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The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf andl'Unifolié (French for "the one-leafed"), is a flag consisting of ared field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of whichis featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf. It is the firstever specified by law for use as the country's national flag. In1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson formed a committee toresolve the issue, sparking a serious debate about a flag change toreplace the Union Flag. Out of three choices, the maple leaf designby George Stanley, based on the flag of the Royal Military Collegeof Canada, was selected. The flag made its first officialappearance on February 15, 1965; the date is now celebratedannually as National Flag of Canada Day. The Canadian Red Ensignhad been unofficially used since the 1890s and was approved by a1945 Order in Council for use "wherever place or occasion may makeit desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag". Also, the RoyalUnion Flag remains an official flag in Canada. There is no lawdictating how the national flag is to be treated. There are,however, conventions and protocols to guide how it is to bedisplayed and its place in the order of precedence of flags, whichgives it primacy over the aforementioned and most other flags.Canada is a land of vast distances and rich natural beauty.Economically and technologically, and in many other ways sheclosely resembles her neighbour to the south, the United States,although there are significant differences between the twocountries. Canada is perfectly happy with its British heritage andmany Canadians are proud of this. Canada has historically beenbuilt and influenced by immigrants from two European nations,Britain and France. This dual nature is very different than in theUnited States, and in some parts of Canada, particularly Quebec andparts of New Brunswick, Canadians primarily speak French. Canadabecame a self-governing dominion in 1867 by an act of the Britishparliament, and is still a proud member of the Commonwealth ofNations. By 1931 it was more or less fully independent of theUnited Kingdom. Though a medium sized country by its population (35million), Canada has earned respect on the international stage forits strong diplomatic skills, peacekeeping efforts, and respect forhuman rights. Canadians enjoy a very high quality of life - Canadaconsistently scores very well on indices of economic freedom,corruption, respect for civil rights, and more. Domestically, thecountry has displayed success in negotiating compromises amongstits own culturally and linguistically varied populations, adifficult task considering that language, culture, and even historycan vary significantly throughout the whole country. Similarly tothe United States' traditional image of itself as a melting pot,there are many different minorities from all over the world livingin Canada, particularly in urban centres. Canadians are, for themost part, used to living and interacting with people of differentethnic backgrounds on a daily basis and will usually be quitefriendly and understanding if approached in public. The country islargely urban-based, where peoples of all backgrounds rub elbowswith one another.

Le temperature negli altopiani centrali sono sotto lo zero per lamaggior parte dell'inverno, e la neve è comune ad altitudini piùelevate. Alti Summertime a quote più basse (come Jalalabad oMazar-e Sharif) possono superare il 50? C / 120? F. Nelle zone piùalte come Kabul, le temperature estive possono essere 30? C / 90? Fe inverno intorno 0? C / 30? F. Il tempo più piacevole a Kabul ènei mesi di aprile, maggio e settembre. Terreno Per lo più aspremontagne; pianure del nord e sud-ovest. Le montagne dell'Hindu Kushcorrono nordest a sudovest, dividendo le province del nord dalresto del paese, con le vette più alte si trovano nel nord delWakhan Corridor. A sud di Kandahar è deserto. Kandahar è bella inmolti luoghi. Persone L'Afghanistan è un paese etnicamentediversificata. Alleanze tribali e locali sono forti, il checomplica la politica nazionale immensamente. Il più grande gruppoetnico è la Pashtun, seguita da tagiko, hazara, uzbeki e altri.Baloch tribù, ancora in gran parte nomadi, si possono trovare inqualsiasi punto tra Quetta in Pakistan e Mashad in Iran, compresagran parte occidentale dell'Afghanistan. Fanno meravigliositappeti, se un po 'semplice. Ci sono circa tremila indù e sikh chevivono in diverse città del paese, ma soprattutto a Kabul,Jalalabad e Kandahar che appartengono ai gruppi etnici punjabi,Sindhi, Kabuli, e Kandhari. Hazara nelle montagne centrali unaspetto molto più asiatico di altri afgani. Secondo alcune teorie,molti di loro discendono da soldati di Gengis Khan. L'Afghanistan èun paese plurilingue in cui due lingue - persiano (Dari) e Pashtosono entrambi ufficiale con persiano di essere più ampiamenteparlato nel paese. Altoparlanti Pashto predominano nel Sud edell'Est, persiano a nord, ovest e centrale dell'Afghanistan. Circal'11% della popolazione ha lingue turche, uzbeko o turkmeno, comeprima lingua. Molti di loro sono al Nord, nei pressi di Uzbekistane Turkmenistan. Gruppi minori lingua madre includono Nuristani,dardico e Pamiri, che si trova in piccole sacche ad est e nord-est.Storia Mir Wais Hotak, un leader tribale afgano, insorse contro glioppressori sciiti Safavidi nel 1709 e ha fatto in Afghanistan unostato indipendente, stabilendo dinastia Hotaki, con capitale aKandahar. Suo figlio Mahmud poi conquistata quello che oggi èl'Iraq e l'Iran, ma la dinastia Hotaki crollato nel 1738. Nel 1747,Ahmad Shah Durrani ristabilito un Afghanistan indipendente, eampliato per includere quello che oggi è il Pakistan e l'Irannord-orientale e le parti occidentali di India. Il paese ha unalunga storia di guerra, per lo più contro gli invasori, comeAlessandro il Macedone, Persiani, arabi, turchi, mongoli, e gliinglesi. Al contrario, un tempo era il secondo grande centro diapprendimento islamica dopo Baghdad. Molti di fama mondialestudiosi, scienziati, matematici e poeti provengono da quello cheora è l'Afghanistan. Questo include Avicenna, al-Biruni, Rumi, ealtri.

The national flag of Cameroon was adopted in its present form on 20May 1975 after Cameroon became a unitary state. It is a verticaltricolor of green, red and yellow, defaced with a five-pointed starin its center. There is a wide variation in the size of the centralstar, although it is always contained within the inside stripe. Theterritory of present day Cameroon was first settled during theNeolithic period. Portuguese sailors reached the coast in 1472.Over the following few centuries, European interests regularisedtrade with the coastal peoples, and Christian missionaries pushedinland. In the early 19th century, Modibo Adama led Fulani soldierson a jihad in the north against non-Muslim and partially Muslimpeoples and established the Adamawa Emirate. Settled peoples whofled the Fulani caused a major redistribution of population. TheGerman Empire claimed the territory as the colony of Kamerun in1884 and began a steady push inland. With the defeat of Germany inWorld War I, Kamerun became a League of Nations mandate territoryand was split into French Cameroun and British Cameroons in 1919.The French carefully integrated the economy of Cameroun with thatof France and improved the infrastructure with capital investments,skilled workers, and continued forced labour. The Britishadministered their territory from neighbouring Nigeria. Nativescomplained that this made them a neglected "colony of a colony".The League of Nations mandates were converted into United NationsTrusteeships in 1946, and the question of independence became apressing issue in French Cameroun. France outlawed the most radicalpolitical party, the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), on 13July 1955. This prompted a long guerilla war. In British Cameroons,the question was whether to reunify with French Cameroun or joinNigeria. On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independencefrom France under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, and on 1 October 1961,the formerly British Northern Cameroons became a part of Nigeria,while the formerly British Southern Cameroons united with itsneighbour to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

The flag of Burkina Faso is formed by two equal horizontal bands ofred (top) and green, with a yellow five-pointed star resting in thecenter. The flag was adopted on 4 August 1984. The flag is colouredin the popular Pan-African colours of the Ethiopian flag,reflecting both a break with the country’s colonial past and itsunity with other African ex-colonies. The red is also said tosymbolize the revolution and the green the abundance ofagricultural and natural riches. The yellow star placed over thered and green stripes is the guiding light of the revolution. Theflag was adopted following the coup of 1983 which brought ThomasSankara to power. Until the end of the 19th century, the history ofBurkina Faso was dominated by the empire-building Mossi. The Frencharrived and claimed the area in 1896, but Mossi resistance endedonly with the capture of their capital Ouagadougou in 1901. Thecolony of Upper Volta was established in 1919, but it wasdismembered and reconstituted several times until the presentborders were recognized in 1947. Independence from France came toUpper Volta, which was renamed Burkina Faso, in 1960. From 1984until 1987, it was under the leadership of Thomas Sankara,otherwise known as the Che Guevara of Africa. Sankara's regimeproved to be very popular, where he was averting the power andinfluence through the World Bank and IMF and encouraging worldwideaid to fight disease. Most of his programs were successful, thoughit was not successful enough to protect the country from politicalturmoil. He was ridiculed in the West by his authoritarian rule,banning free press and unions. In 1987, a coup led by BlaiseCompaoré (Sankara's colleague) executed Sankara along with twelveof his officers, citing deterioration of relations with foreigncountries. For 27 years from 1987, Blaise Compaoré was dictator.Things did not improve during his years in office, and many ofSankara's policies for stability and economic growth were largelydismantled, making Burkina Faso one of the poorest countries onEarth. Political unrest has worsened, and economic reforms remainvery uneven. One of the poorest countries in the world, landlockedBurkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources,and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in(mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is highly vulnerable tovariations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitablegovernment-controlled corporations. Following the African franccurrency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated itsdevelopment program in conjunction with international agencies, andexports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance ofmacroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation,reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourageprivate investment. Burkina's economy has suffered badly because ofpolitical troubles, and because it is so poor, about two thirds ofthe population are forced to go abroad to find jobs. Burkinaimports most of the goods and the resources it consumes.

The national flag of Brunei has the crest of Brunei in the centre,on a yellow field. The field is cut by black and white diagonalstripes (parallelograms at an angle). The yellow field representsthe sultan of Brunei. In Southeast Asia, yellow is traditionallythe color of royalty, and the royal standards of Malaysia andThailand, and the flag of Sarawak, along with the presidential flagof Indonesia, also use a yellow field. The crest consists of acrescent (symbolising Islam) facing upwards, joined with a parasol(symbolising monarchy), with hands on the sides (signifying thebenevolence of the government). On the crescent is the nationalmotto in Arabic: “Always render service with God's guidance”(الدائمون المحسنون بالهدى). Below this is a banner inscribed withBrunei Darussalam (‘Brunei, the Abode of Peace’). The black andwhite stripes represent Brunei's chief ministers who were oncejoint-regents and then – after the sultan came of age – senioradvisors: the Pengiran Bendahara (First Minister, symbolised by aslightly thicker white stripe) and the Pengiran Pemancha (SecondMinister, governing foreign affairs, symbolised by black). Bruneiis a pint-sized and fabulously wealthy oil-rich sultanate with apopulation of just under half a million, if illegal immigrants fromcountries such as Indonesia and the Philippines are included. It isa member of the Commonwealth and has good education and hygiene.The Sultanate of Brunei's heyday occurred between the 15th and 17thcenturies, when its control extended over coastal areas ofnorthwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequentlyentered a period of decline brought on by internal strife overroyal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, andpiracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate. It wasoffered the opportunity to join Malaysia as a state in 1963, butopted out of the Federation due to a disagreement on the amount ofits oil income that would have to be given to the centralgovernment in Kuala Lumpur. Independence was achieved in 1984. Thesame family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. The backboneof Brunei's economy is oil and gas and the Sultan of Brunei is,famously, one of the richest people in the world with an estimatedpersonal wealth of around 40 billion dollars. Per capita GDP is farabove most other developing countries, and substantial income fromoverseas investment supplements income from domestic production.The government provides for all medical services and subsidizesrice and housing. All sectors of economy are fairly heavilyregulated and government policy is an odd mixture of subsidies,protectionism and encouragement of entrepreneurship. Brunei'sleaders are attempting to balance the country's steadily increasingintegration into the world economy with internal social cohesion.It became a more prominent player in the world by serving aschairman for the 2005 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation)forum. Plans for the future include upgrading the workforce,reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and touristsectors, and, in general, widening the economic base beyond oil andgas. Brunei is officially an Islamic state, with hundreds of largebeautiful mosques across the country. Sale of alcohol is banned.Bringing in meat, (other than seafood) which has not been certified"halal", (slaughtered according to Islamic law), is also banned.During the fasting month of Ramadan, many shops and restaurantswill be open. However, eating, drinking or smoking in front ofpeople who are fasting is considered rude and asking permission isappropriate. In 2014, new law had been passed by the governmentwhere non-fasting people only allowed to take-out foods from allrestaurants and eat privately. This due to the respect of the HolyMonth in Islam.

The current flag of the Union of the Comoros (officially French:Union des Comores, Arabic: الاتّحاد القمريّ, al-Ittiḥāddal-Qamariyy) was designed in 2001 and officially adopted on January7, 2002.[1] It continues to display the crescent and four stars,which is a motif that has been in use in slightly various formssince 1975 during the independence movement. In its constitution,the government of the Comoros refers to the insigne as L'emblèmenational, or the "national emblem", though it is understood toactually represent a flag. The design consists of a white crescentwith four white stars inside of a green triangle. The flag has fourstripes, representing four islands of the nation: yellow is forMohéli, white is for Mayotte (claimed by Comoros but administeredby France), red is for Anjouan, and blue is for Grande Comore. Thestar and crescent symbol stands for Islam, which is the nation'smajor religion. Comoros has endured 20 coups or attempted coupssince gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, theislands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros.In 1999, military chief Col. Azali seized power. He pledged toresolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangementnamed the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved anew constitution and presidential elections took place in thespring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its ownpresident and a new union president took office in May 2002. One ofthe world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islandsthat have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidlyincreasing population, and few natural resources. Malaria,including cerebral malaria, is prevalent in the Comoros. Sleepunder a permethrin-treated mosquito net and take an anti-malarial.Grand Comore and Anjouan have the best medical infrastructure andyou can be tested for malaria in most major towns. If you get afever, it is wise to get tested, especially if the fever does notrespond to paracetemol or does not go away. Moheli has a hospitalin Fomboni and one that recently re-opened in Nioumachoua but mayoccasionally be accessible. Healthy food is not difficult to find.Eat many fruits and vegetables as well as rice. During some time ofthe year vegetables might be only available in small quantities inMoheli. A healthy and delicious local dish is madaba (pounded andboiled manioc leaves). But madaba takes hours to prepare, so youmay not find it in restaurants. If you are fortunate enough to stayor eat with a local family, you might get to try madaba.Vegetarians should be aware that on Grand Comore locals put fish inthe madaba, while on Moheli they do not. Women may experiencecessation or alteration of their menstrual cycle due to poornutrition if they stay in the Comoros for several months or longer.Although the Comoros are a rather liberal Muslim country, it isdisrespectful for women to expose their shoulders, much of theirchest, knees, and especially stomach and lower back. Wear shirts orshawls that cover these areas. Locals will not expect foreign,non-Muslim women to cover their heads. When swimming, local womenare fully dressed. Foreigners are not expected to do this, butshorts and a swimming shirt is more respectful than a bikini ortopless swimming. Men should wear shorts below the knee, thoughthis is less offensive than a woman doing so. Public affectionbetween men and women is not acceptable, though one may rarely seea Comorian man and woman holding hands briefly (in the nightclubssome locals seem to ignore Muslim convention).

La bandiera nazionale di Argentina è un triband, composta da trebande orizzontali larghe altrettanto colorati azzurro e bianco. Cisono molteplici interpretazioni sui motivi quei colori. La bandieraè stato creato da Manuel Belgrano, in linea con la recentecreazione della Coccarda dell'Argentina, e fu sollevata la città diRosario il 27 febbraio 1812, durante la guerra d'indipendenzaargentina. La bandiera National Memorial fu poi costruito sul sito.Il primo triumvirato non ha approvato l'uso della bandiera, ma laAsamblea del A? O XIII ha permesso l'uso della bandiera come unabandiera di guerra. E 'stato il Congresso di Tucum? N che alla finelo ha designato come bandiera nazionale, nel 1816. Un Giallo soledi maggio è stato aggiunto al centro nel 1818. La bandiera pienocon il sole è chiamato l'ufficio Cerimoniale Bandiera (in spagnolo:Bandera Oficial de Ceremonia). La bandiera senza il sole èconsiderata la bandiera Ornamentali (Bandera de Ornato). Mentreentrambe le versioni sono ugualmente considerati la bandieranazionale, la versione ornamentali deve sempre essere issata sottola Cerimonia Ufficiale di Bandiera. In termini vessillologico dellaGazzetta Cerimoniale Flag è la, lo stato e la guerra civile dibandiera e stendardo, mentre la Bandiera Ornamentali è una bandieracivile alternativo e guardiamarina. Argentina (ufficialmente laRepubblica argentina) è il paese ottavo più grande del mondo. Ipunti più alti e il più basso tra il Sud America si trovano anchein Argentina: A 6,960m, Cerro Aconcagua è la montagna più alta delcontinente americano, mentre Laguna del Carb n, a 105m sotto illivello del mare, è il punto più basso nelle Americhe?. Sulla puntameridionale dell'Argentina ci sono diverse rotte tra l'Atlanticodel Sud e del Pacifico Oceani del Sud, tra cui lo Stretto diMagellano, Canale di Beagle, e il Passaggio di Drake --- comealternative alla vela intorno Capo Horn in mare aperto tra il SudAmerica e l'Antartide. Il nome deriva da Argentina Argentinos, laforma antica diminutivo greco (Tinos) per l'argento (argentos), cheè ciò che i primi esploratori spagnoli cercavano quando hannoraggiunto la regione nel XVI secolo. Buenos Aires e la Pampa sonotemperate; freddo in inverno, caldo e umido in estate. I deserti diCuyo, che può raggiungere una temperatura di 50 ° C, sonoestremamente caldo e secco in estate e moderatamente freddo e seccoin inverno. Primavera e autunno spesso mostrano inversioni rapidedi temperatura; diversi giorni di tempo estremamente caldo possonoessere seguiti da diversi giorni di freddo, poi di nuovo moltocaldo. Le Ande sono fresco d'estate e molto freddo in inverno, chevaria a seconda dell'altitudine. Patagonia è fresco in estate efreddo in inverno. Variazioni estreme di temperatura all'interno diun solo giorno sono ancora più comuni qui; confezionare un varietàdi vestiti e di vestirsi a strati. Non dimenticate che stagionisono invertite rispetto a quelli dell'emisfero settentrionale. Laregione centrale dell'Argentina è la ricca pianura conosciuta comeLa Pampa. C'è giungla nell'estremo nord-est. La metà meridionaledell'Argentina è dominata dal piano di altopiano della Patagoniarotolamento. Il confine occidentale con il Cile si trova lungo lacatena delle Ande aspre, tra cui l'Aconcagua, la montagna più altaal di fuori dell'Himalaya. Le regioni occidentali Cuyo alla basedelle Ande sono principalmente rocciose del deserto con alcunialberi redingote velenosi.

The national flag of Chile, consists of two unequal horizontalbands of white and red and a blue square the same height as thewhite band in the canton, which bears a white five-pointed star inthe center. It was adopted on October 18, 1817. The Chilean flag isalso known in Spanish as La Estrella Solitaria[1] (The Lone Star).The star may represent a guide to progress and honor while otherinterpretations refer to its reference to an independent state;blue symbolizes the sky and the Pacific Ocean, white is for thesnow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieveindependence. Prior to arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century,northern Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous Mapucheinhabited central and southern Chile. Other indigenous tribesexisted in the southern part(Tehuelche, Yagan, etc.,) but many ofthem died due to diseases and murder, or were mixed with theEuropean immigrants. Although Chile declared independence in 1810,decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818,thanks to a joint attack with Rioplatense forces. After that, theTransandine Army headed to liberate Peru from Spanish forces,eliminating the Spanish influence from the region. In the War ofthe Pacific (1879–83), Chile invaded parts of Peru and Bolivia andkept territory that subsequently became its present northernregions. Also, it was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche werecompletely subjugated, and it was during this period of time whenthe Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego were annexed by the ChileanState, along with Rapa Nui, expanding its influence to the innerPacific. Although relatively free of the coups and unstablegovernments that characterise Latin America, Chile endured the17-year military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990),supported by the United States, and that left between 3,000 and5,000 people dead or disappeared, most of them being left wingthinkers, democrats, and people critical to the government. Thedictatorship of Augusto Pinochet was criticised worldwide for usingbrutal methods to control its population, including torture andforced disappearances, but left a relatively successful and stableeconomic model, which is credited with providing one of the higheststandards of living in all of Latin America, but also withincreasing corruption and the gap between the rich and the poor. ACentre-Left Chilean administration came into power after themilitary government lost a national referendum in 1988. The newmoderate government of Patricio Aylwin thought it sensible tomaintain free market policies that present-day Chile still employs.Many debate whether the model should be modified to a moresocial-welfare system, or if it should be left like it currentlyis. Chile is a member of both United Nations and the Union of SouthAmerican Nations (Unasur) and is also a member of the OECD, thegroup of the most developed countries by current internationalstandards, becoming the first country in South America to do so.Argentina's and Chile's claims to Antarctica overlap and neither isbased upon the discoveries of either nation. Chile also voices aclaim to a 1.25 million square kilometre portion of Antarctica, butgiven the terms of the Antarctic Treaty, no country's territorialclaims to Antarctica are ever recognised or permitted to beexercised at any time. However, Chile has an active presence in theAntarctic peninsula, and cooperates closely with other nations inactivities in the Antarctica.

La bandiera nazionale di Anguilla è costituito da un blu Ensign conla bandiera britannica nel cantone, incaricato della stemma diAnguilla in volo. Lo stemma è costituito da tre delfini, che eranopresenti sulla bandiera di Anguilla in precedenza, e che sidistinguono per l'amicizia, saggezza e forza. La bandiera è terzabandiera di Anguilla non come parte di SanCristoforo-Nevis-Anguilla. Prima bandiera dell'isola era unabandiera rossa con il nome dell'isola in giallo e due sireneall'interno di un ovale blu. Varianti a questa bandiera sono statiampiamente utilizzati, con un po 'rosso in sostituzione di viola ealcuni non porta il nome di Anguilla. Questa bandiera è stataampiamente antipatico, ed è stato sostituito durante breve periododi Anguilla di indipendenza dalla Bandiera Dolphin, che è ancoraampiamente visto in tutta l'isola. Questa bandiera era una bandieradelle braccia si trovano sul corrente blu Ensign, ed era bianco conuna larga fascia blu in tutta la base della bandiera, sopra laquale sono stati tre delfini d'oro stilizzati. Il Ensign Blu perAnguilla è stata adottata nel 1990. E 'utilizzato a terra; vieneutilizzato anche in mare da navi gestite dal governo di Anguilla.Ensign-che civile di Anguilla è il vessillo indossato su navicivili registrate in Anguilla-è il undifferenced Red Ensign,comunemente usato come vessillo civile in tutto l'Imperobritannico. Anguilla non ha ancora adottato una versione distintivodel Ensign rosso. A terra, il flag delfino è comunemente usato comeuna bandiera civile per tutti gli usi, sia in sostituzione o inaggiunta al Blue Ensign. La Union Jack deturpate con lo stemmaAnguilla delle armi viene utilizzato dal Governatore, che è ildisegno tradizionale per governatori dei territori d'oltremarebritannici. Anguilla fu colonizzata dai coloni inglesi da SaintKitts nel 1650, e gestito dalla Gran Bretagna fino agli inizi del19 ° secolo, quando l'isola - contro la volontà degli abitanti - èstata incorporata in un unico dipendenza del Regno Unito insieme aSaint Kitts e Nevis. Diversi tentativi di separazione falliti. Nel1971, due anni dopo la rivolta, Anguilla è stato finalmenteconsentito di secessione; questa disposizione è stata formalmentericonosciuta nel 1980 con Anguilla di diventare una dipendenza delRegno Unito separata. Anguilla ha poche risorse naturali, el'economia dipende fortemente dal turismo di lusso, bancheoffshore, pesca di aragoste, e le rimesse degli emigrati. L'aumentodell'attività nel settore del turismo, che ha stimolato la crescitadel settore delle costruzioni, ha contribuito alla crescitaeconomica. Anguilla è un'isola piatta e basse. Si tratta di 35miglia quadrate., 16 miglia di lunghezza e 3 miglia di larghezzanel punto più largo. Il punto più alto è Crocus Hill, a 65 metri.L'isola è fatta di pietra calcarea, che fornisce numerose grotte.Due dei più imponente, The Big Springs trova a Island Harbour e lafontana situata in Shoal Bay. Anguilla ha anche molti interessantibarriere coralline che fornisce habitat per una vasta gamma dipesci tropicali e fauna marina. Questo motiva le persone a prendereparte a fare snorkeling.

New Year 2016 is the time at which a new calendar year begins andthe calendar's year count increments by one. Many culturescelebrate the event in some manner. The New Year Day of theGregorian calendar, today mostly in use, falls on 1 January as wasthe case both in the old Roman calendar (at least after about 713BCE) and in the Julian calendar that succeeded it. The order ofmonths was January to December in the Old Roman calendar during thereign of King Numa Pompilius in about 700 BCE, according toPlutarch and Macrobius and has been in continuous use since thattime. Many countries, mark 1 January as a national holiday. Duringthe Middle Ages in western Europe, while the Julian calendar wasstill in use, authorities moved New Year's Day variously dependingupon locale to one of several other days among them: 1 March, 25March, Easter, 1 September, and 25 December. These New Year's Daychanges generally reverted to using January 1 before or during thevarious local adoptions of the Gregorian calendar, beginning in1582. The change from March 25 - Lady Day, one of the four quarterdays to January 1 took place in Scotland in 1600, before theascension of James VI of Scotland to the throne of England in 1603and well before the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in1707. In England and Wales (and in all British dominions, includingBritain's American colonies), 1751 began on March 25 and lasted 282days, and 1752 began on January 1. For more information about thechangeover from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar andthe effect on the dating of historical events etc. A great manyother calendars new year pictures have seen use historically indifferent parts of the world; some such calendars count yearsnumerically while others do not. The expansion of Western cultureduring recent centuries has seen such widespread official adoptionof the Gregorian calendar that its recognition and that of January1 as the New Year has become virtually global. (Note for examplethe New Year celebrations held in Dubai to mark the start of 2014which broke the world record for the most fireworks set off in asingle display lasting for six minutes and including the use ofover 500,000 fireworks.) Nevertheless, regional or local use ofother calendars persists, along with the cultural and religiouspractices that accompany them. Many places also celebrate New Yearat the times determined by these other calendars. In Latin Americathe observation of traditions belonging to various native culturescontinues according to their own calendars, despite the dominationof recently arrived cultures. The most common dates of modern NewYear's 2016 celebrations are listed below, ordered and grouped bytheir alignment relative to the Gregorian calendar. postcard orpost card Happy New Year 2016 is a rectangular piece of thick paperor thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without anenvelope. Shapes other than rectangular may also be used. There arenovelty exceptions, such as wood postcards, made of thin wood, andcopper postcards sold in the Copper Country of the U.S. state ofMichigan, and coconut "postcards" from tropical islands. You cansent happy new year 2016 wallpaper for gift to my friends.

The flag is unusual for a British overseas territory in that it isused on land in a red ensign form; most other British overseasterritories use a version of the blue ensign for general useashore. Bermuda's use of a red ensign on land is in keeping withCanada (pre-1965) and the Union of South Africa (pre 1928), both ofwhich used red ensigns ashore as local flags in the early part ofthe 20th century. Bermuda's flag is an appropriate civil ensign forvessels registered on the Bermuda portion of the British Register,by virtue of the Bermuda Merchant Shipping Act of 2002. TheGovernor of Bermuda uses a Union Flag defaced with the coat ofarms, a design traditional for Governors of the British overseasterritories. For the state ensign, a blue ensign is used. Bermudaconsists of about 138 islands and islets, with all the majorislands aligned on a hook-shaped, but roughly east-west, axis andconnected together by road bridges. Despite this complexity,Bermudians usually refer to Bermuda as "the island". In terms ofterrain, the islands are composed of low hills separated by fertiledepressions, and interspersed with a complex set of waterways. Theinhabited island chain is actually the southern sector of acircular pseudo-atoll, the remainder of the coral ring beingsubmerged or inter-tidal reefs (Bermuda was formed volcanically butis not a true atoll). As a result the northern shores of inhabitedislands are relatively sheltered, whilst the southern shores areexposed to the ocean swell. Consequently most of the best beachesare on the southern shore. Bermuda has a subtropical climate, withhot and humid weather from spring through fall, however daytimetemps fall to the upper 60s °F in wintertime, with wintertime lowsof around 58°F. Rarely do temperatures fall below 55°F. The wateralso cools down into the 60s °F in the wintertime. Humidity remainshigh in the wintertime. The Gulf Stream does help Bermuda maintaina subtropical climate, despite the latitude being equal to theCarolinas in the United States. For almost half the year (April toSept) the UV index is over 8. Bermuda was first settled in 1609 byshipwrecked English colonists headed for the infant English colonyof Virginia. The first industry on the islands was fruit andvegetable cultivation to supply the early American colonies. Theislands took a carefully unofficial role during the American War ofIndependence, with much of Washington's armaments coming from acovert (and likely locally complicit) raid on the island's armoury.After US independence and during the Napoleonic wars, Great Britainfound itself without access to the ports now on the US east coast.Because of this situation and Bermuda's convenient location betweenBritish Canada and Britain's Caribbean possessions, Bermuda becamethe principal stopover point for the British Royal Navy's Atlanticfleet, somewhat similar to Gibraltar. The American Civil War andAmerican Prohibition both added considerably to the island'scoffers, with Bermuda forming an important focal point in runningthe blockades in both cases. During the Second World War, a largeUS air base was built on the islands and remained operational until1995, and Bermuda served as the main intercept centre fortransatlantic cable messages to and from occupied Europe. Touristtravel to Bermuda to escape North American winters first developedin Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to theisland's economy, although international business has surpassed itin recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successfuloffshore financial centre. A referendum on independence was soundlydefeated in 1995. For many, Bermudian independence would meanlittle other than the obligation to staff foreign missions andembassies around the world, which can be an onerous obligation forBermuda's small population.

The current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted in 1851. Thestate flag and ensign (and war flag) is a horizontal tricolor ofred, yellow and green with the Bolivian coat of arms in the center.According to one source, the red stands for Bolivia's bravesoldiers, while the green symbolizes fertility and yellow thenation's mineral deposits. The national flag of Bolivia isdescribed as a tricolor rectangle, with the colors red, yellow andgreen, in a ratio of 1:1:1, meaning three horizontal bands, withthe red on the superior part occupying a third of the flag's width,yellow in the middle band using the same width, and green in theinferior part, using the last third. The dimensions of the flag hadnot been defined since its adoption in 1851. Supreme Decree No.27630 of 2004 finally established that the size of the nationalflag be of 7.5 squares width by 11 squares long, a square can beany size, but always using the ratio 15:22. Bolivia is a beautiful,geographically diverse, multiethnic, and democratic country in theheart of South America. It is surrounded by Brazil to thenortheast, Peru to the northwest, Chile to the southwest, Argentinaand Paraguay to the south. It shares with Peru control of LakeTiticaca (Lago Titicaca), the world's highest navigable lake(elevation 3,805m). Sometimes referred to as the Tibet of theAmericas, Bolivia is one of the most "remote" countries in thewestern hemisphere; except for the navigable Paraguay Riverstretching to the distant Atlantic, Bolivia and Paraguay are theonly two landlocked nations in the Americas. It is also the mostindigenous country in the Americas, with 60% of its populationbeing of pure Native American ancestry. Bolivia, named afterindependence fighter Simon Bolivar, broke away from Spanish rule in1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series ofnearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democraticcivilian rule was established in the 1980s, but leaders have faceddifficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and drugproduction. Current goals include attracting foreign investment,strengthening the educational system, and waging an anti-corruptioncampaign. The current President is Evo Morales who won majority ina 2005 election and inaugurated at the historical Tiwanakuarchaeological site. Morales and his party, the Movement forSocialism, were re-elected in 2009, with another majority. Thereare often large protests in Bolivia considering issues likeenvironmental protection, logging, hydrocarbon extraction, autoimports, mining, construction of highways, as well as other issues.These protests often cause the shutdown of streets in La Paz,specifically the area surrounding the Plaza Murillo, and thecreation of blockades along major inter-city travel routes. Iftravelling between cities by bus it can be common for the trip tobe stalled by several hours due to these protests. Bolivia'sclimate varies drastically with altitude and from one climatic zoneto another. It ranges from humid and tropical to cold and semiarid.In most parts of the country winters are dry and summers aresomewhat wet. Despite its tropical latitude, the altitude of citieslike La Paz keeps things cool, and warm clothing is advisedyear-round. The summer months in Bolivia are November throughMarch. The weather is typically warmer and wetter during thesemonths. April through October, the winter months, are typicallycolder and drier.

The flag of the British Virgin Islands was adopted on 15 November1960. It is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in thecanton, and defaced with the coat of arms of the British VirginIslands. The coat of arms features Saint Ursula and the lamps ofher virgin followers, which gives the islands their name. The civilensign is a red ensign with the coat of arms of the British VirginIslands. The red ensign is to be flown on board vessels eitherregistered in the British Virgin Islands or by vessels visiting theBritish Virgin Islands. The Governor of the British Virgin Islandshas a separate flag, a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms.This design is similar to flags of the other Governors in Britishoverseas territories. The British Virgin Islands comprise 60+islands and keys, with more than 43 of them being uninhabitedislands. The islands fall into two types: the majority are steepvolcanic islands (including the main islands, Tortola and VirginGorda), and a small number of relatively flat coral islands (suchas Anegada and Sandy Spit). In fact, Anegada is referred to as "thedrowned island" because its elevation is so low. Many people missit altogether until they sail close to it. The highest point isSage Mountain on Tortola. With a tropical climate tempered byeasterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, and little seasonaltemperature variation, the weather in the BVI is rather enjoyable.In the low season, there are some hurricanes, although in recentyears they have had little consequent damage beyond some flooding.The economy is one of the most stable and prosperous in theCaribbean. The US dollar is the legal currency within the BritishVirgin Islands. The islands of the BVI are highly dependent ontourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income,together with the offshore financial industry.

The national flag of Benin is a flag consisting of two horizontalyellow and red bands on the fly side and a green vertical band atthe hoist. Adopted in 1959 to replace the French Tricolour, it wasthe flag of the Republic of Dahomey until 1975, when the People'sRepublic of Benin was established. The new regime renamed thecountry and changed the flag to a green field with a red star inthe canton. This version was utilized until the regime collapsed in1990, coinciding with the Revolutions of 1989. The new governmentpromptly restored the original pre-1975 flag. The Portuguesearrived in Benin's territory in the fifteenth century, andestablished significant trading posts in Benin's coastal areas.Soon following the Portuguese came French, Dutch, and Britishtraders. Over time, Benin's coast developed into the largest centerof the slave trade in Africa, run by the Fon people, who dominatedthe Dahomey government and actively sold their neighboring peoplesto the Europeans. As the slave trade increased in volume(10,000–20,000 slaves shipped off per day), the coast of Beninbecame known as the Slave Coast. Around this time, the port citiesof Porto-Novo and Ouida were founded and quickly became the largestand most commercially active cities in the country, while Abomeybecame the Dahomey capital. The fall of the Dahomey Kingom wasprecipitated by the banning of slavery throughout Europe in themid-19th century, followed by the French annexation of theterritory under colonial rule. Much of the Dahomey leadership brokeeven in the annexation, being appointed to top government poststhroughout all the French colonies in West Africa. In 1960, Dahomeygained its independence, under the name République du Dahomey,which set off a long and destabilizing series of coups. In thecourse of just one decade, 1960—1972, the government changed handsnine times, and experienced four violent coups. In 1972, MajorMathieu Kérékou, a staunch Marxist, organized the fourth of themilitary coups, and renamed the country the People's Republic ofBenin. Kérékou's regime proved more successful at maintainingpower, and reorganized the country on his interpretation of theMaoist model. In 1989, the French government, in exchange forfinancial support of Benin's flailing economy, persuaded the Beningovernment to abandon its one-party Socialist rule, and to move toa multiparty republic. In 1990, the country was renamed theRepublic of Benin, and in 1991, Benin held its first free electionswith significant success, and Kereku lost to Nicephore Soglo—Beninwas thus the first African nation to successfully coordinate apeaceful transfer of power from a dictatorship to a functioningdemocracy. Soglo remained president through 1996, but hisadministration was marred by poor economic performance, leading tohis electoral defeat to Mathieu Kérékou in 1996, who ruled thecountry and maintained popularity despite corruption scandals until2006. The current president of Benin is today Yayi Boni, atechnocrat who served under the tutelage of former President Soglo.Today, Benin remains as an extremely poor country, suffering frompoverty and corruption. Infrastructure remains very poor incondition, and the struggling economy is recovering after decadesof political unrest.

The flag of the Bahamas consists of a black triangle situated atthe hoist with three horizontal aquamarine, yellow and aquamarinebands. Adopted in 1973 to replace the British Blue Ensign defacedwith the emblem of the Crown Colony of the Bahama Islands, it hasbeen the flag of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas since the countrygained independence that year. The design of the present flagincorporated the elements of various submissions made in a nationalcontest for a new flag prior to independence. Arawak Indiansinhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot inthe New World on San Salvador Island in 1492. British settlement ofthe islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783.Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, the Bahamas haveprospered through tourism and international banking and investmentmanagement. Because of its geography, the country is a majortransshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments tothe US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrantsinto the US. The official language spoken in the Bahamas isEnglish, however the dialect and slang is difficult for mostWesterners and Europeans to understand, especially on the "outislands." The locals speak very fast and use indigenous phrases. Ingeneral, the vast majority of Bahamiams are friendly, polite, andhelpful to tourists. With the exception of Nassau, violent crimesare rare in the Bahamas. The populace is predictably friendly andmore religious than one might expect: the Bahamas have one of thehighest ratios of churches per capita in the world, with Baptistsbeing the largest single group. Local newspapers will revealreligious references by elected officials in a manner that exceedswhat would be found in the United States. This devotion doesnothing to prohibit the activities of visitors nor is it intendedto. There is a very "libertarian" attitude about personal morals.The biggest event in the Bahamian calendar is 'Junkanoo', a streetparade held on Boxing Day (26 December) and New Year's Day (1January). Junkanoo groups "rush" through the streets of towns,especially Nassau, wearing spectacular yet disposable costumes ofcrepe paper and playing distinctive Junkanoo music, which combinesAfrican rhythms with loud brass and cowbells, fusing them togetherin a medley that veers on cacophony but is exceedingly danceable.The costumes, made from scratch every year, are disposed of on thestreets as the party ends and make a great free souvenir to bringhome! There are many types of music known in the Bahamian culturebut the four most prevalent forms of music are Calypso, Soca,Junkanoo and Rake and scrape. The music of the Bahamas isassociated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs onBoxing Day and again on New Year's Day. Parades and othercelebrations mark the ceremony. Groups like The Baha Men, RonnieButler and Kirkland Bodie have gained massive popularity in Japan,the United States and elsewhere.

La bandiera nazionale di Antigua e Barbuda è stata adottata il 27Febbraio 1967, creata da un artista e scultore di fama nazionale,Sir Reginald Samuel. Il sole che sorge simboleggia l'alba di unanuova era. I colori hanno significati diversi, il nero è perl'ascendenza africana del popolo, il blu per la speranza, il rossoper l'energia e il dinamismo del popolo. La successiva colorazionedi giallo, blu e bianco (proveniente dal sole in giù) si distingueanche per il sole, mare e sabbia. Il blu rappresenta anche il Mardei Caraibi, e il V-forma è il simbolo della vittoria. Le date dibandiera dal raggiungimento di autogoverno nel 1967. E 'stato ilprogetto vincitore di un concorso che più di 600 persone localisono entrati. Il progettista e vincitore è stato Sir ReginaldSamuel. L'alfiere dello stato, che viene utilizzato solo da guardianazionale costa, è costituito da un campo bianco, una croce rossa,e la bandiera di stato del cantone. Antigua è forse l'isola che piùcaratterizza la visione moderna di una piccola località deiCaraibi. Con poche altre risorse naturali, il turismo dominal'economia locale di entrambe le isole. Splendide spiagge di sabbiabianca abbondano, e su Antigua non mancano di resort di fascia altane conseguono. Barbuda ha ancora le spiagge, ma poco infrastruttureturistiche-based. Investment banking e servizi finanziari anchecostituiscono una parte importante dell'economia con molte delleprincipali banche estere sfruttando leggi bancarie liberali dellanazione. Che può cambiare tutto anche se dopo l'arresto delmiliardario texano 2009 con sede a Antigua Allen Stanford che èaccusato di perpetrare un'enorme frode che potrebbe aver bilkedinvestitori di circa US $ 8 miliardi. Il cricket è uno sport enormequi e questa piccola nazione ha prodotto diversi veri grandi delmondo di tutti i tempi del gioco. Gli appassionati di cricket saràcertamente non sarà a corto di gente del posto con cui chattare. IlSiboney sono stati i primi ad abitare le isole di Antigua e Barbudaa 2400 aC, ma Arawak e indiani caraibici popolato le isole quandoColombo sbarcò nel suo secondo viaggio nel 1493. insediamentianticipato da parte spagnola e francese erano riusciti Inglese cheha formato un colonia nel 1667. La schiavitù, istituito pereseguire le piantagioni di zucchero di Antigua, è stata abolita nel1834. Le isole sono diventate uno stato indipendente nell'ambitodel Commonwealth britannico nel 1981.

The flag of Christmas Island was unofficially adopted in 1986 afterbeing chosen the winner in a competition for a flag for theterritory. It was designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia. Theflag was made official on Australia Day, 2002 when theadministrator of the territory, Bill Taylor, presented the flag tothe Christmas Island Shire. The flag of Christmas Island consistsof a green and blue background, split the top left corner to thebottom right. These colors are intended to represent the land andsea respectively. The Southern Cross constellation appears in thebottom left of the flag in the same manner as it appears on theflag of Australia. In the top right, the golden bosun bird, one ofsix races of the white-tailed tropicbird, appears. It is consideredto be a symbol of the Island. The last motif appears in the centreof the flag on a golden disc is the map of the island in green. Thedisc itself was originally only included to offset the green colorof the map, but has become linked to the mining industry. Phosphatemining was the the reason for first settlement in the 19th centuryand is still a major contributor to the local economy. The islandis also the place of entry for immigrants seeking asylum inAustralia. Migrants from Southeast Asia make the journey by sea,often on rickety, over crowded boats that are weighed down withpassengers and personal belongings. It is a dangerous trip andsometimes the boats capsize before they arrive. The Australiangovernment operates a detention center on the island for theseasylum seekers. Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, theisland was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888.Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereigntyto Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has beendeclared a national park. The Australian Government in 2001 agreedto support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on theisland, which now looks unlikely to proceed after funding waswithdrawn.

The Flag of the Cayman Islands was adopted on 14 May 1958 after thecolony was officially granted a coat-of-arms. Prior to that, theIslands had used the British flag for all official occasions. In1999, the white disc was removed and the arms were more thandoubled in size, although the pre-1999 flag remains popular and isstill used on some official occasions, and the Cayman IslandsGovernment website describes the flag as a "British blue ensignwith the arms on a white disc in the fly". During the 2004, 2008and 2012 Summer Olympics, and during the 2010 and 2014 WinterOlympics, the Cayman Islands team marched in under the flag asdescribed on the government website. The Cayman Islands werecolonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19thcenturies. Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained aBritish dependency after 1962 when the former became independent.In addition to banking (the islands have no direct taxation, makingthem a popular incorporation site), tourism is a mainstay, aimed atthe luxury market and catering mainly to visitors from NorthAmerica. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 2.19 million in 2006,although the vast majority of visitors arrive for single day cruiseship visits (1.93 million). About 90% of the islands' food andconsumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of thehighest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards ofliving in the world. The Cayman Islands are one of the richestislands not only in the Caribbean but in the world. The culinaryinfluences of many regions are reflected in Cayman cuisine. Localspecialties such as fish, turtle, and conch are delicious and oftenless expensive as they don't need to be imported. With more than150 restaurants, unwinding with a good meal in the Cayman Islandscan include chic five-star dining as well as a more casual venueunder the stars, or even a themed event. From traditional Caymanianseafood to Caribbean to Thai to Italian and New World cuisine,discerning diners are sure to find something to fit their taste.Other exciting options include dinner cruises on luxury catamaransand even an authentic tall ship. Meal prices range from $10 to wellover $30 per person at high-end restaurants. While in Cayman askyour taxi driver for their favorite local Jerk Stand (a MUST try),and also ask them the tourist spot they suggest. A decent amount ofGluten Free, Organic, and Kosher Foods are available at localsupermarkets, contact the Jewish community of Cayman for ShabbatDinners [10]. Finding budget food on the Cayman islands cansometimes be a challenge as the cost of living is higher than mostother countries including the united states. Most restaurants areexpensive. However, there are still a few options for charmingcasual places to eat. Rackams is a local favourite for the scubadivers on the island thanks to its free chicken wings on a Fridaynight.

Aruba's national flag was adopted on March 18, 1976. The designconsists of a field of light blue (called "Larkspur", two narrowparallel horizontal yellow ("Bunting Yellow") stripes in the bottomhalf, and a four-pointed white-fimbriated red ("Union Flag red")star in the canton. The design elements have multiple symbolicmeanings: - The blue field represents the sky, the sea, peace,hope, Aruba's future and its ties to the past. - The two narrowstripes "suggest the movement toward status aparte".The other"industry, all the minerals (gold and phosphates in the past,petroleum in the early 20th century)". [1] In addition to sun,gold, and abundance, the yellow is also said to represent wangloflowers. - The star has particularly complex symbolism. - It isvexillologically unusual in having four points, representing thefour cardinal directions. These refer in turn to the many countriesof origin of the people of Aruba. - The star also represents theisland itself: a land of often red soil bordered by white beachesin a blue sea. - The red colour also represents blood shed byArubans, the Indian inhabitants, during the French pass war;patriotic love. - The white also represents purity, honesty and thewhite beaches of Aruba. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499,Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy hastraditionally been dominated by three main industries. A 19thcentury gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by theopening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20thcentury saw a boom in the tourism industry. In 1986, Aruba secededfrom the Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire and Curacao, which togetherwith Aruba form the ABC-Islands) and became a separate, autonomousmember of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward fullindependence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. In 1986, theoil refinery closed, which severely impacted Aruba's economy andaccelerated an already-evident shift towards tourism which is nowalmost complete. The oil refinery reopened in 1991, closed again in2009, reopened again in 2011, and closed again in 2012. Today,tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy. Therapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade hasresulted in a substantial expansion of other activities.Construction boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level.The 1980s tourism boom led to a bad hangover, in that severalprojects ran out of money during construction and sat ashalf-completed eyesores until they were eventually picked up byother investors and completed during the 1990s and 2000s. Toprevent a recurrence of that situation, the government imposed abuilding moratorium in 2007. The climate is tropical marine, withlittle seasonal temperature variation. Because of its locationsouth in the Caribbean there is very strong sun, but a constantlight breeze keeps the temperature pleasant. (These persistentwinds out of the east shape the island's distinctive, lop-sideddivi-divi trees.) The divi-divi trees have become a signature treeto Aruba's landscape. The weather is almost always dry, with mostrain showers coming at night and lasting only a little while.Temperatures in Aruba do not change dramatically. Between themonths of January and March the temperatures stay around 76-85degrees; this being their high season. However starting in Apriland through December this is considered off season and temperaturesdo not change much beyond 79 and 88 degrees. It lies outside thezone usually affected by hurricanes.

The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field withthe Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter) and a largewhite seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in thelower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of theSouthern Cross constellation made up of five white stars – onesmall five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars. Theflag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) waschosen in 1901 from entries in a competition held followingFederation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901,the date proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day. A slightlydifferent design was approved by King Edward VII in 1902. Theseven-pointed commonwealth star version was introduced by aproclamation dated 23 February 1908. The dimensions were formallygazetted in 1934 and in 1954 the flag became recognised by andlegally defined in the Flags Act 1953 as the "Australian NationalFlag". Based upon scientific evidence and theory, the island ofAustralia was most likely first settled more than 50,000 years agowith successive waves of immigration of people from south andsouth-east Asia. With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age,Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world andtribes developed a variety of cultures, based on a close spiritualrelationship with the land and nature, and extended kinship.Australian people maintained a hunter-gatherer culture forthousands of years in association with a complex artistic andcultural life - including a very rich 'story-telling' tradition.While the modern impression of Australian people is largely builtaround an image of the 'aboriginal desert people' who have adaptedto some of the harshest conditions on the planet (equivalent to thebushmen of the Kalahari), Australia provided a comfortable livingfor the people amongst the bountiful flora and fauna on theAustralian coast - until the arrival of Europeans. Although alucrative Chinese market for shells and beche de mer had encouragedIndonesian fishermen to visit Northern Australia for centuries, itwas unknown to Europeans until the 1600s, when Dutch traders toAsia began to 'bump' into the Northwestern Coast. Early Dutchimpressions of this extremely harsh, dry country were unfavourable,and Australia remained for them a symbolic road sign pointing northto the much richer (and lucrative) East Indies (modern Indonesia).Deliberate exploration of the Australian coast was then largelytaken over by the French and the British. Consequently place namesof bays, headlands and rivers around the coastline reflect a rangeof Dutch, French, British, and Aboriginal languages. In 1770, theexpedition of the Endeavour under the command of Captain James Cooknavigated and charted the east coast of Australia, making firstlandfall at Botany Bay on 29 Apr 1770. Cook continued northwards,and before leaving put ashore on Possession Island in the TorresStrait off Cape York on 22 Aug 1770. Here he formally claimed theeastern coastline he had discovered for the British Crown, namingit New South Wales. Given that Cook's discoveries would lead to thefirst European settlement of Australia, he is often popularlyconceived as its European discoverer, although other Europeannations preceded his arrival by more than 160 years. Following theexploration period, the first British settlement in Australia wasfounded in 1788 at what is today Sydney, led by Captain ArthurPhilip who became the first governor of the colony of New SouthWales. This started a process of colonisation that almost entirelydisplaced the Aboriginal people who inhabited the land. Thisreduced the indigenous population drastically and marginalised themto the fringes of society.

Albania ufficialmente conosciuta come la Repubblica di Albania(albanese: Republika e Shqip ris ?; pronuncia Albanese: [???? ?? PuBlika cip ??? i s]), è un paese nel sud-est Europa. Confina con ilMontenegro a nord-ovest, il Kosovo [a] a nord-est, la Repubblica diMacedonia ad est, e la Grecia a sud e sud-est. Ha una costa sulmare Adriatico ad ovest e sul Mar Ionio a sud-ovest. Si trova ameno di 72 km (45 mi) provenienti da Italia, attraverso lo Strettodi Otranto, che collega il Mar Adriatico al Mar Ionio. L'Albania èun membro delle Nazioni Unite, della NATO, l'Organizzazione per lasicurezza e la cooperazione in Europa, il Consiglio d'Europa edell'Organizzazione mondiale del commercio. Si tratta di uno deimembri fondatori della Comunità dell'energia e l'Unione per ilMediterraneo. E 'anche un candidato ufficiale per l'adesioneall'Unione europea. [7] Il territorio dei nostri giorni d'Albaniain vari punti della storia parte delle province romane dellaDalmazia (sud Illiria), Macedonia (in particolare Epiro Nova), eMesia Superiore. La moderna Repubblica è diventata indipendentedopo il crollo dell'Impero Ottomano in Europa dopo le guerrebalcaniche. [8] L'Albania ha dichiarato l'indipendenza nel 1912 edè stata riconosciuta l'anno successivo. E poi è diventato unPrincipato, Repubblica, e Unito fino essere invaso l'Italia nel1939, che ha costituito Grande Albania. Quest'ultimo si è invecetramutato in un protettorato tedesco nazista nel 1943. [9] L'annoseguente, un socialista Repubblica Popolare è stato istituito sottola guida di Enver Hoxha e il Partito del Lavoro. L'Albania hasperimentato diffuse trasformazioni sociali e politici durante ilperiodo comunista, così come l'isolazionismo da gran parte dellacomunità internazionale. Nel 1991, la Repubblica socialista è statasciolta e la Repubblica di Albania è stato stabilito. L'Albania èuna repubblica parlamentare. A partire dal 2011, la capitale,Tirana, ha ospitato 421.286 di 2,893,005 [1] la gente del paeseentro i limiti della città, 763.634 nell'area metropolitana. [10]Tirana è anche la capitale finanziaria del paese. Riforme di liberomercato hanno aperto il Paese agli investimenti stranieri,soprattutto nello sviluppo di infrastrutture energetiche e deitrasporti. [11] [12] [13] L'Albania ha un alto ISU [5] e fornisceun sistema di assistenza sanitaria universale e primaria gratuita eeducazione secondaria. L'Albania è un'economia di redditomedio-alto (WB, FMI) [14], con il settore dei servizi che dominal'economia del paese, seguito dal settore industriale e agricolo.Mentre la maggioranza relativa della popolazione in Albania sono diorigine musulmana, ci sono anche grandi minoranze di persone con unbackground cristiano (sia ortodossi e cattolici). Molti albanesi,indipendentemente dal loro background possono essere agnostici, el'osservanza religiosa nel suo complesso è rilassato (recentesondaggi mostrano che solo il 30 al 40 per cento sono attento). Imatrimoni tra persone di diverse religioni sono molto comuni e inalcuni luoghi, anche la regola. Cultura albanese tradizionale onorail ruolo e la persona del ospite. In cambio di questo postod'onore, il rispetto è previsto da parte del cliente. Albanesigodono le lunghe passeggiate per le vie della città, bere il caffè,e tra le giovani generazioni, la partecipazione ad attività di vitanotturna come il caffè lounging e balli. La storia recente Inseguito alla sconfitta delle potenze dell'Asse, alla fine dellaseconda guerra mondiale, un governo comunista è stato istituito,presieduta dal capo della resistenza Enver Hoxha. L'Albania èdiventato famoso per il suo isolamento, non solo da parte delledemocrazie di mercato conduzione dell'Europa occidentale, madall'Unione Sovietica, la Cina, e anche la vicina Jugoslavia. Anchese la cortina di ferro è sceso ed i comunisti perso potenza intutta l'Europa orientale, l'Albania sembrava intento a mantenere larotta, da solo.

The flag of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan bayrağı) is atricolour featuring three equally sized fesses of blue, red, andgreen, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star centered inthe red. The blue symbolises Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, the redstands for progress, and the green represents Islam. The officialcolors and size were adopted on February 5, 1991. This flag wasused from November 9, 1918 to 1920, when Azerbaijan wasindependent, and it was revived on February 5, 1991. The flag isreferred to in the Constitution and mentioned two times in thenational anthem. On land, the flag is used as the civil, state andwar flag; at sea, it is used as the civil, state, and naval ensign,as well as the naval jack. The flag also has official status in theNakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The tricolour replaced an earlierdesign used by the Azerbaijan SSR. A presidential decree declaredNovember 9, the date when in 1918 this flag was adopted as thenational flag of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, as the nationalFlag Day. The Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, which is part ofAzerbaijan, was the subject of a war with Armenia that has left ita de facto independent republic, which is not internationallyrecognized by any UN member including, ironically, Armenia which"supports" it. Azerbaijan has lost 20% of its territory and mustsupport some 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as aresult of the conflict. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan hasyet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakhenclave. Occupied by the local Armenian troops to this day, thisconflict has not officially ended with minor skirmishes frequent,and is a major source of contention among Azerbaijanis. Themajority of the population (over 90%) is composed of Azeris, whoshare a culture very similar to Turkey. History, with Russian andPersian influence, has left the Azeris of Azerbaijan and Iran withsome moderate differences. Minorities in Azerbaijan includeLezghins, Russians, Avars, Turks, Tatars, Ukrainians, andGeorgians. Most inhabitants are Shia Muslim, although a longhistory of European and Russian colonialism has left many with veryliberal, laisez-faire attitudes towards Islam and the country isstaunchly secular. The government is a kleptocracy of the Aliyevfamily and their allies. While the opposition is often sacked orimprisoned, it is not as severe an authoritarian government asyou'll find in Turkmenistan, Iran or the Russian Caucasus.Following independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has allowed westerncompanies to develop its neglected, but extensive, oil fields andhas seen oil production skyrocket, especially since the mid-2000s.Despite this and related investments, most of the new-found wealthremains in the hands of a small number of people and the city ofBaku. While Baku is full of new construction and a growing middleclass, much of the country remains poor, where most people arerural agrarians and merchants.

The national flag of Armenia, the Armenian Tricolour (Armenian:Եռագույն, Yeřaguyn), consists of three horizontal bands of equalwidth, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange (alsodescribed as "colour of apricot") on the bottom. The ArmenianSupreme Soviet adopted the current flag on 24 August 1990. On 15June 2006, the Law on the National Flag of Armenia, governing itsusage, was passed by the National Assembly of Armenia. Throughouthistory, there have been many variations of the Armenian flag. Inancient times, Armenian dynasties were represented by differentsymbolic animals displayed on their flags. In the twentiethcentury, various Soviet flags represented the Armenian SSR. Themeanings of the colors are interpreted in many different ways. Forexample, red stands for the blood of the 1.5 million Armenianskilled in the Armenian Genocide, blue is for the Armenian pure sky,and orange, represents the country's courage. Armenia (along withGeorgia) is not one of the easier countries of the Caucasus tovisit; though there are more and more road signs in Latin scriptespecially in Yerevan. English is not widely spoken. For instancemany taxi drivers and sales ladies in the grocery stores and mallsdo not speak and understand English. Russian has remained the mostimportant foreign language. Police don't appear to be too crooked,at least not in Yerevan, and in general the country appears to beboth reasonably safe and well-organised. On a trip to Armenia, youwill frequently be reminded that Armenia was the world's firstofficially Christian country. You will have a hard time forgettingthis as a tourist, since countless monasteries are among Armenia'spremier tourist attractions. Fortunately for those who mightotherwise suffer monastery fatigue, many of these monasteries arebuilt in places of incredible natural beauty, making the sites ofmonasteries like Tatev, Noravank, Haghartsin, Haghpat and Geghardwell worth a visit even without the impressive, millennium oldmonasteries found there. Since 2001, when Armenia celebrated the1,700th anniversary of the nation’s conversion to Christianity, thegrowth in the number of tourists has grown by about 25% every year.Straddling Europe and Asia in the lesser Caucasus Mountains, anex-Soviet state, with a culture over 3,000 years old and examplesof ancient architecture and art all over the countryside, thisbeautiful country offers something exotic for many tourists.Armenian history extends for over 3,000 years. Armenians havehistorically inhabited the "Armenian Highlands", a vast section ofmountains and valleys across eastern Anatolia and the SouthernCaucasus. Armenian vassal states, principalities, kingdoms andempires would rise and fall in different parts of this highlandduring history. They were only unified once, just before the timeof Christ in the empire of Tigran the Great, stretching from theCaspian to the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the history was spentunder the domination of the great powers of the region. The westernparts of Armenia were for long periods under Byzantine or OttomanTurkish rule, while the eastern parts were under Persian or Russianrule. These empires often fought their wars on Armenian territory,using Armenian soldiers. It was a rough neighborhood, but Armeniansmanaged to hold on to their language and church, and prosperwhenever given a chance. Being located on the silk road, Armeniansbuilt a network of merchant communities and ties extending fromeastern Asia to Venice. Eventually, with the onslaught ofnationalism, Armenians paid a heavy price for their religion andtheir envy-inducing wealth.

The flag of Belize is a continued version of the earlier flag ofBritish Honduras (the name of Belize during the British colonialperiod). British Honduras obtained a coat of arms on January 28,1907, which formed the basis of the badge used on British ensigns.The coat of arms recalls the logging industry that first led toBritish settlement there. The figures, tools, and mahogany treerepresent this industry. From 1950 onward an unofficial nationalflag was in use. It was blue, with a modified version of the armson a white disc in the centre (sometimes a blank white circle wasused as the coat of arms was difficult to draw). The nationalmotto, Sub Umbra Floreo, meaning “I Flourish in the Shade”, iswritten in the lower part of the coat of arms. The flag is royalblue, with a white disc at the centre containing the national coatof arms held by a mestizo and a black man (Belize is one of onlytwo sovereign states with a flag that has people appearing on it,with the other being Malta), surrounded by fifty mahoganyleaves.[1] The flag is bordered at top and bottom by two redstripes. The colours on the flag are respectively those of thecountry's national parties, the People's United Party (PUP) andUnited Democratic Party (Belize) (UDP). The UDP, established in1973, had objected to the original blue and white design, those twocolours being the PUP's representative colours. The two red stripesat the top and bottom were added to the original design atindependence. The coat of arms was granted in 1907. Red stripeswere added to denote the colour of the opposition party. Blue isthe party colour of the PUP (People's United Party. The 50 leavesrecall 1950, the year PUP came to power. The flag of Belize is theonly country to have humans depicted as a major design element onits national flag, although the flag of Malta contains an image ofSaint George on the badge of the George Cross, and the flags ofBritish dependencies Montserrat and the Virgin Islands, and that ofFrench Polynesia also depict humans. Like the neighboring parts ofGuatemala and Mexico, this area was settled for thousands of yearsby the Maya people. They are still here, an important part ofBelize's people and culture. While the Spanish Empire claimed thearea in the 16th century, the Spanish made little progress insettling here. The British settled first on the coast and offshoreislands for logging. In 1798 British Belizean forces defeated aSpanish attempt to drive them out in "the Battle of St. George'sCaye", whose anniversary is still celebrated as a holiday each 10September. The colony of "British Honduras" grew in the 19thcentury. At first Africans were brought in as slaves, but slaverywas abolished here in 1838. Many refugees from the 19th centuryCaste War of Yucatan escaped the conflict to settle in Belize,especially the northern section. The government of Guatemala longclaimed to have inherited the Spanish claim to Belize; theterritorial dispute delayed the independence of Belize until 1981.Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1991. Belizeescaped the bloody civil conflicts of the 1980s that engulfed muchof Central America, and refugees from the conflict in Guatemalaarrived, mostly settling in the west. While Belize has not beenimmune to the rampant drug crime and grinding poverty of itsneighbors it is a comparatively safe destination in a conflictprone part of the world. Tourism has become the mainstay of theeconomy as the old agricultural products -- sugar, banana, andoranges -- have lost ground. The country remains plagued by highunemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade,and increased urban crime. In 2006 commercial quantity oil wasdiscovered in the Spanish Lookout area.

The flag of Colombia was adopted on December 17, 1819. It is ahorizontal tricolour of yellow, blue and red. The yellow stripetakes up the top half of the flag and the blue and red take up aquarter of the space each. The horizontal stripes (from top tobottom) of yellow, blue and red tricolour have a ratio of 2:1:1.It—together with that of Ecuador, also derived from the flag ofGran Colombia—is different from most other tricolour flags, eithervertical or horizontal, in having stripes which are not equal insize. Colombia - Twice the size of France, and with a diversity oflandscapes and cultures that would be hard to find even incountries five times its size, Colombia should by all rights be oneof the world's top travel destinations. Pick a climate, and it'syours—if you find the light jacket weather of Bogotá cold, drive anhour down through the mountains and sunbathe next to the pool ofyour rented hacienda. If you don't want to sit still, head off intothe Amazon or any of the country's other many inland jungles,snow-capped volcanoes, rocky deserts, endless plains, lush valleys,coffee plantations, alpine lakes, deserted beaches. For culture,intellectual Bogotá might lead the rest of Latin America inexperimental theater, indie-rock, and just sheer volume ofbookstores, but you could also get a completely alien education inan Amazonian malocca, or you could delve into the huge Latin musicscene of salsa and cumbia, with the most exciting dance displaybeing the enormous Carnival of Barranquilla. For history, wanderthe narrow streets of South America's original capital in Bogotá,check out old Spanish colonial provincial retreats like Villa deLeyva, trek through the thick jungle-covered mountains of thenortheast to the Lost City of the Tayrona Indians. Walk the wallsof Cartagena's achingly beautiful old city, looking over thefortified ramparts upon which the colonial history of South Americapivoted. For nightlife, hot Cali is today's world capital of salsa,claiming that competitive distinction even over Colombia's othervibrant big city party scenes, which keep the music going long intothe small hours of the morning. For dining, you'll find everythingfrom the ubiquitous cheap, delicious Colombian home-style meals toworld-class upscale and modern culinary arts in the big cities,with cuisines from all corners of the world represented. And forrelaxing, there are gorgeous tropical beaches along Colombia'sCaribbean and Pacific coasts, but you can find even more laidbackand peaceful retreats on the idyllic and unspoilt Caribbean islandof Providencia.

The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains a wide medium bluevertical band on the fly side with a yellow right triangle abuttingthe band and the top of the flag. The remainder of the flag ismedium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two halfstars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle. Thethree points of the triangle are understood to stand for the threeconstituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Croats,and Serbs. It is also seen to represent the territory of Bosnia andHerzegovina which is shaped like a triangle. The stars,representing Europe, are meant to be infinite in number and thusthey continue from top to bottom. The flag features colors oftenassociated with neutrality and peace – white, blue, and yellow. Thecolors yellow and blue are also seen to be taken from the flag ofEurope; the color blue was originally based on the flag of theUnited Nations. The present scheme is being used by both theCouncil of Europe which owns the flag and the European Union whichadopted the Council of Europe's flag in 1985. They are also colorstraditionally associated with Bosnia. Until recently, the idea of aBosnian-Herzegovinan nationality mainly applied to the nation'sMuslims, also referred to as Bosniaks. Bosnia and Herzegovina'sCroatians and Serbs looked to Serbia and Croatia for guidance andas the mother country and both had aspirations for political unionwith either Serbia or Croatia once the Yugoslav state began to fallapart in the early 1990s. This of course spelled disaster for thestate of Bosnia-Herzegovina and as a result a bloody civil war wasfought between all three groups. In the end the Croatian-Muslimalliance fought the Serbian forces on the ground whilst NATOattacked the Bosnian Serbs from the air. A peace treaty followedwith a heavy handled role of the U.S. Clinton Administrationhelping seal the deal. The result was that Bosnia would be afederation comprising a Croat-Muslim unit alongside a Serbautonomous entity. Things have rapidly improved since then but thetwo regions of Bosnia still have a long way to go towards completepolitical and social union. As of now, it could be saidBosnia-Herzegovina functions as one country with two or even threedifferent parts. However, the central government lies in Sarajevoand there is one common currency, the Mark (KM). Bosnia andHerzegovina ranked next to The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation.Although agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms aresmall and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a netimporter of food. Industry has been greatly overstaffed, onereflection of the socialist economic structure of Yugoslavia. Titohad pushed the development of military industries in the republicwith the result that Bosnia-Herzegovina hosted a large share ofYugoslavia's defense plants. The bitter inter ethnic warfare inBosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1990 to 1995,unemployment to soar, and human misery to multiply. With an uneasypeace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high percentagerates from a low base; but output growth slowed in 2000 and 2001.GDP remains far below the 1990 level. Economic data are of limiteduse because, although both entities issue figures, national-levelstatistics are limited. Moreover, official data do not capture thelarge share of activity that occurs on the black market. Thekonvertibilna marka - the national currency introduced in 1998 - isnow pegged to the euro, and the Central Bank of Bosnia andHerzegovina has dramatically increased its reserve holdings.Implementation of privatization, however, has been slow, and localentities only reluctantly support national-level institutions.Banking reform accelerated in 2001 as all the communist-erapayments bureaus were shut down.

The flag of Austria has three equal horizontal bands of red (top),white, and red. The Austrian triband is based on the coat of armsof the Babenberg dynasty, recorded in the 13th century. It may haveseen use in flags from about the 15th century,[citation needed]alongside the black-and-yellow colours of the House of Habsburg andother insignia of the Holy Roman Empire. It was adopted as a navalensign in the 18th century, and as national flag in 1918. Today'sAustria is what was once the German speaking core and centre ofpower for the large multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire with itsimperial capital in Vienna. This empire stretched eastwards frompresent-day Austria through much of east-central and south-centralEurope. It included the entire territories of modern day Hungary,the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, andportions of Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Poland and Italy. WhilePrussia united the German states to the north by force into one"Germany" in the latter part of the 19th Century, Austria remainedoriented eastwards towards its diverse empire. However, from thestart of the 20th century, the political history of Austria hasbeen closely linked to the misfortunes and disasters of modernGerman history, mainly the First and Second World Wars and theirterrible aftermath. The modern republic of Austria came into beingin 1918 as a result of its defeat in World War I. In its wake, theempire was split into many components. They included Austria'scurrent borders, an independent Hungary, lands given to Italy(South Tyrol, Trieste and Trentino), lands given to southern Poland(which also came about from lands taken from the Russian and GermanEmpires), and an independent Czechoslovakia and the northern andwestern half of Yugoslavia. Following an unresisted invasion andannexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, Austria more or less functionedas a part of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Thus, alarge proportion of the population supported Hitler and Austria'sincorporation into Germany. Austrian soldiers also fought in theWehrmacht. Cities were bombed heavily by the Allies andconcentration camps also existed on Austrian soil (such asMauthausen near Linz). It was not until the end of the war that themood changed and that Austria tried to distance itself fromGermany. In 1945, Austria was divided into zones of occupation likeGermany. However, unlike Germany, Austria was not subject to anyfurther territorial losses. A treaty signed in 1955 ended theAllied and Soviet occupation, recognized Austria's independence,and forbade future unification with Germany. A constitutional lawof that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality", acondition for Soviet military withdrawal, and thus saved Austriafrom Germany's fate of a divided nation with a divided capital.However, the South Tyrol Question took Austria and Italy to the UNin the post-war era and international brokered mitigation found asuitable solution for both countries by the late 1980's. Thisofficial neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austriancultural identity, has been called into question since the SovietUnion's collapse of 1991 and Austria's entry into the EuropeanUnion in 1995. Re-examining its Nazi past is something that hasbecome large-scale and accepted as commonplace in the media onlyrelatively recently. Before, Austria had sought to portray itselfas "Hitler's first victim". A prosperous country, Austria enteredthe European Monetary Union in 1999, and the euro currency replacedthe schilling in 2002. Austria is also part of "borderless Europe",resulting in many students from all over the European Unionstudying in Austrian universities and vice verse. Austria is one ofthe most popular summer and winter holiday destinations in Europeand has the tourist industry to match it.

The national flag of Brazil (Portuguese: Bandeira do Brasil), oftencolloquially called the Auriverde (The Gold and Green), is a bluedisc depicting a starry sky spanned by a curved band inscribed withthe national motto, within a gold rhombus, on a green field. Brazilofficially adopted this design for its national flag on November19, 1888, replacing the flag of the Empire of Brazil. The conceptwas the work of Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, with the collaboration ofMiguel Lemos, Manuel Pereira Reis and Décio Villares. The greenfield and the gold rhombus from the previous imperial flag werepreserved — the green represented the House of Braganza of Pedro I,the first Emperor of Brazil, while the gold represented the Houseof Habsburg of his wife, Empress Maria Leopoldina. A blue circlewith 27 white five-pointed stars replaced the arms of the Empire ofBrazil. The stars, whose position in the flag reflect the sky overRio de Janeiro on November 15, 1889, represent the union'sfederated units - each star representing a specific state, plus onefor the Federal District. Brazil was inhabited solely by indigenouspeople, mainly of the Tupi and Guarani ethnic groups. Settling bythe Portuguese began late in the 16th century, with the extractionof valuable wood from the pau brasil tree, from which the countrydraws its name. Brazil was settled by the Portuguese and not theSpanish, as were the rest of Central, South and parts of NorthAmerica in the New World. Despite Portuguese rule, some parts ofBrazil formed a Dutch colony between 1630 and 1654. They foundedseveral cities, such as Mauritsville (actually Recife, capital ofthe state of Pernambuco, at the edge of North-East of the country),and many sugar cane plantations. The Dutch fought a grim jungle warwith the Portuguese, and without the support of the Republic oftheir homeland due to a war with England, the Dutch surrendered tothe Portuguese, though they did not officially recognize Portugueserule, which led to an all-out war with Portugal off the coast ofPortugal in 1656. In 1665 the Peace Treaty of The Hague was signed,Portugal lost its Asian colonies and had to pay 63 tons of gold tocompensate the Dutch Republic for the loss of its colony. Brazilbecame the centre of the Portuguese Empire by 1808, when the KingDom João VI (John VI) fled from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal andestablished himself and his government in the city of Rio deJaneiro. The following centuries saw further exploitation of thecountry's natural riches such as gold and rubber, alongside therise of an economy based largely on sugar, coffee and African slavelabour. Meanwhile, extermination and Christianizing of natives keptits pace, and in the 19th and 20th centuries a second wave ofimmigration took place, mainly Italian, German (in southernBrazil), Spanish, Japanese (in São Paulo and Paraná states) andPortuguese, making Brazilian culture and society complex andunique. Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal,Brazil became an independent nation on September 7th, 1822. Until1889 Brazil was an Empire under the rule of Dom Pedro I and his sonDom Pedro II. By this time, it became an emerging internationalpower. But during these three and a half centuries, Brazil was thenation in the Americas with the most widespread slavery, the firstto bring African people to work by force, and the last to set themfree. Due to English laws against slavery (some argue more foreconomic contests than humanity reasons) and fighting between whiteand black people, slaves and free, for abolition, slavery ended in1888. But freedom didn't mean equality to the now-free black peopleand their descendants.

The flag of the Central African Republic was adopted on December 1,1958. It was designed by Barthélemy Boganda, the first president ofthe autonomous territory of Oubangui-Chari, who believed that"France and Africa must march together." Thus he combined the blue,white and red of the French tricolour and the Pan-African colorsred, green and yellow. From 1976 to 1979, during the existence ofthe Central African Empire, an imperial standard was designed forEmperor Bokassa I's personal use. The standard was light green incolor, with a gold-colored eagle in the centre superimposed over a20-pointed gold star, inspired by the eagle on the imperialstandard of Napoleon I. The nation's flag, however, remainedunchanged. Until the early 1800s, the peoples of the CAR livedbeyond the expanding Islamic frontier in the Sudanic zone of Africaand thus had relatively little contact with outsiders. During thefirst decades of the nineteenth century, however, Muslim tradersincreasingly began to penetrate the region of the CAR and tocultivate special relations with local leaders to facilitate theirtrade and settlement in the region. The initial arrival of Muslimtraders in the early 1800s was relatively peaceful and dependedupon the support of local peoples, but after about 1850, slavetraders with well-armed soldiers began to penetrate the region.European penetration of Central African territory began in the latenineteenth century during the so-called Scramble for Africa. TheFrench, Belgian and British competed to establish their claims toterritory in the Central African region. In 1889 the Frenchestablished a post on the Ubangi River at Bangui, the futurecapital of and the CAR and in 1894, the "French Congo's" borderswith (Belgian) Congo Free State, now the Democratic Republic of theCongo and (German) Cameroon were fixed by diplomatic agreements.The French named their colony Ubang Shari. On 1 December 1958 thecolony of Ubangi-Shari became an autonomous territory and took thename Central African Republic. The founding father, BarthélémyBoganda, died in a mysterious plane accident in 1959, just eightdays before the last elections of the colonial era. On 13 August1960 the Central African Republic gained its independence and twoof Boganda's closest aides became involved in a power struggle.David Dacko won and by 1962 had established a one-party state.Since then a series of coups, including a notorious period under aself-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, and periodic violencefrom rebel groups, have dealt a very bad lot to the citizens of theCentral African Republic. Today, this remains one of the mostlawless, dangerous and unstable nations on earth. The climate isgenerally tropical. The northern areas are subject to harmattanwinds, which are hot, dry, and carry dust. The northern regionshave been subject to desertification, and the northeast is desert.The remainder of the country is prone to flooding from nearbyrivers. In the November 2008 issue of National Geographic, theCentral African Republic was named the country least affected bylight pollution and clear desert nights mean the skies arespectacular.

The national flag of Bangladesh (Bengali: বাংলাদেশের জাতীয়পতাকাpronounced: [baŋlad̪eʃer dʒat̪ie̯o pɔt̪aka]) was adoptedofficiallyon 17 January 1972. It consists of a red disc on top of agreenfield, offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appearscentredwhen the flag is flying. The red disc represents the sunrisingover Bengal, and also the blood of those who died fortheindependence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for thelushnessof the land of Bangladesh. The flag is based on a similarflag usedduring the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which had ayellowmap of the country inside the red disc. In 1972 this mapwasdeleted from the flag. One reason given was the difficultyforrendering the map correctly on both sides of the flag.BritishIndia was partitioned by joint leaders of the Congress,AllIndia-Muslim League and Britain in the summer of 1947, creatingthecommonwealth realms of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan andaRepublic of India. Bangladesh came into existence in 1971whenBengali-speaking East Pakistan seceded from its union withPunjabidominated West Pakistan after a 9 month bloody war.AlthoughBangladesh emerged as an independent country only in 1971,itshistory stretches back thousands of years and it has longbeenknown as a crossroads of history and culture. Here you willfindthe world's longest beach, countless mosques, the largestmangroveforest in the world, interesting tribal villages and awealth ofelusive wild life. Although relatively impoverishedcompared to itsburgeoning South Asian neighbour India, Bangladeshisare veryfriendly and hospitable people, putting personalhospitality beforepersonal finances. Ready-made garments, textiles,pharmaceuticals,agricultural goods, ship building and fishing aresome of thelargest industries. The gap between rich and poor isincreasinglyobvious and the middle-class is fast-shrinking, as inthe rest ofAsia, especially in cities such as Dhaka and Chittagongas you movearound between the working class old city andaffluentneighborhoods like Gulshan and Baridhara. Bangladesh has asubtropical monsoon climate. There are six seasons in a year:Winter(Dec-Jan), Spring (Feb-Mar), Summer (Apr-May), Monsoon(June-July),Autumn (Aug-Sep), and Late Autumn (Oct-Nov). Theaveragetemperature across the country usually ranges between 9C -29C inwinter months and between 21C - 34C during summer months.Annualrainfall varies from 160cm to 200cm in the West, 200cm to400cm inthe Southeast and 250cm to 400cm in the Northeast. Cyclonesabovecategory three/four are uncommon (especially in the deepwinterJanuary through March)-- but while rare, can still bringwidespreaddisruption as expected to infrastructure and poweroutages,especially in the coastal areas. The weather pattern isakin to theGulf Coast in the United States (Alabama, MississippiandLouisiana). The country is primarily a low-lying plain ofabout144,000 km2, situated on deltas of large rivers flowing fromtheHimalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel oftheBrahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually emptyintothe Bay of Bengal. The country is primarily flat fertilefarmlandand, with the exception of Chittagong Hill Tracts, rarelyexceeds10 meters above sea level, making it dangerously susceptibletochanges in sea level.

The national flag of Belgium (Dutch: Vlag van België,French:Drapeau de la Belgique, German: Flagge Belgiens) is atricolor ofthree bands of black, yellow, and red. The colours weretaken fromthe coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, and thevertical designmay be based on the flag of France. When flown, theblack band isnearest the pole (at the hoist side). Officially, thenational flaghas the unusual proportions of 13:15, but is rarelyseen in thisconfiguration. Instead, a flag in a common 2:3 orsimilar ratio isused in most cases, even by most government bodiesand officialorganisations. Belgium is the heir of several formerMedievalpowers, previously named Belgae (or Belgica reference tothe RomanEmpire period), and you will see traces of theseeverywhere duringyour trip in this country. After the collapse ofthe CarolingianEmpire in the 9th century, the territory that isnowadays Belgium,Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was part ofLotharingia, an ephemeralkingdom soon to be absorbed into theGermanic Empire; however, thespecial character of "LowerLotharingia" remained intact in thefeudal Empire: this is theorigin of the Low Countries, a generalterm that encompassespresent-day Belgium, Netherlands, andLuxembourg. The widelyautonomous fiefdoms of the Low Countrieswere amongst the richestplaces in Medieval Europe and you will seetraces of this pastwealth in the rich buildings of Bruges,Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent,Leuven, Tournai, Mons, etc. These citiesprogressively fell underthe control of a powerful and ambitiousfamily : the Dukes ofBurgundy. The whole realm of the dukesextended from the LowCountries to the borders of Switzerland.Using wealth, strategy, andalliances, the Dukes of Burgundy aimedat reconstitutingLotharingia. The death of the last Duke, Charlesthe Bold, put anend to this dream. However, the treasures of theDukes of Burgundyremains as a testimony of their rules in Belgianmuseums andlandmarks. The powerful Habsburg family then inheritedfrom the LowCountries. Reformation is the reason that Belgium andNetherlandswere first put apart: the northern half of the LowCountriesembraced Protestantism and rebelled against the Habsburgrule, whilethe southern half remained faithful to both its rulerand theCatholic faith. These two halves roughly corresponds topresent-dayBelgium and Netherlands. Belgium was called AustrianNetherlands,then Spanish Netherlands, depending on which branch ofthe Habsburgruled it. The powerful German emperor and Spanishking, Charles V,was born in the Belgian city of Ghent and ruledfrom Brussels. Manyplaces in Belgium are named after him,including the city ofCharleroi and even a brand of beer. Everyyear, the Brusselersemulate his first parade in their city in whatis called theOmmegang. Belgium was briefly a part of theNapoleonic Empire. AfterNapoleon's defeat, a large Kingdom of theNetherlands was created,comprising the whole of the Low Countries.However, the religiousopposition still remained and the split wasaggravated by politicaldifferences between Belgian liberals andDutch aristocrats. Belgiumbecame independent from the Netherlandsin 1830 after a shortrevolution and a war against the Netherlands.It was occupied byGermany during World Wars I and II and has manywar graves near thebattle zones, most of them are around Ieper (inEnglish archaicallyrendered as Ypres, with Yperite another namefor mustard gas due tointensive use there in the first World War).It has prospered in thepast half century as a modern,technologically advanced Europeanstate and member of NATO and theEU. Tensions between theDutch-speaking Flemings of the north andthe French-speakingWalloons of the south have led in recent yearsto constitutionalamendments granting these regions formalrecognition and autonomy.

Algeria ufficialmente la Repubblica democratica popolare diAlgeria,è un paese del Nord Africa, sulla costa mediterranea. Lasuacapitale e città più popolosa è Algeri. Con una superficiedi2,381,741 chilometri quadrati (919.595 miglia quadrati), il 90%deiquali è deserto, l'Algeria è il paese decimo più grande al mondoela più grande nel mondo arabo e in Africa. [10] E 'delimitataanord-est da Tunisia, a est con la Libia, a ovest con il Marocco,asud-ovest dal Sahara occidentale, Mauritania, Mali e, a sud-estconil Niger, ea nord dal Mar Mediterraneo. Antica Algeriahaconosciuto molti imperi e dinastie, tra Numidi antichi,Fenici,Cartaginesi, Romani, Vandali, Bizantini, Omayyadi,Abbasidi,Idrisid, Aghlabid, Rustamid, Fatimidi, Zirid,Hammadids,Almoravidi, Almohadi, ottomani e l'impero colonialefrancese.L'Algeria è una repubblica semi-presidenziale di 48province e1.541 comuni. Abdelaziz Bouteflika è Presidente dal 1999.Algeriafornisce grandi quantità di gas naturale in Europa, eleesportazioni di energia sono la spina dorsaledell'economia.Secondo l'OPEC in Algeria ha le 17 più grandi riservedi petrolioal mondo, e il secondo più grande in Africa, mentre hail 9 ° piùgrandi riserve di gas naturale. Sonatrach, la compagniapetroliferanazionale, è la più grande azienda in Africa. L'Algeriaha ilsecondo più grande il più grande bilancio della difesa inAfricamilitare in Nord Africa, e. [11] [12] E 'un membrodell'UnioneAfricana, la Lega Araba, l'OPEC, e le Nazioni Unite, edè uno deimembri fondatori di l'Unione del Maghreb arabo. CittàAlgeri - conquasi 3 milioni di abitanti di Algeri è la capitale, maanche ilcentro politico e culturale dell'Algeria. Bel mix diedificifrancesi bianche, strade strette della dell'UNESCO elencatiCasbah,splendidi parchi e la Baia magia di Algeri. Annaba - Unacittà con200.000 abitanti situato nella parte orientaledell'Algeria vicinoal confine con la Tunisia. Annaba gode di belpalazzo coloniale,una bella chiesa su una collina costruita perSaint-Augustin esplendide spiagge. Batna - Una città moderna nellaregione Aures,nell'est dell'Algeria. Vicino si trovano Timgad, unadelle piùbelle rovine romane del mondo, ma anche i Canyons Ghoufi.Bechar -Piccola città nel Sahara, non lontano dal confinemarocchino.Constantine - Una città impressionante in Oriente, riccodi storiae di tradizioni, sulle scogliere enormi e drammatici eattraversatoda diversi ponti. Il porto a Oran Oran - Il più grandecittà dopoAlgeri anche chiamato secondo Parigi algerini, con moltiedificiimpressionanti dal momento coloniale. Orano è la città difesta edi piacere, con le sue spiagge e le discoteche e la famamondialedi Ra? musica. ? S tif - Sud della Cabilia contemperatureabbastanza moderate e neve occasionale cade in inverno.Vicino sipossono trovare Djemila, una bellissima antica cittàromana.Tamanrasset - più grande città del Sud e punto di partenzaper lespedizioni verso il Sahara e le montagne dell'Hoggar Bejaia -Laseconda più grande città della Cabilia, con una costaincredibile,splendide spiagge e bella architettura, un castello puòesserevisitato sul monte Gourara. Ghardaia - Una cittàpatrimoniodell'UNESCO, dove il deserto inizia con la suameravigliosaarchitettura Mzab e la sua arte. Tipaza - Una cittàmolto bellavicino a Algeri con belle spiagge e rovine romane vicinoal mare.Mostaganem - Una città molto turistica vicino a Oran,conosciuto intutto il paese per la sua cultura e le sue numerose espiagge moltobelle. Tlemcen - Una città sofisticata piena distoria, la cittàpiù moresca dell'Algeria con le sue moschee el'architetturamusulmana.

The current national flag of Belarus (Belarusian: СцягБеларусі,Sciah Bielarusi; Russian: Флаг Беларуси, Flag Belarusi) isa redand green flag with a white and red ornament pattern placed atthestaff (hoist) end. The current design was introduced in 2012 bytheState Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus,andis adapted from a design approved in a referendum in May 1995.Itis a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country wasarepublic of the Soviet Union. Changes made to the Soviet-eraflagwere the removal of symbols of communism (the hammer and sickleandthe red star) and the reversal of the colors of theornamentpattern, from white on red to red on white. Since the1995referendum, several flags used by government officials andagencieswere modeled from the national flag. This design replacedthehistorical white-red-white flag used by the BelarusianPeople'sRepublic of 1918, before Belarus became a Soviet Republic,andagain after it regained its independence in 1991. Oppositiongroupshave continued to use this flag, though its display inBelarus hasbeen restricted by the government of Belarus, whichclaims it waslinked with Nazi collaboration during the Second WorldWar. Thewhite-red-white flag is used in protests against thegovernment andby the Belarusian diaspora. The basic design of thenational flagof Belarus was first described in Presidential DecreeNo.214 ofJune 7, 1995. The flag is a rectangular cloth consistingof twohorizontal stripes: a red upper stripe covering two-thirds oftheflag's height, and green lower stripe covering one-third.Avertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern, whichoccupiesone-ninth of the flag's length, is placed against theflagstaff.The flag's ratio of width to length is 1:2. The flag doesnotdiffer significantly from the flag of the Byelorussian SSR,otherthan the removal of the hammer and sickle and the red star,and thereversal of red and white in the hoist pattern. While thereis noofficial interpretation for the colors of the flag, anexplanationgiven by President Alexander Lukashenko is that redrepresentsfreedom and the sacrifice of the nation's forefathers,while greenrepresents life. In addition to the 1995 decree, "STB911–2008:National Flag of the Republic of Belarus" was published bytheState Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarusin2008. It gives the technical specifications of the nationalflag,such as the details of the colors and the ornament pattern.The redornament design on the national flag was, until 2012, 1/12thewidth of the flag, and 1/9 with the white margin. As of 2012,thered pattern has occupied the whole of the white margin(whichstayed at 1/9th). Originally part of Kievan Rus, Belarus waspartof the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the PolishPartitionsin the 18th century. After over a hundred years ofRussian rulefollowed by seven decades as a constituent republic ofthe USSR,Belarus attained its independence in 1991. However,underauthoritarian rule of Alexander Lukashenko (since 1994), ithasretained closer political and economic ties to Russia than anyofthe other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signedatreaty on a two-state union on 8 December, 1999,envisioninggreater political and economic integration. AlthoughBelarus agreedto a framework to carry out the accord, serious stepstowardsimplementation have seen limited success. The economy iscompletelydependent on Russia, and the Belarusian government isopen towestern government and people stance (if they are openminded andhave good goals). The country has not seen muchstructural reformin the past few years. Political and journalisticactivity istightly controlled. The country was the most developedrepublic(excluding the three Baltic states) in the former USSR, thecountryhas a lot of remains from its socialist past and can notberegarded as materialistically backwards

The national flag of Barbados was officially adopted on 1stJanuary1944 the island's first Independence Day. Barbados hasexperiencedseveral waves of human habitation. The first wave wereof theSaladoid-Barrancoid group, farmers, fishermen, and ceramistswhoarrived by canoe from Venezuela's Orinoco Valley around 350 AD.TheArawak people were the second wave, arriving from SouthAmericaaround 800 AD. Arawak settlements on the island includeStroudPoint, Chandler Bay, Saint Luke's Gully, and Mapp's Cave.Accordingto accounts by descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribeson otherlocal islands, the original name for Barbados wasIchirouganaim. Inthe 13th century, the Caribs arrived from SouthAmerica in thethird wave, displacing both the Arawak and theSalodoid-Barrancoid.For the next few centuries, they lived inisolation on the island.The name "Barbados" comes from a Portugueseexplorer named PedroCampos in 1536, who originally called theisland Los Barbados ("TheBearded Ones"), after the appearance ofthe island's fig trees,whose long hanging aerial roots resembledbeards. Between Campos'ssighting in 1536 and 1550, Spanishconquistadors seized many Caribson Barbados and used them as slavelabor on plantations. The othersfled the island, moving elsewhere.Barbados was formally settled bythe British in 1627. After severalfailed crops of cotton,sugarcane was introduced, and the colonyestablished itself as aprofitable plantation economy. EnslavedAfricans were the primarysource of labour on these plantationsuntil 1834, when they wontheir freedom through several years ofrebellion, supported byincreasing pressure from anti-slaverymovements in Britain. Theeconomy remained heavily dependent onsugar, rum and molassesproduction through most of the 20th century.Though the shackleswere removed, much of the repressive labourconditions of slaveryremained on the island until the 1930s, whenthe educated blackmiddle class fought for universal adult suffrageand took thecontrol of the country's local governance away fromtheBritish-descended local aristocracy. The country began a processofsocial and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s which ledtocomplete independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Inthe1980s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industryineconomic importance. Barbados has developed into a stabledemocracywith one of the highest rates of literacy in theWesternHemisphere.

Angola, ufficialmente Repubblica di Angola, è un paese inAfricaaustrale. E 'il paese settimo più grande in Africa, e confinaconla Namibia, a sud, la Repubblica Democratica del Congo, a nord,loZambia ad est, e l'Oceano Atlantico a ovest. La provinciaexclavedi Cabinda ha confini con la Repubblica del Congo enellaRepubblica Democratica del Congo. La capitale è la città diLuanda.Anche se il suo territorio è stato abitato sin dalPaleolitico,moderno Angola ha origine nella colonizzazioneportoghese, che haavuto inizio con, ed è stato per secoli limitatia, insediamenticostieri e stazioni commerciali stabilite dal 16 °secolo in poi.Nel 19 ° secolo, i coloni europei lentamente etimidamentecominciato a stabilirsi al suo interno. Come unacoloniaportoghese, l'Angola non comprendono i suoi confini attualifino al20esimo secolo, in seguito la resistenza da gruppi come ilCuamato,il Kwanyama e la Mbunda. L'indipendenza è stato raggiuntonel 1975,dopo una lunga guerra di liberazione. Nello stesso anno,l'Angoladisceso in una guerra civile intenso che durò fino al 2002.Daallora è diventata una repubblica presidenzialeunitariarelativamente stabile. L'Angola ha vaste riserve minerariee delpetrolio, e la sua economia è tra le più rapida crescita nelmondo,soprattutto dopo la fine della guerra civile. Nonostantequesto, iltenore di vita resta basso per la maggior parte dellapopolazione,e la speranza di vita e infantile tassi di mortalità inAngola sonotra i peggiori al mondo. [5] la crescita economicadell'Angola èmolto irregolare, con la maggior parte dei laricchezza dellanazione concentrata in una sproporzionatamentepiccola settoredella popolazione. L'Angola è uno stato membro delleNazioni Unite,l'OPEC, Unione Africana, la Comunità dei Paesi diLinguaPortoghese, l'Unione Latina e la Comunità per losviluppodell'Africa australe. Un paese altamente multietnico,dell'Angola24,3 milioni di persone abbracciano vari gruppi tribali,costumi etradizioni. Cultura angolana riflette secoli didominazioneportoghese, vale a dire il predominio della linguaportoghese e ilcattolicesimo romano, in combinazione con diverseinfluenzeindigene. Il popolo angolano sono stoici. Hanno unaprofondacomprensione di pazienza, e di evitare accusando ledifficoltà cheil paese deve affrontare il fatto che ci fosse laguerra. Inrealtà, gli angolani si comportano come se non ci fossela guerra,anche se è profondamente radicato in ogni angolana. Lamusica è ilcuore e l'anima di ogni angolana, e può essere ascoltatoin tuttoil mondo con qualsiasi cosa usato come una scusa perfesteggiare.L'Angola ha una vasta gamma di musica, soprattuttoKuduro, Kizomba,Semba e Tarrachinha, quest'ultimo essendo piùsensuale di tutti glialtri. Tutto n tutto, è sicuro di dire che gliangolani sonodivertenti persone che amano con una sete di più diciò che la vitaha da dare. L'Angola era un territorio d'oltremareportoghese dal16 ° secolo al 1975. I portoghesi sono stati quasitutti condannatiche sono diventati mercanti di schiavi epartecipanti più tardi nelcommercio "lavoro forzato" esilio. Dopol'indipendenza, l'Angola èstata teatro di una guerra civile intensadal 1975 al 2002. Ilpaese è la seconda più grande di petrolio ediamanti produttorenell'Africa sub-sahariana, tuttavia, questericchezze sono nellemani delle "grandi persone": l'Angola dipolitici, minatori,petrolieri e le multinazionali associati.Aspettativa di vita e lamortalità infantile dell'Angola sonoentrambi tra i peggioriclassificato nel mondo. Nell'agosto del2006, un trattato di pace èstato firmato con una fazione del FLEC,un gruppo di guerriglieriseparatisti del exclave di Cabinda nelNord, che è ancora attivo.Circa il 65% del petrolio dell'Angolaproviene da quella regione.

The national flag of the Republic of Chad (French: Drapeau duTchad,Arabic: علم تشاد‎) is a vertical tricolor consisting (leftto right)of a blue, a yellow and a red field. Blue was substitutedfor greento avoid confusion with Mali. The basic design is thesame as thatof the flag of Romania, and the flag of Andorra. Theonly divergencefrom the flag of Romania is different variations ofblue on the leftstrip. Blue symbolizes, officially, the sky, hope,and water; yellowthe sun and the desert to the north of thecountry; red progress,unity, and sacrifice. Red also recalls theblood shed forindependence. RGB colours values are, respectively,12-28-140,252-209-22 and 206-17-38. The flag was adopted by law#59/13 for theautonomous republic and retained on independence in1960, and in theconstitution of 1962. Despite many politicalupheavals within Chadsince independence, the flag has not beenchanged. This may bebecause the flag is not associated with any ofthe main power rivalswithin Chad, which had no sense of nationalidentity beforeindependence, and little after independence. Formore than 2000years, the Chadian Basin has been inhabited byagricultural andsedentary peoples. The region became a crossroadsof civilizations.The earliest of these were the legendary Sao,known from artifactsand oral histories. The Sao fell to the KanemEmpire, the first andlongest-lasting of the empires that developedin Chad's Sahelianstrip by the end of the 1st millennium AD. Thepower of Kanem andits successors was based on control of thetrans-Saharan traderoutes that passed through the region. Frenchcolonial expansion ledto the creation of the Territoire Militairedes Pays et Protectoratsdu Tchad in 1900. By 1920, France hadsecured full control of thecolony and incorporated it as part ofFrench Equatorial Africa. TheFrench primarily viewed the colony asan unimportant source ofuntrained labour and raw cotton. Thecolonial administration in Chadwas critically understaffed and hadto rely on the dregs of theFrench civil service. Fifteen thousandChadian soldiers fought forFree France during WWII and after thewar ended, France granted Chadthe status of overseas territory andits inhabitants the right toelect representatives to both theFrench National Assembly, and to aChadian assembly. Chad wasgranted independence on August 11, 1960with the PPT's leader,François Tombalbaye, as its first president.Two years later,Tombalbaye banned opposition parties andestablished a one-partysystem. In 1965 Muslims began a civil war.Tombalbaye wasoverthrown and killed in 1975, but the insurgencycontinued. In1979 the rebel factions conquered the capital, and allcentralauthority in the country collapsed. The disintegration ofChadcaused the collapse of France's position in the country, andacivil war in which the Libyans (unsuccessfully) became involved.Asemblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. Thegovernmenteventually drafted a democratic constitution, and heldflawedpresidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellionbrokeout in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despiteseveralpeace agreements between the government and the rebels. In2005 newrebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probingattacksinto eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of anethnicminority. In June 2005, President Idriss Deby held areferendumsuccessfully removing constitutional term limits. InFebruary 2008,an attempted coup rocked the capital.

La bandiera delle Samoa Americane è una bandiera che consiste diuntriangolo bianco rosso taglio punta verso il paranco accusato diunaquila calva stringendo una mazza da guerra e fly-frusta,contriangoli superiore ed inferiore blu scuro. Adottata in aprile1960per sostituire le "Stars and Stripes", come la bandieraufficialedel territorio, è stato la bandiera del Territorio diSamoaamericane a partire da quell'anno. I colori utilizzatiincarnano icolori tradizionali degli Stati Uniti e Samoa. Prima chei primieuropei misero piede sulle isole nel 18 ° secolo, Samoa nonhautilizzato alcun flag. In primo luogo hanno utilizzato lebandierenel corso del 1800, sebbene non sia chiaro quali sonostatitrasportati a causa di documentazione parziale [1] Le isolesonostate contestate da Germania, Regno Unito e Stati Uniti acavallodel secolo,. [2] i tre Paesi risolto la controversiadividendoSamoa tra di loro durante la convenzione tripartita nel1899. [1][3] Come risultato, gli Stati Uniti ha preso il controllodellaparte orientale di Samoa e cresciuto la loro bandiera il 27aprile1900. E 'andato su di essere l'unica bandiera ufficiale diSamoaamericane fino al 1960. [1] A metà del 20 ° secolo,samoanicominciato ad assumere un ruolo più attivo nel governolocale. Diconseguenza, le deliberazioni iniziato su una nuovabandieraterritoriale ei samoani sono stati invitati a proporreidee. Capidi governo locali e gli Stati Uniti Institutedell'Esercito diAraldica poi progettato la bandiera mentreincorporando queste ideein esso. La bandiera è stata adottataufficialmente 27 Aprile 1960,sessanta anni dal giorno gli StatiUniti prima sollevato labandiera americana su Samoa. Samoaamericane è un gruppo di isolenel Pacifico meridionale che sitrovano a metà strada tra le Hawaiie la Nuova Zelanda e circa 100km a est del paese dell'isola diSamoa, che fa parte dello stessoarcipelago, etnia e cultura. Samoaamericane è un territorio nonincorporato degli Stati Unitid'America. I cittadini di Samoaamericane sono gli Stati Uniti"cittadini" e non "cittadini degliStati Uniti", ma sonoautorizzati a viaggiare liberamente tra Samoaamericana e ilcontinente americano. Essi non sono tenuti adottenere la cartaverde o visti di soggiorno o di lavoro negli StatiUniti, e sonoautorizzati a prestare servizio nelle forze armatedegli StatiUniti (e spesso lo fanno). Ci sono alcuni modi in cui lostatusspeciale di Samoa americane come un territorio nonincorporato haconseguenze legali interessanti. La Costituzionedegli Stati Unitinon è necessariamente la legge suprema del Paesein Samoaamericane, e le norme culturali Samoa, in particolarequellirelativi alla proprietà dei beni e manifestazioni pubblichedireligione, in realtà vincenti certi Stati Uniti benregolati,diritti costituzionali in Samoa americane. La cittàprincipale èPago Pago, ma la più piccola Fagatogo è la sedecostituzionalmentedesignato del governo. L'ufficio del governatoresi trova nelvillaggio di Utulei, si trova sul lato opposto dellaFagatogo daPago Pago. Popolazione era di 57.496, secondo la stimaluglio 2008.Queste isole sono stati spesso indicati come Samoa, cheè in realtàil nome di un paese a sé stante e indipendente, che hausato peressere conosciuta come Samoa occidentali, che si trovasolo circa100 km ad ovest delle Samoa Americane. Inoltre, tutto ilgruppoisola, tra cui USA, sono spesso identificati come le isoleSamoa.Depositato già nel 1000 aC dai navigatori polinesiani, Samoaèstato raggiunto da esploratori europei nel 18 ° secolo.Rivalitàinternazionali nella seconda metà del 19 ° secolo sonostatirisolti da un trattato 1899 in cui la Germania (dopo laGranBretagna) e Stati Uniti dividono l'arcipelago samoano. GliStatiUniti hanno formalmente occupato la sua parte, un piccologruppo diisole orientali con l'eccellente porto di Pago Pagol'annosuccessivo.

The national flag of Cape Verde was adopted on September 22,1992,replacing the flag adopted during Cape Verdean independence,foughtfor with Guinea-Bissau, another former Portuguese colonyonmainland West Africa. The 10 stars on the flag represent themainislands of the nation (a chain of islands off the coast ofWestAfrica). The blue represents the ocean and the sky. The bandofwhite and red represents the road toward the construction ofthenation, and the colours stand for peace (white) and effort(red).The yellow colour, circular formation of the stars, and darkbluefield show similarity to the flag of Europe with 12 starsinsteadof 10, originally designed for the Council of Europe, butalso usedby the European Union. The stripes are in 6:1:1:1:3 ratio,and thecircle of stars is centred 3/8 along the fly. Despiteitsremoteness in elevation with all but 3 islands beingmountainous,the lack of natural resources, its isolation from manyothercountries, and devastating famines in the later 20th century,CapeVerde has won a positive reputation in promoting what isconsideredthe most stable democracy in Africa, a standard of livinghigherthan most African nations, and one of the most politicallyliberalnations on the continent, and in the world. Cape Verde(pop.506,000) is located 500 km from the west coast of Africa. Theonceuninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by thePortuguesein the 15th century; they subsequently became a tradingcenter forAfrican slaves and later an important coaling andre-supply stopfor whaling and transatlantic shipping. Independencewas achievedin 1975.

The national flag of Cambodia (Khmer: ទង់ជាតិកម្ពុជាTung-Cheat,"National flag") in its present form was originallyadopted in 1948and readopted in 1993, after elections restored themonarchy. Sincearound 1850, the Cambodian flag has featured adepiction of AngkorWat in the center. The current flag, with a blueborder and redcentral (the stripes are in the ratio 1:2:1) wasadopted followingCambodia's independence in 1948. It was used untilOctober 9, 1970,when a new flag was introduced for Lon Nol's KhmerRepublic thatlasted until the takeover of the Khmer Rouge in 1975.Thesubsequent state of Democratic Kampuchea, which existed from1975to 1979, used a red flag with a three-towered Angkor Watdesignretained in yellow. The People's Republic of Kampucheawasestablished in 1979, after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.TheKampuchean National United Front for National Salvation(FUNSK)revived the flag adopted by the Khmer Issarak in the daysofanti-French resistance for the new state. This flag had thesamecolor pattern as the DK flag, but with a yellow five-toweredAngkorWat silhouette. When the PRK renamed itself as "State ofCambodia"(SOC) in 1989, the flag's lower half became blue. TheUNTAC flagwas used during the 1992–1993 transitional period alongwith theflag of the SOC within Cambodia. In 1993, the 1948Cambodian flagwas readopted. The current Cambodian flag, togetherwith that ofAfghanistan, hold the distinction of being the only twoflags inthe world to feature a building in their design. Red andblue aretraditional colors of Cambodia. The flag used today is thesame asthat established in 1948, although since then five otherdesignshave been used. Almost all made use of the image of thetemple ofAngkor Wat in one form or another. This famous templesite, whichdates from the 12th century, was built by theMahidharapuramonarchs. It has five towers, but these were notalways alldepicted in the stylised version used on flags. Themonarchy wasrestored in September 1993, the 1948 flag having beenreadopted inJune of that year. It is important to remember thatCambodianhistory did not begin with the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot'sincrediblyharsh regime has garnered most attention, but theCambodians haveenjoyed a long and often triumphant history. Anybodywho witnessesthe magnificent temples at Angkor can attest to thefact that theKhmer Empire was once wealthy, militarized, and amajor force inthe region. Its zenith came under Jayavarman VII(1181-ca. 1218),where the Empire made significant territorial gainsfrom the Cham.The Khmer Empire stretched to encompass parts ofmodern dayThailand, Malaysia, Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Reliefbattle atAngkor The period following the fall of the Khmer Empirehas beendescribed as Cambodia's dark ages. Climatic factorsprecipitatedthis fall, where the Ankorian civilization harnessedCambodia'swater for agriculture through elaborate systems of canalsand dams.The Khmer Empire never recovered from the sacking byitsneighbours, based in Ayutthaya (in modern day Thailand),andCambodia spent much of the next 400 years until Frenchcolonizationsqueezed and threatened by the rivalries of theexpanding Siameseand Vietnamese Empires to the West and East.Indeed, on the eve ofFrench colonization it was claimed thatCambodia was likely set tocease to exist as an independent kingdomentirely, with thehistorian John Tully claiming “there can belittle doubt that their[the French] intervention prevented thepolitical disappearance ofthe kingdom”.

The national flag of Bahrain (Arabic: علم البحرين‎) consists ofawhite band on the left, separated from a red area on the rightbyfive triangles that serve as a serrated line. The KingdomofBahrain is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf,tuckedinto a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.It's anoasis of social liberalism – or at leastWestern-friendlymoderation – among the Muslim countries of theregion. It's popularwith travelers for its authentic "Arabness" butwithout the strictapplication of Islamic law upon its non-Muslimminority. Case inpoint: homosexuality is legal here. Although ithas a heavilypetroleum-based economy, its more relaxed culture hasalso made ita social and shopping mecca (so to speak), which hashelped itdevelop a fairly cosmopolitan middle class not found inneighboringcountries with just a rich elite and subsistence-levelmasses.Bahrain is the smallest of the independent Persian Gulfstates, andhas often had to walk a diplomatic tightrope in relationto itslarger neighbours. The country has few oil reserves, but ithasestablished itself as a hub for refining as well asinternationalbanking, while also achieving a socially liberal (byGulf standardsat least) monarchy. Its economy depends to a smallextent on Saudisinterested in a little entertainment, not availablein the strictlyIslamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain features atropical desertclimate, but due to land reclamation has very fewbeaches. Man-madebeaches at luxury hotels are nice, but onlyaccessible for a price.Winters in Bahrain are dry and averagedaytime temperatures in thelow 70sF, night time lows in the 50sF.Spring and fall arepleasant, with dry weather and nights coolingoff into the 60sFafter days of around 85F. Late winter and springare known for duststorms which, while not as severe as those foundelsewhere in theGulf, are still rather unpleasant. Summertime isvery hot and muggyin Bahrain, with daytime temperatures being from100-120F, andnights cooling down to anywhere from 75-90F. Theshallow watersaround Bahrain are typically anywhere from 75F inwinter to 85F inspring and fall, and usually around 90F+ in summer.Due to theshallowness of the water, it is possible to get heatstroke whileswimming.

The national flag of Bhutan (Dzongkha: ཧྥ་རན་ས་ཀྱི་དར་ཆ་;Wylie:hpha-ran-sa-kyi dar-cho) is one of the national symbols ofBhutan.The flag is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa LineageofTibetan Buddhism and features Druk, the Thunder Dragon ofBhutanesemythology. The basic design of the flag by Mayum ChoyingWangmoDorji dates to 1947. A version was displayed in 1949 at thesigningof the Indo-Bhutan Treaty. A second version was introducedin 1956for the visit of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk toeasternBhutan; it was based upon photos of its 1949 predecessorandfeatured a white Druk in place of the green original. TheBhutanesesubsequently redesigned their flag to match themeasurements of theflag of India, which they believed flutteredbetter than their own.Other modifications such as changing the redbackground color toorange led to the current national flag, in usesince 1969. TheNational Assembly of Bhutan codified a code ofconduct in 1972 toformalize the flag's design and establishprotocol regardingacceptable flag sizes and conditions for flyingthe flag. Bhutan isa unique country both culturally andenvironmentally. Perched highin the Himalayas, it is the world’slast remaining BuddhistKingdom. It has developed the philosophy ofGross NationalHappiness; where development is measured using aholistic approachof well-being, not just based on gross domesticproduct. It isstill termed as a third world country withsubsistence farmingpractised in much of Bhutan. In broad terms theland is fertile andthe population small. In addition, the currentgeneration receivesfree education, and all citizens have access tofree, althoughrudimentary, medical care. The sale of tobaccoproducts is bannedand smoking in public areas is an offencepunished with fines.Major sources of income for the kingdom aretourism, hydroelectricpower and agriculture. While traditionalculture has been very wellpreserved, the opening of the country toTV and internet in 1999has had a major effect, and modern-dayculture is mostly centred onbars and snooker halls. As a result,there is very little or noevidence of quality contemporary art,theatre or music. Culturally,Bhutan is predominantly Buddhist withDzongkha as a nationallanguage (although there are regionalvariations - such asSharchopkha, the predominant language inEastern Bhutan), and acommon dress code and architectural style.Bhutanese peopleprimarily consist of the Ngalops and Sharchops,called the WesternBhutanese and Eastern Bhutanese, and Lhotshamphas(SouthernBhutanese), a people of Nepalese Gurkha Origin,respectively. TheNgalops primarily consist of Bhutanese living inthe western partof the country. Their culture is closely related tothat of theirneighbour to the north, Tibet. Because of the dangerof theirdistinct culture being overwhelmed by Hindu Nepaleseimmigrants,some of whom had been in Bhutan for generations, manywere expelledor fled as stateless persons to refugee camps inNepal. The firsthumans probably arrived sometime after the Ice Age,and little isknown about Bhutan's prehistory. Historical recordsbegan with thearrival of Buddhism in the 7th century, when GuruRinpoche(Padmasambhava) visited Bhutan and established monasteries.In1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, underwhichBhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for cedingsomeborder land. Under British influence, a monarchy was set upin1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby theBritishagreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs andBhutanallowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This rolewasassumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, aformalIndo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan annexed bytheBritish, formalized the annual subsidies the country received,anddefined India's responsibilities in defense and foreignrelations.