My Science School

               Haiti is in the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.

               This small, tropical country lies west of the Dominican Republic and is south of the island of Cuba. The capital of the country is Port-au-Prince. It is the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.

               Haiti became an independent state in 1804, after gaining its sovereignty from France. It is the second country in the Americas, after the United States, to free itself from colonial rule. Haiti is the most mountainous nation in the Caribbean.

               The government of Haiti is a semi-presidential republic, wherein the President of Haiti is head of state elected directly by popular elections. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President.

               Haiti is a charter member of the United Nations, having joined on 24th October 1945. The country has the lowest Human Development Index in the Americas.

               Rwanda is a small, land-locked country located in east Africa. Bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda has a population of 10.5 million people. Rwanda is one of the smallest countries on the African mainland. It is the fourth smallest on the African mainland after the Gambia, Swaziland, and Djibouti.

               The major economic sectors are tourism, mining and agriculture. The four official languages are Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili. Rwanda is one of only two countries with a female majority in the national parliament.

               Rwanda is in the African Great Lakes region and is highly elevated; its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the east, with numerous lakes throughout the country.

               The capital is Kigali, located in the centre of the country on the Ruganwa River.

               Macedonia is a mountainous land-locked country on the Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe. The country was formerly a republic within Yugoslavia. It gained independence in 1991.

               Often the name of the Macedonia is associated with Alexander the Great. The capital is Skopje. Due to an ongoing dispute with Greece about the use of the name of Macedonia, the country is now known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or in short FYROM, or Republic of Macedonia. It became a member of the United Nations in 1993, but was admitted under the provisional description the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Although being one of the poorest countries in Europe, Macedonia has made significant progress in developing an open, market-based economy.

               The official language is Macedonian.

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               Djibouti is a small country on the north-eastern coast of Africa to the Red Sea and the Babel-Mandeb strait. Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, and it shares maritime borders with Yemen. The country serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

               Djibouti has a sub-tropical desert climate. It is hot and arid. Djibouti city is one of the warmest and driest cities in the world.

               Djibouti’s proximity to restive areas in Africa and the Middle East and its relative stability have made it a prized location for foreign military bases and ensured a steady flow of foreign assistance. Former colonial power France maintains a significant military presence and the country also hosts America’s largest military base in Africa.

               The two official languages are French and Arabic. The capital and largest city is Djibouti, and the currency is the Djiboutian franc.

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               Belize, which is formerly the British Honduras, is an independent country on the eastern coast of Central America.

               Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and while it has many things in common with the Caribbean island-states, formerly part of the British Empire, the country is gradually establishing more realistic links with its geographic Spanish-speaking Central American neighbours. It was the United Kingdom’s last colony on the American mainland and still maintains strong ties with Britain. It has the lowest population density in Central America.

               English is the official language of Belize, while the Belizean Creole is an unofficial native language.

               The economy of Belize was traditionally based on forestry, mainly the export of logwood, mahogany and chicle. The country’s economy is now based on agricultural development. Tourism is another major source of foreign currency. The currency of Belize is the Belize dollar. Its capital is situated in Belmopan.

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               Situated on the Pacific coast of Central America, El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American countries. El Salvador is also the most densely-populated state on the mainland of the Americas. El Salvador’s capital and largest city is San Salvador.

               About half of all Salvadorans live in the countryside. They are poor and don’t have electricity or running water in their homes.

               El Salvador has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

               Spain took over the country in 16th century and forced the native people to become servants. El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and full independence in 1841.

               The colon, the official currency of El Salvador since 1892, was replaced by the US dollar in 2001. Official language is Spanish.

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               Israel lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Egypt on the west, Syria and Jordan on the east, and Lebanon on the north.

               The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period. Israel’s economy and technology centre is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government, and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state’s sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not recognized internationally. The country is a parliamentary democracy.

               At the second quarter of the 20th century, Jews from all over the world immigrated to Palestine. The increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany became the reason for the huge migration. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups, leading up to the United Nations’ plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors, and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.

               The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period.

              Slovenia is a small country in Southeastern Europe, to the south of Austria. Formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, it is also bordered by Croatia, Hungary, and Italy. The country is almost land-locked; it has a short coastline at the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Croatia.

               The capital and largest city is Ljubljana. The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate. Over half of the territory is covered by forest. The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven.

               About nine-tenths of Slovenia’s people are ethnically Slovenes. They are descendants of settlers who arrived in the 6th century. The Slovenes are a South Slavic people with a unique language.

               Slovenia is part of the European Union, and the Euro is their currency. Long regarded as one of the best-performing new EU members, Slovenia was dragged into a deep recession by the European financial crisis in 2012. Slovene is the official language of Slovenia.

               Fiji is an island country situated in the South Pacific Ocean about 3,000 km east of Australia and 2,000 km north of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of some 330 islands and 540 islets. Of the 330 islands, about 110 are inhabited. The majority of Fiji’s islands were formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago.

               Fiji became an independent state in 1970, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom. Fiji is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific, relying heavily on its tourism and sugar industries. The population of Fiji is around 898,760. The capital, Suva, is on the southeast coast of the largest island, Viti Levu.

               The climate in Fiji is tropical marine and warm year round with minimal extremes. The country’s currency is the Fijian dollar. Official languages of this island nation are English and Fiji Hindi.

               Kuwait is an oil rich, family-run emirate in the Middle East, situated on the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf.

               Kuwait has a strong economy backed by the world’s sixth largest oil reserves. Kuwait’s massive oil reserves make it one of the world’s richest countries. Kuwait became an Independent state in 1961, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

               In 1990, Kuwait was invaded, and later annexed, by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi occupation came to an end in 1991 after military intervention by coalition forces. At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to rebuild national infrastructure.

               Kuwait is a constitutional state with a semi-democratic political system. The Kuwaiti dinar is the highest valued currency in the world. The capital of the country is Kuwait city.

               Swaziland, officially Kingdom of Swaziland is a country in the eastern flank of South Africa, where it adjoins Mozambique.

               The landlocked Kingdom of Swaziland is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. Swaziland became an independent state in 1968, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

               Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa. The name Swazi is the Anglicized name of an early king and nation builder, Mswati II, who ruled from 1840 to 1868.

               According to UNICEF Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. The HIV-Aids virus has killed countless Swazis who have left behind thousands of orphans.

               Some 210,000 people, out of a population of 1.2 million, are estimated to be living with HIV. Elections are held every five years to determine the House of Assembly and the Senate majority. The current constitution was adopted in 2005.

               The official languages are Swazi, and English. The currencies used are the South African rand and the Swazi lilangeni.

               Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, is a relatively new nation, situated in the eastern half of the island of Timor, at the eastern ‘end’ of the Lesser Sunda Islands, north of the Timor Sea and Australia. The country is bordered by Indonesia in the west, and the Savu Sea in north.

               The capital and largest city is Dili, the spoken languages are Tetum and Portuguese, Indonesian, English. East Timor achieved independence on 20th May 2002, from Indonesia.

               In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory. Thus, East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century, and joined the United Nations.

               The head of state of East Timor is the President of the Republic, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Much of the country is mountainous. It is characterized by distinct rainy and dry seasons. The currencies used are the United States dollar, and the East Timor centavo coins.

            The Bahamas are a coral archipelago of around 700 islands and more than 2,000 rocks and cays in the West Atlantic south-east of the coast of Florida, USA, and northeast of Cuba.

            Formerly a British colony the Bahamas became an independent country within the Commonwealth in 1973. About 30 islands are inhabited, the most important of which are New Providence, in the middle of the group, where the capital Nassau is situated.

            The Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas, with an economy based on tourism and finance. The climate is cooler than other countries in the Caribbean region but still pleasantly mild in winter. The yellow elder was chosen as the national flower of the Bahamas because it is native to the Bahama Islands, and it blooms throughout the year. The official language of the Bahamas is English.

            The Bahamas is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Bahamian governor-general who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.

 

               Montenegro is a small country in south-eastern Europe. Podgorica is the capital and largest city of the country.

               For much of the 20th century, Montenegro was a part of Yugoslavia and from 2003 to 2006; it was a component of the federated union of Serbia and Montenegro.

               Montenegro became an independent state in 2006, after gaining its sovereignty from the federated union of Serbia and Montenegro. Tourism, steel making, aluminium and food processing represent its major industries. The World Tourism and Travel Council placed Montenegro first on its list of countries where tourism is a strategic industry. Classified by the World Bank as an upper middle-income country, Montenegro is a member of the NATO and UN. The official language is Montenegrin.

               Located in the region of Oceania, an island country Vanuatu covers 12,189 square kilometres of land. It consists of a chain of 13 principal, and many smaller islands. The islands were initially home to the Melanesians for over 2,500 years. Then, in the 15th century, European explorers and missionaries began arriving, and the islands changed forever.

               Vanuatu became an independent state in 1980, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom. The name Vanuatu means ‘Our Land Forever’ in one of the locally used Melanesian languages. Port-Vila, on Efate, is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre.

               Most of the islands are inhabited; some have active volcanoes. Vanuatu is mountainous and much of it is covered with tropical rainforests. Like most of the area, it is prone to earthquakes and tidal waves.

               In 2015, it was hit by a cyclone which caused widespread damage. The official languages are Bislama, French, and English.