North Korea

On the northeastern shores of Asia lies a mysterious country that few visitors have seen. North Korea is suspicious of outsiders. People have lived here for thousands of years. But North Korea is a fairly new country. It was created in 1948.

Today, North Korea is home to about 23,000,000 people. That’s about the same population as the state of Texas. The country’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

Facts About North Korea

Official name	Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Capital	Pyongyang
Official language	Korean
Population	23,500,000 people
Rank among countries in population	47th
Major cities	Pyongyang, Nampo, Chongjin
Area	46,500 square miles 121,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	97th
Highest point	Mt. Paektu 9,003 feet/2,744 meters
Currency	North Korean won

WHERE IS NORTH KOREA?

North Korea lies on the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. A peninsula is a strip of land that juts out from a mainland into water. The East Sea (Sea of Japan) and the Yellow Sea surround the peninsula. The country of South Korea lies on the southern part of the peninsula. North Korea is a communist country. South Korea is against communism.

A COMMUNIST COUNTRY

In 1948, the United States and the Soviet Union, a communist country, decided to divide the Korean peninsula in two. Each part became a separate country. A communist government took over in North Korea. In a communist country, the government owns all the land and businesses. Everyone works for the government. North Korea is one of the few communist countries still remaining in the world.

North Korea’s first ruler was Kim Il Sung. He helped build North Korea’s Communist Party. This party controls the government and the country’s military. North Korea has more than 1 million people in its army. Although North Korea does not have a large population, it has one of the world’s largest armies.

THE KOREAN WAR

In 1950, North Korea tried to conquer South Korea. The south fought back. The United States helped South Korea. China, a communist country, helped North Korea. The Korean War was very destructive. Millions of Koreans died in the war.

Finally, in 1953, the two sides stopped fighting. But they never signed a peace treaty. To this day, a strip of empty land separates the border between North and South Korea. It’s called the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Nothing but wildlife lives in that strip. Both countries keep troops stationed on either side of the DMZ.

RUGGED LAND

North Korea is filled with rugged mountains and deep valleys. The mountains separate the Korean Peninsula from the Asian mainland. Rivers rush down through the valleys.

The valleys have little flat land, and the soil on the slopes is poor. Floods are common and can be destructive. For these reasons, North Korea’s land has never been easy to farm.

THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA

More than 7,000 years ago, people from the Asian mainland crossed over the mountains to settle in North Korea. Few new settlers arrived after that time. Because of this, North Korea has no large minority groups. Only one language is spoken—Korean. The communist government discourages religion. Many North Koreans practice no religion at all.

North Koreans are well educated. Almost all adults can read. But the government controls the schools and uses them to spread its ideas. Everyone in North Korea must support and obey the government. All books, films, plays, and newspapers in North Korea must present the government’s point of view.

MODERN CITIES

Much of North Korea was destroyed during the Korean War. Afterward, Kim Il Sung ordered his people to rebuild. They did. The country rebuilt Pyongyang with wide avenues, parks, and gardens. Pyongyang is North Korea’s most modern city. Other major cities were also rebuilt.

WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA PRODUCE?

North Korea’s mountains hold a wealth of minerals. North Korea mines coal, iron, gold, silver, copper, and other metals. Because of this mineral wealth, Kim Il Sung decided to build up the nation’s industry. North Korea set up many factories. It does much of its farming by machine.

MANY WEAPONS, NOT ENOUGH FOOD

North Korea builds many weapons. It uses them to equip its huge army. But it also sells weapons to other countries. In fact, weapons are among the few items North Korea sells. North Korea buys very little from other countries of the world. Kim Il Sung wanted to make North Korea self-reliant. He tried to build a country that needed no one.

Did Kim Il Sung succeed? Not really. Today, North Korea builds more weapons than it needs. But the nation has trouble feeding its own people. Famines (food shortages) are common. During a famine in 1996, about 2 million North Koreans starved to death.

NORTH KOREA AFTER KIM IL SUNG

Kim Il Sung died in 1994. His son, Kim Jong Il, took over. Since the 1990s, many people believe North Korea has been trying to build nuclear bombs. No one knows if it has succeeded.

BETTER RELATIONS WITH SOUTH KOREA?

In 2000, Kim Jong Il agreed to meet with the South Korean president. It was the first time that leaders of the two countries had ever met face to face. For a short time, Koreans were allowed to visit family members in the other country. Some air, railroad, and mail links were opened for the first time, too.

A great many issues still divide the people in North and South Korea. But a growing number of Koreans remain hopeful that relations between the two countries will continue to improve.

Mexico

Mexico is the southern neighbor of the United States. Its full name in Spanish is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, which means the United Mexican States. Spanish is the language of Mexico because Spain ruled Mexico for 300 years.

Facts About Mexico

Official name	United Mexican States
Capital	Mexico City
Official language	Spanish
Population	110,000,000 people
Rank among countries in population	11th
Major cities	Mexico City, Guadalajara, Ecatepec de Morelos
Area	758,000 square miles 1,960,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	14th
Highest point	Pico de Orizaba 18,406 feet/5,610 meters
Currency	Mexican peso

MEXICO’S PEOPLE

Most of Mexico’s people have both Spanish and Native American ancestry. Although most Mexicans speak Spanish, some still speak the Native American languages of their ancestors.

Spanish conquistadors—explorers and conquerors—came to Mexico in the 1500s. The conquistadors destroyed an empire built by Aztec Indians in Mexico. Spain ruled Mexico until 1821, when Mexico won its independence.

Under Spanish rule, Mexicans became Roman Catholics. They created a version of the Catholic religion that’s their own. For example, Mexicans worship the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe. A three-day festival honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe starts on December 12 each year. During the festival, people dance in the streets wearing Aztec headdresses and costumes.

MEXICO CITY

Mexico City is the capital and largest city in Mexico. More than 19 million people call this city home. That’s nearly one-fifth of the entire country’s population. Many Mexicans call their capital simply Mexico, because it dominates the country so completely.

Mexico City is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. In 2000, it was the second largest city in the world. Only Tokyo, the capital of Japan, had more people.

Mexico City is built on the site of the capital of the Aztec Empire. Many stones from the Aztec capital were used in its first buildings. Today, it’s a modern city with many tall buildings and wide, tree-lined streets.

LIFE IN MEXICO

A large public square, or plaza, lies at the center of most towns and cities in Mexico. Mexicans like to relax in the plaza on their time off. There’s usually a church on the plaza and a marketplace nearby.

A large number of Mexicans are poor. Some families live without electricity or running water in their homes. Some communities have no sewers. Some children leave school early to earn money and help support their families.

Many Mexicans have moved to Mexico City or other cities in Mexico to find jobs. The cities also offer more schools and better health care than rural areas. But the cities have become extremely crowded.

THE MEXICAN LANDSCAPE

Mexico offers dramatic scenery. North central Mexico looks like the set for a cowboy movie. The bone-dry desert is filled with sagebrush and crossed by deep canyons. Southern Mexico has lush tropical forests. Central Mexico is a high plateau with snowcapped mountains on either side. Active volcanoes such as Popocatépetl sometimes belch smoke into the sky.

Visitors marvel at Mexico’s white, sandy beaches and clear, turquoise waters. Acapulco, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta are famous vacation spots on Mexico’s western coast. Well-known resorts also flourish on the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. Mexico is one of the world’s top tourist spots.

CHOCOLATE FOR DINNER

Would you like to have chocolate sauce for dinner? How about chocolate sauce on turkey? A popular sauce in Mexico contains chocolate, cinnamon, chili peppers, and other ingredients. It’s called mole. Mexicans consider pavo en mole—turkey with mole sauce—their national dish.

ANCIENT MEXICO

Many tourists also come to Mexico to see the remains of ancient civilizations. Native Americans—including the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec—developed civilizations in Mexico long before Europeans arrived. They built great cities with huge stone pyramids and other religious structures.

The Maya had an advanced culture. They were skillful in mathematics. They knew a great deal about the stars. They created a complex and accurate calendar. They wrote books in a system of writing that people can no longer read.

END OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE

The Aztecs ruled the last great Native American empire. They built a grand city called Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs followed a religion based on human sacrifice. They had a belief that a pale god would come from the east and destroy them.

In 1520, someone did come from the east, but he was not a god. He was Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés. Cortés and his small army destroyed the Aztec Empire and started a Spanish empire in Mexico.

Japan

Japan is sometimes called the “land of the rising sun.” The Japanese themselves call their country Nihon or Nippon, which means “origin of the sun.” You can see an image of the sun on Japan’s flag: a red circle on a plain white background.

In many ways, Japan is old and traditional. It’s also one of the world’s most modern, and densely populated, countries.

Facts About Japan

Capital	Tokyo
Official language	Japanese
Population	127,000,000 people
Rank among countries in population	10th
Major cities	Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya
Area	146,000 square miles 378,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	61st
Highest point	Fuji 12,387 feet/3,776 meters
Currency	Yen

ISLANDS AND MOUNTAINS

Japan is an island nation located off the northeast coast of the mainland of Asia. The Japanese islands lie in the North Pacific Ocean. They’re separated from Asia by the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Japan has thousands of tiny islands, but there are four main ones: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

Mountains cover about three-fourths of Japan, giving the country rugged and spectacular scenery. The most famous mountain is the majestic Fuji, a dormant volcano on Honshu. For many people, Fuji is sacred. It’s often shown in Japanese paintings.

EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES

The Japanese islands are actually the summits of an underwater chain of mountains. The forces that lifted the mountains are still at work. Japan has hundreds of earthquakes every year. Sometimes they are powerful and cause severe damage. Underwater earthquakes can cause destructive tidal waves called tsunamis.

There are more than 150 major volcanoes in Japan. About 40 of these are still active. Japan is home to 1 out of 10 of the world’s active volcanoes.

FOOD FROM THE SEA

The Japanese islands have thousands of miles of coastline. That’s why fishing is a big industry in Japan. The traditional Japanese diet includes lots of seafood. Sashimi is a Japanese specialty of raw fish. Sushi is a cold rice dish often served with sashimi or with dried seaweed called nori.

CROWDED CITIES

Japan is home to about 127 million people. Most of them live in towns and cities in the narrow plains along the coasts. This makes Japan one of the most crowded countries in the world. How crowded? In Tokyo, some people work as people pushers. They push people onto crowded subway trains!

The people of Japan are almost all Japanese. There is little ethnic diversity. One exception is the Ainu. They are the native people of Japan. The Ainu once nearly disappeared, but today they are reviving their traditions. Most Ainu live on Hokkaido.

TOKYO

Japan has many big cities such as Yokohama, Osaka, Sapporo, and Kyoto. But Tokyo, on the island of Honshu, is by far the biggest. How big is Tokyo? It’s the biggest city in the entire world! There are more than 26 million people living in and around Tokyo. The city is the capital of Japan and the nation’s economic and cultural center.

Tokyo has something for everyone. It has more than 100 universities. It has museums such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Museum of Science. It has theaters for modern plays as well as traditional Japanese theater. It has old religious sites such as the Meiji Shrine and the Kanda Shrine. It even has an imperial palace. That’s where the emperor of Japan, the nation’s symbolic leader, still lives.

Tokyo is very modern. High-speed trains, called bullet trains, connect Tokyo to other parts of Japan. Tokyo is a center for services such as banking and insurance, new technology, and manufacturing.

SHOGUNS AND SAMURAI

For many centuries Japan was a feudal state. In feudalism, some people were given land in return for military service to a nobleman. Many common people had to work a noble’s land as servants called serfs.

By the 12th century, Japan was led by an emperor who shared power with strong military rulers called shoguns. Each shogun was supported by loyal noblemen called daimyo. The daimyo relied on the famous samurai warriors to fight for and protect them.

The samurai were much like the knights of Europe. They followed a code called bushido, or “the way of the warrior.” This meant a samurai had to be honest, polite, and brave, and be loyal to his nobleman.

The shogun and samurai disappeared in 1871, when Japan changed its political system. The changes opened up Japan to the modern world. But the shogun and samurai remain an important part of Japanese history. They are often the subject of Japanese art, novels, and films.

BASEBALL AND SUMO WRESTLING

Did you know that the most popular team sport in Japan is baseball? Baseball was first brought to Japan in 1872. It quickly caught on. Today Japan has its own professional league. In recent years, Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki have become star players in the United States.

A popular traditional sport in Japan is sumo wrestling. In sumo, two large, heavy men try to shove each other out of a small ring. Sumo wrestlers follow a difficult training program and strict way of life. Each tournament begins with a ritual performed by all the wrestlers. Tradition even determines a wrestler’s dress and hairstyle.

A WEALTHY COUNTRY

Today, Japan is one of the richest countries in the world. After 1945, following Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Japanese embraced modern technology and manufacturing. Japan’s economy grew rapidly for decades.

Japanese technology remains on the leading edge, even as Japan maintains many of its traditions. Today, many of the world’s great makers of automobiles, electronics, and computer games are Japanese.

Italy

Italy looks like a boot kicking a football. Its main part is a long peninsula that sticks into the Mediterranean Sea. The island of Sicily—the football—lies just next to the toe of the boot. Sardinia and other smaller islands in the Mediterranean also belong to Italy.

Facts About Italy

Official name	Italian Republic
Capital	Rome
Official language	Italian
Population	58,100,000 people
Rank among countries in population	23rd
Major cities	Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice
Area	116,000 square miles 301,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	70th
Highest point	Mont Blanc 15,782 feet/4,810 meters
Currency	Euro

BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE

A mountain range runs the length of the Italian peninsula. These mountains, the Apennines, extend south from the valley of the Po River in northern Italy. The Po Valley is the most fertile farmland in Italy.

The mighty Alps rise north of the Po Valley. The Italian Alps span the country’s northern border. Several large lakes lie in beautiful settings in the mountains.

Italy doesn’t have a lot of flat land for big farms. Instead, many small farms cover the hillsides. Here, farmers grow grapes, citrus fruits, grains, and olives. Most of the grapes are used for making wine. Italy produces more wine than any other country except France. In addition, much of the world’s best olive oil comes from Italy.

THE GLORY OF ROME

Rome is Italy’s capital and largest city. It was once the capital of the Mediterranean world. Rome began its rise to power around 500 bc. Over the next centuries, the Romans built an empire that extended from Spain to Palestine in the Middle East.

The ancient Romans filled their capital with many great buildings and monuments. You can still see the ruins of these grand buildings in Rome. The Colosseum, for example, was a huge stadium where gladiator fights and other spectacles were staged. You can also walk the streets of the Roman Forum. This was the center of Roman life, with government meeting places, markets, and temples for worshiping Roman gods.

CENTER OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD

The Roman Empire fell apart in the ad 400s. But Rome remained important as a center of the Roman Catholic world. The pope, the head of the Catholic Church, has his headquarters here. For 1,000 years, the Catholic Church dominated Europe.

Today, the pope lives in Vatican City. Vatican City is actually a tiny independent country within Rome. Many tourists come to the Vatican to see Saint Peter’s Basilica. It’s the most important Roman Catholic church in the world.

MILAN

Milan, the second largest city, is in northern Italy. It’s a leading business, banking, and manufacturing center. Some of the world’s fanciest clothes come from Milan. The famous La Scala opera house is in Milan. So is one of the world’s most famous paintings, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

VENICE AND GENOA

The northern cities of Genoa and Venice are important ports. Genoa faces the Mediterranean. Venice lies on the Adriatic Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean. Venice is built on 120 islands. About 400 bridges connect the islands. Tourists love the city because most of its streets are canals. People get around in boats instead of cars. Many people consider Venice one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Venice and Genoa were once great sea powers. Hundreds of years ago, each one had a powerful fleet of ships. Each city was a city-state—a city-sized country. Much of Italy was divided into city-states.

THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

Florence was one of the most splendid Italian city-states. During the 1300s and 1400s, a movement known as the Renaissance began. Renaissance means “rebirth,” and what was reborn was an interest in the great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome.

Renaissance artists in Florence produced great books, paintings, and statues based on those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The artists of the Renaissance included Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. From Italy, the Renaissance spread north into the rest of Europe.

ITALY UNITED

Italy did not become one country until the 1800s. Three men—Camillo Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Victor Emmanuel—worked to unite Italy. In 1861, they declared Italy a single kingdom with Victor Emmanuel as king.

After World War I (1914-1918), a political movement called fascism rose to power. The leader of the fascists, Benito Mussolini, became Italy’s prime minister in 1922. He soon got rid of Italy’s parliament, constitution, and other political parties. He became supreme dictator.

Mussolini led Italy into World War II (1939-1945) on the side of Germany. Italy wasn’t a strong military power, and it suffered severe defeats and hardship. At the end of the war, an angry mob killed Mussolini.

Italy voted to become a democracy and a republic in 1946. The king stepped down after the election. Instead of one political party, Italy now has many.

Israel

Israel is a country that is both very old and very new. The kingdom of Israel was founded about 3,000 years ago by an ancient tribe called the Hebrews or Israelites. It later split apart and was conquered. Many other countries ruled this land until 1948. That year, Israel once again became an independent country. It was reborn as a homeland for the Jewish people.

The ancient Israelites are the ancestors of the Jewish people. Over the last 2,500 years, the Jews scattered to different parts of the world. Yet they held on to their traditions and religion.

Facts About Israel

Official name	State of Israel
Capital	Jerusalem (Note: Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital but the United Nations does not recognize this claim.)
Official language	Hebrew
Population	6,500,000 people
Rank among countries in population	100th
Major cities	Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa
Area	8,470 square miles 21,900 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	147th
Highest point	Mt. Meron 3,963 feet/1,208 meters
Currency	Israeli sheqel

A JEWISH HOMELAND

A movement called Zionism developed in the late 1800s. Its purpose was to unite the Jews and create a Jewish homeland. It succeeded in 1948 when the country of Israel was created.

The Jewish homeland was created after World War II ended in 1945. During the war, nearly 6 million European Jews were murdered by Germany’s Nazi government. This event, known as the Holocaust, convinced many people of the need for a Jewish state.

A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS

Thousands of immigrants poured into Israel after 1948. The country is so new that most of its Jewish citizens are immigrants or the children of immigrants. These immigrants come from more than 100 countries. In Israel, they learned to speak Hebrew. This is the ancient language of the Jewish Bible, which Christians know as the Old Testament.

About 80 percent of Israelis are Jewish. The rest are Arabs. Arabs were living in what is now Israel before 1948. Today, Jews and Arabs live separately in Israel. They speak different languages—Hebrew and Arabic. They are divided by religion, too. Most Arabs are Muslims. The rest are Christians or Druze.

BLOOMING DESERT, BUSY CITIES

Israel has a dry, desert climate. In 1948, large areas of the country were not farmed because they could not be watered. The new Jewish settlers irrigated the land. They started farms called kibbutzim. The members of kibbutzim own and work land together.

By using modern methods and machinery, Israeli farmers made the desert bloom. The amount of land being farmed in Israel has tripled since 1948. Israel produces oranges, melons, olives, nuts, grains, and many other crops. It grows more than enough food for its own needs. Yet only 3 percent of its workers are farmers!

Most Israelis work in factories and offices. Jerusalem is the largest city and center of the government. Tel Aviv-Yafo is the second largest city and the country’s business and manufacturing center. Israel is a world leader in high technology. It makes equipment for use in medicine, communications, computers, and other fields. Israel also makes some of the world’s best military equipment.

PALESTINE AND ZIONISM

Before Israel was founded, the land on which it is located was known as Palestine. In 1880, only about 5 percent of the people who lived here were Jewish. The rest were Arabs.

Around that time, the idea of Zionism was born in Europe. European Jews had long been targets of unfair treatment. Jews had difficulty defending themselves against attacks because they were a minority—a small group—wherever they lived.

Zionists said Jews needed a country of their own. Inspired by this dream, Jewish immigrants began moving to Palestine.

The Holocaust—the murder of nearly 6 million European Jews—helped make clear the need for a Jewish homeland. In 1948, the newly created United Nations voted to divide Palestine. It was to become two new countries. One would be Israel. The other would be a new Arab nation.

THE ARAB-ISRAELI WARS

The Arabs in and around Palestine did not accept this plan. They attacked the new country, hoping to wipe it out. Israel fought back. Many Arabs living in the area were forced to flee and became refugees. They are now known as the Palestinians. The new Arab nation was never created.

Arabs and Israelis fought more wars. Each time, Israel held its own or won. Overall, it gained territory. Its conquered, or occupied, territory now includes the West Bank, a large area on the west bank of the Jordan River.

REBELLION AND TERRORISM

Most Palestinian refugees who fled in 1948 now live in the West Bank. They resent living under Israeli control. The Palestinians in these occupied territories have rebelled several times since 1987.

Palestinians have also made war on Israel through terrorism. Small groups or individuals have set off bombs to kill Israelis. Sometimes these terrorists carry bombs on their bodies and die in the explosions. Terrorist attacks have made daily life difficult for many Israeli citizens.

Ireland

Have you ever worn something green on Saint Patrick’s Day? Saint Patrick’s Day is a holiday in Ireland that is celebrated in March with parades and parties. Saint Patrick was a missionary in the 400s who brought Christianity to the Irish people.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many countries by people whose ancestors came from Ireland. Many Irish people left Ireland in the mid-1800s because of a shortage of food. They took their Irish traditions with them. Today, millions of people in the United States are Irish Americans. They hold Saint Patrick’s Day parades in many cities.

Facts About Ireland

Capital	Dublin
Official language	Irish, English
Population	4,160,000 people
Rank among countries in population	122nd
Major cities	Dublin, Cork, Galway
Area	27,100 square miles 70,300 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	117th
Highest point	Carrauntoohil 3,415 feet/1,041 meters
Currency	Euro

THE EMERALD ISLE

Ireland is sometimes called the Emerald Isle because it is so green. The island has wide green plains and rolling green hills. Cool weather and lots of rain help keep the island green. Summers in Ireland are not very hot and winters are not very cold.

Ireland is one of the two main islands in the British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe. The island is divided between two countries. The northern part is a province of the United Kingdom called Northern Ireland. Most of the island is the country called Ireland.

IRISH LEGENDS

The Irish are famous for their imagination, which shows up in their myths, legends, and writing. Have you ever heard of the “luck of the Irish?” This saying comes from a legend about little elves called leprechauns. Leprechauns will supposedly give their hidden treasure to anyone who is lucky enough to catch them.

A famous legend about St. Patrick tells how he drove all the snakes into the sea. That, so the story goes, is why there are no snakes in Ireland.

The great Irish writer and poet William Butler Yeats collected Irish folk stories in his book Irish Folk and Fairy Tales. The book contains stories about fairies, nymphs, and a female spirit called the banshee.

One of the most famous castles in Ireland, Blarney Castle, has a supposedly magical stone in one of its towers. According to legend, anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone receives the gift of clever speech.

IRISH MUSIC

The Irish people have long been noted for their music and dance. Irish dances, such as the jig, have become hits in such shows as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The Irish are also famous for rock and pop music. The groups U2, Hot House Flowers, the Cranberries, Sinéad O’Connor, and the Corrs all come from Ireland.

AN ANCIENT LAND

People have lived in Ireland for more than 10,000 years. Irish folklore tells of ancient tribes. A people called the Celts invaded Ireland around 350 bc and conquered the tribes. You can still see stone ruins left by these ancient people.

In the 1100s, nobles from the neighboring island of Britain began moving into Ireland and building castles. By the 1700s, Ireland was ruled by Britain.

“THE TROUBLES”

Most of the people in the central and southern parts of Ireland were Roman Catholic. Beginning in the 1800s, Irish Catholics began calling for “home rule.” They disliked harsh British rule and wanted to govern themselves. The people in the north were mostly Protestants. They wanted to be governed by Britain.

Fighting broke out between the British and the Irish and between Protestants and Catholics. The fighting went on for many years. The Irish people called the fighting “the troubles.”

Finally, Ireland was divided into two parts. The Irish Free State was set up in the south. It later became the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland remained under the rule of Great Britain. Fighting continued in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. A peace agreement was signed in the late 1990s. The Irish people hope the troubles are over.

Iraq

In 2003, the world’s attention became focused on Iraq. That’s when the United States invaded the country to overthrow Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein. American leaders said Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction” and was a threat to the rest of the world. No such weapons were found. But Hussein’s rule ended, and he was captured by U.S. troops.

Facts About Iraq

Official name	Republic of Iraq
Capital	Baghdad
Official language	Arabic
Population	28,200,000 people
Rank among countries in population	44th
Major cities	Baghdad, Mosul, Al Basrah
Area	169,000 square miles 438,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area	57th
Highest point	Mt. Haji Ibrahim 11,834 feet/3,607 meters
Currency	Iraqi dinar

OIL AND SAND

Iraq is a country in the Middle East. Much of Iraq is desert. Enormous deposits of oil lie beneath the desert. Oil forms the basis of Iraq’s economy. But wars since 1980 have destroyed much of the country’s oil production.

SADDAM HUSSEIN AND WAR

Saddam Hussein came to power in Iraq in 1979. He had total control and allowed no opposition to his policies. Hussein wanted Iraq to play a leading role in the Middle East. He took many risks.

Hussein led Iraq into a war with its neighbor Iran. The destructive and costly Iran-Iraq War dragged on from 1980 to 1988. Neither side gained anything from it. But Iraq had borrowed money and came out of the war deeply in debt.

Iraq’s debts led to the Persian Gulf War. Iraq needed income from oil to repay its debts. In 1990, Hussein sent Iraqi forces into neighboring Kuwait during a dispute over oil. This invasion started the Persian Gulf War. The United States led military forces that drove Iraq out of Kuwait. Iraq suffered heavy damage from bombing during the war.

After the Persian Gulf War, most countries stopped doing business with Iraq. The country became very poor. Life became extremely hard for most Iraqis.

United States leaders still considered Hussein and Iraq a threat. The United States claimed that Iraq was hiding illegal weapons. In March 2003, U.S. forces supported by Britain and other countries invaded Iraq. They bombed Baghdad and other cities in Iraq. Today, Iraqis are struggling to rebuild their shattered country.

ANCIENT IRAQ

Oil has shaped modern Iraq. But water shaped the early history of this land. Two important rivers run through the country, the Tigris and the Euphrates. In ancient times, the land between these rivers was called Mesopotamia.

The Tigris and Euphrates brought soil down from mountains in northern Iraq. Over time, this fertile soil spread over the river valleys. This made Mesopotamia an easy region to farm. Early settlers in the river valleys built canals from the rivers to water their crops.

About 5,000 years ago, villages along these rivers began growing into cities. The more powerful cities conquered other cities and built ever-bigger empires. A number of ancient civilizations flourished in Mesopotamia. They made many advances in literature, law, and science.

BAGHDAD

Baghdad is the biggest city in Iraq and the country’s capital. From the mid-700s to the mid-1200s, Baghdad ranked as a great center of trade and culture.

Have you heard the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp? Or of Sindbad the Sailor and his seven voyages? These stories come from a book called the Arabian Nights. Many of the stories are set in Baghdad, in the court of ruler Harun ar-Rashid.

ISLAM

Baghdad grew important with the spread of a new religion called Islam. Islam developed in nearby Arabia during the ad 600s. The followers of Islam built a huge empire. In 762, the capital of this empire moved to Baghdad.

Karbala, one of the holiest cities of Islam, is located in central Iraq. Karbala is sacred to members of the Shia branch of Islam. Most Iraqis belong to this branch. Every year, Shia pilgrims flock to Karbala to honor the death of Husayn, one of their early leaders. Husayn was the grandson of the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Husayn was killed at Karbala.