University Encyclopedia

Australia Australia Officially the Commonwealth of Australia,is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, The island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world’s sixth-largest country by total area. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands,Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups.After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia’s eastern half  was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal Transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788.The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing [...]

China   China China, officially the People’s Republic of China, is the world’s most populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Capital: Beijing Dialing code: 86 President: Hu Jintao Currency: Renminbi National anthem: March of the Volunteers Government: People’s Republic, Single-party state, Communist state, Socialist state Points of interest Great Wall of China Great Wall of China Forbidden City Forbidden City Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square China ( Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is the world’s most populous country,with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres,the East Asian state is the world’s second-largest country by land area,and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.The People’s Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist [...]

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia  Arabic:  as-Su‘udiyyah or as-Sa‘udiyyah), officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabiyyah as-Su‘udiyyah About this sound Arabic pronunciation , is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria). It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km2 (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) [...]

Turkey Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Approximately 70–80% of the population are ethnic Turks. The country’s official language is Turkish, which is spoken by approximately 85% of the population as mother tongue.  Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken [...]

South Korea  South Korea SEOUL KOREA news report by  UNIVERSITY South Korea officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: Daehan Minguk), is a sovereign state in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name “Korea” is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages. Its neighbors are China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. South Korea lies in the North Temperate Zone with a predominantly mountainous terrain. It covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of almost 50 million. The capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of 9,794,304.Archaeological findings show that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Lower Paleolithic period. Korean history begins with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by the legendary Dan-gun. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea under Silla 668 AD, Korea went through the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean [...]

Europe EUROPEAN UNION & member countries of European Union Circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background. Flag Motto: United in diversity Anthem: Ode to Joy Anthem of the European Union Ode to Joy (orchestral) An orthographic projection of the world, highlighting the European Union and its Member States (green). Political centres Brussels Luxembourg Strasbourg Official languages          23 Demonym European Member States 27 Leaders –          President of the Council        Herman Van Rompuy –          President of the Commission         José Manuel Barroso –          Speaker of the Parliament   Martin Schulz –          Presidency of the Council of the Union             Demetris Christofias (Cyprus) –          High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy             Catherine Ashton Legislature           Legislature of the EU –  [...]