My Science School

               Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast tip of India. It officially became Sri Lanka in 1972. The capital of the country is Colombo.

               Indo-Aryan emigration from India in the 5th century BC came to form the largest ethnic group on Sri Lanka today-the Sinhalese.

               Tamils, the second-largest ethnic group on the island, were originally from the Tamil region of India and emigrated between the 3rd century BC and AD 1200.

               The British took over in 1796, and Ceylon became an English Crown colony in 1802. On February 4th, 1948, after pressure from Ceylonese nationalist leaders, Ceylon became a self-governing dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations.

               Its recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war, which ended decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

               The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil. The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee. 

               Lithuania is an Eastern European country with a coastline at the Baltic Sea in the west. It is the largest, and most populous of the three Baltic States.

               Initially, Lithuania came under the rule of Russian Empire. As World War I neared its end, Lithuania’s Act of Independence was signed on 16th February 1918, declaring the founding of the modern Republic of Lithuania. In the midst of the Second World War, Lithuania was first occupied by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end and the Germans retreated, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania.

               The Lithuanian independence movement re-emerged in 1988. On 11th March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare itself independent.

               Lithuania is a member of the European Union. Its capital city is Vilnius. The official language is Lithuanian. The currency used is the Euro. 

               Latvia is one of the three Baltic States, situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. The country is also bordered by Russia and Belarus, and it shares maritime border with Sweden.

               Latvia became an independent state in 1918, after gaining its sovereignty from Russia in the aftermath of World War I. Since 21st August 1991, Latvia is a parliamentary republic. Ceremonial Chief of State is the president; he is elected by the parliament. The head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the prime minister, he is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament. The country is a member of the European Union (EU) since May 2004.

               Its capital Riga served as the European capital of culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. It’s mostly flat landscape offers a mix of beaches, rivers, lakes, marshes and forests. Since 1st January 2014, it replaced the Latvian lats with the Euro as its currency.

               Togo is a narrow strip of land in Western Africa between Ghana to the west and Benin to the east, bordered in north by Burkina Faso and the Gulf of Guinea in south. Lome, the capital, is situated in the southwest of the country and is the largest city and port.

               In 1884, Germany declared a region including present-day Togo, as a protectorate called Togoland. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. Togo became an independent state in 1960, after gaining its sovereignty from France.

               The population of Togo is made up of about 30 ethnic groups, many of whom are immigrants from other parts of Africa. The groups indigenous to Togo live in the north. Togo enjoys one of the highest standards of living on the continent, owing to its valuable phosphate deposits and through exporting of agricultural products. The official language is French, and the currency is the West African CFA franc.

               Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country situated in the western Balkan Peninsula of Europe.

               The Bosnian region in the north is mountainous, and covered with thick forests. The Herzegovina region in the south is largely rugged, flat farmland. The capital of the country is Sarajevo.

               The country is home to three main ethnic groups. The Bosniaks are the largest group; the Serbs are second, and the Croats, third. The spoken languages are Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. In the interwar period, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and after World War II, it was granted full republic status in the newly formed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

               In 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and asked for recognition by the European Union.

               In a March 1992 referendum, Bosnian voters chose independence. This was followed by Bosnian War, which lasted until 1995. 

               Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country on the north western edge of the Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe, formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia. Five countries border Croatia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, and it shares a sea border with Italy. Its capital city is Zagreb.

               Croatia became an independent state in 1991, after gaining its sovereignty from Yugoslavia.

               Croatia, in earlier times, was influenced by many foreign countries like Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully for four years following the declaration. The politics of Croatia are defined by a parliamentary, representative democratic republic framework, where the Prime Minister of Croatia is the head of government in a multi-party system.

               Being an extremely beautiful, scenic country, Croatia is again very popular as a tourist destination. Croatian is the official language of Croatia. The currency of Croatia is the Kuna. 

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               Costa Rica is a small country in Central America. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

               Its constitution of 1949 provides for a unicameral legislature, a fair judicial system, and an independent electoral body. Moreover, the constitution abolished the country’s army, gave women the right to vote, and provided other social, economic, and educational guarantees for all of its citizens.

               The Spanish came to Costa Rica and colonized the area in 1561. It was a Spanish colony for about 250 years. However, unlike its neighbours, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain. On September 15th, 1821, after the final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. The Capital city is San Jose. The currency is the Costa Rican colon. 

               The Slovak Republic is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Europe that is bordered by Austria and the Czech Republic in west, by Hungary in south, by Poland in north, and the Ukraine in east. Slovakia’s territory spans about 49,000 square kilometers, and is mostly mountainous. The capital and largest city is Bratislava. The official language is Slovak.

               Formerly part of Czechoslovakia, it was known as the Slovak Socialist Republic from 1969 until 1990. In 1993, the Slovak Republic became an independent, sovereign state.

               Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The head of state of Slovakia is the president; he is elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term.

               In 2004, Slovakia became an EU member country, and in December 2007, it joined the Schengen zone. The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, and the 3rd fastest in Eurozone. The country maintains a combination of a market economy with a comprehensive social security system. Its currency is the Euro. 

               The island of Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, contains two separate countries; the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

               Columbus claimed Hispaniola in 1492, and it later became the major launching base for the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean, as well as the American mainland. Since 1978, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. Now, the Dominican Republic has the ninth-largest economy in Latin America, and is the largest economy in the Caribbean region.

               The country has a population of 9.9 million people. The capital and largest city is Santo Domingo. The official language is Spanish. The Dominican Republic is home to both the Caribbean’s tallest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, and the Caribbean’s largest lake and point of lowest elevation, Lake Enriquillo.

               Estonia is a Baltic country on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. This Eastern European country is bordered by Latvia and Russia, and shares maritime borders with Finland and Sweden.

               In 1940, it was incorporated into the USSR as one of its constituent republics. The former Soviet republic became independent in 1991. Ethnic Estonians share close cultural ties with their northern neighbour, Finland. The official language is Estonian.

               Estonia has a population of around 1.3 million people. Capital and the largest city is Tallinn. The country has distinctly more women than men. For every 100 females in Estonia, there are 84 men. Estonia has one of the highest adult literacy rates in the world — 99.8 per cent, according to UNESCO. Estonia is one of the least-populous member states of the European Union. In 2005, Estonia became the first nation to hold elections over the Internet. The currency of the country is the Euro. 

               Kingdom of Denmark is one among the smallest countries in Europe as well as world. Denmark is a Scandinavian country situated on the Jutland Peninsula and several islands, north of Germany.

               The country shares maritime borders with Norway, Sweden, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The unified kingdom of Denmark emerged in the 10th century as a proficient seafaring nation in the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea.

               Denmark is a representative democracy, with universal suffrage.

               In more recent times, Denmark has developed a highly-competitive service-based economy with high employment levels and a generous social security system. Denmark is considered to be one of the happiest countries in the world. Danes enjoy a high standard of living.

               The country has a population of around 5.7 million people. Capital and largest city is Copenhagen. The spoken languages are Danish and German. English is the predominant second language.

               The Netherlands is a small country sandwiched between Belgium and Germany in Western Europe. The North Sea is located to the north and west of the Netherlands. The country is also known as Holland. The name “Netherlands” means low-lying country.

               A parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch, the kingdom includes its former colonies in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten.

               The capital is Amsterdam, and the seat of government The Hague. The Netherlands is today one of the world’s most densely populated countries. The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the world’s largest outside East Asia.

               The Netherlands plays host to a number of international organizations, especially in the legal sector, such as the International Court of Justice. It is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

               The Netherlands has 20 national parks and hundreds of nature reserves.

               Switzerland is a small but well known federated country in the heart of Europe. The country is bordered by Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre.

               The country is a famous tourist destination for its ski resorts and hiking trails. The Swiss climate is very pleasant and attracts tourists from round the world. Banking and finance are key industries, and Swiss watches and chocolate are world renowned.

               The people are given a direct say in their own affairs under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, which has no parallel in any other country. They are invited to the polls several times a year to vote in national or regional referendums, and people’s initiatives.

               Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult. The official languages are German, French, Italian, and Romansh.

               Bhutan is a tiny and remote kingdom located between its powerful neighbours, India and China. Nestled in the Eastern Himalayas between China and India, the small Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan opened itself to the outside world only in 1970s.

               Bhutan is the happiest country in Asia, and the eighth in the world. Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia and is the region’s second least populous nation after the Maldives. The independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries, and the territory was never colonized in its history.

               Bhutan measures prosperity by taking into consideration its citizens’ happiness levels and not the gross domestic product. The nation calls this development philosophy the Gross National Happiness.

               With 72 per cent of Bhutan under forest cover Bhutan has a rich variety of plants and animals. Thimphu is its capital city. Bhutan is the least corrupt country as of 2016. However, Bhutan continues to be a least developed country. The official language is Dzongkha, and the currencies are the Ngultrum and the Indian rupee. 

               Guinea-Bissau is a tropical nation with a coastline at the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa, situated between Senegal and Guinea. The country consists of a larger continental part and a smaller insular part that includes the Bijagos Archipelagos. Guinea-Bissau was part of the Portuguese Empire for centuries and was once known as the Slave Coast.

               The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau was founded in 1956, and guerrilla warfare by nationalists grew. In 1974, the country achieved independence. Once hailed as a potential model for African development, it is now one of the world’s poorest countries.

               Guinea-Bissau is a unitary semi-presidential republic. The head of state is the president. The capital is Bissau, and the currency is the CFA franc.