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United States

The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United States (US), America or simply the States, is a federal republic[10][11] consisting of 50 states and a federal district. The 48 contiguous states and the federal district of Washington, D.C., are in central North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also has five populated and nine unpopulated territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean. At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) in total and with around 317 million people, the United States is the fourth-largest country by total area and third largest by population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.[12] The geography and climate of the United States is also extremely diverse, and it is home to a wide variety of wildlife. History

Africa Map of Africa Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; 50% of Africans are 19 years old or younger.[5] Algeria is Africa's largest country by area, and Nigeria is the largest by population. Africa, particularly central Eastern Africa, is widely accepted as the place of origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago, including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 200,000 years ago.[6] Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.[7] Etymology Other etymological hypotheses have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa": History Prehistory

Far East The Far East is an English term (with equivalents in various other languages of Europe and Asia; Chinese: 遠東; pinyin: yuǎn dōng; literally "far east") mostly describing East Asia (including Northeast Asia), Southeast Asia, and the Russian Far East (part of North Asia, aka Siberia)[1] with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.[2] The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 12th century, denoting the Far East as the "farthest" of the three "easts", beyond the Near East and the Middle East. For the same reason, Chinese people in the 19th and early 20th centuries called Western countries "Tàixī (泰西)"—i.e. anything further west than the Arab world. Popularization[edit] Prior to the colonial era, "Far East" referred to anything further east than the Middle East. Cultural as well as geographic meaning[edit] "The problems of the Pacific are different. Concerning the term, John K. Cities[edit] See also[edit] Notes[edit] References[edit]

Western Europe Video taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the ISS on a pass over Western Europe European sub-regions according to EuroVoc (the thesaurus of the European Union). Western Europe is marked green on this map. Western Europe is the region comprising the westerly countries of Europe. While the term has a geographic context, another main definition developed during the Cold War (approx. 1945-1991) to describe the countries associated with the Western European Union (1954–2011; now part of the European Union (EU)), a defensive alliance drafted in 1948 among non-communist European nations during the Cold War, as opposed to the countries of the Eastern Bloc (or Warsaw Pact). Countries culturally and geographically associated with other European regions that avoided Soviet influence during the Cold War are usually included, while western members of the former Eastern Bloc (with the exception of Eastern Germany) are excluded. Historical divisions[edit] Cold War[edit] Intermediate Region[edit]

Beirut Coordinates: Beirut (Arabic: بيروت‎‎ Bayrūt, French: Beyrouth) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been done but in 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to slightly less than 2 million as part of Greater Beirut. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, inhabited more than 5,000 years ago. Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with many banks and corporations based in its Central District, Badaro, Rue Verdun, Hamra and Ashrafieh. In May 2015, Beirut was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Vigan, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and La Paz.[7] Archaeology and prehistory[edit] Several prehistoric archaeological sites were discovered within the urban area of Beirut, revealing flint tools of sequential periods dating from the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic through the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. History[edit] Middle Ages[edit] Media[edit]

Jordan Jordan (/ˈdʒɔrdən/; Arabic: الأردن‎ al-Urdun), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية‎ al-Mamlakah al-Urdunīyah al-Hāshimīyah), is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River, and extending into the historic region of Palestine. Jordan borders Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Palestine, the Dead Sea and Israel to the west. The kingdom emerged from the post-World War I division of West Asia by Britain and France. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. History[edit] Classical Transjordan[edit] Jordan and its neighbors with a rare dusting of snow in several regions.[15] The Aramaic speaking Nabatean kingdom was one of the most prominent states in the region through the middle classic period, since the decline of the Seleucid control of the region in 168 BC. Middle Ages to World War I[edit] Independence[edit]

Tunis Tunis as viewed from space Tunis (Arabic: تونس‎ Tūnis; Amazigh: Tunes, ⵜⵓⵏⴻⵙ) is the capital of Tunisia. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 651,183 as of 2013. The greater metropolitan area holds some 2,300,000 inhabitants. Situated on a large Mediterranean Sea gulf (the Gulf of Tunis), behind the Lake of Tunis and the port of La Goulette (Halq al Wadi), the city extends along the coastal plain and the hills that surround it. The medina is found at the centre of the city: a dense agglomeration of alleys and covered passages, full of intense scents and colours, boisterous and active trade, and a surfeit of goods on offer ranging from leather to plastic, tin to the finest filigree, tourist souvenirs to the works of tiny crafts shops. Etymology[edit] Tunis is the transcription of the Arabic name تونس which can be pronounced as "Tūnus", "Tūnas", or "Tūnis". Different explanations exist for the origin of the name Tunis. History[edit] Carthage[edit] Carthage Early history[edit]

Miami Miami (/maɪˈæmi/; Spanish pronunciation: [maiˈami] [6]) is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County. The 42nd largest city proper in the United States, with a population of 419,777, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States after Washington, D.C.[7][8] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the eighth most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the United States, with a population of around 5.5 million.[9][10] Miami is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade.[11][12] In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha- World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory.[13] In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. History

San Francisco San Francisco i/sæn frənˈsɪskoʊ/, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural center and a leading financial hub of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. San Francisco is a popular tourist destination,[18] known for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former prison on Alcatraz Island, and its Chinatown district. History[edit] Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico. The California Gold Rush brought a flood of treasure seekers. Entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush. It was during this period San Francisco built some of its most important infrastructure. The Bay Bridge, under construction in 1935, took forty months to complete.

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