1.
Bear Stearns
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Its main business areas before its failure were capital markets, investment banking, wealth management and global clearing services, and it was heavily involved in the subprime mortgage crisis. As investor losses mounted in those markets in 2006 and 2007, in March 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York provided an emergency loan to try to avert a sudden collapse of the company. In January 2010, JPMorgan ceased using the Bear Stearns name, Bear Stearns was founded as an equity trading house on May Day 1923 by Joseph Ainslee Bear, Robert B. Stearns and Harold C. Mayer Sr. with $500,000 in capital. Internal tensions quickly arose among the three founders, the firm survived the Wall Street Crash of 1929 without laying off any employees and by 1933 opened its first branch office in Chicago. In 1955, the firm opened its first international office in Amsterdam, in 1985, Bear Stearns became a publicly traded company. It served corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals, through Bear Stearns Securities Corp. it offered global clearing services to broker dealers, prime broker clients and other professional traders, including securities lending. Bear Stearns was also known for one of the most widely read market intelligence pieces on the street, Bear Stearns World Headquarters was located at 383 Madison Avenue, between East 46th Street and East 47th Street in Manhattan. By 2007, the company employed more than 15,500 people worldwide, internationally the firm had offices in London, Beijing, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Lugano, Milan, São Paulo, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. In 2005–2007, Bear Stearns was recognized as the Most Admired securities firm in Fortunes Americas Most Admired Companies survey, the annual survey is a prestigious ranking of employee talent, quality of risk management and business innovation. This was the time in three years that Bear Stearns had achieved this top distinction. A year later Bear Stearns had notional contract amounts of approximately $13.40 trillion in derivative financial instruments, of which $1.85 trillion were listed futures and option contracts. In addition, Bear Stearns was carrying more than $28 billion in level 3 assets on its books at the end of fiscal 2007 versus a net equity position of only $11.1 billion. This $11.1 billion supported $395 billion in assets, which means a leverage ratio of 35.6 to 1, on June 22,2007, Bear Stearns pledged a collateralized loan of up to $3. The funds were invested in thinly traded collateralized debt obligations, merrill Lynch seized $850 million worth of the underlying collateral but only was able to auction $100 million of them. The incident sparked concern of contagion as Bear Stearns might be forced to liquidate its CDOs, richard A. Marin, a senior executive at Bear Stearns Asset Management responsible for the two hedge funds, was replaced on June 29 by Jeffrey B. Lane, a former Vice Chairman of rival investment bank, Lehman Brothers, during the week of July 16,2007, Bear Stearns disclosed that the two subprime hedge funds had lost nearly all of their value amid a rapid decline in the market for subprime mortgages. On August 1,2007, investors in the two funds took action against Bear Stearns and its top board and risk management managers and officers and this was the first legal action made against Bear Stearns. Co-President Warren Spector was asked to resign on August 5,2007, a September 21 report in the New York Times noted that Bear Stearns posted a 61 percent drop in net profits due to their hedge fund losses
2.
Mardela Springs, Maryland
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Mardela Springs is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 347 at the 2010 census and it is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mardela Springs is located at 38°27′36″N 75°45′21″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.40 square miles, of which 0.39 square miles is land and 0.01 square miles is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers, according to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mardela Springs has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated Cfa on climate maps. As of the census of 2010, there were 347 people,134 households, the population density was 889.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 160 housing units at a density of 410.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 88. 2% White,6. 9% African American,0. 6% Asian,0. 6% Pacific Islander,0. 6% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 3% of the population. 22. 4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the town was 37.9 years. 27. 1% of residents were under the age of 18,6. 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24,27. 9% were from 25 to 44,25. 3% were from 45 to 64, and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50. 7% male and 49. 3% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 364 people,135 households, and 93 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,009.2 people per square mile, there were 159 housing units at an average density of 440.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 90. 93% White,5. 49% African American,0. 55% Native American,1. 92% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 4. 40% of the population. 23. 0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was out with 29. 1% under the age of 18,8. 2% from 18 to 24,30. 2% from 25 to 44,20. 6% from 45 to 64. The median age was 34 years, for every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males, the median income for a household in the town was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had an income of $35,125 versus $20,000 for females
3.
Williams College
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Williams College is a highly selective private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, there are three academic curricular divisions,24 departments,33 majors, and two small masters degree programs in art history and development economics. Students may also concentrate in 12 additional academic areas that are not offered as majors, the academic year follows a 4–1–4 schedule of two four-course semesters plus a one-course winter study term in January. There are 334 voting faculty members, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7,1, as of 2012, the school has an enrollment of 2,052 undergraduate students and 54 graduate students. Certain portions of the Williams education are modeled after the systems at the universities of Oxford. Williams is on a 450-acre campus in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the Berkshires in rural northwestern Massachusetts, the campus contains more than 100 academic, athletic, and residential buildings. The college competes in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference, the Williams college mascot is a purple cow. The college has produced prominent alumni, including 7 Pulitzer Prize winners. Other notable alumni include 35 Rhodes Scholars,17 Marshall Scholarship winners, Colonel Ephraim Williams was an officer in the Massachusetts militia and a member of a prominent landowning family. His will included a bequest to support and maintain a school to be established in the town of West Hoosac, Massachusetts. Williams was killed at the Battle of Lake George on September 8,1755, after Shays Rebellion, the Williamstown Free School opened with 15 students on October 26,1791. The first president was Ebenezer Fitch, not long after its founding, the schools trustees petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to convert the free school to a tuition-based college. The legislature agreed and on June 22,1793, Williams College was chartered and it was the second college to be founded in Massachusetts. At its founding, the college maintained a policy of racial segregation and this policy was challenged by Lucy Terry Prince, who is credited as the first black American poet, when her son Festus was refused admission on account of his race. In 1806, a student prayer meeting gave rise to the American Foreign Mission Movement, in August of that year, five students met in the maple grove of Sloans Meadow to pray. A thunderstorm drove them to the shelter of a haystack, the students went on to build the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the first American organization to send missionaries overseas. The Haystack Monument near Mission Park on the Williams Campus commemorates the historic Haystack Prayer Meeting, by 1815, Williams had only two buildings and 58 students and was in financial trouble, so the board voted to move the college to Amherst, Massachusetts. In 1821, the president of the college, Zephaniah Swift Moore and he took 15 students with him, and re-founded the college under the name of Amherst College
4.
News presenter
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They may also be a working journalist, assisting in the collection of news material and may, in addition, provide commentary during the program. News presenters most often work from a studio or radio studio. The role of the news presenter developed over time, classically, the presenter would read the news from news copy which he may or may not have helped write with a producer or news writer. This was often taken almost directly from services and then rewritten. Prior to the era, radio-news broadcasts often mixed news with opinion. These presenters were referred to as commentators, the last major figure to present commentary in a news broadcast format in the United States was Paul Harvey. With the development of the 24-hour news cycle and dedicated cable news channels, many anchors also write or edit news for their programs, although modern news formats often distinguish between anchor and commentator in an attempt to establish the character of a news anchor. The mix of news and commentary varies depending on the type of program. In 1948, anchor man was used in the game show Who Said That. to refer to John Cameron Swayze, the anchor term then became commonly used by 1952 to describe the most prominent member of a panel of reporters or experts. The term anchorman also was used to describe Walter Cronkites role at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the widespread claim that news anchors were called cronkiters in Swedish has been debunked by linguist Ben Zimmer. Anchors occupy a role in news broadcasts. Some argue anchors have become sensationalized characters whose identities overshadow the news itself, while others cite anchors as necessary figureheads of wisdom and truth in the news broadcast. Brian Williams, a minor character in NBCs sitcom 30 Rock. A criticism levied against the role of anchor stems from this dynamic, regurgitat or reproduc the report of others. Differentiating them from the occupations of journalists and on-site reporters. The identity of a particular anchor seems to influence viewer perception less than the presence of an anchor in general. More specifically, the media may do an important social good when using the techniques of dramaturgy to make governance more interesting to people than would be the case otherwise. At the same time, however, there is an important difference between drama and democracy, with the former requiring spectators and the latter participants
5.
Journalist
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A journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current information. A journalists work is called journalism, a journalist can work with general issues or specialize in certain issues. However, most journalists tend to specialize, and by cooperating with other journalists, for example, a sports journalist covers news within the world of sports, but this journalist may be a part of a newspaper that covers many different topics. A reporter is a type of journalist who researches, writes, and reports on information in order to present in sources, conduct interviews, engage in research, and make reports. The information-gathering part of a job is sometimes called reporting. Reporters may split their time working in a newsroom and going out to witness events or interviewing people. Reporters may be assigned a beat or area of coverage. Depending on the context, the term journalist may include various types of editors, editorial writers, columnists, Journalism has developed a variety of ethics and standards. While objectivity and a lack of bias are of concern and importance, more liberal types of journalism, such as advocacy journalism and activism. This has become prevalent with the advent of social media and blogs, as well as other platforms that are used to manipulate or sway social and political opinions. These platforms often project extreme bias, as sources are not always held accountable or considered necessary in order to produce a written, nor did they often directly experience most social problems, or have direct access to expert insights. These limitations were made worse by a media that tended to over-simplify issues and to reinforce stereotypes, partisan viewpoints. As a consequence, Lippmann believed that the public needed journalists like himself who could serve as analysts, guiding “citizens to a deeper understanding of what was really important. ”Journalists sometimes expose themselves to danger. Organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders publish reports on press freedom, as of November 2011, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 887 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992 by murder, crossfire or combat, or on dangerous assignment. The ten deadliest countries for journalists since 1992 have been Iraq, Philippines, Russia, Colombia, Mexico, Algeria, Pakistan, India, Somalia, Brazil and Sri Lanka. The Committee to Protect Journalists also reports that as of December 1st 2010,145 journalists were jailed worldwide for journalistic activities. The ten countries with the largest number of currently-imprisoned journalists are Turkey, China, Iran, Eritrea, Burma, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Cuba, Ethiopia, apart from the physical harm, journalists are harmed psychologically. This applies especially to war reporters, but their offices at home often do not know how to deal appropriately with the reporters they expose to danger
6.
Creative Artists Agency
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Creative Artists Agency or CAA is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as a dominant and influential company in the talent agency business, in March 2016, CAA had 1,800 employees. Creative Artists Agency was formed by a handful of agents at the William Morris Agency in 1975, at a dinner, Mike Rosenfeld, Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, William Haber, and Rowland Perkins decided to create their own agency. According to one report, the agents were fired by William Morris before they could obtain financing and their firm was incorporated in Delaware and had a $35,000 line of credit and a $21,000 bank loan and rented a small Century City office. Within a week, they sold a show called Rhyme and Reason, the Rich Little Show. Representing numerous A-list actors and having about $90 million in bookings in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, CAA had 550 employees, about 1,400 of Hollywoods top talent, in the 1990s, CAA was owned mostly by several key agents, including Michael Ovitz, Bill Haber, and Ron Meyer. Haber was credited for the revival of top TV producer Aaron Spelling, Ovitz expanded the agency into advertising and telecommunications. In 1992, the Coca-Cola company placed CAA in charge of much of its marketing campaign, in 1995, CAA was described as the industrys most powerful agency. In the middle 1990s, however, there were changes in management. In 1995, Ron Meyer was appointed as the head of MCA, the departure of Ovitz and Meyer brought an exodus of some of CAAs top-marquee names. Talent agent Jay Moloney was originally part of the transition but due to his addiction, he was fired. In 1996, several CAA agents defected to rival agency William Morris Endeavor, the partners founded the CAA Foundation in 1996 to create positive social change by encouraging volunteerism, partnerships, and donations. In 2012, it worked with Insight Labs for education reform, the agency continued to grow in the 21st century. In 2003, it opened a New York City office to manage theatre clients, from 2005 to 2015, CAA developed greater fiscal discipline, with more emphasis on profits, possibly as the result of the influence of private equity firms. During these years, CAA doubled in size, from 750 to 1,500 employees, in 2010, new technological developments such as the digital distribution of movies put strains on the industry. There was pressure to diversify into television, publishing, concerts, in that year, private equity firm TPG Capital invested substantial sums in CAA, it invested $165 million with an additional $200 million in debt financing. Agents are the core of the business, the players, putting together deals, while the public focus is on the moviemakers and actors and TV
7.
CNN
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The Cable News Network is an American basic cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. It was founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner as a 24-hour cable news channel, upon its launch, CNN was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage, and was the first all-news television channel in the United States. While the news channel has numerous affiliates, CNN primarily broadcasts from the Time Warner Center in New York City and its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta is only used for weekend programming. CNN is sometimes referred to as CNN/U. S. to distinguish the American channel from its sister network. As of August 2010, CNN is available in over 100 million U. S. households, broadcast coverage of the U. S. channel extends to over 890,000 American hotel rooms, as well as carriage on cable and satellite providers throughout Canada. Globally, CNN programming airs through CNN International, which can be seen by viewers in over 212 countries and territories, as of February 2015, CNN is available to about 96,289,000 cable, satellite, and telco television households in the United States. The Cable News Network was launched at 5,00 p. m. Eastern Time on June 1,1980, after an introduction by Ted Turner, the husband and wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchored the channels first newscast. Burt Reinhardt, the vice president of CNN at its launch, hired most of the channels first 200 employees, including the networks first news anchor. Since its debut, CNN has expanded its reach to a number of cable and satellite providers, several websites. The company has 36 bureaus, more than 900 affiliated local stations, the channels success made a bona-fide mogul of founder Ted Turner and set the stage for conglomerate Time Warners eventual acquisition of the Turner Broadcasting System in 1996. A companion channel, CNN2, was launched on January 1,1982, on January 28,1986, CNN carried the only live television coverage of the launch and subsequent break-up of Space Shuttle Challenger, which killed all seven crew members on board. On October 14,1987, Jessica McClure, an 18-month-old toddler, fell down a well in Midland, CNN quickly reported on the story, and the event helped make its name. This was before correspondents reported live from the capital while American bombs were falling. Before Saddam Hussein held a press conference with a few of the hundreds of Americans he was holding hostage. Before the nation watched, riveted but powerless, as Los Angeles was looted and burned, before O. J. Simpson took a slow ride in a white Bronco, and before everyone close to his case had an agent and a book contract. This was uncharted territory just a time ago. The moment when bombing began was announced on CNN by Bernard Shaw on January 16,1991, as follows, lets describe to our viewers what were seeing. The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated, were seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky
8.
Erin Burnett OutFront
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Erin Burnett OutFront is an hour-long television news program hosted by Erin Burnett on CNN. The show premiered on October 3,2011 in the 7,00 pm and 11,00 pm time slot to replace John King, CNN said in 2011 they hoped Burnetts expected popularity would provide an attractive opening to an evening of talk shows and news analysis. The program covers a number of stories of the day in a Count-up format, starting at #1 – most important. Burnetts program features taped packages from CNN Correspondents along with analysis, since January 2015, OutFront had a repackaged thirty-minute format running on the weekends on CNN International. From March 17-May 29,2015, OutFront aired in a slot at 5. To make way for a 5,45 PM slot for CNN Philippines Traffic Center, on February 16,2016, OutFront moved to an earlier timeslot at 2,00 PM local time and returned to a full-hour slot. From August to September 2016, OutFront moved to 8,30 AM local time, when breaking news warranted, the timeslot would be temporarily replaced by a hook-up from CNN International
9.
CNBC
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CNBC is an American basic cable, internet and satellite business news television channel that is owned by NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast. As of February 2015, CNBC is available to approximately 93,623,000 pay television households in the United States, in 2007, the network was ranked as the 19th most valuable cable channel in the United States, worth roughly $4 billion. In addition to the domestic U. S. feed, various localized versions of CNBC also operate, serving different regions, NBCUniversal is the owner, or a minority stakeholder, in many of these versions. CNBC had its beginnings around 1980 as the Satellite Program Network, showing a mix of old movies, instructional. The channel later changed its name to Tempo Television, after initially signing a letter of intent to acquire Tempo, NBC eventually opted for a deal to lease the channels transponder in June 1988. On this platform, and under the guidance of Tom Rogers, NBC and Cablevision initially operated CNBC as a 50-50 joint venture, choosing to headquarter the channel in Fort Lee, New Jersey. CNBC had considerable difficulty getting cable carriage at first, as many providers were skeptical of placing it alongside the longer-established Financial News Network. By the winter of 1990, CNBC was only in 17 million homes – less than half of FNNs potential reach – despite having the muscle of NBC standing behind it, however, around this time, FNN encountered serious financial difficulties. The deal increased the distribution of the enlarged network to over 40 million homes. Cablevision sold its 50% stake to NBC upon completion of the deal, with the full name Consumer News and Business Channel dropped, the networks business programming was at first branded CNBC/FNN, although this was phased out before the mid-1990s. Under Rogers leadership, CNBC began to grow during the 1990s, NBC Universal reacquired full control of loss-making CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia from Dow Jones at the end of 2005. The licensing agreement between Dow and CNBC U. S. remained intact, however, a rolling ticker provides real-time updates on share prices on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX, as well as market indices, news summaries, and weather updates by NBC meteorologists. A rotating top band of the screen rotates provides real-time updates on index and commodity prices from world markets. As of January 4,2016, the networks 480i standard definition feed now shows the same 16,9 HD feed on its 4,3 picture, CNBC provides a variety of programs throughout the business day. These short bulletins, which are around 30 seconds in length, the CNBC. com News Now update segments were discontinued as of early 2010. These bulletins were reintroduced in 2015 and they are aired hourly, on the half-hour between 10. 30am and 4. 30pm. The bulletins are read by Sue Herera, CNBCs breakout hit among its original series is Mad Money. Hosted by money manager Jim Cramer, the show gives stock advice to viewers who call to the program
10.
Squawk on the Street
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Squawk on the Street, which debuted on December 19,2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States. Originally airing as a program, the show doubled its airtime to two hours on July 19,2007. This replaced the first hour of Morning Call, which aired one hour later and had its airtime reduced in half, on October 17,2011, Squawk on the Street was expanded to 3 hours, from 9am to noon ET. The Call was canceled as a result of this programs expansion, on May 19,2014, Squawk on the Street reverted to 2 hours as a new program, Squawk Alley, debuted on that day. Squawk on the Street, which is seen at 9, 00am ET, is broadcast live at the New York Stock Exchange, mark Haines and Erin Burnett were the original co-anchors at the NYSE. Haines, died on May 24,2011,18 days after Burnett left CNBC to host CNNs Outfront, David Faber originally reported from CNBC Global Headquarters, while Haines and Burnett were in the Squawk Nest, or Luxury Box above the NYSE. Contributors include Bob Pisani, Bertha Coombs and Scott Wapner, Coombs and Wapner were the original NASDAQ contributors, Wapner left the show in 2010 focusing to host on Fast Money Halftime Report and was replaced by Seema Mody. Leaving Coombs remained in that report along with Mody, were Sharon Epperson, on July 11,2011, Squawk on the Street debuted an entirely new anchor team at the NYSE. Carl Quintanilla, Melissa Lee and Simon Hobbs were appointed as the new anchor team, Mad Money host Jim Cramer joined Quintanilla and Lee as a contributor for the first hour, with Hobbs joining Quintanilla and Lee as a third anchor for the duration. The following year, Faber moved from the networks Englewood Cliffs studio to a new studio set at the NYSE. The trading-floor studio set located in Post 9 at the NYSE, on April 1,2013, Lee was removed from her anchoring duties on Squawk on the Street and continues on as anchor of Fast Money and Options Action. On May 17,2013, Kelly Evans, became the new co-anchor of Squawk on the Street, Evans officially left her anchoring duties to Closing Bell at the end of 2013 and was replaced by Sara Eisen, who was previously had a contributing role. Sara became a permanent co-anchor in May 2014, from January 4,2016, Sara Eisen now also co-hosts Worldwide Exchange along with Wilfred Frost, now produced from CNBC Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Carl Quintanilla David Faber Jim Cramer Sara Eisen, now also co-anchor of Worldwide Exchange along with Wilfred Frost, around the midway point of the shows first hour was originally the Opening Bell Countdown, which had a countdown clock on the lower right of the screen. However, since Cramer joined Squawk on the Street in July 2011, after the opening bells ring at the NYSE and NASDAQ MarketSite, Quintanilla, Cramer and Faber send viewers through the opening minutes of the trading day with the Opening Buzz segment. The show originally ended with the anchors looking at the Stocks to Watch, Jim Cramer talks to the Squawk Box hosts, mostly 10-5 minutes before the show starts. Around the Horn, A brief summary of news, seen at the start of the show. The Rundown, This segment starts with Bob Pisani on the floor at the NYSE, then continues with market reporters at the NASDAQ, each of the reporters narrate pre-market news headlines in turn
11.
Street Signs (TV series)
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Street Signs is a television business programme on CNBC Asia and CNBC Europe. Before the Asian version debuted on March 31,2014, it was broadcast on CNBC at 2, the US versions final episode aired on February 6,2015, due to Power Lunch returning to a two-hour format. The European version of Street Signs, which is aired in a format on CNBC Europe. Erin Burnett Maria Bartiromo Ron Insana Amanda Drury & Brian Sullivan Oriel Morrison Martin Soong Louisa Bojesen Carolin Roth This program focusses on the market action. In addition, prominent analysts, investors and executives regularly appear on the program to offer their perspective, Street Signs was originally a two-hour programme that aired on CNBC from 1996 to 2002-02-01. It was cancelled effective 2002-02-04 and Power Lunch occupied its vacated slot as a result of CNBCs revamped programming line-up, on 2003-12-08, former Business Center co-anchor and original host Ron Insana revived Street Signs. And on March 2006, Squawk on the Street co-anchor Erin Burnett replaced Insana as the new host. Burnett left CNBC on May 6,2011, after Erin Burnetts departure from CNBC in May 2011, Amanda Drury and Brian Sullivan became this programs new anchor team and they were to be the shows final anchors. On October 13,2014, Street Signs was launched in full 1080i high-definition as part of CNBC US network-wide switch to a full 16,9 letterbox presentation, one notable segment of the programme, which aired at 2, 40pm ET, the Stop Trading. Segment and was presented by Jim Cramer, in this segment, which formerly aired on Closing Bell prior to 2006-09-11, the co-anchors asked Cramer about the stocks making news, and also asked him for his take on the days markets. After the segment, a disclaimer was shown as Street Signs go to a commercial break. Segment was moved to the end of the first hour of Squawk on the Street on February 9,2015, Jim Cramers on-air tirade about the weakening economy, which was seen during the Stop Trading. Segment of this program on 2007-08-03, garnered attention and helped galvanise the Federal Reserve Board to cut interest rates. As of January 4,2016, the European version of Street Signs is the only CNBC Europe program that is aired on CNBCs main US channel, coincidentally, the US own version of Street Signs aired its last show 11 months earlier, on February 6,2015. CNBC Asias version of Street Signs debuted March 31,2014, with Martin Soong, Soong was previously a longtime co-anchor of Asia Squawk Box and Morrison was anchor of the now-cancelled Cash Flow. The background music for both the Asian and European versions is the same as CNBC Asias The Rundown and CNBC US Squawk Alley, CNBC Europes version of Street Signs debuted January 4,2016. Airing in a format from 10,00 a. m. to 11,00 a. m. CET, it replaced the first hour of Worldwide Exchange, which itself had its airtime halved to one hour, however, the programme is occasionally extended to two hours on American bank holidays
12.
NBC
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The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
13.
Meet the Press
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Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program that is broadcast on NBC. It is the program in U. S. television history. It originates from NBCs Washington, D. C. studios, the longevity of Meet the Press can be illustrated in consideration of the fact that the program debuted during what was only the second official network television season for American television. The program has been hosted by 12 different moderators to date, the shows moderator since 2014 is Chuck Todd, who also serves as political director for NBC News. Currently, the program airs in most markets on Sundays at 9,00 a. m. live in the Eastern Time Zone. Meet the Press is also occasionally pre-empted due to coverage of sports events held outside of the U. S. The program is also rebroadcast on Sundays at 2,00 p. m. and Mondays at 2,00 a. m. Eastern Time on MSNBC, whose audio feed is also simulcast on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. The program is syndicated by Westwood One to various radio stations around the United States. Originally a half-hour program for most of its history, the show expanded to 60 minutes starting with the September 20,1992, occasionally, a final segment called The Meet the Press Minute airs, which is devoted to topical clips from the shows extensive archives. Based on her advice, Rountree created a new program that she called The American Mercury. Meet the Press was originally presented as a 30-minute press conference with a single guest, creator Rountree served as its first host, the programs only female moderator to date. She stepped down on November 1,1953, and was succeeded by Ned Brooks, Spivak became the moderator on January 1,1966, moving up from his role as a permanent panelist. He retired on November 9,1975, on a special edition that featured, for the first time. The next week, Bill Monroe, previously a weekly panelist like Spivak had been years before, took over as moderator and stayed until June 2,1984. For the next seven and a half years, the then went through a series of hosts as it struggled in the ratings against ABCs This Week with David Brinkley. Roger Mudd and Marvin Kalb, as co-moderators, followed Monroe for a year, garrick Utley, then hosting Weekend Today, concurrently hosted Meet the Press from 1989 through December 1,1991. All this occurred despite the ratings of NBC News other programs during that period. The program originally aired at noon Eastern Time every Sunday, before moving to a 9,00 a. m. slot by the early 1990s
14.
Today (U.S. TV program)
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Today, also called The Today Show, is an American news and talk morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on January 14,1952 and it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and is the fifth-longest-running American television series. Originally a two-hour program on weekdays, it expanded to Sundays in 1987, the weekday broadcast expanded to three hours in 2000, and to four hours in 2007. Todays dominance was virtually unchallenged by the other networks until the late 1980s, Today has maintained its No.2 status since the summer of 2012 each year behind GMA. In 2002, Today was ranked No.17 on TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, the shows first broadcast aired on January 14,1952. It was the brainchild of Sylvester B, Pat Weaver, Jr. who was then vice president of NBC. Weaver was president of the company from 1953 to 1955, during which time Todays late-night companion The Tonight Show premiered, in pre-production, the shows proposed title was The Rise and Shine Revue. Today was the first program of its genre when it premiered with original host Dave Garroway, the program blended national news headlines, interviews with newsmakers, lifestyle features, other light news and gimmicks, and local news updates from the networks stations. It has spawned several other shows of a type, including ABCs Good Morning America. In other countries, the format was copied – most notably in the United Kingdom with the BBCs Breakfast Time and TV-ams Good Morning Britain, and in Canada with Canada AM on CTV. When Today debuted, it was seen only in the Eastern and Central time zones. Since 1958, Today has been tape-delayed for the five other U. S. time zones, partly to accommodate host Dave Garroways declining health, the program ceased live broadcasts in the summer of 1958, opting instead to broadcast an edition taped the previous afternoon. The experiment, which drew criticism from many sides, ended when John Chancellor replaced Garroway in July 1961, a fourth hour was eventually added on September 10,2007. NBC stations in some markets air the third and fourth hours of Today on tape delay, WHDH in Boston, Massachusetts was an NBC station that would follow this practice to accommodate an hour of local news at 9,00 am. On January 1,2017, the NBC affiliation in Boston moved to a new owned-and-operated station, WBTS, which airs the third and fourth hours of Today at its regular 9,00 am and 10,00 am timeslots. Generally, the program live in the Eastern Time Zone. When breaking news stories warrant, Today will broadcast a live West Coast edition, the live updates typically do not last longer than the 7,00 a. m. hour and once completed, will return to the taped East Coast feed. When the anchors welcome the viewers to the show, they note the current time as being Pacific Time
15.
MSNBC
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MSNBC is an American basic cable and satellite television network that provides news coverage and political commentary from NBC News on current events. The network also carries a nightly programming block during prime time hours. It is owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of the NBCUniversal Television Group division of NBCUniversal, MSNBC and msnbc. com were founded in 1996 as a partnership between Microsoft and General Electrics NBC unit, hence the networks naming. As of February 2015, approximately 94,531,000 households have the ability to receive MSNBC within the United States of America, in the late summer of 2015, MSNBC revamped its programming. The moves were in sharp contrast to previous programming decisions at the network, along with this, moves were made to sharpen the channels news image through a dual editorial relationship with its organizational parent NBC News. MSNBC Live, the flagship daytime news platform was expanded to cover over eight hours of the day. Phil Griffin currently serves as the president and director of operations at the cable network. Pat Burkey, Janelle Rodriguez, and Jonathan Wald oversee programming and news operations at the network, MSNBC was established by NBC executive Tom Rogers. Rogers was instrumental in developing the partnership with Microsoft, which invested $221 million for a 50% share of the cable channel. MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom in Secaucus, New Jersey, the network took over the channel space of NBCs 18-month-old Americas Talking network, though in most cases cable carriage had to be negotiated with providers who never carried AT. MSNBC was launched on July 15,1996, the first show, which was anchored by Jodi Applegate, broadcast a lineup of news, interviews, and opinions. Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the running on CNN at the time. NBC also highlighted their broadcast connections by airing stories direct from the NBC network affiliates, gradually, MSNBC began to put more emphasis on politics. The Project for Excellence in Journalism found in 2007 after a survey of cable channels that MSNBC is moving to make politics a brand, with a large dose of opinion. In January 2001, Mike Barnicle got a show on MSNBC, in June, in a sign of continuing trouble at MSNBC, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that he would not have started MSNBC if he knew then what he knows now. After the September 11,2001 attacks, MSNBC served as an outlet for NBC News to provide up-to-the-minute coverage, CNBC and CNBC Europe, with little financial news to report, ran MSNBC for many hours of the day following the attacks. The year also boosted the profile of Ashleigh Banfield, who was present during the collapse of Building 7 while covering the World Trade Center on September 11 and her Region In Conflict program capitalized on her newfound celebrity and showcased exclusive interviews from Afghanistan. NBC would have the option, which it exercised, to buy the remaining 18% share of the television from Microsoft after two years
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Morning Joe
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Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show which premiered on April 9,2007, on MSNBC. The show features Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, the talk show airs from 6,00 a. m. to 9,00 a. m. Morning Joe began as a program after Don Imus Imus in the Morning was canceled. Former Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough, then host of the primetime MSNBC program Scarborough Country and he put together what would become Morning Joe with Scarborough Country executive producer Chris Licht and screenwriter John Ridley. On April 9,2007, the show debuted as one of a series of rotating programs auditioning for Imuss former slot, with Scarborough joined by co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Ridley. Scarborough had personally asked Brzezinski to co-host with him the night before the first audition, Ridley quickly dropped out as main co-host but continued as a regular guest, while Willie Geist was tapped as co-host. The program permanently took over the slot in July 2007, though the decision was not officially announced until that October, during the first quarter of 2009, Morning Joe earned higher ratings in the age 25-54 demo category than CNNs competing program, American Morning. It still had fewer viewers overall, both programs finished behind Fox Newss Fox & Friends during the same time period. By March 2010, the ratings remained behind those of Fox & Friends, but surpassed its other cable competitors American Morning, Morning Express with Robin Meade. On June 29,2009, along with the rest of the network, on April 29,2013, the show began using new 16,9 aspect ratio friendly graphics. This comes as MSNBC made the transition to broadcasting in 16,9 letterbox on its standard definition channel, while presented in 16,9, though, most graphical elements remain inside the 4,3 safe area. Morning Joe continues to place second in total viewers and younger demographic to Fox & Friends. However, Morning Joe, like MSNBC overall, ranked behind CNNs counterpart programming during short stints in 2013, the show was broadcast live from Des Moines, Iowa, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Columbia, South Carolina during the 2008 Republican and Democratic primaries and caucuses. Presidential candidates such as Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Barack Obama, Ron Paul, beginning on June 1,2009, Morning Joe was presented as Brewed by Starbucks, with the sponsors logo incorporated into the shows logo. Although the hosts previously consumed Starbucks coffee on air for free, in the words of MSNBC president Phil Griffin, the move was met with mixed reactions from rival news organizations, viewed as both a clever partnership in an economic downturn and a compromise of journalistic standards. Target Corporation now also offers a Morning Joe brand of coffee exclusively in its stores, the Starbucks sponsorship of Morning Joe ended in 2013. A radio version debuted in December 2008, carried on WABC in New York City, Scarborough and Brzezinski host this version, which also replays highlights from the days television show
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NBC Nightly News
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NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NBC television network in the United States. NBC Nightly News is produced from Studio 3B at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City, since 2015, the broadcast has been anchored by Lester Holt on weeknights, José Díaz-Balart on Saturday and Kate Snow on Sunday. Previous weekday anchors have included David Brinkley, John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw and its current theme music, The Mission was composed by John Williams. NBC Nightly News replaced the Huntley-Brinkley Report in August 1970 upon Chet Huntleys retirement, at first, David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and Frank McGee rotated duties as anchors. At least one, usually two, and very rarely all three anchored the program on a given night, Brinkleys appearances were always from Washington and McGees were always from New York. Chancellor moved between two cities depending on his partner for the evening. Chancellor became the anchor of the program on August 9,1971, with Brinkley providing a three-minute commentary segment, David Brinkleys Journal. On June 7,1976, NBC brought Brinkley back to the anchor desk, initially, Chancellor and Brinkley both reported from New York City, however Brinkley would later return to Washington. After stepping down from the desk on April 2,1982. On April 5,1982, Tom Brokaw, who had been serving as anchor of Today since 1976, joined the program and took over duties in New York City. Among other news items, he covered the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, EDSA Revolution, Loma Prieta earthquake, the fall of the Berlin Wall, as anchor, Brokaw conducted the first one-on-one American television interviews with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was the network anchor in Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell. Brokaws presence slowly attracted viewers, and during the 1990s, Nightly News battled for the lead with World News Tonight. He and Katie Couric hosted a prime-time newsmagazine, Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, by 1997, NBC Nightly News had solidified its first place standing in the ratings, a spot it would retain solely for ten years. The once-dominant CBS Evening News, anchored by Dan Rather, had lost a portion of the audience it held during the Walter Cronkite era. Following the collapse of the tower, Brokaw said, In May 2002, Brokaw announced his retirement as anchor of Nightly News. Brokaws final broadcast took place on December 1,2004, ending 22 years on the Nightly News desk, Brian Williams, a frequent substitute for Brokaw for NBC Nightly News, succeeded him as the programs permanent anchor on December 2,2004. However, NBC Nightly News regained the lead a few months later, Williams rose to new levels of popularity for his live spot reporting during and after the 2005 hurricane season
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The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
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The Apprentice is an American game show that judges the business skills of a group of contestants. It has run in various formats across fourteen seasons since January 2004 on NBC, the Apprentice was created by British-born American television producer Mark Burnett. Billed as The Ultimate Job Interview, the show features sixteen to eighteen people who compete over the course of a season. Contestants are split into two corporations, with one member from each volunteering as a manager on each new task. The losing corporation attends a meeting with the shows host and their advisors to break down why they lost. Episodes ended with the host eliminating the poorest contributor from the competition, seven of the shows seasons featured aspiring, but otherwise unknown, businesspersons who would vie for the shows prize, a one-year $250,000 starting contract to run one of Donald Trumps companies. A reboot of this format, The New Celebrity Apprentice, aired in January 2017, the U. S. series originated a franchise of international television shows collectively known as The Apprentice, which has had over 20 local versions. Real estate tycoon and now-President of the United States Donald Trump was the shows host for the first fourteen seasons. After Trump declared he would run for President, it was announced the season would be hosted by actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart hosted the one-season spin-off The Apprentice, Martha Stewart in 2005, the Apprentice is a game show featuring season-long competitions. Each season begins with a new group of contestants vying to earn a place in one of the run by the host. The contestants have come from backgrounds in various enterprises, the backgrounds including real estate, accounting, restaurant management, management consulting, sales. During the show, the live in a communal dwelling. The candidates are divided into two teams, treated as corporations within the show and these corporations select a name they are subsequently referred to through the rest of the show. Tasks are generally business oriented and tend to one of several business skills. Tasks most commonly revolve around sales and marketing, during the tasks, the teams are usually visited by one of the hosts advisors for that week. Tasks typically lasted for one or two days, after the completion of the task, the teams meet with the host and his two advisers in the boardroom. Boardroom meetings generally proceed in three stages, in the preliminary stage, all of the remaining candidates on both teams gather in the boardroom to be briefed on the task by the host and his advisors
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Donald Trump
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Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States. Prior to entering politics he was a businessman and television personality, Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City, and earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He then took charge of The Trump Organization, the estate and construction firm founded by his paternal grandmother, which he ran for four. During his real career, Trump has built, renovated, and managed numerous office towers, hotels, casinos. Besides real estate, he started several ventures and has lent the use of his name for the branding of various products. He owned the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from 1996 to 2015, and he hosted The Apprentice, as of 2017, Forbes listed him as the 544th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $3.5 billion. Trump first publicly expressed interest in running for office in 1987. He won two Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but withdrew his candidacy early on, in June 2015, he launched his campaign for the 2016 presidential election and quickly emerged as the front-runner among 17 candidates in the Republican primaries. His final opponents suspended their campaigns in May 2016, and in July he was nominated at the Republican National Convention along with Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. His campaign received unprecedented media coverage and international attention, many of the statements he made at rallies, in interviews, or on social media were controversial or false. Trump won the election on November 8,2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. His political positions have been described by scholars and commentators as populist, protectionist, Trump was born on June 14,1946 at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York City. He was the fourth of five born to Frederick Christ Fred Trump. His siblings are Maryanne, Fred Jr. Elizabeth, and Robert, Trumps ancestors originated from the village of Kallstadt, Palatinate, Germany on his fathers side, and from the Outer Hebrides isles of Scotland on his mothers side. All his grandparents, and his mother, were born in Europe and his mothers grandfather was also christened Donald. On a visit to his village, he met Elisabeth Christ. He died from the flu pandemic of 1918 and Elizabeth incorporated the family real estate business, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which would later become The Trump Organization. Trumps father Fred was born in the Bronx, and worked with his mother since he was 15 as a real estate developer, primarily in the New York boroughs of Queens and he eventually built and sold thousands of houses, barracks and apartments
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Council on Foreign Relations
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The Council on Foreign Relations, founded in 1921, is a United States nonprofit think tank specializing in U. S. foreign policy and international affairs. It is headquartered in New York City, with an office in Washington. Its membership, which numbers 4,900, has included senior politicians, more than a dozen secretaries of state, CIA directors, bankers, lawyers, professors, and senior media figures. The CFR meetings convene government officials, global leaders and prominent members of the intelligence. This academic band, including Wilsons closest adviser and long-time friend Colonel Edward M. House, as well as Walter Lippmann, met to assemble the strategy for the postwar world. The team produced more than 2,000 documents detailing and analyzing the political, economic and their reports formed the basis for the Fourteen Points, which outlined Wilsons strategy for peace after wars end. These scholars then traveled to the Paris Peace Conference,1919 and participated in the discussions there. ”The members were proponents of Wilsons internationalism, but were concerned about the effect that the war. On July 29,1921 they filed a certification of incorporation and he gathered $125,000 from the wealthy members on the council, and via sending letters soliciting funds to the thousand richest Americans. In the late 1930s, the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation began contributing large amounts of money to the Council, the secrecy surrounding this group was such, that the Council members who were not involved in its deliberations were completely unaware of the study groups existence. It was divided into four functional groups, economic and financial, security and armaments, territorial. The security and armaments group was headed by Allen Welsh Dulles who later became a figure in the CIAs predecessor. The CFR ultimately produced 682 memoranda for the State Department, marked classified and circulated among the government departments. A critical study found that of 502 government officials surveyed from 1945 to 1972, during the Eisenhower administration 40% of the top U. S. foreign policy officials were CFR members, under Truman, 42% of the top posts were filled by council members. During the Kennedy administration, this rose to 51%. In an anonymous piece called The Sources of Soviet Conduct that appeared in Foreign Affairs in 1947, the essay would prove to be highly influential in US foreign policy for seven upcoming presidential administrations. William Bundy credited the CFRs study groups with helping to lay the framework of thinking led to the Marshall Plan. Due to new interest in the group, membership grew towards 1,000, dwight D. Eisenhower chaired a CFR study group while he served as President of Columbia University. One member later said, whatever General Eisenhower knows about economics, the CFR study group devised an expanded study group called Americans for Eisenhower to increase his chances for the presidency
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Mali
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Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of just over 1,240,000 square kilometres, the population of Mali is 14.5 million. The countrys economy centers on agriculture and fishing, some of Malis prominent natural resources include gold, being the third largest producer of gold in the African continent, and salt. About half the population lives below the poverty line of $1.25 a day. A majority of the population are Muslims, present-day Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade, the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. During its golden age, there was a flourishing of mathematics, astronomy, literature, at its peak in 1300, the Mali Empire covered an area about twice the size of modern-day France and stretched to the west coast of Africa. In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali, French Sudan joined with Senegal in 1959, achieving independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. Shortly thereafter, following Senegals withdrawal from the federation, the Sudanese Republic declared itself the independent Republic of Mali. After a long period of one-party rule, a coup in 1991 led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state. In January 2012, a conflict broke out in northern Mali, in which Tuareg rebels took control of by April and declared the secession of a new state. The conflict was complicated by a coup that took place in March. In response to Islamist territorial gains, the French military launched Opération Serval in January 2013, a month later, Malian and French forces recaptured most of the north. Presidential elections were held on 28 July 2013, with a second round held on 11 August. The name Mali is taken from the name of the Mali Empire, the name was originally derived from the Mandinka or Bambara word mali, meaning “hippopotamus”, but it eventually came to mean the place where the king lives. The word carries the connotation of strength, D. Niane suggests in Sundiata, An Epic of Old Mali that it is not impossible that Mali was the name given to one of the capitals of the emperors. 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta reported that the capital of the Mali Empire was indeed called Mali and this name could have formerly been that of a city. In old Mali there is one village called Malikoma which means “New Mali. ”Another theory suggests that Mali is a Fulani pronunciation of the name of the Mande peoples. It is suggested that a sound shift led to the change, whereby in Fulani the alveolar segment /nd/ shifts to /l/, Mali was once part of three famed West African empires which controlled trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, slaves, and other precious commodities
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Afghanistan
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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. It has a population of approximately 32 million, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north and its territory covers 652,000 km2, making it the 41st largest country in the world. The land also served as the source from which the Kushans, Hephthalites, Samanids, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Khiljis, Mughals, Hotaks, Durranis, the political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a state in the Great Game between British India and the Russian Empire. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, King Amanullah unsuccessfully attempted to modernize the country and it remained peaceful during Zahir Shahs forty years of monarchy. A series of coups in the 1970s was followed by a series of wars that devastated much of Afghanistan. The name Afghānistān is believed to be as old as the ethnonym Afghan, the root name Afghan was used historically in reference to a member of the ethnic Pashtuns, and the suffix -stan means place of in Persian. Therefore, Afghanistan translates to land of the Afghans or, more specifically in a historical sense, however, the modern Constitution of Afghanistan states that he word Afghan shall apply to every citizen of Afghanistan. An important site of historical activities, many believe that Afghanistan compares to Egypt in terms of the historical value of its archaeological sites. The country sits at a unique nexus point where numerous civilizations have interacted and it has been home to various peoples through the ages, among them the ancient Iranian peoples who established the dominant role of Indo-Iranian languages in the region. At multiple points, the land has been incorporated within large regional empires, among them the Achaemenid Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Indian Maurya Empire, and the Islamic Empire. Archaeological exploration done in the 20th century suggests that the area of Afghanistan has been closely connected by culture and trade with its neighbors to the east, west. Artifacts typical of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, urban civilization is believed to have begun as early as 3000 BCE, and the early city of Mundigak may have been a colony of the nearby Indus Valley Civilization. More recent findings established that the Indus Valley Civilisation stretched up towards modern-day Afghanistan, making the ancient civilisation today part of Pakistan, Afghanistan, in more detail, it extended from what today is northwest Pakistan to northwest India and northeast Afghanistan. An Indus Valley site has found on the Oxus River at Shortugai in northern Afghanistan. There are several smaller IVC colonies to be found in Afghanistan as well, after 2000 BCE, successive waves of semi-nomadic people from Central Asia began moving south into Afghanistan, among them were many Indo-European-speaking Indo-Iranians. These tribes later migrated further into South Asia, Western Asia, the region at the time was referred to as Ariana
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Rwanda
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Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa and one of the smallest countries on the African mainland. Located a few south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi. Rwanda is in the African Great Lakes region and is elevated, its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the east. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two seasons and two dry seasons each year. The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density among the highest in Africa, Rwandans are drawn from just one cultural and linguistic group, the Banyarwanda, although within this group there are three subgroups, the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The Twa are a pygmy people descended from Rwandas earliest inhabitants. Christianity is the largest religion in the country, the language is Kinyarwanda, spoken by most Rwandans, with English. Rwanda has a system of government. The president is Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, who took office in 2000, Rwanda today has low corruption compared with neighbouring countries, although human rights organisations report suppression of opposition groups, intimidation and restrictions on freedom of speech. The country has been governed by an administrative hierarchy since pre-colonial times. Rwanda is one of two countries with a female majority in the national parliament. Hunter gatherers settled the territory in the stone and iron ages, the population coalesced first into clans and then into kingdoms. The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the century, with the Tutsi kings conquering others militarily, centralising power. Germany colonised Rwanda in 1884 as part of German East Africa, followed by Belgium, both European nations ruled through the kings and perpetuated a pro-Tutsi policy. The Hutu population revolted in 1959 and they massacred numerous Tutsi and ultimately established an independent, Hutu-dominated state in 1962. The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front launched a war in 1990. Social tensions erupted in the 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1.3 million Tutsi, the RPF ended the genocide with a military victory. Rwandas economy suffered heavily during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, but has since strengthened, the economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture
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United Arab Emirates
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In 2013, the UAEs population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates. The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971, the constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates, Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language. The UAEs oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeenth-largest, Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAEs economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city, nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas. The UAE is criticised for its rights record, including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system. The UAEs rising international profile has led analysts to identify it as a regional. It appears the land of the Emirates has been occupied for thousands of years, there is no proof of contact with the outside world at that stage, although in time it developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia and Iran. This contact persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, in ancient times, Al Hasa was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman. Sassanid groups were present on the Batinah coast, in 637, Julfar was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sassanian Empire. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tuam and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, a monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD and it forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. Certainly, by the 5th century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 AD. This led to a group of travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. The Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory with the battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost
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Israel
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Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. The country contains geographically diverse features within its small area. Israels economy and technology center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine, next year, the Jewish Agency declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied territories including the West Bank, Golan Heights and it extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank. Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories is the worlds longest military occupation in modern times, efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace. However, peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been signed, the population of Israel, as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was estimated in 2017 to be 8,671,100 people. It is the worlds only Jewish-majority state, with 74. 8% being designated as Jewish, the countrys second largest group of citizens are Arabs, at 20. 8%. The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims, including significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins, other minorities include Arameans, Armenians, Assyrians, Black Hebrew Israelites, Circassians, Maronites and Samaritans. Israel also hosts a significant population of foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia, including illegal migrants from Sudan, Eritrea. In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish, Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature, Israel is a developed country and an OECD member, with the 35th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product as of 2016. The country benefits from a skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. The country has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the third highest in Asia, in the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term Israeli to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett. The names Land of Israel and Children of Israel have historically used to refer to the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The name Israel in these phrases refers to the patriarch Jacob who, jacobs twelve sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel or Children of Israel. The earliest known artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt. The area is known as the Holy Land, being holy for all Abrahamic religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam
26.
China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
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Pakistan
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Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a federal parliamentary republic in South Asia on the crossroads of Central Asia and Western Asia. It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 200 million people, in terms of area, it is the 33rd-largest country in the world with an area covering 881,913 square kilometres. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistans narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, Pakistan is unique among Muslim countries in that it is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and it is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic, an ethnic civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh. The new constitution stipulated that all laws were to conform to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Quran. Pakistan has an economy with a well-integrated agriculture sector. The Pakistani economy is the 24th-largest in the world in terms of purchasing power and it is ranked among the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world, and is backed by one of the worlds largest and fastest-growing middle classes. The post-independence history of Pakistan has been characterised by periods of military rule, the country continues to face challenging problems such as illiteracy, healthcare, and corruption, but has substantially reduced poverty and terrorism and expanded per capita income. It is also a member of CERN. Pakistan is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the name Pakistan literally means land of the pure in Urdu and Persian. It is a play on the word pāk meaning pure in Persian and Pashto, the letter i was incorporated to ease pronunciation and form the linguistically correct and meaningful name. Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan, the earliest known inhabitants in the region were Soanian during the Lower Paleolithic, of whom stone tools have been found in the Soan Valley of Punjab. The Vedic Civilization, characterised by Indo-Aryan culture, laid the foundations of Hinduism, Multan was an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Vedic civilisation flourished in the ancient Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā, the Indo-Greek Kingdom founded by Demetrius of Bactria included Gandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under Menander, prospering the Greco-Buddhist culture in the region. Taxila had one of the earliest universities and centres of education in the world. At its zenith, the Rai Dynasty of Sindh ruled this region, the Pala Dynasty was the last Buddhist empire, which, under Dharampala and Devapala, stretched across South Asia from what is now Bangladesh through Northern India to Pakistan. The Arab conqueror Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Indus valley from Sindh to Multan in southern Punjab in 711 AD, the Pakistan governments official chronology identifies this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid
28.
Joe Scarborough
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Charles Joseph Joe Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host. He is currently the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, Scarborough was previously a lawyer and a politician, and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 as a Republican from the 1st district of Florida. He was named in the 2011 Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world, charles Joseph Scarborough was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Mary Joanna and George Francis Scarborough, a businessman, he has two siblings. Scarborough graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School in Pensacola, Florida and he earned a B. A. from the University of Alabama in 1985 and a J. D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1990. During this time he wrote music and produced CDs with his band, Dixon Mills, Scarborough was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991, and practiced law in Pensacola. Scarboroughs most high-profile case was briefly representing anti-abortionist Michael F. Griffin, Scarborough assisted Griffin in choosing other counsel from the many who offered their services, however, and helped shield the family from the media exposure, pro bono. Scarboroughs political profile was raised when he assisted with a petition drive, in late 1993. In 1994, Scarborough won the Republican Party primary for Floridas 1st congressional district, the seat had come open when eight-term Democratic incumbent Earl Hutto announced his retirement. Whibbs was the son of former Pensacola mayor Vince Whibbs, the district had not supported a Democratic candidate for U. S. president since 1960. However, Democratic candidates had continued to hold most local offices well into the 1990s, Scarboroughs win, however, coincided with a massive Republican wave that swept through the Florida Panhandle. Republicans swept nearly all of the seats in the state legislature. Scarborough was reelected with 72 percent of the vote in 1996, in 1998 and 2000, he was opposed by only a write-in candidate. He received a 95 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and he signed the Contract with America. Scarborough served on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Government Reform, in 1998, he was named Chairman of the Civil Service Committee. Scarborough was one of a group of about 40 freshmen Republican legislators who dubbed themselves the New Federalists after The Federalist Papers, Scarborough was elected Political Director of the incoming legislators. Rep. John Kasich, then Chairman of the House Budget Committee, the budget passed the House by a vote of 238–193. Scarborough supported a number of pro-life positions while in Congress, including the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, heard about Lori Berenson on an NPR broadcast. He went to Peru and spent a day at her second trial and he watched the prosecutors and the judges working together, heard the evidence and decided that she had done nothing that would have convicted her in a U. S. court
29.
Libya
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The three traditional parts of the country are Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. With an area of almost 1.8 million square kilometres, Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, Libya has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in western Libya, the other large city is Benghazi, which is located in eastern Libya. Libya has been inhabited by Berbers since the late Bronze Age, the Phoenicians established trading posts in western Libya, and ancient Greek colonists established city-states in eastern Libya. Libya was variously ruled by Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians and Greeks before becoming a part of the Roman Empire, Libya was an early center of Christianity. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area of Libya was mostly occupied by the Vandals until the 7th century, in the 16th century, the Spanish Empire and the Knights of St John occupied Tripoli, until Ottoman rule began in 1551. Libya was involved in the Barbary Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries, Ottoman rule continued until the Italian occupation of Libya resulted in the temporary Italian Libya colony from 1911 to 1943. During the Second World War Libya was an important area of warfare in the North African Campaign, the Italian population then went into decline. Libya became an independent kingdom in 1951, a military coup in 1969 overthrew King Idris I, beginning a period of sweeping social reform. Since then, Libya has experienced a period of instability, the European Union is involved in an operation to disrupt human trafficking networks exploiting refugees fleeing from wars in Africa for Europe. At least two political bodies claim to be the government of Libya, the Council of Deputies is internationally recognized as the legitimate government, but it does not hold territory in the capital, Tripoli, instead meeting in the Cyrenaica city of Tobruk. Parts of Libya are outside of either governments control, with various Islamist, rebel, the United Nations is sponsoring peace talks between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based factions. An agreement to form an interim government was signed on 17 December 2015. Under the terms of the agreement, a nine-member Presidency Council, the leaders of the new government, called the Government of National Accord, arrived in Tripoli on 5 April 2016. Since then the GNC, one of the two governments, has disbanded to support the new GNA. The name Libya was introduced in 1934 for Italian Libya, reviving the name for Northwest Africa. The name was based on use in 1903 by Italian geographer Federico Minutilli. It was intended to supplant terms applied to Ottoman Tripolitania, the region of what is today Libya having been ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1911
30.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, East Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named, and is still called, Zaire. It is the second-largest country in Africa by area and eleventh largest in the world, the Congolese Civil Wars, which began in 1996, brought about the end of Mobutu Sese Sekos 32-year reign and devastated the country. These wars ultimately involved nine African nations, multiple groups of UN peacekeepers and twenty armed groups, besides the capital, Kinshasa, the other major cities, Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi, are both mining communities. DR Congos largest export is raw minerals, with China accepting over 50% of DRCs exports in 2012, as of 2015, according to the Human Development Index, DR Congo has a low level of human development, ranking 176 out of 187 countries. The country was known officially as the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 27 October 1971, in 1992, the Sovereign National Conference voted to change the name of the country to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the change was not put into practice. The countrys name was restored by former president Laurent-Désiré Kabila following the fall of longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, some historians think that Bantu peoples began settling in the extreme northwest of Central Africa at the beginning of the 5th century and then gradually started to expand southward. Their propagation was accelerated by the transition from Stone Age to Iron Age techniques, the people living in the south and southwest were mostly San Bushmen and hunter-gatherer groups, whose technology involved only minimal use of metal technologies. The development of tools during this time period revolutionized agriculture. This led to the displacement of the groups in the east and southeast. The 10th century marked the expansion of the Bantu in West-Central Africa. Rising populations soon made intricate local, regional and foreign commercial networks that traded mostly in salt, iron. Belgian exploration and administration took place from the 1870s until the 1920s and it was first led by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, who undertook his explorations under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of Belgium. The eastern regions of the precolonial Congo were heavily disrupted by constant slave raiding, mainly from Arab–Swahili slave traders such as the infamous Tippu Tip, Leopold had designs on what was to become the Congo as a colony. Leopold formally acquired rights to the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and he named it the Congo Free State. Leopolds rėgime began various infrastructure projects, such as construction of the railway ran from the coast to the capital of Leopoldville. Nearly all such projects were aimed at making it easier to increase the assets which Leopold. In the Free State, colonists brutalized the local population into producing rubber, for which the spread of automobiles, rubber sales made a fortune for Leopold, who built several buildings in Brussels and Ostend to honor himself and his country
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Nigeria
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Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Nigeria is officially a democratic secular country. Modern-day Nigeria has been the site of numerous kingdoms and tribal states over the millennia, the modern state originated from British colonial rule beginning in the 19th century, and the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal structures whilst practising indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms, Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1960, and plunged into a civil war from 1967 to 1970. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa, owing to its large population, with approximately 184 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world, Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims in the northern part. A minority of the population practise religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as native to the Igbo. As of 2015, Nigeria is the worlds 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and it overtook South Africa to become Africas largest economy in 2014. The 2013 debt-to-GDP ratio was 11 percent, Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globes next BRIC-like economies. It is also listed among the Next Eleven economies set to become among the biggest in the world, Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and OPEC. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country and this name was coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Lord Lugard, a British colonial administrator. The origin of the name Niger, which applied only to the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu prior to 19th-century European colonialism. The Nok civilisation of Northern Nigeria flourished between 500 BC and AD200, producing life-sized terracotta figures which are some of the earliest known sculptures in Sub-Saharan Africa, further north, the cities Kano and Katsina have a recorded history dating to around 999 AD. Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem-Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West Africa, the Kingdom of Nri of the Igbo people consolidated in the 10th century and continued until it lost its sovereignty to the British in 1911. Nri was ruled by the Eze Nri, and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation of Igbo culture, Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure Eri, in West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using the lost-wax process were from Igbo Ukwu, a city under Nri influence. The Yoruba kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in the 12th and 14th centuries, the oldest signs of human settlement at Ifes current site date back to the 9th century, and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures
32.
Russia
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Russia, also officially the Russian Federation, is a country in Eurasia. The European western part of the country is more populated and urbanised than the eastern. Russias capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, other urban centers include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod. Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a range of environments. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, the East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants, in 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of states, most of the Rus lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion. The Soviet Union played a role in the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the worlds first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space. By the end of 1990, the Soviet Union had the second largest economy, largest standing military in the world. It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic, the Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015. Russias extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the producers of oil. The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower. The name Russia is derived from Rus, a state populated mostly by the East Slavs. However, this name became more prominent in the later history, and the country typically was called by its inhabitants Русская Земля. In order to distinguish this state from other states derived from it, it is denoted as Kievan Rus by modern historiography, an old Latin version of the name Rus was Ruthenia, mostly applied to the western and southern regions of Rus that were adjacent to Catholic Europe. The current name of the country, Россия, comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Kievan Rus, the standard way to refer to citizens of Russia is Russians in English and rossiyane in Russian. There are two Russian words which are translated into English as Russians
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Jordan
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Jordan, officially The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, Israel, Palestine and the Dead Sea to the west, Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordans most populous city as well as the countrys economic, what is now Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. Three stable kingdoms emerged there at the end of the Bronze Age, Ammon, Moab, later rulers include the Nabataean Kingdom, the Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the then Emir Abdullah I and became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became an independent state known as The Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. Jordan captured the West Bank, which it later lost in 1967, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and is one of two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. The country is a monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers. Jordan is a relatively-small, semi-arid, almost-landlocked country with a population numbering at 9.5 million, Sunni Islam, practiced by around 92% of the population, is the dominant religion in Jordan. It coexists with an indigenous Christian minority, Jordan is considered to be among the safest of Arab countries in the Middle East, and has avoided long-term terrorism and instability. The kingdom is also a refuge to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing the Islamic State, while Jordan continues to accept refugees, the recent large influx from Syria placed substantial strain on national resources and infrastructure. Jordan is classified as a country of high human development with a middle income economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors based upon a skilled workforce, the country is a major tourist destination, and also attracts medical tourism due to its well developed health sector. Nonetheless, a lack of resources, large flow of refugees. Jordan is named after the Jordan River, where Jesus is said to have been baptized, the origin of the rivers name is debated, but the most common explanation is that it derives from the word yarad, found in Hebrew, Aramaic, and other Semitic languages. Others regard the name as having an Indo-Aryan origin, combining the words yor and don, another theory is that it is from the Arabic root word wrd, as in people coming to a major source of water. The name Jordan appears in an ancient Egyptian papyrus called Papyrus Anastasi I, the lands of modern-day Jordan were historically called Transjordan, meaning beyond the Jordan River. The name was Arabized into Al-Urdunn during the Muslim conquest of the Levant, during crusader rule, it was called Oultrejordain
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India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
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Egypt
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Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan, and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies Saudi Arabia, although Jordan and it is the worlds only contiguous Afrasian nation. Egypt has among the longest histories of any country, emerging as one of the worlds first nation states in the tenth millennium BC. Considered a cradle of civilisation, Ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government. One of the earliest centres of Christianity, Egypt was Islamised in the century and remains a predominantly Muslim country. With over 92 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the Arab world, the third-most populous in Africa, and the fifteenth-most populous in the world. The great majority of its people live near the banks of the Nile River, an area of about 40,000 square kilometres, the large regions of the Sahara desert, which constitute most of Egypts territory, are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypts residents live in areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria. Modern Egypt is considered to be a regional and middle power, with significant cultural, political, and military influence in North Africa, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Egypts economy is one of the largest and most diversified in the Middle East, Egypt is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, African Union, and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Miṣr is the Classical Quranic Arabic and modern name of Egypt. The name is of Semitic origin, directly cognate with other Semitic words for Egypt such as the Hebrew מִצְרַיִם, the oldest attestation of this name for Egypt is the Akkadian
36.
Iran
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Iran, also known as Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2, it is the second-largest country in the Middle East, with 82.8 million inhabitants, Iran is the worlds 17th-most-populous country. It is the country with both a Caspian Sea and an Indian Ocean coastline. The countrys central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is the countrys capital and largest city, as well as its leading economic and cultural center. Iran is the site of to one of the worlds oldest civilizations, the area was first unified by the Iranian Medes in 625 BC, who became the dominant cultural and political power in the region. The empire collapsed in 330 BC following the conquests of Alexander the Great, under the Sassanid Dynasty, Iran again became one of the leading powers in the world for the next four centuries. Beginning in 633 AD, Arabs conquered Iran and largely displaced the indigenous faiths of Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism by Islam, Iran became a major contributor to the Islamic Golden Age that followed, producing many influential scientists, scholars, artists, and thinkers. During the 18th century, Iran reached its greatest territorial extent since the Sassanid Empire, through the late 18th and 19th centuries, a series of conflicts with Russia led to significant territorial losses and the erosion of sovereignty. Popular unrest culminated in the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1906, which established a monarchy and the countrys first legislative body. Following a coup instigated by the U. K. Growing dissent against foreign influence and political repression led to the 1979 Revolution, Irans rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the third-largest number in Asia and 11th-largest in the world. Iran is a member of the UN, ECO, NAM, OIC. Its political system is based on the 1979 Constitution which combines elements of a democracy with a theocracy governed by Islamic jurists under the concept of a Supreme Leadership. A multicultural country comprising numerous ethnic and linguistic groups, most inhabitants are Shia Muslims, the largest ethnic groups in Iran are the Persians, Azeris, Kurds and Lurs. Historically, Iran has been referred to as Persia by the West, due mainly to the writings of Greek historians who called Iran Persis, meaning land of the Persians. As the most extensive interactions the Ancient Greeks had with any outsider was with the Persians, however, Persis was originally referred to a region settled by Persians in the west shore of Lake Urmia, in the 9th century BC. The settlement was then shifted to the end of the Zagros Mountains. In 1935, Reza Shah requested the international community to refer to the country by its native name, opposition to the name change led to the reversal of the decision, and Professor Ehsan Yarshater, editor of Encyclopædia Iranica, propagated a move to use Persia and Iran interchangeably
37.
Iraq
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The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad. The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds, others include Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians, around 95% of the countrys 36 million citizens are Muslims, with Christianity, Yarsan, Yezidism, and Mandeanism also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish, two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation. It was here that mankind first began to read, write, create laws, the area has been home to successive civilisations since the 6th millennium BC. Iraq was the centre of the Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian and it was also part of the Median, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayyubid, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid, and Ottoman empires. Iraqs modern borders were mostly demarcated in 1920 by the League of Nations when the Ottoman Empire was divided by the Treaty of Sèvres, Iraq was placed under the authority of the United Kingdom as the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. A monarchy was established in 1921 and the Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from Britain in 1932, in 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and the Iraqi Republic created. Iraq was controlled by the Arab Socialist Baath Party from 1968 until 2003, after an invasion by the United States and its allies in 2003, Saddam Husseins Baath Party was removed from power and multi-party parliamentary elections were held in 2005. The American presence in Iraq ended in 2011, but the Iraqi insurgency continued and intensified as fighters from the Syrian Civil War spilled into the country, the Arabic name العراق al-ʿIrāq has been in use since before the 6th century. There are several suggested origins for the name, one dates to the Sumerian city of Uruk and is thus ultimately of Sumerian origin, as Uruk was the Akkadian name for the Sumerian city of Urug, containing the Sumerian word for city, UR. An Arabic folk etymology for the name is rooted, well-watered. During the medieval period, there was a region called ʿIrāq ʿArabī for Lower Mesopotamia and ʿIrāq ʿajamī, for the region now situated in Central and Western Iran. The term historically included the south of the Hamrin Mountains. The term Sawad was also used in early Islamic times for the region of the plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In English, it is either /ɪˈrɑːk/ or /ɪˈræk/, the American Heritage Dictionary, the pronunciation /aɪˈræk/ is frequently heard in U. S. media. Since approximately 10,000 BC, Iraq was one of centres of a Caucasoid Neolithic culture where agriculture, the following Neolithic period is represented by rectangular houses. At the time of the pre-pottery Neolithic, people used vessels made of stone, gypsum, finds of obsidian tools from Anatolia are evidences of early trade relations
38.
Lebanon
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent, the earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms, a culture that flourished for over a thousand years. In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, in the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion, however, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church, the ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era. The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, following the collapse of the empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon. The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, which was populated by Maronites and Druze. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing confessionalism, a unique, foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946. Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973, despite its small size, the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce. At the end of the war, there were efforts to revive the economy. In spite of troubles, Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world. The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root lbn meaning white, occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla, and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The name is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as Rmnn, where R stood for Canaanite L, the name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, as לְבָנוֹן. The borders of contemporary Lebanon are a product of the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920 and its territory was the core of the Bronze Age Phoenician city-states. After the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant, it was part of the Rashidun, Umyayad, Abbasid Seljuk, with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Greater Lebanon fell under French mandate in 1920, and gained independence under president Bechara El Khoury in 1943
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State of Palestine
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The State of Palestine claims the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as the designated capital. Most of the areas claimed by the State of Palestine have been occupied by Israel since 1967 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War and its independence was declared on 15 November 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organization in Algiers as a government-in-exile. Since the British Mandate, the term Palestine has been associated with the area that currently covers the State of Israel, the West Bank. In 1947, the UN adopted a plan for a two-state solution in the remaining territory of the mandate. The plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by the Arab leaders, on the eve of final British withdrawal, the Jewish Agency for Israel declared the establishment of the State of Israel according to the proposed UN plan. During the war, Israel gained additional territories that were designated to be part of the Arab state under the UN plan, Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip and Transjordan occupied the West Bank. Egypt initially supported the creation of an All-Palestine Government, but disbanded it in 1959, Transjordan never recognized it and instead decided to incorporate the West Bank with its own territory to form Jordan. The annexation was ratified in 1950 but was rejected by the international community, the Six-Day War in 1967, when Egypt, Jordan, and Syria fought against Israel, ended with Israel being in occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, besides other territories. In 1964, when the West Bank was controlled by Jordan, the Palestinian National Charter of the PLO defines the boundaries of Palestine as the whole remaining territory of the mandate, including Israel. Following the Six-Day War, the PLO moved to Jordan, the October 1974 Arab League summit designated the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed their right to establish an independent state of urgency. In November 1974, the PLO was recognized as competent on all matters concerning the question of Palestine by the UN General Assembly granting them observer status as an entity at the UN. In spite of this decision, the PLO did not participate at the UN in its capacity of the State of Palestines government, in 1979, through the Camp David Accords, Egypt signaled an end to any claim of its own over the Gaza Strip. In July 1988, Jordan ceded its claims to the West Bank—with the exception of guardianship over Haram al-Sharif—to the PLO, in November 1988, the PLO legislature, while in exile, declared the establishment of the State of Palestine. In the month following, it was recognised by many states, including Egypt. In the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, the State of Palestine is described as being established on the Palestinian territory, the UN membership application submitted by the State of Palestine also specified that it is based on the 1967 borders. During the negotiations of the Oslo Accords, the PLO recognised Israels right to exist, after Israel took control of the West Bank from Jordan and Gaza Strip from Egypt, it began to establish Israeli settlements there. These were organised into Judea and Samaria district and Hof Aza Regional Council in the Southern District, in 1980, Israel decided to freeze elections for these councils and to establish instead Village Leagues, whose officials were under Israeli influence. Later this model became ineffective for both Israel and the Palestinians, and the Village Leagues began to break up, with the last being the Hebron League, dissolved in February 1988
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Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south. It is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba and it is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast and most of its terrain consists of arid desert and mountains. The area of modern-day Saudi Arabia formerly consisted of four regions, Hejaz, Najd and parts of Eastern Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud and he united the four regions into a single state through a series of conquests beginning in 1902 with the capture of Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia has since been a monarchy, effectively a hereditary dictatorship governed along Islamic lines. The ultraconservative Wahhabi religious movement within Sunni Islam has been called the predominant feature of Saudi culture, with its global spread largely financed by the oil and gas trade. Saudi Arabia is sometimes called the Land of the Two Holy Mosques in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the state has a total population of 28.7 million, of which 20 million are Saudi nationals and 8 million are foreigners. The states official language is Arabic, petroleum was discovered on 3 March 1938 and followed up by several other finds in the Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia has since become the worlds largest oil producer and exporter, controlling the second largest oil reserves. The kingdom is categorized as a World Bank high-income economy with a high Human Development Index and is the only Arab country to be part of the G-20 major economies. However, the economy of Saudi Arabia is the least diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the state has attracted criticism for its treatment of women and use of capital punishment. Saudi Arabia is an autocracy, has the fourth highest military expenditure in the world. Saudi Arabia is considered a regional and middle power, in addition to the GCC, it is an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and OPEC. Following the unification of the Hejaz and Nejd kingdoms, the new state was named al-Mamlakah al-ʻArabīyah as-Suʻūdīyah by royal decree on 23 September 1932 by its founder, Abdulaziz Al Saud. Although this is translated as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in English it literally means the Saudi Arab kingdom. Its inclusion expresses the view that the country is the possession of the royal family. Al Saud is an Arabic name formed by adding the word Al, meaning family of or House of, in the case of the Al Saud, this is the father of the dynastys 18th century founder, Muhammad bin Saud. There is evidence that human habitation in the Arabian Peninsula dates back to about 125,000 years ago
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Tunisia
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Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa, covering 165,000 square kilometres. Its northernmost point, Cape Angela, is the northernmost point on the African continent and it is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisias population was estimated to be just under 11 million in 2014, Tunisias name is derived from its capital city, Tunis, which is located on Tunisias northeast coast. Geographically, Tunisia contains the end of the Atlas Mountains. Much of the rest of the land is fertile soil. Tunisia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic and it is considered to be the only full democracy in the Arab World. It has a human development index. In addition, Tunisia is also a state of the United Nations. Close relations with Europe – in particular with France and with Italy – have been forged through economic cooperation, privatisation, in ancient times, Tunisia was primarily inhabited by Berbers. Phoenician immigration began in the 12th century BC, these immigrants founded Carthage, a major mercantile power and a military rival of the Roman Republic, Carthage was defeated by the Romans in 146 BC. The Romans, who would occupy Tunisia for most of the eight hundred years, introduced Christianity. After several attempts starting in 647, the Arabs conquered the whole of Tunisia by 697, the Ottomans held sway for over three hundred years. The French colonization of Tunisia occurred in 1881, Tunisia gained independence with Habib Bourguiba and declared the Tunisian Republic in 1957. In 2011, the Tunisian Revolution resulted in the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country voted for parliament again on 26 October 2014, and for President on 23 November 2014. The word Tunisia is derived from Tunis, an urban hub. The present form of the name, with its Latinate suffix -ia, the French derivative Tunisie was adopted in some European languages with slight modifications, introducing a distinctive name to designate the country. Other languages remained untouched, such as the Russian Туни́с and Spanish Túnez, in this case, the same name is used for both country and city, as with the Arabic تونس, and only by context can one tell the difference. The name Tunis can be attributed to different origins and it is generally associated with the Berber root ⵜⵏⵙ, transcribed tns, which means to lay down or encampment
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Turkey
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Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country in Eurasia, mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, parliamentary republic with a cultural heritage. The country is encircled by seas on three sides, the Aegean Sea is to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, Ankara is the capital while Istanbul is the countrys largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Approximately 70-80% of the countrys citizens identify themselves as ethnic Turks, other ethnic groups include legally recognised and unrecognised minorities. Kurds are the largest ethnic minority group, making up approximately 20% of the population, the area of Turkey has been inhabited since the Paleolithic by various ancient Anatolian civilisations, as well as Assyrians, Greeks, Thracians, Phrygians, Urartians and Armenians. After Alexander the Greats conquest, the area was Hellenized, a process continued under the Roman Empire. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, the empire reached the peak of its power in the 16th century, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. During the war, the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Assyrian, following the war, the conglomeration of territories and peoples that formerly comprised the Ottoman Empire was partitioned into several new states. Turkey is a member of the UN, an early member of NATO. Turkeys growing economy and diplomatic initiatives have led to its recognition as a regional power while her location has given it geopolitical, the name of Turkey is based on the ethnonym Türk. The first recorded use of the term Türk or Türük as an autonym is contained in the Old Turkic inscriptions of the Göktürks of Central Asia, the English name Turkey first appeared in the late 14th century and is derived from Medieval Latin Turchia. Similarly, the medieval Khazar Empire, a Turkic state on the shores of the Black. The medieval Arabs referred to the Mamluk Sultanate as al-Dawla al-Turkiyya, the Ottoman Empire was sometimes referred to as Turkey or the Turkish Empire among its European contemporaries. The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world, various ancient Anatolian populations have lived in Anatolia, from at least the Neolithic period until the Hellenistic period. Many of these peoples spoke the Anatolian languages, a branch of the larger Indo-European language family, in fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European Hittite and Luwian languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical centre from which the Indo-European languages radiated. The European part of Turkey, called Eastern Thrace, has also been inhabited since at least forty years ago. It is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date, the settlement of Troy started in the Neolithic Age and continued into the Iron Age
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Yemen
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Yemen, officially known as the Republic of Yemen, is an Arab country in Western Asia, occupying South Arabia, the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen is the second-largest country in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 km2, the coastline stretches for about 2,000 km. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the south, although Yemens constitutionally stated capital is the city of Sanaa, the city has been under rebel control since February 2015. Because of this, Yemens capital has been relocated to the port city of Aden. Yemens territory includes more than 200 islands, the largest of these is Socotra, Yemen was the home of the Sabaeans, a trading state that flourished for over a thousand years and probably also included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 275 AD, the region came under the rule of the later Jewish-influenced Himyarite Kingdom, Christianity arrived in the fourth century, whereas Judaism and local paganism were already established. Islam spread quickly in the century and Yemenite troops were crucial in the expansion of the early Islamic conquests. Administration of Yemen has long been notoriously difficult, several dynasties emerged from the ninth to 16th centuries, the Rasulid dynasty being the strongest and most prosperous. The country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the twentieth century. The Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established after World War I in North Yemen before the creation of the Yemen Arab Republic in 1962, South Yemen remained a British protectorate known as the Aden Protectorate until 1967 when it became an independent state and later, a Marxist state. The two Yemeni states united to form the modern republic of Yemen in 1990, Yemen is a developing country, and the poorest country in the Middle East. Under the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen was described as a kleptocracy, according to the 2009 international corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, Yemen ranked 164 out of 182 countries surveyed. President Saleh stepped down and the powers of the presidency were transferred to Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the transitional process was disrupted by conflicts between the Houthis and al-Islah, as well as the al-Qaeda insurgency. In September 2014, the Houthis took over Sanaa, later declaring themselves in control of the government in a coup détat, since then, a Saudi-led intervention has taken place, however, it could not stop the civil war. Instead, the Saudis and the others have destroyed some hospitals, schools and homes, Yemen was mentioned in Old South Arabian inscriptions as Yamnat. In Arabic literature, the term includes much greater territory than that of the republic of Yemen. It stretches from the northern Asir Region in southwestern Saudi Arabia to Dhofar Governorate in southern Oman, one etymology derives Yemen from yumn, meaning felicity, as much of the country is fertile. The Romans called it Arabia Felix, as opposed to Arabia Deserta, al-Yaman significantly plays on the notion of the land to the right, when in Mecca facing the dawn, complementary to Al-Sham, the Land to the Left, referring to the Levant
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Middletown, Delaware
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Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,710, Middletown is located at 39°26′58″N 75°42′59″W with an elevation of 69 feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 11.61 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,161 people,2,298 households, the population density was 962.4 people per square mile. There were 2,514 housing units at a density of 392.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 94. 42% White,1. 30% African American,0. 11% Native American,0. 78% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,1. 93% from other races, and 1. 44% from two or more races. 22. 9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was out with 30. 9% under the age of 18,9. 5% from 18 to 24,33. 5% from 25 to 44,18. 3% from 45 to 64. The median age was 31 years, for every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males, the median income for a household in the town was $41,663, and the median income for a family was $47,270. Males had an income of $35,688 versus $30,044 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,517, about 8. 8% of families and 10. 9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12. 7% of those under age 18 and 13. 6% of those age 65 or over. Recent annexations of land have stimulated Middletowns growth, it is known as the fastest growing area in Delaware, between 2000 and 2010, the population of the town grew 206. 3%. Many affluent housing developments surround the center, especially to its north, attracting, among others, commuters from Wilmington. National retail and food stores have opened locations in the area. An Amazon. com fulfillment center is located in Middletown and this growth is more characteristic of suburban sprawl, a stark difference from Middletowns historic growth patterns. As a result of the growth of the area, Middletown established its own police force, The Middletown Police Department. The Police Department officially began on October 3,2007 with a foundation of 20 officers from surrounding Delaware police departments, limited-access highway Delaware Route 1 is east of Middletown, and the town has a signed exit at Odessa for Delaware Route 299
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Delaware
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Delaware is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic and/or Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, the state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginias first colonial governor. Delaware occupies the portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest, the sixth least populous. Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state, from north to south, the three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two counties have historically been agricultural, New Castle County has been more industrialized. Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near the present town of Lewes, Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution. On December 7,1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, the Delaware Indians, a name used by Europeans for Lenape people indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same source. The surname de La Warr comes from Sussex and is of Anglo-Norman origin and it came probably from a Norman lieu-dit La Guerre. This toponymic could derive from the Latin word ager, from the Breton gwern or from the Late Latin varectum, the toponyms Gara, Gare, Gaire also appear in old texts cited by Lucien Musset, where the word gara means gore. It could also be linked with a patronymic from the Old Norse verr, Delaware is 96 miles long and ranges from 9 miles to 35 miles across, totaling 1,954 square miles, making it the second-smallest state in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean, small portions of Delaware are also situated on the eastern side of the Delaware River sharing land boundaries with New Jersey. The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland, the definition of the northern boundary of the state is unusual. Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania was originally defined by an arc extending 12 miles from the cupola of the courthouse in the city of New Castle and this boundary is often referred to as the Twelve-Mile Circle. This is the only nominally circular state boundary in the United States, to the west, a portion of the arc extends past the easternmost edge of Maryland. The remaining western border runs slightly east of due south from its intersection with the arc, the Wedge of land between the northwest part of the arc and the Maryland border was claimed by both Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delawares claim was confirmed. Delaware is on a plain, with the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation. Its highest elevation, located at Ebright Azimuth, near Concord High School, the northernmost part of the state is part of the Piedmont Plateau with hills and rolling surfaces
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Williamstown, Massachusetts
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Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west and it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census, a college town, it is home to Williams College, the Clark Art Institute and the Tony-awarded Williamstown Theatre Festival, which runs every July and August. Originally called West Hoosac, the area was first settled in 1749, prior to this time its position along the Mohawk Trail made it ideal Mohican hunting grounds. Its strategic location bordering Dutch colonies in New York led to its settlement, fort West Hoosac, the westernmost blockhouse and stockade in Massachusetts, was built in 1756. The town was incorporated in 1765 as Williamstown according to the will of Col. Ephraim Williams and he bequeathed a significant sum to the town on the condition that it were named after him and started a free school. In 1791, the opened, but only lasted a short time as a free school before becoming Williams College in 1793. The primary industry was agriculture, particularly dairy farming, sheep herding, sawmills and gristmills operated by water power at the streams. With the Industrial Revolution larger mills were added, including the Walley Mill and Williamstown Manufacturing Company, with the opening of the railroad, tourists arrived. Several inns and hotels were established, including the Idlewild Hotel, in the late 1930s and 1940s, E. Parmelee Prentice and his wife Alta, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller, created Mount Hope Farm. With a mansion designed by James Gamble Rogers, it was one of the experimental farms in the country. Today, it belongs to Williams College, which remains the largest employer in town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 46.9 square miles, of which 46.8 square miles is land and 0.12 square miles. Located in the Berkshires, Williamstown is drained by the Hoosic River, Williamstown is the northwesternmost town in Massachusetts. The town is bordered on the north by Pownal, Vermont, on the east by Clarksburg, North Adams and Adams, on the south by New Ashford and Hancock, the town proper lies southwest of the confluence of the Green River and the Hoosic River. To the west, the Taconic Range lines the N. Y. state border and is where Taconic Trail State Park is located, the highest point in town is at 3,320 feet above sea level, just 0.2 miles west of the summit of Greylock. The Appalachian Trail skirts the town twice, near the southeast corner of town, to the northeast, Pine Cobble lies along the Clarksburg town line, and to the north lies the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. U. S. Route 7 passes from north to south through the town, crossing into Vermont to the north and New Ashford to the south
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Massachusetts
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It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named for the Massachusett tribe, which inhabited the area. The capital of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England is Boston, over 80% of Massachusetts population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution, during the 20th century, Massachusetts economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance. Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, in 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of Americas most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Armory, which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous important technological advances, in 1786, Shays Rebellion, a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention. In the 18th century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, which swept the Atlantic World, in the late 18th century, Boston became known as the Cradle of Liberty for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution. The entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts has played a commercial and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the abolitionist, temperance, in the late 19th century, the sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in the western Massachusetts cities of Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the state, including the Adams, both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world. Massachusetts public school students place among the top nations in the world in academic performance, the official name of the state is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While this designation is part of the official name, it has no practical implications. Massachusetts has the position and powers within the United States as other states. Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family such as the Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pocomtuc, Mahican, and Massachusett. While cultivation of crops like squash and corn supplemented their diets, villages consisted of lodges called wigwams as well as longhouses, and tribes were led by male or female elders known as sachems. Between 1617 and 1619, smallpox killed approximately 90% of the Massachusetts Bay Native Americans, the first English settlers in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, arrived via the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620, and developed friendly relations with the native Wampanoag people. This was the second successful permanent English colony in the part of North America that later became the United States, the event known as the First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World which lasted for three days
