tagged w/ Country Fast Facts
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(CBS)The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia.
Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe.
Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free.
The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on Jan. 1, 1993.
Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. (CBS)The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I... more
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The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945, but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip Tito (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although Communist, Tito's new government and his successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan Milosevic became president of the Serbian Republic and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines.
In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its - ultimately unsuccessful - campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. Milosevic kept tight control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, a small-scale ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries.
The Milosevic government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999 and to the eventual withdrawal of Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UNSC Resolution 1244 in June 1999 authorized the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR) in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the region's ethnic communities, created a UN Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to foster self-governing institutions, and reserved the issue of Kosovo's final status for an unspecified date in the future. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a constitutional framework that allowed Kosovo to establish institutions of self-government and led to Kosovo's first parliamentary election. FRY elections in September 2000 led to the ouster of Milosevic and installed Vojislav Kostunica as president. A broad coalition of democratic reformist parties known as DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was subsequently elected to parliament in December 2000 and took control of the government. The arrest of Milosevic by DOS in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity. (Milosevic died at The Hague in March 2006 before the completion of his trial.)
In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations. In 2003, the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics with a federal level parliament. Violent rioting in Kosovo in 2004 caused the international community to open negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The referendum was successful, and Montenegro declared itself an independent nation on June 3 2006. Two days later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In October 2006, the Serbian parliament unanimously approved - and a referendum confirmed - a new constitution for the country.The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to... more
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The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic.
According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino in A.D. 301.
San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy; social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor.
San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe in 1988 and of the United Nations in 1992.
It is not a member of the European Union. The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also... more
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A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries.
An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars.
Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries.
Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise, as the EU predecessor, the European Community, had been strongly associated with NATO countries.
Following the end of the Cold War, however, Sweden, Austria and Finland joined, though in Sweden's case without adopting the Euro.
Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry.
A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in... more
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Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century.
This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day.
The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New... more
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In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands.
The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu.
Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period. Tell us why this is interestingIn 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice... more
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Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century.
This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day.
The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New... more
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Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance.
The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845.
Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970.
Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous... more
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Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889.
They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau... more
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The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s.
Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago.
Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later.
Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society.
In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allen Kemazeka sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias.
The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutionsThe UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s.
Some of... more
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New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century.
The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World... more
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Tell us why this is interesting(CBS)Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific.
By the mid-1850s the Pitcairn community was outgrowing the island and its leaders appealed to the British government for assistance.
They were offered Norfolk Island and on 3 May 1856, the entire community of 193 people set sail for Norfolk on board the Morayshire, arriving on June 8th after a miserable five-week trip.
But after eighteen months on Norfolk, seventeen of the Pitcairners returned to their home island; five years later another twenty-seven did the same.
Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today. Tell us why this is interesting(CBS)Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the... more
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The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885.
The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975.
A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was... more
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Historians take much interest in the navigational routes of European explorers. One such mystery has created much speculation as to whether Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos spotted the islands in 1543. No conclusive evidence exists but there are some who think he could have seen the tip of a southernmost island in the group.
Palau was one of the last of the South Sea islands to be discovered-not only due to a lack of navigation skill but because neighboring islands knew nothing about Melanesia. Palau had limited relations-mainly with Yap and Java.
Had it not have been for ship-wrecked islanders who accidentally took refuge in the Philippines, Europeans likely would not have found a route to Palau until much later.
English Captain Henry Wilson also shipwrecked off the island of Ulong in 1783. Wilson dubbed Palau the “Pelew Islands”.
In 1914, Japan invaded the islands, then formally took over under the Treaty of Versailles after the WWI German defeat. Over three decades, the Japanese enforced cultural change. Introduction of an exclusive market economy geared towards Japanese citizens temporarily revoked tribal ownership. Although some reparation was made, defeat did not restore complete order. U.S. intervention only served to widen the legal semantics needed to recover from such an event spanning three different countries with three different tongues.
Peleliu was the scene of a costly battle between American and Japanese forces in 1944, resulting in an Allied victory, though the cost in human terms was high for both sides. After WWII, the United Nations played a role in deciding the U.S. would administer Palau as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia.
A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993.
It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence. Historians take much interest in the navigational routes of European explorers. One... more
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The first European exploration of the area was that led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who landed on nearby Guam and claimed the islands for Spain.
In 1668 the islands were renamed by Padre Diego Luis de Sanvitores to Las Marianas after Mariana of Austria, widow of Spain's Philip IV.
Nearly all of the islands' native population (90%-95%) died out under Spanish rule, but new settlers, primarily from the Philippines and the Caroline Islands, were brought in to repopulate the islands. Despite this, the Chamorro population did gradually resurge, and Chamorro, Filipino and Carolinian language and ethnic differences remain basically distinct in the Marianas to this day.
The Marianas came under German control for a brief period when Spain sold them to Germany, exclusive of Guam. In 1919 the Japanese invaded and occupied these islands and the League of Nations, pre-cursor of the United Nations, awarded them to Japan by mandate.
The Empire of Japan captured Guam during World War II and Japanese governance of the Islands moved to Guam.
The Japanese annexation of the Marianas was not popular among its residents, and the Japanese forces have been accused of atrocities during their occupation of the islands, including the torture and killing of the residents of Guam and the Northern Marianas
Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US.
Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972.
A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976.
A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. The first European exploration of the area was that led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521,... more
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Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned.
In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
After the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, Norfolk Island was placed under the authority of the new Commonwealth government to be administered as an external territory.
During World War II, the island became a key airbase and refuelling depot between Australia and New Zealand. Since Norfolk island fell within New Zealand's area of responsibility it was garrisoned by a New Zealand Army unit known as N Force. It proved too remote to come under attack during the war.
In 1979, Norfolk was granted self-government by Australia, under which the island elects a government that runs most of the island's affairs. As such, residents of Norfolk Island are not represented in the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia, making them the only group of residents of an Australian state or territory not represented there.
In 2006, a formal review process took place, in which the Australian Government considered revising this model of government. The review was completed on December 20, 2006, when it was decided that there would be no changes in the governance of Norfolk Island. Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and... more
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Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered.
The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to an estimated 1,492 in 2007), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its... more
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Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th century.
The British explorer James Cook sighted Grande Terre in 1774 and named it New Caledonia, Caledonia being the Latin name for Scotland.
During the same voyage he also named the islands to the north of New Caledonia the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), after the islands north of Scotland.
Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853.
It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia.
The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence. Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th... more
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The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific.
The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate.
After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory.
It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic. The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble... more
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This region consists of many hundreds of small islands spread over a large region of the western Pacific. The only empire known to have originated in Micronesia was based in Yap.
The term "Micronesia" was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by Jules Dumont d'Urville; before this the term "Polynesia" was in use to generally describe the islands of the Pacific.
Much of the area was to come under European domination quite early. Guam, the Northern Marianas, and the Caroline Islands (what would later become the FSM and Palau) were colonized early by the Spanish. These island territories were part of the Spanish East Indies and governed from Spanish Philippines since the early 17th century until 1898.
Full European expansion did not come, however, until the early 20th century, when the area would be divided between: the United States, which took control of Guam following the Spanish-American War of 1898, and colonized Wake Island; Germany, which took Nauru and bought the Marshall, Caroline, and Northern Mariana Islands from Spain; and the British Empire, which took the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati).
In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution.
In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004.
Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid. This region consists of many hundreds of small islands spread over a large region of... more
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