Category Social Sciences

          The name Philippines has got a Spanish connection. The Spanish colonized the country in 1565. The name Philippines was given to commemorate their king Philip ll.

          The Filipinos are descendants of Malays who settled in the islands around 3000 BC. The Spanish established a colony and enjoyed its agrarian wealth for around three hundred years. After the Spanish – American war, the USA bought Philippines for 20 million dollars. Thus America got its ownership! This transfer of ownership happened in 1891 and almost half a century later, Philippines gained independence under the military leadership of President Marcos. Marcos was ousted later on charges of corruption.

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          Throughout its existence, Malaysia was occupied and ruled by different countries and powers. The early settlers of Malaysia came from China. Before the Britishers set foot, the country was occupied by the Arabs, Portuguese and Dutch. The Britishers came in the 1800s and ruled the country for almost a century.

          During the Second World War, Japan occupied Malaysia. After the war, the communists started a terrorist campaign against the British and Malaysia finally gained independence in 1957. Since then, it has a democratic system of government. It has a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

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          Legends say that Singapore was founded by a Malay prince who set foot on the island in the 13th century. We don’t know if this is true, but the modern-day Singapore was born in 1819. Sir Stamford Raffles, a trader with the British East India Company founded the island country.

          Many Chinese people came to the island for work and trade. For almost hundred years, Britain ruled the country. Though Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, it backed out to become a separate nation in 1965. Singapore is one of the richest Southeast Asian countries whose money comes from international trade, banking and shipping.

          Singapore transitioned to a first world country from a third world country under the leadership of their first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

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          Andorrans haven’t been at war for almost a thousand years now. In the 1930s, France occupied the country to prevent the effects of the Spanish Civil war from entering Andorra. Though Andorrans declared war against Germany in the Second World War, they didn’t really send anybody to fight.

          According to legends, Andorra was founded by Emperor Charlemagne, a Frankish ruler. Andorrans are believed to have helped the emperor in defeating the Moors. The French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop jointly began to rule Andorra from 1278. Andorra practiced this feudal system until it was replaced by democracy in 1993. Even today, Andorra has two official heads- the Bishop of Urgel and the President of France.

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          Around two thousand years ago,  Switzerland was called Helvetia when the Romans conquered the land. It was initially inhabited by a group of people known as Helvetii who named it so. Along with its new name, Switzerland is still known as Helvetia in some places.

          After years of war against their oppressive rulers, the Swiss gained independence in 1648. This was a time when wars swept across Europe between several countries. But Switzerland chose to remain neutral, avoiding the violence and brutality of war. A constitution was established after the wars under the mediation of Napoleon, but it did not last long. It subsequently became a republic with twenty-two cantons.

          Switzerland remained neutral during World War I and II. The Swiss concentrated on industrialization and economic growth. The peaceful atmosphere of the country has attracted many organizations like the UN and the WHO to establish their offices in the country. Switzerland today is a federal democratic state with peace, stability and prosperity.

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          Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg are collectively known as the Low Countries because most of the land lies near the coast of the North Sea. These countries came together for trade and became rich in the Middle Ages.

          The French dukes controlled this area for a while. But, they chose to join the Habsburg family in the 1500s, which ruled over Spain and Austria. Peace did not prevail in the Low Countries even though they were rich. There were a series of wars and they were ruled by foreign powers time and again. Belgium broke free from Netherlands in 1830 and Luxembourg gained independence in 1867.

          In 1948, these countries joined again in an economic union. This union is referred to as Benelux, a combination of the first sounds of the three countries. Benelux was a founding member of the European Economic Community.

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