.... which speaks Potugese, and Haiti, which speaks French. The term does not apply to American possessions of European countries or of the United States or to former British possessions, such as Guyana, although Puerto Rico, culturally speaking, belongs to . A common name does not indicate that all of the n countries are alike. Each one has its distinctive life. However, for three centuries, eighteen of them lived under the complete political, social, and religious dominance of Spain, while Brazil was under Portugal. Spain and Portugal were much alike and from 1580-1640 were united. Influence of Geography on Life The location of each country helps to explain i .....

.... and its associated bodies of water, including Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. Canada has an abundance of mineral, forest, and water-power resources. The mining industry has been a major force in Canada's economic development in the past and is still the main force in the advance and economic activity and permanent settlement into the northlands. The principal minerals are petroleum, nickel, copper, zinc, iron ore, natural gas, asbestos, molybdenum, sulfur, gold, and platinum; in addition extensive beds of coal, potash, uranium, gypsum, silver, and magnesium are found. Fresh water covers an estimated 756 276 sq km or 7.6% of Canada. The many rivers an .....

.... faith, and Athens is the seat of the Orthodox primate of Greece. Athens is also the primary financial and commercial center in Greece. Most of the country's trade takes place at the port of Piraeus. Tourism is another important part of Athens today. It brought up with the first democratic government. Democracy means governed by the people. The United States started our government democracy from them. The difference is that our type of democracy is "representative" democracy. That means that we take one person to represent all of our interest and thoughts. Athens(Greece) has a "direct" democracy which means that everybody gets to vote for th .....

.... term. Ages 18 and up can vote for the president and the legislature. The National Assembly consists of 577 deputies that are elected in their political division. They serve a five-year term. The senate has 319 members that are elected for a five-year term. France is divided into 22 regions, 96 metropolitan areas, 4 overseas departments, 4 overseas territories, and 2 collective territories. History In ancient times the Celts and Germanic tribes lived in France. When the romans invaded, they called France Gaul. Gaul was eventually annexed. In 400 A.D. the west roman empire's defense began to fall. After that France was an independent country. Hugh Carpet was c .....

.... Lebanon has been the center of commerce and trade for thousands of years. It has also been on the route of numerous conquering armies. With an area of 4,015 square miles, Lebanon is one of the smallest countries in the Middle East. It is smaller than every state in the United States except Delaware, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Lebanon is sandwiched between Syria in the north and east and Israel in the south. The maximum distance from the nation's northern border to the southern one is only 130 miles. And the maximum distance from the Mediterranean Sea to the Lebanon-Syria border is 50 miles. In the south, along the border with Israel, Lebanon's easte .....

.... see themselves as simple but happy people; they work hard for what they have, and in their opinion, modernization is not needed and does nothing but clutter the mind. The economic situation is very poor. Education plays a major role in their economics; their is not a great deal of money coming to the town so education is usually one to two years behind the United States. The natives of Alice Springs are different from normal Americans. Their attitude is things will get done when they get done and there is no rush. Some would say that reminds them of an old southern style person. They make visitors feel welcome and treat them as if you were one .....

.... in ruins, temples and deserted cities, this is the place to go. For pure holiday-making magic, Thailand's islands and beaches are working definitions of heaven. As for urban delights, the huge metropolis of Bangkok, although it can alarm you with its chaos and size, tends to charm visitors with its energy and cultural treasures. Thailand is an easy country to travel in, with efficient transport, cheap accommodation, and a delicious national cuisine. The Thais are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality to strangers. Although they're often depicted as fun-loving, happy-go-lucky folk (which they often are), they are also very strong-minded and ha .....

.... varied in its scope. It encompasses narratives by early explorers and settlers, which tell of their encounters with the land and people of the New World; satiric writing that comment on colonial society and it imitation of Europeans trends; and works that bring together Native American themes and imagery in an effort to express an experience that is uniquely Latin American. A continuing predicament for writers arises from the desire to define a distinct Latin American identity while not appearing narrow or provincial in terms or European literary standards. Latin American writing can be divided into three broad periods: colonial literature, from the time .....