Category Social Sciences

          Mexico is famous for many reasons. Mexico is the homeland of chocolate. Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead, when the dead are believed to come to life again. The famous movie ‘Book of Life’ is based on this festival.

          The history of Mexico is scripted by the Aztecs, Mayans, Spanish and the Americans who changed the life and living of its people. After three hundred years of Spanish colonization, Mexico gained independence in 1821.

          Mexico was a farming nation. This changed as industries dominated the landscape. The country had troubled relations with the US since independence. The major issues were concerning borders.

         The US fought wars with Mexico to take control over Texas under the leadership of President James K Polk. Texas was earlier a part of Mexico which they lost in war. In 1994, President Bill Clinton ordered the building of a border wall; it created a lot of tension.

          Apart from this, Mexico had to deal with several internal issues like drug trafficking and inflation.

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          The United States of America that we know today took shape from a small colony called Jamestown! The journey from a tiny colony to the world’s superpower was not easy. It all started when the British settlers came to America in the 1500s. Before them, natives from Eurasia occupied the country and had been living there for at least thirty thousand years.

          After years of struggle and hard labour, the British established thirteen colonies by the 1700s. Britain imposed heavy taxes on the colonies which created tension. The colonies rebelled against their masters. However, they were not alone to fight Britain. They were backed up by France. The eight year rebellion against taxes that started in 1775 is known as the American Revolutionary War. In the end, America broke free from Britain and the colonies began to be known as the United States or US.

          The US is the oldest surviving federation. It has 50 States, a federal district- Washington D.C., five major territories and several minor islands.

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          The name Greenland is quite misleading. It gives you an image of a stretch of lush green land, but the island is actually full of glaciers. The island was earlier inhabited by the Vikings. Their king Erik the Red named the island ‘Greenland’ to attract settlers from Europe. It is the world’s largest island, but holds one of the smallest populations.

          Greenland was first inhabited by convicts who had escaped from Iceland. They were succeeded by the Vikings and later by the Norse. Later, Hans Egede formed a colony in Greenland in 1776 with due permission from Denmark. Till 1950, the Danish enjoyed monopoly over Greenland. After regular complaints from Greenlanders, Denmark granted them the power of self-governance in 2009.

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          North America has countries with all kinds of cultures, languages, economies and geography. But all these countries share a common history when it comes to its relation with Europe. All the countries of North America were controlled by European colonizers at one point or the other, mainly British and French. Independence was won after years of war and struggles. Some countries stiff have their European connections though.

          The United States is the most developed country in North America. The Central American and Caribbean countries are much poorer than the US or Canada. Many of these countries have had a period of dictatorship and military rule as well.

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          Kiribati got its name along with its independence. The birth of the new nation was celebrated with the new name which in fact is the local pronunciation of Gilbert Island, its old name. Kiribati is a group of 33 islands in the central Pacific. This archipelago was named after an English explorer Thomas Gilbert.

          Whalers were the first people to come to the island. Though Spanish explorers visited the island, the British colonized it. Japan occupied Kiribati during the Second World War. It became independent in 1979. But there were ethnic tensions between the inhabitants.

          Banaba, a Kiribatian island had phosphate deposits which were exploited by the British. The Banabans filed a case against the British government for compensation for the environmental devastation. In 1981, Britain offered ten million Australian dollars to close the case which they agreed to. A commercial satellite-launch platform was established in the 1990s which is the island’s major source of income.

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         Fiji is a collection of almost 800 islands in the Pacific Ocean, out of which only ten are inhabited. Fiji became a British colony in 1874. It had only its native population till the British established many sugar plantations in the nineteenth century. More people were needed to work in the plantations. To solve this crisis, workers were brought from India who later settled there.

          Fiji gained independence in 1974. The country was racially divided between the native Fijians and the Indians. They waged political wars. Fijians came up with a constitution in 1990 that assured political power to the natives. However, they still had clashes; they had civilian and military rule subsequently. Fiji now follows the constitution charted in 2013. Today, Fiji is a popular tourist destination.

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