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FORGOTTEN WORLD (151) - (200)

All descriptions in order of posting on my blog [click here]

Contents

Introduction

In general, our news is dominated by very short-term events, such as an explosion or a killing or an election, with little reporting of the underlying causes of such events and very little tracking of on-going problems. Therefore a lot of serious issues go unforgotten for long periods of time to so many of us.

I run a weblog called NightHawk [click here] and I have used this blog to run an occasional series of weekly looks at some of the parts of the world that I feel are unreported. I then decided to pull together all these brief reports on to pages of my web site, so that you can check out some of the news stories that you might have overlooked.

The theme of this section then is that we have a moral obligation not to look away, not to ignore, not to forget. Instead we need to read, to remember, and above all to act.

(151) Greenland (1/12/08)

Greenland [click here] is, by area, the world's largest island that is not a continent in its own right. It covers 2,166,086 sq km (836,109 sq mi) but some 80% is covered by ice and it only has a population of about 58,000. Greenland has been ruled by Denmark but, in 1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland. In November 2008, a referendum among the Greenlanders voted for more increased autonomy which might lead to full independence.

Under the referendum's plan the annual Danish subsidy of about 3.5 billion kroner (about £395 million), equal to around two-thirds of the island's economy, would be replaced. The new arrangement would give Greenland the first 75 million kroner of annual oil revenue, with any income beyond that split equally between Greenland and Denmark. Extensive exploration has already been undertaken and other countries are also making claims to areas likely to be exposed by global warming as the Arctic ice cap melts.

(152) Tanzania (2/12/08)

Tanzania [click here] assumed its present form in 1964 after a merger between the mainland Tanganyika and the island of Zanzibar which had become independent the previous year. Although it remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with many of its people living below the World Bank poverty line, the country of around 40 million has been spared the internal strife that has blighted many African states.

Unlike other African countries, whose potential wealth contrasts with their actual poverty, Tanzania has few exportable minerals. In recent years, the economy has grown, though at the price of painful fiscal reforms. Tourism is an important revenue earner; Tanzania's attractions include Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, and wildlife-rich national parks such as the Serengeti.

(153) Dominica (3/12/08)

Dominica [click here] - not to be confused with the Dominican Republic - is an island in the Caribbean 'discovered' by Columbus in 1493 and it acquired its name from the day of the week (Sunday) of its discovery. For centuries, it was a French and then a British colony.

Today, with few natural resources and a fledgling tourist industry, Dominica - a country of only 73,000 - is attempting to reduce its reliance on bananas, traditionally its main export earner. The trade has faced stiffer competition since the European Union was forced by the World Trade Organisation to phase out preferential treatment for producers from former colonies. Although it is among the poorest countries in the region, its differences in wealth distribution are not as marked as in the larger Caribbean islands.

(154) Vietnam (4/12/08)

At one time, Vietnam [click here] was in the world news almost daily. This was the consequence of three decades of bitter independence wars, which the communists fought first against the colonial power France, then against US-backed South Vietnam. North and South became a unified country in 1976 after the armed forces of the communist north had seized the south of the country in the previous year.

Vietnam struggled to find its feet after unification and it tried at first to organise the agriculture-based economy along strict collectivist lines. But, following the successful example of China, elements of market forces and private enterprise were introduced from the late 1980s and a stock exchange opened in 2000. Foreign investment has grown and the US is Vietnam's main trading partner. After 12 years of negotiations the country joined the World Trade Organization in January 2007.

But the disparity in wealth between the 86 million who make up urban and rural Vietnam is wide and some Communist Party leaders worry that too much economic liberalisation will weaken their power base and introduce "decadent" ideas into Vietnamese society.

I have travelled most of the length of Vietnam - see here.

(155) Niue (5/12/08)

Countries do not get much smaller than Niue [click here]. The residents of the Pacific island of Niue are far outnumbered by their compatriots who have migrated to New Zealand. Home to fewer than 2,000 islanders, the self-governing coral atoll is trying to encourage some of the 20,000 overseas Niueans - many of them New Zealand-born - to return.

Niue operates in free association with New Zealand, its main source of aid and its biggest trading partner. New Zealand is obliged under the island's constitution to provide "necessary economic and administrative assistance". All Niueans are New Zealand citizens and can take up residency there.

Technology-savvy Niue has embraced the internet. It earns money from the sale of its suffix and in 2003 it became the first territory to offer a free wireless internet service to all residents.

(156) Qatar (12/1/00)

Dominated by the Al-Thani family for almost 150 years, the mainly barren country of Qatar [click here] was a British protectorate until 1971, when it declared its independence after following suit with Bahrain and refusing to join the United Arab Emirates. This former pearl-fishing centre, once one of the poorest Gulf states, is now one of the richest countries in the region, thanks to the exploitation of large oil and gas fields since the 1940s.

In 1952, the year that the Sheikh was born, Qatar had fewer than 40,000 people, most of them barefoot nomads and fisherman, and not a single school. According to IMF figures, the country now has 950,000 residents and they have just surpassed those of Luxembourg to become the richest, while the nation hosts Education City, a complex of branch campuses from some of the world's most prestigious colleges.

Diplomatically Qatar follows a subtle course: it hosts and helps to fund the satellite channel al-Jazeera but it invited the Americans to set up an important airbase near the capital Doha.

(157) Austria (13/1/09)

Once the heart of one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in Europe (the Austro-Hungarian Empire), along with Switzerland, Austria [click here] now forms Europe's neutral core. After annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and then Allied occupation, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral". The capital, Vienna, is home to key international organisations, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

There were some questions surrounding Austria's neutrality when two thirds of voters in a country of over 8 million citizens supported European Union (EU) membership in a referendum in 1994 and entry followed in 1995. The arrival into Austria's coalition government of the far-right Freedom Party in February 2000 sent shock waves across Europe and, for a time, Austria's relations with the EU were severely strained after some states imposed sanctions in protest. Two Right-wing political parties remain quite strong.

(158) Papua New Guinea (14/1/09)

Papua New Guinea [click here] (PNG) occupies the eastern part of the world's second largest island (the western part of the island called New Guinea is part of Indonesia) and it is prey to volcanic activity, earthquakes and tidal waves. A very small proportion of the land can sustain cash crops, including coffee and cocoa, but abundant rain forests provide the raw material for a logging industry.

Some 80% of PNG's population of 6.3 million live in rural areas with few or no facilities. Linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 700 native tongues. Many tribes in the isolated mountainous interior have little contact with each other, let alone with the outside world, and live within a non-monetarised economy, dependent on subsistence agriculture.

PNG had to deal with separatist forces on the island of Bougainville in the 1990s. Up to 20,000 people were killed in the nine-year conflict which ended in 1997.

(159) Guyana (15/1/09)

The only English-speaking country in South America,the former British colony of Guyana [click here] became independent in 1966.

Around half of the population of around 850,000 are the descendants of indentured Indian agricultural workers brought in by the British after slavery was abolished. A third is descended from African slaves, imported by the Dutch to work on sugar plantations. Persistent tension between these two groups has fuelled political instability and is reflected in hostility between the two main parties, which are ethnically-based.

Guyana boasts a remarkably rich ecology, but also has one of South America's poorest economies. Tropical rain forests are a big draw for eco-tourists, but political troubles, ethnic tension and economic mismanagement have left the former British colony with serious economic problems.

(160) Malawi (16/1/09)

The central African nation of Malawi [click here] was a British colony until 1964 and previously known as Nyasaland.

For three decades, Malawi's destiny was tied to the whims of its totalitarian president-for-life, Kamuzu Banda, who enjoyed being surrounded by dancing women and who encouraged people to betray relatives who criticised his rule. In the mid-1990s, he buckled under popular pressure to hold elections, and lost - finally giving the 14 million Malawians a taste for multi-party democracy.

His successor, Bakili Muluzi, removed many of the repressions of the Banda years, but the leadership was accused of corruption. Social problems persist, including poverty and the high rate of HIV-Aids infection. Most Malawians rely on subsistence farming, but the food supply situation is precarious and the country is prone to natural disasters of both extremes - from drought to heavy rainfalls - putting it in constant need of thousands of tonnes of food aid every year.

(161) Albania (16/2/09)

After World War II, Albania [click here] became a Stalinist state under Enver Hoxha, and remained staunchly isolationist until its transition to democracy after 1990. The 1992 elections ended 47 years of communist rule, but the latter half of the decade saw a quick turnover of presidents and prime ministers. Many Albanians left the country in search of work and the money they send home remains an important source of revenue.

During the Nato bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, nearly 500,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo spilled over the border, adding to the population of just over 4 million and imposing a huge burden on Albania's already fragile economy. While there have been signs of economic progress with inflation under tighter control and some growth, the country remains one of the poorest in Europe.

It is less than 72 km (45 miles) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea, and it is a potential candidate for membership in the European Union

(162) Bahamas (17/2/09)

The Bahamas [click here] is an archipelago of 700 islands and islets in the Caribbean. It only has a population of around 330,000 but it attracts millions of tourists each year to enjoy its mild climate, fine beaches and beautiful forests.

A former British colony and now a Commonwealth member, the country is a major centre for offshore finance and has one of the world's largest open-registry shipping fleets. It enjoys a high per capita income, but there are imbalances in the distribution of wealth, most of which is concentrated in the commercial and tourist centres.

As with other Caribbean countries, the Bahamas faces the challenge of tackling drugs trafficking and illegal immigration. It has taken steps to clean-up its offshore banking system.

(163) Central African Republic (18/2/09)

The Central African Republic [click here] (CAR) has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960 and is one of the least-developed countries in the world. It has endured several coups and a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who headed a brutal regime which ended in 1979.

Today General François Bozizé, president and former coup leader, faces instability from mercenaries who helped him to power and from rebels. A pan-African military force (Minurca) has been in place since 2003 to restore order, but violence has spilled over from Sudan and Chad

Decades of instability have undermined the economy. The population of 4.4 million is among the poorest in the world and even the government struggles to pay wages to public sector workers.

(164) Mauritius (19/2/09)

Mauritius [click here] is a volcanic island of lagoons and palm-fringed beaches in the Indian Ocean which has a reputation for stability and racial harmony among its mixed population of one and a quarter million Asians, Europeans and Africans. Various cultures and traditions flourish in peace, although Mauritian Creoles, descendants of African slaves who make up a third of the population, live in poverty and complain of discrimination.

The island has maintained one of the developing world's most successful democracies and has enjoyed years of constitutional order. It has preserved its image as one of Africa's few social and economic success stories, being a sugar and clothing exporter and a centre for upmarket tourism, but Mauritian exports have been hit by strong competition from low-cost textile producers and the loss of sugar subsidies from Europe.

(165) Suriname (20/2/09)

Suriname [click here] is the smallest state in terms of area and population in South America. The country is the only Dutch-speaking region in the Western Hemisphere which is not a part of the Netherlands.

Since independence from the Netherlands in 1975, the former Dutch Guiana has endured coups and a civil war. Former military strongman Desi Bouterse dominated politics for much of the post-independence era, but the country is now under civilian rule. The country enjoys a relatively high standard of living but also faces serious political and economic challenges.

Suriname is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Americas. Most of its less than half a million people are descended from African slaves and Indian and Indonesian indentured servants brought over by the Dutch to work as agricultural labourers. However, there is little assimilation between the different ethnic groups, who confine their contacts to the economic sphere. Similarly, most political parties are ethnically based which acts as a serious obstacle to consensus-building.

(166) Bavaria (30/3/09)

Bavaria [click here] - located in the south-east of Germany - is the largest of the 16 Lander that make up the German nation and its capital is Munich. On its own, the Land of Bavaria has a population of 10.5 million which makes it as big as many nation states in Europe. It has long had one of the largest and healthiest economies of any region in Germany or Europe for that matter and its GDP in 2007 exceeded 434 billion Euros (about $600 billion) making it one of the largest economies in Europe and the 18th largest in the world.

Politically Bavaria is very distinctive as well. The conservative Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) has dominated politics since 1957 and won every election since then. The federal conservative party the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) does not operate in Bavaria and the CSU acts as the CDU's sister party there and they form a single faction in the Federal parliament. The difference between the CDU and the CSU is mainly that the CSU is more conservative in domestic and social issues but more progressive in fiscal issues.

(167) Azerbaijan (31/3/09)

Azerbaijan [click here] gained its independence in 1991 as a result of the break-up of the former Soviet Union. It is an oil-rich state and in 1994 signed an oil contract worth $7.4bn with a Western consortium. Since then Western companies have invested millions in the development of the country's oil and gas reserves. Caspian oil is now flowing through a pipeline running from Baku through Georgia to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, providing western countries with ready access to a vast new source of supply. However, the economy as a whole has not benefited as much as it might have done and living standards among the 8 million Azerbaijanis are low.

As the Soviet Union collapsed, the predominantly Armenian population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region stated their intention to secede from Azerbaijan. War broke out. Backed by troops and resources from Armenia proper, the Armenians of Karabakh took control of the region and surrounding territory. In 1994 a ceasefire was signed. About one-seventh of Azerbaijan's territory remains occupied, while 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons are scattered around the country.

(169) Croatia (1/4/09)

Croatia [click here], with a population of less than 5 million (mostly Catholics), is one of the new, small countries to emerge from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. It entered the new millennium recovering from a decade of authoritarian nationalism under President Franjo Tudjman and bitter war, but it has now joined the World Trade Organisation and pledged to open up its economy and it has achieved growth and controlled inflation. However, organised crime and mafia-linked violence remain a major concern.

By early 2003, Croatia had made enough progress to apply for European Union membership, becoming the second former Yugoslav republic after Slovenia to do so. Accession talks were postponed because of its failure to detain General Ante Gotovina, wanted by the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, but the fugitive general was later arrested in Spain and the country now hopes to become a member of the EU by 2011.

(169) Senegal (2/4/09)

The west African state of Senegal [click here] - a country of 13 million which surrounds The Gambia - has been held up as one of Africa's model democracies. It has an established multi-party system and a tradition of civilian rule and, although poverty is widespread and unemployment is high, one of the region's more stable economies.

The 40-year rule of Senegal's Socialist Party came to a peaceful end in elections in 2000, which were hailed as a rare democratic power transfer on a continent plagued by coups, conflict and election fraud. Abdoulaye Wade took office and won a second term in February 2007.

A long-running, low-level separatist war in the southern Casamance region has claimed hundreds of lives. The conflict broke out over claims by the region's people that they were being marginalised by the Wolof, Senegal's main ethnic group. However, the government and rebels signed a peace pact at the end of 2004, raising hopes for reconciliation.

(170) Uruguay (3/4/09)

Uruguay [click here] has a small population of just 3.4 million, mostly of European origin, half of whom live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. The country has traditionally been better off than many other countries in South America, and is known for its advanced education and social security systems and liberal laws governing social issues such as divorce. It was among the first nations in Latin America to establish a welfare state, maintained through relatively high taxes on industry. The system, which had increasingly strained state finances, was reformed in the 1990s.

Colonial towns, beach resorts and a year-round mild climate have contributed to a growing tourist industry. The economy has also benefited from offshore banking. But a dependence on livestock and related exports has left Uruguay vulnerable to ups and downs in world commodity prices. Recessions in Brazil and Argentina - its main export markets and sources of tourists - propelled the country into economic crisis in 2002.

(171) Comoros (18/5/09)

Located off the east coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique, the Comoros [click here] are an archipelago of three semi-autonomous islands with a population of just 860,000. They only acquired their independence from France in 1975 and, since then , have seen more than 20 coups or attempted coups. Despite this, the nation is regarded as the only real electoral democracy in the Arab world.

The Comoros is one of the world's poorest countries with a young and rapidly growing population but few natural resources with the islands' chief exports - vanilla, cloves and perfume essence - being prone to price fluctuations. Consequently the nation is heavily dependent on foreign aid.

(172) El Salvador (19/5/09)

The smallest and most densely populated country in Central America, El Salvador [click here] suffered a bitter civil war from 1980 until 1992. The war left around 70,000 people dead and caused damage worth $2 billion, but it also brought about important political reforms. After the civil war, presidential power remained in the hands of the Right until the former guerrillas the FMLN won elections in March 2009.

The population of almost 6 million suffers pervasive poverty, inequality of wealth, rampant corruption, and violent street gangs known as "maras". Remittances from migrants in the United States - some 17% of GDP - is expected to fall as a result of the crisis in the American economy. As if that was not enough, the country has a susceptibility to

(173) Greece (20/5/09)

Greece [click here] is a mainly mountainous country with over 1400 islands (the largest Crete) that returned to democracy - after seven years of the colonels - in 1974 and entered the European Union in 1981. It remains locked in dispute with Turkey over the future of Cyprus and aspects of the Aegean. Greece also has been in dispute since the early 1990s with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over the use of the name Macedonia.

Athens stepped into the global spotlight when the Olympic Games returned home in 2004. The games were hailed as a success, despite widely publicised fears that the infrastructure would not be complete in time. However, recent years have seen the Greek population of around 11 million experiencing high unemployment and rising inflation and government plans for pension and labour reforms have prompted industrial action.

A little-known fact is that the Greek national anthem is the longest in the world with 158 verses.

(174) Samoa (21/5/09)

Samoa [click here] is a group of nine South Pacific islands - two large and seven very small - with one of the smallest national populations in the world (just 180,000). The islands became independent of New Zealand in 1982 and the Human Rights Protection Party has been in power ever since. Samoa has seen substantial economic, social and public sector reforms with the promotion of women's rights. The challenge, however, is to create sufficient employment for the young labour market.

Its deeply conservative and devoutly Christian society centres around the extended family, which is headed by an elected chief who directs the family's social, economic and political affairs, and the church, which is a focus of recreational and social life is a group of nine South Pacific islands - two large and seven very small - with one of the smallest national populations in the world (just 180,000). The islands became independent of New Zealand in 1982 and the Human Rights Protection Party has been in power ever since. Samoa has seen substantial economic, social and public sector reforms with the promotion of women's rights. The challenge, however, is to create sufficient employment for the young labour market.

Its deeply conservative and devoutly Christian society centres around the extended family, which is headed by an elected chief who directs the family's social, economic and political affairs, and the church, which is a focus of recreational and social life

(175) Thailand (22/5/09)

What was then called Siam was the only south-east Asian country not to be occupied by a European power and in 1932 the nation became Thailand [click here] after a bloodless revolution created a constitutional monarchy. Since then, there have been 18 military coups, the last in 2006 which deposed the then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The country of 63 million is highly divided between the Thaksin-supporting poor and a wealthy Bangkok elite.

The capital Bangkok - known in Thai as Krung Thep Mahanakhon - expanded rapidly with the influx of workers during the boom years and it is one of Asia's most vibrant, and heavily-congested, cities with a population of 8 million. The large-scale sex industry which flourishes there contributed to the incidence of HIV infection - a major concern for the Thai government.

(176) Aruba (27/7/09)

Aruba [click here], an island with barely 100,000 people, is one of the most prosperous territories in the Caribbean. A gold rush in the 1820s triggered an economic boom and mining went on for almost a century until reserves were exhausted. In the 1920s a petroleum refinery was opened at the port of San Nicolaas. The money generated by the refinery raised living standards, but its temporary closure in 1985 - amid a global petroleum glut - sparked an economic crisis. Aruba has since invested in tourism which has become its economic mainstay.

In 1986 Aruba pulled out of the Netherlands Antilles - a federation of Dutch Caribbean territories - and obtained separate status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Plans for full independence by 1996 were shelved at a meeting in The Hague in 1994.

(177) Trinidad & Tobago (28/7/09)

The two islands of Trinidad & Tobago [click here] have been run together since 1888 and became independent of Britain in 1962. They have a total population of around 1.3 million.

As the Caribbean's leading producer of oil and gas, Trinidad & Tobago is one of the region's most prosperous countries. But, as global oil and gas prices drop, so does export revenue.

The government and the police have been criticised for a failure to stem the smuggling of cocaine and heroin from Venezuela and Columbia whose drug gangs use the islands as a staging post for shipment to the United States and Europe. Violent gang crime, including kidnap and murder, is spreading from urban to rural communities.

(178) Lebanon (29/7/09)

Lebanon [click here] was carved out of the Ottoman Empire and granted independence by the French in 1943. Clashes between Palestinian militia and Christian fighters broke out into war in 1975 and the conflict lasted until 1990. Sectarian tensions remain and the various militia are backed by countries around the region. The population of 4 million - almost half in the capital Beirut - lives in constant anxiety of another break out of major violence.

Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy which implements a special system known as confessionalism. This system is intended to ensure that sectarian conflict is kept at bay and attempts to fairly represent the demographic distribution of the 18 recognized religious groups in the governing body.

Despite perennial instability, Lebanon is somewhat buttressed from global economic crises since it has little industry or export capacity and development is solidly financed by cash-rich Gulf companies. Large sums are also poured in by the vast Lebanese diaspora.

(179) Ireland (30/7/09)

The Irish Republic, officially known as Ireland [click here], has emerged from the conflict that marked its birth as an independent nation to become one of Europe's economic powerhouses. Long under English or British rule, Ireland lost half its population in the decades following the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s, becoming a nation of emigrants. However, since the country joined the European Community in 1973, it has been transformed from a largely agricultural society into a modern, high-technology economy.

It has a population of just over 4 million - over a quarter in the capital Dublin - mostly Catholic, compared to the 1.5 million in Northern Ireland (about one-third Catholic) which is part of the United Kingdom. Ireland's economy began to grow rapidly in the 1990s, fuelled by foreign investment. This attracted a wave of incomers to a country where, traditionally, mass emigration had been the norm. But the boom that earned Ireland the nickname of "Celtic Tiger" faltered when the country fell into recession in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008.

(180) Cameroon (31/7/09)

Cameroon [click here], which obtained its independence in 1960 and today has a population of 19 million, has long been considered one of the more stable sub-Saharan African countries with one of the highest per capital GDPs. Recently, however, the situation has deteriorated with civil unrest and violence from youth groups protesting against corruption as well as food and fuel prices. President Paul Biya has been in power since 1982 and last year presidential term limits were scrapped.

In 1994 and 1996 Cameroon and Nigeria fought over the disputed, oil-rich Bakassi peninsula. Nigeria withdrew its troops from the area in 2006 in line with an international court ruling which awarded sovereignty to Cameroon. In November 2007, the Nigerian senate passed a motion declaring as illegal the Nigeria-Cameroon agreement for the Bakassi Peninsula to be handed over to Cameroon.

(181) Turks and Caicos (28/9/09)

The Turks and Caicos [click here] islands lie 600 miles south-east of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. The population is only 36,000 but the island, a popular playground for Hollywood stars and musicians, attracts 300,000 tourists a year.

In August 2009, the UK resumed day-to-day control of the islands amid ongoing allegations of widespread corruption in the British overseas territory. Local government in the islands have been suspended for up to two years while their affairs are put back in "good order". The move went ahead after a legal challenge by former premier Michael Misick failed in the court of appeal in London.

He resigned in March 2009 but, along with other senior officials, continues to deny accusations of corruption highlighted by a parliamentary committee and commission of enquiry in 2008. Misick has been accused of building a multimillion-dollar fortune financed from questionable dealings that gave property developers access to crown-owned land.

(182) Antigua and Barbuda (29/9/09)

Antigua and Barbuda [click here] (Spanish for "Ancient" and "Bearded") is one of the Caribbean's most prosperous nations, thanks to its tourism industry and offshore financial services. The country's strength lies in its tropical climate and good beaches, which have made it popular as a stop-off point for US cruise ships and have attracted large investments in infrastructure. The population is a mere 85,000.

For decades Antigua and Barbuda's politics was dominated by the Bird family, with Vere Bird being the country's prime minister from independence in 1981 until 1994, when he was succeeded by his son, Lester, who spent a decade in office. Underlying this stability was a succession of scandals, including allegations of corruption. The Bird family was also accused of abuse of authority.

(183) Palmyra (30/9/09)

Palmyra [click here] is an atoll of a mere 4.6 square miles located in the Northern Pacific Ocean. It is incorporated territory of the United States, meaning that it is subject to all provisions contained in the United States Constitution and is permanently under U.S. sovereignty. However, it is also an unorganized territory as there is no Congressional Act specifying how it should be governed.

In fact, the issue of Palmyra’s governance is somewhat academic, as there is no indigenous population remaining nor any reason to think that there will be one in the future. For the last few years, the atoll has been manned by a group of scientists, Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers, and Fish & Wildlife representatives totalling between four and 20.

(184) St Pierre and Miquelon (1/10/09)

The sole remnant of France's once-extensive possessions in North America, the Atlantic islands of St Pierre and Miquelon [click here] lie off the Canadian island of Newfoundland and house a a mere 6,300 inhabitants. The islands became a French "territorial collectivity" in 1985. The status - something between a department and an overseas territory - allowed French subsidies to continue and calmed Canadian fears about European exploitation of its fishing grounds.

With little agriculture and a troubled fishing industry, the islands depend on France for subsidies and on their near neighbour for goods and transport links. Fish processing is the main economic activity, although tourism is increasingly important. The territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America".

(185) Wallis and Futuna (2/9/09)

Although the Dutch and the British were the European discoverers of the islands of Wallis and Futuna [click here] in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who were the first Europeans to settle in the territory, with the arrival of French missionaries in 1837, and it remains a French overseas collectivity to this day. Located in the South Pacific between Fiji and Samoa, the territory is made up of three main volcanic tropical islands and a number of tiny islets.

The total population of the territory at the 2008 census was 13,484 (68.4% on the island of Wallis, 31.6% on the island of Futuna). The vast majority of the population are of Polynesian ethnicity, with a small minority of Metropolitan French descent and/or native-born whites of French descent. More than 16,000 Wallisians and Futunians live as expatriates in New Caledonia, which is more than the total population of Wallis and Futuna.

(186) Guinea (26/10/09)

The mineral-rich African state of Guinea [click here] declared independence from France in 1958. Post-independence history has been marked by military dictatorship, repression, poverty and the knock-on instability of a succession of wars fought along its borders in the 1990s and early 2000s in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. Though Guinea is the world's leading exporter of bauxite – used to make aluminium – and also has diamonds, gold and timber, average earnings were less than £60 a month in 2008. Guinea remains one of the world's poorest countries, with 40% living under the poverty line.

The present military leader Moussa Dadis Camara was welcomed by most of the 10 million population when he seized power hours after the death in December 2008 of President Lansana Conté, after 24 years of corrupt and authoritarian rule that left the economy in tatters. Camara promised to end the drugs trade and corruption and elevated military officers to government posts but, within months, tension rose as he began talking about reneging on his promise not to run for president in elections expected in 2010.

(187) Svalbard (27/10/09)

Svalbard [click here] is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The archipelago is the northernmost part of Norway. Three islands are populated: Spitsbergen, Bear Island and Hopen. The Spitsbergen Treaty (1920) recognised Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard, and the 1925 Svalbard Act made Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. The official language in Svalbard is Norwegian, though some areas do speak Russian.

The population of Svalbard is a mere 2,140. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the island's Norwegian population, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. Coal production has increased significantly over the past 10 years. Exploration for oil and natural gas is underway.

(188) Anguilla (28/10/09)

Anguilla [click here] - an island in the Caribbean with just 13,400 inhabitants- broke away from St Kitts and Nevis and became a British overseas territory in 1980.

Carefully-regulated tourism is the bedrock of the economy. A tropical climate, fine beaches, reefs and turquoise seas lure visitors, many of them from the USA.

Offshore banking is another money-earner. Anguilla, which does not levy personal or corporate income tax, was removed in 2002 from an international list of territories said to be uncooperative in the fight against money-laundering.

(189) Syria (29/10/09)

Syria [click here] is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Alawite Shias and Druze, as well as the Arab Sunnis who make up a majority of the Muslim population. Modern Syria gained its independence from France in 1946 but has lived through periods of political instability driven by the conflicting interests of these various groups.

For a while, from 1958-61, it united with Nasser's Egypt, but an army coup restored independence before the Alawite-controlled pan-Arab Baath (Renaissance) party took control in 1963. It rules over the nation of 22 million to this day.

On the world stage, Damascus has been increasingly isolated in recent years, having come under fire for its alleged support for insurgents in Iraq, and over its role in Lebanon. That isolation appears to be easing after efforts by France to bring Syria back into the international fold.

Syria is one of Israel's staunchest enemies and supports a number of militant groups that carry out attacks against Israel. Their current relationship flounders on the continued occupation by Israel of the Golan Heights - Syrian land taken in the 1967 war.

(190) Togo (30/10/09)

Togo [click here], a narrow strip of land on Africa's west coast located between Ghana and Benin, has for years been the target of criticism over its human rights record and political governance. Political reconciliation remains elusive.

Gnassingbe Eyadema died in early 2005 after 38 years in power. The military's immediate but short-lived installation of his son, Faure Gnassingbe, as president provoked widespread international condemnation. Mr Faure stood down and called elections which he won two months later, but the opposition said the vote was rigged.

About a third of the population of 6.6 million live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

(191) Bosnia and Herzegovina (7/12/09)

Bosnia and Herzegovina [click here] declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1992 and a three-year conflict followed which was finally settled by the Dayton peace accords of 1995. It is an odd nation with the population of almost 4 million comprising three ethnic groups - Bosniak, Croat and Serb - having equal constitutional status and the country being split into two, almost autonomous, parts, the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Bosniak and Croat) and Republika Srpska (mostly Bosnian Serbs), each with its own president, government, parliament, police and other bodies.

The Dayton agreement established the Office of the High Representative. The Office's representative is the state's ultimate authority, responsible for implementation of Dayton and with the power to ''compel the entity governments to comply with the terms of the peace agreement and the state constitution''. Recent efforts by the EU and US to break the stalemate on constitutional reform and prepare the country for eventual EU and NATO membership ended in failure when leaders of the three main ethnic groups rejected the proposals.

(192) Guam (8/12/09)

The tropical island of Guam [click here], a US territory in the western Pacific, is a keystone of American military strategy in the region. It is an important staging post, allowing rapid access to potential flash points in the Koreas and in the Taiwan Strait. The US plans to move 8,000 Marines and 10,000 dependents from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to Guam by 2014 as part of its global realignment of US forces.

Guam's diverse population of 180,000 includes Japanese, Chinese, and incomers from other Pacific islands. The indigenous Chamorro are a people of mixed Micronesian, Spanish and Filipino descent. Tourism (especially Japanese) and the growing military presence on the island are the bedrock of its economy.

(193) Poland (9/12/09)

Following the collapse of Communism in Poland [click here] in 1989, the country joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. Unlike the case before the Second World War, Poland has a very homogeneous population of 38 million, with 98% being ethnically Polish and religiously Roman Catholic.

Poland is considered to have one of the healthiest economies of the post-communist countries, and is currently the fastest growing country within the EU. Since the fall of the communist government, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalising the economy and today stands out as a successful example of the transition from a centrally planned economy to a primarily capitalistic market economy.

However, there is still a huge farming sector, which is unwieldy and very inefficient, and poverty is particularly widespread in rural areas. There has been a massive movement of workers to Western Europe, especially the UK.

(194) Tunisia (10/12/09)

The north African state of Tunisia [click here] gained its independence from France in 1956. It then endured the rule of "president for life" Habib Bourguiba until 1987. Since then, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has continued to move the country away from Islamic extremism but the path to democracy remains painfully slow. Although Tunisia has introduced some press freedoms and has freed a number of political prisoners, human rights groups say the authorities tolerate no dissent, harrassing government critics and rights activists.

Tunisia - a country of over 10 million - is more prosperous than its neighbours and has strong trade links with Europe. Agriculture employs a large part of the workforce, and dates and olives are cultivated in the drier regions. Millions of European tourists flock to Tunisian resorts every year.

(195) Christmas Island (11/12/09)

Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company vessel, the "Royal Mary", named the place Christmas Island [click here] when he arrived on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643. At Australia's request, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1957; today Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands together are called the Australian Indian Ocean Territories and since 1997 share a single Administrator resident on Christmas Island.

It has a population of 1,403 residents who live in a number of "settlement areas" on the northern tip of the island. The island’s geographic isolation and history of minimal human disturbance has led to a high level of uniqueness amongst its flora and fauna, which is of significant interest to scientists and naturalists.

(196) Barbados (11/1/10)

Barbados [click here] is one of the more populous and prosperous Caribbean islands and political, economic and social stability have given it one of the highest standards of living in the developing world. It is a centre for financial services and has offshore reserves of oil and natural gas. Tourism has overtaken the export of sugar as the main revenue earner.

In recent years, a construction boom has taken hold, with new hotels and housing complexes springing up. The trend accelerated as the island prepared to host some of the key Cricket World Cup matches in 2007. However, a shortage of jobs has prompted many of the less than 300,000 Barbadians - more often known as Bajans - to find work abroad. The money that they send home is an important source of income.

(197) Gibraltar (12/1/10)

Gibraltar [click here] - a limestone crop on the southern tip of Spain - has been ruled by Britain since 1713 under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, but Spain continues to claim sovereignty over the territory. Gibraltar is self-governing in all areas except defence and foreign policy and it is home to a British military garrison and naval base.

Most of the 29,000 Gibraltarians are of mixed Genoese, British, Spanish, Maltese and Portuguese descent. Recent arrivals have included migrant workers from Morocco. There is no large-scale agricultural or industrial activity, so much of Gibraltar's income comes from customs duties, offshore finance, internet gaming, tourism and the provisioning of ships.

(198) Seychelles (13/1/10)

Seychelles [click here] is an archipelago nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. The biggest island is about the size of Manhattan, the smallest the size of a coffee table.

Independence from Britain came in 1976 and, after an ominous, post-independence start which saw them lurch from a coup, through an invasion by mercenaries to an abortive army mutiny and several coup attempts, the Seychelles have now attained stability and prosperity. Citizens enjoy a high per capita income, good health care and education.

As the islands of the Seychelles had no indigenous population, the current 84,000 Seychellois are composed of people who have immigrated to the island. The largest ethnic groups are those of French, African, Indian, and Chinese descent.

In October 2009, the president made all his ministers put on diving gear and held the first underwater cabinet meeting in history to make the point that, if the world does not effectively combat global warming, his country will drown.

(199) Martinique (14/1/10)

Martinique [click here] is a mountainous and densely-populated overseas department of France in the Caribbean with a population of 400,000. The French and Creole heritage is mirrored in its customs, food and languages. Tourism flourishes on the tropical island, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is a stopping-off point for cruise ships.

Despite a reliance on aid from France, high unemployment and a large trade deficit, Martinique has one of the higher standards of living in the region. Nationalist sentiment has sometimes flared, but the prospect of losing economic aid from Paris has tempered public support for independence.

(200) Serbia (15/1/10)

Effectively Serbia [click here] - a country of 7.3 million - is what is left over from the collapse and break-up of the former Communist state of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The six republics of the old Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, which was proclaimed in 1945, comprised Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Macedonia. Serbia became a stand-alone sovereign republic in summer 2006 after Montenegro voted in a referendum for independence from the Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

Though the current Serbian government is pro-Western and sees eventual membership of the EU as being in the country's best interests, Serbia is traditionally an ally of Russia, which supported its opposition to Kosovo's independence. In 2008, Serbia-Russia ties were further strengthened by the signing of a major energy deal, and in October 2009 Russia granted Serbia a 1bn euro (£0.9bn) loan to help it cover its budget deficit after the economy was hit hard by the global downturn.

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