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One of the great powers of Europe and of the industrial world, Germany rose from a collection of small states, principalities, and dukedoms to become a unified empire in 1871. The German empire was strategically located between France and Russia, and it clashed with both countries as it attempted to expand its borders. This conflict resulted in World War I, in which Germany was defeated. Germany, however, emerged again as a major force in Europe in the 1930s under the leadership of the dictator Adolf Hitler, and German aggression set off World War II. Area 138,066 square miles (357,592 square kilometers). Population (2023 est.) 85,887,000.

Germany's second defeat in a world war not only ended the period of expansion but also resulted in its division into two countries: West Germany and East Germany. The role of the two Germanys in European and world politics was greatly reduced, but West Germany remained a major economic power.

West Germany was a democracy, while East Germany had a communist government. The borders that isolated East Germany from West Germany remained closed until late 1989, when communism was successfully challenged by pro-democracy demonstrations in eastern Europe. The ultimate symbol of the East-West division had been the Berlin Wall-a massive structure erected in the Cold War atmosphere of 1961 to divide Germany's most important city between West and East Germany. On November 9, 1989, the East German government bowed to increasing demands for reform: the wall was opened and families on each side of it were reunited. The following year the two republics signed a treaty for German unification, which took place officially on October 3, 1990. Berlin was restored as the united capital of a reunified Germany.

Since then, Germany has been a prosperous liberal democracy. The challenges and costs of integrating the two Germanys were great, however, and economic growth was checked for many years. Germany also continued to move toward deeper integration with other countries in Europe. Soon after reunification, Germany's chancellor helped negotiate the treaty that led to the founding of the European Union (EU). Germany remains a leading member of the EU, of which it is the most populous country and the foremost economic power.

Germany is located in north-central Europe. On the north the country borders the North and Baltic seas, as well as the Jutland peninsula of Denmark. There have been few changes during the last two centuries on Germany's western borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, but the border in the east with Poland has been redrawn several times in the same period and now lies along the Oder and Neisse rivers. Part of Germany's eastern border is shared with the Czech Republic. Germany's southern borders with Austria and Switzerland are more clearly defined by the ranges of the Alps and by Lake Constance. Germany extends more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) from north to south and about 400 miles (640 kilometers) from east to west at its widest.

Natural Regions
Germany can be divided into four natural regions. In general, the elevation increases from north to south. The largest region, in the north, consists of the North German Plain, which is part of the great lowland plain that extends across Europe from the Netherlands to the Ural Mountains in Russia. The North German Plain is largely flat, but in the east there are chains of small hills consisting of glacial deposits. In the west there are areas of marshes along the coasts with sandy heath and moorlands inland.

Farther south a complex region of hills and valleys forms the Central German Uplands. These hills are partially of volcanic origin. The major ranges of hills in the west are the Eifel, Hunsrück, Westerwald, Taunus, and Haardt mountains, which are located on both sides of the Rhine River. In the center are the Harz Mountains and a range of forested hills known as the Thuringian Forest. In the east the Ore Mountains, or Erzgebirge, form part of the border with the Czech Republic. The western hills are not high, but Brocken in the Harz reaches 3,747 feet (1,142 meters) and Fichtel Mountain in the Ore Mountains reaches 3,983 feet (1,214 meters).

South of the Central German Uplands a region of plateaus and lowlands stretches across southern Germany. It includes the Swabian and Franconian chains of hills, which extend from southwest to northeast. These hills are formed from limestone and present steep scarp slopes to the north. They are not high but are scenically attractive. To the west the mountain area known as the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald, follows a north-south direction. As its name suggests, it is covered in dense forest. The Rhine River flows through a deep valley to its west. The highest summit in the Black Forest is Mount Feld, at 4,898 feet (1,493 meters). This region of southern Germany also contains a central area of plains and low hills crossed by the Neckar and Main rivers, both tributaries of the Rhine. To the east the range of the Bohemian Forest forms part of the border with the Czech Republic. It rises to more than 4,700 feet (1,430 meters).

The southernmost region consists of the Bavarian Alps and the Bavarian Plateau. The plateau contains small hills and valleys formed by the tributaries of the Danube River, which fringes the plateau in the north. The Bavarian Alps contain the highest mountain in Germany-Zugspitze, at 9,718 feet (2,962 meters)-and form a region of great natural beauty.

Most of Germany's rivers flow northward to the North Sea. The longest is the Rhine, with its tributaries-the Main, Neckar, and Moselle (Mosel) rivers-followed by the Elbe, Weser, and Ems. The Oder flows to the Baltic Sea, and the Danube -with its tributaries, the Iller, Lech, and Isar rivers-flows to the Black Sea. Most of these are navigable and are connected by a system of canals that cross Germany from east to west.

There are few lakes of any size, the largest being Lake Constance, or Bodensee, which forms part of the border with Switzerland and Austria. North of the Alps there is a chain of small lakes, including Chiem, Ammer, and Starnberger. In the north Müritz and Schweriner lakes are the largest of a group of small lakes between the Oder and Elbe rivers. South of Berlin there are small chains of lakes formed by the Spree and Havel rivers.

There are several islands along the German North Sea coast. The East Frisian Islands are a continuation of the string of islands that stretches along the coast of the Netherlands. The North Frisian Islands are located to the south of the Danish border. The main island in this group is Sylt, which is connected by a causeway with the mainland. Between the two groups of islands is the small rocky island of Helgoland. The Baltic coast has few islands, the largest being the flat island of Rügen.

Germany's generally moderate climate is transitional between a maritime climate in the northwest and a continental climate in the east. Air masses from the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea bring moderate temperatures in winter and cool temperatures in summer to much of western and northwestern Germany. They also bring plentiful moisture.

Cologne, in the west, has an average January temperature of 36 °F (2 °C) and an average July temperature of 64 °F (18 °C) with 27 inches (69 centimeters) of annual precipitation. Farther south winter temperatures drop by a degree or two, while summer temperatures rise. In the foothills of the Alps, Munich has an average temperature of about 28 °F (-2 °C) in January and 64 °F (18 °C) in July, with an annual precipitation of 36 inches (91 centimeters). These temperature and precipitation figures reflect the higher altitudes of this region of Germany. The Alps are snow-covered from January to March in most years.

Eastern temperatures in January are generally below freezing, while summer temperatures are warm. Berlin, with an average temperature of 30 °F (-1 °C) in January and 65 °F (18 °C) in July and with 22 inches (57 centimeters) of average annual precipitation, is typical of the region's more continental and somewhat drier climate. The Elbe River, in the east, is generally covered with ice for several months in the winter, while the Rhine, in the west, rarely freezes. Throughout Germany the mixture of plains, hills, and mountains affects local temperatures and precipitation.

The Germans have taken good care of their forests, though acid rain caused some damage. The predominant trees are pines, followed by beeches and oaks. Spruce trees are found in the Black Forest and on the Bavarian Plateau. Much of this forest has been planted, and cutting is carefully controlled to prevent the depletion of timber resources. With heather, gorse, and grass as the typical vegetation, the northwestern region is mostly covered with heath. Some of these areas, as well as marshes, have been reclaimed and turned into pasture.

The animals of Germany are similar to those of most of northern Europe. Birds include thrushes, starlings, sparrows, owls, woodpeckers, herons, and falcons. The largest animals are various species of deer, while wild boars, pine martens, hares, muskrats, and mice are common. Wildcats, lynx, and beavers are found in some areas.

The great majority of Germany's people live in urban centers. Cities with sizable populations are numerous and found in all parts of the country. The largest city is the capital, Berlin, which is located in the northeast, followed by Hamburg, in the north, and Munich, in the south. The cities of Dortmund, Essen, and Duisburg are part of Germany's largest urban agglomeration, in the Rhine-Ruhr area of the west. Other large cities include Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Bremen, Hannover, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Dresden, Bonn, and Aachen.

Germany has the second largest population in Europe, after Russia, and the largest population in the European Union. In modern times it has experienced periods of both population growth and decline. The country has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. From roughly the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Germany's population nevertheless grew steadily, mainly because of the large number of immigrants who moved there. Since then, however, the population has grown slowly or even decreased slightly. The federal and state governments have adopted a range of policies aimed at encouraging people to have children, including subsidizing child care and providing tax incentives to families. The low birth rate, along with high life expectancies, has led to a population with a relatively high proportion of older citizens. With an increasing number of older people and fewer younger people to support them, the problem of maintaining a pension and welfare system for the elderly became a major economic and social challenge.

Ethnic Groups
The land that is now Germany has been occupied and ruled by people of many different origins and ethnic groups throughout its history. The origins of the earliest people, who are described as Germanic or Teutonic, are obscure, but it is thought that they probably lived along the Baltic coasts. After about 500 bc, these groups moved southward. During the ensuing battles and conquests, the Germanic tribes mixed with and incorporated other peoples, including Celts and Romans. By roughly ad 100, the Germanic people were divided into numerous ethnic groups, including the Angles, Saxons, Goths, and Burgundians. As borders shifted and tribes migrated, other peoples such as the Slavs mingled with the Germanic tribes. Large numbers of French Huguenots fleeing religious repression arrived at the end of the 16th century, and White Russian refugees arrived after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Despite these immigrations, Germany had few ethnic minorities prior to the mid-20th century. A notable exception was the Jews, whose population was later decimated during the Holocaust.

After World War II millions of refugees poured into Germany. Some of these were ethnic Germans who had lived in central and eastern Europe. Others were persons displaced by the war who did not wish to return to their war-battered homelands to the east. After the 1949 partition of Germany, many East Germans fled to West Germany, though this flow was halted after the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. To help spark economic growth, in the mid-1950s West Germany began encouraging people from other countries to move there to work.

Today, while the majority of the population is ethnically German, about a tenth of the people belong to ethnic minority groups. The largest minority community is Turkish and includes a fair-sized contingent of Kurds. Germany also has smaller numbers of Italians, Greeks, Serbs, Russians, and Poles.

The official language is German. The schools teach a form called standard German, and most Germans use it at least for writing and reading. Some people, especially older Germans and people who live in rural areas, speak local dialects in everyday life. Germans from Munich and from Berlin have considerable difficulty in understanding one another if they speak their local dialects. In northern Germany in particular, a form of German known as Low German is very different from standard German, and it has been used by some writers and poets. The influence of television, radio, and other mass media, however, has helped to spread the use of standard German.

Germans are also divided along religious lines. Much of northern and eastern Germany is Protestant, mainly Lutheran. The south is predominantly Roman Catholic, with the greatest concentration in Bavaria. In Germany about a third of the people are Protestant and another third are Catholic. The celebration of Christmas is very important for the average German family. Various special forms of food and confectionery are prepared for the occasion. The Christmas tree is a German idea that has spread to many other countries. Germany is also home to smaller numbers of Muslims, adherents of other Christian faiths, Buddhists, and Jews. About a fifth of the population is nonreligious.

Germany is a country of regional differences in the cultures and traditions of the people. Although one can speak of a German culture in general-which is reflected in the literature, poetry, and art of the German people as a whole-there are considerable differences in the way of life from region to region. Many Germans view people from outside their own region as being different-sometimes disapprovingly. In general the north and south of Germany have long been divided by noticeable cultural differences (as well as differences in dialect). These differences can be seen in the various folk costumes. The regional architecture of farmhouses is also varied-from the long houses of northern Germany to the farms built around a central courtyard in central Germany and the chalets of the Alpine region.

The country has a long tradition of abundant government support for the arts, dating back to before Germany became a unified empire in 1871. As a result, Germany is remarkably rich in the number and variety of its theaters, art galleries, museums, symphony orchestras, libraries, and other cultural institutions. Performing arts productions are generally affordable and attended by large numbers of Germans from all walks of life. Annual festivals of many kinds of music, theater, and other cultural activities are plentiful throughout the country. They include such internationally prominent events as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Bayreuth Festival, which focuses on the music of Richard Wagner.

When considering the outstanding contribution that Germany has made to the world's intellectual and artistic heritage, it is customary to include not just the work of people who lived within the strict boundaries of what is now Germany. Many Germanic artists, musicians, and writers from Austria, Switzerland, and other countries of central Europe have also produced important works within the larger German cultural tradition. Among them, for example, were the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler and the Czech novelist Franz Kafka (who wrote in the German language).

Literature
German culture-especially in the areas of literature and music-has made a great contribution to Europe and the world. During the Nazi period there was a stagnation of German literature in particular, as many writers-such as Thomas Mann, Heinrich Mann, Bertolt Brecht, and Alfred Döblin-left the country, and others were imprisoned. The revival of German culture after World War II followed a somewhat different direction. In particular, there was a strong reaction against Nazism and a tendency for literature to be more political and more critical of both past and present.

The German people have always been lovers of poetry, and some of their greatest poets-such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, and Rainer Maria Rilke -are read throughout the world. After World War II German poetry was of less significance. Two poets whose works reflected the experiences of the war were Paul Celan and Nelly Sachs. Others, such as Rolf Dieter Brinkmann, experimented with new forms. In general modern German poetry has been overshadowed by the novel.

During Germany's division, literature in East Germany was subject to strong political control, and its quality therefore suffered. Because of the political content of East German novels, few people in the West read them, so most East German authors were little known outside their own country. Exceptions included Christa Wolf and Stefan Heym. Until 1979, when state control over writers tightened, some East German authors had their works published in West Germany to avoid censorship. This stricter control followed the expulsion to the West of the poet Wolf Biermann, whose antiestablishment songs and poems had antagonized the regime. Several East German writers fled to the West and continued writing there.

Among the many German winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature were the novelists Hermann Hesse (the winner in 1946), who celebrated Eastern mysticism; Heinrich Böll (1972) and Günter Grass (1999), who explored the effects of World War II on German lives and psyches; and Herta Müller (2009), who portrayed the harshness of life in Romania under the rule of a dictator. Other German writers who gained widespread recognition in the last decades of the 20th century included Siegfried Lenz, Uwe Johnson, Volker Braun, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Gabriele Wohmann, Sarah Kirsch, and W.G. Sebald. Ulrich Plenzdorf, Peter Weiss, Heiner Müller, and Peter Handke were prominent playwrights of the period.

German composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Richard Wagner were fundamental to the development of classical music. In modern times, conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, Herbert von Karajan, and Kurt Masur, the singers Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter achieved international fame. Several of the world's leading symphony orchestras are in Germany; chief among them is the Berlin Philharmonic.

In rock music, German groups such as Can, Faust, and Tangerine Dream were innovative in the early 1970s, and the band Kraftwerk helped lay the foundation for modern techno music. Germany's numerous annual music festivals include the Love Parade, a massive celebration of electronic dance music; Berlin's Jazzfest; and festivals dedicated to the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Wagner.

Motion Pictures
From 1919, when the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was made, the German cinema was one of the most important in Europe. The German directors Ernst Lubitsch, F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and G.W. Pabst were among the world's most influential filmmakers in the 1920s and '30s. During the Nazi period, however, the country's film industry fell under government control and declined, and many notable German directors and actors moved to Hollywood.

After the war the film industry in East Germany was state-owned, and writers and directors were under strong political control. Few films of note were produced there. By 1955 West Germany was producing more than 100 films a year. These films were made mainly for mass entertainment. In the 1970s, however, an influential group of directors, who founded a movement known as the New German Cinema, created innovative and artistically important films in highly personal styles. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, and Wim Wenders were the most notable of these directors. The films of Fassbinder, who was the most active of the group, had a strong political and social message. Although they were praised by critics and were shown in many countries, they were not box-office successes. The group was critical in general of modern German society, which it considered very materialistic.

In the late 1970s a more conservative trend began to appear in the German cinema, and the period of experimentation largely ended. By the early 21st century, a large proportion of films shown in German theaters and on television were of U.S. or other foreign origin. Some good German films were still being produced, however, notably by such directors as Tom Tykwer, Fatih Akin, and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Visual arts
One of the finest periods in German painting occurred in the late 15th and 16th centuries and centered on such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Hans Holbein the Younger. In modern times, expressionism dominated German art in the early 20th century. During the Nazi period little art of value was produced, and the war destroyed many galleries and museums. Afterward, in East Germany art was strongly affected by the necessity of following the Soviet model of " socialist realism." Only in the 1970s was permission given to artists to experiment with new ideas.

West German artists found that they virtually had to start afresh after World War II. Rather than create a specifically German art, they tended to follow international trends, experimenting in such styles as abstract expressionism, pop art, and minimalism. From the 1960s Joseph Beuys created sculpture and performance art using unorthodox materials and ritualistic actions. Gerhard Richter worked in a number of styles but became best known for paintings based on photographs that blurred the lines between the two media. In the late 20th century, several German painters were leaders of a neo-expressionist movement, while photography became prominent in German art in later years.

Sports play a prominent role in Germany. It is common for Germans of all ages to participate in sports regularly, often by joining a sports club. Favorite activities include gymnastics, tennis, track and field, cycling, swimming, handball, ice and field hockey, skiing, hiking, and above all association football, or soccer, which is also the country's premier spectator sport. Germany's top soccer league, the Bundesliga, is one of the most respected professional soccer leagues in the world. Cup competitions with other European countries are particularly popular. In international competition West Germany won the coveted World Cup in 1954, 1974, and 1990, and Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006. Germany won the Women's World Cup in 2007 and hosted the event in 2011.

The popularity of tennis increased dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s when a couple of charismatic Germans- Boris Becker and Steffi Graf -dominated the world tours. In tribute to their remarkable talents, the number of tennis clubs in Germany more than doubled, and regional training centers were expanded. Basketball gained many new fans starting in the late 20th century, with the rise of German players Detlef Schrempf and later Dirk Nowitzki in the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA).

Germany has enjoyed considerable success at the Olympic Games and dominated many events, especially swimming. After Germany was partitioned, East and West German athletes participated together on one German team until 1968; from then until reunification East and West Germany competed separately. Germany hosted the Olympics in two years, 1936 and 1972. The atmosphere at the 1936 Games, held in Berlin in the summer and at a Bavarian resort in the winter, was politically charged. German leader Adolf Hitler used the event as a platform to promote Nazi ideals. The 1972 Summer Games at Munich were overshadowed by tragedy when Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of the Israeli team in the Olympic Village.

Education and Social Welfare
In Germany the states control the individual educational systems, but a national commission strives for a certain uniformity in curriculum, requirements, and standards. Most children attend kindergarten, which can begin as early as age 3. School is free and compulsory for children age 6 to 18. Some books and study materials are also free, and financial assistance and other forms of support are available in cases of hardship. After attending a primary school from age 6 to about 10, children continue their schooling at one of four types of institution. The three traditional types of school are designed to lead to a career in a vocation or trade, to a career in business and administration, or to a university education. Since the 1960s a fourth type of school has offered students more flexibility so that they are not locked into a particular career path at so early an age.

There are more than 350 universities and other institutions of higher education, including specialized and technical universities. Several universities-such as Heidelberg, Göttingen, Tübingen, Freiburg, Munich, Leipzig, and Cologne-are of ancient origin and famous for their scholarship. Other leading German universities include the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Free University of Berlin, the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt, the University of Karlsruhe, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Stuttgart. Overcrowding has become a major problem in German universities. The vast majority of students attend public institutions. Attending these universities has traditionally been free. Faced with a rapidly growing number of students and limited funds, however, some states have begun charging a modest tuition, an action that has generated much controversy.

In the 1880s Germany became a pioneer in providing citizens with social welfare benefits. Today, the country has one of the world's most comprehensive welfare systems, which includes health, retirement, unemployment, accident, and long-term disability insurance and maternity and child-care provisions, among other benefits. All Germans are required to have health insurance, and the country has ranked among the world's highest in terms of the proportion of health care costs covered by the government. Health care in Germany is excellent, even in rural areas. Life expectancies are among the world's highest.

Germany has the largest economy in Europe and one of the largest economies in the world. It has long been an industrial powerhouse and a leading exporter of manufactured goods. Services form the largest sector of the economy.

The country has what it calls a social market economy. This economic system is based on free-market capitalism but incorporates more government regulation, in an attempt to ensure fairness in the marketplace, to protect workers, and to avoid very large inequalities. Germany's extensive system of social services and welfare benefits provides a "social safety net" for all its citizens. The government also subsidizes certain industries and shares with industry the costs of research and development.

This social market system was first established by West Germany when Germany was divided. Although the German economy was severely damaged in World War II, the economy of West Germany was rapidly rebuilt after the war. Its remarkable growth became known as the "economic miracle." By 1960 West Germany had one of the strongest economies in Europe.

The economy of what became East Germany also suffered greatly during the war, as well as during the postwar Soviet occupation. At first the Soviets ran their occupation zone solely for their own requirements. Many factories were dismantled and the machinery moved to the Soviet Union, and other factories were used to produce goods as payment to the Soviets for war reparations. A communist-style economic system was introduced. From the 1960s to 1989 the East German economy became more stable and was one of the most advanced in eastern Europe, though its economic problems were still great. It could not be compared with that of West Germany, which became western Europe's leading economic power.

After reunification in 1990, integrating the two different economies was expensive and difficult, and economic growth slowed considerably. The industries in the east were unable to compete with those in the west. Eastern Germany's industrial output dropped rapidly, and its unemployment soared. The government used enormous amounts of money from western Germany to modernize the industries and transportation and telecommunications systems in the east. The national debt ballooned and taxes were raised. The economy also had other problems unrelated to reunification.

Germany began to implement reforms intended to strengthen the economy as well as to reduce the costs of the expensive social welfare system. Economic growth eventually started to increase and unemployment began to fall, but the economy entered a recession in late 2008 because of the global economic downturn. Although this recession ended in 2009, Germany still faced significant economic challenges.

Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry
Germany is one of the largest food producers in Europe. Although agriculture contributes less than 1 percent of GDP and employs only a small percentage of the country's workers, it produces more than 80 percent of its food requirements. The country also exports many agricultural products.

About a quarter of Germany's land is planted with crops, while about a fifth is pasture. Much of the cropland is used to grow grain crops, especially wheat, barley, corn (maize), rye, and oats. Other important crops include potatoes (for both human and animal consumption and for industrial use), sugar beets, rapeseed (for making canola oil), cabbages and other vegetables, and apples and other fruits. The growing of grapes for wine is a major activity in southwestern Germany. The valleys of the Rhine, Neckar, Main, and Moselle rivers in the west are the main wine-producing areas. Various types of white wine are exported around the world. Hops for brewing beer are grown mainly in Bavaria. Barley is also an ingredient of beer, which is the most popular alcoholic drink in Germany and is also exported.

The raising of livestock is important. The country has one of the world's largest stocks of pigs, and pork is a popular meat in German cooking. Milk and eggs are also major farm products.

Germany maintains a deep-sea fishing fleet, but its size has been drastically reduced since the late 20th century, in part because the traditional fishing grounds have been overused. The fleet's catch comes from the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the North Atlantic Ocean. The main fishing ports are Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, and Hamburg, where canneries are located. Inland waters are fished on a much smaller scale, and carp and trout are raised at fish farms. Because of the high demand in Germany for fish, especially pickled herring, considerable quantities are imported.

A little under a third of Germany is forested. The forestry industry meets only part of Germany's great demand for timber for such purposes as construction, pulp and paper, and cellulose production, so wood and wood products are imported.

Manufacturing
Manufacturing accounts for about a fifth of GDP and employs about a fifth of Germany's workers. This sector also produces the vast majority of the country's exports, which are vital to the economy. Although manufacturing supplies a great variety of products, it is dominated by the automobile, electrical equipment and electronics, chemical, and machinery industries. German engineering is respected around the world for its high quality and technological sophistication.

Industry was formerly based primarily on coal, of which Germany has large supplies. The coal of the Ruhr basin was used as a basis for German industrial development in the late 19th century. An iron and steel industry arose, which became the largest in the world next to that of the United States by the 1930s. Supplies of iron ore, however, were not adequate, and ore was imported. Germany is still one of the world's leading producers of steel. With the drop in the demand for steel in the late 20th century and the rise of less expensive steel from other countries, however, the German industry is not as prosperous as it was in the past. The country also produces other refined metals and metal products, though it must import most of the raw material.

Automobile manufacturing is important. The industry is concentrated in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, Hessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Saarland, and Thuringia. Leading automobile manufacturers in Germany include Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, Opel, and Volkswagen. Many cars are exported.

Germany is also one of the world's top exporters of electrical and electronic products. It first became a leader in the production of electrical equipment in the late 19th century. Today, the industry is located largely in Nuremberg-Erlangen, Munich, Stuttgart, and other cities of southern Germany and includes the internationally known firm Siemens as well as numerous smaller companies.

The German chemicals industry is likewise more than 100 years old. It was first based on the use of coal, lignite, and rock salt and produced fertilizer and artificial dyes. The industry now produces a wide variety of chemical products, including polymers, petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Chemical plants are located largely in the Ruhr region and along the Rhine and its tributaries, including at Leverkusen, Ludwigshafen, and Hoechst (near Frankfurt). There are also chemical plants on the coal fields of eastern Germany. Industry giants include the corporations BASF and Bayer.

Other leading German industries produce machinery and equipment, processed foods, optical and precision instruments, medical equipment, computer software, renewable energy and energy efficiency products, biotechnology, and aircraft. Although the manufacture of textiles remains significant, it has declined greatly because of competition with countries that have lower wages. After reunification, many textile factories in eastern Germany closed. The shipbuilding industry gained considerable importance in the 1960s, but it too has suffered from overseas competition in recent years.

Mining and Energy
Germany has a relatively small variety of mineral resources. The most important by far is coal. Deposits of bituminous (soft) coal are located in the Ruhr region and in the smaller Saar, Aachen, and Ibbenbüren fields. The country's output of this type of coal, which has been expensive to extract, however, decreased markedly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Germany also produces significant amounts of the lower-grade lignite, or brown coal, which is found west of Cologne, east of Halle, south and southwest of Leipzig, and in Lower Lusatia in Brandenburg. Potash and rock salt are found in large deposits and are used in the chemical industry. There are some scattered deposits of low-grade iron ore, along with some copper, lead, zinc, tin, and uranium.

Apart from coal, energy resources are small. Germany has modest reserves of petroleum and natural gas but not enough to provide more than a fraction of the country's requirements. Electric power production comes mainly from coal. Nuclear power plants are the other major source of electricity, though in 2000 the government committed to phasing them out over time. Some of the rivers of the Bavarian Alps are used to generate electric power as well.

As is common in countries with advanced economies, services dominate the labor market. Roughly two- thirds of German workers are employed in service industries, which contribute about a similar share of GDP. This sector includes such industries as commerce, transportation and communications, travel and tourism, real estate, trade, public administration, and information technology services. Finance, banking, and insurance are important. Germany's chief financial center is Frankfurt am Main, which is the site of the central banks of Germany (the Deutsche Bundesbank) and the European Union, as well as numerous commercial banks and the country's leading stock exchange.

Trade is a major component of the German economy. The country is one of the world's top exporters and has long maintained a favorable balance of trade. The main markets for Germany's products include France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and other EU countries. Among the leading exports are automobiles, electrical and industrial machinery, steel and other metal products, and chemicals, including pharmaceuticals. Germany's imports fall into remarkably similar categories as its exports, but the country also imports crude petroleum and other fuels, food products, and raw materials and unfinished products for industry. Import sources include France, the Netherlands, China, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, and other countries of the EU.

Transportation and Communications
Germany has a highly efficient transportation network. Railroads are mostly state-owned and well run and constitute one of the densest networks in Europe. In spite of their important role in the development of the country's economy, the railroads carry much less freight and passengers than do highways. High-speed passenger rail service now links major German urban centers with one another and with other European destinations.

The highway system is excellent. The construction of the Autobahn, or motorway, system began in the 1930s, and by the end of the 20th century it totaled some 7,150 miles (11,500 kilometers), linking the major cities and regions of the country. Most German families own automobiles, and highways are often extremely congested.

The largest German airline is Lufthansa. It offers both domestic and international flights. Germany's largest airport-and one of the busiest in Europe-is in Frankfurt am Main. Düsseldorf, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne-Bonn also have important international airports.

Germany's foreign exports are transported largely by ship. The major seaports are Hamburg, Bremen-Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea and Lübeck and Rostock on the Baltic Sea. The movement of freight by internal waterways is also of great importance. The length of navigable rivers and waterways is about 4,500 miles (7,300 kilometers). Duisburg, Dresden, and Magdeburg are important inland ports. Apart from the Rhine River and its tributaries and the Danube River, there are such major canals as the Mittelland and Dortmund-Ems canals, which link the Ruhr region to the North Sea, and the Main-Danube Canal, which permits traffic to flow between the North Sea and the Black Sea. There are also several canals in a system that connects the Oder and Elbe rivers. With this extensive inland waterway system, it is possible for coal and other bulky raw materials to be moved cheaply by barge between the major industrial centers of the country.

The country has an advanced telecommunications system. German broadcasting is known for its high-quality news coverage and political and social reporting. There are both public and commercial television and radio stations. While some public stations are national, others are financed by individual states, and their programming often reflects regional and local issues and tastes. Numerous daily and weekly newspapers and periodicals are published.

When Germany was divided, the two countries had very different systems of government. West Germany was a democratic federal republic, while East Germany was unitary, one-party communist state. After reunification in 1990, West Germany's Basic Law, or constitution, was adopted by the country as a whole.

Germany's federal system gives significant powers of self-government to the 16 Länder, or states. The federal government handles foreign policy, defense, international trade, the postal service, telecommunications, and other matters of national importance. Both the federal and state governments have parliamentary systems.

The federal government has a two-house parliament. The upper house is the Bundesrat (Federal Council), which is composed of 69 appointed representatives of the state governments. The lower house is the Bundestag (Federal Diet). It is the cornerstone of the German system of government and exercises much wider powers than the upper house. All legislation originates in the Bundestag. The consent of the Bundesrat is necessary only on certain matters directly affecting the interests of the states. The Bundestag has about 600 members, all of whom are popularly elected to four-year terms. In the German system, it is very difficult for any one political party to win a clear enough majority in the Bundestag to govern alone. Normally, the party that captures the most seats forms an alliance with other parties to govern as a coalition.

The chief of state is the president, a position that is largely ceremonial. The president's main tasks include representing the country in matters concerning international relations and appointing federal judges and other officials. The president is elected for a term of five years by a specially convened assembly of Bundestag members and state delegates.

The executive branch of government is led by the chancellor-similar to a prime minister-who is head of government. Vested with considerable independent powers, the chancellor is responsible for initiating government policy. The chancellor is chosen following the election of members to the Bundestag. After the political parties form a coalition government, the leading political party in the coalition proposes a candidate for chancellor. The chancellor is elected to a four-year term by an absolute majority of the members of the Bundestag. The chancellor is advised by a cabinet of ministers, whom he or she appoints.

The two largest political parties in Germany are the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Important smaller parties include the conservative Christian Social Union, which is the Bavarian sister party of the CDU; the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which has served as a junior coalition partner in most German governments since World War II; the environmentalist Alliance '90/The Greens; and the Left Party, the successor of the ruling socialist party of East Germany.

Germany has an independent justice system. The state courts are trial and appeals courts, while the federal courts are courts of last resort. Only the Federal Constitutional Court can declare legislation unconstitutional.

The state governments are generally parallel in structure to the federal government. Thirteen of the states are governed by a state parliament and a minister-president or prime minister who leads a cabinet of ministers. These states are divided into administrative districts, which are in turn divided into counties. The remaining three states- Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg -are city-states in which the mayor serves as head of both the city and the state governments. The city parliaments in these city-states also serve as state-level parliaments.

Germany has been a unified country for only a small portion of its history. In ancient times, peoples who spoke Germanic languages occupied much of what is now northern Germany, while peoples who spoke Celtic languages lived in the south. After Germanic peoples moved into the south, the Celtic peoples probably gradually adopted Germanic culture. The numerous different Germanic tribes did not, however, share a common ethnic identity.

As Germanic tribes migrated south- and westward in the 1st centuries bc and ad, they also encountered the Romans, who were expanding their territory northward. In 113 bc two Germanic tribes-the Cimbri and the Teutoni-began invading the Mediterranean regions. The Roman general Gaius Marius defeated them in 102 and 101 bc. To discourage further invasions, Julius Caesar crossed the Rhine to make raids into Germanic land in 55 and 53 bc. In a famous battle in the Teutoburg Forest in ad 9, the Germanic leader Arminius, chief of the Cherusci, destroyed three Roman legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus. Historians believe that this rout convinced the Romans not to try to conquer the Germanic tribes. Instead, the Romans built a line of fortifications, called the Limes Germanicus, from the Rhine to the Danube to define and protect the Roman frontier. Trade and cultural exchange between Germanic peoples and the Roman Empire continued.

When Roman power weakened, waves of Germanic tribes migrated to various regions of the empire. The Franks crossed the Rhine into Gaul (most of which is now France). The Goths migrated to the Balkans. The Alemanni moved into the Rhineland, and the Burgundians and Vandals entered the Main River valley. In the 4th century ad the Huns, a non-Germanic people from Asia, swept into Europe and pushed many more waves of Germanic tribes into Roman land.

By the beginning of the Middle Ages, the western part of the Roman Empire had come to an end, and Germanic peoples were spread throughout its territory. These tribes accepted Christianity and adopted much of Roman culture. They included the Frisians, between what are now the Netherlands and Denmark; the Saxons, between the Rhine and Elbe rivers; the Thuringians, in what is now central Germany; the Alemanni, on the upper Rhine in Swabia; and the Franks, on the lower Rhine.

In the late 5th century Clovis, king of the Franks, extended Frankish rule over northern Gaul. Clovis and his successors, who were of the Merovingian dynasty, eventually also ruled over much of what is now Germany. Another line of Frankish rulers, the Carolingians, came to power in the 8th century. Under the Carolingian ruler Charlemagne the kingdom covered most of western Europe, including Germany to the Elbe. In 800 the pope crowned Charlemagne emperor; his empire is today often called the Holy Roman Empire, though that term first came into use in 1254.

Charlemagne died in 814. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 divided his empire among three of his grandsons. Louis the German acquired the eastern part, which developed into Germany. Charles the Bald ruled the west, which became France. Lothair obtained the middle part. The monarchy's authority in the German kingdom was weak, and the power of regional dukes increased. There arose five great tribal, or Stamm, duchies-Saxony, Franconia, Bavaria, Swabia, and Lotharingia (Lorraine).

In 911 the Carolingian rule of Germany ended, and the German nobles elected Conrad I, the duke of Franconia, king. Rule soon passed to Henry I (919-936), the founder of the Saxon dynasty. The strongest Saxon king was Otto I the Great (936-973). He revived the Holy Roman Empire, which then included Germany and northern Italy but not France.

Religious Conflicts and the Rise of Prussia
In 1024 Conrad II, founder of the Salian dynasty, was elected to rule. Soon the empire was torn by the Investiture Controversy, a conflict over whether the German ruler or the pope had the right to appoint high clergy. It was begun between Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. Conflicts between the rulers and the popes over their relative authority continued under the next German ruling dynasty, the Hohenstaufens, especially under Frederick I (Barbarossa) and Frederick II. The Hohenstaufens ruled Germany and the Holy Roman Empire for most of the period from 1138 to 1254.

Wars between various local feudal rulers weakened the empire. The duchies were split into hundreds of smaller powers. Some cities became free cities, many of which banded together into powerful alliances. One such alliance, the Hanseatic League, dominated commercial activity in northern Europe. This league consisted of increasingly independent and powerful north German towns and commercial groups who defended their own trade concessions.

The decline of the Hohenstaufen dynasty resulted in the Great Interregnum, from 1250 to 1273, when the princes could not agree on a candidate to elect as king. Eventually, influenced by Pope Gregory X, they chose Rudolph of Hapsburg. To minimize election disputes and papal interference in German politics, in 1356 Emperor Charles IV issued a proclamation, known as the Golden Bull, that designated seven princes as electors, with the right to elect the ruler by majority vote.

Although Rudolf's successor was not a Hapsburg, the Hapsburgs eventually established themselves as the ruling dynasty. From 1452 until 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, all the emperors came from the House of Hapsburg.

In the 16th century, during the rule of Charles V, the German priest Martin Luther led the Reformation, the religious revolt against the Roman Catholic church. Germany and later Europe were bitterly divided into Catholic and Protestant camps. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 granted some religious tolerance by giving each German prince the right to choose either Catholicism or Lutheranism for his domain. Religious struggles continued, however, in the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), which devastated Germany. The Peace of Westphalia, which ended the war, almost entirely eliminated the central authority of the empire. It made the empire a loose confederation of hundreds of essentially sovereign principalities, duchies, free cities, and other territories.

Two of these territories- Prussia and Austria-grew into major states. Austria was ruled by the Hapsburgs. The duchy and later kingdom of Prussia, centered in what is now northeastern Germany, began its rise to power under the Hohenzollern family. Frederick William I created a military state there. His son Frederick II the Great, who ruled from 1740 to 1786, made Prussia a leading power of Europe. After he seized Silesia from Austria, he annexed part of Poland, greatly increasing Prussia's territory.

In the European wars accompanying the French Revolution and Napoleon I 's rise to power, French troops occupied western Germany. Prussia and Austria joined other European powers in some of the wars against France. After Napoleon formed the Confederation of the Rhine-a union that eventually included all the German states except Prussia and Austria, with Napoleon as "protector"-the Holy Roman Empire collapsed in August 1806. A few months later the French crushed the Prussians at Jena. Prussia then undertook reforms. Its leaders abolished serfdom, organized local self-government, and established universal military training.

Later Prussia and Austria helped defeat Napoleon at Leipzig in 1813. By then, Germany was no longer divided into several hundred states, as the larger ones had taken over most of the smaller ones. The Congress of Vienna (1814-15), an international assembly that reorganized Europe after the wars, created a Germany with 39 states grouped into a loose German Confederation. Austria and Prussia struggled to control the Confederation. In 1848 a revolutionary movement failed to unify Germany under a democratic government.

Bismarck Creates the Second Reich
The Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck was to finally unify Germany in 1871. In 1864 Prussia and Austria occupied the Danish provinces of Schleswig and Holstein; after Bismarck maneuvered Austria into the Seven Weeks' War in 1866, Prussia annexed the two provinces, as well as Hanover and other northern German states. Bismarck reorganized Germany and excluded Austria. The German states north of the Main River united with Prussia in 1867 in the North German Confederation.

Bismarck wanted to stir up German patriotism in order to build support for a united Germany, and he did so by having the German states fight a common enemy. In 1870 he provoked France into declaring war, and Prussia led the German states to victory. Defeated, France was forced to cede Alsace-Lorraine (a humiliation that was later to be reversed, when Germany had to return the territory in 1919). Before the war ended, the southern German states joined Prussia and the other North German states in forming a new German empire (or Reich). The king of Prussia, William I, was proclaimed emperor (or kaiser) of the Second Reich on January 18, 1871, at Versailles. (The first German Reich was the Holy Roman Empire.) Bismarck became the empire's first chancellor.

As chancellor, Bismarck built up Germany's industries. He also laid the foundation for a colonial realm in Africa (Togoland, Cameroon, German South West Africa, and German East Africa), China (the Jiaozhou Bay area in Shandong Province), and the Pacific (Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Caroline Islands).

William II succeeded Frederick III (who had reigned for only a few months) as emperor in 1888. He dismissed Bismarck and built the country into a military nation. In 1914 Germany backed Austria in a conflict with Russia, and World War I was launched. Germany sought to enlarge its territory. Planning to fight a war on two fronts, Germany swept through Belgium and invaded France in the west and also fought Russia in the east. Germany, Austria, and Turkey together fought against the Allies, a coalition that included mainly France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and later the United States.

In 1918 Germany was defeated, William II abdicated, and the German empire came to an end. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany ceded land to France, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, and Czechoslovakia, and it also lost its colonies. Its military powers were greatly restricted. Moreover, the treaty concluded that Germany was responsible for the damages the Allies had suffered in the war and so was required to pay them huge sums in reparations.

Weimar Republic
The German people in 1919 elected a national assembly. At Weimar it drew up a constitution for a democratic republic, and Friedrich Ebert was elected the first president. The new republic faced enormous challenges, as Germany had been thrown into political, social, and economic turmoil by the war, the collapse of the empire, and the terms of the peace treaty. Unemployment and hunger mounted. In the Treaty of Rapallo of 1922, the new Soviet Union waived the war reparations due to it, but Germany still had to pay the other Allies. The following year France and Belgium occupied Germany's Ruhr industrial region when reparation payments lagged. In response, the Germans shut down the Ruhr's factories. Inflation soared disastrously, until a thousand billion marks (the German currency) equaled one prewar mark. People found that their life savings was now not even enough to buy a subway ticket.

The German government took steps to restabilize the currency in late 1923. In 1924 the Allies aided Germany with the Dawes Plan on reparations, and the troops withdrew from the Ruhr by the following year. The German economy began to recover. In 1925 President Ebert died, and Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg succeeded him. Germany signed a nonaggression pact at Locarno, Switzerland, and in 1926 joined the League of Nations. The Young Plan in 1929 fixed the amount of reparations to less than one third of the original amount. Soon after, however, the U.S. stock-market crash of 1929 plunged the whole world into a severe depression. It was only a one-year moratorium on debts in 1931 that saved Germany from bankruptcy.

Dictatorship Under Hitler
During the depression Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party rose to power. Exploiting the deep resentment of the German people at the harsh terms of the peace treaty and the ruinous economy, Hitler promoted an extreme and virulent form of German nationalism, in which the Germanic people (the "Aryan race") was considered better than all other ethnic groups. He offered a humiliated people a worldview in which they were superior, and he also offered a scapegoat, the Jews. Hitler claimed that the Jews were responsible for all of Germany's recent problems, including its defeat in World War I, the reparations, the inflation, and the depression.

A charismatic speaker, Hitler attracted a mass following. He had tried to overthrow the government in 1923. After the failure of his attempted coup, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, he tried to take power by legal means. In 1932 the Nazi Party was very successful in elections to the Reichstag (the lower house of parliament), winning 37 percent of the vote. Hitler ran for the presidency that year, but Hindenburg was reelected. In 1933, however, Hindenburg was persuaded to appoint Hitler chancellor.

To help Hitler seize absolute power, the Nazis began a campaign of terror. When the Reichstag building burned in a mysterious fire in February 1933, Hitler took advantage of the opportunity to assume emergency powers, suspend civil liberties, and arrest communist and other opposition leaders. In March he forced through the Enabling Act, which provided a constitutional basis for his dictatorship. The Länder, or states, lost their powers, and the Nazi Party was the only political party allowed. The Nazis called their new regime the Third Reich. When Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler abolished the office of president and took the title Führer, or "leader."

The totalitarian police state increased in power. Heinrich Himmler was chief of the Gestapo, or secret police. Joseph Goebbels directed the propaganda ministry. Cultural institutions, including the press, theater, and arts, were regimented. Schools and the Hitler Youth indoctrinated young people.

The Nazis persecuted both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, and the infamous Nuremberg Laws of 1935 deprived Jews of citizenship. The Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) in 1938, during which many Jews and their property were brutally attacked, ushered in a new and more violent phase of their persecution, and the Jewish property that was left undestroyed was confiscated. The Nazis also began to send Jews to concentration camps.

Hitler talked peace but prepared for war. In 1933 Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and began rearming, secretly at first and openly from 1935. It moved troops into the Rhineland, in western Germany, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles in 1936. In that year Germany also formed a coalition, the Berlin-Rome Axis, with Italy. During the Spanish Civil War, Germany aided Spanish general Francisco Franco and tested its new weapons. By 1938 Hitler had the most powerful mechanized army and largest air force in the world.

Great Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement. They offered no opposition in 1938 when Hitler annexed Austria. Later that year they signed the Munich Pact with Germany and Italy to prevent Germany from invading Czechoslovakia and starting a new war: the treaty handed over a section of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland to Germany. Nevertheless, in 1939 Germany seized all of Czechoslovakia and took territory from Lithuania. Hitler next demanded that Poland give Germany the city of Danzig ( Gdańsk), but Poland refused. Britain and France pledged aid to Poland. Hitler concluded a nonaggression pact with Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, which removed the danger of Germany's having to fight a war on a second front.

Hitler Launches World War II
The German army invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and began World War II. Two days later France and Britain declared war on Germany. Ultimately, the war involved the Axis powers of mainly Germany, Italy, and Japan fighting the Allied powers, or Allies, of mainly France, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

After crushing the Poles in 1939, Germany quickly took Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France in 1940. Hitler's plan to invade Britain was foiled when the German Luftwaffe, or air force, lost the air battle of Britain. Hitler seized the Balkans and North Africa after Italy's invasions there failed. Despite the German-Soviet nonaggression pact, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. He swept on to many victories. After Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in December 1941, the United States entered the war.

To relieve their manpower shortage, the Nazis imported millions of people, of what they called the "inferior races," from conquered countries of Europe to use for slave labor. Those who resisted were herded into concentration camps. The Nazis also began rounding up Jews throughout Europe and shooting them or sending them to camps to be killed or used for slave labor. In a program of systematic mass slaughter now known as the Holocaust, the Nazis ultimately exterminated about 6 million Jews as well as millions of Roma (Gypsies), homosexuals, and others.

Germany's defeat at Stalingrad (now Volgograd), in the Soviet Union, in February 1943 marked the turning point of the war. The Allies drove the Nazis out of Africa, Italy, and the Soviet Union. Germany became a battleground as the Allies closed in from east and west. Just before defeat came, Hitler committed suicide. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally.

Allied armies occupied all of Germany. They found it a wasteland. Allied bombers had almost pulverized the large cities. Many thousands of German civilians had died in air raids, and some 3.5 million German soldiers had been killed in the war.

The war left Germany shrunken in size. In early 1939 it had been a country of 183,000 square miles (474,000 square kilometers) with a population of about 60,000,000. In 1945 it was reduced to 144,000 square miles (373,000 square kilometers) and was also reduced by several million inhabitants. The Soviets annexed northern East Prussia. Poland administered southern East Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia, and Germany's eastern border was pushed back to the Oder and Neisse rivers.

Allied Nations Occupy Germany
Pending a peace treaty, Allied leaders met at Potsdam in 1945 and divided Germany into four occupation zones-French in the southwest, British in the northwest, U.S. in the south, and Soviet in the east. Berlin, deep in the Soviet zone, was also divided into four sectors.

The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg tried 22 Nazi leaders as war criminals. The Nuremberg trials ended in 1946 with 19 convicted, of whom 12 were sentenced to death. Civilian courts held denazification trials; those convicted were banned from public office and imprisoned.

Although the division of Germany into occupation zones was intended to be only temporary, it made possible the future development of two separate German countries. The breakdown of the alliance between the democratic Western powers and the communist Soviet Union-which became known as the Cold War-further led to the partition of Germany. In 1947 the Americans and the British merged their zones to foster economic recovery there, and the Germans were allowed to set up state parliaments in all three Western zones. These moves laid the foundations for the emergence of the West German state. In 1948 cooperation between the Soviets and the Western occupation powers broke down amid disagreements over reform of the German currency and the joint administration of Berlin. After Soviet occupation forces blockaded the Western-controlled sectors of Berlin, the United States and Britain carried out a massive airlift of supplies to those sectors. By the spring of 1949 the blockade had been abandoned by the Soviets along with attempts to force West Berlin to become part of a Soviet-controlled city.

After the blockade, the Western powers merged the French and U.S.-British occupation zones, and a new constitution was drawn up. On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany, was proclaimed, with Bonn as its capital. On October 7 of the same year, the Soviet zone was proclaimed as the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. Its capital was East Berlin. West Berlin, which was entirely surrounded by East German territory, was treated as part of West Germany. West Germany became a multiparty democracy, while East Germany developed into an essentially one-party communist state under Soviet control. West Germany included the western two-thirds of what is now Germany, and East Germany included the eastern third.

West Germany
At first, West Germany was not a fully independent country, as the Western occupation powers maintained control over such areas as foreign policy and military affairs. The country was set up as a federal form of parliamentary democracy with a two-house parliament and a chancellor as head of government. The lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, was the main center of power at the federal level. The first federal elections, in 1949, resulted in the victory of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Konrad Adenauer, the leader of the Christian Democrats, formed a coalition government with other smaller parties and became the first chancellor of the new state. Adenauer was one of the great political personalities of postwar Europe. He was a strong believer in an alliance with the United States and the Western powers and hoped for an eventual united Europe based on the federal principle. At the same time he hoped for a reunification of Germany-but only as a democratic state free of communist control.

Adenauer was faced with pressing problems. One of the most urgent was caused by the arrival of millions of ethnic German refugees from the Polish-occupied areas of what had been eastern Germany as well as from East Germany and other countries of eastern Europe. The assimilation of these refugees presented both economic and social problems, but as the economy began to improve they found jobs and in fact contributed greatly to the country's revival.

Other problems, including the status of the Saar and its coal mines, were a result of the Allied occupation. Before World War I the Saar had been German territory, though France had controlled it at times in its earlier history. After World War I the French had attempted to obtain control of the Saar permanently. They had been forced to hand the territory over to the control of the League of Nations, who in 1935 gave it back to Germany. After World War II the area was initially part of the French occupation zone. The French detached the region from their own zone, joined it in a customs union with France, and gave it its own currency. A government was elected that gave France a 55-year lease on the coal mines. Adenauer opposed these moves strongly. With West Germany's prosperity growing, the people of the Saar voted against its becoming an autonomous territory in a referendum of 1955. It became a state of West Germany, the Saarland, in 1957. Relations between Germany and France were improved by personal contacts between Adenauer and the French leader, Charles de Gaulle.

Sovereignty and economic recovery
On May 5, 1955, the occupation of West Germany ended, and it became fully sovereign. The country was then completely free to develop its own policies. In 1953 Adenauer had been reelected, and he had begun to lead West Germany into a period of economic prosperity. He proved to the Germans that democracy could bring success, an idea that helped to counter any pro-communist sympathy among the population. The poor economic performance of East Germany strengthened pro-Western feelings among West Germans, and in 1956 the communist party was declared illegal in West Germany.

The Social Democratic Party, which formed the largest group in opposition to the government, was critical of Adenauer's policies. The party was unhappy with the continued employment in the government of people who had been Nazis. Moreover, education, especially at the universities, was still largely for a small elite, and in general society had changed little since the 1930s except for the political system.

The Social Democrats fought the rise of a new German army, but in 1953 the government received the necessary support from the two legislative houses to proceed. In 1955 West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The country had become a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, and in 1957 it became an original member of the European Economic Community (EEC), or Common Market, which later formed the core of the European Union. It therefore became one of the leaders of Europe along with France and Great Britain.

End of Adenauer era
Adenauer was reelected chancellor in 1957 and again in 1961. In the latter election, however, his party lost seats in the Bundestag, and many hoped he would resign. He did so in 1963 and was succeeded by Ludwig Erhard, who as Adenauer's economics minister had been the chief architect of the country's impressive economic recovery. As chancellor, Erhard was not as strong as Adenauer and was under constant criticism from Adenauer, who remained a member of parliament and party leader.

Erhard was reelected in 1965. The economy was in difficulties, however, and there was no strong political leadership. The Free Democrats withdrew from the coalition cabinet in 1966 to protect their political future, and Erhard resigned. A new chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger of the Christian Democrats, was chosen. He formed a coalition government with the Social Democrats; Willy Brandt, a leading Social Democrat, became vice-chancellor and foreign minister. This coalition lasted only three years. During this period West Germany tried to improve its relations with eastern Europe, but this policy of détente was curtailed for a time by the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The Social Democrats
The Social Democrats won the 1969 elections, which reflected a trend toward the left. Willy Brandt became chancellor and formed a coalition with the Free Democrats. His political strength lay largely in the fact that during the war he had actively opposed the Nazis while in Norway and Sweden. His main interest was foreign policy; he was less successful in dealing with domestic matters. He revived the pursuit of East-West détente, termed Ostpolitik (eastern policy), which he had begun as Erhard's foreign minister. At the end of 1970 he signed a treaty with Poland that recognized Poland's rights to the German territories Poland had annexed after the war. Brandt had also visited Moscow that year to sign a treaty with the Soviet Union in which West Germany agreed to respect the frontiers and territories of all states in Europe. By this act West Germany renounced all claims to Polish and Czechoslovakian territory and recognized the boundary between West and East Germany. In 1972 relations between the two Germanys were normalized. Brandt still refused to recognize fully the claim of East Germany to be a sovereign, independent state, as this would have put the stamp of approval on the partition of Germany. West Germany and East Germany joined the United Nations separately in 1973.

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev paid a visit to Bonn in 1973, an event welcomed by some as a sign of the end of Soviet-West German hostilities and of the Cold War. But Soviet approaches to West Germany were prompted more by a desire to obtain West German technology than by a desire for friendship. The Soviet Union in turn offered German industry raw materials and energy supplies, particularly oil and natural gas.

This period of seemingly improved relations with the Eastern bloc was brought to an end in 1974 by the revelation that one of Brandt's personal staff was an East German spy. Brandt accepted full responsibility for the mistake and resigned as chancellor.

The new chancellor was Helmut Schmidt, a practical, well-respected leader and a good speaker. He was reelected in 1976 and 1980, leading a coalition government of his Social Democratic Party and the Free Democrats.

The new government faced the problem of growing domestic terrorism, especially from the West German radical left-wing group known as the Red Army Faction. The RAF bombed government offices, embassies, military bases, and corporations and kidnapped and murdered judges, politicians, and business people. In 1977 RAF terrorists hijacked a West German airliner and took it to Mogadishu, Somalia, where the passengers were rescued by a special team of West German police. The RAF was later found to have been supported by the East German secret police.

Another problem arose from the decision by the government to develop nuclear power in order to reduce petroleum imports and to diminish air pollution from the excessive use of coal. Fear of nuclear accidents caused public opposition to those plans, and demonstrations and blockades took place at nuclear plants and proposed construction sites. Much opposition came from the ranks of the ruling Social Democratic Party, but a new party devoted to the protection of the environment arose. Known as the Greens, it won a surprising 43 seats in the Bundestag in 1987. Dissension among party ranks, however, and diminished interest among voters in western Germany contributed to the Greens' loss of all but seven seats in the 1990 all-German elections (after the two Germanys were reunified).

In 1981 the international economic recession began to affect West Germany, and unemployment rose sharply to a peak of more than 10 percent in 1983. Many of the 2 million foreign workers-mainly Turks and Yugoslavs-lost their jobs. In 1981 Schmidt visited East Germany in an attempt to improve relations between the two states. When the four Free Democrats in his cabinet resigned over differences of economic policy in 1982, the coalition government collapsed.

Christian Democrats return to power
Helmut Kohl of the Christian Democratic Union was chosen as chancellor, and in March 1983 he was given a clear mandate when his party was returned to power. He was reelected in 1987, but his party lost some of its seats. The United States government was particularly pleased with Kohl's policies, but the chancellor did not neglect the problem of relations with East Germany. Ultimately, Kohl led the drive to unify the two Germanys.

East Germany
Controlled by the Soviet Union, East Germany developed along different lines. In May 1949 a constitution establishing the government of an East German state was adopted by the legislative body that became the Volkskammer (People's Chamber), or parliament. The Socialist Unity Party, which had been formed in 1946, assumed power. It consisted mainly of Social Democrats and communists, with the latter dominating all party decisions. Wilhelm Pieck, a communist from the Socialist Unity Party, became president. The government essentially served as an agent of the all-powerful communist-controlled party. A Soviet-style Politburo controlled the party, with Walter Ulbricht, another veteran communist, as the party's general secretary.

The period from 1949 to 1953 was marked by great unrest within the Socialist Unity Party and the country. Many people who were thought to be politically unreliable were expelled from the party, and some were imprisoned. At the same time the government was preparing for future economic development and taking control of industries and other economic resources. Its first Soviet-style five-year plan began in 1951. This plan stressed the construction of new heavy industry and gave a low priority to consumer goods industries. In 1952 East German authorities began the collectivization of agriculture.

The political upheavals, the agricultural collectivization, and the low standard of living caused many people to leave for the West. In 1952 East Germany closed off its borders with West Germany, but East Germans were still able to leave by traveling from East Berlin to West Berlin. From 1952 to 1954 about 700,000 people left East Germany, a loss of workers that hampered the planned development of farming and industry.

Unrest among workers who remained led in 1953 to strikes in a number of cities, including East Berlin. These strikes grew into a rebellion that was put down with the aid of Soviet armed forces. In the wake of this uprising, the Soviet Union proclaimed East Germany a sovereign country in 1954. West Germany and other Western countries did not recognize East Germany until the early 1970s.

After Pieck died in 1960, the office of president was abolished. Its role was assumed by the new Council of State, with Ulbricht as chairperson.

The communists maintained what had become a totalitarian dictatorship with the aid of a secret military police and espionage agency known as the Stasi. The Stasi was widely feared and hated. It sought to infiltrate every aspect of people's lives, with its own spies as well as an enormous network of informants-ordinary East Germans who spied on and denounced their friends and neighbors. Those suspected of opposing the state were persecuted or sent to prison.

The Berlin Wall
Some 3 million East Germans left for the West between the end of the war and 1961. In that year East Germany built a wall separating East and West Berlin to halt the exodus of badly needed skilled workers and others. It marked a turning point. East Germans could no longer go to the West without official permission, which was difficult to obtain. Those who tried to escape by climbing the wall risked being shot by guards.

At the same time economic reforms that eased central planning controls were introduced. Industrial production increased rapidly, more consumer goods began to appear in stores, and a mood of optimism began to spread through the population. By the mid-1960s the standard of living was higher than in most other Soviet-bloc countries.

In 1968 the rise of a more liberal regime in Czechoslovakia alarmed the Soviet and East German governments. East German military units took part in the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. In spite of this development, relations with West Germany began to improve.

End of the Ulbricht era
Ulbricht resisted opening relations with West Germany, and the Soviet Union forced him to retire in 1971. He was replaced by Erich Honecker, another hard-line communist. One of Honecker's first acts was to nationalize all the remaining private enterprise. Attempts were made to counter the influence of West German television, which was easily received in many parts of the country. The unique nature of East Germany and its culture was stressed, and loyalty to the state was firmly emphasized.

By the 1970s the economy was one of the most industrialized and successful in eastern Europe, but shortages of labor and natural resources began to occur. A serious food shortage developed in 1982. East Germany had meanwhile been building considerable debt to Western banks, and problems arose with the repayment of interest and capital. The Soviet Union sharply criticized these foreign loans.

Reunification
In 1989 the two Germanys individually celebrated their 40th anniversaries as separate states. As the Soviet Union began to adopt liberal economic and political reforms in the late 1980s, so too did its satellite countries in eastern Europe. As it gave up its control of eastern Europe in 1989-90, reunification of the two Germanys became suddenly possible.

The totalitarian East German government at first ignored-and then opposed-the gradual political liberalization that was occurring in the Soviet Union. In 1988 Honecker pressed for even tighter ideological control. In the summer of 1989 a new reformist government in Hungary began allowing East Germans to escape to the West through Hungary's newly opened border with Austria. West German embassies in Poland and Czechoslovakia were flooded with East German refugees trying to emigrate, and huge numbers of East Germans streamed into West Germany. Enormous pro-democracy demonstrations and marches broke out in cities across East Germany.

The communist government of East Germany fell quickly. Honecker was removed from office in October 1989 and was replaced by his hard-line protégé, Egon Krenz. Amid the mass exodus of East Germans, the government promised freer East-West travel; the culmination of this promise was the opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9. That night tens of thousands of jubilant East Berliners poured through crossing points in the wall to celebrate their new freedom.

In larger and larger demonstrations East German citizens demanded change. In mid-November Krenz was replaced with a reform-minded communist who promised free, multiparty elections, which took place in March 1990. Although the Socialist Unity Party was reconfigured and renamed, it suffered a major defeat. East Germans voted overwhelmingly for a conservative alliance that proposed quick reunification with West Germany. The new coalition government was led by the Christian Democratic Union, with the party's Lothar de Maizière as prime minister. His administration began dismantling the communist system that had been in place for 40 years and working with West German leaders to reunify the two Germanys.

In July 1990 the West German deutsche mark became the sole legal currency in East Germany. Later that month, the last major obstacle to reunification-Soviet control-was removed. West German chancellor Helmut Kohl persuaded Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to agree to accept a united Germany as a member of NATO. In return, West Germany provided the Soviet Union with substantial financial aid.

Because of East Germany's ruined economy and its outdated industries, many West German companies were hesitant to invest there. Nearly half of the East German workforce was unemployed, and nearly three-quarters of the businesses failed by the end of 1990. Poland expressed concern that the country might not accept post-World War II borders. Eventually, however, Germany stated that it would respect the borders with Poland.

The unification treaty was signed on August 31, 1990, and in September some further issues were resolved during the "two-plus-four" negotiations (a phrase referring to the two Germanys and the four Allied powers). Germany was officially reunified on October 3, 1990. Berlin became its capital.

The integration of the two Germanys proved to be a very long and expensive process. Large sums of money-more than expected-were required to modernize the industries and infrastructure in what had been East Germany. The east's economy was restructured, and the standard of living there was raised. Nevertheless, significant economic, social, and cultural differences remained between east and west. Some 20 years after reunification the unemployment rate in the east remained about twice as high as in the west. The difficulties of reunification led to disillusionment and resentment between some westerners and easterners.

Germany Since Reunification
On December 2, 1990, the first free all-German parliamentary elections in 58 years were held. Former West German chancellor Helmut Kohl, representing the Christian Democratic Union party, was elected Germany's new chancellor. The following year Kohl helped negotiate the treaty that created the European Union (EU). Kohl was reelected in 1994, but his popularity declined throughout the 1990s. His efforts to integrate Germany into the EU led to the introduction of harsh fiscal measures in order to bring the country's economy in line with those of other European countries. That effort was rewarded in May 1998, when Germany qualified for entry into the European economic and monetary union. (This allowed Germany to replace its national currency with the euro in 2002.) Kohl's 16-year reign as chancellor came to an end, however, when the Social Democrats were victorious in national elections in September 1998.

The leader of the Social Democrats, Gerhard Schröder, became chancellor and formed a coalition government with the Greens. Schröder's government focused on improving the sluggish economy and reducing the financial costs of the country's robust social welfare programs. Germany began to phase out its use of nuclear energy, pledging to curtail it entirely by about 2025, a goal especially important to the Greens. Schröder sent German troops to Kosovo in 1999 and to Afghanistan in 2001 but was critical of U.S. policy toward Iraq. The latter position helped boost his personal popularity, and despite the country's continuing economic problems, his Social Democrat/Green coalition narrowly won reelection in 2002. Schröder was a forceful and vocal critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. His welfare program cuts, however, proved highly unpopular.

With Germany's economy still worsening, elections were held a year early, in 2005. The Christian Democrats, led by Angela Merkel, won by a very small margin. After weeks of negotiations, they formed a "grand coalition" government with the Social Democrats, their largest opponent. Merkel became not only the first woman to hold the chancellorship but also the first former East German to do so. She was returned to office for a second term in 2009. This time, however, her party won just enough seats in the Bundestag to form a coalition with its traditional partners, and the Social Democrats became an opposition party.

Under Merkel the government took some modest steps to tackle economic and welfare system reform. The official retirement age, for example, was raised from 65 to 67. In 2006-07 the economy began to rebound. The overall growth increased, and the persistently high unemployment rate fell. In 2008-09, however, Germany was hard hit by the global financial crisis. The country's exports dropped, and it entered a deep recession. Although the recession ended in the second half of 2009, the country still faced slow economic growth and a large public debt.

In other parts of Europe, public debt levels soared to exceptionally high levels. This created an economic problem in the EU called the euro-zone debt crisis. Germany took a leadership role in the handling of the crisis. To deal with the high debt levels, Merkel promoted measures such as government spending cuts and tax increases.

In foreign affairs, Germany pursued a closer relationship with the United States. Merkel was widely hailed for her mediation skills. She generally continued Germany's strong promotion of European integration, though after the economic crisis tensions arose between Germany and the rest of the EU over economic policy. Nevertheless, Germany remained a leader in Europe, central to its stability and prosperity.

By the time of the 2013 federal elections, Merkel's personal popularity was bolstered by strong economic numbers. The unemployment rate was the lowest since reunification. Merkel's handling of the economy and her approach to the euro-zone debt crisis appeared popular with voters. In the 2013 parliamentary elections the CDU and CSU captured nearly 42 percent of the vote. They won almost an absolute majority of the seats. Merkel became the third chancellor in the post-World War II era to win three elections. However, her government's junior partner, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), failed to reach the 5 percent threshold for representation for the first time in the postwar period. After more than two months of negotiations, Merkel formed a grand coalition government with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP).

In her third term, Merkel was faced with a severe refugee crisis. Huge numbers of refugees escaping conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere fled to Europe. Many of them chose to go to Germany, which was among the EU's most prosperous countries. For humanitarian reasons, Merkel stated that Germany would welcome refugees in the face of the emergency. More than one million migrants entered the country in 2015. The number of new migrants strained public services, including the police and border guards. Merkel's open-door refugee policy was deeply unpopular among many Germans. This was particularly true after a series of violent attacks in Germany in 2016.

During New Year's celebrations in 2016, gangs of men attacked hundreds of women in Cologne and other German cities. Several of the attackers were migrants to Germany. The country was also the site of a pair of terrorist attacks in July 2016 carried out by migrants. In December of that year, a Tunisian migrant intentionally drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

A backlash against migrants led to street protests in Germany. In local and regional elections far-right political parties turned anti-immigrant feelings to their advantage. Alternative for Germany (AfD) was one such anti-immigrant party that met with new success. In the 2017 federal elections the AfD won about 13 percent of the vote. That was enough to secure the party seats in the parliament. It was the first time since World War II that Germany had a nationalist party serving in the parliament. On the other hand, Merkel's CDU-CSU alliance received its lowest vote percentage in the postwar era. With about a third of the vote, however, it won the largest share of seats. Merkel was returned for a fourth term as chancellor.

Further evidence of waning support for the CDU-CSU came in 2018. In October the CSU turned in its worst performance in more than half a century in regional elections in Bavaria. The CDU suffered a similar setback in regional elections in Hesse later that month. Merkel subsequently announced that she would step down as chancellor at the end of her term in 2021. She also gave up her role as head of the CDU in late 2018. She was replaced in the CDU leader's post by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was widely thought to be Merkel's preferred choice to succeed her as chancellor. Kramp-Karrenbauer, however, struggled to maintain party unity. Although the CDU had declared a ban on any alliances with the AfD, CDU delegates in Thuringia openly defied the ban by voting with the far-right party in the state election held there in February 2020. Uproar over the election led Kramp-Karrenbauer to step down as CDU leader. The post was later filled by Armin Laschet, another Merkel loyalist.

Germany, like other countries around the world, soon had to confront the outbreak of COVID-19, an illness caused by a coronavirus. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global pandemic. By that time COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in all 16 German federal states. Germany's response to the public health crisis was initially hailed as a model for how to handle the pandemic. Lockdown measures and an effective strategy for testing and contact-tracing helped keep COVID-19-related deaths and infection rates relatively low during the pandemic's early stages. Following a period during which lockdown measures were eased, however, a second wave of COVID-19 cases struck the country. Tougher lockdown restrictions were imposed before the second wave peaked in mid-January 2021. Merkel's government faced strong criticism over the slow rollout of Germany's vaccination program. A third wave of cases began in March, but infection rates declined by May as the vaccination campaign eventually gathered pace. A fourth wave began later in the year that consisted primarily of cases among unvaccinated Germans.

Having lost ground in the polls as the pandemic wore on, the CDU-CSU could not recover by the time the 2021 federal elections were held on September 26. Though Merkel actively campaigned for the CDU-CSU and Laschet, the alliance's candidate for chancellor, the Social Democrats, led by finance minister Olaf Scholz, prevailed over the CDU-CSU to earn a narrow plurality of seats in parliament. The Greens also made notable gains, placing third with about 15 percent of the vote. The strong showing for the Greens reflected growing concern among Germans over climate change, particularly in the wake of catastrophic flooding in western Germany over the summer. Following the elections the Social Democrats began negotiations on forming a coalition government. In November the Social Democrats agreed to form a coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats. Merkel remained in office until Scholz was sworn in as the country's new chancellor on December 8.

Blashfield, Jean F. Germany (Children's Press, 2013). Blevins, Wiley. Germany (Scholastic, 2018). Buse, D.K. The Regions of Germany (Greenwood, 2005). Byers, Ann. Germany: A Primary Source Cultural Guide (PowerPlus, 2005). Horne, W.R., and Pavlović, Zoran. Germany, 2nd ed. (Chelsea House, 2007). Russell, Henry. Germany (National Geographic, 2007). Schmemann, Serge. When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism (Kingfisher, 2007). Stanmyre, Jackie F. The Unification and Reunification of Germany (Cavendish Square, 2019). Zuehlke, Jeffrey. Germany in Pictures, 2nd ed. (Lerner, 2009).

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One of the great powers of Europe and of the industrial world, Germany rose from a collection of small states, principalities, and dukedoms to become a unified empire in...

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Prepare for one big trip round one seriously cool country with our fab facts about Russia ...

Official Name: Russian Federation
Form of Government: Federation
Capital: Moscow
Population: 144, 125, 000
Official Language: Russian
Money: Ruble
Area: 17, 075, 200 square kilometres
Major Mountain ranges: Ural, Altay
Major Rivers: Amur, Irtysh, Lena, Ob, Volga, Yenisey

As the world's largest country, Russia occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth. It spans 11 time zones across two continents (Europe and Asia) and has shores on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Ocean).

The Russian landscape varies from sandy and frozen deserts, tall mountains to giant marshes. Much of Russia is made up of rolling, treeless plains called "steppes". The region of Siberia, which occupies three-quarters of Russia, is dominated by sprawling pine forests called "taigas".

Russia has around 100,000 rivers, including some of the longest and most powerful in the world. It also has many lakes, including Ladoga and Onega (Europe's two largest lakes), and Lake Baikal, which contains more water than any other lake on Earth.

As Russia is so huge, it's no surprise that this incredible country is home to a large number of ecosystems and different species. Its forests, steppes and tundras provide habitat for many rare animals, including Asiatic black bears, snow leopards, polar bears, and small, rabbit-like mammals called pikas.

Russia's first national parks were set up in the 19th century, but decades of unregulated pollution have taken a toll on many of the country's wild places. To help protect and restore the country's natural beauty, strict nature reserves have been established, known as zapovedniks.

Russia's most famous animal species is the Siberian tiger, the largest cat in the world. Indigenous to the forests of eastern Russia, these endangered giants can grow to over 3m long, and weigh up to 300kg. How's that for a big cat?!
Don't forget to check out more amazing tiger facts!
The earliest human settlements in Russia arose around A.D. 500, as Scandinavians moved south to areas around the upper Volga River. These settlers mixed with Slavs from the west and built a fortress that would eventually become the Ukrainian city of Kiev.

Kiev evolved into an empire that ruled most of European Russia for 200 years, then broke up into Ukraine, Belarus and Muscovy. Muscovy's capital, Moscow, remained a small trading post until the 13th century, when Mongol invasions in the south drove people to settle in Moscow.

In the 1550s, Muscovite ruler Ivan IV became Russia's first tsar (Russian emperor) after driving the Mongols out of Kiev and unifying the region. In 1682, Peter the Great became tsar at the age of just ten, and for 42 years he worked to make Russia more modern and more European.

In 1917, Russians, unhappy with their government, overthrew the tsar and formed a new elected government. Just a few months later, however, a communist group called the Bolsheviks seized power. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) from Russia and 11 other countries.

The U.S.S.R. fought on the side of the United States in World War II. But soon after the war ended in 1945, relations between the two powers and their allies became strained, leading to what's known as the Cold War. After decades of conflict, the Cold War ended in 1991 with the break up of the Soviet Union.

There are about 120 ethnic groups in Russia who speak more than a hundred languages. Roughly 80 percent of Russians trace their ancestry to the Slavs who settled in the country 1,500 years ago. Other major groups include Tatars, who came with the Mongol invaders, and Ukrainians.

Russia is known all over the world for its thinkers and artists, including writers like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and ballet dancers like Rudolf Nureyev.

Russia's history as a democracy is short. The country's first election, which took place in 1917, was quickly reversed by the Bolsheviks, and it wasn't until the 1991 election of Boris Yeltsin that democracy took hold.

Russia is a federation of 86 republics, provinces, territories and districts, all controlled by the government in Moscow. The head of state is a president elected by the people. The economy is based on a vast supply of natural resources, including oil, coal, iron ore, gold and aluminium.What did you make to these cool facts about Russia? Let us know in a comment, below!

What did you make to these cool facts about Russia? Let us know in a comment, below!

Credits
Map of Russia: National Geographic Maps. Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia: Tatiana Savvateeva, Dreamstime. St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow: Alex83ch, Dreamstime. The Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow: Wrangel, Dreamstime. Sunrise over a Russian landscape: Alexey Shulika, Dreamstime. Fog along Russian mountains: Dmitryminin, Dreamstime. All other images: Getty Images UK.

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Russia facts: learn all about Russia, with facts about Russian history, politics, geography, culture and government, including a map of Russia.

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Koalas are marsupials, related to kangaroos.

OFFICIAL NAME: Commonwealth of Australia

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal parliamentary democracy; Commonwealth realm

CAPITAL: Canberra

POPULATION: 23,470,145

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English

MONEY: Australian dollar

AREA: 2,969,906 square miles (7,692,024 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Great Dividing Range, Macdonnell Ranges

MAJOR RIVERS: Murray-Darling, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan

Australia is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent. It is one of the largest countries on Earth. Although it is rich in natural resources and has a lot of fertile land, more than one-third of Australia is desert.

Most Australian cities and farms are located in the southwest and southeast, where the climate is more comfortable. There are dense rain forests in the northeast. The famous outback (remote rural areas) contains the country's largest deserts, where there are scorching temperatures, little water, and almost no vegetation.

Running around the eastern and southeastern edge of Australia is the Great Dividing Range. This 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) stretch of mountain sends water down into Australia's most important rivers and the Great Artesian Basin, the largest groundwater source in the world.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Australia is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations. Nearly a quarter of the people who live in Australia were born in other countries. They come from the United Kingdom and other European countries, but also from China, Vietnam, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Australia's warm, sunny climate and abundance of open spaces gives the population a love of the outdoors. The people are also passionate about sports, including swimming, surfing, sailing, tennis, soccer, cricket, rugby, and their own invention, Australian rules football.

Australia's ecosystem is an unusual one because of its remote location. As a result, there are many animal species that occur here and nowhere else in the world, such as the platypus, kangaroo, echidna, and koala. Australia has 516 national parks to protect its unique plants and animals.

One of Australia's most amazing sites rises like an enormous whale's back from a flat red-soil desert called the Red Center. This site is called Uluru, and it is a sacred natural formation at the heart of the country. Rising 1,100 feet (335 meters) tall, it is the largest rock in the world!

Australia is home to many of the deadliest species of animals on the planet. There are 36 species of poisonous funnel-web spiders in eastern Australia. There are also 20 types of venomous snakes, including the taipan, which attacks without warning and bites repeatedly, killing its victim in minutes.

There are several types of rain forests in Australia. Tropical rain forests, mainly found in the northeast, are the richest in plant and animal species. Subtropical rain forests are found near the mid-eastern coast, and broadleaf rain forests grow in the southeast and on the island of Tasmania.

GOVERNMENT

As a commonwealth of the United Kingdom, Australia's head of state is the British monarch. Many Australians think the country should end its ties to Britain and become a republic. In a vote in 1999, Australians decided against separating from the UK, but the vote was close, and the debate continues.

Australia is an important exporter of agricultural goods like wool, wheat, beef, fruit, and wine. The country is also rich in minerals and metals and is the world's fourth largest producer of gold.

Aboriginal people arrived in Australia about 50,000 years ago. They may have traveled from Asia across land bridges that were exposed when sea levels were lower. The hardy Aborigines have learned to live in the harsh conditions of the outback.

Dutch explorers first landed in Australia in 1606, and the British began to settle there in 1788. Many settlers were criminals sent to live in Australia as punishment. For a short time, the newcomers lived peacefully with the Aboriginal people. But soon, fighting broke out over who owned the land.

In 1851, gold was discovered in Australia. A rush to find riches brought thousands of new immigrants, and by 1859, six separate colonies existed. In 1901, these colonies joined to form a British commonwealth.

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Australia Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Australia is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent. It is one of the largest countries on Earth.

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The Arab Republic of Egypt is a country in the northeastern corner of Africa. Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest and most important civilizations in the world. The modern…

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Located off the northwest coast of Europe, the United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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Known as the Emerald Isle, Ireland is famous for its green countryside. Throughout much of its history, Ireland fought against rule by other countries. Most of the island...

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Roman and Muslim Rule

In ancient times many different peoples from Europe and North Africa settled in Spain. The Romans ruled the region from the 200s bce to the 400s ce.

Muslim Arabs invaded in 711. They quickly captured most of the Iberian Peninsula. The Muslims held power for more than 700 years.

Christian Spain

After many years Christian kingdoms in the north began to take back territory piece by piece. By the late 1200s the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon had conquered most of the area controlled by the Muslims. In 1469 Prince Ferdinand of Aragon married Princess Isabella of Castile. The two kingdoms were officially united in 1479. By that time Ferdinand had become king of Aragon and Isabella had become queen of Castile. In 1492 Castile and Aragon captured the last Muslim kingdom, Granada. Spain was then a united Christian country.

Ferdinand and Isabella banned all religions other than Roman Catholicism. A court called the Inquisition punished people who were not Catholic. Spain also forced thousands of Jews to leave the country.

World Empire

In 1492 Spanish ships commanded by Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. Spanish explorers soon claimed territories around the world for Spain.

Spain also stretched its empire through Europe. Charles, the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, belonged to a powerful family called the Hapsburgs. In 1516 he became the king of Spain. In 1519 he became Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire as well.

Loss of Power

Spain lost power in the 1600s, when the country fought many costly wars. In 1700 the last of the Spanish Hapsburgs died. Many European countries fought to take the Spanish throne in the War of the Spanish Succession. At the end of the war Spain lost its European territory. A French prince became king of Spain.

Most of Spain's overseas colonies won independence in the 1800s. Spain lost other territory to the United States after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Civil War

In 1936 a civil war broke out between two Spanish groups: the Nationalists and the Republicans. The Nationalists, led by Francisco Franco, won the war in 1939. Franco then ruled Spain as a dictator, or a leader with unlimited power, for 36 years.

Recent Events

After Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos became king of Spain. He made Spain a democracy again. Spain joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1986.

Meanwhile, Spain faced a number of terrorist attacks. In 2004 members of the Muslim group al-Qaeda blew up trains in Madrid. A group of Basques carried out many other attacks. The Basques are people who live in the north of the country. The government allows them to have some control over their region, but some of them want complete independence.

The people of Catalonia also sought independence. Catalonia is a region in the northeastern part of the country. In 2017 the people voted to separate from the rest of the country. The Catalan parliament then voted to declare independence. The Spanish government reacted by taking control of the region. The government called for new elections to the Catalan parliament. In those elections, pro-independence parties won many seats. Meanwhile, the leader of Catalonia had fled the country. He continued to call for independence, however.

In June 2014 Juan Carlos stepped down as king of Spain. The following day the crown prince was named King Felipe VI.

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Spain is a large country in western Europe. It once controlled a huge empire in the Americas. Spain's capital is Madrid. Geography Spain takes up most of the Iberian...

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People first came to Japan about 30,000 years ago. At the time, the main islands were connected to Siberia and Korea by bridges of dry land, so people crossed on foot. The first society, called the Jomon culture, arose about 12,000 years ago. Around the same time, the Ainu people arrived by boat from Siberia.

The Jomon and Ainu survived for thousands of years, hunting, fishing, and gathering plants. In 300 B.C., the Yayoi people came to Honshu Island from Korea and China. They were skilled weavers, tool makers, and farmers who began cultivating rice in flooded paddy fields.

In 660 B.C., Japan's first emperor, Jimmu Tenno, came to power. Emperors controlled Japan until the 12th century A.D., when military rulers, called shoguns, took control and ruled by might.

Europeans first arrived in Japan in 1543, bringing guns and Christianity. In 1635, the ruling shogun closed Japan to foreigners and forbade Japanese to travel abroad. This isolation lasted more than 200 years. In 1868, the shoguns were overthrown and emperors returned. This was a time of great change and modernization for Japan.

During World War I (1914-1917), Japan fought on the side of the U.S. But on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States navy fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the U.S. entered World War II. From 1941-1945, Japan's military leaders fought against the U.S. and the allied forces. In August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing about 115,000 people. Japan surrendered a few days later.

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Japan is an archipelago, or string of islands, on the eastern edge of Asia.

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Money

The currency, or the official money, of India is the rupee. Paper rupees range in value from 5 to 5,000. There are also coins that are worth 1, 2, or 5 rupees.

Food

Indian cuisine can vary greatly from region to region. For instance, rice is the main staple throughout the south and east, and flat wheat bread is the main staple in the north and northwest. Listed below are some of the most commonly eaten foods in India.

chapati (flat bread)

chutney (a chunky sauce that accompanies an Indian meal)

curry (a powder blend of many spices, usually turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper; also any dish made with curry seasoning)

dal (lentils; also any dish made with lentils)

ghee (cooking oil made from butter)

masala (mixture of spices)

naan (bread)

pakora (deep-fried cake containing cauliflower, eggplant, or other vegetables)

paneer (cheese; the only kind of cheese that is made in India)

papad (dried lentil chip flavored with spices)

raita (yogurt salad)

rasam (traditional south Indian soup)

samosa (deep-fried turnover filled with meat or potatoes)

shorba (traditional north Indian soup)

tandoori (a method of cooking over a charcoal fire in a clay oven)

Holidays

India celebrates three national holidays. These days are important to every Indian citizen. The holidays listed after the first three below are important days to people who practice a particular religion. In addition, every Indian state has its own calendar of public holidays.

Republic Day (January 26, the day the constitution went into effect)

Independence Day (August 15, the day India broke from British control)

Gandhi Jayanti (October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi)

Diwali (Hindu festival of light)

Holi (Hindu spring festival)

Dussehra (the last day of Sharad Navratri; Hindu holiday marking the victory of the god Rama over the 10-headed demon king Ravana)

Pongal (a Hindu harvest festival celebrated in January by the Tamil people in southern India)

Vasant Panchami (Hindu festival in honor of the goddess Sarasvati)

gurpurabs (multiple Sikh festivals held throughout the year that celebrate important events in the lives of the Gurus)

ʿId al-Fitr (Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan)

Good Friday (Christian observance of crucifixion of Jesus Christ)

Christmas (Christian celebration of birth of Jesus Christ)

Buddha Purnima (also called Buddha Jayanti or Wesak; Buddhist holiday that celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death)

National Symbols

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India's culture is one of the oldest and richest in the world. The capital is New Delhi. Geography Much of India's territory is a peninsula that extends into the Indian...

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In the latest in a series of articles on how World War II changed forever the countries that fought it, Kirsten Ripper looks at Germany, the instigator of the conflict and a nation that would be torn in two in its aftermath.
German guilt for Europe's suffering

In World War II, Germany brought immeasurable suffering and destruction to the whole of Europe. An estimated 60 million people were killed in the conflict, of whom around five million were German. Two thirds of the dead were civilians - among them six million Jews.

Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. On May 8 in Reims and again on May 9 in Berlin, Germany's military signed the unconditional surrender.

At the end of the Nazi regime Germany was almost totally destroyed. Some 12 million Germans were refugees - mostly from regions in the East that were now in Soviet hands - and looking for a new home.

The responsibility for WWII and the national sentiment of guilt shaped the role of German politicians and citizens in Europe for decades.

Never again: Holocaust and anti-semitism

Holocaust (the Greek word for "burnt") or Shoah (the Hebrew word for "catastrophe") refers to the mass murder of six millions Jews, or people that the Nazi regime considered Jews.

It was the declared aim of the Nazis to ban all Jews from Europe, Hitler's "final solution to the Jewish question" that led to industrial mass murder.

Jews, but also Sinti, Roma, homosexuals and political opponents were persecuted by the Nazi regime. The worst horrors were the organised mass shootings and death by gas of death-camp prisoners from all over Europe.

It was only when the Soviet Red Army and then the Allied Forces liberated the concentration camps at the end of the war that the degree of the crimes became apparent.

The Allies tried to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Holocaust in the Nuremberg Trials.

Since the end of World War II, Germany has been trying to come to terms with anti-semitism and has made the denial of the Holocaust punishable by law.

The Shoah also explains a very special relationship between Germany and Israel, where Yad Vashem in Jerusalem remembers the six million murdered Jews.

Cold war and a divided Germany

At the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in 1945, the leaders of the USA, the USSR and Great Britain planned the de-nazification, democratisation and demilitarisation of a post-war Germany.

These three ultimately victorious powers, along with France, shared the administration of Germany, which was carved up into four zones of occupation. Berlin - which found itself within the Soviet zone of occupation, or "Eastern Zone", was also itself divided into four zones of occupation (sectors).

Immediately after the war, Winston Churchill spoke of an "Iron Curtain" that had descended across Europe, behind which the Soviet Union was hiding: "An Iron Curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind."
The Iron Curtain separated the capitalist West from the Soviet, communist East and became the front line in a new conflict - the Cold War.

On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (known as West Germany) was founded on the model of Western democracies. Five months later the Soviet occupied Eastern Zone, along with East Berlin, officially became the "German Democratic Republic" (known as East Germany), a Soviet-style socialist state.

There followed a progressive separation of the two German states, the most visible being the Berlin Wall built by the Soviet-backed GDR in August 1961. The fall of the Wall in 1989 was the first big step toward German reunification, 44 years after the end of the Second World War.
Photos: Attlee, Truman and Stalin at the Potsdam conference (left); the western allies would occupy West Germany and West Berlin while the USSR occupied East Germany and East Berlin

The Marshall Plan and German economic 'miracle'

In Germany and in Europe most industries were destroyed after WWII, causing chronic unemployment and poverty. In 1947, the US Secretary of State George C. Marshall had the idea of a 'European Recovery Programme'. It was designed to "contain" totalitarism and communism and to create markets for US products. Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece and the Benelux countries received help from the USA. Washington invested 13.2 billion dollars into the European economy. For many experts this provided the basis of what is today the European Union.

In the 1950s the German economy was beginning to experience what Germans described as a Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle). The Christian Democrats had introduced the so-called "social market economy" and industry grew by 185 percent between 1950 and 1963. To rebuild Germany, the economy needed extra hands and from the mid 1950s a steady flow of "Gastarbeiter" (guest workers) were recruited - first from Italy, but then also from other countries including many from Turkey. West Germany had been transformed within 15 years from a Nazi disaster zone into a prosperous, immigration state.

Pacifism and the new role

After the bitter experience of the Nazi regime and Second World War, Germans, both in East and West turned away from militarism. Although West Germany decided in the early 1950s - despite strong protests in Parliament and among the public - to follow East Germany in rebuilding an army and (unlike East Germany) join NATO, West German soldiers took no part in international combat missions until German reunification in 1990.

Although the end of the division forced Germany to abandon its passivity and redefine its role in the Western defense alliance, a pacifist attitude and a certain skepticism about military activities in Germany - regardless of generational change - can still be observed today.

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In the latest in a series of articles on how World War II changed forever the countries that fought it, Kirsten Ripper looks at Germany, the instigator of the conflict and a nation that would be torn in two in its aftermath. In World War II, Germany brought immeasurable suffering and destruction to the whole of Europe.

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Bring out your green! St. Patrick's Day-observed every March 17-is packed with parades, good luck charms, and all things green. The event started as a religious holiday, but over time it's become a celebration of Irish culture.

CELEBRATED SAINT

St. Patrick might be the patron saint of Ireland-but he didn't always live in Ireland. Patrick was born in Britain in the fourth century and didn't arrive in Ireland until he was 16 years old, when he was sent to work in the country.

After he arrived, Patrick became interested in Christianity and started teaching others about the religion. He is said to have converted many of the country's residents to Christians, and now St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on the day Patrick supposedly died.

MYTHS BUSTED

St. Patrick was a real person, but some of the traditions associated with him and the holiday are actually myths. For instance, you'll often see the four-leaf clover on St. Patrick's Day. However, according to legend, Patrick used a three-leaf clover, or shamrock, as part of his teachings. Even though it's possible for a shamrock to grow a fourth leaf, a four-leaf clover is just considered a symbol of good luck.

Another legend says that Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland. The problem? These creatures never actually lived in the country. In fact many animals found throughout Europe and North America don't live on the island of Ireland-the ocean keeps the critters away.

GOING GREEN

The fact that Ireland is an island-as well as green with leafy trees and grassy hills-means that the nation is sometimes called the Emerald Isle. But the color that people originally associated with St. Patrick was blue! (Some ancient Irish flags even sport this color.) Green was finally introduced to St. Patrick's Day festivities in the 18th century, when the shamrock (which is, of course, green) became a national symbol. Because of the shamrock's popularity and Ireland's landscape, the color stuck to the holiday.

Green is also the color that mythical fairies called leprechauns like to dress in-today, at least. But tales about leprechauns date back to before green was in: The fairies were first described as wearing red.

TODAY'S TRADITIONS

Leprechauns are actually one reason you're supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's Day-or risk getting pinched! The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, which like to pinch anyone they can see. Some people also think sporting the color will bring good luck, and others wear it to honor their Irish ancestry. No wonder green decorations can be seen all over-the Chicago River in Illinois is even dyed green each year to celebrate the holiday.

Another tradition includes many Irish-American people in the United States eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. People also gather to watch parades of traditional Irish dancers and musicians as they march through city streets. However you celebrate, here's hoping it's a lucky day!

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Check out surprising fact about this holiday (Why DO we wear green, anyway?)

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Japan Facts for Kids | Japan Geography | Famous Japanese | Food | Asia

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Read our updated Japan Facts and be informed about the most important facts about this fascinating country and its people.

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Greece is a country of southeastern Europe. The birthplace of Western civilization, the small country has had a long and eventful history. At one time a major center of science, philosophy, and art, it is today a country with political and economic problems. These problems exist in part because of the mountainous nature of its land, poor soil, and few natural resources-and in part from the four centuries of foreign rule that resulted in little economic development. Wars and frequent changes of government have contributed to the political instability of the country. In spite of these problems, modern Greece and its people have achieved much, particularly in the area of commerce. ( See also ancient Greece.) Area 50,984 square miles (132,049 square kilometers.) Population (2023 est.) 10,373,000.

Because of its shape and the number of islands, Greece gives the impression of being smaller than its actual area. There are few countries where the meeting of land and sea creates such a complex pattern of islands, inlets, gulfs, and bays. The sea presses deep into the land with hundreds of arms separated by the rocky spines of peninsulas. Only a small, wedge-shaped portion of the interior is more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the sea. The contrasts between the deep blue of sea and sky, the white of limestone crags and whitewashed buildings, and the burnt-orange of tiled roofs contribute dramatically to what strikes all visitors-a quality of light that is unique.

Greece is divided into several regions that have been recognized as such since ancient times. The provinces of Macedonia and Thrace form a relatively narrow area lying along the northern coast of the Aegean Sea. To the west lies Epirus, which forms the northern boundary with Albania. East of Epirus and south of Macedonia is Thessaly. The southern half of Greece consists of the provinces of Central Greece and Euboea and the Peloponnesus. The islands of Greece are divided into the Aegean Islands, including the Northern Sporades, the Cyclades, and the Dodecanese; the large island of Crete (or Kríti); and the Ionian Islands off the west coast.

About 80 percent of the country consists of mountains, the highest being Mount Olympus at 9,570 feet (2,917 meters) in Thessaly. There are several mountain ranges, which tend to run in a northwest to southeast direction. The most important are the Pindus Mountains, which form the backbone of the Greek mainland, dividing Epirus from Thessaly. These mountains reappear in the south on the large peninsula of the Peloponnesus, where they divide into several smaller ranges. One of these ranges vanishes under the sea but appears again in the east as the mountains of the islands of Crete, Kárpathos, and Rhodes.

Between the main ranges there are valleys and depressions, some quite large. The largest plains are found in Macedonia and Thrace. These were former lakes and at one time contained swamps that have now been drained. In eastern Greece the Plains of Thessaly form the second largest lowland area. In other areas there are some smaller plains along the coast and a few that are large.

The islands make up about 20 percent of the total area of Greece. They form complex patterns that generally follow the trends of the mainland mountain ranges. The Ionian Islands, from Corfu (also Kérkira) to Zákinthos, lie along the west coast. To the east in the Aegean Sea, the largest island is Euboea (Évvoia), with the Northern Sporades, a group of smaller islands, located to the north. To the east are the islands of Limnos, Lesbos (Lésvos), and Chios (Khíos), which lie close to the coast of Turkey. The islands are detached parts of the mainland of Anatolia. The large group of islands to the southeast, known as the Cyclades, are of volcanic origin and still show occasional volcanic activity. The main island is Náxos. Farther east the islands of the Dodecanese group lie along the coast of Turkey. To their south is the large island of Rhodes, the most easterly of the Greek islands. The long island of Crete is located to the south, somewhat apart from the Greek mainland and the other islands. It is very mountainous, its highest point being Mount Ídi (also Ida) at 8,058 feet (2,456 meters).

The mountains of Greece are young from a geological standpoint, and they are still in the building stage. This results in much earthquake activity. The whole country is affected to some extent, but the Ionian Islands in particular are subject to severe earthquakes.

The rivers of Greece have a complex pattern. The northern rivers-the Axios, Strimón, Néstos, and Évros-rise in the mountains of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. These rivers flow only a short distance on Greek territory until they reach the Aegean Sea. The longest river in Greece is the Aliákmon. It begins in the Pindus Mountains and flows eastward for 185 miles (298 kilometers) to the Aegean Sea. The two major rivers of Thessaly and Central Greece-the Piniós and the Sperkhiós, respectively-likewise rise in the Pindus Mountains and flow eastward. Several smaller rivers flow westward from the Pindus Mountains to the Ionian Sea. The rivers of the Peloponnesus flow outward to the coast from the central mountains.

Much surface water in Greece disappears down cracks in the large areas of limestone rocks, where they form underground river systems. There are few lakes of any size, the largest being Lake Trikhonis in western Greece. In general the nature of the land and the dry summers lead to water shortages in many areas.

The soils of Greece are of mixed fertility. In the highlands and limestone regions, which cover large areas, the soils are in general thin and poor. In the valleys and hollows is found a type of red clay soil called terra rossa, which can be used for farming. The lowland areas along the rivers and the coastal plains have clay and loam soils that are the most fertile in Greece. In many cases these soils require drainage before farming can take place.

The climate of Greece is typically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Along the coasts and on the islands, summer temperatures average around 80 ° F (27 °C), and winter temperatures rarely drop below 50 ° F (10 °C). In summer, the rainfall is very low. By November and December the rainfall reaches its maximum, which can be more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) a month in western districts.

In the interior of Greece, including that of the Peloponnesus, winters are colder than along the coast, and snow can lie on the mountains for several months. Northern Greece has a more continental climate than the south and has lower winter temperatures and some rain in summer.

The weather is affected by local winds. In summer, winds from the north, known as Etesian winds, blow with considerable force. They cause problems for shipping. In the winter, cold winds bring low temperatures to northern Greece, but at the same time winds from Africa bring warmth to Crete.

Plant life in Greece is very rich with many different species. Most are typically Mediterranean such as evergreen oak, cypress, and pine and shrubs such as juniper, myrtle, and oleander. The northern mountains have forests of deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves seasonally), such as oak, chestnut, ash, and beech. Coniferous (cone-bearing) trees, mainly fir and pine, are found on the upper slopes. Human activity has greatly affected the plant life of Greece, and much of the original forest has vanished. About 20 percent of the area of the country is at present forested. Where goats and other livestock have grazed, the forests have been replaced by areas of scrub and undergrowth known as maquis. Greece is home to about 6,000 species of wildflowers, of which some 600 are native to the country.

In the mountain forests of central Greece, brown bears, wolves, wildcats, martens, wild boars, lynx, and deer can be found. In the south and the coastal areas, Mediterranean animals such as the jackal, wild goat, and porcupine are common. Greece has a variety of birds, including the heron, stork, and pelican. Reptiles include snakes, lizards, and turtles. The subtropical climate encourages a variety of insects, of which the most harmful are the mosquito, which transmits malaria, and the sandfly, which carries sandfly fever.

Ethnic Greeks make up more than 90 percent of the population of Greece. There are small numbers of Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma (Gypsies), and others, but the Greek government does not view them as separate groups. The government's official position is that there are no ethnic divisions in the country and that virtually the entire population is Greek. The majority of the population belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. There are very few Christians of other denominations or Jews. Muslims are the largest religious minority.

Nearly all the people in the country speak Greek. The Greek language comes directly from that of the ancient Greeks. In particular, the modern literary language has kept many features of ancient Greek, but the spoken language includes words and grammar borrowed from other languages. At present the spoken form of the language is recognized as the official form for government and education. Although not officially recognized, minority languages spoken in the country include Turkish, Macedonian, Albanian, Bulgarian, and Romany, among others.

Because of people leaving the country, especially after the two world wars, there are large communities of Greeks living abroad. Many are in other eastern Mediterranean areas such as Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, and other Middle Eastern countries. Some have settled in Africa, especially South Africa. Others have established communities in the United States and Canada. Most of these groups center their activities around the Greek Orthodox Church and maintain their customs and language to a greater degree than many other immigrant groups. They still retain their love for their homeland, and in times of crisis many Greeks abroad have returned to fight in the Greek army.

About four-fifths of the population of Greece lives in urban areas. The largest city by far is the capital, Athens. With its suburbs the city has more than 3 million inhabitants. Other major Greek cities are Thessaloníki, Piraeus, and Pátrai. Greece's larger towns and cities have gained considerably in size and commercial importance since the 1970s.

Modern Greek art has developed along European lines rather than following the classical model. Among the best of modern painters are Periclés Pantaízis, Ioánnis Altamoúras, Nícolas Ghíka, and Ioánnis Tsaroúchis. ( See also Greek and Roman art.)

It is as writers and poets, however, that the Greeks have excelled. (For the early periods, see Greek literature.) Kostìs Palamàs and Angelos Sikelianòs laid the foundations for modern Greek poetry in the 1880s by using the popular spoken form of the language. Konstantinos Kafaves used classical themes in his poems, which were internationally acclaimed. Since World War II, poets have followed more modern European trends. Two Greek poets have won the Nobel Prize for Literature: Giorgios Seferiades in 1963 and Odysseus Elytis in 1979.

In 1888 Ioánnis Psycharis first used the spoken language in a novel. He was followed by such writers as Alexandros Papadiamantes, one of the best Greek short-story writers. In the 1930s Stratis Myrivilis and Kosmàs Politis emerged as important novelists. More recently, the most influential writer was the internationally famous Nikos Kazantzakis, one of whose novels was made into the film Zorba the Greek (1964).

Greek popular music has roots in the past and has been influenced by Turkish music. The most popular folk instrument is the bouzouki. Bouzouki music became internationally known through the composers Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis, who also set modern Greek poetry to music. The singer Nana Mouskouri achieved fame abroad by her renditions of Greek songs.

A nationalist school of Greek music, inspired by Greek folk music, was led in the first half of the 20th century by the composer Manolis Kalomiris. Nikos Skalkottas and Dimitri Mitropoulos were among the first to move toward modern trends and the use of atonality. Mitropoulos became better known as a pianist and conductor with an international career. Gina Bachauer was an internationally acclaimed pianist. American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas was one of the most popular opera singers of the 20th century.

The revival of ancient Greek drama after World War I resulted in its wide popularity and its presentation at international festivals by Greek companies. Among the most famous modern Greek stage and screen actresses were Irene Pappas and Melina Mercouri. In the 1980s and '90s Mercouri served as the minister of culture in Greece. An outstanding figure of European cinema in the late 20th and early 21st centuries was Greek motion-picture director Théo Angelopoulos, who explored the history and culture of Greece in his many films.

Education and Social Welfare
Nearly the entire population of Greece is literate. Education is free at all levels and is compulsory for children between ages 6 and 15. After attending primary school for six years, children go to a "gymnasium" for three years. They then may attend a lyceum for college preparatory work after passing the necessary examinations. After four years at a lyceum, students may take examinations for admission to a university or technical college.

The University of Athens is the largest in Greece, but there are also universities at Thessaloníki, Pátrai, Ioánnina, Thrace, and Crete. The National Technical University is in Athens, and schools of commerce, agriculture, industry, and fine arts are in various locations. Often, however, institutions are inadequately equipped or lack a sufficient number of admission openings to satisfy the demand for higher education. Many Greek students therefore choose to study abroad.

In the 1980s the government instituted a national health care system. The care provided by Greek physicians and the major hospitals meets international standards. Nevertheless, Greeks often choose to travel abroad for medical care if they can afford it. The pension system in Greece is complex. Various government organizations offer benefits to workers, including the Social Insurance Institute and the Agricultural Insurance Organization, but these programs are prone to recurrent funding crises.

Greece's economy underwent rapid growth in the post- World War II period, but it has remained one of the least developed in the European Union (EU). The country's natural resources are limited, and overall the industrialization process has been slow. Shipping and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. Because of a number of economic problems, including a debt crisis in the early 21st century, Greece has received much financial help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry
From the 1960s Greece was no longer a mostly agricultural country. In the early 21st century, only about 10 percent of the country's labor force was involved in farming. Because of the limitations of the environment, only 30 percent of the country is farmed. Much of this farmland is in the north, where the main crops are wheat, barley, and corn (maize), with sugar beets, cotton, and tobacco as the main industrial crops. The last two are important export crops. Greece is the largest producer of cotton in Europe. The coastal areas and the islands of Greece have typical Mediterranean crops such as olives, citrus fruits, grapes, and currants. Greece is a major producer of olive oil and also exports oranges and lemons. Grapes are used in the production of wine.

The mountain regions are used mainly for pasture, which occupies about one-third of the land area of the country. Much of this pastureland is suitable only for raising sheep and goats. Overgrazing by goats has led to serious soil erosion in many areas. The eroded soil washes down the slopes to the valleys and chokes rivers, causing flooding and the formation of marshes. The number of cattle is relatively small, and Greece imports meat and dairy products as well as leather.

In addition to environmental limitations, Greek farming faces other problems. Partly because of the pressure of overpopulation on the land, farms tend to be very small. Many farms are also broken up into a number of scattered pieces of land. This small size and fragmentation lead to problems in using modern machinery and effective farming methods. Consequently, Greek farms are not very productive.

The government has encouraged the joining of scattered land holdings and has invested in new irrigation schemes. The farmers themselves have formed cooperatives for both marketing their products and buying seed, fertilizer, and machinery. Because of the lack of good farmland, the more successful Greek farmers concentrate on growing such luxury crops as tobacco and currants, which get good prices and can be exported.

Greece's extensive coastline and numerous islands have always supported intensive fishing activity. The Greek fishing industry is mainly of local importance, and few fish or fish products are exported. Sponges, however, are exported.

Forests, mostly state-owned, cover approximately one-fifth of the land area of Greece, but they are prone to major forest fires. Forest products make no significant contribution to the economy.

The lack of energy resources has hindered the development of industry in Greece. There are no deposits of good grade coal and little petroleum or natural gas. The main sources of energy are lignite, a type of coal of poor quality, and waterpower. The lignite deposits are mainly in northern Greece, with others on Euboea and the Peloponnesus. Waterpower resources are centered in the west. A small amount of oil and natural gas is extracted in the northeast.

On the other hand, Greece is more fortunate in its supplies of metallic minerals. Bauxite, the raw material for the production of aluminum, is found in large quantities and is exported. Magnesite, which is used in the chemical and metallurgical industries, and chromite and manganese are also important. Lead, zinc, copper, uranium, and iron ore are mined as well. Many of these minerals have not yet been fully exploited, and it is possible that more remain to be discovered. Of the nonmetallic minerals, the most important are asbestos and gypsum.

The manufacturing sector in Greece accounts for about one-tenth of both the workforce and the gross domestic product (GDP; the total market value of goods and services during the year). The leading manufactured goods include textiles, food products and beverages, chemical products, and cement. Many manufactured products come from factories in Athens and its port of Piraeus. In addition, one of the world's largest cement factories is located in Vólos, on the east coast of Thessaly.

Shipping continues to be a key industrial sector. The Greek merchant fleet is one of the largest in the world, and several families-notably the Onassis, Niarchos, and Livanos-have made fortunes in shipping. Shipping is a major source of foreign currency, though the industry as a whole is extremely vulnerable to downturns in international economic activity. In particular, Greeks have been active in shipping oil by tanker.

Services, including banking, trade, tourism, and other activities, have become the dominant sector of Greece's economy. The sector employs a majority of the country's workers and accounts for most of its GDP. Tourism is a major source of foreign revenue. Greece's good climate, beautiful scenery, and long coastline make it an ideal country for vacationers. Millions of tourists arrive each year, many of them from the United Kingdom, Germany, and other European countries. Greece has also placed an emphasis on attracting tourists from China. The Greek islands-including Rhodes, Crete, and Corfu-are particularly popular, though the classical ruins of Athens, Corinth, and other places attract many to the mainland. Cruises among the islands are organized for tourists.

Transportation and Communications
Greece has an extensive railway system. The most important rail line runs from Athens to Thessaloníki. Much of Athens is also serviced by the Metro, an underground mass transit system, which is supplemented by a suburban railroad network. Greece's highway network is also extensive and offers good connections with many parts of the country. Athens is the starting point for major toll highways to the north and west. Truck- and car-carrying ferries link mainland Greece to the numerous islands.

Because of the fragmented nature of the country, air transportation is particularly suitable for Greece. The main international airport is at Athens, which is well located as an intermediate stop for flights between Europe and the Middle East. International airports are found also at Thessaloníki and several other cities. Other airports service the country's important tourist destinations on the islands.

There are no navigable rivers in Greece and only one waterway, the Corinth Canal, which divides the Peloponnesus from mainland Greece. The canal significantly shortens the sea route from the Italian ports to Greece's main port, Piraeus, near Athens. There are also major ports at Pátrai and Thessaloníki.

In the early 21st century the rate of cellular phone use in Greece was extremely high, with as many subscriptions as there were citizens. The government monopoly of radio and television broadcasting was broken in the 1980s, which gave rise to private stations. Today the country is home to hundreds of radio stations and dozens of television stations. The great majority of Greeks also have Internet access.

Greece is a republic with a democratic form of government based on a parliament with a prime minister and elections by secret ballot. Under the constitution approved in 1975, there is a president who nominates the prime minister, generally the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament. The real political power in fact rests with the prime minister and the cabinet. Though the constitution initially gave considerable powers to the president, revisions to the constitution in 1986 made presidential powers largely ceremonial. The president is elected by the unicameral (one-house) parliament and may serve two five-year terms.

The parliament consists of 300 deputies. Parliamentary deputies are elected to four-year terms by direct universal vote. The parliament has the power to revise the constitution. Voting is compulsory for all Greek citizens age 18 and older.

There are many political parties in Greece. Because one party usually manages to obtain a majority of seats in parliament, however, the problem of forming coalition governments of several parties rarely arises. Among the leading parties are the main social democratic party, which is named the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and the center-right New Democracy. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) represents the far left and has wielded power in the trade union movement.

There is a group of 20 Orthodox monasteries located on Mount Áthos on the most easterly of the three prongs of the Khalkidhikí Peninsula in the northern Aegean Sea. This monastic community has self-government, a situation legally recognized by treaty with the government of Greece.

Byzantine and Ottoman Periods
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Greece became part of the Byzantine Empire with its capital at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). (For the early history of Greece, see Greece, ancient.) The Byzantine Empire was constantly under attack, and during the 13th century Greece was annexed by the rising power of Venice.

The Turkish conquest of the empire in 1453 resulted in the absorption of Greece into the Ottoman Empire. There was little economic development during the period of almost 400 years under Turkish rule. Many Greeks fled the country, and there were periodic revolts. During the 18th century, however, the Greeks began to build their own economy and develop an organized resistance to the Turks. In 1770 the people of the Peloponnesus rose in revolt, but this was quickly stopped by the Turks.

Independence
In 1821 the Greeks began a seven-year war of independence, which resulted in the liberation of the country. Supported by Great Britain, France, and Russia (called the Great Powers), Greece was declared an independent country in 1829. Prince Otto of Bavaria was placed on the throne. In 1843 he was overthrown by a revolutionary group but was replaced by King George I, who came from Denmark and was supported by the Great Powers. The king ruled as a constitutional monarch with an elected parliament.

Greece was not yet a united country, as many Greeks lived in regions ruled by Turkey, such as Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and Crete. In 1864 the British gave the Ionian Islands to Greece, and Thessaly was obtained between 1881 and 1897. In the Balkan War of 1912, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro attacked Turkey. This war enabled Greece to obtain control over Crete and portions of Macedonia and Epirus.

World War I and After
In 1913 King George was assassinated, and his son Constantine came to the throne. Constantine supported the German side at the beginning of World War I but was forced to give up the throne in 1917 by his prime minister, Eleuthérios Venizélos. Constantine's son Alexander became king, and Greece entered the war on the Allied side. In order to assure Greek participation in the war, the Allies promised Greece territory on the mainland of Turkey, which was fighting on the side of the Germans and was thus an enemy. In 1919 not only did the Greeks obtain control of the Dodecanese Islands from Turkey but also landed troops at Smyrna (now Izmir) on the Turkish mainland. Smyrna had a large Greek population and was claimed by Greece.

At this time Greek politicians supported the so-called Megali Idea, meaning "great idea." This involved the expansion of Greek control over all areas where Greeks lived and their incorporation into a large Greek state. The former Byzantine capital Constantinople was to be its capital. The Turks naturally opposed this idea, for it meant Greece would take parts of their territory. In order to achieve its aims, Greece attacked Turkey in 1921 but suffered a humiliating defeat. In 1922 the Turks recaptured Smyrna. The city was burned, and many of the Greek inhabitants were killed.

The war was followed by the Treaty of Lausanne, which gave Turkey parts of Thrace and all Greek-occupied territory on Anatolia. An exchange of population was negotiated. It resulted in about 1.3 million Greeks leaving Turkey and about 350,000 Turks leaving Greece. The population of Greece increased suddenly by about 20 percent, creating serious economic problems. This population increase was offset somewhat by a high rate of emigration.

King Alexander had died in 1920, and Constantine was brought back to the throne. As a result of the Greek-Turkish war, however, Constantine gave up the throne, and his son George II became king. During the upheavals after the war, an antiroyalist revolution took place. In 1923 George II also abandoned the throne. The leaders of the revolution, eager to restore constitutional government, held an election and resigned. The prime minister, Theodoras Pangalos, declared himself dictator in 1926, but the following year he was forced out and Venizélos returned to office. After a period of relative political stability, Venizélos was defeated in the 1932 elections. King George was recalled to the throne, but in 1936 political chaos enabled General Ioannis Metaxas to seize control of the government. He ruled as a right-wing dictator until his death in 1941.

World War II and Civil War
Following the outbreak of World War II, Greece was increasingly pressured by Italy. In 1940 the Italians under Benito Mussolini launched an attack on Greece through Albania, but they were driven back by stubborn Greek resistance. In 1941 the Germans invaded Greece and took Thessaloníki and then Athens. Crete was captured by German paratroopers. Britain had sent troops to Greece before the invasion, but they were forced to withdraw. Greece was occupied by German, Italian, and Bulgarian troops, and the government fled to England. In 1944 the Germans withdrew from Greece, and the government returned under British protection.

A serious problem arose when the communists, who had led guerrilla activities against the Germans during the war, refused to disband their forces. A civil war broke out in Athens, which the British forces managed to suppress with difficulty. The communists were powerful enough, however, to control most of the country outside of Athens and Thessaloníki. For the moment, the communists accepted the restoration of democratic government and the return of King George II. The king died in 1947 and was succeeded to the throne by his brother Paul. In the meantime, in 1946 the communists had begun a major drive to seize power. A civil war began that did not end until 1949. During this period the communists formed a provisional government in the mountains of the north, but they were ultimately defeated with United States aid. The end of the communist rebellion was decided by Yugoslavia's closing its border with Greece and preventing Soviet-supported guerrilla groups from using Yugoslavia as a base and sanctuary.

Restoration of Democracy
United States aid enabled Greece to recover from the war, but a period of unstable governments slowed the rebuilding of the country. By 1955, however, under the leadership of Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos, Greece was well on the road to recovery. In that year Konstantinos Karamanlis took over control of the government. He faced a problem that had concerned Greeks for some time-the British control of the island of Cyprus. More than 75 percent of the population was Greek, but there was a large Turkish minority. Agitation for enosis, or union with Greece, broke out in 1955 and 1956. The Turks objected to any political union with Greece. Britain, Greece, and Turkey agreed to allow Cyprus to become an independent republic in 1960. In 1963 Karamanlis resigned, and his place was taken by Georgios Papandreou. In the following year King Paul died, and his son Constantine became king.

In 1965 the king dismissed Papandreou for encouraging left-wing activities within the armed forces. A period of instability followed. In April 1967 a group of army officers seized power in the name of the king, though the king himself was not involved. Of this group, Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos emerged as the key figure. Several left-wing politicians were arrested, including Papandreou and his son Andreas. The son was sentenced to nine years in prison for treasonable activities. Opponents of the new regime in the civil service, armed forces, and the universities were also removed. In December 1967 the king fled the country after appealing to the Greeks to overthrow the regime. Papadopoulos made himself prime minister and declared an amnesty under which some political prisoners, including Andreas Papandreou, were released. Papandreou went abroad, where he organized opposition to the Papadopoulos regime. In 1971 the United States government announced it would continue only military assistance to Greece. Greece had joined the NATO alliance in 1952 and played a major role in the defense of the eastern Mediterranean by providing bases for NATO forces.

In 1973 the military regime abolished the monarchy and declared Greece a republic with Papadopoulos as president. Bloody riots broke out in Athens as left-wing students challenged the government. In the chaos that followed, Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannidis led a coup against the government and seized power. Ioannidis was active in the organization of an attempted coup in 1974 against President Makarios of Cyprus. On learning of this attempt, Turkey invaded Cyprus and established a zone of Turkish control in the northern part of the island. Ioannidis attempted to mobilize for war with Turkey, but he was opposed both by Greek citizens at home and by the leaders of other countries. His regime collapsed in complete disarray in 1974.

This event returned Greece to democratic rule. Former prime minister Karamanlis was asked to form a civilian government, and politicians in exile returned to take part in elections that resulted in the victory of Karamanlis and his center-right New Democracy party.

In 1974 Greece withdrew from NATO military activities. At the same time relations with Turkey worsened with a dispute over territorial claims in the Aegean Sea, where prospecting for offshore petroleum had begun. In 1975 a new constitution was adopted, and in 1977 Karamanlis was reelected to office. A new agreement was made with the United States for naval and military bases in Greece. Relations with Turkey improved somewhat, and in 1980 Greece again took up its military role in NATO. Also in 1980 Karamanlis resigned as prime minister and was elected president. The following year Greece became a member of the European Economic Community (EEC), the forerunner of the European Union (EU).

The political situation changed dramatically that year with the election of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) to power on October 18, 1981. Andreas Papandreou became prime minister. He encouraged left-wing, anti-American, and anti-Turkish feeling in Greece. At first he threatened to withdraw Greece from both the EEC and NATO and to close United States bases. In 1983, however, he resumed defense and economic cooperation with the United States.

Relations with Turkey remained poor, especially after the Turkish recognition in 1983 of a Turkish republic on Cyprus. Papandreou made friendly gestures toward eastern Europe and supported a nuclear-free Balkan zone. In 1985 Karamanlis resigned as president, and the socialist government was reelected. The poor state of the Greek economy and the strict terms laid down for loans by the EEC resulted in the introduction of austerity measures. Another dispute over petroleum rights in the Aegean Sea in 1987 brought Greece and Turkey to the verge of war. No war ensued, but relations remained strained. In the early 1990s Greece refused to recognize the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, because the latter did not change its name upon gaining its independence. Greece feared that its own Macedonians might seek to unite with the Macedonian republic. Greece also objected to the use of the Star of Vergina, an ancient Greek symbol, on the republic's flag. Under a settlement reached in September 1995, the Republic of Macedonia agreed to change its flag in exchange for the lifting of a trade embargo by Greece. Negotiations over the name issue continued, with mediation by the United Nations. (The republic eventually changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia in 2019.)

A financial scandal in Crete in the late 1980s cost many politicians their jobs. Papandreou resigned in 1989 after his party lost its majority in parliament. He was cleared of corruption charges in 1992, and the following year PASOK regained control of the government with Papandreou as prime minister once again. After health problems forced Papandreou to resign in January 1996, reformer Costas Simitis became prime minister. Simitis was elected to the office in September 1996 and was reelected in 2000. The victory marked a transition for Greece's leading socialist party. Prior to Simitis' rise to power, PASOK had been noted primarily for its left-leaning economic platform and anti-American rhetoric. Simitis chose to pursue a more moderate political course, and PASOK was recast as a progressive social democratic party. Simitis accomplished this transformation by placing great emphasis on the need to stabilize the Greek economy in order to strengthen its standing within the EU. Simitis served as prime minister until 2004.

Greece's economy maintained slow but steady growth throughout the early years of the 21st century, while the country prepared for Athens to host the 2004 Olympic Games. Despite construction delays, the needed infrastructure was in place on time. The success of the Games bolstered Greece's international reputation.

Debt and Refugee Crises
In late 2009 the Greek economy went into a tailspin. This economic and financial crisis was partly caused by the global financial downturn of 2008-09. However, Greece had its own severe economic problems. The problems stemmed largely from the Greek government's excessive borrowing and misleading accounting that had hidden the extent of the government's extraordinary debt. Severe austerity measures-large cuts in government spending and tax increases-were not enough to rescue the Greek economy from this debt crisis. In 2010 the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-fearing the collapse of the euro currency zone-stepped in with huge loan packages. The packages required Greece to take further austerity measures. These measures proved widely unpopular among the country's people and led to frequent protests.

In 2015 Greece missed the deadline for one of its loan payments and was unable to secure needed funds for its banks. The country closed all its banks as it faced the threat of complete financial collapse. The banks reopened a few weeks later, after Greece began negotiating a new bailout package with its international lenders. The Greek parliament eventually approved an agreement with the IMF, the EU, and the European Central Bank that made additional loans available to Greece.

During the same period that it wrestled with the debt crisis, Greece faced another daunting problem as a huge number of refugees sought to escape turmoil in the Middle East by resettling in Europe. Many of those migrants made Greece the first stop on their journey north through the Balkans by attempting dangerous boat crossings from Turkey to one of the Greek islands. Like other members of the EU, Greece struggled to meet the challenges of dealing compassionately with the influx of refugees.

Adare, Sierra. Greece: The Culture; Greece: The Land; Greece: The People (Crabtree, 2008).Brooks, Susie. Let's Visit Greece (PowerKids Press, 2010).Heinrichs, Ann. Greece (Children's Press, 2013).Hunt, Jilly. Greece (Raintree, 2013).Lüsted, Marcia Amidon. Greece (ABDO, 2013).Miller, Korina. Discover Greece (Lonely Planet, 2012).Samuels, Charlie. Ancient Greece (Franklin Watts, 2015).

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Greece is a country of southeastern Europe. The birthplace of Western civilization, the small country has had a long and eventful history. At one time a major center of...

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Night falls over ancient ruins in Greece.

OFFICIAL NAME: Hellenic Republic

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary republic

CAPITAL: Athens

POPULATION: 10,761,523

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Greek

MONEY: Euro

AREA: 50,942 square miles (131,940 square kilometers)

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Greek

Greece has the longest coastline in Europe and is the southernmost country in Europe. The mainland has rugged mountains, forests, and lakes, but the country is well known for the thousands of islands dotting the blue Aegean Sea to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the west.

The country is divided into three geographical regions: the mainland, the islands, and Peloponnese, the peninsula south of the mainland.

The Pindus mountain range on the mainland contains one of the world's deepest gorges, Vikos Gorge, which plunges 3,600 feet (1,100 meters). Mount Olympus is Greece's highest mountain at 9,570 feet (2,917 meters) above sea level. Ancient Greeks believed it was the home of the gods. Mount Olympus became the first national park in Greece.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Family life is a very important part of life in Greece. Children often live with their parents even after they get married. Greeks live long lives and it is thought that their varied diet of olives, olive oil, lamb, fish, squid, chickpeas, and lots of fruits and vegetables keep them healthy.

Nearly two-thirds of the people live in large cities. Athens is the largest city, with over 3.7 million people crowding the metropolis. Nefos, the Greek term for smog, is a big problem in Athens. The Parthenon, the temple to goddess Athena atop the Acropolis, is deteriorating due to pollution and acid rain.

Olive trees have been cultivated in Greece for over 6,000 years. Every village has its own olive groves.

Most of the country was forested at one time. Over the centuries, the forests were cut down for firewood, lumber, and to make room for farms. Today, forests can be found mainly in the Pindus and Rhodope ranges.

Greece has ten national parks and there is an effort to protect natural and historic landmarks. Marine parks help protect the habitats of two of Europe's most endangered sea creatures, the loggerhead turtle and monk seal. The long coastline and clear water make Greece an ideal location to spot sea stars, sea anemones, sponges, and seahorses hiding in the seaweed.

The Greek landscape is covered by maquis, a tangle of thorny shrubs that don't need a lot of water. These plants include fragrant herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, and bay and myrtle trees. Bird watching is popular in Greece where geese, ducks, and swallows stop over during their migration from Africa to Europe.

GOVERNMENT

Greece abolished their monarchy in 1975 and became a parliamentary republic. Under the new constitution, there is a president and a prime minister. The prime minister has the most power, and is the leader of the party that has the most seats in the parliament. The president selects cabinet ministers who run government departments.

The parliament, called the Vouli, has only one house with 300 members who are elected every four years. Greece became part of the European Union in 1981.

The first great civilization in Greece was the Minoan culture on the island of Crete around 2000 B.C. Wall paintings found at the ruins of the palace Knossos show people doing backflips over a charging bull. The Minoans were conquered by the Myceneans from the mainland in 1450 B.C.

During ancient times the country was divided into city-states, which were ruled by noblemen. The largest were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth. Each state controlled the territory around a single city. They were often at war with each other.

Athens became the most powerful, and in 508 B.C., the people instituted a new system of rule by the people called democracy. But during that time, only men could vote!

The first Olympic Games were held in the southern city of Olympia in 700 B.C. to honor Zeus, the king of the gods. Only men could compete in the events such as sprinting, long jump, discus, javelin, wrestling, and chariot racing. The games were banned by the Romans in A.D. 393, but began again in Athens in 1896.

Greece was ruled by foreigners for over 2,000 years beginning with the Romans conquering the Greeks in the 2nd century. Then, after almost 400 years under Turkish rule, Greece won independence in 1832.

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Greece Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Greece has the longest coastline in Europe and is the southernmost country in Europe.

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Located in eastern Europe, Ukraine is the second-largest country on the European continent after Russia.

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Miss Jessica's World - Where Kids Learn New Things

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Learn Five FUN FACTS about Ukraine | Cultural Lessons | Miss Jessica's World

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Take a look at this wonderful Twinkl Spain Facts for Kids blog, containing lots of great information to teach children about the country!

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Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, stretching south from the Pyrenees Mountains to the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Africa.

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Spain is a country in Southern Europe. It is in the Iberian Peninsula near Portugal and Gibraltar. France and the country of Andorra are on its northeast side, where the Pyrenees mountains are.

The people of Spain are called Spaniards. Most people there speak Spanish (in Spanish, "Castellano", from Castilla, or "Español") but there are other languages in different parts of the country. They are Catalan, Basque, and Galician, Leonese, Aragonese, Aranese Occitan and even Portuguese. The religion of most of the people in Spain is Roman Catholic.

Since 1975, Spain has had a who only does what the constitution allows him to. For example, the king can declare a war, but only if the Government asks him to do so. The parliament is called Las Cortes Generales, and has two bodies: "El Congreso" (The Congress) and "El Senado" (The Senate) and it is chosen by the Spanish people by voting. This kind of government is called a constitutional monarchy. The King of Spain is Felipe VI. The Prime minister is Pedro Sánchez.

The government and the king's palace are in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

Spain has more than five hundred thousand square kilometres of land. It is smaller than France, but it is bigger than Sweden or Germany. Almost fifty million people live in Spain.

Spain has 17 parts called autonomous communities (this means that they can decide upon some affairs themselves). Each part has its own government.

History of Spain

Early history

People have lived in Spain for a long time. There have been people living there since the Stone Age. Some of the first people to live there were Iberians and Celts, and the Phoenicians made a few cities there to get tin and silver to trade. Later, the Roman Empire controlled Spain for about five hundred years; then as the Roman Empire broke up, groups of Germanic people called Visigoths, Suebi, Alans and Vandals moved into the Iberian Peninsula and took it over.

Muslim occupation

Muslim Spain was multicultural and tolerant; Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side. There was also a large Slavic population ( saqaliba) near the Mediterranean coast. Though these people were at first brought in to be slaves, some of them became generals (as did some Mamluks in another caliphate) and some generals became rulers of their own cities ( taifas) for a short time. The Caliphate of Córdoba fell apart in the early 11th century and Muslim rulers sometimes fought each other when they weren't fighting the Christians. Muslim Spain was focused on learning. The greatest library system outside Baghdad was also there.

The Kingdom of León and the first European Parliament

The Kingdom of León, the most important in early Spanish Middle Ages, was born in 910. This Kingdom developed the first democratic parliament (Cortes de Llión) in Europe in 1188, where the third state was represented, and developed an economic system in 1202 where the monetary system was fixed. After 1301, León had the same King as the Kingdom of Castile, and kept as an independent territory until 1833, when Spain was divided into regions and provinces.

In 1492, they took the last part of Spain that still belonged to the Moors, Granada. Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, surrendered to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile on 2 January 1492. It was Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile who now ruled all of Spain.

Before this, there were a number of Christian countries in what is now called Spain. Two of these countries, Castile and Aragon, came together when Ferdinand II of Aragon married the queen Isabella of Castile. It is very important to know that the King ruled as much as the Queen.

In the same year, 1492, they sent Christopher Columbus to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus found the islands of the Caribbean Sea.

When other European sailors explored, like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, they found out that there were two continents there - North America and South America. Spain sent many soldiers and businessmen to North and South America, and they took over very large parts of those two continents. This empire did not make Spain a rich country, for most of the money had to be spent in wars. Many of these wars were fought against other European countries who were trying to take over parts of the Americas.

16th and 17th century

The grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles, at the death of his grandfather inherited Castille and Aragon, he also inherited many territories at the death of his grandfather Maximilian I of Austria. Charles received from Maximilian the Austria state and the territories of Burgundy. He was named Charles I in Spain, but he was elected as the emperor of the Sacred German Empire, and was called Charles V in this territory. This made the empire bigger than ever. However, it was not a single country, but many independent countries with a single King. At first many Spaniards did not want Charles be their king, so they fought against him. However, he won.

Charles did not like the Protestant Reformation that was happening in Europe, and fought against it.

18th century

In the 18th century some of the parts of that large empire became their own countries, or were taken over by new countries, such as the United States of America.

19th century

Spain (and other European countries) was invaded by Napoleon of France. Spain, Britain and Europe sent its troops to defend the peninsula, since it was so weak.

20th century

There was not much peace in Spain during the first part of the 20th century. Some Spaniards tried to set up a government chosen by the people (a democracy), and they made Alfonso XIII leave the country. However, in 1936, two different groups of Spaniards went to war over whether the government should be a democracy, in the Spanish Civil War (although those on the side of the Republic were largely socialist or anarchist), or take orders from one person. In 1939, those who wanted democracy were defeated, and a nationalist dictator named Francisco Franco took over the government.

Francisco Franco died on 20 November 1975. He had decided that Spain should have a monarchy again, and he chose Juan Carlos, the grandson of Juan of Bourbon who had been forced to leave the country, to be king and Adolfo Suárez to become its first Prime Minister. But the king and Suárez did not rule as a dictator; instead, they chose to set up a democracy.

On 23 February 1981 a group of people who had supported the now dead General Franco tried to take control of the democratic Spanish Parliament by force, they entered the building and fired guns in the air. It was seen live on Spanish television and there was widespread fear that this might be the start of another civil war. However, Juan Carlos I, quickly appeared on television and broadcast to the nation that they should remain calm. The persons responsible for the attempt to take over the country were arrested.

Now Spain is a modern democratic country, and does business with many countries around the world. It is the eighth largest economy in the world and is an important part of the European Union.

21st century

On 2 June 2014, Juan Carlos I announced that he would abdicate in favour of his son, Felipe VI. The date of abdication and handover to Felipe occurred on 19 June 2014. He and his wife kept their titles.

Geography of Spain

The middle of Spain is a high, dry, flat land called La Meseta. In La Meseta it can be very hot in the summer and cold or very cold in the winter. Spain also has many mountain ranges. The Mount Teide ( Tenerife, Canary Islands), the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third largest volcano in the world from its base). In the north there is a range of mountains called Los Picos de Europa (The European Peaks). Here it is very cold in winter with a lot of snow but with gentle warm summers.

In the south-east of the country is a range of mountains called La Sierra Nevada (The Snowy Mountains). This range of mountains contains the highest mountain in mainland Spain, Mulacen, at 2952 metres. La Sierra Nevada is very popular in winter for winter sports, especially skiing. Snow remains on its peaks throughout the year. The south coast, has a warm and temperate climate, not very hot or very cold. Since Spain is in the south of Europe, it is very sunny. Many people from Northern Europe take their vacations in Spain, enjoying its beaches and cities.

Spain has a border with Portugal in the west and borders with France and Andorra in the North. In the south, it borders Gibraltar, a British territory. The Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla are in North Africa and border onto Morocco.

In Spain, many people live in cities or close to cities. The ten biggest city areas are:

Three main climatic zones can be separated, according to geographical situation and orographic conditions:

The Mediterranean climate, characterised by warm/hot and dry summers, is dominant in the peninsula. It has two varieties: Csa and Csb according to the Köppen climate classification.

The Csa zone is associated to areas with hot summers. It is predominant in the Mediterranean and Southern Atlantic coast and inland throughout Andalusia, Extremadura and much, if not most, of the centre of the country. The Csa zone covers climatic zones with both relatively warm and cold winters which are considered extremely different to each other at a local level, reason for which Köppen classification is often eschewed within Spain. Local climatic maps generally divide the Mediterranean zone (which covers most of the country) between warm-winter and cold-winter zones, rather than according to summer temperatures.

The Csb zone has warm rather than hot summers, and extends to additional cool-winter areas not typically associated with a Mediterranean climate, such as much of central and northern-central of Spain (e.g. western Castile-León, northeastern Castilla-La Mancha and northern Madrid) and into much rainier areas (notably Galicia). Note areas with relatively high rainfall such as Galicia are not considered Mediterranean under local classifications, but classed as oceanic.

The semi-arid climate (BSk, BSh), is predominant in the southeastern quarter of the country, but is also widespread in other areas of Spain. It covers most of the Region of Murcia, southern Valencia and eastern Andalusia, where true hot desert climates also exist. Further to the north, it is predominant in the upper and mid reaches of the Ebro valley, which crosses southern Navarre, central Aragon and western Catalonia. It also is found in Madrid, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and some locations of western Andalusia. The dry season extends beyond the summer and average temperature depends on altitude and latitude.

The oceanic climate (Cfb), located in the northern quarter of the country, especially in the Atlantic region (Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and partly Galicia and Castile-León). Additionally it is also found in northern Navarre, in most highlands areas along the Iberian System and in the Pyrenean valleys, where a humid subtropical variant (Cfa) also occurs. Winter and summer temperatures are influenced by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought.

Fauna and flora

The fauna presents a wide diversity that is due in large part to the geographical position of the Iberian peninsula between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and between Africa and Eurasia, and the great diversity of habitats and biotopes, the result of a considerable variety of climates and well differentiated regions.

The vegetation of Spain is varied due to several factors including the diversity of the relief, the climate and latitude. Spain includes different phytogeographic regions, each with its own floristic characteristics resulting largely from the interaction of climate, topography, soil type and fire, biotic factors.

Since the 1990s some Spanish companies have gained multinational status, often expanding their activities in culturally close Latin America. Spain is the second biggest foreign investor there, after the United States. Spanish companies have also expanded into Asia, especially China and India. This early global expansion is a competitive advantage over its competitors and European neighbours. The reason for this early expansion is the booming interest towards Spanish language and culture in Asia and Africa and a corporate culture that learned to take risks in unstable markets.

Automotive industry

The automotive industry is one of the largest employers in the country. In 2015 Spain was the 8th largest automobile producer country in the world and the 2nd largest car manufacturer in Europe after Germany.

By 2016, the automotive industry was generating 8.7 percent of Spain's gross domestic product, employing about nine percent of the manufacturing industry. By 2008 the automobile industry was the 2nd most exported industry while in 2015 about 80% of the total production was for export.

German companies poured €4.8 billion into Spain in 2015, making the country the second-largest destination for German foreign direct investment behind only the U.S. The lion's share of that investment-€4 billion-went to the country's auto industry.

Agriculture

Crop areas were farmed in two highly diverse manners. Areas relying on non-irrigated cultivation ( secano), which made up 85% of the entire crop area, depended solely on rainfall as a source of water. They included the humid regions of the north and the northwest, as well as vast arid zones that had not been irrigated. The much more productive regions devoted to irrigated cultivation ( regadío) accounted for 3 million hectares in 1986, and the government hoped that this area would eventually double, as it already had doubled since 1950. Particularly noteworthy was the development in Almería -one of the most arid and desolate provinces of Spain-of winter crops of various fruits and vegetables for export to Europe.

More than half of the irrigated area was planted in corn, fruit trees, and vegetables. Other agricultural products that benefited from irrigation included grapes, cotton, sugar beets, potatoes, legumes, olive trees, mangos, strawberries, tomatoes, and fodder grasses. Depending on the nature of the crop, it was possible to harvest two successive crops in the same year on about 10% of the country's irrigated land.

In 2017, Spain was the second most visited country in the world, recording 82 million tourists which marked the fifth consecutive year of record-beating numbers. The headquarters of the World Tourism Organization are located in Madrid.

Spain's geographic location, popular coastlines, diverse landscapes, historical legacy, vibrant culture, and excellent infrastructure has made the country's international tourist industry among the largest in the world. In the last five decades, international tourism in Spain has grown to become the second largest in the world in terms of spending, worth approximately 40 billion Euros or about 5% of GDP in 2006.

Castile and Leon is the Spanish leader in rural tourism linked to its environmental and architectural heritage.

Spain is a Western country. Almost every aspect of Spanish life is permeated by its Roman heritage, making Spain one of the major Latin countries of Europe. Spanish culture is marked by strong historic ties to Catholicism, which played a pivotal role in the country's formation and subsequent identity. Spanish art, architecture, cuisine, and music have been shaped by successive waves of foreign invaders, as well as by the country's Mediterranean climate and geography. The centuries-long colonial era globalised Spanish language and culture, with Spain also absorbing the cultural and commercial products of its diverse empire.

World Heritage Sites

Spain has 47 World Heritage Sites. These include the landscape of Monte Perdido in the Pyrenees, which is shared with France, the Prehistoric Rock Art Sites of the Côa Valley and Siega Verde, which is shared with Portugal, the Heritage of Mercury, shared with Slovenia and the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests, shared with other countries of Europe. In addition, Spain has also 14 Intangible cultural heritage, or "Human treasures".

During the Golden Age painters painters working in Spain included El Greco, José de Ribera, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco Zurbarán. Also in the Baroque period Diego Velázquez created some of the most famous Spanish portraits, such as Las Meninas and Las Hilanderas.

Francisco Goya painted during a historical period that includes the Spanish Independence War, the fights between liberals and absolutists, and the rise of contemporary nations-states.

The Plateresque style extended from beginnings of the 16th century until the last third of the century and its stylistic influence pervaded the works of all great Spanish artists of the time. Alonso Berruguete ( Valladolid School) is called the "Prince of Spanish sculpture". His main works were the upper stalls of the choir of the Cathedral of Toledo, the tomb of Cardinal Tavera in the same Cathedral, and the altarpiece of the Visitation in the church of Santa Úrsula in the same locality. Other notable sculptors were Bartolomé Ordóñez, Diego de Siloé, Juan de Juni and Damián Forment.

There were two Schools of special flair and talent: the Seville School, to which Juan Martínez Montañés belonged, whose most celebrated works are the Crucifix in the Cathedral of Seville, another in Vergara, and a Saint John; and the Granada School, to which Alonso Cano belonged, to whom an Immaculate Conception and a Virgin of Rosary, are attributed.

Other notable Andalusian Baroque sculptors were Pedro de Mena, Pedro Roldán and his daughter Luisa Roldán, Juan de Mesa and Pedro Duque Cornejo. In the 20th century the most important Spanish sculptors were Julio González, Pablo Gargallo, Eduardo Chillida, and Pablo Serrano.

Architecture

Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture has drawn from a host of influences. An important provincial city founded by the Romans and with an extensive Roman era infrastructure, Córdoba became the cultural capital, including fine Arabic style architecture, during the time of the Islamic Umayyad dynasty. Later Arab style architecture continued to be developed under successive Islamic dynasties, ending with the Nasrid, which built its famed palace complex in Granada.

Simultaneously, the Christian kingdoms gradually emerged and developed their own styles; developing a pre-Romanesque style when for a while isolated from contemporary mainstream European architectural influences during the earlier Middle Ages, they later integrated the Romanesque and Gothic streams. There was then an extraordinary flowering of the Gothic style that resulted in numerous instances being built throughout the entire territory. The Mudéjar style, from the 12th to 17th centuries, was developed by introducing Arab style motifs, patterns and elements into European architecture.

The arrival of Modernism in the academic arena produced much of the architecture of the 20th century. An influential style centred in Barcelona, known as modernisme, produced a number of important architects, of which Gaudí is one. The International style was led by groups like GATEPAC. Spain is currently experiencing a revolution in contemporary architecture and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo, Santiago Calatrava, Ricardo Bofill as well as many others have gained worldwide renown.

Music and dance

Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with flamenco, a West Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to popular belief, is not widespread outside that region. Various regional styles of folk music abound in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Castile, the Basque Country, Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias. Pop, rock, hip hop and heavy metal are also popular.

Thousands of music fans also travel to Spain each year for internationally recognised summer music festivals Sónar which often features the top up and coming pop and techno acts, and Benicàssim which tends to feature alternative rock and dance acts. Both festivals mark Spain as an international music presence and reflect the tastes of young people in the country.

Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival is one of the main ones on its genre.

The most popular traditional musical instrument, the guitar, originated in Spain. Typical of the north are the traditional bag pipers or gaiteros, mainly in Asturias and Galicia.

While Spanish is the most spoken language in the country, other languages like Catalan, Basque or Galician are also spoken in a few territories.

Other pages

Images for kids

In Spanish: España para niños

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Spain is a large country in south-west Europe. The capital is Madrid and the national language is Spanish.

Spain is separated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees mountains; in the west Spain shares a border with Portugal and in the south, Spain is bordered by the Mediterranean sea. Two groups of Mediterranean islands, the Balearics and the Canaries, also belong to Spain.

With a rich history, beautiful landscapes, fascinating culture and delicious food, Spain is a very popular destination for holiday makers.

Top 10 facts

1. The official name of Spain is El Reino de España, meaning The Kingdom of Spain. The Spanish Royal family live in Madrid.

2. Spain is the second-largest country in the EU after France and has a population of around 46.4 million.

3. Only two of Spain's cities have a population of more than one million: the capital, Madrid, and Barcelona.

4. Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese.

5. Spain joined the EU in 1986 and Spanish people use the euro as their currency.

6. Europe's only desert is in Spain, in Almeria, but there is a huge variety of landscapes in the country, from snowy mountain ranges to sunny beaches.

7. The bull is the national animal of Spain and is associated with the country's sport of bull fighting.

8. The main religion in Spain is Christianity (around 70% of Spaniards are Roman Catholic).

9. Spain's most famous dish is paella, rice cooked with ingredients like peppers, beans, chicken, pork or seafood. There are lots of different recipes!

10. Spain's tallest mountain is a dormant volcano on the island of Tenerife. Mount Teide is 3718m tall.

Did you know?

Spain has nearly 5000km of coastline. Costa means coast in Spanish: have you heard of the Costa del Sol, the Costa Dorada and the Costa de la Luz?

Four major languages are spoken in Spain: Spanish, Galician, Catalan and Basque.

Two cities on the northern coast of Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla, are actually Spanish! They can be reached by ferry from mainland Spain in under an hour (Spain is the closest EU country to Africa).

The football club Real Madrid has won more European Cups than any other team.

Spain produces between 40 and 60 per cent of the world's olive oil. There are around 320 million olive trees in Spain - that's more than in any other country.

Spain is one of the most-visited countries in the world: only France and the USA have more tourists.

In Spain everyone has two surnames: the first is your father's surname and the second is your mother's.

The official Spanish anthem is one of only four anthems in the world without lyrics (words).

The Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) national park in Spain is Europe's largest. Some of the protected animals who live there include the Iberian wolf, the Spanish ibex and the Cantabrian brown bear.

The most endangered cat in the world, the lynx, lives in Spain. There are only a few left in the world.

La Tomatina is a festival in Valencia. The visitors throw ripe tomatoes at each other! The tomato fight lasts for an hour and 100 tonnes of tomatoes are thrown!

In the Spanish region of Catalonia there is a tradition of building castells, towers of people standing on top of each other and reaching up to 10 stories.

Browse through the gallery and see if you can spot the following:

The Spanish flag

The coast in Mallorca

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia cathedral

Barcelona

Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona

A Spanish market

Flamenco dancing

Architecture in Catalonia

A citrus fruit grove

The Castle of Charles V in Granada

Paella

Gaudi architecture in Barcelona

Gallery

About

Spain covers an area of around 506,000km² and is very varied in its landscapes. The way people live varies a lot region to region and the country is divided into 17 'autonomous communities' where people speak different dialects or languages or have their own regional government. For example, Catalan, which is spoken in the Catalonia region around Barcelona, is different to Spanish and local street signs and printed materials are always written in both languages.

Some Spanish regions, like Catalonia and the Basque Country, have strong independence movements which campaign for their region to become separate from Spain.

Although most people in Spain live in big cities like Madrid, Seville and Barcelona, the centre of the country is very peaceful and not many people live there (though plenty of animals like pigs, goats and chickens do!). Farming is an important part of the Spanish economy, with citrus fruits, nuts, olives and grapes grown.

Spain has some gigantic wilderness areas and nature reserves. More than 500 types of birds and 120 mammal species live in the country.

Throughout history Spain has been conquered by different cultures ( Greeks, Carthigians, Romans and the Moors, Muslims from North Africa) and they have all left their mark on the country. Spain was also a nation of explorers in the 16th century; Christopher Columbus departed from the Spanish port of Cádiz when he left Europe to explore the 'New World' of America in 1492. His successors, the Conquistadors, conquered the Americas and sent gold and riches back to Spain.

In the 20th century Spain lived through a civil war and military dictatorships, but it is now a modern democracy.

Football is hugely popular in Spain. The world's richest football club is Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona is also world-famous. Other popular games are tennis (world champion Rafael Nadal is Spanish) and pelota, a traditional game from the Basque region.

Temperatures can get very high in the south of Spain, so people live differently to the rest of Europe, eating late in the evening, going out late and going to bed in the early hours of the morning (but having a long lunch and a rest in the afternoons, called a siesta). Children also stay up late and it wouldn't be unusual to see kids playing in a park at 10pm!

Food is a very important part of Spanish life. People might start their day with doughnuts ( churros) and chocolate for breakfast, then have tapas snacks in the evening before a late dinner. Some typical dishes are tortilla (potato omelette), paella rice, calamares (squid rings), chorizo (spicy sausage) and patatas bravas (fried potatoes with tomato sauce).

Spain is known for its flamenco dance. In many towns and villages people dance the flamenco for special festivities. It originates from the Andalucian region of Spain and is incredibly fast and rhythmic. The female dancers wear colourful, frilly dresses and click wooden castanets as they dance, while the men wear boots with nails in to help their feet make a loud stomping noise.

Bull fighting is part of Spain's cultural heritage, though many people feel that it is a cruel spectacle. In towns with a bullring a matador wears a traditional golden suit and a cape and battles with the bull, who is killed at the end of the show.

Spanish festivals take place all over the country throughout the year. In February people organise carnival parades with costumes, but in March the Semana Santa (Holy Week) is marked by religious parades in which statues of saints and religious floats travel around the streets. In March at Las Fallas in Valencia, giant puppets filled with firecrackers ( falla) are burnt and in July people are chased by bulls in the streets on Pamplona at the Charging of the Bulls festival. Last but not least, at the La Tomatina festival in August people throw truckloads of ripe tomatoes at each other!

Spanish artists are known the world over, from Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali to the architect Antoni Gaudi.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

Download and print a map of Spain

Try some Spanish-themed crafts

Make your own paper model of the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona
Quizzes about Spain
Learn to cook delicious paella and churros with chocolate dipping sauce

Take free Spanish lessons online on the BBC Languages site, or focus on your primary Spanish
Download Spanish-language worksheets
Learn some Spanish songs and Spanish jokes

Best kids' books about Spain

Find out more

Read the National Geographic Kids guide to Spain

Spain facts and figures from Kiddle

Look through a BBC timeline of Spanish history

Learn facts about Spanish food and famous Spanish people

Try some flamenco dance moves

Watch some short BBC Bitesize videos about Spanish culture and places, going to school in Spain and Spanish kids' activities and holidays

See for yourself

Read Lonely Planet's guide to visiting Spain

Look through photography of top Spanish sights and experiences

Discover the different regions of Spain

Spain's tourist portal offers lots of information for visitors

Also see

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Spain for KS2: Spanish facts, figures, videos, activities and games for children, to help with primary-school homework.

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Spain Facts for Kids

Learn some interesting information about Spain while enjoying a range of fun facts and trivia that's perfect for kids!

Read about the Spanish language, the highest mountain in Spain, its population, cuisine, sporting culture and much more.

The Spanish name for Spain is España.

The Spanish language is spoken in many areas of the world due to the early influence of the Spanish Empire.

Spain is located in Europe.

It is a developed country with a high quality of life.

The largest city and capital of Spain is Madrid.

The second largest city is Barcelona, which is located in Catalonia.

The population of Spain in 2023 was around 47 million.

The currency used in Spain is the Euro.

In Spain they drive on the right-hand side of the road.

It is believed that modern humans first arrived in Spain around 32000 years ago.

Mount Teide is the highest mountain in Spain (3718 m, 12198 ft) and an active volcano.

The Pyrenees is a mountain range that divides Spain and France.

Spain includes a number of islands including Mallorca, Tenerife, Ibiza and Gran Canaria. Many can be found in the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa.

The Spanish tourism industry is one of the largest in the world, bringing in billions of Euros into the Spanish economy.

Popular tourist destinations in Spain include Alhambra, Palacio Real, La Rambla, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Spain produces a large amount of renewable energy, including wind power and solar power.

Spain has a variety of foods and unique dishes such as paella (a type of rice dish) and tapas (a range of small snacks or appetizers).

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Spain. The Spanish men's national team won the World Cup in 2010.

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games were held in Barcelona.

For more information, check out maps of Spain or take a closer look at the Spanish flag.

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Fun Spain Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about Spain

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Spain Facts for Kids Learn some interesting information about Spain while enjoying a range of fun facts and trivia that's perfect for kids! Read about the Spanish language, the highest mountain in Spain, its population, cuisine, sporting culture and much more. The Spanish name for Spain is España.

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People lived in what is now France more than 100,000 years ago. The Gauls, a Celtic people, migrated to the area about 1200 . By about 50 bce the ancient Romans had conquered the region, which they called Gaul.

As the Roman Empire weakened, German tribes invaded Gaul. The Franks were the strongest of those tribes, and they gave France its name. The greatest Frankish ruler was Charlemagne, who came to power in 768 ce. By the early 800s Charlemagne's empire covered most of western Europe. When Charlemagne died, however, his empire was divided into three parts. After 843 the western section became known as the kingdom of France.

Wars over Land and Religion

In 1066 the French duke of Normandy conquered England. Because of that connection to France, English kings later claimed parts of France for themselves. This led to many battles between the two countries.

One particularly difficult period was the Hundred Years' War, which began in 1337. France was close to defeat when a peasant girl named Joan of Arc led the French army to victory. By the end of the war in 1453, the English had lost nearly all of their land in France.

During the 1500s Protestantism spread across Roman Catholic France. Wars broke out between Protestants (known as Huguenots) and Roman Catholics. Peace came in 1598 when King Henry IV signed the Edict of Nantes, which granted Protestants some rights.

French Revolution and Napoleon

During the 1600s France became the greatest power in Europe. Louis XIV, who reigned from 1643 to 1715, raised the power of the king to new heights. In the 1700s, however, France lost a series of costly foreign wars. At home, political disorder and public anger resulted in the French Revolution in 1789. This uprising by the French people led to the end of the French monarchy. After the revolution France became a republic.

After a period of weak government, France fell into the hands of General Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. He named himself emperor of France in 1804. Napoleon set out to conquer Europe. He was finally defeated in 1815. Afterward the monarchy was restored, but it fell in 1870. France once again became a republic.

World Wars

Germany invaded France in 1914, at the beginning of World War I. France and its allies narrowly defeated Germany during that war. Less than 30 years later, however, Germany again invaded France, during World War II. Part of the French army, called the Free French, escaped to England under General Charles de Gaulle. Free French, U.S., and British forces drove the Germans out of France in 1944.

Postwar France

In the 1950s and 1960s France lost two colonies- Vietnam and Algeria- that it had controlled for many years. Nevertheless, France's political and economic power grew. In 1993 France became one of the original members of the European Union (EU).

France faced economic difficulties at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Many people were out of work, and the government spent more than it took in from taxes and other sources. Leaders from different political parties tried to address those problems.

The country faced another problem in 2015 when it suffered two major terrorist attacks. More than 140 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the attacks. On July 14, 2016, another major attack took place in the southeastern city of Nice.

The president at the time, François Hollande, announced in December 2016 that he would not seek reelection. That made him the first French president since World War II to decline to run for reelection.

The first round of voting in the next presidential election took place in April 2017. The candidates of the main political parties were eliminated in that round of voting. Instead, the two candidates to advance to a runoff were Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Macron had never before held an elected office. He did not belong to an established political party. Rather, he was the leader of a new political movement called En Marche! (On the Move!). Le Pen was the leader of the National Front party. Le Pen wanted to limit France's role in the EU and to severely restrict immigration. Macron wanted France to have closer ties to the rest of the EU. In the runoff election on May 7, 2017, Macron won easily. At age 39, he was the youngest person elected president of France. In 2018 and 2019 Macron faced many protests from people who were unhappy with his plans to raise certain taxes. Also in 2019, a fire damaged a large part of the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. The cathedral was one of the most famous buildings in Europe, and it had stood for more than 850 years. Macron vowed to rebuild the church.

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France is a large country in western Europe. France is known for its proud history and rich culture. The capital is Paris. Geography France shares borders with Belgium,...

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People have lived in what is now Russia for thousands of years. The East Slavs settled in the southwest by the ad 300s. They came from eastern Europe.

By the 800s people from Scandinavia ( Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) had entered the territory of the East Slavs. These Scandinavians are known as Varangians. The Varangians mixed with the Slavs and gave them the name Rus. The name Russia came from that name.

The town of Kyiv (also spelled Kiev) was the capital of the territory, which became known as Kyivan (Kievan) Rus. Kyivan Rus grew to be the largest state in Europe.

The Mongols and Muscovy

In the 1200s warriors from central Asia known as Mongols, or Tatars, invaded Kyivan Rus. The Mongols set up a kingdom called the Golden Horde. During the time of Mongol rule, two strong Russian states developed. Novgorod became a powerful state in western Russia. Muscovy, or Moscow, became the strongest power in the north.

In 1478 the ruler of Muscovy, Ivan III (also called Ivan the Great) conquered Novgorod. Two years later he defeated the Mongols and made the Russian lands independent. Ivan IV came to the throne in 1533. He called himself tsar (emperor) of all Russia. Ivan IV earned the title Ivan the Terrible because of his cruel and violent rule.

The Romanov Dynasty

In 1613 Michael Romanov became tsar. His family ruled Russia until 1917. Under the Romanovs, Russia became one of the most powerful states in Europe.

Peter I, called Peter the Great, became tsar in 1682. Peter added to Russia's territory and built a new capital, which he named Saint Petersburg. Catherine II, called Catherine the Great, came to the throne in 1762. She also expanded the size of Russia. Nicholas II, who became tsar in 1894, was the last of the Romanov rulers.

The Russian Revolution

In 1914 Russia entered World War I. After three years of terrible losses, the Russian people rebelled against the tsar in March 1917. Nicholas II stepped down, and the country set up a temporary government. Nicholas and his family were later executed.

In November 1917 a group called the Bolsheviks seized control of Russia. Led by Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks set up a communist government. The new government took Russia out of World War I.

The Soviet Union

Some Russians fought a civil war against the Bolsheviks, but the Bolsheviks defeated them. In 1922 the Bolsheviks set up a new country called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union included 15 republics, or states. Russia was the largest of the new country's republics. The communist government of the Soviet Union ruled harshly at times. Millions of people died during the rule of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

By the 1980s many Soviets wanted more freedom and a better economy. The communist government could not solve the country's problems. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed. Each of the republics became a separate country.

A New Russia

Russia formed a new democratic government that gave the people more rights and freedoms. However, the government also faced a poor economy and a number of revolts. One of those revolts took place in the southwestern region called Chechnya, which wanted independence from Russia. Russian troops fought with rebels in Chechnya until 2009, when Russia declared the fighting in Chechnya to be over. However, occasional outbreaks of violence still occurred.

Russia's longtime leader, Vladimir Putin, also targeted parts of the neighboring country of Ukraine. Ukraine had been part of the Soviet Union, and before that it had been part of the Russian Empire. In 2014 Russia sent armed men into the Ukrainian republic of Crimea. Soon after, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and was annexed by Russia. Most countries and the United Nations condemned Russia's actions. Also in 2014 two regions of Ukraine tried to separate from the country. Rebels in the regions fought against troops from Ukraine. The fighting went on for years, and many people believed that troops from Russia were helping the rebels. In 2021 Putin began gathering Russian troops along the border with Ukraine. In February 2022 Russian forces began attacking Ukraine. Many world leaders again condemned the actions of Russia.

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People have lived in what is now Russia for thousands of years. The East Slavs settled in the southwest by the ad 300s. They came from eastern Europe. By the 800s people from Scandinavia ( Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) had entered the territory of the East Slavs. These Scandinavians are known as Varangians.

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Explore the geography and culture of Russia through a detailed map, video, photographs, infographic, activity menu, books, and more.

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Top 10 facts

1. Russia is the largest country in the world. Over 142 million people live in Russia.

2. Russia borders 14 different countries on two continents and has the longest coastline in the world.

3. Most Russian people live in cities. The largest, the capital Moscow, has 12 million inhabitants. St Petersburg is the second-largest city.

4. Russia has lots of natural resources; it sells more gas than any other country and is the second-largest exporter of oil.

5. Russia is home to the longest river in Europe, the Volga (3690km long), and the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal (over 1km deep in places).

6. Russian is the official language, spoken by the majority of Russians. Russian is a Slavic language and uses an alphabet called Cyrillic. The main religion is Orthodox Christianity.

7. The currency of Russia is the Russian ruble.

8. Brown bears live in forests across Russia and are considered the country's national animal.

9. Chess, ballet and gymnastics are very popular hobbies in Russia and lots of children take classes in them from a very young age.

10. The Russian space program was very successful. In 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel into space. The first woman in space was also Russian, Valentina Tereshkova.

Did you know?

Russia is so large that it has 11 different time zones, more than any other country in the world!

The Winter Palace in St Petersburg used to be the home of the Russian royal family (it is now a museum). There are 1500 rooms and 117 staircases in the palace! There are so many works of art on display that it's been estimated that it would take 11 years to see them all!

People who have seven or more children in Russia are awarded an Order of Parental Glory.

At Christmas Russian children receive gifts not from Father Christmas but from Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden.

Only a third of Russian people own a car and most people travel by train.

It takes six days to travel the length of the Trans-Siberian railway (9288km)!

Russia has the largest number of forests in the world and is also home to over 40 national parks and 100 wildlife reserves.

White Nights is the name of the summer evenings in St Petersburg; from mid June to July it is light all day and all night in the city.

Russian people love to grow some of their own food: two thirds of people who live in cities have an allotment.

The Metro (Underground) in Moscow is filled with paintings, chandeliers and statues and was built to be a 'palace for the people'. It is the busiest underground railway system in Europe, carrying 2.4 billion passengers every year.

Yakutsk in the north of Russia is the coldest city on Earth, with average winter temperatures of -40°C. The city is built on stilts because the ground it sits on is frozen all year round and can be very unstable.

Look through the gallery and see if you can spot the following:

Moscow at night

The Russian flag

The Ural mountains

A dacha, a traditional Russian country house

The Russian winter landscape

Traditional decorated bread

A Russian Orthodox church

Red Square in Moscow

Matruschka stacking dolls

St Petersburg

Singers wearing traditional costumes

Blini, Russian pancakes served with sour cream and caviar

The Winter Palace in St Petersburg, the official residence of the Russian monarchs from 1732 to 1917

Peterhof Palace

Pelmeni dumplings

The Russian currency is the ruble

Moscow's GUM, the largest department store in Russia

Gallery

About

Russia is the largest country in the world and in its entirety occupies about one-ninth of the total land on earth. Russia spans two continents, Europe and Asia.

Russia shares land borders with 14 other countries. Some of them used to belong to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), a communist state from 1922 to 1991. The USSR was also known as the Soviet Union.

From the 1400s Russia was ruled by emperors called tsars, but in 1917 the Russian Revolution abolished the monarchy and in 1922 the world's first communist state, the USSR, was established. The communist government aimed to create a fair way of life for everyone, not just the rich ruling class. By 1929, however, a general called Joseph Stalin had seized power and imposed lots of new rules on the people, causing huge suffering. In World War II the Russians fought against Nazi Germany and millions of Russians were killed in the fighting.

In 1945 the USSR became one of the world's superpowers. In the following decades the USSR and the United States of America were on opposite sides in many conflicts; this is known as the Cold War.
In 1989 the communist regime fell; two years later the USSR split into 15 independent countries (the Russian Federation).
Under communism religion was banned, but the Church is now very popular, and around 75 per cent of Russians are Orthodox Christians. Around 10-15 per cent of the population are Muslim.

The Kremlin in Moscow is Russia's centre of government and the home of the Russian president. Vladimir Putin has been president of Russia since 2012; he was also president from 1999 to 2008 and was the country's prime minister from 2008 to 2012.

The country's second-largest city, St Petersburg, was renamed Leningrad in 1924 to honour the Russian Revolution leader, Lenin. The city's name was changed back to St Petersburg in 1991.

Russia has a growing economy. The country is a manufacturer of machines, transport equipment and chemicals, and also has huge resources of oil, gas and minerals like coal, metals and diamonds. Oil, gas and minerals make up 80 per cent of what Russia exports to other countries. Fishing and farming are important industries, and Russia also produces lots of wood products like paper.

The massive region of Siberia, known as the Asian part of Russia, occupies three quarters of Russian land but only a quarter of the Russian population live there. It is very, very cold with average winter temperatures of -25°C. Siberian tigers, who live in the forests of Siberia, are one of the world's most endangered species. It's estimated that there are only 500 Siberian tigers left in the world.

Summers can be very hot in Russian cities, and lots of people have a small house in the country (called a dacha) where they go at weekends and grow fruit and vegetables. Picking mushrooms and berries are old Russian traditions.

Lots of traditional Russian foods are made from ingredients that grow well in the cold Russian climate, like beetroot, cabbage and potato. Pirogi is a type of pastry with sweet fillings like fruit and honey and savoury fillings like mushrooms, rice and salmon. Soup, rye bread and porridge are often on the menu.

Russians love tea, but they don't use a kettle to make it! Instead they have a very large metal hot water boiler called a samovar. Russians traditionally add sugar, lemon or jam to their tea!

New Year is Russia's biggest festival, celebrated with a special dinner and fireworks. Before Lent (the 40 days before Easter), Russians celebrate Maslenitsa (Pancake Week). During the festival they eat thin pancakes ( blini) with sour cream, jam or caviar (fish eggs) and make large straw dolls which are burnt on a bonfire.

Russian nesting dolls, Matryoshka, are famous around the world. They are wooden figures that open and contain smaller and smaller dolls inside, painted as if they are wearing traditional Russian dress.

Russia has been a world leader in sport, space exploration and culture, renowned for its music, arts and literature. Some of the most famous composers in the world are Russian, including Tchaikovsky, the composer of The Nutcracker. Famous writers include Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, and playwright Anton Chekhov. Ballet is a hugely popular art form and the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg are two of the best ballet companies in the world.

Russian athletes and sportspeople are incredibly successful, especially at the Olympic Games. One of the most popular sports in Russia is ice hockey; there are lots of ski resorts, too, and some people swim in ice-cold waters, making a hole in the ice to jump in! Football is the most popular spectator sport.

Story-telling is a big part of Russian cultural tradition. One of the most famous traditional characters is Baba Yaga, a wise but scary witch who lives in a house with chicken legs.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

Read some Russian folk tales, including the stories of Baba Yaga and the story of the Crimson Flower

Have a go at some Russian-themed craft activities, including decorating a Faberge-style egg and making Matryoshka Dolls out of different materials

Make paper Matryoshka Dolls

A step-by-step guide to making a Russian clay bird, a dymkovskaya toy

Download some Russian colouring pages
Make your own Kandinksy art
Try making small Russian dumplings filled with finely chopped meat or vegetables

Learn to say some basic Russian phrases

Read about some of the traditional games children play in Russia

Listen to songs and rhymes in Russian

See pictures of traditional clothing for Russian children

Make your own paper model of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow

Best books about Russia for children

Find out more

Facts about Russia from National Geographic Kids

The Kiddle encyclopedia guide to Russia

Find out about the native peoples of the Russian North

Read CBBC's Newsround guide to the Russian Revolution

The Trans-Siberian Express is the longest train journey in the world, stretching from Moscow to Vladivostok across 6 time zones and landscapes ranging from forest to mountain to desert to steppe

Find out more about the Space Race and Russian achievements in space exploration

A guide to Russian food and drink

Steam baths, or , are a traditional place to visit in Russia

See behind the scenes in Saint Petersburg's world-famous Mariinsky Ballet Theatre

See pictures of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, one of the most volcanologically active regions on Earth

Information about festivals and holidays in Russia

See for yourself

See pictures and guides to Russian attractions in the Lonely Planet guide to the country
Facts and advice about visiting Russia
A guide to Baikal Lake, the deepest lake in the world

Read about Moscow's most famous tourist attractions

Also see

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Russia for KS1 and KS2: facts, figures, pictures, videos and links to help with primary-school homework.

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Johannesburg is South Africa's most populous city.

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of South Africa

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic

CAPITALS: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)

POPULATION: 55,380,210

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga

MONEY: Rand

AREA: 470,693 square miles (1,219,089 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Drakensberg

MAJOR RIVERS: Limpopo, Orange

Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains called bushveld.

To the east, south, and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range, called the Drakensberg, or Dragon's Mountain, is filled with jagged peaks, some more than 11,400 feet (3,475 meters) high.

Interestingly, South Africa has another country within its borders. Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snowcapped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Many different peoples make up South Africa, each with their own language and history. The country has 11 official languages and many more unofficial ones. This colorful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname "rainbow nation."

South Africans are passionate about music, often using song and dance to express social and political ideas. They're also known worldwide for their skill in sports, including rugby, cricket, golf, and soccer. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup.

From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is full of wildlife. The country takes up only about one percent of Earth's land surface, but is home to almost 10 percent of the world's known bird, fish, and plant species and about 6 percent of its mammal and reptile species.

The seas around South Africa are also crowded with wildlife. About 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year. There's also a world-famous sardine run off the east coast each June that draws thousands of hungry sharks, dolphins, and birds.

South Africa works to preserve its wildlife with dozens of protected land and marine areas, including the famous Kruger National Park in the north, as well as nearly 9,000 privately-owned game reserves throughout the country.

Nevertheless, many of South Africa's animals are hurt by illegal hunting and loss of habitat, and dozens of species are in danger of extinction, including the black rhinoceros, the cheetah, and the African wild dog.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

South Africa has been a democratic republic since holding its first truly open election on April 27, 1994. Natural resources, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing have made South Africa the largest economy on the continent. But problems with unemployment, poverty, and AIDS present huge challenges for the government.

In northern South Africa near Johannesburg, there is a cave formation called the Sterkfontein. Within these caves, archaeologists have uncovered some of the earliest human fossils ever found. Some are more than two million years old. The find earned the region the nickname "Cradle of Humankind."

About 24,000 years ago, tribes of hunter-gatherers known as the San, or Bushmen, began moving into South Africa. Many San still live, much as their ancestors did, around the Kalahari Desert in the northwest.

In the 1400s, European ships heading to the Far East began stopping on the South African coast for supplies. In 1652, the Netherlands established the southern city of Cape Town, and Dutch farmers, called Boers, began settling in the areas around the city.

In 1806, wars in Europe left the British in control of the Cape Town colony. In 1910, the British united four colonies in the region and created South Africa. They established laws that separated whites from black South Africans, a practice of segregation called apartheid, which led to decades of conflict.

In 1963, Nelson Mandela, head of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, was given a life sentence in jail for "terrorist" activities. In 1990, after 27 years behind bars, he was freed by President F.W. de Klerk. In 1994, Mandela was elected president of South Africa and served until 1999.

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Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus.

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About 10,000 years ago the San and the Khoekhoe peoples roamed southern Africa. About 2,000 years ago peoples who spoke Bantu languages settled in the region. The Bantu peoples were the ancestors of most of the blacks in South Africa today.

European Settlement

The Portuguese sailed around the southern tip of Africa in the late 1400s. In 1652 the Dutch set up a colony on the southwest coast. They slowly expanded their settlements, planted crops, and raised livestock. They became known as Boers, meaning "farmers." (Later they became known as Afrikaners.) As the Boers moved east, they fought with many African peoples, especially the Xhosa.

By 1806 the British had taken over the Dutch settlement. To escape British rule, many Boers moved north during the 1830s and 1840s. Their move is known as the Great Trek. In the 1850s the Boers set up two states in the northeast: the South African Republic (or Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.

British Rule

The British expanded their territory, called the Cape Colony, across the southern tip of Africa. They then tried to take over the Boer states. From 1899 to 1902 the British and the Boers fought the South African War. After winning the war, the British made the Boer states into British colonies.

In 1910 all the British colonies in southern Africa united. They formed a new, independent country called the Union of South Africa.

Apartheid

Whites controlled the new government of South Africa. They passed laws that separated the population by race. This system of separation became known as apartheid. The word means "separateness" in the Afrikaans language. The system also gave the white minority nearly all the political power, most of the land, and the best jobs.

In 1912 blacks and people of mixed ancestry formed a political group that became known as the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC held nonviolent protests against the white government. In 1960 police shot hundreds of protesters in Sharpeville, South Africa. In response, the ANC turned to bombings and other acts of violence to protest apartheid. Some ANC leaders, including Nelson Mandela, went to jail.

In 1990 a new South African president, F.W. de Klerk, announced that apartheid would end. The government released Mandela from prison and threw out the apartheid laws. South Africans of all races voted in elections in 1994. Mandela became the country's first black president.

A New South Africa

Mandela's government had to deal with the long-term effects of apartheid. The government was especially concerned with helping the people who had been mistreated under the old laws. Its priorities included improving education, housing, health care, and wages among the nonwhite population. The country adopted a new constitution in 1996. The government also created a body known as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission investigated human-rights abuses committed during the apartheid era by both the South African government and the resistance movement.

Thabo Mbeki of the ANC succeeded Mandela as president in 1999. Like other African countries, South Africa faced a serious health crisis when the deadly disease AIDS began to spread rapidly during the 1990s. In the early 2000s South Africa had more people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, than any other country in the world. Mbeki and later presidents faced other difficulties as well. These included high crime rates, tensions between ethnic groups, and continuing efforts to improve the lives of large parts of the population.

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The country of South Africa covers the southern tip of Africa. It has three capital cities: Pretoria (Tshwane), Cape Town, and Bloemfontein. Most of South Africa's people are...

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Aboriginal peoples lived in Australia for at least 45,000-50,000 years before Europeans arrived. They came from Asia by boat or by land that is now underwater. Aboriginal peoples lived in groups that had their own language, culture, and traditional lands. These lands, known as Country, were central to the survival of each group. The people knew how to protect and use the environment of their specific Country. This is what Europeans encountered when they first landed on Australia.

Portuguese and Spanish explorers may have landed in Australia in the 1500s. In the 1600s several Dutch explorers reached the continent. They included Dirck Hartog and Abel Tasman. Hartog discovered the west coast, and Tasman sailed along the southern tip of what is now called Tasmania. Because of all these voyages, the Dutch named the continent New Holland in 1644. But they did not settle there.

William Dampier, an English pirate turned explorer, landed on the west coast twice in the late 1600s. In 1770 Captain James Cook landed in southeastern Australia and claimed it for Great Britain. He named the region New South Wales. Others later explored the continent further, including Matthew Flinders, who suggested the name Australia.

First Fleet and Settlement

Captain Cook thought that New South Wales was a good place for settlement. At the time, England's prisons were overcrowded. So the English government decided to send prisoners to Australia to start a penal colony-a place where criminals are sent to live.

Captain Arthur Phillip was in charge of the First Fleet. He led 11 ships carrying about 200 marines, a few free settlers, more than 700 convicts, food stores, and farm animals. The trip took eight months and conditions were very hard. They reached Australia in January 1788 and settled in a bay that they named Sydney Cove. Phillip became the first governor of the colony.

Convicts and settlers worked to clear land and to establish farms. They were not used to the climate, which was different from England, so the colonists struggled to survive. But soon more convicts and settlers arrived. The settlement grew bigger and stronger. In the 1800s other parts of the country were settled. Some were also penal colonies. In 1851 the discovery of gold drew thousands of new immigrants to Australia. The settlements grew and became colonies separate from New South Wales. They became Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia.

The flood of settlers nearly wiped out the Aboriginal population. Many Aboriginal people died while fighting for their land or from European diseases.

Independence and War

By the late 1800s the six separate colonies each had an elected assembly. In 1901 they became states when they joined together to form a federation. The new Commonwealth of Australia had a national parliament and six state parliaments. It kept ties with Britain, however, as part of the British Commonwealth (a group of former British colonies).

When World War I began, Australians fought alongside the British Army. Many Australians died during the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. Australia also supported Britain when World War II began in 1939. In the 1940s the Japanese attacked several Australian cities. Their airplanes bombed Darwin, and submarines fired on Sydney. After the war Australia's population grew rapidly. Many immigrants came from war-torn Europe.

Recent Events

In the 1970s Australia started to focus less on Europe and more on its Asian neighbors. Many Asian immigrants arrived, and trade increased between Australia and Asian countries.

In the 1990s Indigenous Australians won some rights to land. They also won more respect from white Australians. Many still face hardships, however. In 2008 the country's prime minister issued a formal apology to Aboriginal Australians for abuses they suffered under earlier Australian administrations.

The British monarch is still the head of state in Australia. Some Australians have called for change. They want the country to become a republic with a president as head of state. In 1999, however, Australians voted against a complete separation from Britain.

The main political parties in Australia are the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, and the National Party. The Liberal and National parties shared power for much of the second half of the 1900s. In 2007 the Labor Party was elected with Kevin Rudd as prime minister. Three years later Julia Gillard took over as leader of the Labor Party. She therefore became the country's first woman prime minister.

Shortly after taking office, Gillard called for a new election, which took place in late August 2010. The results were extremely close. Neither Labor nor the Liberals won a majority in the House of Representatives. Several independent members of Parliament eventually agreed to support the Labor Party. This allowed Gillard to form a minority government in early September. In 2013, however, the members of the Labor Party voted to replace her as leader of the party. Rudd once again became the leader of the party and the prime minister.

Less than three months later, the Labor Party lost the next general election. A coalition of the National and Liberal parties, led by Tony Abbott, won the election. Rudd stepped down as leader of the Labor Party, although he kept his seat in Parliament. In 2015 Malcolm Turnbull challenged Abbott for the Liberal Party leadership. Turnbull won and became prime minister. He resigned in 2018. Scott Morrison was then elected the new leader of the Liberal Party and became prime minister.

Australia suffered several major natural disasters in the early 2000s. In early 2009 a series of bushfires killed 173 people, injured 500, and destroyed numerous homes in the state of Victoria. Almost two years later torrential rains caused massive flooding in Queensland and other states. In late 2019 and early 2020 the country faced another series of devastating bushfires. In 2021 and 2022 eastern Australia was once again devastated by flooding.

Morrison and his party were partly blamed for the bushfires and floods that occurred during his term in office. Many people thought that climate change led to the disasters and that Morrison did not do enough to combat climate change. In 2022 Morrison and the Liberal Party were voted out of office. Anthony Albanese became the new prime minister. He faced continuing problems with climate change and with the disease known as COVID-19. The disease, caused by a coronavirus, had killed more than 8,000 people since the beginning of the outbreak in 2020.

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Prime ministers of AustraliaAustralia is the only nation that takes up a whole continent. It is known for its vast Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and its unique wildlife....

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People lived in Japan at least 10,000 years ago. According to legend, the emperor Jimmu founded the Japanese state in 660 bce. Historical records, however, show that Japan was not united as one state until the late 300s or early 400s ce.

For many centuries the Japanese borrowed heavily from Chinese culture. The Japanese adopted Chinese characters to write the Japanese language. They also used some Chinese ideas about government. Japan's culture became more Japanese after the 800s.

Military Government

During the 1100s a class of warriors called samurai rose to power. The samurai developed advanced military skills. Soon they set up a military government, called a shogunate. Japan had an emperor, but he held less power than the shogun, or military ruler.

Meanwhile, Japan was developing trade contacts with the outside world. Trade missions to China began in 1404. In 1543 Portuguese traders arrived in Japan. Spanish, English, and Dutch traders followed.

During the 1600s and 1700s strong shoguns of the Tokugawa family ruled Japan. Japan enjoyed peace, stability, and a growing economy. At the same time, the shoguns began to fear conquest by foreign powers. They banned Christianity (a foreign religion), stopped foreign travel, and cut back on foreign trade.

By the mid-1800s the Tokugawa shogunate was unable to keep European and U.S. traders away. The shogun's support among the Japanese people collapsed. In 1868 the shogun was forced to step down.

The Japanese Empire

Japan set up a new government under an emperor who took the name Meiji, meaning "enlightened government." The transfer of power from the shogunate to the Meiji emperor was the start of Japan's modern era.

Japan soon started to build an empire. It defeated China and Russia in war. It made Korea into a Japanese colony in 1910. During World War I (1914-18), Japan fought on the side of the Allies (mainly Great Britain, France, and Russia). Japan seized additional territory in East Asia during the war.

World War II

In 1931 Japan seized the region called Manchuria from China. Japan moved troops into China in 1937 and into Southeast Asia in 1940. The Japanese also formed an alliance with Germany and Italy. The three countries were known as the Axis powers. They fought against the Allies during World War II (1939-45).

In 1941 Japan attacked U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack pulled the United States into the war. In 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs destroyed the cities and killed more than 100,000 people. The Japanese then surrendered.

Postwar Japan

After the war Japan had to give up all the territory it had occupied since 1895. It also broke up its military. In addition, U.S. forces occupied Japan until 1952. A new constitution in 1947 took power away from the emperor and made Japan more democratic.

Japan rebuilt its ruined economy with the help of new technology. By 1990 Japan had one of the world's largest economies. Although economic growth slowed in the 1990s, Japan remained one of the richest countries in the world.

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 struck off the coast of Honshu Island. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. The earthquake led to a tsunami that washed away cars and houses in northern Japan. The earthquake and tsunami combined to cause major damage across Japan and led to thousands of deaths.

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The Asian country of Japan is marked by contrast between old and new. The country values its complex and ancient cultural traditions. Yet Japan is known for its powerful,...

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1. Japan is an archipelago

You might have thought of Japan as being one island, but it's actually a collection of islands. A collection of islands is also known as an archipelago. The largest island is called Honshu, which is home to 104 million of the 125 million people that live in Japan, including all residents of Tokyo city.

The four smaller islands that make up the rest of Japan are called Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa island. In total, there are 6852 islands, and approximately 430 of them are inhabited.

2. Tokyo is the largest city in the world

Home to a total population of over 37 million people in the urban area, Tokyo is considered by many to be the largest city in the world. Whilst it's quite hard to calculate exactly, the built-up urban area of Tokyo combined with the city itself is the world's largest population for a single settlement.

Tokyo also takes up quite a lot of space, being roughly 2,194.07 km² in size. For comparison, Dublin is 117.8 km² in size.

3. The country has the highest life expectancy

Japanese people live longer than people from any other country on average. In a list published by the World Health Organisation in 2019, Japanese people had an average life expectancy of 84.3 years old.

In comparison, Ireland were ranked 18th on the list, with the average life expectancy being 81.8 years old. The United Kingdom is 25th with 81.4, whilst the USA is all the way in 40th with 78.4.

4. Japan's home to many technology companies

Japan has a thriving tech industry, and that's shown with the amount of companies that have started in Japan and grown to become global names. In the world of gaming, Nintendo and Sony are both Japanese companies that have created some of the world's most successful games consoles.

Japan also has a huge motor industry too, with Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi being the three largest companies currently operating in Japan today.

5. Its national flower is the cherry blossom

The pink cherry blossom flower, which comes from the cherry blossom tree, is an important national symbol of the country. It can be found in many places in Japan over the spring, when the trees bloom again after winter.

There are many other national symbols of Japan. Their national dish is sushi, their national fish is koi and their national butterfly is the great purple emperor.

6. Japan is the home of sumo wrestling

Sumo wrestling is an ancient Japanese tradition which is still a popular sport to this day. The earliest evidence we know of its existence is a manuscript dating back to the year 712. For comparison, Gaelic football was first played in 1885.

Sumo wrestling involves large wrestlers attempting to force their opponent out of a circular ring or by touching the ground with anything other than the soles of their feet. Sumo wrestlers have to follow strict rules, such as being told what to eat, what to wear and how to train, which all follow a strict tradition.

Japan Learning Resources

If you wanted to teach your children more about Japan, then we have plenty of learning materials you can use to educate and entertain them, either at school or at home.

A PowerPoint presentation is always a great way of getting across information, so this All About Japan PowerPoint would be useful to use in a lesson. Then, after that, you can get children to fill out and decorate their own Japan fact file with this handy worksheet.

If you're looking for children to get creative, then you can hand them this design you own kimono worksheet for them to play with. You can even expand their Japanese-themed vocabulary with this word search.

All of our resources are teacher-made, meaning you can download them with confidence knowing they meet curriculum standards. And not only that, but using our teaching materials can cut down on hours and hours of lesson planning and preparation. So there's no reason not to give these Japanese topic resources a try.

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6 Fun Japan Facts for Kids | Twinkl Ireland Blog - Twinkl

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Japan is an amazing place. It's a country with a rich history, unique culture and stunning geography. There are plenty of things you may already know about Japan, but because there's so much to discover about the country, there's always something new you can learn.

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Kids learn about the Geography of Japan. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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( Japanese: 日本; Romanised as nihon or nippon) is a country in East Asia. It is a group of many islands close to the east coast of Korea, China and Russia. The Pacific Ocean is to the east of Japan and the Sea of Japan is to the west. Most people in Japan live on one of four of the islands. The biggest of these islands, Honshu, has the most people. Honshu is the 7th largest island in the world. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and its biggest city.

The Japanese people call their country "Nihon" or "Nippon", which means "the origin of the Sun" in Japanese. Japan is a monarchy whose head of state is called the Emperor.

The first people in Japan were the Ainu people and other Jōmon people. They were closer related to Europeans or Arabs. They were later conquered and replaced by the Yayoi people (early Japanese and Ryukyuans). The Yayoi were an ancient ethnic group that migrated to the Japanese archipelago mainly from southeastern China during the Yayoi period (300 BCE-300 CE). Modern Japanese people have primarily Yayoi ancestry at an average of 97%. The indigenous Ryukyuan and Ainu peoples have more Jōmon ancestry on the other hand.

The earliest records on Japan are from Chinese documents. One of those records said there were many small countries (in Japan) which had wars between them and later a country, ruled by a queen, became the strongest, unified others, and brought peace.

The Japanese began to write their own history after the 5th and 6th centuries, when people from Korea and China taught Japan about the Chinese writing system. Japan's neighbours also taught them Buddhism. The Japanese changed Buddhism in many ways. For example, Japanese Buddhists used ideas such as Zen more than other Buddhists.

Japan had some contact with the Europeans in the 16th century. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit Japan. Later, the Spanish and Dutch came to Japan to trade. Also, they brought Christianity. Japan's leaders welcomed them at first, but because Europeans had conquered many places in the world, the Japanese were scared they would conquer Japan too. So the Japanese did not let the Europeans come into Japan anymore, except in a small area in Nagasaki city. Many Christians were killed. Only the Chinese, Korean and Dutch people were allowed to visit Japan, in the end, and they were under careful control of the Japanese government. Japan was opened for visitors again in 1854 by Commodore Matthew Perry, when the Americans wanted to use Japanese ports for American whale boats. Perry brought steamships with guns, which scared the Japanese into making an agreement with him.

This new contact with Europeans and Americans changed the Japanese culture. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 stopped some old ways and added many new ones. The Empire of Japan was created, and it became a very powerful nation and tried to invade the countries next to it. It invaded and annexed Ryukyu Kingdom, Taiwan, and Korea. It had wars with China and Russia: the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, and the Second Sino-Japanese War, which grew to become a part of World War II when Japan became allies with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a water base of the United States, and destroyed or damaged many ships and airplanes. This started the United States' involvement in World War II. American and Japanese forces fought each other in the Pacific. Once airbases were established within range of the Japanese mainland, America began to win, and started dropping bombs on Japanese cities. America was able to bomb most of the important cities and quickly brought Japan close to defeat. To make Japan surrender, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 150,000 Japanese citizens. Soon after this the Soviet Union began to fight against Japan, and the Japanese army in Manchuria lost. Japan surrendered and gave up all the places it took from other countries, accepting the Potsdam Proclamation. The United States occupied Japan and forced it to write a new constitution, in which it promised to never go to war again.

Japan is a group of islands in the Western Pacific, off the coast of China. The four biggest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and there are about 6,000 smaller islands there. Japan is separated from the Asian continent by the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Honshu, which means 'Mainland' in the Japanese language, is the biggest island. Hokkaido is the island north of Honshu. Kyushu is the island west of Honshu. Shikoku is the island to the south-west of Honshu.

In the middle of Japan there are mountains. They cover the middle of the islands and leave a very narrow strip of flat land on most coasts. Many of the mountains are extinct volcanoes, but some are still active. The highest of these mountains is the beautiful, volcano-shaped Mt Fuji (3776m or 12,389 feet high). Japan has many earthquakes, in fact there are about 1500 of these every year. The most recent big earthquake was in 2011 - called '2011 Tohoku Earthquake'. It caused great damage to several power plants forcing Japan to shut down all its nuclear plants. There was nuclear core meltdown which caused a serious health risk to nearby villages and cities.

90% of the people living in Japan live in just 10% of the land, near the coast. The other 10% of the people in Japan live away from the coast. Over 10 cities have more than a million people in them. The biggest city in Japan is Tokyo, which is the capital.

The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from north to south. The northernmost region, Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and very warm to cool summers. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snowbanks in the winter.

In the Sea of Japan region on Honshu's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall during winter. In the summer, the region sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn. The Central Highland has a typical inland humid continental climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter. The mountains of the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing mild weather year-round.

The Pacific coast features a humid subtropical climate that experiences milder winters with occasional snowfall and hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. The Ryukyu and Nanpō Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season. The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain. According to the Environment Ministry, heavy rainfall and increasing temperatures have caused problems in the agricultural industry and elsewhere. The highest temperature ever measured in Japan, 41.1 °C (106.0 °F), was recorded on July 23, 2018, and repeated on August 17, 2020.

Biodiversity

Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryūkyū and Bonin Islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands. Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife as of 2019, including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japanese raccoon dog, the small Japanese field mouse, and the Japanese giant salamander.

A large network of national parks has been established to protect important areas of flora and fauna as well as 52 Ramsar wetland sites. Four sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.

Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms of nominal GDP, and the fourth largest national economy in the world, after the United States, China and India, in terms of purchasing power parity.

As of 2017, Japan's labor force consisted of some 65 million workers.

Japan's main exports are transportation equipment, motor vehicles, iron and steel products, semiconductors and auto parts.

Agriculture and fishery

The Japanese agricultural sector accounts for about 1.4% of the total country's GDP. Only 12% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation. Because of this lack of arable land, a system of terraces is used to farm in small areas. This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit are.

In 1996, Japan ranked fourth in the world in tonnage of fish caught. Japan ranked seventh and captured 3,167,610 metric tons of fish in 2016. Some claim that Japan's fishing is leading to a depletion in fish stocks such as tuna. Japan has also sparked controversy by supporting quasi-commercial whaling.

Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods.

Some major Japanese industrial companies include Canon Inc., Toshiba and Nippon Steel. The country's manufacturing output is the third highest in the world.

Japan is the third largest automobile producer in the world and is home to Toyota, the world's largest automobile company.

Japan attracted 24.03 million international tourists in 2016.

Science and technology

Japan is a leading nation in scientific research, particularly in the natural sciences and engineering.

Japanese scientists and engineers have contributed to the advancement of agricultural sciences, electronics, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors, life sciences and various fields of engineering. Japan leads the world in robotics production and use.

As of 2009, $6 billion of Japan's $20 billion gaming market is generated from arcades, which represent the largest sector of the Japanese video game market, followed by home console games and mobile games at $3.5 billion and $2 billion, respectively. Japan is now the world's largest market for mobile games; in 2014, Japan's consumer video game market grossed $9.6 billion, with $5.8 billion coming from mobile gaming.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is Japan's national space agency; it conducts space, planetary, and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites.

The Japanese language is Japan's de facto national language. It also the primary written and spoken language of most people in the country. Japanese writing uses kanji ( Chinese characters) and two sets of kana ( syllabaries based on cursive script and radicals used by kanji). Along with this, the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals are used.

English has taken a major role in Japan as a business and international link language. As a result, English classes has become mandatory at all levels of the Japanese school system.

Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages ( Amami, Kunigami, Okinawan, Miyako, Yaeyama, Yonaguni), part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands chain. Few children learn these languages, but local governments have sought to increase awareness of the traditional languages. The Ainu language has only a few native speakers remaining as of 2014.

Additionally, a number of other languages are taught and used by ethnic minorities, immigrant communities, and a growing number of foreign-language students, such as Korean (including a distinct Zainichi Korean dialect), Chinese and Portuguese.

Society and culture

Many things in Japanese culture originated in China, like Go and bonsai.

Japan's traditional food is seafood, rice, miso soup, and vegetables. Noodles and tofu are also common. Sushi, a Japanese food made of cooked rice with vinegar with other ingredients such as raw fish, is popular around the world.

The religion in Japan is mostly Shinto and Buddhist. Due to the tolerant nature of the two main Japanese religions, and the resulting intermixing mixing of the two, many Japanese identify as both Shinto and Buddhist at the same time. There are small numbers of Christians and Muslims, and a few Jews.

The biggest cities in Japan are:

In Japan there are eight traditional regions:

Territorial problem

Since Japan is an island nation, Japan has several problems over territory because maritime boundaries can be hard to protect. These days, Japan is competing for at least 4 different territories. It cannot agree with some neighbouring countries on whether the land belongs to Japan or the other country.

Public transportation

There are several important international airports in Japan. Narita is the major international airport in the Tokyo area. Kansai International Airport serves as the main airport for Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Chūbu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya is the newest of the three. Haneda Airport is close to central Tokyo and is the largest domestic airport in the country.

The Shinkansen is one of the fastest trains in the world and connects cities in Honshu and Kyushu. Networks of public and private railways are almost all over the country. People mostly travel between cities in buses.

Japan has many traditional sports such as sumo, judo, karate, kyudo, aikido, iaido and kendo. Also, there are sports which were imported from the West such as baseball, soccer, rugby, golf and skiing.

Japan has taken part in the Olympic Games since 1912. It hosted the Olympic Games in 1964, 1972 and 1998. From 1912 until now, Japanese sportspeople have won 398 medals in total.

Professional sports are also popular and many sports such as baseball (see Pacific League and Central League), soccer (see List of Japanese football teams), sumo, American football, basketball and volleyball, are played professionally.

Related pages

Images for kids

In Spanish: Japón para niños

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Here are some interesting Italy Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: About 61 million people live in Italy (2023)

Capital: Roma (Rome) with 4.3 million inhabitants

Name: Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic) or simply: Italia, Nickname: 'Bel Paese' which means beautiful country

Government: Democracy, Republic

Language: Italian. Official minority languages are German, French and Ladin in some regions in Northern Italy

Literacy: More than 98% can read and write

Religion: mainly Christians (80%, of theses most are Roman Catholics)

Currency: 1 Euro = 100 cents, before 2001: Italian Lira

History: Rome was founded in 753 BC by the twins Romulus and Remus. The Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC and Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself emperor of Rome in 31 BC. After the Roman Empire broke down in 395 AD, there were many separate kingdoms and city states. Italy became one nation only in 1861. Since then the country also includes the islands of Sicily and Sardegna. The 'Kingdom of Italy' lasted from 1861 until 1946. During the Second World War, Italy's Prime Minister Benito Mussolini sided with the German Nazi regime. The Italian Republic was formed in 1946.

Prime Minister: Giorgia Meloni (since 2022)

National Day: 2 June (Festa della Repubblica)

National Symbols: Italian grey wolf (national animal), red rose or white lily (national flowers) and the white five-pointed star with a thin red border line

Flag: 'Tricolore' with green, white and red coloured vertical bands. The flag colours are said to represent these virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red)

Italy Facts
Where is Italy?

Italy is a country in Southern Europe. The country is located on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Adriatic Sea borders the eastern side of the peninsula while the Ligurian Sea and the Thyrrenian Sea border the western coastline of Italy. The Ionian Sea is to the south of the peninsula.

Italy borders six countries: France, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Vatican City and San Marino. Both, Vatican City and San Marino, are enclaves within Italy as you can see on the map.

Italy Map

The country is easy to recognize on any world map, as the country is shaped like a high-heeled boot, as you can see on the map above. The island of Sicily could be imagined as a ball, so that it looks like the boot is kicking a ball, don't you think?

Italy is slightly larger in size than the three countries of the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium combined or about as big as the state of Arizona/ USA.

A flight to Italy's capital city Rome takes roughly 2.5 hours from London/ UK and about 8 hours from New York/ USA.

Italy Facts | Italy Geography

Italy has more than 7,600 km/ 4,722 miles of coastline as the peninsula is located for a large part in the Mediterranean sea.

Italy is popular for its many picturesque ports, scenic lakes and sandy beaches.

Italy has two bigger islands, Sicily to the south and Sardegna to the west.

Two islands of Italy, Lampedusa and Lampione, are located far to the south and are closer to Africa than to Italy. Both islands are on the African continental shelf.

There are many smaller islands such as Capri, Ischia and Elba which are all to the west of mainland Italy.

The main cities in Italy are Roma/Rome, Milano/Milan, Firenze/Florence and Napoli/Naples.

The Alps and the Apennines are the two main mountain ranges in Italy. About 40% of the country is covered by hills and mountains.

In the North, the mountain range of the Alps separates Italy from the other European countries France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

The highest mountains of Italy can be found in the Alps. The Dolomites are a part of the Alps mountain range in Italy's north and many of the peaks are above 3,000 m/ 9,843 ft high!

There are many lakes in northern Italy, in the centre of the country, the landscape flattens, this flat area is called the Po Valley.

The Apennines mountain range run all the way down the boot and separates the eastern and the western regions of Italy.

And did you know that in Italy, there are still active volcanos?

In the South of Italy you will find Italy's three active volcanoes: Vesuvius near Naples, Etna on Sicily and Stromboli off the Coast of Italy.

Italy Facts | Italy Geography Superlatives

Here are some fascinating Italy facts that are always good to know:

Italy's largest island is Sicily. This island is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

The biggest city of the country is Rome with 4.2 million people.

The highest mountain peak in Italy is Monte Bianco, better known as Mont Blanc, which is 4,807 m or 15,776 ft. high.

The longest river in Italy is the Po River in Northern Italy with a length of 652 km/ 405 miles.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in northern Italy and famous for the winds that attract many surfers to its shores.

The longest border to any neighbouring country is shared with Switzerland. This border is 698 km/ 434 miles long.

The Etna is the most active volcano in Europe. It is located on the island of Sicily.

And again, remember, Italy surrounds two of the world's smallest countries! These are San Marino in Northern Italy, which is also the oldest republic in the world, and Vatican City in Rome, the smallest country in the world.

Italy Facts
Italy Attractions for Kids

Rome: Italy's capital city is a wonderful place to learn about the Romans and ancient history. There are so many historic sites in the city that is nicknamed 'Eternal City' and you must visit historic monuments as as the Foro Romano (Forum Romanum) with its ancient Roman ruins or the Colosseo.

Venice: This Northern Italian city is often referred to as 'Lagoon City' or 'The City of Masks'. The Italian name of the city is Venezia. Venice is famous for its canals, bridges and gondolas. The city is built on 120 islands and is known for its colourful carnival.

Pisa: The city on the river Arno is famous for its duomo and the leaning tower. One just must experience the Leaning Tower of Pisa which dates back to the 12th century. The bell tower of the main cathedral of the city is as fascinating as the colourful decorated churches.

Ravenna: The city is famous for the ancient colourful mosaics that decorate the city's churches. The extensive mosaic decorations date back to the 5th century and are fascinating artworks to explore. The city was once on of the main centres of Roman Christian art.

Tuscany: The Tuscany is a popular tourist region with scenic countryside in central Italy. The rolling hills invite for hiking trips and there are lovely medieval towns such as San Gimignano, Lucca or Montepulciano. The capital of the Tuscany region is Florence.

Florence: This city in Tuscany called Firenze in Italian is known for its arts museums and historic churches, Renaissance art and architecture. Many of the great Italian artists such as Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci once lived in this city.

Dolomites/Dolomiti and Italian Alps: The provinces in Northern Italy are renowned for fabulous skiing, hiking and mountainside holidays. You should also to visit South Tyrol's capital Bolzano. In the city's Natural History Museum you can marvel at Oetzi, a mummy from the Ice-age.

Alberobello: This small town is located in Apulia (Puglia in Italian). This town in southern Italy is known for its historic stone huts with cone hat-roofs. These unique houses are called trulli.
Read here about the most famous Italian landmarks and attractions here.

Italy Facts | Italian People

Italy is quite densely populated, with most people living in the country's northern regions. The Po Valley, also referred to as Padan Plain, is an area with many industrial centres. Almost half of Italy's population live in the Po Valley. The Po Valley's biggest cities include Milan (Milano), Modena, Turin (Torino) and Verona.

Milan is the main industrial centre of Italy and also known to be one of the world's fashion capitals.

Italians lead a modern lifestyle especially in the urban centres but they also celebrate century-old cultural traditions. Famous festivals that are celebrated annually are the carnival celebrations before Lent. In Venice, these are said to originate in the 12th century.

The Palio in Siena is dating back to 1644 when the first horse race in the city's main square was held.

And of course, Italians love soccer! The admittedly quite brutal Calcio storico match is still played and celebrated in Florence once a year. C alcio means soccer in Italian.

The Italian soccer league is followed by many Italians abroad too: Inter Milan, Lazio Roma and Juventus Turin are just some of the Italian soccer teams which are favoured by Italians.

Soccer, skiing, cycling, surfing or motor racing are just some of the sports Italians have very strong interest in.

The family is very important for Italians, where there are still many big families including grandparents, parents and children in the household.

Italians love their food, which is usually prepared freshly by ' la mama', the mother, or the nonna, the grandmother.

In the afternoon or evening it is common to meet up with family and friends on the piazza. The piazza is the main square of the village or town.

Italy Facts | Famous Italians

Italians are famous for their inventions and discoveries. The Italian explorers Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci explored many places in the Americas while Marco Polo travelled extensively in Asia.

Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist and artist who was the first to prove the world is round and not flat.

Alessandro Volta, was the prioneer who did studies in electricity, hence the name 'Volt' describing a unit of electricity.
More Italy Facts about Famous Italians for Kids: Explorers, Inventors and more

Did you know that Italians also invented the piano and the thermometer?

Italy Facts | Italian Language

Italian is a Romance language and the language roots are in the Latin language. Italian is very close to French, as 89% of the vocabulary are shared, and 82% is shared with the Spanish vocabulary.

Italian is an official language not only in Italy but also in Switzerland, San Marino and Vatican City.
Italy Facts: 10 useful Italian words and terms
The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters only. The letters j, k, w, x and y do not exist, except for lean words, that means words that originate in another language.

The pronunciation is soft and very melodic and so the language is used in opera and also popular by young pop music artists.

Most young people in Italy learn to speak English, French or German in school.

In remote rural villages in Italy's northern regions, some of the older people, however, do only speak a little Italian and still mainly use a regional language such as German in the Alto Adige or French in the Valle d'Aosta or the unique Ladino (Ladin) language in the Trentino.

Italy Facts | Italy Economy

Italy is one of the original six founding countries of the European Union with Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Read more about the European Union here.

Italy's extreme northern regions and most parts in Southern Italy are used for agriculture. In the North the main produce are dairy products and grains, while in the south mainly fruits and olives are harvested.

Italy also has a lot of industry especial in the country's north around Milan. Among the famous Italian brands are: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Fiat (car manufacturers), Gucci, Prada (fashion) and Ferrero (food - Nutella) or Barilla (food - spaghetti and pasta).

The main trading partners of Italy are Germany, France, the USA and China.

Italy Facts | Italian Food

The Italian main dishes often contain pork and beef, seafood as well as potatoes, rice and pasta (wheat and egg noodles) products and of course, tomatoes.

is surely one of the most famous exports and in Italy pizza is usually baked in a wood-fired oven. Italian pizza is very thin, but loaded with fresh vegetables or thinly sliced ham, salami, artichokes or olives.

The Italian (variety of noodles) is renowned worldwide and there are more than 200 different shapes.

Pizza: probably the most famous Italian dish, pizza was is said to have been invented in Napoli (Naples in English) around the year 1860

Spaghetti: long thin pasta/noodles served with a large variety of topping or sauce

Calzone: this folded-up pizza bread is filled with tomatoes, ham, cheese and all kinds of other filling

Pesto: a thick green sauce made with olives, basil or other herbs and olive oil, pine kernels and parmiggiano, which is an Italian hard cheese

Gelato: ice-cream is another famous Italian invention

Lasagna: this layered pasta dish is made with layers of pasta sheets, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and mince meat

Mozzarella: Italian soft cheese balls, that originally were made mainly from buffalo milk, but today mozzarella is often made with cow's milk

Italians love their food and many dishes are based on fresh vegetables and seafood too. There are delicious sweet cakes in Italy, such as (a yeast cake with raisins), p anforte (a hard and flat fruit cake) and almond cookies such as .
Read more about Italian Food here.
Here is some typical Italian food:

Did you know that Italians eat spaghetti only with a fork and don't use a spoon?

Italy Facts | Animals in Italy

One third of all European animal species can be found in Italy. The country also houses half of all plant species that grow in Europe.

There are over 4,770 endemic species in Italy. Endemic means that these animal species are native and only exist in Italy. There are about 100 mammal species and over 500 bird species. Among the species that you might encounter are the unique Sardinian deer and the Corsican hare.

There are 20 national parks in Italy and 16 Marine Reserves to ensure the protection of threatened species such as the Italian shark or the Italian wolf, the national animal.

Italy Facts for Kids: Sheep are held mainly in Southern Italy and donkeys still help farmers in remote villages as they are trained to carry heavy loads over steep terrain.

Brown bears are protected in Italy. There are only few bears left in the wild now.

In the Alps you will very likely see marmots, a ground squirrel species, which call each other with very high pitched calling sounds. And if you are very lucky you might even spot a lynx, a wild cat with little hair tuffs on the ears!

Resources for Italy Facts

Central Intelligence Agency. "Italy." WorldFactBook. Last updated 22 March 2023. Last accessed 29 March 2023

Città di Venezia. "Carnevale di Venezia." . Last accessed 29 March 2023

Italia Agenzia Nazionale Turismo "Italia." . Last accessed 29 March 2023

Popular Pages | Italy for Kids

More about Europe

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Italy Facts for Kids | Italy for Kids | People | Geography | Food

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Our Italy Facts for Kids will provide facts about Italy, the country and the people, animals, food and so much more. Enjoy exploring Italy with us!

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Here are some interesting Israel facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: 9.5 million people (2023)

Capital: Jerusalem (though not internationally recognised) with about 1 million inhabitants

Name: Israel, officially "State of Israel"

Nickname: "Land of the gazelles"

Government: Parliamentary republic

Language: Hebrew, Arabic is recognised

Religion: Jews (74%), Muslims (18%), Christians (2%) and other religions

Literacy: almost 99% of the population aged 15 years and above can read or write

National Symbols: candelabrum/ menorah (national emblem), hoopoe (national bird), olive (national tree), blue and white (national colours)

National Anthem: Hatikva which means 'The Hope'

History: The state of Israel was established in 1948. Wars with neighbouring Arab countries followed in 1967 and 1973 and in 1979, Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt and in 1994 with Jordan. Palestinian self-rule parts of the West Bank since the 1990s. Israeli settlements exist and continuously expand in the West Bank as well as in Gaza since the Israeli withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinian people are ruled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) since 2007.

Since October 7, 2023 Israel is at war with the Hamas since their attack on Israeli settlements in southern parts of the country. Since then Gaza and the West Bank have been blocked or raided and more than 1.7 million people have been displaced.

Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu since 2022, he is Israel's longest serving prime minister as he also led the country from 2009 until 2021.

Israel Geography

Where is Israel? Israel is a small country in Western Asia, more exactly in a region usually referred to as the Middle East.

Israel borders the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and is located between Lebanon in the North and Egypt in the South.

Israel borders four countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Egypt as well as the two territories West-Bank and Gaza-Strip.

The capital city of Israel is Jerusalem, but this capital is not recognised by all countries. The largest metropolitan area is Tel Aviv, where about 4 million people live and many embassies of foreign countries are located.

Israel is slightly larger in area than the state of New Jersey/ USA or slightly smaller than Belize or slightly larger than Slovenia.

Flying from London/ UK to Tel Aviv takes around 5 hours and from New York/ USA about 10.5 hours.

Israel Facts
Geo Superlatives

Israel is a country in the Middle East. Israel is one of the smaller Middle Eastern countries with less than 10 million inhabitants.

The longest border is shared with Jordan.

The water of the Dea Sea is 9.6 times more salty than the water in any ocean on this planet. This water is referred to as "hypersaline" as it is extremely salty. The Dead Sea is the second most salty body of water in the world.

Israel's highest point with 2,236 m/ 7,335 ft is a peak near Mitspe Shlagim in the mountains at the northeastern border of the country.

Israel Facts
Landmarks and Attractions

Israel Facts | Israel Economy

The economy in Israel is mainly driven by high-technology equipment and information technology support. Cut diamonds and pharmaceuticals are also main export products.

Israel also exports natural gas to Egypt and Jordan. Agricultural products include milk, poultry as well as fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, avocados, oranges and pomegranates.

The USA, China, the UK and Germany are the country's main export and import partners.

Israel People and Languages

Israel is a largely immigrant society. Although the region was inhabited already about 5,500 years ago, the country was founded only in 1948. Most of the people who now settle in Israel only moved to the region after World War II. The population doubled between 1948 and 1951 due to the influx of Jews moving there from all over the world. A Jew is a person who practices Judaism, the religion of the Jewish people.

Most Israeli live in urban centres and around Tel Aviv as well as the Sea of Galilee. Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem are the largest cities.

The majority of people living in Israel belong to the Jewish people. Of these Jews today, more than 7 out of 10 Jews (78%) have been born in the country. However, a larger minority of 21% of the people living in Israel belong to the Arab population and are Palestinians.

The Jewish year begins with the holiday of Rosh Hashanah in October. 2023-2024 thus is the Jewish year 5784 according to the Jewish calendar.

Languages in Israel

People in Israel mainly speak Hebrew and Arabic. English is the most common foreign language and in schools English is taught to kids from an early age.

The girl in first grade writes a welcome to her class at the beginning of the year.

" Shalom" means peace or "hello" and is written in Hebrew alphabet: שלום

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, from alef to tav. Hebrew script is written from right to left and is a block or square script.

Until 2018, Hebrew and Arabic, both were official languages. Today, Arabic only has "special language status" and the only official language is Hebrew. Hebrew is taught in all schools, whereas Arabic is mainly spoken now by the Arab population. The Arabic and Hebrew script are similar in that they both stem from the Aramaic language family.

Israel Facts
Food in Israel

Tomatoes, peppers, peppers, grapefruits and avocados are the main agricultural products grown in Israel and thus are included in many dishes.

Here are some typical foods and dishes from Israel:

kugel: casserole dish made with oven baked noodles in either savoury or sweet version

latke: fried potato pancakes, mainly served with sour cream

rugelach: pastry filled with nuts, chocolate or marzipan

hariset: dark and sweet fruit and nut paste that is eaten over passover

shakshuka: tomato based dish topped with poached eggs

Radish salad: radish salad made with red radishes, cucumber and spring onions, sometimes other pickles such as cabbage is added

halva: sweet dessert made with tahini, a sesame paste, and honey

challah bread: braided yeast bread loaf made with egg. This kind of bread is eaten mainly at Sabbath (weekends) or festive holidays such as Hanukkah or Passover.

Many Israel restrict their diet to kosher food which means that special diet rules are followed. Kosher means "pure" or "proper". Among the rules is that milk and meat are not mixed together.

Kosher meats are considered meats that are from cloven-hooved animals such as goats, cows, deer or sheep. Fish and meat are also never eaten together, but can be eaten in separate courses of a meal.

Israel Animals

Israel is located in different climatic regions that range from deserts and mountains, so lots of different animals live there.

Among the usual wildlife in Israel there are 116 species of mammals, 511 species of birds and 97 species of reptiles.

Camels, antelopes, gazelles, warthogs and wolves live in Israel. Among the rare animals are the Arabian leopards.

The Nubian ibex is the smallest ibex species on our planet and threatened wildlife species.

Males only grow up to 65-75 cm/ 2.5 ft tall at the shoulder. Their long, thin horns grow up to 1 m/ 3 ft in length.

The Nubian ibex are herbivores and live on cliffs and in rough mountainous and rocky land to evade predators such as eagles and leopards.

Israel Facts
Resources and Further Reading
Resources for Israel Facts:

Central Intelligence Agency. "Israel." WorldFactbook. Last updated 6 December 2023. Last accessed 13 December 2023

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Culture." Last accessed 13 December 2023

Jewish National Fund. "Children's Hebrew Learning Resources." NBN.org Last accessed 13 December 2023

U Kosher. "What is Kosher Food?" . Last accessed 13 December 2023

San Diego Zoo. "Nubian Ibex." SanDiegoZoo.org. Last accessed 13 December 2023

My Jewish Learning. "Jewish Calendar". Last accessed 13 December 2023

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Israel Facts | Israel for Kids | Geography | Travel | Superlatives

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Our Israel Facts for Kids share information on country and people, geography superlatives, food, animals and much more

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ANCIENT HISTORY

Jews are said to be descended from the biblical figure Abraham, who lived more than 3,500 years ago. Abraham fled from Mesopotamia (now the country of Iraq) to Canaan, which now includes Jerusalem. There, he established a new religion among the Hebrew-speaking people who lived in the region. Those people became the Israelites.

The Israelites fought for 200 years for control of Canaan. Eventually, King David conquered Jerusalem, a city in Canaan, around 1010 B.C. About 80 years later, the Israelites split in two small kingdoms: Israel, north of what is now Galilee and the West Bank; and Judah, the city of Jerusalem. Today both are considered modern-day Israel.

Around 5 B.C., this land became known as Palestine; the people who called it home were known as Palestinians. Because so many ancient cultures and religious groups claimed this region as their own, many people have fought over the land for thousands of years.

MODERN HISTORY
Between 1920 and 1948, the United Kingdom controlled Palestine, which then had a population that was mostly Arab (people who speak Arabic). Many Jews, who believed that this was their homeland, moved to the region during this time. But Palestinians believed that this was their homeland, too. As more Jews came to the region, fighting between the two groups increased.

During the Holocaust of World War II (1939-1945), when Nazi soldiers murdered six million Jewish people, Jews who could fled Europe. Many went to live with other Jews in British-controlled Palestine, where over one million Arabs were also living.

Because so many Jews had been forced to leave Europe, they believed that they needed their own country. In 1948, the British withdrew, and-with the support of the United Nations-Jews living in Palestine created the State of Israel. But Palestinians believed that the region should be run by Arabs, and a year-long conflict erupted.

Even though the Palestinians were backed by armies from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, the Israelis won the war. In 1949, the territory was divided into the State of Israel for Jewish people, and the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip for Arabs. (At the time, the West Bank and East Jerusalem were controlled by Jordan, and Gaza by Egypt.)

But dividing the region didn't lead to peace, and disputes over land boundaries and shipping routes escalated. In 1967-after a war between Israel and neighboring Arab countries that lasted just six days-Israel took control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.(Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem remained citizens of Jordan until 1988, when Jordan cut all ties to those territories.) Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting over the areas ever since.

Most Palestinians believe that they are mistreated by the Israeli government. They aren't protected by Israeli law, and many can't freely move between the territories and Israel, or from one Palestinian territory to the other. Israel also allowed Jewish settlers to live in the West Bank, which led Palestinians to feel like their land was being taken away from them. This led to many armed conflicts between the Arabs and Jews.

In 2005, the country pulled Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip, where they had been for 38 years, in an attempt to bring peace. But Israel still maintained control over the movement of people and goods through Gaza's borders, which angered Palestinians. Two years later, the political party Hamas-considered by many a terrorist group-won an election there and kicked out the more moderate group, Fatah.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israelis. They took hundreds of Jews hostage and left about 1,400 people dead and around 3,400 injured.

In retaliation, the Israeli government declared war on Hamas and launched its own strikes, killing and injuring many more. Israel also closed off the border to Gaza, preventing essential goods from entering. A ground operation launched into the territory in late October.

Countries around the world have called on both sides to protect innocent people from the fighting. Until a peaceful end can be reached, organizations such as the United Nations are trying to bring food, medical supplies, and clean water into Gaza for the two million people living there.

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Israel is a small country in the Middle East about the size of the state of New Jersey.

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The State of Israel is a country in southwestern Asia on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel became an independent country in 1948. Israel is the only Jewish country, and Jews all over the world think of Israel as their spiritual home. Israel's population was 8.1 million people in 2013 and 6.04 million are Jewish. Almost all the other citizens of Israel are Arab (1.6 million) and include Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Samaritans. Israel's largest city is Jerusalem. Israel's capital city is Jerusalem (limited recognition). Most countries keep embassies in Tel Aviv.

The country's history goes back thousands of years, to ancient times. Two world religions, Judaism and Christianity, began here. It is the place where the Jewish nation and religion first grew. Jews and Christians call it the Holy Land, because it is the place of many events described in the Bible, and because some commandments of Jewish law can be accomplished only on its soil.

From the time of the first Jewish patriarch Abraham four thousand years ago, the land now called Israel were populated by Canaanites and other Semitic peoples. Around 1400 BCE, another Semitic people, called the Hebrews, settled in Canaan under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. They were named the "Children of Israel" or " Israelites": which were divided into 12 tribes. A few centuries later, the Hebrews made Saul, as their leader. The next king, David, began the Kingdom of Israel in about 1000 BCE and made the city of Jerusalem his capital. His son, Solomon, built the first Temple for the worship of their God. Solomon died in about 928 BCE. His kingdom broke into two countries. The northern country kept the name Israel. The southern country, called Judah, kept Jerusalem as its capital.

The Jews fought against the Romans but the Romans defeated them. In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Jewish Temple there. Again, in 135 CE, the Romans defeated the Jews and killed or took many of them to other places. The number of Jews living in Israel became much smaller. Many were forced to live in other countries. This spreading of Jewish communities outside of Israel is called the Diaspora.

Many of the Jews who remained moved to the Galilee. Jewish teachers wrote important Jewish books, called the Mishnah and part of the Talmud there, in the 2nd to 4th centuries CE.

The Galilee is a fertile and mountainous region in the north. There is a flat plain called the Coastal Plain to the west, near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Negev Desert is a barren area of flat plains, mountains, and craters in the south. There is a range of mountains in the center that runs from the north to south.

On the eastern side, there is a low area called a depression. The Hula Valley and the Sea of Galilee are in this low area in the north. The Jordan River runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The land next to the Dead Sea is the lowest in the world. It is -426 meters below sea level.

Government

National government

Israel is a parliamentary democracy. All Israeli citizens who are 18 years or older may vote. The Israeli parliament is called the Knesset. The Knesset has 120 members. Each member is elected for no more than four years at a time. The Knesset makes laws, helps decide national policy, and approves budgets and taxes.

The Prime Minister is the head of Israel's government. He or she is usually the leader of the party that has the most seats in the Knesset. The prime minister must keep the support of a majority of Knesset members to stay in office. He or she appoints ministers to the cabinet. The Knesset approves appointments to the Cabinet. The ministers are responsible for subjects such as education, defense, and social welfare. The prime minister is the head of the cabinet and decides the topics of cabinet meetings and makes the final decisions.

Benjamin Netanyahu has been the Prime Minister since March 2009.

The President is the head of state. The Knesset elects the president for seven years. Most of the president's duties are ceremonial: The president signs laws and treaties approved by the Knesset, appoints judges, and members of some public organizations. He or she also accepts the documents from ambassadors and foreign diplomats bring when they are appointed.

Reuven Rivlin has been the President since July 2014.

A single party usually does not win enough seats in the Knesset by itself to have a majority, so one of the bigger parties asks for support from the other parties, including the religious parties, to form a coalition government. This gives these parties a lot of power although they are small.

The Labor Party supports government control of the economy, but also believes in a limited amount of free enterprise. The party says it will give more away for an agreement with the Palestinians and the Arab states.

Kadima is a centrist political party. It believes in both Israel's security and continuing the peace process, and supports negotiating an agreement for peace with the Palestinians.

Many immigrants came to Israel in the years immediately after independence. Many of these immigrants were skilled laborers and professionals who greatly aided the nation's economic development.

Service industries

Many of Israel's service industry workers are employed by the government or by businesses owned by the government. Government workers provide many of the services that are needed by Israel's large immigrant population, such as housing, education, and job training.

Manufacturing

Israeli factories produce such goods as chemical products, electronic equipment, fertilizer, paper, plastics, processed foods, scientific and optical instruments, textiles, and clothing. The cutting of imported diamonds is a major industry. Government-owned plants manufacture equipment used by Israel's large armed forces. Israel is the world's largest exporter of drones. Tel Aviv and Haifa are Israel's major manufacturing centers.

Agriculture

The government develops, helps finance, and controls agricultural activity, including fishing and forestry. Israel produces most of the food it needs to feed its people, except for grain. Agricultural exports provide enough income to pay for any necessary food imports. Most Israeli farmers use modern agricultural methods. Water drawn from the Sea of Galilee irrigates large amounts of land in Israel.

Most Israeli farms are organized as moshavim or kibbutzim. Israel also has some private farms.

Solar energy - energy from the sun - is used widely to heat water for houses. Israel is developing other ways to use solar energy to power houses and factories.

In 2008, Israel began investing in building electric cars and the stations to charge them. There may also be large natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea that Israel could develop.

International trade

For 2006, Israeli exports grew by 11% to just over $29 billion; the hi-tech sector accounted for $14 billion, a 20% increase from the previous year.

Because it has few natural resources, Israel imports more goods than it exports. The country's main imports include chemicals, computer equipment, grain, iron and steel, military equipment, petroleum products, rough diamonds, and textiles.

Israel's main exports are chemical products, citrus fruits, clothing, electronic equipment, fertilizers, polished diamonds, military equipment, and processed foods. The nation's main trading partners include the Benelux countries ( Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg); Germany; Italy; Switzerland; the United Kingdom; and the United States.

Transportation

Communications

Israel's communication system is one of the best in the Middle East. Israel has about 30 daily newspapers, about half of which are in Hebrew. The rest are in Arabic, Yiddish, or one of several foreign languages. The Israel Broadcasting Authority, a public corporation set up by the government, runs the television and nonmilitary radio stations.

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Images for kids

In Spanish: Israel para niños

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Israel Facts, Worksheets, History, Independence & Culture For Kids

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Israel is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. Click for more.

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Here are some interesting Russia Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: roughly 144 million people (2023)

Capital: Moscow with almost 13 million inhabitants

Name: Russian Federation; short: Russia/ Rossiya

Government: federation with an authoritarian regime where the leader does not allow any protest actions against him or his government

President: Vladimir Putin

Official Language: Russian

Literacy: More than 99% can read and write.

Religion: Russian-Orthodox 20%, Muslim 15%, Christians 2%, many Russians are non-believers

National Holiday: 12 June (Russia Day)

History: The Russian Federation was created on 25 December 1991

National symbols: national anthem, coat of arms and national flag (white - blue - red). National animals: bear and the double-headed eagle. National flower: camomile

Russia Facts
Where is Russia? Russia Map

Russia stretches from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia. The country thus is a intercontinental country as it is located on both continents, the European and the Asian continents.

Russia is the largest country in the world by land area and the ninth most populous country in the world.

The 14 countries bordering Russia are: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. The longest border is shared with China.

The country borders the Baltic Sea as well as the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea and the Siberian Sean and the Bering Sea in the furthest east.

Russia has an enclave in the Baltic, Kaliningrad which formerly was Königsberg. The Kaliningrad enclave is located between Poland and Lithuania. Kaliningrad's port is the only one of Russia's ports that is ice-free in winter!

Russia Facts | Russia Geography

Russia is a huge country that is double the size of Australia and about 1.8 times as big as the USA. Westernmost part of Russia is more populated than the other parts of Russia and it is in the western regions of Russia that most cities and towns are found.

Almost half of the country is covered in forests, however, only 14% are suitable for agricultural land due to the harsh climate.

In general, the climate is either too dry or too cold so agriculture is not possible in many regions. The climate ranges from steppe in the South to subarctic in Siberia and tundra in the polar North.

12 Russian Geo Superlatives

Here some Russia facts and geo superlatives:

Russia is the biggest country in the world and borders 14 countries. The longest border is shared with China.

Russia has more than 37,600 km (23,300 miles) of coast line.

Moscow is the largest city of the country with about 13 million inhabitants.

The highest mountain in Russia is Mount Elbrus with 5,642 m/ 15,510 ft. This is also Europe's highest mountain.

The Ural mountain ridge is the longest mountain ridge in Russia with more than 2,000 km/ 1,242 miles long and runs from North to South in the western part of Russia.

Ural's highest peak is called Narodnaja Gora and is 1,894 m/ 6,217 ft high.

The Volga is Russia's and Europe's longest river with 3,530 km/ 2,190 miles. The Volga river mouth is in the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest lake. Russia shares this huge salt lake with Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. This inland sea is located to the east of the Caucasus region.

The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal. The Russian refer to it as the 'Blue Eye of Siberia'. Lake Baikal is the biggest water reservoir in the world holding one fifth of the world's freshwater reserves. Lake Baikal holds more water than North America's Great Lakes combined!

The Lakhta Centre, owned by Gazprom, is the highest building in Russia and one of the highest skyscrapers in the world with 462 m/ 1,516 ft.

Russia has the largest community of Orthodox Christians in the world, the Eastern Orthodox community is the second largest community of Christians in the world.

Russia has 11 time zones!

Did you know that there is a region in Russia, where the geographical distance between Russia and the USA is very small. The Bering Strait separates Russia from the USA and the North American continent. There the two countries are just 82 km/ 51 miles apart!

A flight to Moscow takes almost 4 hours from London/England and 9 hours from New York/USA.

Russia Facts
Attractions and Landmarks

Moscow: Main attractions are the Red Square, the oldest and largest square in Moscow with the Lenin mausoleum, the Kremlin fortress and admire the colourful Saint Basil's Cathedral. Here you see the Kremlin Walls and the Moskva River.

The building of the Lomonosov university in Moscow is a famous landmark of the country. The university is named after mathematician and writer Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765), one of the most famous Russian scientists.

Saint Petersburg: T his port city on the Baltic Sea is the second largest city in the country with more than five million inhabitants. The city is known as the largest northernmost city with over one million inhabitants. The Neva river flows through Saint Petersburg, that formerly was also referred to as Petrograd or Leningrad in the last century. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, the city is home to the world renowned Hermitage museum of art and the Winterpalace, previously home of the Russian tzars and emperors.

Experience the 'White Nights' which are for about two weeks from mid of June. Then the sun will not set in St Petersburg and there will be daylight for 24 hours!

Sochi: The city is located on the Black Sea and a popular seaside resort. Sochi was the location for the Winter Olympics in 2014.

Trans-Siberian Railway: Take a train trip through the vast landscape. The Trans-Siberian Railway offers one of the longest rail network in the world and runs from Moscow to Vladivostok near the border to China and North Korea.

Lake Baikal is a stop on the Trans-Siberian rail route. How about a refreshing dip in the cold water of the world's deepest lake?

Kizhi Island's open-air museum in Karelia is a great adventure for the whole family. Step back in time and learn about the Karelian culture. Karelia is a region close to the Finnish border in Northwestern Russia.

Russia Facts| Russian Language

Russian is a Slavic language and it is the most widely spoken Slavic language. Ukrainian and Polish are also Slavic languages but with fewer speakers.

It is spoken in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and by many people in Ukraine. Russian is also spoken by many people as a second language in much of Eastern Europe and the Baltics as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Russian is the eighth most spoken language in the world but is the second most dominant language on the internet - after English!

Russian is one of the six working languages spoken at the United Nations!

The Russian language is written with the Cyrillic alphabet which consists of 33 letters. Some letters are similar to the Latin alphabet, but some are different. For example: ' P' in Russian is pronounced 'R' in English or the ' C' is pronounced as 'S', the ' Y' is an 'U'

Until 1991, Russia belonged to the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and this was commonly displayed as ' CCCP' which is pronounced as 'SSSR' in English

Most young people in Russia also learn to speak English, French or German in school.

More Russia Facts |
Russian People

Most of the Russian population lives in the westernmost part of the country that belong to the European continent. Here are the majority of the largest Russian cities such as Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Samara and Omsk.

Three out of four people in Russia live in urban centres.

The family is very important to Russians. Here most families include the grandparents, parents and children in the same household.

Children start school when they turn six years old and typically go to school for ten years. After Grade 11, students can go to study at university.

Soccer and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Russia. Soccer is referred to as ' Futbol' in Russia.

In 2014 Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi and in 2018 Russia hosted the Fifa Soccer World Cup. The winner of the 2018 world championship was the national football team of France. The 2022 Soccer World Cup will be held in December 2022 in Qatar.

Russia is not a democratic country. According to the World Freedom Report 2021, Russia is declared as 'Not free' ranking with only 20 out of 100 points. The authoritarian regime of President Vladimir Putin controls the media and suppresses opponents. Corruption and crime are another threat to the country and the Russia's recent invasion of neighbouring country Ukraine caused a human crisis in the region. This only will lower Russia's "freedom" ranking in 2022.

Famous Russians

Famous Russians include:

Aleksandr Puschkin (1799-1837): poet and playwright and considered the father of modern Russian Literature. Famous works his novel written in verse called "Eugene Onegin".

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): composer. He transformed "Eugene Onegin" into a famous opera. His "Swan Lake" is one of the most famous ballets performed worldwide.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910): Russian writer and novelist, known for his works "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina"

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): The composer is most famous for his work "The Firebird", which is a ballet.

Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968): Russian cosmonaut (that is how they call astronauts in Russia) is the first person to orbit the Earth

Maria Sharapova (born 1987): tennis player and first Russian player to win Wimbledon in 2004

Garry Kasparov (born 1963): Chess grandmaster

Russia Facts | Russian Economy

Russia is among the ten largest economies in the world and the world's third biggest gold producer after China and Australia. And Russia is one of the leading producers of natural gas and oil as well as metals.

The main agricultural products are grains, sugar beets, sunflower seeds and vegetables and fruits as well as beef and milk.

Some well known Russian companies include Gazprom, Russia's largest natural gas and oil company, Sberbank, Russia's largest bank and Aeroflot, Russia's national airline.

The country's main trading partners are China, Germany, Netherlands, Belarus and the USA.

The Russian Federation belongs to the BRICS countries. The BRICS are an association of the world's major emerging economies and include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Russia Facts | Russian Food

The Russian main dishes contain: pork and beef, lamb, chicken, fish, potatoes and root vegetables as well as porridge and bread. Sour cream accompanies many dishes.

Especially vegetable soups and stews play an important role in Russian cuisine.

Russian food is full of flavour and the Russian cuisine is as diverse as the regions in the huge country. Here is some typical Russian food:

Borscht or Red beet soup: soup made with red beets and vegetables that are cut into small pieces. This red soup is often served cold and is then blended with yoghurt or sour cream from which the soup gets its pink colour.

Soljanka: thick cabbage and vegetable soup with pickled mushrooms or vegetables that gives it a spicy flavour

Blinis: thin Russian pancakes often served with savoury or sweet fillings

Porridge: made with local cereal depending on available crops especially buckwheat, semolina and oats. It is cooked in milk for breakfast

Olivier Salad, usually known internationally as Russian salad: salad made with boiled and diced potatoes, carrots, boiled eggs and boiled chicken pieces, pickles and mixed with sour cream or mayonnaise

Shashlik: skewered and grilled lamb or chicken cubes, similar to a shish kebab or satay

Pirozhki: fried dough pockets or mini pies, that are stuffed with meats or savoury fillings, sometimes they come with apple or other sweet fillings

Salted herring: pickled vegetables and salted herring are popular starters, often served with rye bread and onions

Kulich: Russian Easter cake in form of a dome which is made with nuts and fruits and often decorated with icing

Moroshenoe: Russian ice-cream, popular even when it's cold outside

Caviar: salted or cured roe (fish eggs) from the wild sturgeon or other fish. However, black caviar is a delicacy and a costly treat which is only served on special occasions or eaten in small amounts.

Did you know? One of the rarest and most costly caviar comes from the Beluga sturgeon of the Caspian Sea. Black Beluga caviar costs up to 10,000 US dollar per kg/ 4,500 GB pounds per lb of weight! Today, caviar comes from fish farms, as wild caviar from the Caspian Sea has become illegal due to overfishing.

Russia Facts | Animals in Russia

Due to the harsh climate in many regions in Russia, wildlife is often limited. The tundra landscape is covered by snow for more than nine months every year. However, large mammals such as reindeer survive in the tundra. Reindeer are referred to by some as caribou.

Arctic foxes and polar bears can be seen in the far north, while whales and seals swim in the Arctic waters.

Steppe (grassland) mammals in southern Russia include wild boars and various antelope species.

There are several bear species such as the brown bears in the Caucasus and the Asian black bears which live in the Russian far-east.

The Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard are among the most endangered species in Russia.

Russia facts | Resources
Our Russia facts page was last amended and updated on 23 August 2023.

Russia National Tourism Portal. "Culture - Map of Russia." Russia Travel. Last accessed 23 August 2023

World Freedom Report 2021. "Russia." Freedom House. Last accessed 23 August 2023

Rob Smith. "The world's biggest economies in 2018." World Economic Forum. Published 18 April 2018. Last accessed 23 August 2023

World Gold Council "Gold production by Country" Last accessed 23 August 2023

Central Intelligence Agency. "Russia." WorldFactBook. Last updated 22 February 2022. Last accessed 23 August 2023

Anna Sorokina. "How many time zones are there in Russia?" Russia Beyond. 12 February 2019. Last accessed 23 August 2023

Dasha Fomina. "15 Traditional Meals That Remind Russians of Home." Culturetrip. 26 April 2017. Last accessed 23 August 2023

Image credits for Russia Facts: Shutterstock.com, wikicommons and own images. Lakhta tower by msupercolor/shutterstock.com and Lomonosov university by Elena Koromyslova/shutterstock.com
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Russia Facts for Kids | Russia for Kids | Geography | People | Food

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Russia Facts for Kids to learn all about Russia: Russia geography superlatives, country, people, animals, food, landmarks, economy and more

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Apartheid was a system for keeping white people and nonwhites separated in South Africa. It lasted from about 1950 to the early 1990s. The word apartheid means “apartness” in…

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Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, after Russia. Ukraine’s capital is Kyiv. Geography Ukraine shares borders with Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland,…

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Italy's location on the Mediterranean linked it with the trade routes of the ancient civilizations that developed in the region. With the city of Rome's rise to power, the Italian peninsula became the center of a huge empire that lasted for centuries. ( Learn about Ancient Rome.)

Italy's first societies emerged around 1200 B.C. Around 800 B.C. Greeks settled in the south and Etruscans arose in central Italy. By the sixth century B.C., the Etruscans had created a group of states called Etruria. Meanwhile, Latin and Sabine people south of Etruria merged to form a strong city-state called Rome.

Etruscan kings ruled Rome for nearly a hundred years. But Romans tossed out the Etruscans in 510 B.C. and went on to conquer the whole peninsula. They then set out to build a vast empire. At its greatest extent, in A.D. 117, the Roman Empire stretched from Portugal to Syria to Britain to North Africa.

The first sole emperor of Rome, Octavian, took power in 27 B.C. and took the name Augustus Caesar. For more than 400 years, the empire flourished. But by the fourth century A.D., it was in decline. In 395, the empire was split in two, and in 476, Germanic tribes from the north toppled the last emperor.

In the 12th century, Italian city-states began to rise again and grow rich on trade. But Italy remained a patchwork of territories, some of which were controlled by foreign dynasties. Beginning in 1859, an uprising forced the foreigners out, and in 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed.

In 1914, Italy took the side of the United Kingdom and the U.S. in World War I, but was left in poverty at war's end. Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party rose to power promising to restore the Roman Empire. He ruled as a dictator and entered World War II on the side of Germany and Japan. He was later captured and executed.

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Italy is a boot-shaped peninsula that juts out of southern Europe into the Adriatic Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and other waters.

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Humans settled in northern Europe about 10,000 years ago, after the end of the last Ice Age. The first people to speak a language similar to modern German probably lived in the area about 5,000 years ago. It was still thousands of years, though, before Germany was created.

Early Germany was a patchwork of small states ruled by dukes and kings. But in 1871, the country was united, through force and alliances, by a politician named Otto von Bismarck.

In the late 19th century Germany began competing with other European countries to set up colonies in Africa and Asia. These tensions led to World War I in 1914, the worst conflict the world had ever seen. Germany and its allies lost the war to Britain, France, the Soviet Union (now called Russia), and the United States.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party came to power in 1933 promising to make Germany great again. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, starting World War II. During the war, Hitler created camps in Germany where millions of Jewish people and others were murdered. The war ended in 1945 with the Germans' defeat and Hitler committing suicide.

After World War II, Germany was divided into West and East. The country became the center of a standoff between the Soviet Union and Western powers. This confrontation, which lasted 44 years, was called the Cold War. In 1989, East Germany opened its borders and the Cold War came to an end.

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Germany Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Germany's central and southern regions have forested hills and mountains cut through by the Danube, Main, and Rhine river valleys.

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Archaeologists think the first people to settle in Ireland arrived around 6000 B.C. By 3500 B.C., settlers were using stone tools to clear farmlands. Around 700 B.C., a diverse and technologically advanced culture from central Europe called the Celts began to settle the island. They would thrive there for nearly 2,000 years.

In the ninth century A.D., Viking invaders began raids into Ireland. They established settlements that later became some of the country's main cities, including the capital, Dublin. The Vikings and Celts fought often for 200 years until a battle in 1014 united the country. Peace broke down quickly though, and Ireland was divided into many kingdoms.

In 1170, Norman Vikings who had taken control of England invaded Ireland and made it an English territory. In the early 1600s, England's official religion became Protestant while most Irish remained Roman Catholic. This would create tensions that would eventually lead to revolution and Ireland's independence.

By the 1820s, British laws unfair to Catholics had sparked a mass movement for Irish sovereignty. In 1829, many of those laws were overturned, but Ireland still wanted freedom. In 1922, after violent uprisings, the Irish Free State was created within the British Empire.

Ireland became a fully independent republic in 1937. By 1949, they had no ties to the United Kingdom.

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Ireland Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Ireland is an island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe. It is the continent's second largest island (after Great Britain).

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The first people to live on the banks of the Nile were hunters and fishermen, who settled there over 8,000 years ago. They learned to grow crops and raise animals, and they began to build villages and towns. They traded with their neighbors and learned to sail boats. By 3000 B.C., a civilization was established.

Around 3100 B.C., the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were unified under a powerful king, later called a pharaoh. These kings built huge pyramids, temples, and other monuments. They also conquered other lands.

By 1000 B.C., Egypt had split into smaller parts and the kingdom was in decline. Strong neighbors attacked and took over Egyptian territory. In 31 B.C., Egypt fell under Roman control. In A.D. 640, Muslim warriors took over Egypt and founded the modern capital, Cairo. They ruled for several centuries. In the 16th century, Egypt became part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

European powers played an increasing role in Egypt starting in the late 18th century. In 1882, the British invaded and occupied Egypt. The British wanted control of the Suez Canal, which linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and greatly shortened the sailing trip from Asia to Europe. Egypt gained full independence from Great Britain in 1952 and took control of the Suez Canal in 1956.

Egypt and other neighboring Arab countries fought a series of wars with the Jewish state of Israel into the 1970s. In 1979 Egypt and Israel signed a peace agreement.

In 2011, a popular uprising toppled Egypt's long-time president, Hosni Mubarek. The country has held several democratic elections since 2011, but the role of the military in government remains strong.

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Egypt Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Without the Nile River, all of Egypt would be desert.

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It's the year 2490 B.C. Wooden boats cruise along the Nile River in Egypt as thousands of workers stack giant stone blocks into a pyramid. This 200-foot-tall structure honors a pharaoh named Menkaure. This pharaoh's father, Khafre, ordered construction of a 450-foot-high pyramid nearby, and his grandfather Khufu built the Great Pyramid at Giza-the largest of the three-at about 480 feet. Covered in polished white limestone, the pyramids seem to glow in the sunlight.

The Egyptians working on the pyramids are helping create a culture that will last more than 3,000 years-it will be one of the longest-lasting civilizations in the world. During that time, ancient Egyptians created works of art and engineering that still amaze us today.

History of ancient Egypt

People settled in Egypt as early as 6000 B.C. Over time, small villages joined together to become states until two kingdoms emerged: Lower Egypt, which covers the Nile River Delta up to the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and Upper Egypt, which covers the Nile Valley in the south. (The Nile River flows from south to north, so for the ancient Egyptians, the southern part of the country was "up.")

Around 3100 B.C., a king (later called a pharaoh) united these two lands to be one country, and so historians begin the long history of ancient Egypt here, dividing it into different periods. (They don't always know the exact date of historical events. So that's why you'll see a "ca" next to some of the years. It stands for "circa" meaning "around.")

Early Dynastic Period, about 525 years (ca 3100 B.C. to ca 2575 B.C.): These early pharaohs worked to keep the two lands under their control. To do this, they claimed they were being watched over by the falcon god Horus, and so the people of Egypt should respect them. They also used record keeping in the form of hieroglyphic writing to record things like royal decrees and the taxes that the people paid in the form of grain. (A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.)

Old Kingdom, about 425 years (ca 2575 B.C. to ca 2150 B.C.): By this time, the pharaohs had enough power and wealth to build pyramids in their honor; that's why the Old Kingdom is sometimes called the "Age of the Pyramids." The pharaohs at this time were mostly associated with the sun god Ra, a tradition that would remain for much of Egypt's history.

First Intermediate Period, about 200 years (ca 2130 B.C. to ca 1938 B.C.): These pharaohs lost power after drought hit Egypt. Instead, local leaders took control of their own communities, and they stopped passing along grain to the central government. Eventually, these local rulers formed independent states.

Middle Kingdom, about 300 years (ca 1938 B.C. to ca 1630 B.C.): Around 1938 B.C., Mentuhotep II reunited the country and began an era known for producing some of Egypt's greatest pieces of art. For the first time, Egyptians wrote stories for entertainment, and pharaohs started construction of Karnak Temple in the modern-day city of Luxor.

Second Intermediate Period, about 90 years (ca 1630 B.C. to ca 1540 B.C.): Weak pharaohs again lost control. Invaders from western Asia called Hyksos ruled in the north; people from Kush, a kingdom south of Egypt, took control in Upper Egypt.

New Kingdom, about 465 years (ca 1540 B.C. to 1075 B.C.): Egyptians took back control and crowned some of Egypt's most well-known rulers: The female pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled for 21 years; Akhenaten tried to start a new religion, and his son, the boy king Tutankhamun, reigned for 10 years. Ramses II built more monuments to himself than any other pharaoh. This was ancient Egypt's most prosperous and powerful period.

Third Intermediate Period, about 420 years (ca 1075 B.C. to ca 656 B.C.): This was a time of drought, famine, and foreign invasions. But some pharaohs thrived. Although King Taharqa was a foreign ruler from Kush, a kingdom south of Egypt, he repaired crumbling temples and even began building pyramids again for the first time in about 800 years.

Late Period, about 300 years (ca 656 B.C. to 332 B.C.): This period marks the last time that ancient Egypt was ruled by native Egyptians. Leading an army from Persia (what is now Iran), King Darius I took control.

Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt, about 300 years (332 B.C. to 30 B.C.): In 332 B.C., Alexander the Great conquered the ruling Persians, then gave control to the Greek general Ptolemy I Soter. From then on, Egypt was ruled by Greek pharaohs. The last one, Cleopatra VII, lost a war to the Roman ruler Octavian. Egypt would be under Roman rule for the next 600 years.

Life in ancient Egypt

Most people in ancient Egypt were farmers. They lived with their families in houses made of mud bricks that were near the Nile River.

The Nile flooded each year, leaving behind fertile soil for planting crops like wheat, barley, lettuce, flax, and papyrus. As the Egyptians learned how to move river water to their fields, they were able to grow more food, including grapes, apricots, olives, and beans.

During flood season, farmers couldn't tend their crops. So instead, some worked building pyramids, tombs, and monuments. Other people worked as scribes (people who recorded events), priests, and doctors.

Women in ancient Egypt had more freedom than those in other ancient cultures. Like men, they could be scribes, priests, and doctors, and they usually had the same rights as men. Women could own their own homes and businesses.

Ancient Egyptians also like to have fun! They swam and canoed in the Nile, played board games, and they enjoyed making music and dancing.

The afterlife

In fact, Egyptians enjoyed life so much that they believed that the afterlife would be almost exactly the same-except without things like sadness, illness, or pesky mosquitoes. Even pets like cats, dogs, or monkeys would join them there.

Being mummified-the process of preserving a body-was an important part of how Egyptians believed their soul would enter the afterlife. So were tombs. These burial chambers were filled with things a person would need there: food, games, and even underwear!

According to legend, ancient Egyptian gods also helped people in the afterlife. Some, like the jackal-headed god Anubis, helped guide people to the underworld, where they would be judged by its ruler, the god Osiris.

Egyptians believed other gods helped them in real life, too. For instance, Osiris's wife, the goddess Isis, helped cure human sickness, and the goddess Tefnut caused the rain to fall.

Pyramid power

Click through this gallery to see how the pyramid developed over time.

Why ancient Egypt still matters

Today, millions of tourists visit the country of Egypt each year to see the pyramids, tombs, and temples. But these monuments aren't all this ancient culture left behind.

Ancient Egyptian astronomers created a calendar much like ours-based on the sun's rotation-and are thought to be the first civilization to measure a year using 365 days. They were also math geniuses: Historians think that division and multiplication were first developed by these people. (Plus, how else would they have figured out how to build pyramids without a lot of math?)

This was also one of the first civilizations to have a written language using a system called hieroglyphic writing, in which symbols-not letters-represent words or sounds. (These people even created writing sheets out of a plant called papyrus.) Hieroglyphs are carved into most temples and tombs to record names and dates, describe events like battles, and give instructions for passing on to the afterlife.

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Uncover the secrets of one of the world's oldest civilizations.

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Who were the Egyptians?

Egypt is a country in Africa. People have lived in that region for thousands and thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians settled around the Nile River, and built pyramids that you can still see there today.

The Ancient Egyptians knew a lot about maths, medicine and farming. They also made their own paper out of reeds called papyrus, and wrote using pictures called hieroglyphics.

Top 10 facts

1. The Egyptians settled in northeast Africa, and that's where the country of Egypt is today.

2. They lived in a very dry area, but they got water from the Nile River (the longest river in the world!) so they could grow crops.

3. Farming techniques to water crops included using machines like the sakia and the shaduf - these are still used in Egypt today.

4. The Egyptians created paper using reeds, called papyrus. They wrote using pictures called hieroglyphics that stood for different words.

5. Only certain people studied how to write, and they worked as scribes.

6. Scribes were ranked in the middle of the order of social groups in Egypt - the pharaoh was at the very top of this list, and slaves were at the very bottom.

7. The Egyptians built pyramids as places to bury their kings and queens, who were called pharaohs.

8. The Egyptians were very good at maths - they had to be, to work out how to build pyramids so perfectly!

9. Both men and women wore make-up. The wealthier people were, the more make-up they'd wear.

10. Egypt was conquered by Rome and became part of the Roman Empire.

Egyptian timeline

Pyramids started to be built

Egypt became a part of the Roman Empire

Did you know?

The Egyptians made paper from reeds called papyrus - it's where we get the word 'paper' from! It took a long time to make papyrus, but it was easier than carrying around heavy clay tablets, which is what they did before.

They wrote in pictures called hieroglyphics. Each picture means something so when you see a few different kinds of pictures in a row, you know what the writer is trying to say.

The Egyptians used pictures for writing numbers too - different pictures stood for units, tens and hundreds.

The Egyptians were very advanced at maths - they figured out how to work out tricky problems that helped other people after them understand more about maths. In fact, people who lived in other countries even knew that the Egyptians were the best at maths!

The Egyptians made most of their clothes from linen, which is fabric that's made from plants. They'd use different things to colour it, such as saffron to make it yellow and indigo to make it blue.

Egyptians would shave their heads and wear wigs instead!

Ancient Egyptians had a huge amount of respect for cats, and for a type of dog called a jackal. They also thought scarab beetles were very important; they represented rebirth and life after death.

Egyptians loved perfume, and would wear it in solid cones on their head - the cones would melt during the day and keep them smelling nice when the weather was very hot.

Both men and women wore make-up, black and green on their eyes and eyelashes, and red rouge for their cheeks.

Egyptian gallery:

The Rosetta stone

The Egyptian pharaoh Ramses

An Egyptian tomb

Abu Simbel

An image of the pharaoh Tutankhamen

An engraving from the temple at Luxor

The pyramid at Giza

Amun-her-khepeshef, the son of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari

Hieroglyphs

Illustrations of Egyptian figures

Can you spot the Sphinx?

Edfu Temple

An Egyptian pharaoh design

Gallery

About

The Egyptians were very good farmers. Over the centuries, they learned the best ways to grow crops in the dry land around the Nile River - but, they'd use different kinds of machines to get water from the river to their crops so the plants would grow. Some of the machines they used are:

sakia - a type of water wheel that has buckets to scoop water out

shaduf - a long stick that had a bucket on a rope on one end, and a heavy weight on the other; to water a field, the farmer would pull down on the weighted end so the bucket would come up, then swing the whole thing around to water a field next to the river.

Because farmers grew crops near the Nile, they had to schedule their growing season around times when the Nile flooded. This happened every year during June to September, so they'd plant new crops in October that would be ready to harvest in March. By the end of May, all of the crops would have been harvested in time for the Nile to flood again.

Egyptian farmers also had oxen pull ploughs through fields. We know about their farming techniques because of the paintings that archaeologists have found that the Egyptians made. The paintings show all sorts of things that the Egyptians did, such as tending livestock and harvesting the crops.

Make-up wasn't always worn to dress up. Some make-up had practical uses as well, like black kohl used around the eyes. It shielded eyes from the sun, and it was also a kind of disinfectant that protected against eye diseases.

The papyrus that Egyptians made came from reeds that grew along the Nile River, which were called papyrus. To make paper, they would cut papyrus reeds into strips and spend quite a few days soaking them, rolling them out and repeating that process until the reeds were very thin. All of the thin reeds would be pounded together and clamped down to dry, then polished to smooth it out - the result was a thin yet very strong sheet that was ready to be written or drawn on.

The papyrus reeds were actually used for a lot of things besides paper. It was good for making mats to put on the floor, twisting into rope, plaiting together to make boats, and weaving to make baskets and sandals. The Egyptians also ate it, and used it to make different medicines.

The Egyptians made a lot of discoveries about medicine. We know this from reading what they wrote on papyrus, discovered later by archaeologists. They understood about heartbeats and listening for a healthy pulse, and knew how the body and organs worked because of the process of making mummies. They also learned about the ways that different plants healed different illnesses and injuries, such as aloe vera being good for healing burns.

Egyptian society was ranked into different classes, called a hierarchy. You couldn't really move up the ranks, and people would usually stay around the rank that they were born into:

1. Pharaoh - The pharaoh was at the top of the order, and thought to be a god.

2. Vizier - Every pharaoh had a vizier; they were an advisor, they ran the pharaoh's household, they acted as a judge, and they made sure that the Egyptians had enough food.

3. Nobles and priests - Nobles included doctors, lawyers and military leaders. Priests were the ones who made sure the god in their temple was happy, and that they understood any messages the god was trying to say to them.

4. Scribes and soldiers - Scribes were the only ones who were taught how to write; people in other professions (like priests) may have studied to be a scribe as well, but they could also have just hired someone to write things down for them. Being a soldier was a choice; they were given land to live on after they finished serving in the army.

5. Craftsmen - This was a large group that included anyone who had a trade, such as potters, tailors, painters and blacksmiths.

6. Farmers and slaves - The pharaoh and nobles hired farmers to work for them, and grow crops on their land; as payment, the farmers had a place to live, clothes to wear and food to eat. Slaves were people who were captured in battles with other civilisations, and they worked in the homes of the pharaoh and nobles or in temples.

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Interesting facts, did-you-knows, timeline, photos and videos about Egyptian life and culture to support primary school history work.

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UNICEF is working closely with the Government of India, state governments in 17 states, civil society, academic institutions and private sector.

While primary engagement will be with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, more involvement with ministries of Tribal, Minority and Social Justice Departments, Disaster Management Authorities will be essential especially in terms of ensuring the delivery of quality education to the most marginalized children which forms the centre of our work.

To achieve the outcome - Girls and boys, particularly the most disadvantaged, participate in quality education with learning outcomes at grade appropriate levels by 2022. The programme

The following intermediate outcomes have been identified:

Number of out-of-school children reduced in nine high concentration states

Increased enrolment of children in early childhood education programmes

Improved enabling environment for learning in selected states

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UNICEF is committed to ensuring all children in India have access to inclusive and equitable quality education.

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500+ Words Essay on Indian Education System for Students and Children

The Indian education system is quite an old education system that still exists. It has produced so many genius minds that are making India proud all over the world. However, while it is one of the oldest systems, it is still not that developed when compared to others, which are in fact newer. This is so as the other countries have gone through growth and advancement, but the Indian education system is still stuck in old age. It faces a lot of problems that need to be sorted to let it reach its full potential.

Problems with Indian Education System

Our Indian education system faces a lot of problems that do not let it prosper and help other children succeed in life. The biggest problem which it has to face is the poor grading system. It judges the intelligence of a student on the basis of academics which is in the form of exam papers. That is very unfair to students who are good in their overall performance but not that good at specific subjects.

Moreover, they only strive to get good marks not paying attention to understanding what is taught. In other words, this encourages getting good marks through mugging up and not actually grasping the concept efficiently.

Furthermore, we see how the Indian education system focuses on theory more. Only a little percentage is given for practical. This makes them run after the bookish knowledge and not actually applying it to the real world. This practice makes them perplexed when they go out in the real world due to lack of practical knowledge.

Most importantly, the Indian education system does not emphasize enough on the importance of sports and arts. Students are always asked to study all the time where they get no time for other activities like sports and arts.
Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas
How Can We Improve Indian Education System?

As the Indian Education System is facing so many problems, we need to come up with effective solutions so it improves and creates a brighter future for students. We can start by focusing on the skill development of the students. The schools and colleges must not only focus on the ranks and grades but on the analytical and creative skills of children.

In addition, subjects must not be merely taught theoretically but with practical. This will help in a better understanding of the subject without them having to mug up the whole thing due to lack of practical knowledge. Also, the syllabus must be updated with the changing times and not follow the old age pattern.

Other than that, the government and private colleges must now increase the payroll of teachers. As they clearly deserve more than what they offer. To save money, the schools hire teachers who are not qualified enough. This creates a very bad classroom environment and learning. They must be hired if they are fit for the job and not because they are working at a lesser salary.

In conclusion, the Indian education system must change for the better. It must give the students equal opportunities to shine better in the future. We need to let go of the old and traditional ways and enhance the teaching standards so our youth can get create a better world.

FAQs on Indian Education System
Q.1 What problems does the Indian Education System face?
A.1 Indian education is very old and outdated. It judges students on the basis of marks and grades ignoring the overall performance of the student. It focuses on academics side-lining arts and sports.
Q.2 How can we improve the Indian education system?
A.2 The colleges and schools must hire well and qualified teachers. They must help students to understand the concept instead of merely mugging up the whole subject.

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Essay on Indian Education System for Students | 500+ Words Essay

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The Indian education system is quite an old education system that still exists. It has produced so many genius minds that are making India proud all over the world. In this Essay on Indian Education System will discuss about Pros and Cons of it.

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Egyptian School

Formal education in ancient Egypt was mostly reserved for the boys of wealthier families.

Although there is some evidence that occasionally, girls did go to school and even became doctors.

Boys usually started school at the age of 7 and they were taught to read and write as well as mathematics.

A recent discovery in Egypt showed classrooms that were set up very similar to today's and there were inscriptions on the walls about the rules for behaving properly in class.

From the pictures and images, it seems that classrooms had tables for the children to use to write on and lessons were taught by teachers.

Some schools were designed for specific talents, such as 'Scribes'.

These were the people that would have the job of writing all of the history, letters and all communications.

Scribe students would spend hours writing and re-writing the hundreds of symbols that made up the Egyptian words.

There is evidence that the kids didn't always like doing the work and when they skipped school, they were punished.

What did they learn?

Most of the education for both boys and girls came from their mothers and fathers.

For boys, they learned the family trade.

For girls, they learned the household responsibilities including cooking, sewing and in some cases, even taking care of the family business.

If a boy was instructed in the art of building or sculpture, his father would hope that his talent was exceptional enough for him to be accepted as part of the tomb-builders.

If a boy failed to learn his trade well, he would be sent out of the village and would have to set up his life in another town.

Wisdom Texts in Ancient Egypt

If a boy attended a formal school they began at the lower grades, what we might consider kindergarten.

They would learn a number of lessons and these might include Egyptian literature.

These were called 'wisdom texts' and included many of the lessons on the way to get a good position in life.

The ultimate goal of the Egyptian student was to be good enough to be accepted in one of the high positions such as the royal palace, the temples or army, a government job, tax assessor or even medicine with the priests.

Learning to write

It seems that the lesson books, called 'Kemty' (which means completion) were not designed in the horizontal way we are taught, but instead, they used vertical (up and down) lines for children to learn and write in.

A majority of the Egyptian population did not receive any kind of formal education.

Many of the people worked in the fields and this type of job was passed down from father to son.

It was a rarity that anyone escaped the fate of their class and rose up to become educated or wealthy.

Girls and education

Some young girls were educated in both a formal manner and by their mothers.

Many Egyptian families required that the husband or father be away at various times, and this meant that the wife or mother had to run the family business.

In the royal families, girls received equal education to the boys and they were often advisors to the pharaoh.

It is said that in a lot of cases, it was the women that had the most influence over some of the major decisions that the pharaoh made.

This meant that the women had to be smart and aware of politics, history, the class writings, mathematics and all of the arts.

The children of royal families and the high officials and nobles had the opportunity to attend the Prince's School.

There is evidence that it was also open to other boys that showed excellent promise.

The school taught: Reading and writing and the Hieroglyphs, history, mathematics, geometry, geography, cartography (study of maps), science, ceremonial dance and music, astronomy, medicine, astrology and religious training.

Facts about Ancient Egyptian Education

School started for boys when they were 7 years old

Girls stayed at home to help around the home

Somethings girls did go to school, but many were home-schooled

Girls from lower-class backgrounds had very little education

Some lower-class and middle-class boy left school at 14 to work as apprentices to their father

Girls stayed at home to help with baking, cooking and running the home

Some boys trained to become scribes they got paid to write down information or read documents

Girls were not usually permitted to become scribes

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Ancient Egyptian Schools for Kids - Fun Facts

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Formal education in ancient Egypt was mostly reserved for the boys of wealthier families. Although there is some evidence that occasionally, girls did go to school and even became doctors. Boys usually started school at the age of 7 and they were taught to read and write as well as mathematics.

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Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'key Indian traditions '

The culture in India

Let's explore some of the key elements of Indian culture:

Greetings

Greetings are a huge part of the culture in every culture. In India, the greeting 'Namaste', which is often called namaskar or namaskaram, is arguably the most widely used across the country. Namaste translates to 'I bow to the divine in you' and so is a way of greeting people with great respect. This greeting can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used to say hello, goodbye, or even, thank you. Namaste is not just a verbal greeting, but a physical one as well. To accompany the word 'Namaste', people place their hands together in a prayer position in front of their chest, with their fingers pointing up, and perform a slight bow.

Namaste is not the only popular Indian greeting. Another common greeting that you will hear across the country is 'Atithi Devo Bhava'. This is a piece of Sanskrit, which is an ancient Indo-European language of India, taken from Hindu scripture. Atithi Devo Bhava translates to 'the guest is equivalent to god'. This is a way of greeting guests with a great deal of respect.

Another physical greeting that you may come across in India is a head shake, which can mean yes, thank you, or an indication or acknowledgement of understanding.

Family life

In India, the concept of a joint family is where all family members live in one residence. The family dynamic in India places a 'Karta' at the head of the family. A Karta is an appointed senior male or female member of the family who makes economic and social decisions on behalf of the entire family unit. In a joint family, all of the money and income are transferred into a communal pool. This means that all members of the family benefit from the money coming in. Whilst this type of family dynamic is still likely more prevalent in India than it is in other parts of the world, like the United Kingdom, it is in decline.

Another major Indian tradition related to family life is arranged marriage. This is a tradition that dates all the way back to around 1500-1100 BCE and involves parents choosing suitable partners for their children.

Food

India is known for its delicious food and, as such, the country's cuisine is enjoyed all over the globe. Each individual region in India has its own distinct cuisine, with a signature dish or ingredient directly linked with that area. For instance, regions like Gujarat and Rajasthan are particularly good for vegetarian food, whilst other regions like Bengali and Mughal are better known for more meat-heavy dishes.

Indian food is brimming with scrumptious, fresh ingredients and a vast range of herbs and spices, all working together to create colourful, aromatic, mouth-watering dishes.

In terms of how they eat, cutlery is not a massive part of Indian cuisine. It is a tradition in India to eat food with your hands, eating slowly so as to fully enjoy your meal.

Religion

India is a melting pot of religions, with the majority of the population identifying with Hinduism (79.8%), and the rest of the country being split between Islam (14.2%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), and Jainism (0.4%).

One of the major differences between Indian culture and the culture in the United Kingdom is how we view animals. In India, the cow is viewed as a sacred animal that is portrayed throughout mythology as accompanying several gods, including Shiva and Krishna. In Indian tradition, a cow's horns are representative of the gods, and their four legs are 'Vedas', which are religious texts originating in Ancient India. Moreover, the udders of a cow are believed to represent the four objectives of life, which are desire, material wealth, righteousness, and salvation. Whilst it may be standard practice in many parts of the world, eating or killing a cow is considered a great sin in India. It is actually illegal to kill a cow in many states across India.

Another major part of religion in India is fasting. Fasts, which are also known as 'Vrats' or 'Upvas' are used as a way to show gratitude to the gods and goddesses in India. It is believed that the act of depriving oneself of food is a way of cleansing the body of sin.

Temples

When travelling across India, you will come across a host of beautiful, intricate, and breathtaking temples. These structures are of great religious significance and draw countless tourists every year.

Oftentimes, temples are built in locations where there is a significant amount of positive energy from the magnetic wave lines of the Earth. What's more, temples are typically centred around one main idol, which will be mounted on a copper plate called the Garbhagriha or Moolasthan.

Temples are not just beautiful, but sacred buildings, and so respect is of the utmost importance when visiting them. As they are so sacred, it is traditional in India for people to bathe or have a shower before entering a temple. At the very least, people will wash their hands and feet thoroughly before entering a temple as a sign of respect and to cleanse themselves of any negative thoughts and evil influences.

Clothing is also used as a sign of respect for visiting temples in India. For women, the typical dress is very modest, with clothing covering the majority of their bodies. Men, similarly, are very covered and typically wear trousers and a shirt. It is also required for people to remove their footwear before entering a temple. This stops any dirt from the outside from getting into the sacred, cleansed environment in the temple.

Key Indian traditions

There is a wide range of fascinating Indian traditions worth exploring. Here are just a few of the major traditions in India:

The Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of religious pilgrims in the world. The location of this festival rotates around four pilgrimage destinations across a 12-year cycle. The destinations are as follows: Haridwar, Allahabad, Nashik, and Ujjai. The biggest attendees of Kumbh Mela are the Naga Sadhus, who are followers of Lord Shiva. The Naga Sadhus reside in the Himalayas, and Kumbh Mela is the only time of year that they come down to the plains. It is also the only time of year that someone can become a Naga Sadhu.

The purpose of the Kumbh Mela is to cleanse people of their sins by bathing in sacred waters.

In English, Lathmar Holi of Uttar Pradesh translates to 'hitting with sticks'. This is an Indian festival that is celebrated before the festival of Holi in the towns of Nandgaon and Barsana. The reason Lathmar Holi of Uttar Pradesh is only celebrated in these towns is due to an Indian legend. The legend states that the Lord Krishna of Nandgaon visited his love, Radha, in the town of Barsana on the day that the festival is celebrated. The story goes that women chased Lord Krishna away using long staves called lathis. In response to this playful gesture, the men of Barsana invaded the town of Nandgaon.

Thimithi, which is also known as the fire-walking tradition of Tamil Nadu, is celebrated in a number of different countries, including Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. The festival originated in Tamil Nadu, which is a state in Southern India and takes place during the months of October and November every year. The purpose of Thimithi is to honour the Draupati Amman, who was the wife of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata. At the festival, men will honour Draupati by walking across a sheet of burning coal while carrying a pot of milk or water on their heads for balance. This act is believed to show how devoted they are to their faith.

Whilst it is practised all across the world as a form of exercise, yoga is an Ancient Indian tradition. Yoga is a physical practice that is believed to unify the body, mind, and soul to improve a person's overall mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing. The practice of yoga involves a range of movements and poses, all of which are designed to discipline your mind, body, and breath. Some of the elements of a typical yoga practice include meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting, and sequences of complex poses. There are a multitude of benefits to practising yoga regularly, which is why it is so popular across the world.

Teaching resources

We have tons of interesting resources to help you teach your kids about Indian traditions and culture, all of which are teacher-made and super easy to use! Some of our favourite resources on the topic are as follows:

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Indian traditions and culture | Religion | Wiki - Twinkl

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Like all countries around the world, India has its own unique culture and traditions. Explore Indian traditions, like yoga and religious festivals like Kumbh Mela, and delve into the country's rich culture, including common greetings and typical family dynamics with this wiki page!

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India for Kids | India Facts for Kids | Geography | People | Animals

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Our India for Kids page will tell you all about incredible India, the country and its people, landmarks, animals, food and so much more

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India, one of the fastest growing economies, offers a plethora of investment opportunities across various sectors

Automobile

Centre sanctions INR 800 Cr under FAME Scheme Phase II for 7432 public fast charging stations

VISIT SECTOR

Thermal Power

India has the 5 th highest installed thermal power capacity globally.

VISIT SECTOR

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Explore the sectors of the Indian economy that gives a plethora of investment opportunities in the Indian industries. Check out the best sectors to invest in India

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The is the 7th largest in the world with a GDP (a year's goods and services) of $2.18 trillion (U.S.). If you consider PPP ( purchasing power parity: how much that money can buy in India compared to other countries), the economy is third largest (worth $8.02 trillion U.S.).

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Here are some interesting Egypt facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: 104 million people live in Egypt (2021)

Capital: Cairo with 21 million inhabitants

Name: Arab Republic of Egypt

Government: Presidential republic

Languages: Arabic (official language)

Literacy: 72% of the population aged 15 years and over can read and write

Religion: Muslims 90%, Christians 10%

Currency: 1 Egyptian Pound = 100 Piastres

National Day: 23 July (Revolution Day)

National Symbols: golden eagle (national animal), white lotus (national flower)

National Colours: red, white and black

National Anthem: "Bilady, bilady, bilady" ("My Homeland")

History: Already in 9000 BC hunter-gatherers had settled in the region. King Menes founded the first dynasty around 3150 BC with distinct arts, religion and customs. The New Kingdom (1550 - 1000) BC is known for the pharaohs and their tombs. Egypt became part of the Ottoman Empire after it was seized by Ottoman Turks in 1517. 1869 the Suez Canal was built and Egypt became a transport hub for the region. Egypt became independent in 1922 from the British Empire. After the Revolution in 1952, the country became a republic.

Egypt Geography | Egypt Map

Where is Egypt? Egypt is a large country in northern Africa. The capital city of Egypt is called Cairo.

Egypt is three times larger in land area than New Mexico/USA or is slightly smaller in size than three times the size of Germany.

Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea in the North and the Red Sea in the East. The country shares borders Israel, Libya, Sudan and the Gaza Strip (Palestine).

The longest border of Egypt is shared with Sudan.

The name Egypt comes from the ancient Greek name for the county ' Aigyptos'.

Egypt is a 5-hours flight from London/UK or 12-hours flight from New York/USA.

Egypt Facts | Geography Superlatives

Egypt is a transcontinental country. The Sinai peninsula forms a land bridge between the African and the Asian continents.

The largest city of Egypt is Cairo. About 21 million people live in the metropolitan area of Egypt's capital city. Cairo is the second largest city on the African continent - after Lagos in Nigeria.

Egypt is the country with the most Arab speaking people in the world. Some also refer to Egypt as the most populous country in the Arab world.

Al-Azhar University is Egypt's oldest university. The Islam university was founded in 975 AD.

The Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile enters the Mediterranean Sea just north of Cairo.

The Suez canal finished in 1869 connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean's Red Sea. The Red Sea is the name for the waters that surround the Sinai peninsula.

The three biggest cities in Egypt are Cairo, Alexandria and Giza.

The highest mountain in Egypt is Gabal Katrîne, also called Mount Catherine, with 2,629 m/ 8,625 ft. The highest mountain of Egypt is located on the Sinai peninsula. Nearby Saint Catherine's monastery is one of the oldest working monasteries in the world!

Most of Egypt's landscape is dominated by deserts. A few oases are dotting the desert. Egypt and Sudan are the easternmost countries of the Sahara desert.

Egypt's climate is mainly hot and dry. Rainfall occurs in the winter months when even snowfalls can be expected on the mountainsides of the Sinai peninsula.

Egypt Facts | Egypt Landmarks

Cairo: The largest city in Egypt is home to many famous Egyptian landmarks. Here you can find the Cairo Tower, the Citadel and the Egyptian Museum. In the tenth century Cairo was the centre of the Islamic world. Thus many Islamic buildings such as mosques, madrassas or hammams can be explored. The Sultan Hassan Mosque Madrassa is another iconic landmark of Cairo.

Giza: The pyramid complex of Giza is only 13 km/ 8 miles from Cairo and can even be seen from the city! The pyramids and the Great Sphinx are part of the Giza Necropolis. The Great Pyramid is the tallest pyramid and was built in Ancient Egypt around 2650 BC.

Alexandria: The second largest city in Egypt is home to more than 5 million people. The city was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. The lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos) was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This is also the location were once the Great Library, the largest library in ancient times was standing. The ancient Pompey's pillar and the sphinx are among the best known ancient monuments of Alexandria.

Luxor and Thebes: Thebes is an ancient Egyptian city that was once the capital city of Egypt during the Middle and New kingdoms. The ruins lie where today we find the city of Luxor. The Karnak temple is located in the Thebes complex. The open-air museum in Karnak contains reconstructions of the buildings and temples of the site.

Valley of the Kings: The site is located near Luxor on the western side of the Nile River. This is the location of 64 tombs and chambers that were once cut in the rocks. There the noble families and kings (pharaohs) of the New Kingdom were buried. Among the most famous tombs are those of Pharaoh Tutankhamen and Pharaoh Ramses VI.

Mount Sinai: The locals call this mountain 'Jabal Musa'. This mountain on the Sinai peninsula is considered to be the place where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments.

Wadi Al-Hitan or Whale Valley: The fossils found in the 'Whale Valley' are evidence of the evolution of whales, showing the transition from land animals to ocean animals. In Egypt, there are seven UNESCO world heritage sites, six cultural sites and the Wadi-Al-Hitan, a natural world heritage site.

Sharm El Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula is one of the most popular tourist resorts of Egypt. The resort borders the Red Sea and is famous for its magnificent diving sites and stunning sandy beaches.

Egypt Facts | Egypt People

Egypt is home to the largest population in the Arab countries. Most Egyptians live in the fertile valley along the Nile river.

Almost all people in Egypt (99%) live on 5% of the land area of the country! Very few people live in oases in the desert.

In Egypt most of the people are Egyptians, smaller Ethnic groups include Turks, Greeks and the Berbers.

Islam is the state religion of Egypt. However, Egypt's population was mainly Christian until the seventh century before the county was islamised. The Egyptian muslims today are mainly Sunni muslims.

Today Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, while Coptic Christians are a minority.

Languages in Egypt | Egypt Facts

Arabic is the official language in Egypt, but most the people (68%) speak a distinct Egyptian Arabic dialect.

Egyptian though is the language that was spoken in the region in ancient Egypt. The first written examples of this language date back to around 3000 BC.

Today the main foreign languages taught at school are English and French.

Egypt Facts | Egypt Economy

The main water source in Egypt is the Nile, as rainfalls are sparse. Today, the country relies mainly on irrigation systems for growing crops. The Nile waters are regulated by the Aswan dam since the 1960s.

Aswan dam is one of the world's largest artificial water reservoirs with an earthen dam wall. Prior to the building of the dam, the Nile flooded the area regularly and provided sufficient water to the communities living along the Nile. Today climate change and raising water levels are a major challenge to the country.

The main agricultural products of Egypt are fruits and vegetables, cotton, rice, corn and wheat. Egypt is known for its high quality Egyptian cotton.

The main trading partners are the United Arab Emirates, China, the UK and the USA.

Egypt is one of Africa's largest oil and natural gas producers. The country mainly exports crude oil and petroleum products, as well as agricultural products and textiles.

Food in Egypt | Egypt Facts

The Egyptian cuisine mainly uses vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, beans courgettes (zucchini), eggplants (aubergines), okra, grapes and dates as well as spices such as cumin, garlic and coriander. Vegetarian dishes are very common in the country as vegetables, fruits, rice, beans and various grains are commonly cultivated in the country. Pita bread is served with all meals. In the Mediterranean region as well as in the Nile valley, fish and seafood are available. Chicken and lamb are the most popular meats but quite expensive.

Here are some typical Egyptian dishes:

often considered the national dish, Kushari is made with rice, lentils, pasta, spices and fried onions and served with a hot and spicy tomato sauce.

Dukkah: a dip of dry ground spices, seeds and nuts that are served with pita bread for dipping into the spice mixture.

Eish balad: Egyptian pita bread is round and flat and is made with flour, water, salt and yeast

Kofta: fried round meat balls made of ground meat and spices

Molokhia: green soup made with green yute leaves, garlic, coriander and various spices

Egypt Animals

Egypt is home to many animals such as camels, donkeys, horses, sheep and goats as well as gazelles, desert lynxes and desert foxes who mainly live in the desert areas. The Nubian ibex is an endangered species and only few of these gazelles live in the rocky mountains of the Sinai peninsula.

Sea life is abundant in Egypt! Dolphins, turtles, rays and sharks are plentiful in Egypt's ocean waters. More than 1,200 species of fish, many in bright colours, and more than 300 species of corals can be found in the Red Sea which is named among the world's best diving sites.

Egypt Facts | Resources
Sources and useful Reading for Egypt Facts page:

Central Intelligence Agency."Egypt." World Fact Book. Last updated 26 October 2021. Last accessed 29 October 2021

United Nations. "Wadi Al-Hitan". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Last accessed 29 October 2021

NASA. "Aswan High Dam" Earth Observatory. 12 April 2015. Last accessed 29 October 2021

Samar Samir. "70 species threatened with extinction in Egypt." Egypt Today. 21 January 2020. Last accessed 29 October 2021

Image Credits on Egypt Facts: Ramses VI tomb by Jakub/Kyncl/shutterstock.com, Egyptian girls by Aleks333/shutterstock.com, Go from Egypt Facts to Africa Continent Facts Back from Egypt Facts to Kids-World-Travel-Guide various others from shutterstock.com, UNESCO world heritage centre and wikicommons, if not otherwise stated.
We hope you enjoyed reading our Egypt Facts. Please bookmark this page and spread the word.

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Egypt Facts for Kids | Egypt for Kids | Geography | Africa | Landmarks

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Our Egypt Facts for Kids will provide info about the North African country, geography, landmarks, people, animals, economy, food and much more

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Mar 13, 2023 · A fun and effective resource to learn English in context to talk about Ireland, Irish culture, Irish ...
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ireland culture for kdis - Google Search

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. Mar 13, 2023 · A fun and effective resource to learn English in context to talk about Ireland, Irish culture, Irish ...Duration: 5:07 Posted: Mar 13, 2023

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Learn more about the beautiful Emerald Isle!

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Our pages Ireland for Kids provides interesting and fun facts about Ireland, its geography, its landmarks and attractions.

Here are some interesting Ireland Facts which were choosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Ireland is the third largest island of Europe and the second largest island of the British isles - Great Britain is the largest.

Here we will refer to the Republic of Ireland as Ireland, as this is the name also commonly used for the country to the west of the Great Britain and to the south of Northern Ireland.

Ireland Facts for Kids

Ireland for Kids

Population: about 5.2 million people live in the Republic of Ireland (2021)

Capital: Dublin with 1.2 million inhabitants

Government: Parliamentary Republic

Religion: mainly Christians, 78% are Roman Catholics

Currency: 1 Euro = 100 cents

National Anthem: 'Amrán na bhFiann' (The Soldier's Song)

National Holiday: 17 March - Saint Patrick's Day

National Symbol: harp, shamrock (young clover leaf), blue and green (national colours)

History: Celtic tribes settled on the island of Ireland from 600 BC. Later Normans invaded the island in the 12th century. The big famine (hunger) in Ireland led many people to emigrate. Ireland was neutral in World War II. Independence from the UK was gained in 1921, then the republic became part of the Irish Free State. Since 1949 Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is part of the EU (European Union).

Ireland for Kids | Geography

The Republic of Ireland is a country in Western Europe and located on the island of Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland that belongs to the UK share the island of Ireland which is situated in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Republic of Ireland shares a border with Northern Ireland, that belongs to the UK.

The border between the two countries is about 490 km/ 304 miles long. Take note that Northern Ireland's land area is about five times smaller than that of the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland is well known for its green pastures, the many medieval monuments and castles such as Kilkenny Castle, the shamrock, a young clover leaf, which is one of the national symbols and Saint Patrick, the national patron saint.

Ireland's nickname is 'Emerald Isle' due to the lush vegetation, green pastures and soft rolling hills.

Ireland's name 'Éire' comes from the Gaelic language. 'Eriu' is the name of the goddess of the country.

Ireland for Kids | Ireland Facts

The island is 486 km/ 302 miles long and 275 km/ 171 miles wide.

Ireland is slightly larger than the state of West Virginia/ USA and slightly bigger than the countries of Georgia or Sri Lanka.

The landscape is dominated by rolling plains and rugged cliffs on the country's western coast. The western part of the country has many mountains and poorer soil conditions.

The climate is temperate but humid, with mild winters and cool summers.

Ireland for Kids | Geography Superlatives

Ireland's highest mountain is called Carrauntoohill. Ireland's highest peak measures 1,038 m/ 3,407 ft in height. The mountain is located in Country Kerry in southwestern Ireland.

The longest river of Ireland is the Shannon River. It travels across the island over 350 km/ 224 miles. The river runs through Limerick. The river is often quite shallow, but navigable.

The largest lake in the Republic of Ireland is Lough Corrib which is also the second largest lake of the island and the deepest lake of the island. The island's largest lake is Lough Neagh which is located in Northern Ireland! Lough is the Irish word for 'lake'.

Achill Island off the country's west coast is the largest of the Irish isles. The first human settlement on this island dates back to 3,000 BC! The island is known for the third highest sea cliffs in Europe and nearby Keem Bay is popular for its beautiful beach.

Ireland for Kids | Landmarks and Attractions in Ireland

Dublin: Ireland's capital city houses many fine attractions. Among them are the famous Liffey Bridge, also called 'Ha'Penny Bridge' by the locals. This bridge that was built in 1826 and replaced the old ferry. Then when crossing the bridge one had to pay toll - with exactly the same amount as a ferry crossing would have cost! Today one of the most famous bridges of the city is the Samuel Beckett Bridge, which is also referred to as 'Harp Bridge' due to its shape. The harp is one of Ireland's national symbols.

Trinity College: Ireland's oldest university near Dublin was founded by Queen Elizabeth I and established in 1528. Trinity College is one of the most prestigious university colleges in Europe. The Campanile (or clocktower) in Parliament Square is one of the landmarks of Ireland.

Limerick: This is an old medieval city at the Shannon River, Ireland's longest river. The city is known for its Georgian architecture. St Mary's Cathedral founded in 1138 is the oldest building of the city. The 800-year-old St John's Castle and the buzzing market life at the Milk Market are among other popular attractions of this city.

Cliffs of Moher: The Cliffs of Moher in the west of the country are among the most visited sites in Ireland. The cliffs are about 14 km/ 9miles long. More than 1.5 million people visit this famous landmark of Ireland every year!

Newgrange: Part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO world heritage sites, Newgrange is one of three prehistoric sites in Ireland. A neolithic passage tomb from about 3,200 BC was discovered in a huge circular mount. Ancient fossil bones and tools were discovered here. The Newgrange tomb is older than Stonehenge or the Egyptian Pyramids! Many of the stones there show megalithic art.

Glendalough is known for an early medieval monastery. Glendalough is a glacial valley and the cathedral is one of the famous medieval ruins in the valley. Other monuments in the Lower Glen include the Round Tower and the Gateway.

Ireland for Kids | Irish People

Dublin was settled by various ethnic groups already over 9,000 years ago. Among the earliest settlers in Ireland were the Corcu Loígde, Dál Riada and Iverni people. Later Vikings, Normans, Welsh and Flemish groups settled in the region.

Today Ireland is a multicultural country, however, the vast majority of the people are Irish (82%). About 40% of the Irish speak Gaelic and 78% of the people in the republic are Roman Catholics.

Ireland is known for its Irish Celtic music and Irish dance. Famous dance companies such as 'Riverdance' or 'Lord of the Dance' tour the world and fascinate people everywhere with their Irish dance programmes.

Most of the people live in the eastern part of the country, mainly around the capital city Dublin. About 40% of the population in the Republic of Ireland live in and around Dublin.

The biggest cities of Ireland are Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Dublin is the only city with more than one million inhabitants.

Ireland Facts for Kids | Economy

Natural resources in Ireland include natural gas, copper, zinc, peat (also called turf) and limestone.

Most of the land is used for agriculture (66%), mainly for growing potatoes, wheat and barley.

About 10% of the country are covered by forests.

The main trade partners of Ireland are the UK and the USA, Belgium and Germany.

Ireland is located on the major air and sea routes between Europe and North America. The main sea ports in the Republic of Ireland are Dublin and Cork.

Ireland for Kids | Irish Food

Ireland's cuisine is known for quite hearty dishes which often contain root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots or grains such as barley and wheat.

Fish including salmon is caught in Ireland's longest river Shannon while oysters can be found along the country's West Coast, especially around Galway. The most commonly eaten meats include pork, beef and lamb.

Popular food in Ireland are:

Boxty: These potato fritters are usually served for breakfast. The fried raw potato cakes are eaten with sour cream and onion pickle

Bacon and Cabbage: slices of boiled bacon are served with cabbage and potatoes

Colcannon: This is a traditional Irish dish and simply is made with mashed potatoes that have been mixed with shredded kale. The four main ingredients are: potatoes, butter, milk and kale.

Irish Stew: the typical Irish stew is mainly made with either lamb or beef meat. Irish stew consists of a thick soup made with onions, carrots and potatoes, fresh herbs and spices.

Soda bread: The typical Irish bread is prepared with baking soda instead of yeast. The soda bread has a cross cut on top - whether people believe this is to let the devil or the fairies out, it is helping the dough to rise during the baking process.

Barmbrack: Traditional Irish bread or cake made with yeast and filled with raisins and sultanas.

Barmbrack is usually shared at Halloween. The bread or cake will then contain a ring, a coin and a piece of cloth, these three items will symbolise love, wealth and bad luck.

Ireland for Kids | Animals

In the coastal waters around Ireland, there are bottlenose dolphins, orca whales and sea turtles, even giant squid have been spotted.

On land, there are only 26 species of mammals native to the island. Red foxes, hedgehogs, badgers and otters can be encountered, whereas the Irish hare or the red deer are more elusive and mainly encountered in nature reserves.

There are about 80,000 farms in Ireland. Many farmers raise cattle or sheep. About seven million cattle are raised in Ireland. The most famous dairy cattle is the Kerry cattle which is native to Ireland. County Kerry is famous for its superior butter and milk as dairy cattle here graze on lush pastures. You probably have seen 'Kerrygold' butter in the shops, now you know where this butter comes from!

There are about four million sheep in Ireland, although there is an old saying that there are more sheep in Ireland than people.

There are more than 400 species of birds in Ireland. Robins, blackbirds and wrens are amongst the most common birds. Robins are known for their red breast feathers.

Popular Pages

Ireland for Kids | Useful Resources

For this Ireland for Kids page we used the following resources:

Central Statistics Office. "Population and Migration Estimates." . Last accessed 23 June 2021

UNESCO. "Brú na Boínne - Gallery." WorldHeritageSites. Last accessed 21 June 2021

Central Intelligence Agency. "Ireland". CIA World Fact BookLast updated 8 June 2021. Last accessed 23 June 2021

Tourism Ireland. "Flavours of Ireland." Ireland.com. Last accessed 23 June 2021

Official Ireland Tourism. "Island of Ireland - 2018". TourismIreland. Last accessed 30 July 2019. Last accessed 23 June 2021

Image Credits on Ireland for Kids page: Shutterstock.com and wikipedia commons Return from Ireland for Kids to Kids-World-Travel-Guide Homepage

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Ireland for Kids | Ireland Facts for Kids | Ireland Geography | Travel

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Our Ireland for Kids page provides lots of fun facts about Ireland, about the country and people, landmarks, animals, economy, geography and so much more.

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A brief history to learn about Ireland

The earliest evidence of people on the island that is now Ireland dates as far back as 6000 BC. Historians believe people settled on and farmed the land as early on as 3500 BC.

During the centuries between 700-300 BC, the Celts began to migrate from central Europe and settle on what is presently Irish soil. They began permanent settlements and resided there for around 2,000 years.

Around 400 AD, St Patrick, a missionary from England, brought Christianity to Ireland, and Catholicism quickly became the main religion on the island. Until around 700 AD, the people lived in peace.

After the eighth century, however, Viking raiders began to attack and eventually took control of parts of Ireland. There were frequent battles between the Vikings and the people living in Ireland.

During this same time period, conflicts also arose between various clans and tribes residing on the island. Each had its own ruler, and they often fought for control of the land.

One ruler called Boru Boru, conquered enough area to call himself a high king. But the violence continued, eventually coming to a head at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. There he was killed.

In 1170, Norman Vikings arrived and conquered the majority of the Irish land and brought it under English rule.

In the 1600s, English settlers who were Protestant began to arrive in Ireland, which led to Irish revolts, as they were still a very Catholic nation in their culture and tradition. This was the first in a series of such attempted revolutions.

The Catholic King James led the Irish in an armed rebellion to try and win back his throne in 1690. The Easter Rising in 1916 was an armed uprising against the English in Dublin.

Then again in 1919, the Irish Republican Army began a war against the British army. Finally, in 1921, the effort was successful. The Southern part of the island became the Irish Free State. It took the name Ireland in 1937.

Kiverna Castle, Ireland

Fun Facts about Ireland for kids

The remains of St Valentine are buried in a church in Dublin.

Halloween originated in Ireland.

There is a festival in Ireland in which the people catch a wild goat and name it king for three days.

Irish food

Centuries of social and political changes have made Irish cuisine what it is today. Many tribes and cultures have left their mark on Irish food traditions.

From the grains brought into the agricultural system by the British, pheasants and deer by the Normans, to the introduction of the potato by Sir Walter Raleigh, the Irish have embraced changes and grafted them into their diet.

Foods vary greatly by region, as Ireland has both fertile farmlands inland, and access to the fruits of the Atlantic Ocean which surrounds it.

But all throughout the island, the traditional foods of the Irish people are central to the culture. They have even found their way into age-old myths and legends!

What do the Irish eat? Mealtime in Ireland.

Irish people eat 3 to 4 meals a day. They typically consist of meats and dairy, which are largely available year-round. This is because the climate is so mild that farmers do not need to bring their cattle in for winter. Also, grass for grazing grows ten months out of the year.

The fruits, legumes, and vegetables served, however, vary greatly by season. Families adapt their meals to use what is available (and fresh) on the small island nation.

Breakfast (bricfeasta)

The Irish typically eat breakfast at about 8 or 9 am. Irish breakfast consists of fried eggs, never boiled or scrambled. They pair the eggs with bacon strips, called rashers, and sausage. A roll might be served as well, like Waterford blaa, which is a local bread served soft or chewy and dusted with flour.

Traditional Irish lunch is usually eaten from noon until about 2 pm. It consists of bread and stew or soup.

A staple in homes and restaurants is Irish soda bread. Bakers make this bread with baking soda instead of yeast. Sometimes they add raisins or caraway seeds to the dough as well.

The Irish often eat stews made with potatoes and vegetables, like Irish coddle. It is a rich stew containing potatoes, bacon, sausage, carrots, and apple cider.

Another popular lunch dish, while not a stew, is a casserole-type dish made with layers of cabbage, mashed potatoes, and lamb. While it has different names and some variations throughout the UK, the Irish call it Hunter's Pie.

Tea/Dinner (tae/dinnéar)

This is the main meal of the day in Ireland, often served at about 6:30 pm. In rural areas, it is truer to the name as tea is served with bread and butter, sometimes with cold sliced meat and cheese.

In more urban areas, this is a hearty meal with a soup or stew, a hot casserole with a potato base, bread, butter, and Irish stout or Guinness.

A traditional dinner favorite in Ireland is , a hot dish made of mashed potatoes, kale, and cabbage. Also, fish and chips is a popular dinner, served breaded and fried, of course.

Supper (suipéar)

This is a light evening meal eaten before bed, usually around 9 pm. It is a snack of tea and toast, usually with butter or cheese. While this is less common among younger or more urban demographics, older generations and in more rural areas still enjoy it.

Irish Stew - Curious Cuisiniere

Food etiquette in Ireland

Dinner in Ireland is often an informal affair, however, there are a few basic rules to abide by, such as removing one's hat when entering a home, and being sure to arrive on time. It is also customary to bring a small gift to the host, such as flowers or wine.

When seated, keep one's elbows off the table. You should hold your knife in your right hand and your fork in your left.

The Irish traditionally pass food to the left. When one is not passing food or holding utensils, your hands belong in your lap.

It is generally considered polite to finish all the food on your plate. To signal you are finished, place your fork and knife parallel to each other on the right side of the plate.

Irish food by region

Ireland can be divided into different regions deepening on the purpose. There are seven geographical regions from north to south. If you're learning about Ireland with kids, it may be helpful to take a look at a few.

Wild Atlantic Way (Western Coast)

The western coast of Ireland is famous for its delicious seafood. While many locals enjoy a simple fried fish and chips from the day's catch, foreigners often recognize the region for its mussels and oysters. The oysters harvested in Galway Bay are among some of the best in the world.

Atlantic salmon is also abundant off the Irish coast, and the locals often prepare it smoked, using a process that doesn't require salt.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is most famous for a breakfast called an . It is a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and sausage. It also features a black pudding, which is a small cake made of beef suet, oats, and lamb's or pig's blood.

Soda bread is also popular in this region. Called they cook it in a skillet.

(For more on Northern Ireland, see our article on the United Kingdom.)

Cork/Kerry (Southern)

These counties in the southern part of Ireland are full of rich green pastures which are home to many a herd of cattle. Many abroad know the region for its delicious dairy products, such as raw milk cheese and the famous Kerrygold butter.

Locals in Cork enjoy a stew called skirts and kidneys. Cooks make this stew from pork kidneys and the trimmings of the ribs, in addition to potatoes, onions, water, and white flour.

Irish countryside

Holidays in Ireland

Discussing holidays is a great way for kids to learn about Ireland. Some may be familiar, but others may not.

St Patricks Day (Lá Fhéile Pádraig, March 17)

On this day the Irish celebrate St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Most of the day features traditional Irish music and dancing. There are often parades and street festivals.

While countries around the world celebrate this holiday with corned beef and cabbage, the Irish serve a more popular bacon and cabbage dish.

People also partake in Irish beers and desserts of rhubarb or apple tarts.

Bealtaine (May 1)

This Irish holiday is a celebration of the coming of summer. It is steeped in rich history and ancient mythology. Each town has "May bushes", decorated with colorful tinsel and ribbons and said to bring good luck. The people spread yellow flowers everywhere to ward off fairies, who they believe went underground with the rise of Christianity on the island.

Farmers churn fresh cow's milk into butter on May Day. They believe this butter to be the best of the season. If gifted to a neighbor, they believe your cow will produce abundant milk all year.

Traditionally, children would go out and gather herbs and nettles on this day, when they are the best of the year. The mothers would then make the nettles into soup. The Irish often still serve nettle soup to celebrate Bealtaine, making it with potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, and cream.

Easter (Cásca, Date varies)

Easter is a grand affair on this majority Catholic island. Churches hold an early Mass on Easter Sunday. Afterward, the parishioners return home for an elaborate lunch with family and friends.

A roast lamb is usually present at the Easter table. They pair it with vegetables like cabbage and carrots.

Catholics in Ireland do not eat eggs at all during Lent. So while they buy eggs and colorfully dye them as early as Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), they do not eat the eggs until Easter Sunday.

Simnel cake is also present at any traditional Irish Easter celebration. Bakers decorate this rich cake with almond icing and marzipan balls, and it contains a layer of almond paste baked inside.

Christmas (Nollaig, December 25)

While the Irish celebrate the birth of Jesus like many Christians around the world, Ireland has its own unique customs and dishes when it comes to Christmas. The Irish hold an elaborate feast on Christmas Day, with multiple courses served over hours spent with family and friends.

, roast turkey, or spiced beef (beef rolled in cinnamon and allspice) are traditional Irish Christmas fare. They may serve any, or perhaps all, of these dishes, and accompany them with root vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, or bread sauce, which is similar to stuffing but garnished with cloves.

The Irish serve desserts like plum pudding (a fruitcake soaked in brandy) later in the day. With it, the host will serve guests Irish coffee, mulled wine, or stout with their Christmas meal.

Simnel cake for Easter in Ireland

At-home ideas for kids to learn about Ireland

As a part of your homeschool Ireland unit study or as a supplement to your child's Ireland unit at school, try some of these ideas at home!

Find a video tutorial and learn a simple Irish jig.

Decorate your own May Bush to bring you good luck all year, or set some yellow flowers outside to keep your home safe from fairies.

Try out a recipe for Irish soda bread. If it's available near you, pick up some Kerrygold butter to spread over the top!

Use Word Hippo to look up the pronunciation of specific words in Gaelic.

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Ireland for Kids - Food and Holidays - Kids Food Atlas

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Fun ways to learn about Ireland for kids. Add Irish food and culture to your classroom or homeschool Ireland unit study!

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The Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark, was completed in 1653.

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of India, Bharat

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal republic

CAPITAL: New Delhi

POPULATION: 1,296,834,042

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Hindi, English, 21 others

MONEY: Rupee

AREA: 1,269,345 square miles (3,287,590 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE: Himalaya

MAJOR RIVERS: Ganges, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra

India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. The world's highest mountain range, the Himalaya, rises in the north. The southeast is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, and the southwest is bordered by the Arabian Sea.

India's terrain varies widely, from the Thar Desert in the west to jungles in the northeast. A fertile area called the Ganges Plain covers much of northern India. This formation was created from soil that was deposited by rivers running from the Himalaya. In some places, this layer of silt is over 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) deep.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Society throughout India is divided into social ranks, called castes. Caste is determined by birth and there is almost no way to change it. High castes include priests, landowners, and soldiers. So-called Untouchables have no caste and do the most menial jobs.

India is a very spiritual country. It has no official religion, but more than 80 percent of Indians are Hindu. About 13 percent are Muslim. Other religions include Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, which all began in India.

For thousands of years, since the Hindu religion first evolved, respect for animal life has been an important part of Indians' beliefs. Cows in particular are sacred and cannot be harmed. They are even allowed to wander through city streets, which often causes traffic jams!

India's varied climate zones support about 65,000 animal species, including elephants, pythons, river dolphins, and rhinos, and 12,000 types of flowering plants. It is the only country in the world with both lions and tigers. It's also a bird watcher's paradise.

On the coast of the Bay of Bengal is the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. Here, tigers swim in the same rivers as dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and saltwater crocodiles. This unique landscape is constantly under threat as sea levels rise and humans hunt illegally and clear trees for firewood.

The Himalaya mountains provide a home for some of India's rarest animals and plants. The most elusive animal is the snow leopard. Bears and black buck live lower down, and in the northeast, the tiger and one-horned rhinoceros can be found.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

India's parliamentary government was inherited from the British. After independence in 1947, one party, the Congress Party, and one family, the Nehru family, dominated politics in India for decades. Now, however, many parties compete for elected positions.

India's economy is growing so fast that experts predict it will soon become one of the world's leading markets. Indians are hard workers. And though many are poorly educated, there are many others who are highly trained college graduates.

India's earliest known civilization arose about 5,000 years ago on the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of two huge cities with brick houses, piped water, and sewer systems. Nobody knows why, but these cities, called Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, were abandoned in 1700 B.C.

The Aryan people were farmers from Central Asia who arrived in India around 1500 B.C. They spoke Sanskrit, one of the world's oldest known languages. The Vedic Scriptures, writings that form the basis of the Hindu religion, were written during the Aryan reign.

In the 200-year reign of the Gupta Empire, starting in the fourth century A.D., arts, crafts, and sciences flourished. During this time, the Indian astronomer Aryabhatta determined that the Earth revolved around the sun. This was long before the Western world accepted the theory.

Beginning in the 16th century, following a series of invasions by Muslim forces, a Mongol leader named Babur founded the Mongol Empire. The Mongols oversaw a golden age of art, literature, and architecture in India between 1527 and 1707. They built roads, mosques, gardens, and enormous tombs, including the grand Taj Mahal.

In the late 1400s, Europeans arrived in India and began setting up trading companies. In 1757, Britain gained control over most of the country. Uprisings against British rule began in 1856. In 1920, the famous Mahatma Gandhi began nonviolent protests to push the British out. In 1947, India had independence.

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India Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides.

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In this series of articles about Irish customs, I want to introduce you to peculiarities in how Irish people interact. What are Irish people like?

On this page, I want to talk about families and children, two very important things in Ireland.

Children In Ireland

Something I still find remarkable after all these years of living in Ireland is how kind people are to young children. The Irish treat their children well.

When I am out and about with my kids, people we meet will always make contact with the kids as well.

They smile with them and talk to them as the little people they are about things that are important in their little worlds. In Ireland, people understand having kids as something to be enjoyed. And enjoying them means to have fun with them.

Kids are valued here, and have a lot of freedom to be kids. They can run wild and mess around and it will be tolerated as good fun and as ‘the kind of thing kids that age will do'.

A family on their weekend outing, watching a street performance in Galway.

Many people see disciplining as something for a little later in life. Irish people will spend money on their kids before the spend money on themselves.

Many who have lived abroad for years, return to have their children here. Ireland is seen as a great place to raise kids, even though, compared to other European countries, the services and benefits aren't great.

Babies especially are doted over. Everyone here loves babies. Even grown men will comment on your baby and ask you about how she is doing, or give her a smile.

Therefore, if you meet people with babies in Ireland in any context, whether they are introduced to you, or whether you are out and about and are just talking to strangers, be nice and get in on the Irish customs around babies.

Comment, compliment the mother, ask about the baby, ’flirt’ with the baby. Whatever comes easy. It’s the right thing to do socially, and it’s fun.

Irish Customs Around The Family

Family is a big thing in Ireland, and Irish customs around families are a good thing know about. In most people’s lives, family values will rank highly.

Parenting is still quite traditional in the sense that the State offers no option for paternal leave, and that in most families, men are still the main earners of family income. Therefore, in most cases, the Irish mums are in charge of family life.

When women have babies and young children, they will try to spend as much time as possible at home with them. Of course, this will depend on family finances and on each particular situation, but in whatever way they can, they will make their children the number one thing in their lives.

If mums are at home or work only part time, they will give lifts to school and afterschool events, to sports matches, to friends houses and so on. They cook the meals and organise school uniforms and homework. Dad will often come home late from work, but will make sure to be present for the important weekend events like swimming lessons, Gaelic football matches and birthday parties.

The family of origin is extremely important as well. One might not share many of the same values as one’s parents, but parents will be respected and visited regularly.

Most Irish people I have come to know will work hard exercising tolerance, avoidance or whatever it takes to avoid any conflict with their parents. Conflict is seen as being ‘not worth it’. There is a great awareness of life being limited, being ‘too short’ to be tainted by arguments. You could argue that avoiding conflict is an Irish custom.

Some siblings can be very close even in adult life. In rural areas, siblings will often end up becoming neighbours, and their kids will be best friends as well as cousins, being in and out of each others’ houses.

Communication in some Irish families can be an interesting experience for someone who is not used to it. In many families, the mother is the hub of communications, and adult siblings will only communicate to each other through her.

Alternatively, if they do talk to each other directly, they won’t talk about issues that concern A and B who are talking, but rather, A and B will discuss C’s problems. Later on, B and C might talk about what is bothering A. To this day, witnessing this indirect communication is very strange for me.

Communication in Germany is straight up. Even though I have mellowed a lot over the years and would often pull away from being too straight out for fear of hurting the other side’s feelings, I would still want to speak directly to the person concerned. But in Ireland, addressing a situation directly, especially in a family context, can often be seen as inappropriate or even threatening.

If you enjoyed this piece on Irish customs, and if you like what we do on this website, we'd appreciate some support in growing our readership.

Feel free to use any of the sets of social features on this website to give us a shout out, find them at the top left and at the very bottom of the page.

Your support is much appreciated.

Regards, Colm and Susanna

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Irish Customs Around Family And Children

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Find out Irish customs relating to family and children.

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Currency

Euro (EUR, €)

Calendar year

EU, WTO and OECD

Statistics

Population

5,011,500 (April 2021 est.)

GDP

$476 billion (nominal, 2021)

GDP rank

▼ 28.9 low (2018, Eurostat)

Labour force by occupation

Unemployment

7.3% (October 2020)

▼ 10.4% youth unemployment (15 to 24 year-olds; October 2021)

€3,300 / $3,694 monthly (2018)

€2,564 / $2,870 monthly (2018)

Ease-of-doing-business rank

23rd (very easy, 2019)

External

Exports

$219.7 billion (2017 est.)

machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, medical devices, pharmaceuticals; foodstuffs, animal products

Imports

$98.13 billion (2017 est.)

data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

$28.14 billion (2017 est.)

▲ €2 trillion (Sep 2016)

Net international investment position

−€465 billion (Sept 2016)

Public finances

Revenues

25.2% of GDP (2019)

Expenses

24.8% of GDP (2019)

Economic aid

Donor of ODA: €651 million
Recipient of agricultural aid: $895 million (2010)

$4.412 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

The economy of the Republic of Ireland is a highly developed knowledge economy, focused on services in high-tech, life sciences, financial services and agribusiness, including agrifood. Ireland is an open economy (5th on the Index of Economic Freedom) and ranks first for high-value foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. In the global GDP per capita tables, Ireland ranks 4th of 186 in the IMF table and 4th of 187 in the World Bank ranking.

Following a period of continuous growth at an annual level from 1984 to 2007, the post-2008 Irish financial crisis severely affected the economy, compounding domestic economic problems related to the collapse of the Irish property bubble. Ireland first experienced a short technical recession from Q2-Q3 2007, followed by a recession from Q1 2008 - Q4 2009.

After a year with stagnant economic activity in 2010, the Irish real GDP rose by 2.2% in 2011 and 0.2% in 2012. This growth was mainly driven by improvements in the export sector. The European sovereign-debt crisis caused a new Irish recession to start in Q3 2012, which was still ongoing as of Q2 2013. By mid-2013 the European Commission's economic forecast for Ireland predicted its growth rates would return to a positive 1.1% in 2013 and 2.2% in 2014. An inflated 2015 GDP growth of 26.3% (GNP growth of 18.7%) was officially partially ascribed to tax inversion practices by multinationals switching domiciles. This growth in GDP, dubbed "leprechaun economics" by American economist Paul Krugman, was shown to be driven by Apple Inc.'s restructuring of its Irish subsidiary in January 2015. The distortion of Ireland's economic statistics (including GNI, GNP and GDP) by the tax practices of some multinationals, led the Central Bank of Ireland to propose an alternative measure (modified GNI or GNI*) to more accurately reflect the true state of the economy from that year onwards.

Foreign-owned multinationals continue to contribute significantly to Ireland's economy, making up 14 of the top 20 Irish firms (by turnover), employing 23% of the private sector labour-force and paying 80% of the collected corporation tax.

As of mid-2019, economic growth in Ireland was predicted to decline, especially in the event of a disorderly Brexit.

Since the Irish Free State

From the 1920s Ireland had high trade barriers such as high tariffs, particularly during the Economic War with Britain in the 1930s, and a policy of import substitution. During the 1950s, 400,000 people emigrated from Ireland. It became increasingly clear that economic nationalism was unsustainable. While other European countries enjoyed fast growth, Ireland suffered economic stagnation. The policy changes were drawn together in Economic Development, an official paper published in 1958 that advocated free trade, foreign investment, and growth rather than fiscal restraint as the prime objective of economic management.

In the 1970s, the population increased by 15% and national income increased at an annual rate of about 4%. Employment increased by around 1% per year, but the state sector amounted to a large part of that. Public sector employment was a third of the total workforce by 1980. Budget deficits and public debt increased, leading to the crisis in the 1980s. During the 1980s, underlying economic problems became pronounced. Middle income workers were taxed 60% of their marginal income, unemployment had risen to 20%, annual overseas emigration reached over 1% of population, and public deficits reached 15% of GDP.

In 1987 Fianna Fáil reduced public spending, cut taxes, and promoted competition. Ryanair used Ireland's deregulated aviation market and helped European regulators to see benefits of competition in transport markets. Intel invested in 1989 and was followed by a number of technology companies such as Microsoft and Google. A consensus exists among all government parties about the sustained economic growth. The GDP per capita in the OECD prosperity ranking rose from 21st in 1993 to 4th in 2002.

Between 1985 and 2002, private sector jobs increased 59%. The economy shifted from an agriculture to a knowledge economy, focusing on services and high-tech industries. Economic growth averaged 10% from 1995 to 2000, and 7% from 2001 to 2004. Industry, which accounts for 46% of GDP and about 80% of exports, has replaced agriculture as the country's leading sector.

Celtic Tiger (1995-2007)

The economy benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Since 1987, a key part of economic policy has been Social Partnership, which is a neo-corporatist set of voluntary 'pay pacts' between the Government, employers and trade unions. The 1995 to 2000 period of high economic growth was called the "Celtic Tiger", a reference to the "tiger economies" of East Asia.

GDP growth continued to be relatively robust, with a rate of about 6% in 2001, over 4% in 2004, and 4.7% in 2005. With high growth came high inflation. Prices in Dublin were considerably higher than elsewhere in the country, especially in the property market. However, property prices are falling following the recent economic recession. At the end of July 2008, the annual rate of inflation was at 4.4% (as measured by the CPI) or 3.6% (as measured by the HICP) and inflation actually dropped slightly from the previous month.

In terms of GDP per capita, Ireland is ranked as one of the wealthiest countries in the OECD and the EU-27, at 4th in the OECD-28 rankings. In terms of GNP per capita, a better measure of national income, Ireland ranks below the OECD average, despite significant growth in recent years, at 10th in the OECD-28 rankings. GDP is significantly greater than GNP (national income) due to the large number of multinational firms based in Ireland. A 2005 study by The Economist found Ireland to have the best quality of life in the world.

The positive reports and economic statistics masked several underlying imbalances. The construction sector, which was inherently cyclical in nature, accounted for a significant component of Ireland's GDP. A recent downturn in residential property market sentiment has highlighted the over-exposure of the Irish economy to construction, which now presents a threat to economic growth. Despite several successive years of economic growth and significant improvements since 2000, Ireland's population is marginally more at risk of poverty than the EU-15 average and 6.8% of the population suffer "consistent poverty".

Economic downturn (2008-2013)

Main pages: Post-2008 Irish economic downturn and Post-2008 Irish banking crisis

It was the first country in the EU to officially enter a recession related to the Financial crisis 2008, as declared by the Central Statistics Office. Ireland now has the second-highest level of household debt in the world (190% of household income). The country's credit rating was downgraded to "AA-" by Standard & Poor's ratings agency in August 2010 due to the cost of supporting the banks, which would weaken the Government's financial flexibility over the medium term. It transpired that the cost of recapitalising the banks was greater than expected at that time, and, in response to the mounting costs, the country's credit rating was again downgraded by Standard & Poor's to "A".

The global recession has significantly impacted the Irish economy. Economic growth was 4.7% in 2007, but −1.7% in 2008 and −7.1% in 2009. In mid-2010, Ireland looked like it was about to exit recession in 2010 following growth of 0.3% in Q4 of 2009 and 2.7% in Q1 of 2010. The government forecast a 0.3% expansion. However the economy experienced Q2 negative growth of −1.2%, and in the fourth quarter, the GDP shrunk by 1.6%. Overall, the GDP was reduced by 1% in 2010, making it the third consecutive year of negative growth. On the other hand, Ireland recorded the biggest month-on-month rise for industrial production across the eurozone in 2010, with 7.9% growth in September compared to August, followed by Estonia (3.6%) and Denmark (2.7%).

The second problem, unacknowledged by management of Irish banks, the financial regulator and the Irish government, is solvency. The question concerning solvency has arisen due to domestic problems in the crashing Irish property market. Irish financial institutions have substantial exposure to property developers in their loan portfolio. In 2008, property developers had an over-supply of property, with much unsold as demand significantly diminished. The employment growth of the past that attracted many immigrants from Eastern Europe and propped up demand for property was replaced by rising unemployment.

Irish property developers speculated billions of Euros in overvalued land parcels such as urban brownfield and greenfield sites. They also speculated in agricultural land which, in 2007, had an average value of €23,600 per acre ($32,000 per acre or €60,000 per hectare) which is several multiples above the value of equivalent land in other European countries. Lending to builders and developers has grown to such an extent that it equals 28% of all bank lending, or " the approximate value of all public deposits with retail banks. Effectively, the Irish banking system has taken all its shareholders' equity, with a substantial chunk of its depositors' cash on top, and handed it over to builders and property speculators.....By comparison, just before the Japanese bubble burst in late 1989, construction and property development had grown to a little over 25 per cent of bank lending."

Irish banks correctly identify a systematic risk of triggering an even more severe financial crisis in Ireland if they were to call in the loans as they fall due. The loans are subject to terms and conditions, referred to as "covenants". These covenants are being waived in fear of provoking the (inevitable) bankruptcy of many property developers and banks are thought to be " lending some developers further cash to pay their interest bills, which means that they are not classified as 'bad debts' by the banks". Furthermore, the banks' "impairment" (bad debt) provisions are still at very low levels. This does not appear to be consistent with the real negative changes taking place in property market fundamentals.

On 30 September 2008, the Irish Government declared a guarantee that intends to safeguard the Irish banking system. The Irish National guarantee, backed by taxpayer funds, covers " all deposits (retail, commercial, institutional and interbank), covered bonds, senior debt and dated subordinated debt". In exchange for the bailout, the government did not take preferred equity stakes in the banks (which dilute shareholder value) nor did they demand that top banking executives' salaries and bonuses be capped, or that board members be replaced.

Despite the Government guarantees to the banks, their shareholder value continued to decline and on 2009-01-15, the Government nationalised Anglo Irish Bank, which had a market capitalisation of less than 2% of its peak in 2007. Subsequent to this, further pressure came on the other two large Irish banks, who on 2009-01-19, had share values fall by between 47 and 50% in one day. As of 11 October 2008, leaked reports of possible actions by the government to artificially prop up the property developers have been revealed.

In contrast, on 7 October 2008, Danske Bank wrote off a substantial sum largely due to property-related losses incurred by its Irish subsidiary - National Irish Bank. The 3.18% charge against the loan book of its Irish operations is the first significant write off to take place and is a modest indication of the extent of the more substantial future charges to be incurred by the over-exposed domestic banks. Asset write downs by the domestically-owned Irish banks are only now slowly beginning to take place

In November 2010 the Irish government published a National Recovery plan, which aimed to restore order to the public finances and to bring its deficit in line with the EU target of 3% of economic output by 2015. The plan envisaged a budget adjustment of €15 billion (€10 billion in public expenditure cuts and €5 billion in taxes) over a four-year period. This was front-loaded in 2011, when measures totalling €6 billion took place. Subsequent budgetary adjustments of €3 billion per year were put in place up to 2015, to reduce the government deficit to less than 3% of GDP. VAT would increase to 23% by 2014. A property tax was re-introduced in 2012. This was initially charged in 2012 as a flat rate on all properties and subsequently charged at a level of 0.18% of the estimated market-value of a property from 2013. Domestic water charges are to be introduced in 2015. Expenditure cuts included reductions in public sector pay levels, reductions in the number of public sector employees through early retirement schemes, reduced social welfare payments and reduced health spending. As a result of increased taxation and decreased government spending the Central Statistics Office (Ireland) reported that the Irish government deficit had decreased from 32.5% of GDP in 2010 (a level boosted by one-off support payments to the financial sector) to 5.7% of GDP in 2013.

In addition Ireland'sunemployment rate fell from a peak of 15.1% in February 2012 to 10.6% in December 2014. The number of people in employment increased by 58,000 (3.1% increase in employment rate) in the year to September 2013. On 27 February 2014 the government launched its Action Plan for Jobs 2014, which followed similar plans initiated in 2013 and 2012.

Signs of recovery (2014 onwards)

The term "Celtic Phoenix" was coined by journalist and satirist Paul Howard, which has been occasionally used by some economic commentators and media outlets to describe the indicators of economic growth in some sectors in Ireland since 2014.

In late 2013, Ireland exited an EU/ECB/IMF bailout. The Irish economy began to recover in 2014, growing by 4.8%, making Ireland the fastest growing economy in the European Union. Contributing factors to growth included a recovering construction sector, quantitative easing, a weak euro, and low oil prices. This growth helped to reduce national debt to 109% of GDP, and the budget deficit fell to 3.1% in the fourth quarter.

The headline unemployment rate remained steady at 10%, though the youth unemployment rate remained higher than the EU average, at over 20%. Emigration had continued to play a significant factor in unemployment statistics, though the emigration rate also began to fall in 2014.

Property prices also increased in 2014, growing fastest in Dublin. This was due to a housing shortage, especially in the Dublin area. The demand for housing caused some recovery in the Irish construction and property sectors. By early 2015, house price increases nationally began to outpace those in Dublin. Cork saw house prices rise by 7.2%, while Galway prices rose by 6.8%. Prices in Limerick were 6.7% higher while in Waterford there was a 4.9% increase. The housing crisis resulted in over 20,000 applicants being on the social housing list in the Dublin City Council area for the first time. In May 2015, the Insolvency Service of Ireland reported to the Oireactas Justice Committee that 110,000 mortgages were in arrears, and 37,000 of those are in arrears of over 720 days.

On 14 October 2014, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin introduced the budget for 2015, the first in seven years to include tax cuts and spending increases. The budget reversed some of the austerity measures that had been introduced over the previous six years, with increased spending and tax cuts worth just over €1bn.

In April 2015, during a "Spring Economic Statement", Noonan and Howlin outlined the government's plans and projections up to the year 2020. This included policy statements on expansionary budgets, deficit management plans and proposed cuts to the Universal Social Charge and other taxes.

In October 2014, German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble said that Germany was "jealous" at how the Irish economy had recovered after its bailout. He also said that Ireland had made a significant contribution to the stabilisation of the euro. While Taoiseach Enda Kenny praised the economic growth, and said that Ireland would seek to avoid returning to a "boom and bust" cycle, he noted that other areas of the economy remained fragile. The European Commission also acknowledged the recovery and growth, but warned that any extra government revenue should be used to further reduce the national debt.

Some other commentators have suggested that, depending on the Eurozone, world economic outlook as well as other internal and external factors, the growth seen in Ireland in 2014 and early 2015 may not indicate a longer-term pattern for sustainable economic improvement. Other commentators have noted that recovery figures do not account for emigration, youth unemployment, child poverty, homelessness and other factors.

On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, which was widely reported as likely having a negative impact on trade between the UK and Ireland, and the Irish economy in general. Other commentators, for example the Financial Times, suggested that some London-based financial institutions might move operations to Dublin after Brexit.

In 2016 official CSO figures indicated that the economic recovery had led to 26.3% growth in GDP in 2015 and 18.7% growth in GNP. There was a suggestion that the accounting practices of multinationals (including shallow or shell companies) contributed to the figures. Some economists described the 26.3% figure as "meaningless" and "farcical".

Alcoholic beverage industry

The drinks industry employs approximately 92,000 people and contributes 2 billion euro annually to the Irish economy making it one of the biggest sectors. It supports jobs in agriculture, distilling and brewing. It is subdivided into 5 areas; beer (employing 1,800 people directly and 35,000 indirectly), cider (supporting 5,000 jobs), spirits (supporting 14,700 jobs), whiskey (employing 748 people with turnover of 400 million euro) and wine (employing 1,100 directly).

Financial services

The financial services sector employs approximately 35,000 people and contributes 2 billion euro in taxes annually to the economy. Ireland is the seventh largest provider of wholesale financial services in Europe. A number of these firms are located at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin.

Aircraft leasing

There are 1,200 directly employed in leasing, with Irish lessors managing more than €100 billion in assets.

Engineering

The Multinational Engineering sector employs over 18,500 people and contributes approximately 4.2 billion euro annually. This includes approximately 180 companies in areas such of industrial products and services, aerospace, automotive and clean tech.

Information and communications technology

The Information and communications technology (ICT) sector employs over 37,000 people and generates 35 billion annually. The top ten ICT companies are located in Ireland, with over 200 companies in total. A number of these ICT companies are based at the Silicon Docks in Dublin. Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, eBay, PayPal and Microsoft many of which have their EMEA / Europe & Middle East headquarters in Ireland.

The software sector employs approximately 24,000 people and contributes 16 billion euro to the economy. Ireland is the world's second largest exporter of software.

Medical technologies

The Medical technology (MedTech) sector employs nearly 25,000 people and generates 9.4 billion euro annually, with over one hundred companies in the country.

Pharmaceuticals

The pharmaceutical sector employs approximately 50,000 people and is responsible for 55 billion euro of exports.

Exports play an important role in Ireland's economic growth. A series of significant discoveries of base metal deposits have been made, including the giant ore deposit at Tara Mine. Zinc-lead ores are also currently mined from two other underground operations in Lisheen and Galmoy. Ireland now ranks as the seventh largest producer of zinc concentrates in the world, and the twelfth largest producer of lead concentrates. The combined output from these mines make Ireland the largest zinc producer in Europe and the second largest producer of lead.

Ireland is the world's most profitable country for US corporations, with a corporation tax rate of 12.5% according to the US tax journal Tax Notes. The country is one of the largest exporters of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and software-related goods and services in the world. Bord Gáis is responsible for the supply and distribution of natural gas, which was first brought ashore in 1976 from the Kinsale Head gas field. Electrical generation from peat consumption, as a percent of total electrical generation, was reduced from 18.8% to 6.1%, between 1990 and 2004. A forecast by Sustainable Energy Ireland predicts that oil will no longer be used for electrical generation but natural gas will be dominant at 71.3% of the total share, coal at 9.2%, and renewable energy at 8.2% of the market.

New sources are expected to come on stream after 2010, including the Corrib gas field and potentially the Shannon Liquefied Natural Gas terminal. In its Globalization Index 2010 published in January 2011 Ernst and Young with the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Ireland second after Hong Kong. The index ranks 60 countries according to their degree of globalisation relative to their GDP. While the Irish economy has significant debt problems in 2011, exporting remains a success.

Primary sector

The primary sector constitutes about 5% of Irish GDP, and 8% of Irish employment. Ireland's main economic resource is its large fertile pastures, particularly the midland and southern regions. In 2012 Ireland exported approximately €9 billion worth of agri-food and drink (about 8.4% of Ireland's exports), mainly as cattle, beef, and dairy products. Ireland's agri-food exports are expected to grow and are led by a number of large Irish companies including Kerry Group, Glanbia and Greencore.

In the late nineteenth century, the island was mostly deforested. In 2005, after years of national afforestation programmes, about 9% of Ireland has become forested. It is still one of the least forested countries in the EU and heavily relies on imported wood. Its coastline - once abundant in fish, particularly cod - has suffered overfishing and since 1995 the fisheries industry has focused more on aquaculture. Freshwater salmon and trout stocks in Ireland's waterways have also been depleted but are being better managed. Ireland is a major exporter of zinc to the EU and mining also produces significant quantities of lead and alumina.

Beyond this, the country has significant deposits of gypsum, limestone, and smaller quantities of copper, silver, gold, barite, and dolomite. Peat extraction has historically been important, especially from midland bogs, however more efficient fuels and environmental protection of bogs has reduced peat's importance to the economy. Natural gas extraction occurs in the Kinsale Gas Field and the Corrib Gas Field in the southern and western counties, where there is 19.82 bn cubic metres of proven reserves.

The construction sector in Ireland has been severely affected by the Irish property bubble and the 2008-2013 Irish banking crisis and as a result contributes less to the economy than during the period 2002-2007.

While there are over 60 credit institutions incorporated in Ireland, the banking system is dominated by the AIB Bank, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. There is a large Credit Union movement within the country which offers an alternative to the banks. The Irish Stock Exchange is in Dublin, however, due to its small size, many firms also maintain listings on either the London Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ. That being said, the Irish Stock Exchange has a leading position as a listing domicile for cross-border funds. By accessing the Irish Stock Exchange, investment companies can market their shares to a wider range of investors (under MiFID although this will change somewhat with the introduction of the AIFM Directive. Service providers abound for the cross-border funds business and Ireland has been recently rated with a DAW Index score of 4 in 2012. Similarly, the insurance industry in Ireland is a leader in both retail markets and corporate customers in the EU, in large part due to the International Financial Services Centre.

Welfare benefits

As of December 2007, Ireland's net unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed people across four family types (single people, lone parents, single-income couples with and without children) was the third highest of the OECD countries (jointly with Iceland) after Denmark and Switzerland. Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit for a single person in Ireland is €188 per week, as of March 2011. State provided old age pensions are also relatively generous in Ireland. The maximum weekly rate for the State Pension (Contributory) is €230.30 for a single pensioner aged between 66 and 80 (€436.60 for a pensioner couple in the same age range). The maximum weekly rate for the State Pension (Non-Contributory) is €219 for a single pensioner aged between 66 and 80 (€363.70 for a pensioner couple in the same age range).

Wealth distribution and taxation

The percentage of the population at risk of relative poverty was 21% in 2004 - one of the highest rates in the European Union. Ireland's inequality of income distribution score on the Gini coefficient scale was 30.4 in 2000, slightly below the OECD average of 31. Sustained increases in the value of residential property during the 1990s and up to late 2006 was a key factor in the increase in personal wealth in Ireland, with Ireland ranking second only to Japan in personal wealth in 2006. However, residential property values and equities have fallen substantially since the beginning of 2007 and major declines in personal wealth expected.

From 1975 to 2005, tax revenues fluctuated at around 30% of GDP (see graph right).

Before the introduction of the euro notes and coins in January 2002, Ireland used the Irish pound or punt. In January 1999 Ireland was one of eleven European Union member states which launched the European Single Currency, the euro. Euro banknotes are issued in €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500 denominations and share the common design used across Europe, however like other countries in the eurozone, Ireland has its own unique design on one face of euro coins. The government decided on a single national design for all Irish coin denominations, which show a Celtic harp, a traditional symbol of Ireland, decorated with the year of issue and the word Éire.

Economic contributors and measures

Foreign-owned multinationals make up a significant percentage of Ireland's GDP. The "multinational tax schemes" used by some of these multinational firms contribute to a distortion in Ireland's economic statistics; including GNI, GNP and GDP. For example, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows Ireland with average leverage on a gross public debt-to-GDP basis (78.8% in 2016), but with the 2nd highest leverage, after Japan, on a gross public debt-per capita basis ($62,686 in 2016). This disconnect led to the 2017 development by the Central Bank of Ireland of Irish modified GNI (or GNI*) for measuring the Irish economy (2016 GDP is 143% of Irish 2016 GNI*, and OECD Irish gross public debt-to-GNI* is 116.5%). Ireland's GNI* per capita ranks it similar to Germany. According to an OECD report, productivity growth among foreign owned entities averaged 10.9% for 2017 and was a lower 2.5% for indigenous firms.

The distortion of Irish economic data by US multinational tax schemes was a key contributor to the build-up of leverage in the Celtic Tiger, amplifying both Irish consumer optimism (who borrowed to 190% of disposable income, OECD highest), and global capital markets optimism about Ireland (enabled Irish banks to lend over 180% of deposit base, OECD highest). Global capital markets, who ignored Ireland's private sector credit, and OECD/IMF warnings, when Irish GDP was rising during the Celtic Tiger, took fright in the financial crisis. Their withdrawal precipitated a deep Irish property correction, which led to a crisis in the Irish banking system.

A particularly dramatic growth in Ireland's 2015 GDP (from 1% in 2013, to 8% in 2014, to 25% in 2015) was shown to be largely driven by Apple restructuring their double Irish subsidiary, ASI, in January 2015. A follow up EU Commission report into Ireland's national accounts showed that even before this, 23% of Ireland's GDP was multinational net royalty payments, implying Irish GDP was inflated to 130% of "true" GDP (before the Apple growth). This led to the Central Bank of Ireland proposing a new replacement metric, modified gross national income (or GNI*), to better represent the "true" Irish economy.

Given the importance of US multinationals to Ireland's economy (80% of Irish multinational employment, and 14 of the 20 largest Irish firms), the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is a challenge to Ireland. Parts of the US TCJA are targeted at Irish multinational tax schemes (especially the move to a modern "territorial tax" system, the introduction of a lower FDII tax on intellectual property, and the counter-Irish GILTI tax regime). In addition, the EU's proposed Digital Sales Tax (and stated desire for a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base), is also seen as an attempt to restrict the use of the Irish multinational tax schemes by US technology firms.

The stabilisation of the Irish credit bubble required a large transfer of debt from the private sector balance sheet (highest OECD leverage), to the public sector balance sheet (almost unleveraged, pre-crisis), via Irish bank bailouts and public deficit spending. The transfer of this debt means that Ireland, in 2017, had one of the highest levels of both public sector indebtedness, and private sector indebtedness, in the EU-28/OECD.

Images for kids

Historical GDP per capita development of Ireland and the UK

Ireland has one of the most disparate GNI to GDP ratios in the EU.

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Economy of the Republic of Ireland Facts for Kids

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Currency Euro (EUR, €) Calendar year EU, WTO and OECD Statistics Population 5,011,500 (April 2021 est.) GDP $476 billion (nominal, 2021) GDP rank ▼ 28.9 low (2018, Eurostat) Labour force by occupation Unemployment 7.3% (October 2020) ▼ 10.4% youth unemployment (15 to 24 year-olds; October 2021) €3,300 / $3,694 monthly (2018) €2,564 / $2,870 monthly (2018) Ease-of-doing-business rank 23rd (very easy, 2019) External Exports $219.7 billion (2017 est.)

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The Irish economy is a small, trade-dependent economy which saw tremendous economic growth between 1993 and 2007 the period of the Celtic Tiger. However in 2008 when the global recession hit, saw a massive economic downturn that put extraordinary pressure on the Irish economy. The Irish property market dropped and domestic banking systems collapsed which called for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union which may take years to recover from. The government has also implemented a four year austerity plan to cut €15 billion from the national budget and its effects are widespread.

The major economic sectors:

2% of GDP is produced from agricultural products such as beef, dairy products, barley, potatoes, wheat and mushrooms. Out of the 7 million hectares of land in Ireland, 5 million are dedicated to agricultural purposes.

Over-fishing depleted Irish fish stocks and in 1995 a fishing ban was introduced to the Irish Sea so stocks had time to recover and replenish. Recently Ireland has been given approval by to reopen prawn fishing by the European Union and some other fish quotas in Irish waters again in the hope of regenerating the fishing industry. The industry provides employment for over 11,000 people.

Six million tourists visit Ireland each year creating 180,000 jobs and generating €3.9 billion for the economy. The tourism industry is built around the Irish people, Irish culture and the physical beauty of the country.

In 2009 trade in Ireland was worth €270 billion, mostly generated by merchandise trade and service trade. The main trading partners are the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. The main merchandise goods include organic chemicals, medical and pharmaceutical products and computers.

The main service industries are pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, food products, beverages and brewing and medical devices computers and contribute to 29% of GDP.

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The Irish economy is a small, trade-dependent economy which saw tremendous economic growth between 1993 and 2007 the period of the Celtic Tiger. However in 2008 when the global recession hit, saw a massive economic downturn that put extraordinary pressure on the Irish economy.

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Kids learn about the Geography of Ireland. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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Kids learn about the Geography of Egypt. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of Egypt including early dynasties, pyramids, pharaohs, Arab rule, British rule, independence, and recent wars, leaders, and issues.

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Kids learn about the Geography of South Africa. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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Here are some interesting facts about South Africa for kids which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

South Africa Facts | Country Facts

Population: 60 million people live in South Africa (2023)

Capital city: Pretoria has 3 million inhabitants. Pretoria's nickname is "The Jacaranda City" due to the many jacaranda trees. In South Africa, the city is referred to as 'Tshwane' as the municipality changed its name in 2007. However, South Africa has three capital cities: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein

Name: Republic of South Africa

Government: Democracy

Languages: 12 official languages: isiZulu, Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, siSwati, Sesotho, Xitsonga, Sepedi, isiNdebele, Setswana, Tshivenda, sign language

Religion: mainly Christians and Muslims, but also Jews and other faiths.

Currency: 1 South African Rand (ZAR) = 100 Cents

History: South Africa was colonised by British, Dutch suffered from Apartheid. Nelson Mandela came free from prison and became the first democratically elected leader in South Africa in 1994.

South Africa for Kids
South Africa Geography

South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent.

South Africa shares borders with six countries: Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the North, and Mozambique in the East, as well as with Eswatini and Lesotho.

South Africa encloses two landlocked African countries which are Eswatini (formerly called Swaziland) and Lesotho. Both these countries are kingdoms.

South Africa is about as big as the land area of France and Spain combined or twice the size of the state of Texas/ USA.

It takes a 12-hour flight from London/England to fly to Johannesburg or a 12-hour flight from Singapore and it takes more than 17 hours from New York/USA.

In South Africa, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet off the Southern Cape coast.

The southernmost point in South Africa is, however, at Cape Agulhas which is roughly 120 km/ 75 miles to the east of Cape Town.

In the image to the right, however, you see Cape Point, the southernmost point of the Cape Peninsula.

South Africa for Kids
Geography

South Africa has various mountain ranges such as the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, the Magaliesberg or the Cederberg mountains.

There is a narrow coastal stretch and in the interior of the country, you will find a high plateau.

The highest mountain in South Africa is Mafadi Peak, which is on the border to Lesotho. Mafadi Peak is 3,450 m/ 11,319 ft high.

In the north of the country, you will find the Kalahari Desert which borders neighbouring countries Namibia and Botswana. The Kalahari is part of the 'highveld', the highlands of the country.

Johannesburg is the largest city of South Africa and lies on this plateau at 1,700 m/ 5,577 ft above sea level. However, most of the bigger cities such as Cape Town and Durban are located near the coast in low-lying areas.

The longest river in South Africa is the Orange River which forms also part of the border between Namibia from South Africa.

In the mountain ranges of the Drakensberg region, there is snow in winter and you even could go skiing in South Africa. Tiffindell is the most popular winter resort town. Sometimes also the higher mountain tops in the Western Cape near Cape Town receive some snow in winter. But there is no snow in the city or in the towns along the coastline. Although the snow might be enough for a snowball fight, it certainly is not enough to go skiing.

Did you know, that the Tugela Falls in South Africa are the second-highest waterfalls in the world?

The country name is often displayed as ZA which means and is Afrikaans for South Africa.

South Africa for Kids:
South Africa Attractions

Cape Town: Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, beaches. More about Cape Town attractions here.

Kruger National Park for safaris and great wildlife viewing

Sun City near Pretoria for fun and games galore with amazing wave pool and lots of things to do for the whole family

Addo National Park near Port Elizabeth for elephant-spotting

Durban for surfing and great beaches and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands for some insights into South African history

iSimangeliso (formerly St Lucia Wetlands) for wildlife viewing and unspoilt nature

Drakensberg Mountains for hiking and nearby Lesotho for skiing in Africa

South Africa for Kids: Animals

Wildlife in South Africa is abundant. There are many species of antilope such as kudu, springbok, wildebeest, impala, oryx and gemsbok. When you go on safari you can see many other South African animals like lions, elephants, giraffes and monkeys.

South Africa is home to the African Penguins and the Great White Sharks live in the ocean waters here too. Sometimes beaches are closed for bathing due to the sharks in the bays. Many beaches have shark nets. Remember to only swim in the sea where there are lifeguards on duty.

Whale watching is very popular in South Africa too and you will encounter an enormous sea life in South Africa when you go on a boat trip.

South Africa for Kids
South Africa People

South Africa is often called the 'Rainbow Nation', because there are so many different languages are spoken and different cultural traditions are lived. Below you see people of the Ndebele tribe.

South Africa is often called "The Cradle of Humankind", because archaeological artefacts, tools and human remains proof that people lived in the area more than 100,000 years ago.

The ancient San and the Khoi were the early African civilizations settling the Cape. There are only few descendants of the local San people living in remote areas in the Karoo desert and near the Cape West Coast.

The biggest South African population group, the Zulu, mainly live in rural settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, they even have a king.

Portuguese, Dutch, British, French and German explorers have traveled and populated southern Africa in the 17 th and 18 th century and therefore you can find many European influences in South Africa too.
Read more about the 11 official languages in South Africa and learn some fun South African slang words here.
Nowadays most of the people in South Africa live in or near the big cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The rural areas are still very poor and also in the cities many people live in shantytowns or townships.

Johannesburg is the largest city and the main industrial and economic hub, while Cape Town and Durban are also large cities with more than 1 million inhabitants.

Did you know that in South Africa, cars drive on the left side of the road as they do in the UK and Australia? However, all distance and speed signs are in metres and kilometres and km/ hour and not as in England in yards and miles and miles/ hour!

South Africa for Kids
Food in South Africa

The food the people eat in South Africa is very diverse. The South African staple food for the locals is 'mealies', which is corn, and seasonal vegetables, like potatoes, beans, carrots and peas.

South Africans love their meat and game meat such as kudu and springbok are common. However, most people eat beef, chicken, lamb and ostrich with their meals. The people in South Africa love a BBQ (here called 'braai') and almost every house has got a fireplace which is called 'braai-place'.

Typical South African food:

biltong: a cured and dried meat that is a typical South African snack and similar to beef jerky. Kids love to take this as snack to school.

boerewors: Afrikaans for 'farmers sausage', is often put on the grill, formed in a curl (see image)

Read more about South African traditional food here.
Did you know that...?

... most people speak at least two or three languages, one of them usually English or Afrikaans.

... South Africa has really three capital cities. The powers are distributed between Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. The parliament meets for six months in Pretoria and the other half of the year in Cape Town.

We hope you enjoyed our information on South Africa for Kids. Read also our top 15 South Africa facts even locals often do not know here.

Popular Pages

Resources: South Africa for Kids

Central Intelligence Agency. "South Africa". WorldFactBook. Last updated 8 March 2022. Last accessed 30 March 2022

Nelson Mandela Foundation. "Mandela Day." NelsonMandelaFoundation. Last accessed 30 March 2022

South African History Online. People and Culture of South Africa. SAHistory.org. Last accessed 30 March 2022.

South African Government. "Geography and Climate" Last accessed 30 March 2022.

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South Africa for Kids | South Africa Facts for Kids | Geography

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Read here our South Africa for Kids country facts: South Africa's landmarks and attractions, people and cultures, animals and food and so much more

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Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of South Africa including early tribes, Dutch settlers, British rule, Boer Wars, apartheid, and Nelson Mandela.

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Kids learn about the Geography of India. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of India including early civilizations, religions, Gupta empire, Mughal Empire, British rule, independence, Gandhi, and current events.

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Highlights

South Africa is often called 'A World in One Country' because it displays a contrast between an advanced economy rivalling that of the developed world co-existing with another that has only the most basic infrastructure; and a variety of peoples and cultures that make up the South African 'rainbow' nation.

There are some 49.9 million people in South Africa, with 18.6 million being children under the age of 18 years. Of these children, 85 per cent are Black African; 8 per cent are Coloured; 5 per cent are White; and 2 per cent are Indian/Asian. The overall population is growing at 1.06 per cent per annum. Migration is an important demographic process in shaping the age structure and distribution of the population. The constitution recognises 11 official languages, namely Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. South Africa is divided into nine provinces, each with its own legislature, premier and executive councils.

The South African economy is the largest on the continent of Africa with a GDP of US$493 billion (PPP) and a GDP per capita of US$10,135 (PPP) in 2008.3 Since 1994, it has recorded positive real GDP growth, except for 2009 when there was contraction by almost 2 per cent due to the global financial crisis. Unemployment is a major economic policy problem for the country.4 One in four working-age South Africans, some 4.5 million people, are unemployed (out of a total labour force of 17 million). Among young people aged 18 to 24 years, 41 per cent are not working and not in school. Other major development challenges include inequality, poverty and HIV and AIDS.

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We're off to a place bursting with wonderful wildlife, rich culture and mind-blowing history! Check out our fascinating facts about South Africa ...

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of South Africa
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic
CAPITALS: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
POPULATION: 55, 489, 975
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Afrikans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
MONEY: Rand
AREA: 1,219,089 square kilometres
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Drakensberg
MAJOR RIVERS: Limpopo, Orange

Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains, called bushveld.

To the east, south and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range, called the Drakensberg or Dragon's Mountain, is filled with jagged peaks, some reaching more than 3,475 meters high!

It might sound strange, but did you know South Africa has another country within its borders? Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snow-capped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation. Also known as the " Kingdom of the Sky ", Lesotho is the only country in the world to lie entirely over 1,000m above sea level.

From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is bursting with wonderful wildlife! Although the country only makes up about one percent of the Earth's land surface, it's home to almost ten percent of the world's known bird, fish and plant species, and about six percent of its mammal and reptile species.

The seas around South Africa are also full of incredible creatures - in fact, around 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year. What's more, this magnificent country gets to enjoy one of nature's most spectacular underwater events, the " sardine run "! Every June, millions of sardines travel up the east coast, creating a phenomenal feeding frenzy for thousands of hungry sharks, dolphins and birds!

South Africa works hard to preserve its wildlife. There are dozens of protected land and marine areas, including the famous Kruger National Park in the north, as well as nearly 9,000 privately-owned game reserves throughout the country. Nevertheless, many of South Africa's animals are threatened by illegal hunting and habitat loss, and dozens of species are in danger of extinction - including the black rhinoceros, the cheetah and the African wild dog.

In northern South Africa near Johannesburg lies a cave formation called the Sterkfontein. Within these caves, archaeologists have uncovered some of the earliest human fossils ever found - some are more than two million years old! The fascinating find earned the region the nickname " Cradle of Humankind ".

About 24,000 years ago, tribes of hunter-gatherers known as the San, or Bushmen, began moving into South Africa. To this day, many San still live around the Kalahari Desert in the northwest, much as their ancestors did.

In the 1400s, European ships heading to the Far East began stopping on the South African coast for supplies. In 1652, the Netherlands established the southern city of Cape Town, and Dutch farmers, called Boers, began settling in the areas around the city.

In 1806, wars in Europe left the British in control of the Cape Town colony. In 1910, the British united four colonies in the region and created South Africa. They established laws that separated whites from black South Africans, a practice of segregation called apartheid, which led to decades of conflict.

In 1963, Nelson Mandela, the head of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, was given a life sentence in jail for "terrorist" activities. In 1990, after 27 years behind bars, Mandela was freed by President F.W. de Klerk, and in 1994, he was elected president of South Africa. That same year, apartheid was officially abolished.

Many different peoples make up South Africa, each with their own language and history. The country has 11 official languages, and many more unofficial languages. This colourful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname " rainbow nation ".

South Africans are passionate about music, often using song and dance to express social and political ideas. They're also known worldwide for their skill in sports, including rugby, cricket, golf and soccer. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup. Goal!

Credits

Map of South Africa: National Geographic Maps. Johannesburg skyline in South Africa: Luke Schmidt, Dreamstime. African penguins on Boulders Beach, Cape Town: Andrea Willmore, Dreamstime. All other pictures: Getty Images UK

What did you make of our facts about South Africa? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

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South Africa facts! - National Geographic Kids

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Facts about South Africa for kids: learn about South Africa, with facts about South African history, culture, wildlife and geography, and a map of South Africa.

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We have a good story to tell about the 20 years. South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994.

Education

Grade R enrolment has increased from 300 000 in 2003 to 705 000 in 2011 and is nearly reaching universal access.

The percentage of 0-4 year olds attending early childhood development (ECD) facilities ha s increased by 18,4 between 2007 and 2011.

The percentage of 5 year olds attending ECD facilities has increased by 24,6 between 2007 and 2011.

The adult literacy rate has been increasing steadily over the past 10 years. Illiteracy has decreased from 30.4 % in 1995 to 19.3% in 2011.

A total of 160 300 students graduated in 2011. This is up from 95 940 in 2001, and up from 144 852 in 2009.

A total of 45 841 students graduated in the fields of science, engineering and technology in 2011. This is up from 24 907 in 2001.

Health

More people with TB are being cured. The TB cure rate is increasing consistently, from 54% in 2000 to 73,1% in 2010.

Fewer children suffer from severe malnutrition. The number of children under five years with severe malnutrition has decreased from 88 971 in 2001 to 23 521 in 2011.

More children are immunised against diseases. The percentage of infants who has been immunised increased from 63 in 1998 to 90,8 in 2011.

There has been a steady decline in malaria cases in South Africa. Between 2000 and 2011, cases were reduced by 85% (from 64 622 cases to 9 866 respectively) and mortality by 81% (from 458 to 89 deaths respectively).

Our public healthcare system works. Patient satisfaction with public healthcare increased from 54% in 2009 to 61,9% in 2011.

South Africans are living longer with life expectancy having increased from 56,5 years to 60 years between 2009 and 2011.

HIV and AIDS -

The anti-retroviral treatment programme for HIV is delivered at more than 3 500 of South Africa's public health facilities.

More than 2.4 million children and adults take antiretroviral medication on a daily basis.

More than 1 million men and boys have been medically circumcised as part of the HIV prevention campaign.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been reduced to 2.7% at 6 weeks- from 8% in 2008.

20 million people tested for HIV over 20 months during the HCT campaign. They now know their HIV status and are empowered to take appropriate steps to maintain their health.

Growth, job creation and income

The value of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) is over 83% more than it was in 1993 at R3,2 trillion.

Over R600 billion in Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) transactions have been recorded since 1995.

The Expanded Public Works Programme created 941 593 work opportunities for the 2012/13 financial year (273 938 Full Time Equivalents), up from 550 000 work opportunities in 2009.

Our economy has grown by over 80% since 1993. National income per capita has increased by 40% in real terms.

Total employment has increased by more than 3.5 million.

Fixed investment increased from 15% of GDP in 1993 to an average of 20% over the past five years.

Rural development

Since 1994 government has redistributed 7,950 million hectares (or 30%) of the 2014 target to redistribute 24,5 million hectares of the country's arable land to the previously disadvantaged.

Since the inception of the restitution programme in 1995, 79 696 claims had been lodged and 77 334 had been settled.

Housing

South Africa has recorded a 50% growth in formal housing since 1994. An additional 5 677 614 formal homes were built over the 20 years.

The growth in formal housing has led to a shift in the number of people living in formal housing from 64% in 1996 to 77.7% in 2011.

By the end of the 2011/12 financial year government's investment in new housing totalled R62 billion.

Through the national subsidy scheme we have housed around 11 million people since 1994. We have built over 3 million houses in that period.

Access to water

Access to water infrastructure at Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) standards or higher stood at 95% in the 2010/11 period compared to just over 60% in 1994.

Households with access to free basic water increased by 300 000 households from 11.3 million in 2010/11 to 11.6 million households in 2011/2012.

Sanitation

Access to sanitation continues to improve, growing from 51% of households in 1994 to 83.4% of households in 2011/12.

Electricity

The number of households with access to electricity grew from about 52% in 1994 to 76.5% in 2011/2012.

Sources:

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South Africa is a much better place to live in now

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We have a good story to tell about the 20 years. South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994. Grade R enrolment has increased from 300 000 in 2003 to 705 000 in 2011 and is nearly reaching universal access.

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South Africa, often referred to as the "Rainbow Nation," is a country renowned for its diverse and vibrant cultural tapestry. From the historic struggle against apartheid to the natural wonders that dot the landscape, every facet of South Africa tells a unique story. In this article, we dive into the richness of South African culture, traditions, and customs that make it a captivating destination.

The Cultural Mosaic of South Africa

Diversity as a Strength

South African culture is a mosaic of influences, reflecting the country's history of colonization, migration, and resistance. The amalgamation of indigenous traditions with those of the Dutch, British, Indian, and Malay communities has given rise to a cultural landscape that is as diverse as it is fascinating.

A Nation's Journey

The narrative of South African culture is intricately woven with the threads of its tumultuous history. The struggle against apartheid, led by iconic figures like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, has left an indelible mark on the national identity. Today, South Africa stands as a testament to the triumph of human rights and reconciliation.

Cultural Customs and Traditions

Heritage Day Celebration

One of the ways South Africans celebrate their diverse cultural heritage is through Heritage Day, a public holiday. On this day, people from all walks of life proudly showcase their cultural traditions, whether through music, dance, or traditional attire. It's a vibrant expression of the "Rainbow Nation" ethos.

Languages of South Africa

With 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English, South Africa is a linguistic melting pot. Each language reflects the rich tapestry of the nation's history and the diversity of its people. Language is a cornerstone of cultural identity in this multicultural society.

Cultural Icons and World Heritage Sites

Robben Island

Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands as a poignant symbol of South Africa's struggle for freedom. This former prison, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were incarcerated, is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is not just a geological marvel but a cultural icon, one of the most famous Cape Town attractions. Its significance goes beyond its breathtaking beauty, as it holds spiritual importance for the indigenous Khoi-San people and is a beacon of pride for all South Africans.

Wildlife and Safari Culture

Kruger National Park

For a true immersion into South Africa's natural and cultural heritage, a visit to Kruger National Park is a must. This safari destination allows visitors to witness the majestic Big Five while appreciating the significance of conservation efforts.

Safari Holidays

The concept of a safari holiday is deeply embedded in South African culture. It is an opportunity for locals and tourists alike to connect with nature, experience the thrill of encountering wildlife in its natural habitat, and appreciate the importance of preserving the country's ecological balance.

Regional Influences and Culinary Delights

Cape Malay Cuisine

The Western Cape, influenced by the Cape Malay community, boasts a distinctive culinary tradition. Cape Malay cuisine, known for its aromatic spices and flavorful dishes, is a delightful fusion of Indonesian, Dutch, and African flavors.

Johannesburg Art Gallery

The Johannesburg Art Gallery, located in the heart of the city, showcases a vast collection of African art. From contemporary pieces to traditional masterpieces, the gallery reflects the dynamism of South Africa's artistic expression.

South African Customs Today

Rainbow Nation Today

Despite its painful history, South Africa has emerged as a model of multicultural coexistence. The "Rainbow Nation" moniker encapsulates the country's commitment to unity in diversity, promoting tolerance, and embracing differences.

Socio-Economic Landscape

South African culture is not static but dynamic, influenced by ongoing social and economic changes. Urbanization, globalization, and technological advancements contribute to the evolution of cultural norms and customs, especially in urban centers.

Sporting Spirit: A Thriving Sports Culture

Beyond its cultural and historical significance, South Africa pulses with a fervent sporting spirit that unites its people. Sports play a pivotal role in the nation's identity, fostering a sense of pride and camaraderie. Here, we explore the diverse sports culture of South Africa, where athleticism intertwines with the country's collective heartbeat.

Rugby: A National Passion

Rugby stands tall as one of South Africa's most cherished sports. The national rugby team, the Springboks, holds a special place in the hearts of millions. The sport has transcended racial boundaries, becoming a symbol of unity. The historic victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted by South Africa, is etched in the nation's memory. Nelson Mandela's presence at the final, donning the team's jersey, exemplified the unifying power of sports during a crucial period of the country's history.

Cricket: A Gentleman's Game with Global Impact

Cricket, often dubbed a "gentleman's game," has a massive following in South Africa. The national cricket team, known as the Proteas, competes on the international stage, showcasing the country's cricketing prowess. Hosting and winning the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996 marked a significant milestone, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's cricketing legacy.

Football, or soccer, holds a special place in the hearts of South Africans. The country's Premier Soccer League (PSL) is a testament to the sport's popularity. While the national football team, Bafana Bafana, has faced its share of challenges, it continues to inspire the next generation of football enthusiasts. South Africa's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a historic moment, welcoming the world with open arms and showcasing the country's ability to host major international events.

Athletics: A Showcase of Talent

South Africa has produced remarkable athletes who have made their mark on the world stage. From sprinter Wayde van Niekerk's stunning world record in the 400 meters to the dominance of long-distance runner Caster Semenya, the nation's athletes exemplify determination and excellence. The sporting arenas of South Africa echo with cheers as athletes compete not only for personal triumphs but to make their country proud on the global stage.

Adventure Sports: Embracing the Outdoors

The diverse landscapes of South Africa offer a playground for adventure sports enthusiasts. From surfing along the coastal waves of Durban to conquering the heights of Table Mountain through rock climbing, the country invites adrenaline seekers to explore its natural wonders. The sporting culture extends beyond traditional fields and stadiums, encouraging outdoor pursuits that celebrate the beauty of the land.

5 Must-Try South African Dishes

As you travel South Africa, go on a flavorful adventure through the vibrant food scene. From savory to sweet, South African cuisine is a tantalizing fusion of influences, reflecting the nation's rich history and cultural diversity. Here are five must-try dishes that will undoubtedly leave your taste buds craving for more:

1. Braai: The South African Barbecue Tradition

A quintessential South African experience, the "braai" is more than just a barbecue; it's a cultural institution. From succulent boerewors (sausages) to perfectly grilled steaks, the aroma of a braai is an invitation to indulge in the art of outdoor cooking. Join locals around the fire, savoring the smoky goodness and the camaraderie it brings.

2. Bunny Chow: A Spicy Street Food Delight

Originating from the Indian community in Durban, Bunny Chow is a uniquely South African street food. This dish involves hollowing out a loaf of bread and filling it with curry, creating a portable and delicious meal. Bunny Chow is a spicy and satisfying treat whether you opt for chicken, mutton, or vegetarian options.

3. Bobotie: A Taste of Cape Malay Heritage

Dive into the Cape Malay culinary tradition with Bobotie, a savory baked dish featuring spiced minced meat topped with an egg-based topping. The aromatic blend of curry, turmeric, and other spices creates a delightful harmony of flavors. Bobotie is a dish that embodies the multicultural tapestry of South African cuisine.

4. Boerewors Roll: A Street Food Classic

For a quick and tasty snack, indulge in a Boerewors Roll. This dish is a popular street food featuring a grilled boerewors sausage served in a roll with various condiments like chutney, mustard, and onions. It's a convenient yet flavorful option, perfect for satisfying your hunger on the go.

5. Malva Pudding: A Sweet Finale

End your South African culinary journey on a sweet note with Malva Pudding. This warm, sticky dessert, often served with custard or ice cream, is a heavenly combination of spongy cake and sweet, syrupy goodness. Its rich and indulgent taste makes it a beloved treat for those with a sweet tooth.

Connecting Cultures with Maya Mobile

As you embark on your journey to explore the richness of South African culture, Maya Mobile ensures you stay connected every step of the way. Our eSIM technology provides a seamless mobile data experience, allowing you to capture and share the vibrant cultural tapestry of this extraordinary destination.

South Africa's culture is a living testament to resilience, diversity, and the human spirit's triumph over adversity. It's a journey through time, a celebration of heritage, and an invitation to experience the warmth and vibrancy of a nation that proudly stands as a beacon of cultural richness in the southern reaches of the African continent.

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Exploring the Richness of South African Culture - Maya Mobile

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Dive into South African culture. Learn about its diverse heritage, traditions, and arts. A journey into the heart of South Africa awaits. Learn more!

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African National Congress (ANC) supporters listen to an address by Nelson Mandela in March 1994 [File: Walter Dhladhla/AFP]

Three decades ago, on April 27, 1994, after centuries of white rule, Black South Africans voted in general elections for the first time. This marked the official end of apartheid rule, cemented days later when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the country's first Black president.

Since the arrival of Dutch settlers in the 1600s and British colonists in the 1700s and 1800s, South Africa had been a project that subjected Black people to systematically segregationist laws and practices.

Keep reading

But it was the adoption of apartheid in 1948 that codified and formalised these racist practices into law. It strictly separated people into separate classes based on their skin colour, putting the white minority in the highest class, with all others, including Black, Indigenous, multi-race people, and descendants of indentured Indian workers, below them.

South Africa's road to freedom was long and bloody - laden with the bodies of thousands of Black activists and students who dared to protest, both loudly and quietly.

The wounds of those times are still painful and visible. Black South Africans make up 81 percent of the 60 million population. But, burdened with the trauma and lingering inequalities of the past, Black communities continue to be disproportionately afflicted with poverty.

Here's how apartheid unfolded, how it collapsed, and what has since changed in South Africa:

What was apartheid?

The Afrikaner National Party (NP) government formally codified apartheid as government policy in South Africa in 1948.

Translated from Afrikaans - a language first spoken by Dutch and German settlers - apartheid means "apart-hood" or "separateness", and its name embodied the ways the ruling white minority sought to separate itself from, and rule over, non-white people socially and spatially.

The policies rigidly and forcefully separated South Africa's diverse racial groups into strata: White, Coloured (multiracial), Indian, and Black. These groups had to live and develop separately - and grossly unequally - such that although they lived in the same country, it was largely impossible for any one group to mix with another.

The rules were debilitating particularly for the Black majority who were relegated to the bottom rung. Laws limited their movement and squeezed them into small sections of land. The places they were allowed to inhabit were generally impoverished and included designated "Bantustans" (rural homelands) or townships on the outskirts of cities - settlements largely built out of ramshackle corrugated iron homes that were unplanned, overcrowded and had few to no amenities.

Meanwhile, the minority white population reaped the benefits of a gold-and-diamond-powered economy and flagrantly underpaid non-white labour as it kept the lion's share of land, resources and amenities for themselves.

Apartheid also affected Indians, at first brought into South Africa as indentured labourers and later as traders, and multiracial people, called the Coloured community, who faced segregation and discrimination but to a lesser degree than Black Africans.

What were the apartheid laws?

Apartheid was enforced through a system of strict laws that kept everything in its place. There were "Grand" laws dictating housing and employment allocations, and "Petty" laws dealing with rules of everyday life, like the racial separations in public amenities.

Some of the most important laws were:

Where people lived: The Group Areas Act - People were legally segregated based on race and allocated separate areas to live and work in. The law relegated nonwhite groups further away from developed urban cities. Black people, in particular, were housed in under-resourced fringe townships far from the centre. From the late 1950s, some 3.5 million Black South Africans were forced to relocate from urban areas, and some 70 percent of the population was squeezed into 13 percent of the country's most unproductive land. Those who opposed the laws and refused to move had their homes forcibly demolished and were sometimes arrested and imprisoned. Black people, specifically men, who worked in cities as a source of cheap labour were required to carry "pass books" that dictated which white areas they were allowed to be in and for how long. Under the Separate Amenities Laws, public transport, parks, beaches, theatres, restaurants, and other amenities were segregated racially. Signs stating "Whites Only" and "Natives" were commonplace.

What people learned: The Bantu Education Act - Apartheid laws stipulated the segregation of schools, including setting a different standard of education for different races. White schools were the best resourced, Coloured and Indian schools in the middle, while Black Africans were intentionally given an inferior education, specifically meant to ready them for manual labour and more menial jobs. A later law also segregated tertiary education. Some universities allowed non-white students to study but only to a limited degree, as apartheid officials sought to intentionally underskill the population. Government spending on white institutions was far higher than those catering to other groups.

Who people could marry: The Immorality Laws - While intermarriages between white and Black people were already illegal under a 1927 law, a revised version (PDF) criminalised marriage and intimate relationships between white people and all other groups. The penalty was up to five years imprisonment. Thousands of people were arrested for this during apartheid, with nearly 20,000 prosecuted.

Why did apartheid end?

Apartheid came to an end out of the need for the white minority to sustain itself, not because of a change of heart, noted Thula Simpson, a historian of apartheid at the University of Pretoria.

"There was nothing benevolent or voluntary about the retreat of the white government," he told Al Jazeera. "It was because there was an internal criticism of apartheid, and people were basically saying, 'In order to maintain white supremacy, you must maintain white survival.'"

Before apartheid finally yielded, it was placed under tremendous pressure, including by growing resistance among Black South Africans. Political groups like the African National Congress (ANC) led by Nelson Mandela, and the Pan African Congress (PAC), roused the population, instigating protests, peaceful and violent. These movements triggered deadly crackdowns by the apartheid government.

When, on March 21,1960, apartheid police officers opened fire on some 7,000 Black people protesting pass laws, killing 69 people and injuring 180 others in what is now known as the Sharpeville Massacre, the world noticed. International uproar and condemnation from the United Nations followed, even as Mandela was imprisoned and the ANC liberation movement and others like it were banned by the apartheid government.

The 1976 killing of hundreds of Soweto pupils protesting the compulsory use of Afrikaans in Black schools also drew a similar global reaction. June 16 still marks the African Union's "Day of the African Child," in remembrance of those killed in the Soweto Uprising.

Increasingly, South Africa became isolated as it was slapped with economic sanctions, starting with a trade ban from Jamaica in 1959. The country was banned from sporting events, as well. By the 1990s, President FW de Klerk was forced to release Mandela and start negotiations for a democratic transition.

What's changed since apartheid?

Legally and politically, much has changed in South Africa, with people of all races now free and equal under the law. Anyone is technically able to live, work and study anywhere, and people are free to interact and marry across colour lines. Black South Africans have democratically governed through the ANC for the past 30 years, compared with during apartheid when it was illegal for a Black person to even vote.

However, despite the significant gains, the legacy of apartheid is still present economically and spatially, which has contributed to South Africa being one of the least equal countries in the world.

Economy

Although South Africa's economy grew with the end of apartheid and international sanctions, Black South Africans households continue to receive only a small share.

In the first decade after apartheid, the ANC-led South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) went from $153bn in 1994 to $458bn in 2011, according to the World Bank.

However, a cocktail of corruption and government inefficiency has seen economic growth taper off, with gross debt rising from 23.6 percent of GDP in 2008 to 71.1 percent in 2022, according to researchers at Harvard ( PDF).

While infrastructure quality has declined in general - partly due to the crumbling of the coal-powered electricity system that provided cheap power for production - it is exacerbating the historical inequalities Black communities face, experts said.

"The whole network has not been maintained so now the collapse is spreading out [even] to areas where it was not the norm," Simpson of Pretoria University said, referencing South Africa's recent, but frequent power and water cuts. "That impacts first and foremost the poor people," he added.

In 2022, the World Bank classified ( PDF) South Africa as the most unequal country in the world, and listed race, the legacy of apartheid, a missing middle class and highly unequal land ownership, as the major drivers. About 10 percent of the population controls 80 percent of the wealth, its report said.

Researchers from Spain's Universidad de Vigo in 2014 found ( PDF) that the average monthly income of Black South African households was 10,554 rand ($552), compared with 117,249 rand ($6,138) in white households.

In 2017, a government survey tracking household expenditure echoed those findings, stating that nearly half of all Black-headed households were spending the least while only 11 percent were in the highest spending category.

Economic woes have added pressure on the ANC, which is predicted to lose a parliamentary majority in the upcoming May elections for the first time since 1994. Simpson said a divide between older voters who witnessed the ANC's struggle to end apartheid and younger people who do not have an attachment to the party has widened.

Education and skilled employment

After apartheid collapsed, historically white schools with good amenities and qualified teachers were desegregated and drew ambitious parents from Black communities, where government schools were poorly funded and lacked amenities like toilets - conditions that have persisted. According to a 2020 Amnesty International report, out of 23,471 public schools, 20,071 had no laboratory, 18,019 had no library, and 16,897 had no internet.

However, there is persistent trouble with transport to these formerly white-only schools for pupils from low-income and rural communities as these areas remain far apart and are not easily accessible. Pupils have also complained of racism in the formerly segregated white schools.

Meanwhile, general unemployment in South Africa is at more than 33 percent - one of the world's highest. Nearly 40 percent of Black South Africans were unemployed in the first three months of 2023, while that rate was 7.5 percent among white people, according to government figures ( PDF).

Where Black people make up 80 percent of the employable population ( PDF) and account for 16.9 percent of top management jobs, white people who comprise about 8 percent of the employable population hold 62.9 percent of top management jobs.

A new law aimed at seeing more Black people employed - the Employment Equity Amendment Bill of 2020 - was signed last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, but it sparked debate, with South Africa's main opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) saying the law prescribes "race quotas" for companies and would cause other groups to lose jobs.

Housing

Although Black South Africans are no longer confined to rural, fringe townships - and people of colour spread out to urban areas across the country at the end of white minority rule - many still live in settlements with limited amenities.

In the once-majority-white Cape Town, for example, the population of Black South Africans increased from 25 percent in 1996 to 43 percent in 2016, according to the Center for Sustainable Cities ( PDF).

"There's been a massive redistribution of the population and whites have moved to the suburbs or outside the country," Simpson said. "It has created the opportunity for Black South Africans to move closer to business districts."

But, the historian added, "the townships remain the areas that have not been de-racialised."

In some parts, small buffers separate Black townships from high-income neighbourhoods, providing starkly visible differences in satellite images. For example, a quick Google Maps tour will reveal the beautiful Strand, a seaside community in the Western Cape province that boasts of big homes with large, well-tended yards, and clean streets. Just beside it though, the Nomzamo township stands, with tinier homes and streets littered with refuse.

Raesetje Sefala, a researcher at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), said her organisation has observed that townships are still expanding. "They continue to resemble their appearance during the apartheid era, indicating that similar small land sizes are still being allocated," she told Al Jazeera.

Sefala said the South African government now groups townships together with well-serviced suburbs as "formal residential neighbourhoods", which makes it difficult for researchers to track the actual improvements in quality of life since the end of apartheid.

However, as someone who comes from a township, "I can attest to the extent of the poor service delivery," she added.

Government reforms have sought to provide subsidised homes for low-income earners, with some four million homes ( PDF) delivered since 1994 according to the South Africa Human Rights Commission. But some of those policies have meant houses are located far from economic centres, inadvertently recreating the same apartheid dynamic, some researchers have said.

Besides, there is a national backlog of some 2.3 million households and individuals still waiting for a home since 1994.

Meanwhile, rural homelands, where Black people were once forced to reside, continue to be at a disadvantage. For one, they experience extremely low employment rates: Although some 29 percent of South Africa's population lives there, employment rates are roughly half of what they are in all other parts of the country according to Harvard researchers. Experts have blamed the government's failures to expand connecting infrastructure like transport, technology, and know-how to these historically excluded places.

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April 27, 1994: What has changed in South Africa 30 years after apartheid?

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Big socio-political gains have followed apartheid but the legacy of racism and segregation is still starkly visible.

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Today I sat next to Sibosisu. He is forty years old, just like me, he is South African by birth, just like me but he is black and I am white. He was my guide around Johannesburg, the city I once called home. We sat, side by side in the Apartheid Museum, watching a short movie which chronicled the struggle of the anti-apartheid movement between the 1980′s and the early 1990′s. His and my childhood/teenage years.

Sibosisu grew up with a passbook, in a homeland, in a hut without running water or electricity. I grew up in a white-only town, strapped to the back of my nanny as a baby whilst she cleaned our home. I vividly remember my mother taking her each day to the train station before curfew so she could travel the hour journey back to her township home. It was all so normal. There were just white children in my school, I didn't know any black children at all. The news on TV was always scary, a mass of black people Toi-Toing in revolt, coming to get us, but it was far away, a place I never went to. I always had a genuine fear of strangers who were black people and of the police. I remember once, whilst driving in my mother's car getting stuck on a remote road. The spark plugs had got wet after driving through a puddle, a white policeman came to assist and I was inconsolable with fear.

Nowadays it's a difficult concept to grasp, there I was, riding ponies, watching television, going to school, enjoying holidays and playing whilst the world around me burned. It was all very well for the megastars of the day to sing emphatically about the plight of the black people in South Africa but I never heard it, we lived in a bubble of sanctions, music, news, history lessons were duly filtered. In a way, I think sanctions fed the bubble. I was not old enough to understand and too young for university where I may have got a better idea. It reminds me of those simulated suburban towns built-in nuclear blast zones containing everything you can think of, an unreal existence.

I worked for the Red Cross, they staffed township hospitals during the riots and work stoppages. I slowly started to get an idea of a world that was wrong. I watched Mandela walk free and met some black people on a personal level, I learned to speak some Zulu, I stood in line in 1994 and voted, side by side for a democratic South Africa. In my mind, the equilibrium started to be restored. However I didn't struggle in any way, Sibosisu rioted in Johannesburg and lost eight friends. We were exactly the same age but at the end of two extremes, each on the side of a fence which we didn't build. He confided today that if he were to be reborn, he would like to be a white person. How can I not feel guilty? I don't like guilt, I feel it is a wasted emotion.

The white population in South Africa made up just 9 percent of the population, why did it take so long for me to see? How did 9 percent manage to keep the 80 percent from me? If you had said to me 20 years ago that I would walk through Soweto, I would have told you to get real, no one did that, it was just unthinkable. Well, today Sibosisu and I sat on a bench, both 40 years old, both South African.

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South Africa - Then and Now - Steppes Travel

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Today I sat next to Sibosisu. He is forty years old, just like me, he is South African by birth, just like me but he is black and I am white. He was my

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Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of Australia including Captain James Cook, early settlers, British penal colony, independence, and recent events.

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Australia is a democracy, which means that its citizens vote at elections for the people who govern them. Australia is also a constitutional monarchy. A monarchy means that the Head of State is a monarch (king or queen) - in Australia's case, the monarch of the United Kingdom.

A monarch is not elected, but inherits the position from either their father or mother. Although the monarch is the Head of State, their powers are limited by what is written in the Constitution.

What is the Constitution?

A constitution is a set of principles about how a nation or organisation will be governed. The Australian Constitution sets out rules of how Parliament acts, what law- making powers it has, and the responsibilities of Federal and State governments. It establishes how the Houses of Parliament-the Senate and House of Representatives-are formed, the length of terms of office of those elected, and how elections are called.
A change to the Constitution can only be made when it passes a referendum, which is a special election when all Australian citizens vote yes or no to a proposed change.

Read more about the Australian Constitution:
https://www.peo.gov.au/learning/closer-look/the-australian-constitution.html There are three levels of government in Australia: Commonwealth, State and Local.
The Commonwealth Government

The Queen is the Head of State of Australia

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Australia is a democracy, which means that its citizens vote at elections for the people who govern them. Australia is also a constitutional monarchy. A monarchy means that the Head of State is a monarch (king or queen) - in Australia's case, the monarch of the United Kingdom.

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Education is the most powerful way a child can grow to shape a better future. Click here to learn how you can help UNICEF Australia make a difference.

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IBISWorld - Industry Market Research, Reports, and Statistics

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Expert industry market research to help you make better business decisions, faster. Industry market research reports, statistics, analysis, data, trends and forecasts.

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Australia received more than 7 million visitors in 2017.

Australia is the second largest economy in the entire world regarding wealth owned per every adult after Switzerland. Australia has a mixed market economy, and it is the largest mixed market economy having a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around A$1.69 trillion. A mixed market economy is defined as the type of economy in which both the private and public sector share the means of production; it is also sometimes referred to as the dual economy. Various industries in Australia have played a major role in ensuring that the economy of this great nation remains constant and at the top. There are several major industries in Australia as discussed below.

Service Industry

Service industry comprises over 70% of the GDP. It dominates the economy, which employs over 79% of the labor force. An indicator of this sector's diversity employment ranges from high pay to low pay; the part time full time and little skill, semi-skill and low skill and also hold one of the most educated, multi-lingual and multi-cultural workforces globally. The industry also engages tourism, media and entertainment, healthcare, logistics, education, and finance sectors as described below.

Tourism

Australia is one of the most desirable travel destinations because of its beautiful natural landscape, coastal areas, red deserts, and rainforests. More than 7 million visitors came to Australia in 2017 attracted by beautiful sandy beaches, unique flora and fauna, the hospitality of the people and world-class food and wine. All this adds 38 billion AUD to the economy employing approximately one million people. The high number of tourists comes from China, Singapore, Japan, Great Britain and the United States.

Healthcare

Healthcare is Australia's fourth most significant contributor to the GDP and was ranked the second-best healthcare system in the world, according to commonwealth fund's 2017 report. Currently, 13 percent of the workforce is employed in the industry and is projected to increase to 15 percent by the year 2020. Furthermore, 160,000 other full-time jobs will be added with the launching of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). With the world-class medical research and healthcare infrastructure, Australia is regarded as one of the best places to conduct clinical trials and medical investigations.

Media and Entertainment

Media and entertainment industry accounts for $29.1 billion that is comprised of $17 billion in direct output. Seven percent of it is generated online, and $25.1 by offline media, which captures value added created by capital inputs and labor of about 45,000 full-time equivalent workers, are employed directly in the industry. Advertising is estimated to contribute $40 billion to the economy.

Finance

With a sophisticated modern financial sector, Australian Strong economic performance and experience makes Australia a preferred place to do business and a global commercial hub. In 2015, World Bank ranked Australia the fastest place to start a business. This business service sector is worth 1.7 trillion AUD and adds up to 11 percent of the national GDP equivalent to 118 billion AUD, which has attracted investors from within the country, Asia, and from all over the world.

Mining

Mining is a driving force for the exploration of remote Australian lands and industrial advancement with more than 120 billion AUD currently invested in new projects. GDP from mining increased to 26 billion AUD in the first quarter of 2018 from 24 billion AUD in the fourth quarter of 2017. The sector is maximizing on the plentiful of natural resources that are in exploration, extraction, and processing like coal, mineral sand, gold, copper, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, nickel, lead, zinc, diamonds, and natural gas. Australia is the world's largest miners of bauxite, iron ore, lead, and zinc, which generates earnings of about 245 billion AUD in exports earnings. The mining industry has over six hundred publicly traded companies.

Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry currently contributes to 6 percent of the GDP, exports 96 billion AUD worth of goods, and employs 860,000 people. Big companies like Boeing and General Electric are significant investors in this crucial industry. Although from 2008 to 2014, the industries output had declined by 13%, the sector stabilized and remained most significant. In the past year, data from Bureau of Statistics indicate that 40,000 new manufacturing jobs have been created. The manufactured goods sold to international markets have also grown dramatically.

Agriculture

The agricultural sector accounts for three percent of Australian GDP at the farm and twelve percent if value addition through processing is done beyond the farm. In 2017, agriculture contributed to 0.5% increase of the total 1.9% increase in the GDP. It has employed over 300,000 people and covered 60% of the land mass. Generally, over $50 billion and about 60% of the farms' produce is exported annually making 14% of the total export. The products exported by this nation include horticultural products such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Viticulture and wine production is also a boost to the agricultural industry as it is 30% of the sector and 7000 winegrower's vineyard covers 40,000 hackers. In 2017, 1.98 million tons of wine grapes were crushed in approximately 2500 wineries that employ 173,000 full time and part-time employees.

Trade

Trade is another significant sector in Australia. The leading country that does business with Australia is China ($155 billion), the United States ($64 billion), Japan ($61 billion), South Korea ($32 billion), the United Kingdom ($29 billion), and also with New Zealand and Singapore. The primary products are minerals including gold, natural gas, and iron ore as well as agricultural goods and products like beef, wool, wine, sugar, and chickpeas. The other important export is services like education as hundreds of thousands of international students go to Australia to get tertiary education. Australia spends the most significant import on travels and tourism ($29 billion) followed by motor vehicles ($21 billion), telecommunications equipment ($12 billion), international freight ($9 billion), and refined petroleum ($15 billion). The Australian government also has bilateral free trade agreement deals with the United States, the ASEAN nations, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Chile, Malaysia, Korea, China, and Japan. It is also a signatory of Trans-Pacific Partnership and pacific agreement on closer economic relations with 14 island nations.

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What Are The Biggest Industries In Australia?

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The manufacturing industry contributes significantly to the GDP of Australia.

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Tourism in Australia is an important part of the Australian economy, and comprises domestic and international visitors. Australia is the fortieth most visited country in the world according to the World Tourism Organization. In the financial year 2018/19, tourism was Australia's fourth-largest export and over the previous decade was growing faster than national GDP growth. At the time it represented 3.1% of Australia's GDP contributing A$60.8 billion to the national economy.

In the calendar year up to December 2019, there were 8.7 million international visitors in Australia. Tourism employed 666,000 people in Australia in 2018-19, 1 in 21 jobs across the workforce. About 48% of people employed in tourism were full-time and 54% female Tourism also contributed 8.2% of Australia's total export earnings in 2018-19.

Popular Australian destinations include the coastal cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, as well as other high-profile destinations including regional Queensland, the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest reef. Other popular locations include Uluru, the Australian outback and the Tasmanian wilderness. The unique Australian wildlife is also another significant point of interest in the country's tourism.

Despite the global economic challenges and natural disasters in 2010-2011, Australia's tourism growth was supported by increased consumption (up 4.4% over the last few years, largely due to an increase in the number of international visitors). On the back of a strong Australian dollar, 2010-11 also saw a record 7.4 million short-term resident departures from Australia, an increase of 9.9% from 2009-10. Consumption by domestic tourists grew at less than half the pace of international tourists in 2010-11 (up 2.1% compared to 4.4%).

The Australian Government released the 2020 Tourism Industry Potential on 15 November 2010, which estimated the Australian tourism industry to be worth up to $140 billion in overnight expenditure. This growth will largely be due to key emerging markets, including China, which is estimated to be the largest economic contributor to Australian tourism by 2020. The number of Chinese visitors has more than doubled from 2006 to 2012 reaching a peak of 626,400 in 2012 and surpassing for the first time the number of arrivals from the United Kingdom. In 2013, China was Australia's fastest growing tourist market. By 2017 China surpassed New Zealand as the top source of visitors to Australia, and in 2019 Chinese visitors reached a peak of over 1.4 million and had contributed about A$12 billion to the Australian economy. According to Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy, the Chinese are the highest spending visitors to the country.

Monthly short term visitor arrivals into Australia since 1976

Monthly long term visitor arrivals into Australia since 1976

Main page: Visa policy of Australia

All visitors to Australia, apart from New Zealanders, require an Australian visa to enter the country. For most countries, a full visa is required. Passport holders of all European Union countries as well as all Schengen Area countries and European microstates can apply online for an eVisitor authorisation. Citizens of some OECD and some East Asian countries can apply for the similar Electronic Travel Authority authorisation.

From the colonial days, the idea of travel has been more natural to Australians than to people long-established at one from their homes, was prone to continue their search for wealth or security for a while, or, having settled down, to return to the old countries to visit their kin and refresh old memories. The opening of new lands, the establishment of industries and towns, and the consequent dispersal of people over Australia created a habit of mobility and enterprise which encouraged Australians to face the hardships of early travel by coach, on horseback or by ship. Even so, the slow and uncomfortable modes of travel and the vast distances separating Australian towns tended to restrict travel to essential journeys for purposes of trade, to pursue an occupation or to settle. This changed somewhat with the advent of rail travel.

The initial emphasis in tourism for purposes of pleasure was strongest on travel to resorts near the main population centres. These included the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and the hill and coast resorts close to Melbourne and other major Victorian cities. The existing railway services radiating from those cities, together with the 'feeder' horse-drawn, and later motor, coach transport connecting with the railways, rendered the State Government railway tourist bureaux the main means for selling intrastate, and even some interstate, travel.

Travel for all purposes increased steadily after the Second World War. This period saw the establishment of the Australian National Travel Association with bureaux in the UK and USA. The organisation received government funding on top of industry contributions and promoted the country 'vigorously' via a poster campaign, and from 1934-1974 via Walkabout magazine. From August 1946, Walkabout also doubled as the official journal of the newly formed Australian Geographical Society (AGS), founded with a £5,000 grant from ANTA, its banner subscript reading 'Journal of the Australian Geographical Society. This role is now filled by Australian Geographic magazine. Later it became 'Australia's Way of Life Magazine' when supported by the Australian National Publicity Association and later the Australian Tourist Commission.

Tourism traffic continued to be mainly by rail, but also by sea, although the family motor era began in the 1930s to participate in the shorter intrastate traffic. A considerable fleet of passenger ships provided frequent and popular services linking most ports between Fremantle and Cairns. Other services linked Sydney and Melbourne with Tasmanian ports. The winter cruise of those days to Queensland ports could be regarded as the equivalent of today's drive or flight north for a winter holiday at the Gold Coast or a Barrier Reef Island, or today's shorter South Pacific cruises. The first cruises from Australia to New Zealand were organised in the summer of 1934-35, and Australians were travelling to Britain for as low as $78 in tourist class in the years immediately preceding the Second World War.

In the period following the Second World War the advent of new and improved methods of transportation, combined with rising standards of living and the energetic publicising of foreign destinations, developed international travel into a mass movement. New ocean liners shortened travelling time considerably, and travel by car and bus increased in many countries. Most of all, air travel became widely available, faster, safer, and cheaper. The beginning of the Jet Age in 1960, with larger aeroplanes carrying more than 100 passengers at speeds approximating 600 miles per hour, diminished the world by half in terms of time. Rising standards of living in the post-war period led to greater expenditure on tourism, thus making it more important to the national economy.

Australia has shared in this worldwide expansion of travel, particularly in respect of its domestic tourism. Because of the marked increase in incomes and private car ownership among large sections of the population, greater leisure time, three weeks of paid annual holidays (introduced first in New South Wales in 1958) and the introduction of long-service leave, thousands of Australians now travel by road into almost every part of the country. This has led to investment in the development of new and improved facilities, especially accommodation, of new resorts at dispersed points around Australia, and modifications in organisation and methods of tourist administration, development and promotion. These activities, in turn, have had an important influence on matters such as the improvement of highways and the opening up of national parks and foreshores.

A White Paper was produced analysing the tourist industry in Australia in 2003. A Tourism 2020 strategy was produced and implemented.

Prior to the COVID-19 and 5 major variants, domestic tourism was and continues to be a significant part of the tourism industry, representing 73% of the total direct tourism GDP and has taken on an even greater role. However, in 2021 during the pandemic, Australians travelled intrastate and also interstate when borders were open. From November 2021, borders for Australia were opened and fully vaccinated Australians were permitted to fly overseas without exemption, although the range of countries was added to Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and other countries in December with citizens from Japan and South Korea allowed to enter the country, from 1 December 2021. Following the significant consultation on the replacement Tourism 2030 strategy, its launch was interrupted by COVID-19 leading to the Government Commissioning an Expert Panel led by the former Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson to provide recommendations.

Eventually, the updated Tourism 2030 document titled THRIVE (THe Re-Imagined Visitor Economy) 2030 strategy was finalised and published in March 2022. The document was updated to reflect the new Government's initiatives and policy priorities as well as industry actions and State and Territory support statements and launched on 17 March 2023.

Organizations

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission has tourism policy and programs responsibility in the Australian Government with Tourism Australia responsible for marketing Australia. State and territory government jurisdictions have tourism policy departments and/or tourism marketing authorities along with regional tourism organisations. The industry has a wide range of stakeholder bodies including the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC), which includes promotion of the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program, the Australian Tourism Awards and Star Ratings Australia; the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tourism Chamber, and the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).

Australia's international tourism campaigns have focused on Australia's laid back style, such as the 1980s advertising campaign featuring actor Paul Hogan telling American tourists "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you".

Tourism Australia's "No Leave No Life" campaign was launched in March 2009 by the Federal Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Martin Ferguson AM MP. This campaign was designed to remind employees of the personal and professional benefits of taking annual leave, and of taking that leave in Australia. On 30 June 2009, there were 126 million days of stockpiled annual leave in the Australian economy. At the end of the June 2010 quarter, this number had decreased to 117 million days, following falls in the preceding three quarters.

Tourism Australia's consumer campaign "There's Nothing Like Australia" invited Australians to share their favourite Australian place or experience with the world. The campaign is based on research conducted by Tourism Australia that showed Australians were eager to get involved in promoting their country. It was developed to involve Australians because they are the experts on what makes Australia unlike anywhere else. The core message, that "There's Nothing Like Australia" was designed for longevity through different mediums, audiences and activities.

Types of tourists

Tourists by country

International tourists

In 2019, the majority of international visitors to Australia were from China, New Zealand, the United States and the UK, with visitors from China and the United States growing substantially from the early 2000s.

Growth in tourism in 2019 was led by education and holiday travel. Education visitors were up 5% to 586,000, with spending increasing by 8% to a record $12.7 billion. Holiday visitors were up 4% to almost 4 million, with spending growing by 6% to $16.9 billion.

Backpackers

Australia is popular for people engaging in backpacker tourism, mostly young people from Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, United States and Western European countries (particularly the UK, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic countries). Spending more time in Australia, these travellers tend to explore considerably more of the country. Many backpackers participate in working holidays enabling them to stay longer in the country. Working holiday visas for Australia are available for those aged 18 to 30 for most citizens from Western Europe, Canada, the United States, and some developed East Asian nations such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

Domestic tourism

The domestic tourism market is estimated at $63 billion. In 2009, the Australian domestic market experienced a 10% slump in the number of visitor nights. Domestic tourism in general and in particular free caravan and camping sites for overnight accommodation experienced strong demand in 2012.

Australians are big domestic travellers, with a profusion of seaside resort towns in every state (many located on or near good surfing beaches), mountain retreats, plentiful national parks, rivers, fishing locations, wine growing regions, as well as domestic visitation of the major tourist spots. Domestic tourism peaks during the Australian school holidays.

In 2011, a leading Australian travel agent warned that low-cost carriers such as AirAsia and Jetstar who offered cheap packages to Asia threatened the domestic tourism market.

Country / Region

Description

Australia (Domestic)

For the year ended 31 December 2009, the total economic value of domestic tourism measured $63.3 billion, with 66.1 million overnight trips taken in Australia by Australian residents aged 15 years and over.

United States

There was $2.126 billion in total expenditure from the United States in 2010. The tourism industry potential estimates that the United States market has the potential to grow to between $4.530 billion and $5.519 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

Canada

Canada was Australia's twelfth largest inbound market for total expenditure in 2010, with $700 million spent on trips to Australia.

Brazil

46,400 tourists from Brazil visited Australia in 2014-2015, an increase in 19% from the year prior.

China

There was $3.26 billion in total expenditure from the China market in 2010. The tourism industry potential estimates that China has the potential to grow to between $7.406 billion and $9.022 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

India

There was $0.826 billion in total expenditure from the Indian market in 2010. In 2019 the expenditure was $1.8 billion, up 68%. The tourism industry potential estimates that India has the potential to grow to between $1.854 billion and $2.258 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong was Australia's eleventh largest inbound market for total expenditure in 2010, with $0.808 billion spent on trips to Australia.

United Kingdom

There was $3.184 billion in total expenditure from the United Kingdom in 2010. The tourism industry potential estimates that the United Kingdom market has the potential to grow to between $5.479 billion and $6.675 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

Netherlands

The total inbound economic value of the Netherlands market was $300 million in 2008/09 which was a three per cent increase in the previous year.

Germany

There was $0.910 billion in total expenditure from Germany in 2010. The tourism industry potential estimates that Germany has the potential to grow to between $1.902 billion and $2.316 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

Switzerland

Australia received a total of 53,600 visitors from Switzerland in 2014/2015. The total inbound economic value was $270 million which was one per cent less than the previous year.

France

There was $0.561 billion in total expenditure from France in 2010. The tourism industry potential estimates that the France market has the potential to grow to between $1.153 billion and $1.405 billion in total expenditure by 2020.

Ireland

Australia received a total of 64,420 visitors from Ireland in 2008/09, a decrease of 1 per cent compared to the previous year. The total inbound economic value increased 3 per cent to A$479 million in 2008/09.

Spain

Despite a strong increase in October visitor arrivals, total arrivals year to date (YTD) continue to be well below last year and Spain continues to be one of the hardest-hit European markets.

Italy

There were 73,200 visitor arrivals from Italy in 2014-2015.

Major attractions

Destinations

Hervey Bay is a popular tourist town with ample opportunities for whale watching, although there are plenty of other places along the Australian coastline to see whales.

Fraser Island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1840 km ². It is also Queensland's largest island and has been inhabited by humans for as much as 5,000 years. The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. The island can be reached by a ferry from River Heads (South of Hervey Bay) to Kingfisher Bay and Wanggoolba Creek or Inskip Point to the north of Rainbow Beach to Hook Point, or by chartered flight from Maroochydore Airport.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef attracts up to two million visitors every year. Careful management, which includes permits for camping and all commercial marine tourism within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, has so far ensured that tourists have a very minimal impact on the reef. Uluru, Kakadu National Park and Fraser Island are major natural attractions. Uluru won the 2013 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards and was named Australia's best major tourist attraction.

In December 2013, Greg Hunt, the Australian environment minister, approved a plan for dredging to create three shipping terminals as part of the construction of a coal port. According to corresponding approval documents, the process will create around 3 million cubic metres of dredged seabed that will be dumped within the Great Barrier Reef marine park area.

Sydney Opera House

Another attraction that appeals to many tourists is the Sydney Opera House. Shopping and casinos are a major drawcard for wealthy Chinese visitors. Wine, indigenous culture and nature tourism also generate travel in Australia.

Major events attract a large number of tourists. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an annual event that attractions thousands of international tourists.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics resulted in significant inbound and domestic tourism to Sydney. During the games, Sydney hosted 362,000 domestic and 110,000 international visitors. In addition, up to 4 billion people watched the games worldwide. The 2003 Rugby World Cup attracted 65,000 international visitors to Australia. Schoolies Week is an annual celebration of Year 12 school leavers in late November, many of whom travel to the Gold Coast, where in 2011 they were expected to boost the economy by $60 million.

Australia's icons

Major Australian icons for tourists to visit include:

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Learn Tourism in Australia facts for kids

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More than 2,500 years ago a group of people known as the Etruscans began building a civilization in west-central Italy. The Etruscans later fell under the control of the Romans, their neighbors to the south. Rome became the chief power in the Mediterranean world. By 117 ce the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to North Africa to what is now the Middle East.

Later, groups of people from the north invaded the Roman Empire. By 476 ce they had destroyed the empire. After that the region was divided into many small kingdoms. Various rulers tried to control the different kingdoms. The most important of these local rulers, however, was the pope. The pope was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and was based in Rome.

City-States and the Renaissance

During this period some cities in northern Italy developed into small but powerful states. They were called city-states. Among them were Florence, Venice, and Milan.

As the city-states gained wealth from trade, they became centers of art. Their rulers and merchants encouraged architecture, painting, sculpture, and literature. This growing interest in the arts is known as the Renaissance. It made Italy the cultural center of the Western world from the 1300s to the 1500s.

From Foreign Rule to Unification

In the late 1400s France invaded Italy. Until the 1800s rulers from France, Spain, and Austria controlled the various parts of Italy. In the 1800s, however, three men began to fight against the foreign rulers. Their names were Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Camillo Cavour. They forced the rulers to leave. They then brought all the parts of Italy together as one country. By 1861 most of Italy was united under Victor Emmanuel II, who became king. The pope still controlled Rome, but in 1870 Italian troops invaded the city and took control. This completed the unification of Italy.

Mussolini and World War II

Italy joined the Allies-Russia, France, and Great Britain-during World War I (1914-18). After the war, Italians were divided on many issues. The dictator Benito Mussolini and his Fascist party soon rose to power.

Italy formed an alliance with Nazi Germany in 1936. In 1940 Mussolini brought Italy into World War II on Germany's side. When the Allies invaded Italy in 1943, Mussolini was arrested and then escaped to the north. Italy surrendered to the Allies and then joined the war against Germany.

Postwar Italy

After the war, in 1946, the Italian people voted to make the country a republic. Italy developed many political parties, and corruption was a serious problem until the mid-1990s. The country had more than 50 changes in government by the 21st century. Nevertheless, the economy grew to be one of the strongest in the world. Italy was a founding member of the European Economic Community, which became the European Union in 1993.

Immigration

Immigration was a major crisis for Italy in the 21st century. Tens of thousands of migrants sailed from North Africa to reach Lampedusa Island, an Italian island located some 70 miles (110 kilometers) off the Tunisian coast. The island's immigration center was often so full that it could not fit any more people. The situation worsened once people began fleeing the violence of a civil war in Syria. About 120,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2017 alone.

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The European country of Italy is shaped like a high-heeled boot. Two thousand years ago the capital of Italy, Rome, was the center of an empire that ruled most of the known...

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Travel tips and country facts by Datacube

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Interesting Facts about Germany for Kids – Discovering European Countries (Educational Top 5)

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There are so many things to know about Germany, one of the most popular and developed counties in Europe, especially about the travel destinations and national customs of this country. This short but educational video focuses on some of the most unusual things both children and adults should know about remember about the Germans.

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France has ample land area to provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. More than 25 percent of its territory is covered with forest, and another 50 percent is countryside or farmland.

Lowland forests are home to deer and wild boar, while the woodlands of the Alps and Pyrenees provide refuge for rare chamois antelope, ibex, brown bears, and alpine hares, among many other species. The Mediterranean coastline is a stopover of millions of migrating African birds, including flamingos, vultures, egrets, and bee-eaters.

The French government has made a broad commitment to preserving open spaces and the wildlife they contain. About 10 percent of the country has been set aside as national or regional parklands and nature reserves.

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France Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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France, the largest country in Western Europe, has long been a gateway between the continent's northern and southern regions.