Category Geography

               Compared to the giants of Asia like India and China, South Korea is much smaller in size. Its total area is 100,032 square kilometres.

               South Korea is in Eastern Asia, and occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and many islands. It borders both the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. Its only land border is with North Korea along the 238 km Korean demilitarized zone, a 4,000m strip of heavily guarded land separating the two countries. The capital of South Korea is Seoul.

               South Korea is a republic whose president is the head of state, and whose prime minister is the head of government. The president is elected for a single five-year term in office by popular vote.

               South Korea has one of the most homogeneous populations in the world, which are thought to be descended from several Mongol tribes that migrated from Central Asia. Tourism is a fast-growing industry in South Korea.

               Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, which borders no fewer than seven countries: Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. The country is mostly flat, with low mountains in the north.

                After centuries as a powerful medieval kingdom, Hungary was part of the Ottoman, and then Habsburg empires from the 16th century onwards, emerging as an independent country again after the First World War.

                Budapest, Hungary’s capital is the largest city, and metropolis. Hungary has a population of almost 9.8 million people. The official language is Hungarian. Interestingly, the Hungarian language is not related to any other major European language.

               Because of its situation within the Carpathian Basin, Hungary has a moderately dry continental climate, with hot summers with low overall humidity levels, but frequent rain showers, and cold snowy winters.

               Hungary has two main waterways, the Danube, and the Tisza Rivers. The currency of Hungary is the Forint.

               Portugal is a sovereign state in the Western Europe. It comprises of the continental part of Portugal on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, and the small archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.

               Once continental Europe’s greatest power, Portugal shares geographic and cultural commonalities with the countries of both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The country has a population of 10.3 million people. Its capital and largest city is Lisbon. The official language is Portuguese.

               During the Age of Discovery, Portugal was at the forefront of European exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries: Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the globe; Vasco de Gama discovered the sea route to India; Bartholomew Diaz was the first to sail around the southern tip of Africa, which he called the Cape of Good Hope; and Alvares Cabral and others discovered new lands, including Brazil, parts of Africa and the Far East — and claimed them for Portugal. Portugal monopolized the spice trade during this time.

               Jordan, the Hashemite Kingdom in the Middle East, is situated west of Israel and the Jordan River. It is a country at the crossroads of the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

               Jordan is a young state that occupies an ancient land, one that bears the traces of many civilizations. Separated from ancient Palestine by the Jordan River, the region played a prominent role in biblical history.

               Much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. Jordan has a population around 9.4 million people. The capital and largest city is Amman.

               Arid hills and mountains make up most of the country. The southern section of the Jordan River flows through the country. Jordan is a country with few natural resources. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was set up in 1966 to protect and manage Jordan’s natural resources. The official language is Arabic and the currency is the Dinar.

               Serbia is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of central and southern Europe.

               It is bordered by four of the six former Yugoslavian socialist republics, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, and Montenegro. It also shares borders with Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.

               Serbia was one of six republics that made up the country of Yugoslavia, which broke up in the 1990s. In February 2003, Serbia and Montenegro were the remaining two republics of rump Yugoslavia, forming a loose federation. In 2006, Montenegro split from Serbia. Serbia is a parliamentary republic, with the government divided into legislative; executive and judiciary branches.

               The capital of Serbia is Belgrade, a cosmopolitan city at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. The official language of the country is Serbian.

               It is largely mountainous and has a rich diversity of wild animals. Among the larger mammals, deer and bear abound in forested areas.

               Located in the continent of Asia, Azerbaijan covers a total area of 86,600 square kilometres. Azerbaijan became an independent state in 1991, after gaining its sovereignty from Russia.

               Azerbaijan is a country of eastern Transcaucasia. Historically, the name Azerbaijan refers to a larger region that formed part of Persia (Iran). Despite the oil rich country’s wealth, and increased influence in the wider region, poverty and corruption continue to overshadow the country’s development.

               According to the 1995 constitution, Azerbaijan is a republic with a presidential government system. But the political system of Azerbaijan has been characterized since 1992 by the authoritarian leadership of Azerbaijan’s presidents, and undermined by corruption.

               It is home to a vast variety of landscapes. The capital and largest city is Baku. The official language is Azerbaijani. The currency is the Azerbaijanian Manat.