Happy Birthday to the countries!

Happy Birthday to Kazakhstan!

2018-12-16

Ak Orda (“the white horde”) Presidential Palace, located in the capital city of Astana. *Photo from Wikipedia December 16 is Republic Day of Kazakhstan, celebrating the independence of the country from the Soviet Union. The territory of Kazakhstan has historically been inhabited by nomadic tribes. This changed in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan occupied the country as part of the Mongolian Empire. Following internal struggles among the conquerors, power eventually reverted to the nomads. By the 16th century, the Kazakh emerged as a distinct group, divided into three jüz (main territorial and tribal division in the Kypchak Plain area

Happy Birthday to Kenya!

2018-12-12

Kenyan women. *Photo from Wikipedia December 12 is Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963. Throughout the centuries, the Kenyan Coast has played host to many merchants and explorers. In 1414, the Chinese trader and explorer Zheng He (鄭和) representing the Ming Dynasty visited the East African coast. Also Malindi (important Swahili settlement since the 14th century) authorities welcomed the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in 1498. The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of a German protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar’s coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of the Imperial British

Happy Birthday to Tanganyika (Tanzania)!

2018-12-09

A busy market in Dar es Salaam, the former capital as well as the most populous city in Tanzania. *Photo from Wikipedia December 9 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tanganyika from Britain in 1961. Tanganyika was a sovereign state that existed from 1961 until 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes. Before that, Tanganyika was a territory administered by the United Kingdom from 1916 until 1961. Prior to that, the territory was part of the German colony of “German East Africa”. The African Great Lakes nation of Tanzania dates formally from 1964,

Happy Birthday to Finland!

2018-12-06

Helsinki, the capital city and most populous municipality of Finland. *Photo from Wikipedia December 6 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Finland from Russia in 1917. Most of the region was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809, when the vast majority of the Finnish-speaking areas of Sweden were ceded to the Russian Empire (excluding the Finnish-speaking areas of the modern-day Northern Sweden), making this area the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. The Lutheran religion dominated. Finnish nationalism emerged, focused on Finnish cultural traditions, including music and – especially – the highly distinctive

Happy Birthday to UAE!

2018-12-02

Abras on the Dubai Creek. An abra is a traditional boat made of wood and abras are used to ferry people across the Dubai Creek in Dubai. *Photo from Wikipedia December 2 is: National Day, which is celebrated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It marks the UAE’s formal nationalization from the British Protectorate Treaties which ended on December 1, 1971 and the eventual, federal unification of the seven emirates in 1971 which combined to form the modern-day country. The area was settled by a number of tribes along both the coast and interior and was Islamized in the seventh

Happy Birthday to Barbados!

2018-11-30

International pop star Rihanna, a native of Barbados. *Photo from Wikipedia November 30 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Barbados from the United Kingdom in 1966. Inhabited by Kalinago people (or “Island Caribs”) since the 13th century, and prior to that by other Amerindians, Barbados was visited by Spanish navigators in the late 15th century and claimed for the Spanish Crown. It first appeared in a Spanish map in 1511. The Portuguese visited the island in 1536, but they left it unclaimed, with their only remnants being an introduction of wild hogs for a good supply of meat whenever

Happy Birthday to Albania!

2018-11-28

The Albanian iso-polyphony, a traditional part of Albanian folk music and, as such, is included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. *Photo from Wikipedia November 28 is Albanian Flag Day, celebrate the independence of Albania from Turkey in 1912, the first Albanian flag raise in 1443, and for the new parliamentary constitution in 1998. In the third century BC, the region was annexed by Rome and became part of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia, Macedonia and Moesia Superior (an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River). The unified Principality of Arbanon (the

Happy Birthday to Mauritania!

2018-11-28

Road from Nouakchott to the Mauritanian–Senegalese border. *Photo from Wikipedia November 28 is Independence Day, which celebrates the independence of Mauritania from France in 1960. Berber immigration took place from about the 3rd century. Mauritania takes its name from the ancient Berber kingdom and later Roman province of Mauretania, and thus ultimately from the Mauri people, even though the respective territories do not overlap, historical Mauritania being considerably further north than modern Mauritania. The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th and 8th centuries did not reach as far south, and Islam came to Mauritania only gradually, from about

Happy Birthday to Panama!

2018-11-28

Pacific Side entrance of Panama Canal. *Photo from Wikipedia November 28 is Independence Day, which celebrates the independence of Panama from Spain in 1821. *See www.myeyestokyo.com/22625 for more details of the country.

Happy Birthday to Mongolia!

2018-11-26

Traditional Mongolian wrestling. *Photo from Wikipedia November 26 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Mongolia from China on July 11, 1921 and the establishment of “Mongolian People’s Republic” on the day in 1924. The area that is now Mongolia was ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu (匈奴), the Xianbei (鮮卑), the Rouran (柔然), the Turkic Khaganate (突厥汗国), among others. In 1206, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous land empire in history. His grandson Kublai Khan conquered China to establish the Yuan dynasty (元朝). After the collapse of the Yuan, the Mongols retreated

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