montenegrin Life expectancy 74 years Bulgaria extends south from the Danube Serbia became a sovereign republic after The tiny republic of Montenegro, which River, with the Black Sea to its east. the union of Serbia and Montenegro ended literally means “Black Mountain,” became The country was under a Communist in 2006. Ethnic conflicts in the 1990s independent in 2006 when it split from regime until 1989, after which it became a greatly affected Serbian society. The mainly Serbia. It was formerly part of Yugoslavia. democracy. Bulgaria’s thermal and nuclear Albanian province of Kosovo, which With its many scenic beaches, Montenegro’s power plants have made it a major producer rebelled against Serbian rule, declared tourist industry is rapidly expanding. and exporter of energy in southeast Europe. independence in 2008. However, rural poverty is widespread. Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina Area 21,831 sq miles Area 19,741 sq miles ▲ STARI MOST BRIDGE (56,542 sq km) (51,129 sq km) Located over the Neretva River is the country’s Population 4.4 million Population 3.8 million most recognizable landmark. The bridge was Capital Zagreb Capital Sarajevo originally built by the Ottomans in 1566. Currency Kuna Currency Maraka Official language Croatian Official languages Bosnian, Life expectancy 76 years Serbian, and Croatian Life expectancy 75 years From medieval times, Croatia was Following the collapse of Yugoslavia, Bosnia controlled by Hungary. It was a part of the and Herzegovina suffered devastating internal Yugoslav state for much of the 20th century, conflicts in the 1990s. These were fought becoming a republic in 1991. Croatia has between the Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox very few minerals, although it does have oil Christian Serbs, and Roman Catholic Croats. and gas fields. The Adriatic Sea’s rich fishing The country received aid from the EU and grounds are a major natural resource. the United States to rebuild its economy. 269

Hungary Romania Area 35,919 sq miles Area 91,699 sq miles (93,030 sq km) (237,500 sq km) Population 10 million Population 21.4 million Capital Budapest Capital Bucharest Currency Forint Currency New Romanian leu Official language Hungarian Official language Romanian Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 72 years COUNTRY FACTFILE Hungary, lying at the heart of central ▲ HUNGARIAN PULI Romania lies on the Black Sea coast, with Europe, is a landlocked nation sharing The fun-loving and intelligent Puli dog the Danube River forming its southern borders with seven countries. The majority originated in Hungary. Traditionally a border. The Carpathian Mountains run of the population is of Magyar ethnicity, herding dog, the Puli’s corded coat gives across the center of the country. Romania with small minorities of Roma, Germans, it a distinctive appearance. has large oil reserves, and is currently trying Jews, Romanians, Serbs, Slovaks, and to find natural oil and gas deposits in the Croats. With many state-of-the-art factories, Black Sea. It joined the EU in 2007, Hungary has high industrial production. and plans to adopt the Euro in 2015. Moldova Poland Area 13,067 sq miles Area 120,728 sq miles (33,843 sq km) (312,685 sq km) Population 3.5 million Population 38.3 million Capital Chisinau Capital Warsaw Currency Moldovan leu Currency Polish zloty Official language Moldovan Official language Polish Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 75 years Moldova was part of Romania until 1940, Poland extends from the shores of the ▲ EUROPEAN BISON when it became part of the USSR (a Baltic Sea on the north coast to the Tatra The European bison is the largest living land Communist state that incorporated Russia Mountains in the south. Since the collapse animal in Europe. The Białowieża Forest in and 14 other Soviet republics). Moldova is of Communism in Poland in 1989, the Poland is home to about 800 of these animals. now Europe’s poorest country and depends country has undergone massive social and on Russia for raw materials and fuel. A high political changes, and has experienced rapid proportion of Moldovans are farmers. economic growth. Czech Republic Slovakia Area 30,450 sq miles Area 18,859 sq miles (78,866 sq km) (48,845 sq km) Population 10.5 million Population 5.5 million Capital Prague Capital Bratislava Currency Czech koruna Currency Euro Official language Czech Official language Slovak Life expectancy 77 years Life expectancy 75 years Landlocked in central Europe, the Czech ▲ LEAD CRYSTAL CHANDELIER Slovakia was the less developed half of Republic consists of the territories of Glassmaking is an important industry in the Czechoslovakia for much of the 20th Bohemia and Moravia. Previously part of Czech Republic, where glassmakers are famous century. It became an independent Czechoslovakia, it became an independent for skilled craftsmanship and elaborate designs. democracy in 1993 and joined the EU republic in 1993. Czechs make up 90 percent in 2004. The country has since experienced of the population, and Moravians make up major economic growth, helped by its the next largest group. highly skilled, cheap labor force. 270

Belarus Russian Federation Area 80,155 sq miles Area 6,592,772 sq miles such as gold, diamonds, and COUNTRY FACTFILE (207,600 sq km) (17,075,200 sq km) timber. It is a major producer Population 9.6 million Population 143 million of oil, natural gas, and Capital Minsk Capital Moscow electricity, and launched Currency Belarussian rouble Currency Russian rouble the world’s first floating Official languages Russian Official language Russian nuclear power station in and Belarussian Life expectancy 66 years 2010 to provide electricity Life expectancy 71 years to remote areas. Russia is The Russian Federation was formed in one of the fastest-growing Belarus literally means “white Russia.” 1991, after the USSR collapsed. Bounded economies in the world. White is a color associated in Slavic culture by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans to the with freedom and the name may be a north and east, it is by far the world’s reference to the fact that the country was largest country. Ethnic Russians make up never conquered by the Mongols in the 13th four-fifths of the population. However, century. Belarus was part of the USSR until there are around 150 smaller ethnic groups, 1991. Most people here speak Russian, and many with their own national territories only 11 percent of the population are fluent within Russia’s borders. Russia has some of in Belarussian, which is used mainly in rural the world’s largest reserves of key resources areas. Plans to construct a nuclear power plant were postponed after the 1986 ▶ ST. BASIL’S Chernobyl disaster, which occurred in nearby CATHEDRAL Ukraine, but are now underway again. With its multicolored, Currently, the country is heavily dependent domed towers, St. Basil’s on Russia for fuel and energy supplies. Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow, is one of Russia’s Ukraine biggest tourist attractions. Area 233,090 sq miles (603,700 sq km) Population 45.2 million Capital Kiev Currency Hryvnya Official language Ukrainian Life expectancy 68 years The word Ukraine translates as “on the border.” It was long considered merely a fringe of the Russian Empire, but since the collapse of the USSR in 1991 it has been an independent state and is now the second-largest country in Europe after Russia. The country is divided between the Ukrainian-speaking west and a large ethnic Russian population in the east. Ukraine has vast natural resources, including natural gas, oil, and titanium. In 1986, the world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred at the Ukraine’s Chernobyl power plant. A massive plume of radioactive particles spread across Europe, polluting the environment and raising fears for the long-term health of thousands of people.

COUNTRY FACTFILE Africa ▲ NAMIB DESERT Visitors climb to the summit Covering almost 20 percent of Earth’s total land area, of a sand dune in the Namib Africa is the second-largest and the second most Naukluff National Park, populous continent. It is also the hottest continent— Namibia. The burnt orange the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, is located here. dunes found here are the tallest Africa is home to the African elephant and the giraffe, sand dunes in the world. the world’s biggest and tallest animals, respectively. Homo sapiens (modern humans) are thought to have evolved in Africa and then spread out across the world.

Morocco Mauritania Area 172,317 sq miles Area 397,955 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (446,300 sq km) (1,030,700 sq km) Population 32.3 million ▲ BABOUCHES Population 3.5 million Capital Rabat A trademark of the city of Marrakesh in Capital Nouakchott Currency Moroccan dirham Morocco, babouches are handmade heel-less Currency Ouguiya Official languages Arabic slippers made from leather. They are very Official language Arabic and Tamazight popular with the tourists in Morocco. Life expectancy 64 years Life expectancy 71 years The Kingdom of Morocco, a former French The Islamic Republic of Mauritania lies in colony, is located in North Africa. It is a northwest Africa. Much of its territory is constitutional monarchy—the prime covered by the Sahara Desert. Mauritania minister heads the government while the has recently changed from being a country king is the spiritual leader. About 99 percent of nomads to a largely urban-dwelling one, of the population follow the Sunni Islam though many people retain their traditions. faith. Morocco’s key economic sectors The country is made up of the Maures, who are tourism, textiles, mining, agriculture, are politically and economically dominant, and leather. In 2000, large oil and gas and a black minority. The main mineral deposits were discovered in the Sahara resources found here are iron (from the Desert, which spans the southeastern part Cominor mine at Zouérat), gypsum, of Morocco. The country’s rich culture copper, gold, diamonds, oil, phosphate, is a blend of Arab, Berber, African, and silver. Mauritania’s offshore fishing and European influences. is among the best in West Africa. Cape Verde Senegal Area 1,557 sq miles Area 75,749 sq miles groundnuts, phosphate mining, and (4,033 sq km) (196,190 sq km) a relatively strong industrial sector. Population 500,000 Population 12.8 million A large number of Senegalese live abroad, Capital Praia Capital Dakar and this has helped spread global awareness Currency Escudo Currency CFA franc about the country’s culture, particularly Official language Portuguese Official language French its music. The money they send home Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 63 years is also an important source of revenue. Off the west coast of Africa is Cape Verde, Mostly low-lying, Senegal is made up of an archipelago of 10 islands located in the open savanna and semidesert in the north, Atlantic Ocean. Most of the islands are and thicker savanna in the south. Senegal mountainous and volcanic. A Portuguese gained independence from France in 1960, colony until 1975, Cape Verde has been one after which it was ruled by President of the most stable democracies in Africa. Léopold Senghor for nearly two Around 50 percent of the population lives decades. Although Senegal on the island of Santiago. The majority of became a multiparty democracy Cape Verde’s population is a Portuguese- in 1981, the ruling Socialist Party African mix, and the remainder is largely stayed in power until 2000. made up of Africans who are descended Senegal’s economy is supported by either from slaves or from more recent fishing, the production and export of immigrants from the African mainland. Tourism and fishing are important sources ▶ SENEGAL PARROT of revenue in Cape Verde. The islands face A shy bird that feeds on fruit, seeds, and blossoms, severe droughts and water supply problems. the Senegal parrot lives in the open woodlands in Lack of agricultural land has led to a west Africa. However, it is considered a farm shortfall in food production, making it pest since it often feeds on corn or millet. dependent on aid from other countries. 273

Gambia Area 4,363 sq miles (11,300 sq km) Population 1.8 million Capital Banjul Currency Dalasi Official language English Life expectancy 59 years COUNTRY FACTFILE A narrow country on the western coast of Africa, Gambia is one of the smallest nations on the continent. It became independent in 1965 and was a stable democracy until 1994, when an army coup brought military leader Yahya Jammeh to power. President Jammeh has been ruling Gambia ever since. About 90 percent of Gambians follow Islam, though there is no official state religion. Agriculture is Gambia’s economic mainstay, particularly the export of groundnuts. Tourism is also an important source of revenue, with most travelers visiting the resorts on Gambia’s Atlantic coast. However, the impact of tourism and overfishing in Gambian waters are major environmental concerns today. ◀ KORAS A traditional harplike instrument, the kora is made from a large calabash gourd cut in half and partially covered with cow skin. These koras are in the process of being made—when finished, they will have long necks and strings. Guinea Guinea-Bissau Area 94,926 sq miles Area 13,946 sq miles (245,857 sq km) (36,120 sq km) Population 10.2 million Population 1.5 million Capital Conakry Capital Bissau Currency Guinea franc Currency CFA franc Official language French Official language Portuguese Life expectancy 56 years Life expectancy 46 years Guinea lies on the western coast of Africa. Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese ▲ CASHEW NUTS AND FRUIT Its central highlands are either densely territory that became independent in 1974. Guinea-Bissau’s second-largest crop, and most forested or covered in savanna, while the It became a multiparty democracy in 1990, important export product, is cashews. Most of north is semidesert. Guinea gained but there has been a series of army rebellions the cashews are grown on small farms. independence from France in 1958. Its main and military coups, the latest in 2003. The ethnic groups are the Peul and the Malinké. largest ethnic group is the Balante, while Guinea is rich in natural resources including mixed-race mestiço and European minorities bauxite, gold, and diamonds. However, the make up 2 percent of the population. Many lack of a stable government has made Guinea people live and work on small family farms one of the poorest countries in West Africa. grouped into self-contained villages. 274

Liberia Sierra Leone Area 43,000 sq miles Area 27,699 sq miles (111,370 sq km) (71,740 sq km) Population 4.1 million Population 6 million Capital Monrovia Capital Freetown Currency Liberian dollar Currency Leone Official language English Official language English Life expectancy 45 years Life expectancy 42 years Liberia lies in West Africa. It was founded The West African nation of Sierra Leone ▲ DIAMONDS COUNTRY FACTFILE in 1847 by freed American slaves. Liberia was set up by the British in 1787 for freed Sierra Leone is rich in diamonds—a major faced civil wars from the 1990s, until peace African slaves. In 2002, it emerged from a revenue source for the country. However, much was declared in 2003. In 2006, Liberia’s decade of civil wars, which displaced nearly of its civil war was funded by the illegal trade president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, became two million people. Economic recovery, of diamonds, known as “blood diamonds.” Africa’s first female elected head of state. with the help of foreign aid, has been slow. Mali Ivory Coast Area 124,502 sq miles Area 478,766 sq miles (322,460 sq km) (1,240,000 sq km) Population 20.2 million Population 15.8 million Capital Yamoussoukro Capital Bamako Currency CFA franc Currency CFA franc Official language French Official language French Life expectancy 48 years Life expectancy 54 years Ivory Coast—officially Côte d’Ivoire— ▲ OUR LADY OF PEACE BASILICA Mali is a landlocked country in the heart of was a French colony until 1960. Once a The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in West Africa. The Niger River flows through politically stable country, it slipped into Yamoussoukro is one of the largest churches in its central and southwestern regions. Mali internal chaos following an army coup in the world. Construction was completed in 1989. became a multiparty democracy in 1992. 1999. Civil erupted in 2002, and much of However, a military coup overthrew the the north is still under the control of rebel elected president in 2012, and nearly groups. Ivory Coast is the world’s biggest two-thirds of Mali’s northern regions have producer of cocoa. been captured by Islamic extremists. Algeria Area 919,595 sq miles 24 percent of the population. (2,381,740 sq km) The Berber language, Population 36 million Tamazight, was recognized Capital Algiers as a national language in Currency Algerian dinar 2002. Algeria’s economic Official language Arabic mainstay is its energy Life expectancy 72 years exports to Europe. Extending from a densely populated ▶ BERBER MUSIC Mediterranean coast to the uninhabited Accompanied by rhythmic northern Sahara is Africa’s largest country, drumbeats, Berber songs are Algeria. It won independence from France an important feature of in 1962. Algerians are predominantly Arabs religious ceremonies, who follow the Sunni Islam faith. The marriages, and festivals. indigenous Berbers, who still have their own language and culture, make up about 275

Tunisia Libya Niger Area 63,170 sq miles Area 679,362 sq miles Area 489,191 sq miles (163,610 sq km) (1,759,540 sq km) (1,267,000 sq km) Population 10.6 million Population 6.4 million Population 16.1 million Capital Tunis Capital Tripoli Capital Niamey Currency Tunisian dinar Currency Libyan dinar Currency CFA franc Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Official language French Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 56 years COUNTRY FACTFILE North Africa’s smallest country, Tunisia lies Libya is located in North Africa, between Landlocked in the west of Africa, Niger is sandwiched between Libya and Algeria. Its Egypt and Algeria. In 2011, a civil war covered by the Sahara Desert in the north. population is almost entirely Muslim, of ended Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s It has large deposits of uranium, which is its Arab and Berber descent, though there are 42 years of dictatorial rule. Libya is now main export. Niger is one of the poorest Jewish and Christian minorities. Tourism is headed by its newly elected parliament, countries in Africa and faces regular food an important sector of Tunisia’s economy. the General National Congress. shortages. It is highly dependent on aid. Egypt Area 386,662 sq miles second language. Egypt’s capital, Cairo, (1,001,450 sq km) is the second most populous city in Africa Population 82.5 million and its population is predicted to reach Capital Cairo 100 million by 2025. In addition to oil and Currency Egyptian pound gas, Egypt’s economy is also dependent Official language Arabic on agriculture (especially cotton) and its Life expectancy 71 years well-developed tourist industry. Egyptian women have been among the most liberated Egypt occupies the northeast corner of in the Arab world, and enjoy more rights Africa. The highly fertile Nile valley under the law than women in many other separates the arid western desert from Arab nations. However, growing Islamic the smaller, semiarid eastern desert. fundamentalism in the country is seen as a Most Egyptians speak Arabic, and possible threat to their position, especially many speak French or English as a in the rural areas. ▼ ANCIENT MONUMENTS The Great Sphinx—a human- headed lion—is set against the towering pyramid of Khafre in the desert region of Giza, Egypt. 276

Burkina Faso Ghana Area 105,869 sq miles Landlocked in West Africa, Burkina COUNTRY FACTFILE (274,200 sq km) (offically called Burkina Faso) gained Population 17 million independence from France in 1960. Most of Capital Ouagadougou Burkina lies on the arid edge of the Sahara Currency CFA franc Desert known as the Sahel. Following Official language French independence, it was ruled by military Life expectancy 52 years dictators until 1991, when it became a multiparty democracy. However, it is now ◀ TRADITIONAL DRESS ruled by a former military dictator, Blaise Traditionally, women in Burkina wear long Compaoré, who was elected president in cotton skirts that are wrapped at the waist, 1991. It has large mineral deposits such as along with matching tops. Shown here is a gold, antimony, marble, manganese, silver, mother carrying her baby on her back. and zinc. Despite this, Burkina’s economy remains largely agricultural. Togo Benin Area 92,100 sq miles Area 21,925 sq miles Area 43,843 sq miles (238,540 sq km) (56,785 sq km) (112,620 sq km) Population 25 million Population 6.2 million Population 9.1 million Capital Accra Capital Lomé Capital Porto-Novo Currency Cedi Currency CFA franc Currency CFA franc Official language English Official language French Official language French Life expectancy 60 years Life expectancy 58 years Life expectancy 56 years Ghana was the first West African nation to Togo is sandwiched between Ghana and Formerly the kingdom of Dahomey, Benin gain independence from its colonial power, Benin in West Africa. Its center is forested, was under French rule until it gained Britain, in 1957. It is Africa’s second largest surrounded by savanna lands in the north independence in 1960. Ending 17 years of gold producer and is a major exporter of and south. The port of Lomé is an one-party Communist rule, Benin became a cocoa. Ghana has made good progress in important center for West African trade. multiparty democracy in 1990. Benin has reducing poverty, thanks to a growing The “Nana Benz,” the market women of 42 different ethnic groups. About 50 percent economy—it has a well-developed industrial Lomé, control the retail trade. However, of the population follow indigenous beliefs, base and started producing oil in 2011. political power is held only by the men. including voodoo. Nigeria Area 356,669 sq miles is one of the world’s top oil producers. (923,768 sq km) However, oil industry pollution in the Population 162 million Niger Delta—the origin of most of Nigeria’s Capital Abuja oil production—is a major concern. Natural Currency Naira gas, coal, tin, and iron are some of the other Official language English mineral resources found here. More than Life expectancy 47 years half the country is poor: Ethnic violence from 1999 to 2003 drove about 800,000 Africa’s most populous country, the Federal people out of their homes, adding to Republic of Nigeria gained its independence Nigeria’s poverty levels. from the UK in 1960. Its terrain varies from tropical rainforest and swamps in the south ▶ LAGOS, NIGERIA to savanna in the north. After a series of Shown here is the skyline of Lagos, the military regimes, Nigeria now has an elected most populous city and the financial government. It has a strongly growing heart of Nigeria. Lagos is one of the economy, boosted by the fact that Nigeria fastest-growing cities in Africa. 277

Chad Cameroon COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 495,755 sq miles Area 183,553 sq miles ▲ CARVED WOODEN MASK (1,284,000 sq km) (475,400 sq km) Masks hold great significance in traditional Population 11.5 million Population 20 million African culture. This one is from the Capital N’Djamena Capital Yaoundé Cross River region of Cameroon. Currency CFA franc Currency CFA franc Official languages Arabic Official languages French Gabon and French and English Life expectancy 51 years Life expectancy 50 years This landlocked nation in north central Cameroon is a forested country located Africa is a largely semidesert country. It on the central west African coast. It was gained independence from France in 1960. formed in 1961 when two former British Since then, Chad has had a chaotic history, and French colonies came together. with civil wars and military coups. As a Ethnically diverse, Cameroon is home result, the country has an underdeveloped to about 230 groups, the largest being economy. Recently, large oil deposits were the Bamileke. Cameroon has one of the discovered in the southern Doba region. highest literacy rates in Africa. Equatorial Guinea ◀ GUINEA TURACO Area 10,830 sq miles Area 103,347 sq miles This green bird is found in the (28,051 sq km) (267,667 sq km) forests of Central and West Africa. Population 700,000 Population 1.5 million Its call sounds like “g’way,” which is why Capital Malabo Capital Libreville it is often referred to as the go-away bird. Currency CFA franc Currency CFA franc Official languages Spanish Official language French São Tomé and Principé and French Life expectancy 57 years Life expectancy 51 years Lying just north of the equator, Equatorial Gabon, located on the west coast of Africa, Guinea is made up of five islands and the has some of the world’s most unspoiled territory of Río Muni on the west coast of rainforests. It is also one of Africa’s most Africa. The republic gained independence urbanized countries. Gabon’s economy in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. is based on the production of oil, and the Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish- wealth from oil exports has given rise to speaking country in Africa. an affluent middle class. Congo Area 386 sq miles Area 132,047 sq miles (1,001 sq km) (342,000 sq km) Population 200,000 Population 4.1 million Capital São Tomé Capital Brazzaville Currency Dobra Currency CFA franc Official language Portuguese Official language French Life expectancy 65 years Life expectancy 55 years Made up of two main islands and their ▲ PARADISE ISLANDS Congo lies along the equator in west central surrounding islets, São Tomé and Principé São Tomé and Principé is a traveler’s paradise, Africa. Marxist rule followed independence was a Portuguese colony until 1975. It was with its palm-fringed beaches, crystal-clear from France in 1960. However, the country a single-party Marxist nation until 1990, water, and barely explored jungles. became a multiparty democracy in 1991. when multiparty democracy was adopted. Congo is one of the most urbanized Its population is 90 percent black African countries in the region, with most people and 10 percent Portuguese and Creole. living in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. 278

Central African Republic Area 240,535 sq miles (622,984 sq km) Population 4.5 million Capital Bangui Currency CFA franc Official language French Life expectancy 44 years The Central African Republic (CAR) has COUNTRY FACTFILE been a politically unstable country since its independence from France in 1960. CAR’s main ethnic groups are the Baya and Banda. ▶ FISHING IN THE UBANGI The Ubangi River is a tributary of the Congo River. It flows through the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui. Sudan South Sudan Area 718,722 sq miles Area 248,777 sq miles (1,861,481 sq km) (644,329 sq km) Population 34 million Population 8.3 million Capital Khartoum Capital Juba Currency Sudanese pound Currency South Sudan pound Official language Arabic Official language English Life expectancy 58 years Life expectancy not available Sudan was the largest country in Africa until A landlocked country in sub-Saharan ▲ MOUNTAIN FOREST the southern part became a separate nation Africa, South Sudan won recognition as an South Sudan’s evergreen mountain forests are in 2011. The split came after decades of civil independent nation only in 2011. It has home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. war between the Arab north and the African significant oil reserves, but lack of economic south. An ongoing conflict in Darfur in development prevents the country from western Sudan has seen some of the worst exploiting them. South Sudan is highly ethnic violence in recent world history. diverse, both ethnically and linguistically. Eritrea Ethiopia Djibouti Area 46,842 sq miles Area 455,186 sq miles Area 8,494 sq miles (121,320 sq km) (1,127,127 sq km) (22,000 sq km) Population 5.4 million Population 84.7 million Population 900,000 Capital Asmara Capital Addis Ababa Capital Djibouti Currency Nakfa Currency Birr Currency Djibouti franc Official languages Tigrinya, Official language Amharic Official languages Arabic English, and Arabic Life expectancy 52 years and French Life expectancy 57 years Life expectancy 54 years Lying along the shore of the Red Sea, Ethiopia is the only African country to Djibouti lies in northeast Africa on the Eritrea has a landscape of rugged have escaped colonization. It has 86 ethnic strait linking the Red Sea and the Indian mountains, bush, and desert. In 1993, groups, and 286 languages. Ethiopia is Ocean. Its capital city is the main port Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia drought prone and frequently faces food on the Red Sea, and the main shipping after a long war. Tigrinya speakers, mainly shortages. Its economy is highly dependent terminal for East Africa. Djibouti also Orthodox Christians, form the largest of on aid, especially from the World Bank, the depends on international aid, of which Eritrea’s nine main ethnic groups. US, and the European Union. almost half is provided by France. 279

Somalia Kenya Uganda COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 246,200 sq miles Area 224,962 sq miles Area 91,133 sq miles (637,657 sq km) (582,650 sq km) (236,040 sq km) Population 9.6 million Population 41.6 million Population 34.5 million Capital Mogadishu Capital Nairobi Capital Kampala Currency Somali shilling Currency Kenyan shilling Currency Ugandan shilling Official languages Somali Official languages Kiswahili Official language English and Arabic and English Life expectancy 51 years Life expectancy 48 years Life expectancy 53 years The Federal Republic of Somalia was Kenya straddles the equator on Africa’s east Uganda, an east African country, gained formed when Italian and British territories coast. It gained independence from the UK independence from the UK in 1962. It is joined to form an independent nation in in 1963. Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is the made up of 13 main ethnic groups, with the 1960. However, since then, Somalia’s communications and financial hub for East largest being the Baganda. Uganda faced development has been affected by civil Africa. Culturally diverse, Kenya has about many ethnic conflicts in the 1970s and war. Somalia is semiarid and is prone to 70 different ethnic groups. The country’s 1980s. Since 1986, President Museveni has droughts. As a result, it is heavily dependent scenic beauty and abundant wildlife have ushered in democratic and economic on international food aid. made it a popular tourist destination. changes, and peace has mostly been restored. Rwanda Democratic Republic of Congo Area 10,169 sq miles Area 905,568 sq miles ▲ WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA (26,338 sq km) (2,345,410 sq km) Found in the thick rainforests, the endangered Population 10.9 million Population 67.8 million western lowland gorilla lives on a vegetarian Capital Kigali Capital Kinshasa diet of roots, shoots, and fruit. Currency Rwandan franc Currency Congolese franc Official languages French, Official language French Burundi English, and Kinyarwanda Life expectancy 46 years Life expectancy 46 years Rwanda lies landlocked in east central Located in east central Africa and formerly Africa. Since independence from France known as Zaire, the Democratic Republic in 1962, ethnic conflict between the Hutu of the Congo (DRC) is Africa’s second and Tutsi groups has dominated politics. largest country, with vast areas covered Rwanda is trying to rebuild its war-damaged by rainforests. Although rich in mineral economy, mainly through tea and coffee wealth, it is one of the world’s poorest exports. It is still dependent on foreign aid. nations due to decades of internal conflicts. Angola Zambia Area 481,353 sq miles Area 290,586 sq miles Area 10,745 sq miles (1,246,700 sq km) (752,614 sq km) (27,830 sq km) Population 19.6 million Population 13.5 million Population 8.6 million Capital Luanda Capital Lusaka Capital Bujumbura Currency Readjusted Kwanza Currency Zambian kwacha Currency Burundian franc Official language Portuguese Official language English Official languages French Life expectancy 42 years Life expectancy 42 years and Kirundi Life expectancy 49 years An oil- and diamond-rich country, Angola has Zambia is a landlocked country in the Lying just south of the equator, Burundi is suffered almost continuous civil war since its heart of southern Africa, bordered by the a landlocked nation partly bordered by Lake independence from Portugal in 1975. With Zambezi River to the south. Tourism is Tanganyika. It suffered a decade of political hostilities finally ending in 2002, Angola is growing, thanks to Zambia’s many natural unrest because of ethnic tension between now on a path to economic recovery. The features—including Victoria Falls, one of the Hutu majority and the dominant Tutsi predominant ethnic groups living here are the Seven Natural Wonders of the World— minority. Most of Burundi’s people are poor the Ovimbundu and the Kimbundu. and a wealth of wildlife. and farm the land to feed themselves. 280

Tanzania Malawi Area 364,900 sq miles ▲ MAASAI PEOPLE Area 45,745 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (945,087 sq km) The Maasai are seminomadic people who live (118,480 sq km) Population 46.2 million mainly in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They Population 15.4 million Capital Dodoma still follow their age-old customs, and can be Capital Lilongwe Currency Tanzanian shilling recognized by their distinctive bright clothing. Currency Malawian kwacha Official languages English Official language English and Kiswahili Life expectancy 48 years Life expectancy 52 years The United Republic of Tanzania was formed Landlocked in southeast Africa, Malawi lies in 1964 after a merger between the mainland on the Great Rift Valley and is dominated Tanganyika Republic and the island of by Lake Malawi, Africa’s third-largest lake. Zanzibar. Tourism is an important source It gained independence from the UK in of revenue for Tanzania, and its biggest 1964 and was ruled by Hastings Banda for attraction is the wildlife-rich Serengeti nearly three decades. It became a multiparty National Park. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s democracy in 1994. Malawi’s major export highest mountain, is located here. earnings come from tobacco. Mozambique Seychelles Comoros Area 300,496 sq miles Area 176 sq miles Area 838 sq miles (801,590 sq km) (455 sq km) (2,170 sq km) Population 23.9 million Population 90,024 Population 800,000 Capital Maputo Capital Victoria Capital Moroni Currency New metical Currency Seychelles rupee Currency Comoros franc Official language Portuguese Official languages French Official languages Arabic, Life expectancy 42 years Creole, English, and French French, and Comoran Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 63 years Located on the southeast African coast, The Republic of Seychelles is made up The Union of the Comoros is an Mozambique is divided by the Zambezi of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. archipelago nation lying off the east African River. Following its independence from Formerly a UK colony and then under coast. It consists of three main islands and Portugal in 1975, Mozambique was affected one-party rule for 14 years, Seychelles many islets. Since its independence from by civil war for 17 years. A truce was became a multiparty democracy in 1993. France in 1975, Comoros has faced many declared in 1992, and Mozambique held The islands are home to unique flora and coups. The political instability has adversely its first multiparty elections in 1994. fauna, such as the Seychelles giant tortoise. affected the growth of its tourism sector. Mauritius Madagascar Area 718 sq miles Area 226,657 sq miles ▶ PANTHER CHAMELEON (1,860 sq km) (587,040 sq km) Originally from Madagascar, the panther Population 1.3 million Population 21.3 million chameleon is a large chameleon species easily Capital Port Louis Capital Antananarivo recognized by its vibrant color patterns. Currency Mauritian rupee Currency Ariary Official language English Official languages French, Life expectancy 73 years Malagasy, and English Life expectancy 59 years The islands that make up Mauritius are in Lying in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is the Indian Ocean. The main island, from the world’s fourth-largest island. After being which the country takes its name, is of a socialist nation for 18 years, Madagascar volcanic origin and surrounded by coral became a multiparty democracy in 1993. reefs. Mauritius has enjoyed considerable It has a wealth of unique wildlife and economic success following recent industrial plants—animals such as lemurs are developments and the expansion of tourism. not found anywhere else in the world. 281

Zimbabwe Botswana Lesotho COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 150,804 sq miles Area 231,804 sq miles Area 11,720 sq miles (390,580 sq km) (600,370 sq km) (30,355 sq km) Population 12.8 million Population 2 million Population 2.2 million Capital Harare Capital Gaborone Capital Maseru Currency Various foreign Currency Pula Currency Maloti currencies in circulation Official language English Official languages English Official language English Life expectancy 50 years and Sesotho Life expectancy 43 years Life expectancy 43 years Zimbabwe is situated in southern Africa. The Botswana is an arid, landlocked nation, The Kingdom of Lesotho is a mountainous Zambezi River—on which lies the region’s with the Kalahari Desert occupying its country. It is entirely surrounded by South most spectacular natural feature, Victoria western side. Nearly 80 percent of the Africa; thousands of Lesotho people find Falls—flows along its border with Zambia. people belong to the Tswana ethnicity. employment in South Africa’s gold mines. Since its independence from Britain in 1980, A multiparty democracy, Botswana is one The majority of its people belong to the Zimbabwe has been under the leadership of of the most politically stable countries in Sotho ethnicity, though there is a small Robert Mugabe. The two main ethnic groups Africa. Botswana is one of the world’s top community of European origin as well living here are the majority Shona in the producers of diamonds. Its wildlife safaris as an Asian minority. Textile export is an north and the Ndebele in the south. are a major tourist attraction. important revenue source for Lesotho. Namibia Area 318,696 sq miles Namibia is a large country lying in make up a small minority. Namibia is one (825,418 sq km) southwest Africa. After many years of of Africa’s leading mineral producers, with Population 2.3 million struggle, Namibia won independence from abundant uranium and lead reserves. Capital Windhoek South Africa in 1990. The largest ethnic The country is covered in the vast expanses Currency Namibian dollar group, the Ovambo, mostly live in the far of the unspoiled Namib and Kalahari Official language English north. Namibia’s original inhabitants, the deserts, where wildlife such as the African Life expectancy 52 years San and Khoi (once called Bushmen), now elephant and black rhinoceros can be found. 282

South Africa Swaziland Area 471,010 sq miles ▲ CITY HALL, CAPE TOWN Area 6,704 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (1,219,912 sq km) This is the limestone façade of the City Hall (17,363 sq km) Population 50.5 million in Cape Town. It was built in the early 20th Population 1.2 million Capital Pretoria (Tshwane); century, using materials brought from Europe. Capital Mbabane Cape Town; Bloemfontein Currency Lilangeni Currency Rand Official languages English Official languages Afrikaans, and Siswati English, and 9 African languages Life expectancy 41 years Life expectancy 51 years The landlocked southern African kingdom For nearly eight decades, South Africa was of Swaziland is governed by a strong ruled by a white minority that practiced hereditary monarchy. Its current ruler, King apartheid, or racial segregation. From 1990, Mswati III, is one of the world’s last absolute South Africa underwent a political and monarchs. Swaziland is economically social revolution, which led to its first dependent on South Africa for employment, multiracial elections in 1994. Antiapartheid export revenue, and imported goods. crusader Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s Around 97 percent of the population first elected president. belongs to the Swazi ethnic group. ▼ AFRICAN ELEPHANTS This small herd of African elephants, including young ones, has assembled at a watering hole in the Etosha National Park, Namibia.

Asia ▼ SAMPAN A Vietnamese woman rows a The world’s largest and most sampan—a flat-bottomed wooden populated continent, Asia is home boat—on the Thu Bon River in to nearly four billion people. To its the city of Hoi An, Vietnam. west are Europe and Africa and COUNTRY FACTFILE to its east is the Pacific Ocean. Asia is geographically, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse. Many of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, originated here.

Georgia Armenia Area 26,911 sq miles ▲ KHACHAPURI Area 11,506 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (69,700 sq km) A traditional dish from Georgia, khachapuri (29,800 sq km) Population 4.3 million is stuffed bread. The filling contains cheese, Population 3.1 million Capital Tbilisi and sometimes eggs or meat. Capital Yerevan Currency Lari Currency Dram Official languages Georgian, Official language Armenian Abkhazian (in Abkhazia) Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 71 years A mountainous country, Georgia is Armenia is a landlocked nation in the sandwiched between the Greater and Lesser Lesser Caucasus Mountains. It was the first Caucasus mountains. It was one of the first country to adopt Christianity as its state countries to demand independence from religion, in the 4th century. Armenia has the Soviet Union (USSR), in 1991. Georgia been a multiparty democracy since its is famous for its traditional wine industry. independence from the USSR in 1991. Azerbaijan Syria Lebanon Area 33,436 sq miles Area 71,112 sq miles Area 4,015 sq miles (86,600 sq km) (184,180 sq km) (10,400 sq km) Population 9.3 million Population 20.8 million Population 4.3 million Capital Baku Capital Damascus Capital Beirut Currency New manat Currency Syrian pound Currency Lebanese pound Official language Azeri Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 74 years Life expectancy 72 years Located on the west coast of the Caspian Located in Western Asia, the Syrian Arab The Republic of Lebanon has a Sea, Azerbaijan was the first Soviet republic Republic is bordered by Lebanon and Mediterranean coast and shares borders with to declare independence. The Azeri people, the Mediterranean Sea in the west and Syria and Israel. Once the commercial hub who make up about 91 percent of the Iraq in the east. Syria has been under a of the Middle East, Lebanon has been population, are Shi’a Muslims with close military-backed regime for almost four affected by regional conflicts, as well as a war ethnic links to the Turks. Azerbaijan’s decades. In 2011, street protests broke out, with Israel in 2006. Lebanon has tried to economy is now growing, thanks to its vast demanding political and economic changes. regain its healthy economy with its growing oil wealth from the Caspian Sea oil fields. Tensions have now escalated into civil war. tourism and strong financial services sector. Israel Jordan Area 8,019 sq miles Area 35,637 sq miles ▲ PETRA (20,770 sq km) (92,300 sq km) Jordan’s most visited tourist attraction, Population 7.6 million Population 6.3 million Petra is an ancient Arabian city Capital Jerusalem Capital Amman famous for its rock-cut architecture. Currency Sheqalim Currency Jordanian dinar Official languages Hebrew Official language Arabic and Arabic Life expectancy 72 years Life expectancy 80 years The world’s only nation with a majority The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is Jewish population, the State of Israel was surrounded by the deserts of the Middle created in 1948. Since then, it has been in East. The vast majority of its population conflict with Palestine and neighboring lives in the northwest, on the east bank of Arab countries over territory that is the River Jordan. Jordan is headed by a considered holy by the Jews, Christians, and king, though multiparty elections were Muslims. Israel has a modern infrastructure introduced in 1993. It is a predominantly and a sophisticated, high-tech economy. Muslim country with Bedouin roots. 285

Saudi Arabia Yemen COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 756,981 sq miles Area 203,850 sq miles ▲ MOCHA COFFEE BEANS (1,960,582 sq km) (527,970 sq km) Coffee beans from the city of Mocha, Yemen, Population 28.1 million Population 24.8 million are prized for their distinctive rich flavor. Capital Riyadh; Capital Sana Jedda (administrative) Currency Yemeni rial Currency Saudi riyal Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Life expectancy 62 years Life expectancy 72 years The world’s largest oil reserves are found in Located in southern Arabia, the Republic the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where of Yemen was formed in 1990 when two 95 percent of the land is covered in desert. countries, the Yemen Arab Republic and Saudi Arabia contains Islam’s holiest cities, the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, Medina and Mecca. Each year, three million came together. Yemenis are almost entirely Muslims visit the cities for the hajj pilgrimage. of Arab and Bedouin descent. Oman Qatar Bahrain Area 82,031 sq miles Area 4,416 sq miles Area 239 sq miles (212,460 sq km) (11,437 sq km) (620 sq km) Population 2.8 million Population 1.9 million Population 1.3 million Capital Muscat Capital Doha Capital Manama Currency Omani rial Currency Qatar riyal Currency Bahraini dinar Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Life expectancy 76 years Life expectancy 75 years Life expectancy 76 years The Sultanate of Oman is located at the The State of Qatar is mostly flat, semiarid Bahrain is an archipelago nation located entrance of the Persian Gulf. Most Omanis desert. Native Qataris were originally between the Qatar peninsula and the Saudi are Ibadi Muslims who follow an appointed nomadic Bedouin. Today, the population Arabian mainland. It is the smallest and leader known as the imam. Ibadism allows includes a large number of workers from most densely populated Arab nation, as well considerable freedom for women, who got the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, as the most liberal. Since 2000, Bahrain has the right to vote in 2002, and a few enjoy North Africa, and Southeast Asia. Qatar’s allowed women to participate in politics. positions of authority. Oman’s economy is large oil and gas reserves have made it one It was the first Gulf state to export oil, dominated by the oil export industry. of the wealthiest nations in the region. though its reserves are now almost depleted. United Arab Emirates Kuwait Area 32,000 sq miles Area 6,880 sq miles (82,880 sq km) (17,820 sq km) Population 7.9 million Population 2.8 million Capital Abu Dhabi Capital Kuwait City Currency UAE dirham Currency Kuwaiti dinar Official language Arabic Official language Arabic Life expectancy 79 years Life expectancy 78 years The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a ▲ BURJ AL ARAB, DUBAI With its huge oil and gas reserves, Kuwait is federation of seven states—Abu Dhabi, One of the most iconic buildings in the world is among the world’s leading oil producers. It Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, the Burj Al Arab. This luxury hotel, resembling was invaded and occupied by Iraq in 1990, Sharjah, and Umm al Qaiwain—formed a ship’s sail, stands 1,053 ft (321 m) tall. but was liberated by US-led forces in 1991. in 1971. Wealth from UAE’s gas and oil Kuwait’s oil wealth has drawn in thousands exports have transformed it into a modern of workers from other Arab countries and and well-developed country. Many foreign South Asia. There are more foreign nationals come to UAE to work. nationals living here than native Kuwaitis. 286

Iraq Iran Area 168,754 sq miles ▲ PICKLING SPICES Area 636,296 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (437,072 sq km) Some of the spices used in Iran for pickling (1,648,000 sq km) Population 32.7 million are dried aniseeds, coriander, ginger, golpar, Population 74.8 million Capital Baghdad powdered limes, cinnamon, and cumin. Capital Tehran Currency New Iraqi dinar Currency Iranian rial Official languages Arabic Official language Farsi and Kurdish Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 59 years Iraq is an oil-rich nation located in Western Iran, formerly Persia, became an Islamic Asia. In 2003, a US-led invasion ended the republic in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. In overthrew the Shah’s monarchy. Religious 2005, elections were held, which established clerics, called mullahs, possess great political democracy in Iraq. However, sectarian and moral authority. Iran has the world’s violence continues to affect Iraq’s stability. second-largest oil and gas reserves. Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Area 188,456 sq miles Area 172,742 sq miles Area 1,049,155 sq miles (488,100 sq km) (447,400 sq km) (2,717,300 sq km) Population 5.1 million Population 27.8 million Population 16.2 million Capital Ashgabat Capital Tashkent Capital Astana Currency Manat Currency Somi Currency Tenge Official language Turkmen Official language Uzbek Official language Kazakh Life expectancy 63 years Life expectancy 67 years Life expectancy 66 years A former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan became a sovereign state in 1991, Kazakhstan borders Russia to the north became independent in 1991. The Turkmen after splitting from the USSR. It is the most and China to the east. It was the last Soviet were nomadic tribal people. Tribal units populous country in Central Asia and republic to declare its independence, in 1991. remain strong, and the largest groups are the contains the ancient cities of Samarkand, Kazakhstan is among the world’s top 20 oil Tekke in the center, the Ersary in the east, Bukhara (Bukhoro), Khiva, and Tashkent, producers. It is ethnically diverse—Kazakhs and the Yomud in the west. Turkmenistan is which once flourished as trade centers. make up more than half the population, largely a Sunni Muslim country, with a small Uzbekistan is one of the world’s main cotton and nearly a third is Russian, with a minority minority of Russian Orthodox Christians. producers and is rich in natural resources. of Germans, Uzbeks, and Ukrainians. Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Afghanistan Area 76,641 sq miles Area 55,251 sq miles Area 250,000 sq miles (198,500 sq km) (143,100 sq km) (647,500 sq km) Population 5.4 million Population 7 million Population 32.4 million Capital Bishkek Capital Dushanbe Capital Kabul Currency Som Currency Somoni Currency Afghanis Official languages Kyrgyz Official language Tajik Official languages Pashtu and Russian Life expectancy 67 years and Dari Life expectancy 68 years Life expectancy 44 years Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan lies landlocked on the western Afghanistan is landlocked in Central Asia, is a small, mountainous nation in Central slopes of the Pamir Mountains in Central and much of its terrain is inaccessible. Its Asia. The Kyrgyz are a Turkic-speaking Asia. Its language and traditions are similar political system, economy, and infrastructure people, closely related to the neighboring to those of Iran. Ethnic Tajiks make up have been devastated by decades of armed Kazakhs. Their traditional nomadic lifestyle about 80 percent of the population. Uzbeks conflict. The Islamist Taliban militia came was forcibly changed when they were under constitute the second-largest group, at to power in 1996. In 2001, US-led attacks Soviet rule, though many cultural practices around 15 percent. Tajikistan is one of overthrew the regime, though the Taliban is linger, especially in rural areas. Central Asia’s poorest nations. trying to make a comeback. 287

Pakistan India COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 310,403 sq miles Area 1,269,345 sq miles ▲ THE TAJ MAHAL (803,940 sq km) (3,287,590 sq km) A white marble mausoleum in Agra, the Taj Population 177 million Population 1.24 billion Mahal is a World Heritage Site and one of Capital Islamabad Capital New Delhi India’s most famous tourist attractions. Currency Pakistani rupee Currency Indian rupee Official language Urdu Official languages Hindi Bhutan Life expectancy 65 years and English Life expectancy 64 years Formerly a part of British India, the Islamic India is the world’s largest democracy and Republic of Pakistan was created in 1947. the second most populous country after Initially, it included East Pakistan, China. It is one of the fastest-growing present-day Bangladesh, which split from economies in the world. However, wealth Pakistan in 1971. Punjabis account for distribution is uneven and a huge gap exists more than 50 percent of the population, between the affluent urban classes and the while Sindhis, Pathans (Pashtuns), and rural poor. The majority are Hindus, with a Baluchi make up most of the rest. minority of Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs. Nepal Area 54,363 sq miles Area 18,147 sq miles (140,800 sq km) (47,000 sq km) Population 30.5 million Population 700,000 Capital Kathmandu Capital Thimphu Currency Nepalese rupee Currency Ngultrum Official language Nepali Official language Dzongkha Life expectancy 63 years Life expectancy 65 years ▲ PRAYER FLAGS Lying along the southern Himalayas, The Kingdom of Bhutan is formally a Hanging prayer flags high up in the Nepal was an absolute monarchy until Buddhist state where power is shared by the Himalayan mountains is an old Buddhist 1990. After years of revolt and much king and the government. Perched in the tradition to promote peace and compassion. political chaos, Nepal was declared a Himalayas between India and China, it is republic in 2008. It has diverse ethnic 70 percent forested. Strict control over Bangladesh groups, including the Sherpas, “Hill Hindu” logging—thanks to traditional Buddhist Brahmans and Chhetris, Newars, and Tharus. values of respecting nature—has ensured Nepal’s economy is mainly agricultural. that many of its forests remain untouched. Maldives Area 55,598 sq miles Area 116 sq miles (144,000 sq km) (300 sq km) Population 150 million Population 300,000 Capital Dhaka Capital Malé Currency Taka Currency Rufiyaa Official languages Bengali Official language Dhivehi Life expectancy 64 years Life expectancy 68 years Located around the fertile plains of the ▲ SAREE The Maldives is an archipelago of 1,191 Ganges and Jamuna rivers, Bangladesh is The saree—a long cloth draped over the body small coral islands in the Indian Ocean. one of the world’s most densely populated in various styles—is a traditional garment of Only 200 of these islands are inhabited. countries. It was a part of Pakistan until the women living in the Indian subcontinent. A popular tourist destination, the Maldives 1971. Bangladesh’s major economic sectors is known for its sandy beaches and are jute, textiles, and agriculture. abundant sea life. 288

Sri Lanka Mongolia Area 25,332 sq miles Area 604,249 sq miles ▲ MONGOLIAN HAT COUNTRY FACTFILE (65,610 sq km) (1,565,000 sq km) The traditional silk-and-velvet hat with a Population 21 million Population 2.8 million topknot is worn by Mongolian men during Capital Colombo Capital Ulan Bator celebrations, weddings, and other ceremonies. Currency Sri Lankan rupee Currency Tugrik Official languages Sinhala Official language Khalka and Tamil Mongolian Life expectancy 75 years Life expectancy 67 years The teardrop-shaped island of Sri Lanka, Mongolia lies landlocked between Siberia formerly known as Ceylon, is separated and China. Its various nomadic tribes were from India by the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka’s first unified by Genghis Khan in 1206. In domestic peace was marred by civil war 1990, Mongolia abandoned Communist between the majority Buddhist Sinhalese rule and became a multiparty democracy. and the minority Hindu Tamils. The Mongolia has vast mineral resources, such conflicts ended in 2009, when the army as coal and oil. Its economy is being driven defeated the Tamil Tiger rebel group. by the fast-growing mining industry. China Area 3,705,407 sq miles Covering a vast area of eastern Asia and Despite past domestic troubles, China has (9,596,960 sq km) bordered by 14 countries, the People’s become an industrial and nuclear power. Population 1.35 billion Republic of China is home to one-fifth of Today, China is a rapidly developing Capital Beijing the world’s population. The vast majority is economy and has overtaken the US as the Currency Yuan Han Chinese, while the rest is made up of world’s biggest manufacturer. China also Official language Mandarin 55 minority ethnic groups. From the plays an important role in the mineral Life expectancy 72 years founding of the Communist People’s trade—it is the biggest producer Republic in 1949, China was dominated of steel and tungsten, and has the largest ▼ HONG KONG’S SKYLINE by Chairman Mao Zedong until his death deposits of more than a dozen minerals. With its skyscrapers and shopping malls, Hong in 1976. China’s Communist Party is the China also has ambitious space exploration Kong is one of the world’s most modern cities. world’s largest political party, and holds programs and plans to launch a space Controlled for a time by the UK, it came back absolute authority over its people. station by 2020. under Chinese administration in 1997.

North Korea South Korea Area 46,450 sq miles Area 38,032 sq miles (120,540 sq km) (98,480 sq km) Population 24.5 million Population 48.4 million Capital Pyongyang Capital Seoul Currency North Korean won Currency South Korean won Official language Korean Official language Korean Life expectancy 67 years Life expectancy 78 years COUNTRY FACTFILE The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea The Republic of Korea covers the southern ▲ MARKET IN JEONGSEON covers the mostly arid northern half of the half of the Korean peninsula. South Korea Many South Koreans frequent the Korean peninsula. North Korea is governed is one of Asia’s most affluent nations—it is five-day markets that are held every by a military regime that exerts total control the world’s leading shipbuilder and has a week in Jeongseon in Kangwon Province. over the lives of the population. A truce in well-developed high-tech industry. Its 1953 ended the war with neighboring South strained relationship with neighboring Vietnam Korea, though tensions continue to exist. North Korea remains a major concern. Japan Burma (Myanmar) Area 145,883 sq miles Area 261,970 sq miles Area 127,244 sq miles (377,835 sq km) (678,500 sq km) (329,560 sq km) Population 126 million Population 48.3 million Population 88.8 million Capital Tokyo Capital Nay Pyi Taw Capital Hanoi Currency Yen Currency Kyat Currency Dông Official language Japanese Official language Burmese Official language Vietnamese Life expectancy 82 years Life expectancy 62 years Life expectancy 71 years Japan is a constitutional monarchy with an Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is The Socialist Republic of Vietnam lies emperor as its ceremonial head of state. It is a predominantly Buddhist country on the on the eastern side of the Indochinese the world’s third-largest economy. Made up northeastern shores of the Indian Ocean. peninsula. The north and south of Vietnam, of four principal islands in the north Pacific Ethnic conflicts rocked the nation following partitioned in 1954, were reunited only in (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) its independence from Britain in 1948. 1976. It is now a single-party state ruled by and many smaller islands, Japan is prone to Burma was ruled by a repressive military the Communist Party. The most populated frequent earthquakes and tsunamis. regime from 1962 to 2010. areas are along the Red and Mekong rivers. Laos Thailand Area 91,428 sq miles Area 198,456 sq miles (236,800 sq km) (514,000 sq km) Population 6.3 million Population 69.5 million Capital Vientiane Capital Bangkok Currency New kip Currency Baht Official language Lao Official language Thai Life expectancy 64 years Life expectancy 70 years The Lao People’s Democratic Republic ▲ SPIRIT HOUSE The Kingdom of Thailand, formerly Siam, gained independence from France in 1953. Most buildings in Laos have a spirit house— lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. Since This was followed by two decades of civil a shrine where offerings to the spirits can be left 1932, it has been a constitutional war. The Communist Lao People’s to elicit good fortune. monarchy, though with frequent military Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has held power governments. Its capital, Bangkok, is the since 1975. There are more than 60 ethnic main center for commerce and industry. groups in Laos. Two-thirds of Laotians speak Tourism is a major sector, drawing large Lao, and many tribal dialects are also spoken. numbers of visitors from across the world. 290

Cambodia Malaysia Area 69,900 sq miles ▲ MALAYSIAN TEXTILES Area 127,317 sq miles COUNTRY FACTFILE (181,040 sq km) Textiles and clothing are one of Malaysia’s (329,750 sq km) Population 14.3 million main exports and the industry has contributed Population 28.9 million Capital Phnom Penh to the country’s economic growth. Capital Kuala Lumpur, Currency Riel Putrajaya (administrative) Official language Khmer Currency Ringgit Life expectancy 59 years Official language Bahasa Malaysia Cambodia emerged from French colonial Life expectancy 74 years rule in 1953. From 1975 to 1979, the Malaysia consists of the three territories of extremist Khmer Rouge regime headed Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah. by Pol Pot was responsible for killing almost Ethnic Malays make up about half the a million Cambodians. Today, Cambodia is population, with a large Chinese minority. one of the world’s poorest countries and Malaysia’s scenic beaches make it a key relies heavily on foreign aid. tourist destination in Southeast Asia. Singapore Brunei Philippines Area 250 sq miles Area 2,228 sq miles Area 115,830 sq miles (648 sq km) (5,770 sq km) (300,000 sq km) Population 5.2 million Population 400,000 Population 94.9 million Capital Singapore Capital Bandar Seri Begawan Capital Manila Currency Singapore dollar Currency Brunei dollar Currency Philippine peso Official languages Malay, Official language Malay Official languages English English, Mandarin, and Tamil Life expectancy 77 years and Filipino Life expectancy 80 years Life expectancy 71 years An island nation, Singapore (meaning “lion Lying on the island of Borneo, the Sultanate Lying on the western rim of the Pacific city”) was once a trading post of colonial of Brunei is divided in two by a strip of the Ocean, the Philippines is the world’s second Britain. Today, it is a wealthy nation known Malaysian state of Sarawak. Independent largest archipelago nation. Its three main for its electronics and pharmaceutical from the UK since 1984, Brunei is ruled by island groupings are Luzon, Visayan, and industries, and its skilled workforce. decree of the sultan. Oil and gas revenue the Mindanao and Sulu islands. Of the The people of Singapore enjoy one of the has made Brunei a wealthy nation with 7,107 islands, only 1,000 are inhabited. The world’s highest standards of living. very high standards of living. islands are prone to frequent earthquakes. East Timor Indonesia Area 5,742 sq miles Area 740,100 sq miles ▲ ORANGUTAN, SUMATRA (14,874 sq km) (1,919,440 sq km) The endangered Sumatran orangutan is found Population 1.2 million Population 242 million only on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, and Capital Dili Capital Jakarta lives mainly on a diet of fruit. Currency US dollar Currency Rupiah Official languages Tetum Official language Bahasa and Portuguese Indonesia Life expectancy 57 years Life expectancy 68 years East Timor achieved its independence in Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. 2002 after a long and turbulent struggle Its 18,108 islands stretch 3,100 miles against Indonesian occupation. Much of (5,000 km) from the Indian Ocean to New its infrastructure was destroyed during Guinea. Some islands, such as Java, Sumatra, the violence, and the government heavily Kalimantan, and Papua, are mountainous, depends on foreign aid, especially from volcanic, and densely forested. Indonesia is Australia and Portugal. Oil and gas from the ethnically very diverse and has the world’s Timor Sea forms its main source of income. largest Muslim population. 291

COUNTRY FACTFILE Oceania ▼ MANA ISLAND, FIJI This is a hilltop view of Mana Island, one More than 10,000 islands spread across the of the most popular travel destinations in Pacific Ocean are collectively called Oceania. Fiji. The island is known for its beautiful It includes the regions of Melanesia, Micronesia, coral reefs and marine life. Polynesia, and Australasia. The main continental landmass of Oceania is Australia. Many of the islands of Oceania have picturesque beaches, which draw tourists from across the world.

Australia Area 2,967,909 sq miles (7,686,850 km) Population 22.6 million Capital Canberra Currency Australian dollar Official language English Life expectancy 81 years An island continent located between Some of its most famous natural features ▲ SYDNEY HARBOUR COUNTRY FACTFILE the Indian and Pacific oceans, the are Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) and Shown here is a panoramic view of the Commonwealth of Australia is the world’s the Great Barrier Reef. Most Australians are vibrant Sydney Harbour area—on the sixth-largest country. It has a varied descendants of immigrants from Britain, left is the famous Sydney Opera House, landscape that includes tropical rainforests, Ireland, and other European countries. which hosts cultural performances. arid deserts, snowcapped mountains, Native Aborigines today make up about agricultural land, and magnificent beaches. two percent of the population. Papua New Guinea Area 178,703 sq miles Located on the eastern end of New (462,840 sq km) Guinea Island, Papua New Guinea gained Population 7 million independence from Australia in 1975. It Capital Port Moresby includes several other groups of islands in Currency Kina the North Pacific Ocean. With around 800 Official language English different languages and even more tribes, Life expectancy 57 years Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world. The majority ◀ CROWNED BIRD of the people are Christians, but local beliefs Named after the British monarch and traditions are still widely followed. Queen Victoria, the Victoria Crowned Papua New Guinea is rich in minerals such Pigeon is a large blue-gray pigeon with as gold and copper, and its Porgera gold a unique white-tipped, lace-like crest. mine is one of the world’s largest. It is native to the New Guinea region. Micronesia Marshall Islands Area 271 sq miles Area 70 sq miles ▲ ISLAND PARADISE (702 sq km) (181 sq km) Many tourists travel to the Marshall Population 106,487 Population 68,480 Islands for the clear skies and unspoiled Capital Palikir (Pohnpei Island) Capital Majuro beaches, which are an ideal base for Currency US dollar Currency US dollar scuba diving and sport fishing. Official languages English Official languages English Life expectancy 68 years and Marshallese Life expectancy 71 years Situated in the Pacific Ocean, the Federated The Marshall Islands are made up of States of Micronesia is made up of four 34 widely scattered atolls in the central island-cluster states: Pohnpei, Kosrae, Pacific Ocean. Only 24 of these are Chuuk, and Yap. Micronesia was formerly inhabited. Most of the population live in under US rule, but became independent in Majuro, the capital and commercial center, 1986. It still has a strong relationship with and Ebeye Island. The Marshall Islands the US—receiving preferential trading became independent from the US in 1986. rights and considerable aid. Micronesia’s However, the economy is almost entirely economic strengths are tourism, fishing, and dependent on US aid, and rent from the the production of betel nuts and copra. US missile base on Kwajalein Atoll. 293

Palau Nauru COUNTRY FACTFILE Area 177 sq miles ▲ GREEN SEA TURTLE Area 8.1 sq miles (458 sq km) The ocean surrounding Palau is home to (21 sq km) Population 21,000 the green sea turtle. A threatened species, Population 9,400 Capital Melekeok the turtle’s population is closely monitored. Capital Yaren Currency US dollar Currency Australian dollar Official languages Palauan Samoa Official language Nauruan and English Life expectancy 64 years Life expectancy 71 years The world’s smallest republic, Nauru lies Palau lies in the western Pacific Ocean. in the Pacific Ocean. Once a British colony, It is made up of more than 300 islands it became independent in 1968. Its main in the Caroline Islands archipelago, only revenue has been from phosphate reserves, nine of which are inhabited. Palau is which are now dwindling. Mining activities economically dependent on the US. have destroyed 80 percent of its ecosystem. Kiribati Tonga Area 277 sq miles Area 1,104 sq miles Area 289 sq miles (717 sq km) (2,860 sq km) (748 sq km) Population 102,000 Population 200,000 Population 106,200 Capital Bairiki Capital Apia Capital Nuku’alofa Currency Australian dollar Currency Tala Currency Pa’anga Official language English Official languages Samoan Official languages English Life expectancy 65 years and English and Tongan Life expectancy 71 years Life expectancy 73 years Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Samoa, lying in the heart of the South Located in the South Pacific, the Kingdom Islands, became independent from Britain Pacific, is made up of nine volcanic islands. of Tonga is an archipelago of 170 islands. in 1979. Britain’s sole interest in Kiribati Only four of these islands are inhabited— These are divided into three main groups, was its phosphate deposits, which ran out in Apolima, Manono, Savai’i, and Upolu. Vava’u, Ha’apai, and Tongatapu. Tonga’s 1980. The economy relies on the sale of Ethnically, 91 percent of the Samoan eastern islands are low and fertile, while those fishing rights, copra exports, and money population is Polynesian. An additional in the west are higher and volcanic in origin. sent home by workers abroad. Kiribati is 8 percent is Euronesian (of mixed Tonga’s economy is based on farming, also heavily dependent on foreign aid. European/Polynesian descent). especially vanilla and squash production. Tuvalu Solomon Islands Area 10 sq miles Area 10,985 sq miles ▲ LEAF FROG (26 sq km) (28,450 sq km) Varying in color from gold to brown to green, Population 10,600 Population 600,000 this species lives in the tropical rainforests of the Capital Fongafale Capital Honiara Solomon Islands. It is also known as the eyelash Currency Australian dollar Currency Solomon frog because of the projections over its eyes. Official language English Islands dollar Life expectancy 69 years Official language English Life expectancy 63 years Tuvalu is one of the world’s smallest and The Solomons archipelago has several most isolated nations. It was a British hundred islands, but most people live colony until it gained independence in on the six largest—Guadalcanal, Malaita, 1978. Most Tuvaluans support themselves New Georgia, Makira, Santa Isabel, and by farming and fishing. In a move to Choiseul. The Solomon Islands, most of protect the environmentally fragile which are coral reefs, draw many tourists, islands, Tuvalu plans to switch entirely especially for deep-sea diving. The islands to renewable sources of energy by 2020. are rich in copra and minerals such as gold. 294

Vanuatu Fiji Area 4,710 sq miles Area 7,054 sq miles (12,200 sq km) (18,270 sq km) Population 200,000 Population 900,000 Capital Port-Vila Capital Suva Currency Vatu Currency Fiji dollar Official languages Bislama, Official language English English, and French Life expectancy 69 years Life expectancy 70 years In the South Pacific, Vanuatu is an Fiji is a volcanic archipelago in the southern ▲ LEVUKA COUNTRY FACTFILE archipelago of 82 mountainous islands of Pacific Ocean, made up of two main islands Fiji’s former capital, Levuka, is a picturesque volcanic origin. It was formerly known as and nearly 900 smaller islands and islets. town on Ovalau Island, with buildings that the New Hebrides. Ruled jointly by France Melanesians and ethnic Indians make up are unchanged since colonial times. and Britain from 1906, Vanuatu became its population. Recent coups have affected independent in 1980. Fiji’s political stability. New Zealand Area 103,737 sq miles The bulk of the population lives on ▼ GLACIER WALKING (268,680 sq km) North Island. Nearly three-quarters of the The Franz Josef Glacier (below) and the Fox Population 4.4 million population are descendents of European Glacier on South Island’s west coast are two Capital Wellington migrants, while about 15 percent are Maori of New Zealand’s main tourist attractions. Currency New Zealand dollar (migrants from Polynesia). Thanks to Thousands visit the glaciers every year. Official languages English its small population and limited industry, and Maori New Zealand is one of the least polluted Life expectancy 80 years nations on Earth. It was also the first to give Lying in the South Pacific, New Zealand women the right to vote, in 1893. is made up of the main North and South islands, separated by the Cook Strait, and a number of smaller islands. South Island is the more mountainous, while North Island contains hot springs and geysers.

Glossary GLOSSARY Algae Plantlike organisms that can Continental crust A thick slab of Extinct Having died out completely. make food using solar energy. Most are relatively light rock that “floats” on the An extinct species has gone for good. single-celled microbes. heavier rock of Earth’s mantle and forms a continent. Fault A fracture in rock, along which Atmosphere The layer or layers of gas rock masses move—this sometimes held around a planet or moon by gravity. Continental shelf The submerged fringe causes earthquakes. of a continent, forming the relatively Atom The smallest particle of an shallow floor of a coastal sea. Fissure A deep, narrow gap, such as element such as iron. Compounds have between rocks. more than one kind of atom. Convection Circulating currents in gases and liquids such as air and water, and Fjord A deep valley gouged by a glacier, Axis An imaginary line that something even in hot, mobile rock, which are which is now flooded by the sea. spins around. Earth spins on such a line. driven by differences in temperature. Fossil The remains, imprint, or trace of a Bacteria Microscopic organisms that Cyclone An area of low pressure, where life form preserved in rock. have a simple single-celled structure, and warm air is sucked in and rises. It flows no cell nuclei or other distinct internal counterclockwise in the northern Fossil fuels Coal, oil, and gas made over structures. hemisphere and clockwise in the southern millions of years from the remains of hemisphere. Also, a tropical storm in the long-dead plants and microbes. Batholith A very large mass of igneous Indian and southwest Pacific Oceans. rock such as granite, exposed in some Genetic Relating to genes and inherited places but mostly buried underground. Delta A fan of sand and silt at the mouth traits in living things. of a river. The river usually flows through Biome A community of animals and it in several channels. Gravity The force of attraction exerted plants on a large scale, defined mainly by a large object such as a planet, which by vegetation—for example, rainforest. Ecosystem The complex interactions of holds things on the surface and in orbit. different organisms with one another and Climate The typical or average weather with their environment. Habitat A place where wildlife lives. in a particular area. Element A substance that is made up Hot spot A zone of volcanic activity Cold front The leading edge of a of just one type of atom. caused by a plume of heat beneath Earth’s moving mass of cold air, where it pushes crust. If the crust is moving, the hot spot beneath a mass of warm air. Equator A line of latittude around the creates chains of volcanoes. middle of Earth at its widest point. Compound A substance containing Igneous rock Rock formed by the two or more elements, formed by a Erosion Wearing away, usually of rock, cooling of molten magma or volcanic chemical reaction that bonds their atoms by natural forces such as flowing water lava. Most igneous rocks are made of together. Water is a compound of or ocean waves breaking on the shore. interlocking crystals and are very hard. hydrogen and oxygen. Evaporate To turn from a liquid to a gas Impermeable Rock that is waterproof Condense To turn from a gas to a liquid. or vapor. and does not soak up water. 296

Infrastructure Services and structures Monsoon A seasonal change of wind Parasite An organism that lives in or on GLOSSARY such as power supply and road networks that affects the weather in the Indian another. The relationship benefits the that allow society to function. subcontinent and Southeast Asia, causing parasite but is detrimental to the host. wet and dry seasons. Latitude Distance from the equator. Peat The compacted remains of plants A low latitude is near the equator, and a Multicellular A living thing that is made that have not fully decayed, because the high latitude is nearer the polar regions. up of many cells. oxygen vital to decay was excluded, usually because of saturation by water. Lava Molten rock that erupts from a Nuclear Relating to the nucleus of an volcano and hardens into solid rock. atom. If the nuclei of two atoms are fused Permafrost Permanently frozen ground together, or a single atomic nucleus is that covers large areas of the polar regions, Lithosphere Earth’s outer shell, especially in the Arctic. consisting of the crust and the split, this nuclear reaction uppermost layer of the mantle. releases nuclear energy. Pesticide A chemical used to kill small animals, fungi, and weeds that attack or Magma Molten rock lying Nucleus The central compete with farm crops. beneath Earth’s crust. mass of something, such as an atom or Petrified Turned to stone. Mantle The deep a living cell. The layer of hot rock plural is nuclei. Photosynthesis The process by which that lies between plants use the energy from sunlight Earth’s crust and Nutrients to make sugar from carbon dioxide the core. Substances that and water. living things need Metamorphic rock to build tissue. Phytoplankton Microscopic, Rock changed from its single-celled organisms that drift in the original state by intense Oceanic crust sunlit surface waters of oceans and lakes heat, pressure, or both. The relatively and use photosynthesis to make food. thin crust of Microbe A microscopic living thing. basalt that lies Plankton Living things that drift in lakes above Earth’s mantle and forms the and oceans, usually near the surface. Mid-ocean ridge A ridge of mountains bedrock of the ocean floor. Oceanic crust on the ocean floor, created by a spreading is denser than continental crust, and Pluton A mass of igneous rock such as rift between two plates of Earth’s crust. always subducts beneath it. granite that formed below ground, but may now be exposed. Migrate To make a regular, often yearly Orbit To circle a planet or star. Earth journey in search of food or a mate. orbits the Sun, and the Moon orbits Earth. Porous A rock or similar substance that is not waterproof, and which may soak up Mineral A natural solid made of one Ore A natural material from which water like a sponge. or more elements in fixed proportions, valuable minerals can be extracted. usually with a distinctive crystal structure. Prevailing wind A wind that blows from Organic A substance that is based on the a certain direction most of the time. Molecule A particle formed from a element carbon, but usually meaning fixed number of atoms. Two hydrogen something that is—or was once—alive. Protein A complex substance that a living atoms joined to one oxygen atom form Also, a type of farming and produce. thing makes out of simpler nutrients and a water molecule. uses to form its tissues. Organism A living thing.

GLOSSARY Pyroclastic flow An avalanche of very hot Species The basic unit of classification Trade wind A wind that blows steadily rock and dust that cascades down the of living organisms. For example, a tiger from east to west over a tropical ocean. flank of an erupting volcano. is a species of cat. Members of a species can reproduce by pairing with one Tropics The hot regions to the north and Radiation Light, heat, or other forms another, but not with other species. south of the equator, between the Tropic of energy such as X-rays that spread out A subspecies forms when there is a of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. through space from a source such as a star barrier—often geographical—between or a glowing object. two populations of the same speciess. Troposphere The lowest layer of the atmosphere, where the weather happens. Reservoir A store of something, usually a Stalactite A cone-shaped structure created liquid such as water. when groundwater deposits minerals on a Tsunami A fast-moving ocean wave cave roof. generated by an earthquake on the ocean Rift A widening crack in rocks or in floor, by the collapse of an oceanic Earth’s crust, formed by tectonic plates Stalagmite A pedestal-shaped structure volcano, or by a coastal landslide. drifting apart. created when water drips from the tip of a stalactite and deposits minerals on a Tundra The cold, almost treeless Rift valley A region where part of Earth’s cave floor. landscape that lies on the fringes of crust has dropped into the gap formed by the polar ice sheets. the crust pulling apart. Star An object in space that is massive enough to generate energy by nuclear Ultraviolet Energy radiated by the Sun Satellite Something that orbits (circles) fusion reactions. The Sun is a star. that is invisible, but attacks living tissues a planet. The Moon is a natural satellite, and destroys them. but many of Earth’s satellites are artificial, Strata Layers of sedimentary rock. including the International Space Station, Warm front The leading edge of a the Hubble Space Telescope, and dozens Stratosphere The layer of Earth’s moving mass of warm air, where it slides of communication, weather, and atmosphere that lies above the lowest up over a mass of cold air. navigation satellites. layer (the troposphere). Water vapor The gas that forms when Scavenger An animal that eats the Subduction The process of one plate of liquid water is warmed and evaporates. remains of dead animals and other scraps. Earth’s crust sliding beneath another, creating an ocean trench, causing Weathering The breaking down of rocks Sediment Solid particles such as sand, earthquakes, and fueling volcanoes. and minerals by rain, sunlight, ice, and silt, or mud that have settled on the sea other climatic effects. bed or elsewhere. Subtropics The warm regions to the north and south of the equator that Westerly wind A wind that blows from Sedimentary Describes a deposit or rock lie between the hot tropics and the west to east. made of sediments. cooler midlatitudes. Zooplankton Animals that mainly drift Seismic Relating to earth movements Tectonic plate Any one of about 17 in the water, although some may also caused by earthquakes. pieces of Earth’s rigid shell (made up of swim actively. the crust and upper mantle) that drift Solar radiation Heat, light, and other slowly over the planet’s surface. forms of energy generated by the Sun. Temperate A climate that is neither very Solar System The system of planets, hot nor very cold, or a region that has moons, and asteroids orbiting the Sun. such a climate.