Happy Birthday to the countries!

Happy Birthday to Jordan!

2018-05-25

Jordanian school girls reading in a public school. Jordan’s total youth female literacy rate (15 – 24 years) was 99.37% in 2015. *Photo from Wikipedia May 25 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Jordan from the United Kingdom in 1946. Rulers include the Nabataean Kingdom, the Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned by Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the then Emir Abdullah I and it became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became

Happy Birthday to Eritrea!

2018-05-24

Saho women in traditional attire. The Saho are an ethnic group who are principally concentrated in Eritrea, with some also living in adjacent parts of Ethiopia. *Photo from Wikipedia May 24 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993. he Kingdom of Aksum, covering much of modern-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, rose somewhere around the first or second centuries and adopted Christianity around the time Islam had spread through Egypt and the Levant. In medieval times much of Eritrea fell under the Medri Bahri kingdom. The creation of modern-day Eritrea is a result of the incorporation

Happy Birthday to Yemen!

2018-05-22

Old City of Sana’a, the largest city in Yemen. Old City was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1986. *Photo from Wikipedia May 22 is Unity Day, celebrates the unification of North and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen in 1990. Yemen was the home of the Sabaeans (biblical Sheba), a trading state that flourished for over a thousand years and also included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 275 AD, the region came under the rule of the later Jewish-influenced Himyarite Kingdom. Christianity arrived in the fourth century, whereas Judaism and local paganism

Happy Birthday to East Timor!

2018-05-20

The Portuguese School of Díli, the capital and largest city of East Timor. *Photo from Wikipedia May 20 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002. East Timor was colonised by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until November 28, 1975, when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) declared the territory’s independence. Nine days later, it was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia’s 27th province the following year. The Indonesian occupation of East Timor was characterized by a highly violent decades-long conflict between separatist

Happy Birthday to Cuba!

2018-05-20

Students of the Escuela Lenin. *Photo from Wikipedia May 20 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Cuba from the United States in 1902. The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Mesoamerican cultures prior to the arrival of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus’ arrival, Cuba became a Spanish colony, ruled by a Spanish governor in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. However, the Spanish-American War resulted in a Spanish

Happy Birthday to Cameroon!

2018-05-20

Market in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. *Photo from Wikipedia May 20 is Cameroon’s National Day, creation of a unitary state in 1972. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões (“Shrimp River”), which became Cameroon in English. Cameroon became a German colony in 1884 known as Kamerun. After World War I, the territory was divided between France and the United Kingdom as League of Nations mandates. The Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) political party advocated independence, but was outlawed by France in the 1950s, leading to the Cameroonian Independence War.

Happy Birthday to Paraguay!

2018-05-14

Asunción, the capital and largest city of Paraguay. *Photo from Wikipedia May 14 is Paraguay’s Flag Day, the real date of the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebration continues the next main day, Independence Day. The indigenous Guaraní had been living in Paraguay for at least a millennium before the Spanish conquered the territory in the 16th century. Spanish settlers and Jesuit missions introduced Christianity and Spanish culture to the region. Paraguay was a peripheral colony of the Spanish Empire, with few urban centers and settlers. In early 1811 Paraguayan forces had repeatedly defeated Argentinian army which considered

Happy Birthday to Romania!

2018-05-09

Bucharest, the capital and largest city of Romania. *Photo from Wikipedia May 10 is the Independence Day or King’s Day, celebrates Romania’s victorious independence war against the Ottoman Empire in 1877-1878, concluded with the recognition of Romania’s independence. Modern Romania was formed in 1859. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. During World War II, Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, fighting side by side with the Wehrmacht

Happy Latvia’s Restoration of Independence day!

2018-05-04

Historic Centre of Riga, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. *Photo from Wikipedia May 4 is the Day of the adoption of the declaration of independence. On May 4, 1990, Latvia proclaimed its independence from the USSR, and restoration of the Republic of Latvia. Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. Due to Latvia’s strategic location and prosperous trading city of Riga, its territories were a frequent focal point for conflict

Happy Birthday to Marshall Islands!

2018-05-01

Students at a school raise the Republic of Marshall Islands flag. *Photo from Wikipedia May 1 is the Constitution Day, the day the Government of the Marshall Islands was officially established and the country became self-governing in 1979. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Islands in the archipelago were first explored by Europeans in the 1520s, with Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar sighting an atoll in August 1526. Other expeditions by Spanish and English ships followed. The

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