Happy Birthday to Panama!

Hainanese chicken rice, a dish adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China, is considered one of the national dishes of Singapore. *Photo from Wikipedia August 9 is National Day, celebrates the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965. Evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed in Singapore during the 14th century. In the late 14th century, Singapura was under the rule of Parameswara (the last king of Singapura) until he was expelled by the Majapahit Empire or the Siamese (Thailand). It then came under the Malacca Sultanate and then the Johor Sultanate. Modern Singapore

The Grand marché (Main Market) in Burkina Faso. *Photo from Wikipedia August 5 is Independence Day of Burkina Faso. Various ethnic groups of present-day Burkina Faso, such as the Mossi, Fula and Dyula, arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the 11th century the Mossi people established several separate kingdoms. In the 1890s during the European Scramble for Africa, the territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France, and colonial control was established following a war of conquest between 1896 and 1904. The territory was made part of French West Africa in 1904, and the colony

São Tomé, the capital and largest city of São Tomé and Príncipe. *Photo from Wikipedia July 12 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of São Tomé and Príncipe from Portugal in 1975. The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. Gradually colonized and settled by Portugal throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and close proximity to the equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa;