The United States Central Intelligence Agency (the CIA), was created in 1947 to provide senior US policymakers with information related to national security. The CIA collects information (“intelligence”), correlates it in relation to national security, and disseminates it appropriately. Here’s what the CIA says about itself on its Kids’ Page: The CIA is an independent US government [more...]
Spain lies between France and Portugal in southwest Europe, and also borders Andorra and Gibraltar. Like France, Spain has two coasts: a Mediterranean coast to the southeast and an Atlantic coast on the Bay of Biscay to the north. The capital of Spain is Madrid, and its second-largest city is Barcelona. Spain’s National Anthem is La Marcha Real [more...]
Germany lies near the center of Europe, with coastlines on the North Sea (at its northwest) and on the Baltic Sea (at its northeast). Between 1949 and 1990, Germany was split into two: the Federal Republic of Germany (“West Germany”) and the German Democratic Republic (“East Germany”). Germany is bordered by Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, [more...]
France lies to the south of the United Kingdom, separated from it by the English Channel, and is in continental Europe. To the southwest it borders with Spain and Andorra. To the northeast and east it borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco. It has two separate coastlines: the Mediterranean to the south, and [more...]
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“the UK”) lies to the west of continental Europe. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. See also: What’s the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles? The national anthem is God Save The Queen. How big is the United Kingdom? The United Kingdom has [more...]
South Africa lies at the south of Africa. It borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, and surrounds Lesotho. The legislative capital is Cape Town, the judicial capital is Bloemfontein, and the administrative capital is Pretoria. The South African National Anthem is Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. How big is South Africa? South Africa has an area of 1,219,912 square kilometers [more...]
New Zealand lies in the Pacific Ocean to the south-east of Australia, remote from any other country. It comprises two large islands (“North Island” and “South Island”) together with a number of smaller islands. New Zealand’s national anthem is God Defend New Zealand, a status it shares with God Save the Queen. How big is New Zealand? New [more...]
Australia is a large but lightly populated island country lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It was constituted in 1901 from a merger of six former colonies of the United Kingdom. The national anthem is Advance Australia Fair. How big is Australia? Australia has an area of 7,686,850 square kilometres (2,967,909 square miles). This is more [more...]
The G-7 is an informal forum for the finance ministers of seven big industrial economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It was formed in 1976 to discuss economic issues and seek agreement. It superseded the G-6 which didn’t include Canada. There’s also the G-8 which adds Russia [more...]