CANADA

 By  Shreya Parikh

History – New France (to 1764) · Under British Control (1764-1867) · Post-Confederation (1867-1914) · World Wars and Interwar Years (1914-1945).

Geography (Regions) - Coast Mountains · Rockies · Prairies · Western Canada · Northern Canada · Canadian Shield · Great Lakes · Central Canada · St. Lawrence River · Appalachian Mountains · Arctic Cordillera · Atlantic Canada · Maritimes.

Economy - Agriculture · Banking · Bank of Canada · Canadian dollar · Companies · Health care · Stock Exchange · Taxation · Transportation.

Culture - Architecture · Art · Cinema · Famous Canadians · Holidays · Identity · Literature · Music (Blues - Celtic - Classical - Hip hop - Rock) · Nationalism · Protection of · Sport · Theatre.

Symbols - Coat of Arms · Flags · National Flag · Provincial and territorial · Royal symbols

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area,and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. English and French as official languages at the federal level. Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per capita income. Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. Canada has three national anthem’s! One is in english, another in french and the third in english and french both.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                                         by Shreya Parikh

HISTORY - The nation was founded by the thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. After proclaiming themselves as "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rebellious states defeated Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of independence.

GEOGRAPHY ^- Political divisions • Territory • States • Cities • Counties • Regions (New England • Mid-Atlantic • The South • Midwest • Great Plains • Northwest • Southwest) • Mountains (Appalachian • Rocky) • Rivers (Mississippi • Colorado) • Valleys • Islands • Extreme points • National Park System • Water supply and sanitation

ECONOMY - U.S. Dollar • Companies • Wall Street • Federal Reserve • Banking • Standard of living (Personal and Household income • Income inequality • Homeownership) • Communications • Transportation (Cars and Highways • Airports • Railroads) • Tourism

     NIGERIA

By Shreya Parikh

Capital: Abuja

Major river: Niger

Currency: Naira

Major language: English and other African languages

Major religions: Islam, Christianity, traditional African religions

Major minerals: Petroleum, natural gas, columbite

Major crops: Rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, yam, oil palms, rubber, groundnut, cotton, cocoa

Chief cities: Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt   

Population: 103 million

Nigeria is little more than one-fourth the size of our country. Its population is the largest in Africa, and its people (of Nigeria) belong to more than 250 tribal groups. The discovery of ancient pottery, statues, coins etc show that an advanced culture flourished more than 2000 years ago in what is now Nigeria. Nigerian Wole Soyinka became the first black African to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.

THE LAND:  A large part of this country is formed by plateaus. Nigeria is drained by the river Niger and its tributary the Benue. This country is named after the great river Niger.

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION: Nigeria is a tropical country. Here the climate is generally hot and humid. The coastal region of Nigeria is very close to the equator, therefore it has an equatorial type of climate. The temperature remains high throughout the year. Rainfall is very heavy because there is an ocean close by. There are marshes and swamps and mangrove trees.

FOREST: A large area of the country is covered with forests. They are rich in hardwood trees. Teak, timber, plywood and firewood are also found here. Firewood is the main source of domestic fuel. Rubber, oil palms, coconut palms and kola trees are also grown in the equatorial region of the country.

WILDLIFE: Many varieties of wildlife are found here which include crocodiles, snakes, chimpanzees and monkeys.

PEOPLE: The people of Nigeria are mainly Africans (native), but they belong to many tribes. There are 10 main tribes. Half of the population follows Islam. The average density is 112 persons per km.

*                     *                     *                       *                     *

                       ZAIRE ( a country in Africa)

                             By Shreya Parikh

Official name: Democratic Republic of Congo

Capital: Kinshasa

Major Rivers: Zaire (Congo)

Major Lakes: Albert, Edward, Tanganyika

Currency: New Zaire

Major languages: French (official), Swahili

Major religions: Traditional African religion, Christianity

Major crops: Rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, rubber, cotton, coffee, oil palms

Major minerals: Diamonds, copper, cobalt

Chief cities: Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kisangani

Population: 46.6 million

Zaire is the third largest country of Africa. It is about three-fourths the size of our country. Zaire is located at the centre of Africa.

Zaire was unknown to the outside world, till Henry Stanley reached the mouth of the Congo river (in the 1870’s) Soon Zaire became a colony of Belgium. It remained a colony of Belgium till the  1960’s when it got its independence.

Zaire’s name had been changed many times from Congo Free State to Belgian Congo to Republic of Congo. Recently, the name of Zaire has been changed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (this is its official name)

The Land:

Most of Zaire lies in the basin of the Zaire river. This basin is saucer-shaped and surrounded by high plateaus. The river carries a lot of water. Its chief tributaries are the Oubangai and Kasai. The main waterfalls are the Stanley Falls and Livingstone Falls, named after two explorers.

Climate and Vegetation:

Most of Zaire lies in the equatorial region, so the climate is hot and humid throughout the year. Central Zaire receives rainfall almost through the year. In the tropical rainforest of Zaire there is hot and humid weather which allows many types of trees and plants to grow quickly. Trees with slender trunks can grow to the height of 45 metres (156 feet). These trees grow tall because they have to compete for sunlight. Below these trees are smaller trees, and grass does generally grow here. These rain forests give way to woodlands and finally open to savanna regions.

Wildlife:

The animals found in the forest of Zaire are chimpanzees, gorillas, crocodiles, zebras, elephants, rhinos, antelopes, giraffes, lions, hyenas, insects, birds and “opaki”. This animal is a mixture of a giraffe and a zebra.

People:

Most people of Zaire live in villages, nd thatched huts are common even in towns. Zaire has about 200 different tribes, including Pygmies who live in the forest. Most of the people are native. The population was 46.6 million in 1997. It is unevenly distributed. The overall density of the population is only 20 persons per square kilometer.

                                    …………………………………..

                                      NEW ZEALAND

                              By Niomi Parikh

New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world. New Zealand is a country of sheep. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. The Prime Minister of New Zealand is Helen Clark. New Zealand is a member of the British Commomwealth.

The original settlers of New Zealand, the Maoris, named the kiwi bird for the sound of his chirp kiwi kiwi kiwi. New Zealand has adopted these nocturnal and flightless and endearing creatures.

This country has a population of only 4 million, making it one of the least populated countries in the world. It is also multicultural. The first settlers in New Zealand were the Maoris, about 1000 years ago.

New Zealand has a spectacularly beautiful landscape which includes vast mountain chains, streaming volcanoes and rainforests. The New Zealand currency unit, the New Zealand dollar, is frequently called the kiwi. The dollar coin features a kiwi bird on one side.

In New Zealand, many languages are spoken, and Maori is also an official language.

Other cities are: Auckland, Christchurch, and Hamilton. Queenstown is the most beautiful in the world.

Natural resources: timber, sand, natural gas and coal. Agricultural products: dairy products, meat and forestry products.

I love this country as it is my favourite country.

*                       *                       *                                *