Young History

In the southern part of Oceania is a wide sprawling nation that houses more cultures and languages than you can think of. This melanesian island group has over 800 living languages from 1000 different cultures, but that's not all. This nation faced the greed of the large colonial powers of history and endured all the attacks they brought with them. This nation is unique in its look, culture, history and for its extraordinary beauty. This is Papua New Guinea.

In the heart of the Caribbean is the island of Hispaniola, in the western half of this island lies our nation for the day. This nation has powered through a harsh, hate-filled history and has remained proud in the face of it all. This nation is neck deep in troubles today, it is seen as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, it is controlled by gangs, and its economy is dead in the water. The people in this nation have faced anything you can think of but the people are still famous for their kind smiles, their deep culture and their endless pride in where they came from. This is Haiti. 

One of the oldest nations in the world lies in the heart of the middle east; this country has had established cities for over 9000 years. History has not been kind to this nation which has been fighting for its autonomy since ancient times. Trajectory has changed though, today this nation is one of the most stable and peaceful nations in an otherwise tumultuous region. This nation is at the forefront of change in one of the most traditionalistic regions in the world. This is Jordan. 

This large island nation has used its precarious position in the Western Hemisphere to influence it heavily. The Pearl of the Antilles has seen all sorts of history in its borders: it was the largest island Columbus landed on, the center for new world slavery, the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere and more all defined different eras of this nation’s past. In the 1900s this nation fought tooth and nail against the US which was the most powerful country in the world at the time. This nation has battled through all and become the one to make it out time and time again. This is Cuba.

In the very center of Europe lies a nation that defines what it means to survive in this part of the world.  This country defended against the invasions of the Mongols, crusades from the pope and has maintained its place as one of the safest places in the world. Being caught in the crossfire of both world wars and the cold war caused this nation to develop a hardy character that has used all of its grit to survive the 1900s. Today this is one of the most beautiful countries on earth, especially when you consider how much this nation has seen. This is Czechia. 

In the great Scandinavian region of Europe lies a nation that defines all things Nordic and Scandinavian. This nation has one of the strongest connections to vikings and viking history. In this nation there has been economic strife and there has been success and today it uses the Nordic Model to use the great wealth of the nation to give back to its people. This is the home to IKEA, the homebase of ABBA, this is the Welfare State and this is Sweden.

On the famous island of Hispaniola lies two nations, the one we focus on today is the larger and older of the two. This nation has cultural traditions practiced across the world in culinary arts, dance and language. This nation survived and prospered through European colonialism, Earthquakes and many interventions. They lead the world in exporting cigars, rum and other handcrafted goods. This is one that I'm very excited to put out because of the people from this country. This is the Dominican Republic.