USA

USA - Is officially known as The United States of America. It is also sometimes known as U.S., USA, United States, Good Ole U.S. of A. and America . The USA is a North American country and located in central North America, between the North Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, sharing borders with Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the North American continent, sharing borders with Canada to its east and Russia by way of the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is in the mid-North Pacific. The United States also possesses several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.
The indigenous peoples of the U.S. mainland, including Alaska Natives, are thought to have migrated from Asia. They began arriving at least 12,000 and possibly as many as 40,000 years ago. Some, such as the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. After Europeans began settling the Americas, many millions of indigenous Americans died from epidemics of imported diseases such as smallpox.
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. In the 19th century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over states' rights and the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked the American Civil War of the 1860s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with an estimated 2008 Gross Domestic Product. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program in October 2008. The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and other industrial corporations. President Barack Obama has announced his intention to support an additional $825 billion fiscal stimulus package - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago - Is officially known as The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is North American two-island nation located in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, separated from Venezuela by the Gulf of Paria and the Columbus Channel. It also shares maritime boundaries with Barbados and Guyana. First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Trinidad and Tobago gained their Independence in 1962.
Tobago is often referred to as "the jewel of the Caribbean" and contains a few resort areas, Trinidad and Tobago as a whole does not rely heavily on tourism as a source of revenue. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of Gross Domestic Product.
Both Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled by Amerindians of South American origin. Trinidad was first settled by pre-agricultural Archaic people at least 7,000 years ago, making it the earliest-settled part of the Caribbean.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Is officially known as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a North American island nation in the Lesser Antilles chain of the Caribbean Sea west of Barbados. Its consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines. The Carib Indians inhabited St. Vincent before the Europeans arrived, and the island still sports a sizable number of Carib artifacts. Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. Enslaved Africans - whether shipwrecked or escaped from Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada and seeking refuge in mainland St. Vincent, or Hairouna as it was originally named by the Caribs - intermarried with the Caribs and became known as Garifuna or Black Caribs. Explored by Columbus in 1498, and alternately claimed by Britain and France, St. Vincent became a British colony by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In 1773, the island was divided between the Caribs and the British, but conflicts between the groups persisted. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.
Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal variations in agriculture, tourism, and construction activity as well as remittance inflows. Much of the workforce is employed in banana production and tourism, but persistent high unemployment has prompted many to leave the islands. The Grenadines receives about 200,000 tourist arrivals annually mainly from the US.

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia - Is officially known as Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia is a North American island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique (an overseas department of France). Saint Lucia with its natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); Great Britain took control of the island from 1663 to 1667 then went to war with France over it fourteen times, and finally took complete control in 1814. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West Indies" it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. The tourism sector is likely to face declining revenues with the global economic downturn as US and European travel declines.
Saint Lucia's first known inhabitants were Arawaks, believed to have come from northern South America around 200-400 CE. Numerous archaeological sites on the island have produced specimens of the Arawaks' well-developed pottery. There is evidence to suggest that these first inhabitors called the island Iouanalao, which meant 'Land of the Iguanas', due to the island's high number of iguanas.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis - Is officially known as The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Saint Kitts and Nevis is a North American two-island nation located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America. Carib Indians occupied the islands for hundreds of years before the British began settlement in 1623. The islands became an associated state of the United Kingdom with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. Nevis is now seeking to separate from Saint Kitts. Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest nation in the Americas, in both area and population. The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis is heavily dependent upon tourism revenues, (mainly US) which has replaced sugar, the traditional mainstay of the economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4% of Gross Domestic Product annually.
Five thousand years prior to European arrival, the island was settled by Indian peoples. The latest arrivals, the Kalinago peoples, arrived approximately 3 centuries before the Europeans. The Kalinago allowed the Europeans to colonize Saint Kitts, while earlier attempts to settle other islands were met with immediate destruction of the colonies by the Indians. The Kalinago were eventually wiped out in the great Kalinago Genocide of 1626.

Panama

Panama - Is officially known as the Republic of Panama. Panama is a North American country located in Central America connecting North America and South America. Panama shares borders with Costa Rica, Colombia, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With United States backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the USA allowing for the construction of a canal and U.S. sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. Economic growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that began in 2007 and should be completed by 2014 at a cost of $5.3 billion - about 30% of current Gross Domestic Product.
Containerized cargo is the Canal's main and fastest growing market segment, accounting for 55% of revenue and 47% of transits in fiscal year 2007. In fiscal year 2007, the Canal broke a new record when 312.2 millions PC/UMS tons transited through the waterway.
It takes a ship an average of 8-10 hours to transit through the Canal. A ship saves 7,860 nautical miles when traveling from New York to San Francisco through the Canal instead of the Cape of Horn.
Central Panama was home to some of the first pottery-making villages in the Americas, such as the Monagrillo culture dating to about 2500-1700 BC. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Panama was widely settled by Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva peoples, among whom the largest group were the Cueva.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua - Is officially known as the Republic of Nicaragua. Nicaragua is a North American country sharing borders with Honduras, Costa Rica, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Textiles and apparel account for nearly 60% of Nicaragua's exports, however, recent increases in the minimum wage will likely erode its comparative advantage in this industry.
In Pre-Colombian times the Indigenous people in what is now known as Nicaragua, were part of the Intermediate Area located between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions and within the influence of the Isthmo-Colombian area. It was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. This is confirmed by the ancient footprints of Acahualinca, along with other archaeological evidence, mainly in the form of ceramics and statues made of volcanic stone like the ones found on the island of Zapatera and petroglyphs found on Ometepe island.

Mexico

Mexico - Is officially known as The United Mexican States. Mexico is a North American country sharing borders with United States, Guatemala, Belize, the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1519, the native civilizations of Mesoamerica were invaded by Spain among them the Aztecs, Mayans. This was one of the most important conquest campaigns in America. Two years later, in 1521, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was conquered by the Spaniards along with the Tlaxcaltecs, the main enemies of the Aztecs, marking the end of the Aztec and giving rise to the Vice royalty of New Spain in 1535. It became the first and largest provider of resources for the Spanish Empire and the most populous of all Spanish colonies. Mexico achieved independence early in the 19th century. Trade with the US and Canada has nearly tripled since the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. According to the director for Mexico at the World Bank, the population in poverty has decreased from 24.2% to 17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9% in rural areas from 2000-2004. Nonetheless, income inequality remains a problem, and huge gaps remain not only between rich and poor but also between the north and the south, and between urban and rural areas. Sharp contrasts in income and Human Development are also a grave problem in Mexico. According to Goldman Sachs, BRIMC (Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, China) review of emerging economies, by 2050 the largest economies in the world will be as follows: China, United States, India, Brazil, and Mexico. Mexico is the largest North American auto producing nation, recently surpassing Canada and U.S. (unverified)

Jamaica

Jamaica - Is officially known as Jamaica. Jamaica is a North American island nation in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba, and west of the island of Hispaniola, (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). The island of Jamaica was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494 and was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962.

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of the Gross Domestic Product. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with the lowest economic growth in Latin America, will face increasing difficulties as the global economy slows. Jamaica is a mixed economy with state enterprises as well as private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services. Tourism (mainly from the USA) and mining are the leading foreign exchange earners.

The Arawak and Taino indigenous people originating from South America settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC. When the Spanish arrived in 1494 there were over 200 villages ruled by chiefs or caciques, with the south coast of Jamaica being the most populated, especially around what is now known as Old Harbour.

Honduras

Honduras - Is officially known as the Republic of Honduras. Honduras is a North American country located in Central America sharing borders with Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Pacific Ocean (by way of the Gulf of Fonseca), and the Caribbean Sea (by way of a large inlet the Gulf of Honduras). Honduras was once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, and became an independent nation in 1821.
Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, has an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and high unemployment. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) came into force in 2006 and has helped foster investment.
Archaeologists have demonstrated that Honduras had a rich, multi-ethnic prehistory. An important part of that prehistory was the Mayan presence around the city of Copán in western Honduras, near the Guatemalan border. A major Mayan city flourished during the classic period (150-900) in that area. It has many carved inscriptions and stelae. The ancient kingdom, named rtyu, existed from the fifth century to the early ninth century, with antecedents going back to at least the second century. The Mayan civilization began a marked decline in the ninth century, but there is evidence of people still living in and around the city until at least 1200.

Haiti

Haiti - Is officially known as the Republic of Haiti. Haiti is a North American country on the island of Hispaniola and shares borders with Dominican Republic, the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The island of Hispaniola was inhabited by The native Taino Amerindians
when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - the natives were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. Haiti was the first independent nation in the Caribbean, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted apparel exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to the United States HOPE II, passed in October 2008, has further improved the export environment for the apparel sector by extending preferences to 2018; the apparel sector accounts for two-thirds of Haitian exports and nearly one-tenth of Gross Domestic Product.
Hispaniola was originally inhabited by the Taíno Arawaks, a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on 5 December 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, his ship the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. The French Revolution contributed to social upheavals in Saint-Domingue and the French and West Indies. Most important was the revolution of the slaves in Saint-Domingue, starting on the northern plains in 1791. In 1792 the French government sent three commissioners with troops to try to reestablish control. They began to build an alliance with gens de couleur, who were looking for their rights. In 1793, France and Great Britain went to war, and British troops invaded Saint-Domingue.

Guatemala

Guatemala - Is officially known as the Republic of Guatemala. Guatemala is a North American country located in Central America sharing borders with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea (by way of the Gulf of Honduras). Mayan civilizations flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict. Guatemala has been stable since 1996 and has been in a state of continuous development and economic growth. Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports. Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a Gross Domestic Product per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-tenth of Gross Domestic Product, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force.
The first evidence of human settlers in Guatemala goes back to at least 12,000 BC. There is some evidence that may put this date as early as 18,000 BC, such as obsidian arrow heads found in various parts of the country.

Grenada

Grenada - Is officially known as Grenada. Grenada is a North American island nation located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and shares borders with the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Grenada is one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Columbus discovered the island in 1498, but it remained un-colonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs and full independence was attained in 1974.
On 19 October 1983, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council and six days later Grenada was invaded by combined forces from the United States, the Regional Security System (RSS), Jamaica, and Barbados. The U.S. stated this was done at the behest of Dame Eugenia Charls, of Dominica. Five other Caribbean nations participated with Dominica and the USA in the campaign against the Cuban and Grenada's forces. Free elections were re instituted the following year and have continued since that time.
Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985.
In April 2007, Grenada jointly hosted (along with several other Caribbean nations) the 2007 Cricket World Cup. After Hurricane Ivan, the Chinese government paid for the new $40 million national stadium, along with the aid of over 300 Chinese labourers to build and repair it. During the opening ceremony the Taiwanese anthem was accidentally played, leading to the firing of top officials.

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat)

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) - Is officially known as Greenland. Greenland is a North American island nation sharing borders with the Arctic Ocean, the Greenland Sea, the Denmark Strait, the North Atlantic Ocean, the Labrador Sea, the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Greenland is, by area, the world's largest island that is not a continent in its own right and is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the European Union) with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland's Economy depends mainly on the fishing industry and exports. Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities are ongoing and in 2007 a US firm signed an agreement with the Greenland Home Rule government to study the feasibility of building a multi-billion dollar aluminum smelter and hydro power plant.
Greenland was occupied by Germany during World War II, which had built several German weather stations and these were destroyed by American troops after being alerted to their positions which gave Denmark a better position in the postwar turmoil.
In prehistoric times, Greenland was home to a number of Paleo-Eskimo cultures. From AD 984, it was colonized by Icelanders in two settlements on fjords near the southwestern most tip of the island. The settlements, such as Brattahlid, thrived for centuries but disappeared sometime in the 1400s, at the time of one given date for the outbreak of the Little Ice Age.

El Salvador

El Salvador - Is officially known as The Republic of El Salvador. El Salvador is a North American country located in Central America, sharing borders with the North Pacific Ocean, Guatemala and Honduras. In the early sixteenth century, the Spanish conquistadors ventured into ports to extend their dominion to the area. They called the land "Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesucristo El Salvador Del Mundo" ("Province of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World"), which was subsequently abbreviated to "El Salvador". El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839.
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and has the third largest economy. Economic growth will decelerate in 2009 due to the global slowdown and to El Salvador's dependence on exports to the United States and remittances from the USA. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. The only airport serving international flights in the country is Comalapa International Airport (airport code: SAL). This airport is located in Comalapa, about 30 minutes southeast of the capital.

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic - Is officially known as The Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is is a North American country on the island of Hispaniola and shares borders with Haiti, the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. claimed by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. The Dominican Republic has enjoyed strong Gross Domestic Product growth since 2005, and continued to post sound gains through mid-2008. The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the source of nearly three-fourths of exports, and remittances represent about a tenth of Gross Domestic Product, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts.

Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants. The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "mother of the earth", as well as Haití or Aytí, and Bohio.

Dominica

Dominica - Is officially known as the Commonwealth of Dominica. Dominica, is a North American island nation in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia Charles, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is researching Dominica's capability to export geothermal energy.

About 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Colombian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. The Caribs are an Amerindian people whose origins lie in the southern West Indies and the northern coast of South America. The Caribs are believed to have left the Orinoco river area in South America to settle in the Caribbean. Over the century leading up to Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs are believed to have displaced the Maipurean-speaking Arawaks who settled the island chains earlier in history.

Cuba

Cuba - Is officially known as the Republic of Cuba. Cuba is a North American island nation located in the Caribbean Sea, the southern portion of the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic Ocean. Cuba is the most populous insular nation in the Caribbean. Its people, culture and customs draw from several sources including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, and its proximity to the United States. After the European discovery of the island by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries the native Amerindian population began to decline. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Recently, large reserves of oil have been found in the North Cuba Basin leading US Congress members Jeff Flake and Larry Craig to call for a repeal of the US embargo of Cuba (isn't that funny).
Cuba had been inhabited by Native American peoples known as the Taíno and Ciboney whose ancestors had come from South and possibly North and Central America at least several and perhaps 60 to 80 centuries before. The Taíno were farmers and the Ciboney were farmers and hunter-gatherers; some have suggested that copper trade was significant and mainland artifacts have been found.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica - Is officially known as the Republic of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a North American country located in Central America and shares borders with Nicaragua, Panama, the Pacific Ocean and south and the Caribbean Sea. Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. In October 2007, a national referendum voted in favor of the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement. Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.1% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity. Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentile of protected areas in the world.

Canada

Canada - Is officially known as Canada. Canada is the northern portion of the North American continent, sharing land borders with the United States of America, and borders with North Pacific Ocean, the Beaufort Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Baffin Bay, the Hudson Bay, the Labrador Bay and the North Atlantic Ocean. A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of aboriginal people. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled along, the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Exports account for roughly a third of Gross Domestic Product. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power.
Archaeological studies support a human presence in the northern Yukon from 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario from 9,500 years ago. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows around AD 1000; following the failure of that colony, there was no further attempt at North American exploration until 1497, when John Cabot explored Canada's Atlantic coast for England, followed by Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France.