Geography has always been one of those things that interests me. I am not exactly sure why I have always like geography but I have.
When we are in grade school we are taught the names of the states that make up the United States. Depending upon the school we go to, we may even be required to learn the names of the capitals of all the 50 states. One thing children in the United States never seem to have to learn are all the countries that exist in the world today.
The number of countries that exist is an every changing number. Since 1990 there have been approximately 30 new countries that have come into existence. The largest number of these came about as the result of the split of the Soviet Union. Those countries that were created when the Soviet Union split were: Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Another large group of countries came to be when Yugoslavia split into seven different countries. Those countries are: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia the Former Yugoslav Republic (that's its actual name!), Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. The most recent country come into existence was South Sudan on July 9, 2011. South Sudan owes its existence to a longer term civil war fought within Sudan. The peace treaty that ended that war allowed the people of South Sudan to vote in a plebiscite to determine if they were to become an independent country.
In future years it appears likely that further countries will become independent. Some of these do not seem to be likely now, but the possibilities of splits are high. For example, there is a high possibility that Scotland is going to separate from the United Kingdom and become it's own sovereign country. Another country that might split is Belgium. There is growing pressure for the country to split into a French speaking part and a Dutch speaking part. Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Congo are countries in which future splits are also seen.
This weekend, I challenged myself to see how many of the capitals of the roughly 196 countries of the world I could identify. I had no particular reason to take this challenge other than the fact that it I thought it was something interesting to do. I didn't do that great as I could only identify the capitals of 72 countries. How about you? Can you name the capitals of these countries? Give it a try?
Attached is a complete list of all the countries that are currently identified by various world entities like the UN. There is even conflict about this list as political realities drive what countries and territories are on this list. For example in many place the Palestinian Territories would be on this list. Due to the political situation between the United States, Israel and Arab world, you will not find the Palestinian Territories listed on the "official" list of countries that the United States recognize.
The dates that follows each country is the date that they entered the United Nations. How many can you name?
I suppose some of you won't find this that interesting. But it was something that I found quite interesting.
It's now Sunday night another weekend is coming to an end. It seems like the weekend was just starting and here we are at the end already. It's been quite a busy weekend as it seemed that we were on the go pretty much the entire time.
We got our first snow of the season in Denver on Thursday night and the entire weekend has been pretty cold. Due to the change in the season and the extent to which Zack has grown, I had to go out this weekend and buy him all new long pants. He will be much happier going to school in the morning as he will no longer have to wear shorts every day. But then again - he still wants to wear shorts every day, so it might no make that much of a difference! It seems pretty much every boy in 8th grade wears shorts to school everyday.
The work on my kitchen has finally been finished. The last things that needed to be done were also completed on Thursday. I have also ordered the window treatments and they will arrive within the next 2 weeks. There is still a bunch of work that I need to do regarding the artwork and furniture. Once the window treatments are hung - I will go a head and post pictures of the new kitchen and family room.
I hope everyone has a great week ahead!
Thanks and peace to all! ~J.
When we are in grade school we are taught the names of the states that make up the United States. Depending upon the school we go to, we may even be required to learn the names of the capitals of all the 50 states. One thing children in the United States never seem to have to learn are all the countries that exist in the world today.
The number of countries that exist is an every changing number. Since 1990 there have been approximately 30 new countries that have come into existence. The largest number of these came about as the result of the split of the Soviet Union. Those countries that were created when the Soviet Union split were: Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Another large group of countries came to be when Yugoslavia split into seven different countries. Those countries are: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia the Former Yugoslav Republic (that's its actual name!), Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. The most recent country come into existence was South Sudan on July 9, 2011. South Sudan owes its existence to a longer term civil war fought within Sudan. The peace treaty that ended that war allowed the people of South Sudan to vote in a plebiscite to determine if they were to become an independent country.
In future years it appears likely that further countries will become independent. Some of these do not seem to be likely now, but the possibilities of splits are high. For example, there is a high possibility that Scotland is going to separate from the United Kingdom and become it's own sovereign country. Another country that might split is Belgium. There is growing pressure for the country to split into a French speaking part and a Dutch speaking part. Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Congo are countries in which future splits are also seen.
This weekend, I challenged myself to see how many of the capitals of the roughly 196 countries of the world I could identify. I had no particular reason to take this challenge other than the fact that it I thought it was something interesting to do. I didn't do that great as I could only identify the capitals of 72 countries. How about you? Can you name the capitals of these countries? Give it a try?
Attached is a complete list of all the countries that are currently identified by various world entities like the UN. There is even conflict about this list as political realities drive what countries and territories are on this list. For example in many place the Palestinian Territories would be on this list. Due to the political situation between the United States, Israel and Arab world, you will not find the Palestinian Territories listed on the "official" list of countries that the United States recognize.
The dates that follows each country is the date that they entered the United Nations. How many can you name?
| Afghanistan -- (19 Nov. 1946) |
| Albania -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Algeria -- (8 Oct. 1962) |
| Andorra -- (28 July 1993) |
| Angola -- (1 Dec. 1976) |
| Antigua and Barbuda -- (11 Nov. 1981) |
| Argentina -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Armenia -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Australia -- (1 Nov. 1945) |
| Austria-- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Azerbaijan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Bahamas -- (18 Sep. 1973) |
| Bahrain -- (21 Sep. 1971) |
| Bangladesh -- (17 Sep. 1974) |
| Barbados -- (9 Dec. 1966) |
| Belarus -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Belgium -- (27 Dec. 1945) |
| Belize -- (25 Sep. 1981) |
| Benin -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Bhutan -- (21 Sep. 1971) |
| Bolivia -- (14 Nov. 1945) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina -- (22 May 1992) |
| Botswana -- (17 Oct. 1966) |
| Brazil -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Brunei Darussalam -- (21 Sep. 1984) |
| Bulgaria -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Burkina Faso -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Burundi -- (18 Sep. 1962) |
| Cambodia -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Cameroon -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Canada -- (9 Nov. 1945) |
| Cape Verde -- (16 Sep. 1975) |
| Central African Republic -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Chad -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Chile -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| China -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Colombia -- (5 Nov. 1945) |
| Comoros -- (12 Nov. 1975) |
| Congo -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Costa Rica -- (2 Nov. 1945) |
| Côte d'Ivoire -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Croatia -- (22 May 1992) |
| Cuba -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Cyprus -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Czech Republic -- (19 Jan. 1993) |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Denmark -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Djibouti -- (20 Sep. 1977) |
| Dominica -- (18 Dec. 1978) |
| Dominican Republic -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Ecuador -- (21 Dec. 1945) |
| Egypt -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| El Salvador -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Equatorial Guinea -- (12 Nov. 1968) |
| Eritrea -- (28 May 1993) |
| Estonia -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Ethiopia -- (13 Nov. 1945) |
| Fiji -- (13 Oct. 1970) |
| Finland -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| France-- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Gabon -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Gambia -- (21 Sep. 1965) |
| Georgia -- (31 July 1992) |
| Germany -- (18 Sep. 1973) |
| Ghana -- (8 Mar. 1957) |
| Greece -- (25 Oct. 1945) |
| Grenada -- (17 Sep. 1974) |
| Guatemala -- (21 Nov. 1945) |
| Guinea -- (12 Dec. 1958) |
| Guinea-Bissau -- (17 Sep. 1974) |
| Guyana -- (20 Sep. 1966) |
| Haiti -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Honduras -- (17 Dec. 1945) |
| Hungary -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Iceland -- (19 Nov. 1946) |
| India -- (30 Oct. 1945) |
| Indonesia -- (28 Sep. 1950) |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Iraq -- (21 Dec. 1945) |
| Ireland -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Israel -- (11 May 1949) |
| Italy -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Jamaica -- (18 Sep. 1962) |
| Japan -- (18 Dec. 1956) |
| Jordan -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Kazakhstan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Kenya -- (16 Dec. 1963) |
| Kiribati -- (14 Sept. 1999) |
| Kosovo |
| Kuwait -- (14 May 1963) |
| Kyrgyzstan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Latvia -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Lebanon -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Lesotho -- (17 Oct. 1966) |
| Liberia -- (2 Nov. 1945) |
| Libyan Arab Jamahiriya -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Liechtenstein-- (18 Sep. 1990) |
| Lithuania -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Luxembourg-- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Madagascar -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Malawi -- (1 Dec. 1964) |
| Malaysia-- (17 Sep. 1957) |
| Maldives-- (21 Sep. 1965) |
| Mali -- (28 Sep. 1960) |
| Malta -- (1 Dec. 1964) |
| Marshall Islands -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Mauritania -- (27 Oct. 1961) |
| Mauritius -- (24 Apr. 1968) |
| Mexico -- (7 Nov. 1945) |
| Micronesia (Federated States of) -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Monaco -- (28 May 1993) |
| Mongolia -- (27 Oct. 1961) |
| Montenegro (1 Nov 2006) |
| Morocco -- (12 Nov. 1956) |
| Mozambique -- (16 Sep. 1975) |
| Myanmar -- (19 Apr. 1948) |
| Namibia -- (23 Apr. 1990) |
| Nauru -- (14 Sept. 1999) |
| Nepal -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Netherlands -- (10 Dec. 1945) |
| New Zealand -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Nicaragua -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Niger -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Nigeria -- (7 Oct. 1960) |
| Norway -- (27 Nov. 1945) |
| Oman -- (7 Oct. 1971) |
| Pakistan -- (30 Sep. 1947) |
| Palau -- (15 Dec. 1994) |
| Palestinian Territories |
| Panama -- (13 Nov. 1945) |
| Papua New Guinea -- (10 Oct. 1975) |
| Paraguay -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Peru -- (31 Oct. 1945) |
| Philippines -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Poland -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Portugal -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Qatar -- (21 Sep. 1971) |
| Republic of Korea -- (17 Sep. 1991) |
| Republic of Moldova -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Romania -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Russian Federation -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Rwanda -- (18 Sep. 1962) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis -- (23 Sep. 1983) |
| Saint Lucia -- (18 Sep. 1979) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- (16 Sep. 1980) |
| Samoa -- (15 Dec. 1976) |
| San Marino -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Sao Tome and Principe -- (16 Sep. 1975) |
| Saudi Arabia -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Senegal -- (28 Sep. 1960) |
| Serbia (1 Nov. 2006) |
| Seychelles -- (21 Sep. 1976) |
| Sierra Leone -- (27 Sep. 1961) |
| Singapore -- (21 Sep. 1965) |
| Slovakia -- (19 Jan. 1993) |
| Slovenia -- (22 May 1992) |
| Solomon Islands -- (19 Sep. 1978) |
| Somalia -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| South Africa -- (7 Nov. 1945) |
| South Sudan |
| Spain -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Sri Lanka -- (14 Dec. 1955) |
| Sudan -- (12 Nov. 1956) |
| Suriname -- (4 Dec. 1975) |
| Swaziland -- (24 Sep. 1968) |
| Sweden -- (19 Nov. 1946) |
| Switzerland -- (10 Sep. 2002) |
| Syrian Arab Republic -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Tajikistan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Thailand -- (16 Dec. 1946) |
| The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- (8 Apr. 1993) |
| Timor-Leste -- (27 Sep. 2002) |
| Togo -- (20 Sep. 1960) |
| Tonga -- (14 Sep. 1999) |
| Trinidad and Tobago -- (18 Sep. 1962) |
| Tunisia -- (12 Nov. 1956) |
| Turkey -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Turkmenistan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Tuvalu -- (5 Sept. 2000) |
| Uganda -- (25 Oct. 1962) |
| Ukraine-- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| United Arab Emirates -- (9 Dec. 1971) |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland-- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| United Republic of Tanzania -- (14 Dec. 1961) |
| United States of America -- (24 Oct. 1945) |
| Uruguay -- (18 Dec. 1945) |
| Uzbekistan -- (2 Mar. 1992) |
| Vanuatu -- (15 Sep. 1981) |
| Vatican |
| Venezuela -- (15 Nov. 1945) |
| Viet Nam -- (20 Sep. 1977) |
| Yemen -- (30 Sep. 1947) |
| Zambia -- (1 Dec. 1964) |
| Zimbabwe -- (25 Aug. 1980) |
I suppose some of you won't find this that interesting. But it was something that I found quite interesting.
It's now Sunday night another weekend is coming to an end. It seems like the weekend was just starting and here we are at the end already. It's been quite a busy weekend as it seemed that we were on the go pretty much the entire time.
We got our first snow of the season in Denver on Thursday night and the entire weekend has been pretty cold. Due to the change in the season and the extent to which Zack has grown, I had to go out this weekend and buy him all new long pants. He will be much happier going to school in the morning as he will no longer have to wear shorts every day. But then again - he still wants to wear shorts every day, so it might no make that much of a difference! It seems pretty much every boy in 8th grade wears shorts to school everyday.
The work on my kitchen has finally been finished. The last things that needed to be done were also completed on Thursday. I have also ordered the window treatments and they will arrive within the next 2 weeks. There is still a bunch of work that I need to do regarding the artwork and furniture. Once the window treatments are hung - I will go a head and post pictures of the new kitchen and family room.
I hope everyone has a great week ahead!
Thanks and peace to all! ~J.
| Panama -- (13 Nov. 1945) | ||||
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