Category Social Sciences

               Latvia is one of the three Baltic States, situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. The country is also bordered by Russia and Belarus, and it shares maritime border with Sweden.

               Latvia became an independent state in 1918, after gaining its sovereignty from Russia in the aftermath of World War I. Since 21st August 1991, Latvia is a parliamentary republic. Ceremonial Chief of State is the president; he is elected by the parliament. The head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the prime minister, he is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament. The country is a member of the European Union (EU) since May 2004.

               Its capital Riga served as the European capital of culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. It’s mostly flat landscape offers a mix of beaches, rivers, lakes, marshes and forests. Since 1st January 2014, it replaced the Latvian lats with the Euro as its currency.

               Togo is a narrow strip of land in Western Africa between Ghana to the west and Benin to the east, bordered in north by Burkina Faso and the Gulf of Guinea in south. Lome, the capital, is situated in the southwest of the country and is the largest city and port.

               In 1884, Germany declared a region including present-day Togo, as a protectorate called Togoland. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. Togo became an independent state in 1960, after gaining its sovereignty from France.

               The population of Togo is made up of about 30 ethnic groups, many of whom are immigrants from other parts of Africa. The groups indigenous to Togo live in the north. Togo enjoys one of the highest standards of living on the continent, owing to its valuable phosphate deposits and through exporting of agricultural products. The official language is French, and the currency is the West African CFA franc.

               Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country situated in the western Balkan Peninsula of Europe.

               The Bosnian region in the north is mountainous, and covered with thick forests. The Herzegovina region in the south is largely rugged, flat farmland. The capital of the country is Sarajevo.

               The country is home to three main ethnic groups. The Bosniaks are the largest group; the Serbs are second, and the Croats, third. The spoken languages are Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. In the interwar period, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and after World War II, it was granted full republic status in the newly formed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

               In 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and asked for recognition by the European Union.

               In a March 1992 referendum, Bosnian voters chose independence. This was followed by Bosnian War, which lasted until 1995. 

               Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country on the north western edge of the Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe, formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia. Five countries border Croatia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, and it shares a sea border with Italy. Its capital city is Zagreb.

               Croatia became an independent state in 1991, after gaining its sovereignty from Yugoslavia.

               Croatia, in earlier times, was influenced by many foreign countries like Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully for four years following the declaration. The politics of Croatia are defined by a parliamentary, representative democratic republic framework, where the Prime Minister of Croatia is the head of government in a multi-party system.

               Being an extremely beautiful, scenic country, Croatia is again very popular as a tourist destination. Croatian is the official language of Croatia. The currency of Croatia is the Kuna. 

Picture credit: google

               Costa Rica is a small country in Central America. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

               Its constitution of 1949 provides for a unicameral legislature, a fair judicial system, and an independent electoral body. Moreover, the constitution abolished the country’s army, gave women the right to vote, and provided other social, economic, and educational guarantees for all of its citizens.

               The Spanish came to Costa Rica and colonized the area in 1561. It was a Spanish colony for about 250 years. However, unlike its neighbours, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain. On September 15th, 1821, after the final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. The Capital city is San Jose. The currency is the Costa Rican colon. 

               The Slovak Republic is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Europe that is bordered by Austria and the Czech Republic in west, by Hungary in south, by Poland in north, and the Ukraine in east. Slovakia’s territory spans about 49,000 square kilometers, and is mostly mountainous. The capital and largest city is Bratislava. The official language is Slovak.

               Formerly part of Czechoslovakia, it was known as the Slovak Socialist Republic from 1969 until 1990. In 1993, the Slovak Republic became an independent, sovereign state.

               Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The head of state of Slovakia is the president; he is elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term.

               In 2004, Slovakia became an EU member country, and in December 2007, it joined the Schengen zone. The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, and the 3rd fastest in Eurozone. The country maintains a combination of a market economy with a comprehensive social security system. Its currency is the Euro.