Happy Birthday to Panama!

Malé, the capital of the Maldives. *Photo from Wikipedia July 26 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Maldives from the United Kingdom in 1965. The Maldives have been historically and culturally linked to the Indian subcontinent since the fourth century BCE (before the Common Era). The Maldivian archipelago was Islamized in the 12th century and consolidated as a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa. From the mid 16th-century, the region came under the increasing influence of European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom was

A street market in Senegal. *Photo from Wikipedia April 4 is the Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France. Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country in West Africa. The name “Senegal” comes from the Wolof “Sunuu Gaal”, which means “Our Boat”. On April 4, 1959 Senegal and the French Sudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on June 20, 1960, as a result of the independence and the transfer of power agreement signed with France on April 4, 1960. In commemoration of the day, we introduce you to a great percussionist

Central market in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of Moldova. *Photo from Wikipedia August 27 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Moldova from the USSR in 1991. Most of the Moldovan territory was a part of the Principality of Moldavia from the 14th century until 1812, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Ottoman Empire (to which Moldavia was a vassal state) and became known as Bessarabia. In 1856, southern Bessarabia was returned to Moldavia, which three years later united with Wallachia to form Romania, but Russian rule was restored over the whole of the