Category Civics

          Chile looks like a fluttering ribbon in the world map. It’s the world’s longest and thinnest country. Chile gained independence from the colonial clutches of Spain and became independent in 1818.

          Since independence, the political views that governed the country oscillated between the right and left wings. Chile has had economic problems since the twentieth century. Salvador Allende, their elected president tried to resolve many of its problems during his socialist government. The economic problems intensified in the 1970s. Allende was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup and Chile came under the control of the military general Augusto Pinochet.

          Pinochet was a tyrannical dictator. He suspended parliament and banned all sorts of political activity. Chileans did not have civil liberty; thousands of Chileans were imprisoned, tortured and executed without any reason. Many others were either expelled or disappeared. Pinochet’s seventeen year old rule came to an end in 1990.

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          Oil once made Venezuela rich beyond expectations; it was one of the richest Latin American countries which obtained half of its earnings from the oil industry. However, the oil prices began to drop from the 1960s.

         The demand for oil declined day by day. The value of Venezuelan currency came down drastically. The government tried to diversify and develop new industries, but there was no change in the situation. There was a heavy crisis of food supplies and the government did not have enough money to import sufficient food products. The inflation worsened, thus creating an economic emergency. Eighty five percent of the population became poor with minimal food supplies and practically no medical aid.

          Oil prices fell heavily in 2015. Venezuela is facing the highest inflation in the world, even worse than the Great Depression in the US in the 1930s.

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People lived in the continent of South America at least 11,000 years ago. Many civilizations developed there, the most brilliant among them being the Incas. The Incan empire was destroyed by the Spanish conquerors. Europeans, especially the Spanish and the Portuguese flooded the continent. They amassed wealth, leaving the Native Americans poor.

        By the 1800s, these settlements collapsed and many independent nations were born after a series of bloody wars. These nations had to suffer slavery, riots, civil war, poverty and dictatorship at one point or the other. Today, South America consists of twelve sovereign states, French Guyana which is a part of France and the disputed overseas territory of Britain known as Falkland.

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        Cuba is a socialist state controlled by the Cuban Communist Party.

        In the 1940s and 50s, Cuba was under military rule led by Fulgencio Batista. In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the Batista government and took political and military power in his hands. He broke off ties with the US and formed alliance with the Soviet Union. The US tried to invade Cuba many times, but could not succeed in its attempts.

        During his rule, Castro nationalised almost all sectors including factories and oil refineries. He worked to improve education and healthcare. But Cubans had many restrictions too. They were not allowed to own cellphones till 2008. The first Wifi hotspot was set up in 2015. Cubans were not allowed to even own private vehicles for a brief period!

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          Panama is a tiny country. But its importance is way greater than its size. Panama controls the Panama Canal, a commercial waterway that links the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. This canal has not only helped vessels cross the oceans with great ease, but also has made the country rich. Most of its people work at the canal. The vessels passing through the canal have to pay a toll which contributes to the country’s GDP.

          Panama was first explored by the Spanish and was later conquered by Native Americans. It became a province of Colombia in 1821 and later broke free it 1903 with the help of the US. Later, US took charge of Central Panama to build the canal. Panama Canal started functioning in 1914. Though America gave back the land in 1979, the canal was under their control till 1999. Panama took control over the canal in 2000 which led to great economic development.

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          Every year, there is a huge inflow of tourists to Jamaica to enjoy its warm climate and sandy beaches. No wonder, Jamaica is the first Caribbean country to launch a website-www.jamaicatravel.com. Tourism created a boom in the country after its independence in 1962. Before that, Jamaica was a crown colony of Britain.

          When the British arrived, Jamaica was ruled by the Spanish. Britain seized control from them in the 1600s and turned it into a huge slave market. The demand for slaves was high as there were many sugar plantations. Time and again, the slaves rose against their masters which led to many revolts. Many struggles later, Jamaica won independence and set up parliament.

          The Jamaican government worked to develop the infrastructure, technology and teacher education using the money obtained from tourism. Jamaica had good market relations with Britain.

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