Africa
| Egypt - Occupying the northesat corner of A frica, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley. Its essentially pro-Western, military backed regime is being challenged by Islamic fundamentalists. |
| Official Name: Arab Republic of Egypt |
| Date of formation: 1936 |
| Capital: Cairo |
| Population: 68.5 million |
| Total Area: 384,343 sq miles |
| Languages: Arabic |
| Religions: Muslim 94%. Coptic Christian and Other 6%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: http://www.egypttourism.org/ |
| South Africa - South Africa is the southermost nation on the African continent. After 80 years of white minority rule, the country's first multiracial, multiparty elections were held in 1994. |
| Official Name: Republic of South Africa |
| Date of formation: 1994 |
| Capital: Pretoria |
| Population: 40.4 million |
| Total Area: 471,443 sq miles |
| Languages: Afrikaans |
| Religions: Black independent 17%. Dutch reformed 11%. Other 77%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: http://www.southafrica.net/ |
North & Central America
| Untied States of America - Stretching across the most temperate part of North America, and with many natural resources, the US is the world's leading economic power and fourth largest country. |
| Official Name: United States of America |
| Date of formation: 1776 |
| Capital: Washington D.C. |
| Population: 278.4 million |
| Total Area: 3,539,224 sq miles |
| Languages: English, Spanish |
| Religions: Protestant 61%. Catholic 25%. Jewish 2%. Other 12%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: none |
| Canada - Canada extends from its long border with the US to the Arctic Ocean. The political relationship of French-speaking Quebec with the rest of the country remains a key constitutional issue. |
| Official Name: Canada |
| Date of formation: 1867 |
| Capital: Ottawa |
| Population: 31.1 million |
| Total Area: 3,560,216 sq miles |
| Languages: English, French |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 47%. Protestant 41%. non-religious 12%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| Mexico - Increasingly considered a part of North rather than Central America, Mexico straddles the southern end of the continent. It was a Spanish colony for 300 years until independence in 1836. |
| Official Name: United States of Mexico |
| Date of formation: 1936 |
| Capital: Mexico City |
| Population: 98.9 million |
| Total Area: 736,945 sq miles |
| Languages: Spanish |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 95%. Protestant 1%. Other 4%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: none |
South America
| Argentina - Argentina occupies most of the southern half of South America. Its politics have been characterized by periods of military rule in 1983, however, it returned to multiparty democracy. |
| Official Name: Argentine Republic |
| Date of formation: 1816 |
| Capital: Buenos Aires |
| Population: 37 million |
| Total Area: 1,056,636 sq miles |
| Languages: Spanish |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 90%. Jewish 2%. Protestant 2%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: none |
| Brazil - Covering almost half of South America, Brazil is the site of the world's largest and ecologically most important rain forest. The country has immense natural and economic resources. |
| Official Name: Fed. Republic of Brazil |
| Date of formation: 1822 |
| Capital: Brasilia |
| Population: 170 million |
| Total Area: 3,265,058 sq miles |
| Languages: Portuguese |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 89%. Protestant 6%. Other 5%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: none |
Asia
| China - Covering a vast area of eastern Asia, China is bordered by 14 countries. From the founding of Communist China in 1949, until his death in 1976, Mao Zedong dominated the nation. |
| Official Name: People's Republic of China |
| Date of formation: 1912 |
| Capital: Beijing |
| Population: 1.28 billion |
| Total Area: 3,6000,927 sq miles |
| Languages: Mandarin |
| Religions: Non-religious 59%. Other 33%. Buddhist 6%. Muslim 2%. |
| Government: One-party state |
| Others: http://www.cnto.org/ |
| India - India is the world's second most populous country. The birth rate has recently been falling, but ever at its current level india's population will probably overtake China's by 2030. |
| Official Name: Republic of India |
| Date of formation: 19457 |
| Capital: New Delhi |
| Population: 1.013 billion |
| Total Area: 1,147,948 sq miles |
| Languages: Hindi, English |
| Religions: Hindu 72%. Muslim 11%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| Japan - Japan is located off the East Asian coast and comprises four principal islands and over 3000 smaller ones. A powerful economy, it has an emperor as ceremonial head of state. |
| Official Name: Japan |
| Date of formation: 1945 |
| Capital: Tokyo |
| Population: 127.1 million |
| Total Area: 145,374 sq miles |
| Languages: Japanese |
| Religions: Shinto and Buddhist 76%. Buddhist 16%. Other 8%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: http://www.jnto.go.jp/ |
| South Korea - South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean peninsula under US sponsorship, it was separated from the communist North in 1948, and is now a successful capitalist economy. |
| Official Name: Republic of Korea |
| Date of formation: 19458 |
| Capital: Seoul |
| Population: 46.8 million |
| Total Area: 38,119 sq miles |
| Languages: Korean |
| Religions: Mahayana Buddhist 47%. Protestant 38%. Catholic 11%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: http://www.knto.or.kr/eng/ |
| Malaysia - Comprising the three separate territories of Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah, Malaysia stretches over 1240 miles from peninsular Malaysia to the northeastern end of Borneo. |
| Official Name: Federation of Malaysia |
| Date of formation: 1965 |
| Capital: Luala Lumpur |
| Population: 22.2 million |
| Total Area: 126,853 sq miles |
| Languages: Malay, Chinese |
| Religions: Muslim 53%. Buddhist 19%. Chinese faiths 12%. Christian 7%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: http://tourism.gov.my/ |
| Russian Federation - The Russian Federation is still the world's largest state, despite the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. It is currently struggling to capitalize on its diversity. |
| Official Name: Russian Federation |
| Date of formation: 1991 |
| Capital: Moscow |
| Population: 146.9 million |
| Total Area: 6,562,100 sq miles |
| Languages: Russian |
| Religions: Russian Orthodox 75%. Other 25%. |
| Government: Presidential democracy |
| Others: none |
| Saudi Arabia - Occupying most of the Arabian peninsula. Saudi Arabia covers an area the size of Western Europe. It has the world's largest oil and gas reserves and a major petrochemicals industry. |
| Official Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Date of formation: 1932 |
| Capital: Riyadh |
| Population: 21.6 million |
| Total Area: 816,480 sq miles |
| Languages: Arabic |
| Religions: Sunni Muslim 85%. Shi'a Muslim 15%. |
| Government: Monarchy |
| Others: none |
| Singapore - Linked to the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula by a causeway, Singapore was established as a trading settlement in 1819. It is still one of Asia's most important commercial centers. |
| Official Name: Republic of Singapore |
| Date of formation: 1965 |
| Capital: Singapore |
| Population: 3.6 million |
| Total Area: 236 sq miles |
| Languages: Malay, Chinese |
| Religions: Buddhist 55%. Taoism 22%. Muslim 16%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: http://www.visitsingapore.com/ |
| Taiwan - The island republic of Taiwan, formerly Formosa, lies 80 miles off the southeast coast of mainland China. Taiwan has the second largest foreign currency reserves in the world. |
| Official Name: Republic of China |
| Date of formation: 1949 |
| Capital: Taipei |
| Population: 22 million |
| Total Area: 12,456 sq miles |
| Languages: Mandarin |
| Religions: Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist 93%. Christian 5%. Other 2%. |
| Government: Multiparty Republic |
| Others: http://www.tbroc.gov.tw/ |
| Thailand - Thailand lies at the heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Continuing rapid industrialization has resulted in massive congestion in the capital and a serious depletion of natural resources. |
| Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand |
| Date of formation: 1882 |
| Capital: Bangkok |
| Population: 61.4 million |
| Total Area: 197,255 sq miles |
| Languages: Thai |
| Religions: Buddhist 95%. Muslim 16%. Other 1%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: http://www.tat.or.th/ |
Australiasia & Oceania
| Australia - The world's sixth-largest country. European settlement, mainly from Britain, began 200 years ago. Today, Australia's international focus has shifted away from Europe toward Asia. |
| Official Name: Commonwealth of Australia |
| Date of formation: 1901 |
| Capital: Canberra |
| Population: 18.9 million |
| Total Area: 2,941,282 sq miles |
| Languages: English, Greek, Italian |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 26%. Anglican 24%. Other 50%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| New Zealand - Lying in the South Pacific, 990 miles southeast of Australia, New Zealand comprises the North and South Islands, separated by the Cook Strait, and many smaller islands. |
| Official Name: The Dominion of New Zealand |
| Date of formation: 1926 |
| Capital: Wellington |
| Population: 4 million |
| Total Area: 103,733 sq miles |
| Languages: English |
| Religions: Anglican 24%. Presbyterian 18%. Catholic 15%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
Europe
| Frence - Straddling Western Europe from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea, France was Europe's first modern republic. |
| Official Name: The French Republic |
| Date of formation: 1685 |
| Capital: Paris |
| Population: 59.1 million |
| Total Area: 212,393 sq miles |
| Languages: French |
| Religions: Catholic 88%. Muslim 8%. Protestant 2%. |
| Government: Multiparty Republic |
| Others: none |
| Germany - Europe's strongest economic and industrial power, Germany was divided into a democratic west and a communist east in 1945. It was reunified in 1990, after the fall of the east's regime. |
| Official Name: Federal Republic of Germany |
| Date of formation: 1990 |
| Capital: Berlin |
| Population: 82.2 million |
| Total Area: 134,949 sq miles |
| Languages: German |
| Religions: Protestant 36%. Catholic 35%. Muslim 2%. Other 27%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| Italy - The Italian peninsula was home to the Roman Empire, one of the greatest ancient civilizations. The south has two famous volcanoes, Vesuvius and Etna. |
| Official Name: Italian Republic |
| Date of formation: 1871 |
| Capital: Rome |
| Population: 57.3 million |
| Total Area: 113,536 sq miles |
| Languages: Italian |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 83%. Protestant 1%. Jewish 1%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| Spain - Lodged between Europe and Africa, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Spain has occupied a pivotal global positionsince unification under Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. |
| Official Name: Kingdom of Spain |
| Date of formation: 1492 |
| Capital: Madrid |
| Population: 39.6 million |
| Total Area: 192,834 sq miles |
| Languages: Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 96%. Other 4%. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
| United Kingdom - Separated from continental Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel, the United Kingdom includes the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. |
| Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Date of formation: 1922 |
| Capital: London |
| Population: 58.8 million |
| Total Area: 93,281 sq miles |
| Languages: English |
| Religions: Protestant 52%. Catholic 9%. Muslim 3%. Other 36%.. |
| Government: Parliamentary democracy |
| Others: none |
