Category: 4. Country Profiles

If all you know about China is that it has the world’s largest population and the Great Wall, then it’s time to read up! China was first recognized as a unified country back in 221 BC, ruled by the Qin dynasty. No, big, fat pandas weren’t kung fu masters back then; at least we don’t’…

Switzerland was founded in 1291 and is located in the middle of western Europe and shares much of its history and culture with Germany, Austria, Italy, and France. Although being right smack in the middle of Europe, Switzerland is not part of the European Union. While there were talks between the EU and Switzerland in…

If you’ve seen the Lord of the Rings, then you probably know that Middle Earth is located somewhere along the hills of New Zealand. More than being home to Frodo Baggins and his hobbit friends, New Zealand is also one of Australia’s next-door neighbors in Oceania, the Southern region of the Pacific Ocean. The country…

Officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, Australia could be found somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, just southeast of Asia. Considered the world’s biggest island, Australia is the only country on earth that governs an entire continent! Before the coming of settlers from Europe in 1788, Aboriginal people inhabited most of the country. Since then, people…

Oh, Canada… Uncle Sam’s friendly, environment-loving, French-speaking, semi-frozen buddy up north. It is a place known to have created some of the most amazing things in the world, such as basketball, baseball, maple syrup, and Smarties. Canada, whose geographical area takes up most of North America, extends from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to…

Konichiwa! Located in East Asia, Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, although a majority of its landmass is accounted for by the 4 largest islands. Despite being a relatively small country, Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is home to 36 million hard-working citizens, making it the largest metropolitan area in the globe. Also, even though Japan is densely…

The United Kingdom is a land of many accents as it is actually composed of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Headed by the Queen, the U.K. is considered a constitutional monarchy but is governed through a parliamentary system that is based in England’s capital of London. The U.K. used to be part of the European Union. Unfortunately, this means…

The European Union (EU) is a brotherhood of 27 member states which started from a tiny gang of six neighboring states in 1951. By the magical powers of the Treaty of Maastricht, it then grew into a large economic and political bloc, making it the largest economic region in the world. Talk about playing a huge role in…

The United States of America is comprised of 50 states and a federal district. The majority of the country can be found in North America, but the United States also has some territories in the Pacific. Since its independence from the U.K. on the Fourth of July back in 1776, the U.S. has become an…

Today we’re going to take a trip around the world, but it ain’t gonna take 80 days. If you’re fast enough to keep up, we can probably get around in just 80 seconds! …Not! In any case, we’ll make sure you learn about the nitty-gritty of each major economy and what makes its engine go.…