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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
The United States of America
is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere: its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie in central North America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,
bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south; the state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent with Canada to its east, and the state of Hawaii is in the mid-Pacific. The United States also possesses fourteen territories, or insular areas, that are scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific. At 3.79
million square miles (9.83 million kmē) and with over 300 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. Its national economy is the largest in the world, with a nominal 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$13 trillion.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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