My Science School

          Located in the western Pacific Ocean, Palau has an area of 466 square kilometres.

          It consists of some 340 coral and volcanic islands.

          Palau became an independent state in 1994, after gaining its sovereignty from the US. The population of Palau is 21,032. The most populous island is Koror.

          The original settlers of Palau are believed to have arrived from Indonesia as early as 2500 BC. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State.

          Tourism is low key, although growing in economic importance. Many visitors come from Taiwan, with which Palau has diplomatic ties. Taiwanese aid boosts the economy. The government is Palau’s largest employer.

          There is concern that the low-lying islands could be badly affected by rising sea levels possibly due to climate change.

               Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. It covers a land area of 617 square kilometres and reported a population of 165,595 in the 2010 census. Its capital is Castries.

               On February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations associated with the United Kingdom. Tourism is vital to Saint Lucia’s economy. Most of the tourists to Saint Lucia arrive by cruise ship.

               Saint Lucia’s currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, a regional currency shared among members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECU).

               With two Nobel Prize winners, Saint Lucia boasts the world’s second highest ratio of Nobel laureates compared to the total population. Sir Arthur Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1979, and poet Derek Walcott received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992.

            The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a country located in the western Pacific Ocean, and in the Micronesia cultural and ecological sub-region of Oceania. The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent sovereign island nation and a United States associated state consisting of four states —from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands.

            Though formally independent, in 1986 Micronesia signed a “Compact of Free Association” with the US. Under this, Washington took on responsibility for defence and gained the right to set up military bases and deny other nations’ access to Micronesia.

            It has the 14th largest exclusive economic zone in the world. The FSM has a population of about 110,000 inhabitants. The largest island is Pohnpei, home to the nation’s capital Palikir. Largest city is Weno on Chuuk, a huge atoll west of Pohnpei. English is the official language.

 

               Singapore is located at the-southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, about 137 kilometres north of the Equator. It consists of the diamond-shaped Singapore Island, and some 60 small islets.

               Singapore became an independent state in 1965, after the expulsion from Malaysia.

               The currency of the country is the Singapore dollar. Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia, and is one of the busiest in the world. Singapore is a global commerce, finance and transport hub. The country has also been identified as a tax haven.

               Chinese account for more than 75 per cent of Singapore’s multi-racial population, with Malays and Indians making up much of the remainder. It is ranked highly in education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety and housing.

               Singapore is also referred to as Garden City for its tree-lined streets and greening efforts since independence.

            Tonga is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. Located in the continent of Oceania, Tonga covers a total area of 748 square kilometres.

            Tonga became an independent state in 1970, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom. The population of Tonga is 107,122 and the nation has a density of 139 people per square kilometre. Tonga became known in the West as the Friendly Islands because of the congenial reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773.

            The capital city of Tonga is Nuku’alofa on the nation’s main island Tongatapu. The languages spoken are Tongan and English.

            Tonga voted in its first popularly elected parliament in 2010, ending 165 years of feudal rule. In 2015, the country elected its first non-noble prime minister.

            Tonga has no strategic or mineral resources, and relies on agriculture and fishing.

 

          Dominica is situated in the eastern Caribbean, south of Guadeloupe, and north of Martinique. Dominica is part of the Windward Islands, the southern group of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies.

          Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. The country has been a member of the Commonwealth since independence in 1978. The capital, Roseau, is located on the leeward side of the island.

          The island has a coastline of 148 km, its landscape is mountainous and of volcanic origin. The Sisserou parrot, also known as the imperial amazon is the island’s national bird and featured on the national flag. Dominica’s economy depends on tourism and agriculture.

          Dominica’s government system is that of a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations, based on its constitution which was adopted in 1978.

          The head of state is the president; the head of government is the prime minister. The currency of the country is East Caribbean dollar.

 

            Bahrain is the third smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. Bahrain covers 765 square kilometres of land. Bahrain is an Arab constitutional monarchy in the Persian Gulf.

            Bahrain became an independent state in 1971, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

            The currency of Bahrain is the Bahraini Dinar. Manama is the capital city of Bahrain. Manama is also the political centre of Bahrain.

            The spoken language is Arabic. Bahrain is ruled by the king, whose family holds the main political and military posts. Bahrain has a high Human Development Index and was recognized by the World Bank as a high income economy.

            Some 200 different species of desert plants grow in the arid portions of the archipelago, while the Irrigated and cultivated areas of the islands support fruit trees and vegetables mainly.

 

            Officially known as the Republic of Kiribati, a widely scattered nation of Kiribati, located in the Pacific Ocean along the edges of the Equator, includes the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line island groups. Most are uninhabited. Among the 33 islands of Kiribati only 20 are inhabited.

            All the islands are low-lying coral atolls. They are the protruding tips of undersea volcanoes, and extend only a few feet above sea level.

            Kiribati became independent from the United Kingdom in 1979. The capital, and now most populated area, South Tarawa, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways.

            Kiribati is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the IMF and the World Bank, and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999.

            Kiribati is considered one of the least developed countries in the world. The economy of Kiribati benefits from international development assistance programmes.

 

            Sao Tome and Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.

            The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century.

            Sao Tome and Principe got independence in 1975, and has since remained one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries. In 1990, Sao Tome made changes to the constitution and embraced democratic reform. Sao Tome and Principe is the second-smallest African country after Seychelles. Until the recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea, which has had a significant impact on the country’s economy, its primary source of revenues came from its agriculture.

            The capital of the country, Sao Tome city, is situated in the north-eastern part of Sao Tome Island. The country’s closest neighbours are Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The climate is basically maritime and tropical. The currency of the country is Dobra.

               Union of the Comoros is a sovereign archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean east of Mozambique off the east coast of the African continent and west of the northern tip of Madagascar. Comoros is one among the smallest countries in the world and only has a total area of 1862 square kilometres.

               The Comoros consists of the three main islands: Ngazidja, Mwali, and Nzwani. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages — Comorian, Arabic and French. Capital and largest city is Moroni on Grande Comore.

               France colonized Mayotte in 1843 and by 1904 had annexed the remainder of the archipelago. In a 1974 referendum, 95 per cent of the population voted for independence. The exception was Mayotte. Today it remains a French overseas territory. Comoros is another one of the world’s poorest countries.

 

               This small- scenic island country located in the continent of Africa, Mauritius covers a total area of 2,040 square kilometres. It enjoys a tropical climate with clear warm sea waters, beaches, tropical fauna and flora complemented by a multi-ethnic and cultural population.

               Mauritius became an independent state in 1968, after gaining its sovereignty from France. The currency of Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee. The capital of the country is Port Louis. The island of Mauritius is volcanic in origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs.

               Lake Vacoas, one of the main reservoirs, is the chief source of water. The most significant issues faced by the country currently are water pollution, and degradation of coral reefs.

               However, the country now boasts one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes, achieved through tourism.

               Mauritius is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the largest religion. The government uses English as its main language.

               Located in the continent of Europe, Luxembourg became an independent state in 1867, after gaining its sovereignty from The Netherlands.

               Luxembourg shares land borders with 3 countries: Germany, Belgium, and France. Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy and a prominent financial centre.

               Its capital, Luxembourg City, is, together with Brussels and Strasbourg, one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest juridical authority in the EU.

               Luxembourg’s high-income economy has a solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. Its culture, people and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and Germanic cultures. This is emphasized by the three official languages, Luxembourgish, French, and German.

               The Independent State of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa) is located south of the equator, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

               Samoa consists of two main islands Upolu and Savai’i and seven smaller islets.

               Upolu is where Samoa’s capital city Apia is located and home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa’s total population.

               The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a unique Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity. Samoans consists of about 92.6 per cent of the total population.

               The Samoans are the second-largest branch of the Polynesians, a people occupying the scattered islands of the Pacific from Hawaii to New Zealand and from eastern Fiji to Easter Island.

              Most of the remaining Samoans are of mixed Samoan and European or Asian descent.

              The Independent State of Samoa’s currency is Tala. Samoan and English are the official languages.

 

            Cabo Verde, or Cape Verde, an island nation on an archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 570 kilometres off the north-western coast of Africa, about 600 km west of Senegal.

            The Republic of Cape Verde was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Cape Verde subsequently became a trading centre for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping.

            The country got its independence in 1975. Since the early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy, and remains one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. The capital and largest city is Praia.

            Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southeastern West Indies. It consists of two main islands: Trinidad and Tobago and several smaller islands.

            Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean. It has large reserves of oil and gas. Many European powers colonized this island nation. Trinidad and Tobago became an independent state in 1962, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

            The capital of Trinidad and Tobago is Port of Spain, located on the north western coast of Trinidad. The currency of Trinidad and Tobago is the Trinidad and Tobago dollar. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, the country’s economy is primarily industrial. The language spoken is English along with many vernaculars. Cricket is the national sport of the country.