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Austria is a federal state of nine federal provinces (Bundeslander): Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Vienna. It covers a surface of 83,858 sq km.Vienna(Wien) is the capital of Austria
Austria is situated in southern Central Europe. Part of the country belongs to the Eastern Alps, part to the Danube region. Due to its geographical
situation, Austria has always been a crossroads for the routes between the big economic areas and civilisations of Europe.
Austria's weather is determined by moderate Central European climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean with sufficient precipitation in all parts of the country. Three climatic areas can be distinguished:
In the east, Continental Pannonian climate predominates, the alpine regions are characterized by alpine climate and the rest of the country by temperate Central European climate.
Austria shows a wide variety of landscapes, climates and zones of vegetation. This variety allows the existence of a large number of species in flora and
auna.
Austria is one of the most densely forested countries in Europe with about 47% of its surface being woods.
Main cities are: Baden, Bregenz, Bruck an der Mur, Dornbirn, Eisenstadt, Graz, Innsbruck, ?lagenfurt, Klosterneuburg, Kufstein, Leoben, Lienz, Linz, Reutte, Saalfelden, Salzburg, Sankt Polten, Schladming, Spittal, Vienna, Villach,Wels |
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New Year?s Eve in Austria is also referred to as Sylvester?s Eve. By tradition, Austrians melt a small piece of lead over a lit candle or other flame and quickly pour it into cold water. The lead figure that is produced is seen as a symbol of the coming year. People also exchange lucky charms, such as marzipan pigs, horseshoes, and chocolate coins.
The Epiphany (6 January) shares the same date as a special day called the Perchtenlauf. Fasching is the Austrian equivalent to Mardi Gras, Carnival, or Fastnacht. Fasching, which immediately precedes Lent, offers opportunity for an indulgent celebration before the fasting and solemnity associated with Lent.
Austrians celebrate Easter Sunday and Monday, and usher in springtime with Walpurgisnacht on 30 April, lighting bonfires and enjoying other festive activities, at one time meant to scare off evil spirits and the darkness of the passing winter.
Austrians observe Labor Day on 1 May. Ascension Day commemorates the day Jesus Christ is said to have ascended into Heaven. Whitmonday is observed the day after Whitsunday (the Pentecost, 50 days after Easter). Corpus Christi, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (in May or June), honors the Eucharist. Assumption Day (15 August) marks the day Mary?s body is said to have been ?assumed? into Heaven. Austrians celebrate their National Holiday or Flag Day on 26 October, All Saints? Day on 1 November, and the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. Immaculate Conception Day celebrates the Roman Catholic belief that Mary?s soul was free from original sin. On Christmas Eve (24 December), called Heiliger Abend (?Holy Evening?), a festive meal is eaten and celebrants open gifts from the Christkindl (?Christ child?). Christmas carols are also sung. Christmas Day (25 December) is reserved for family visits.
Most families vacation in July or August, while children are on school vacation.
1st January (New Year's Day)
6th January (Epiphany)
Easter Monday
1st May (Labour Day)
Ascension Day
Whit Monday
Corpus Christi
15th August (Assumption)
26th October (Austrian National Holiday)
1st November (All Saints' Day)
8th December (Immaculate Conception)
25th December (Christmas Day)
26th December (St. Stephen's Day/Boxing Day)
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Official Name: Kingdom of Belgium
Capital: Brussels
System of Government: Constitutional Monarch
Belgium is located in North West Europe. It is bound by the Netherlands to the north, France to the south, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast and the North Sea to the northwest. The country's topography is that of a great fertile low lying plain which constitutes the north and west. South of central Belgium the terrain consists of rolling undulating hills and valleys which rise gradually to the east. Further south and to the east the hills give way to the mountainous Ardennes forests. The principal river in the southern Wallonia region is the Meuse with its tributaries the Semois, Sambre and Ourthe while the Scheldt with its tributaries is the principal river for the northern Flanders region. Major Cities (pop. est.); Brussels 142,000, Antwerp 477,000, Ghent 231,000, Charleroi 210,000, Liege 203,000 (1991). Land Use; forested 21%, pastures 21%, agricultural-cultivated 24%, other 34% (1994).
PeopleOriginally the people of Belgium were of Celtic origin, although most were wiped out during the Christian era. Belgium is now comprised of Celtic, Roman, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Austrian descendants. Today Belgium is divided linguistically with two main groups (1.) the Dutch speakers called Flemings and (2.) the French speakers called Walloons. Other ethnic minorities include immigrants from Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Algeria, Portugal and Zaire. |
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Religions: Mostly Christians with 90% of the population Roman Catholic. The principal religious minority are Sunni Muslims which account for 1.1% of the population. Other minorities include Jews, Protestants and Orthodox Christians which are found in scattered communities.
Languages: The official languages are Flemish (Dutch), French and German. With approximately 56% of the population speaking Dutch while 32% speak French and 1% speak German. Various dialects are spoken by the Flemish and Walloons, although it is less common in public or formal situations and is more common in rural areas and informal situations. |
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BulgariaLocation:
Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the Eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it borders on Romania, to the west on the Republic of Macedonia and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to the east on the Black Sea, to the south on Greece and to the Southeast on Turkey.
State Government: Republic
Official Language: Bulgarian
Capital: Sofia (pop.1,2)
Big Cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna,Burgas, Stara Zagora, Vidin, Iambol, Sliven, Karlovo, Kazanluk, Haskovo, Pleven, Vratza, Veliko Tarnovo, Shumen, Blagoevgrad, Pazardjik, Nesebar? |
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January 1st New Year March 3rd The National day! - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule. Easter - 1 week after the Catholic Easter. May 1st Labor Day May 6th Bulgarian Army Day May 24th Day of the Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script September 6th Bulgaria's Unification September 22nd Independence Day December 24-26th Christmas |
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The Czech Republic is situated in the geographic centre of Europe. Its area is 78.866 square kilometres. It is an inland state in the distance of 326 kilometres from the Baltic and 322 kilmetres from the Adriatic sea. It borders on Germany (810 kilometres), Poland (762 kilometres), Austria (466 kilometres) and Slovakia (265 kilometres). The highest point of it is the top od Snezka in the Giant Mountains (1602 metres), the lowest one is a place close by Hrensko on the Elbe (117 metres). The Czech Republic is divided into three countries - Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Its administrative language is Czech. Many people speak partway English and German. Main cities are:Ceske Budejovice, Usti nad Labem,Brno,Havirov,Hradec Kralove,Karlovy Vary, Karvina, Liberec, Lidice, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice, Plzen, Prague, Telc. |
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New Year?s Day (1 January) is a public holiday and is celebrated with fireworks and parties. Small marzipan pigs, or cards in the shape of pigs, are given out for good luck. Other public holidays include Easter Monday, End of World War II (8 May), the day of Saints Cyril and Methodius (the brothers who introduced Christianity and created the Cyrillic alphabet used before the current Latin one; 5 July), Jan Hus Day (6 July), Founding of the First Republic in 1918 (28 October), and Christmas (25?26 December). On Christmas Eve, a traditional meal of carp is served in honor of the Czechs? Catholic heritage. The carp can be bought live on any street corner in the days before Christmas, and Czechs traditionally keep the carp alive in the bathtub for several days before preparing it to be eaten on Christmas Eve. Vanocka, a fruit bread, is eaten in the days leading to Christmas and during Lent.
January 1 - New Year
Easter Monday
May 1 - The Day of Work
May 8 - The liberation from fascism
July 5 - The advent of Constantine and Method, the apostles of christianity, to Bohemia
July 6 - The Day of Mr. Jan Hus
September 28 - st. Wenceslas
October 28 - The proclamation of the independent Czechoslovak Republic
November 17 - Tha Day of Students
December 24 - Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - Boxing Day
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France Location:
Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
Population:
59,765,983 (July 2002 est.)
Capital:
Paris
Administrative divisions:
22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes
note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
Dependent areas:
Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence:
486 (unified by Clovis)
National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, Treaty of Nice in 2000; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993
Economy - overview:
France is in the midst of a gradual transition, from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers, but still retains large stakes in several leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, and Renault, and remains dominant in some sectors, particularly the power, public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. The government has lowered income taxes and introduced measures to boost employment but has done little to reform an overly expensive pension system, rigid labor market, and restrictive bureaucracy which discourage hiring and make the tax burden one of the highest in Europe. In addition to the tax burden, the reduction of the workweek to 35 hours has drawn criticism for lowering the competitiveness of French businesses. The current economic slowdown has thrown the government's goal of balancing the budget by 2004 off track. |
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1 May, Labour Day
8 May, Fete de la Victoire 1945 (WWII Victory Day)
14 July, Bastille Day
15 August, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1 November, All Saints Day
11 November, Armistice Day |
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Germany The Federal Republic of Germany covers an area or approx. 357,000 km2. The North is bordered by the North and Baltic seas, the South by the Alps, Lake Constance and the Rhine, which also forms a border in the Southwest of Germany.
Important rivers are the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, Weser, Oder, Main and Mosel. Germany is bordered in the West by Poland and the Czech Republic, in the South by Austria and Switzerland, in the West by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands, in the North by Denmark.
Important mountains in the Federal Republic of Germany are the Alps, the Thuringian Forest, the Harz Mountains, Ore Mountains and the Black Forest. The highest point in the Alps is Zugspitze at 2,963m.
Main cities are: Aachen, Annaberg-Buchholz, Ansbach, Arnsberg, Aschaffenburg, Augsburg, Bad Doberan, Bad Ems, Bad Godesberg, Bad Reichenhall, Bad Schandau,Bad Wimpfen, Baden-Baden,Bamberg, Bautzen, Bayreuth, Berchtesgaden, Berlin, Bernkastel-Kues, Bielefeld, Bingen, Bochum, Bonn, ,Bottrop,Bruhl, Brandenburg , Braunschweig, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Celle, Chemnitz, Cologne, Cottbus, Cuxhaven
Duren, Dusseldorf, Dachau, Darmstadt, Dessau, Detmold, Dinkelsbuhl, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Eichstatt, Eisenach, Emden, Erfurt, Erlangen, Essen, Esslingen, Furth, Flensburg, Frankfurt, Freiberg, Freiburg, Freising, Friedrichshafen, Fulda, Gorlitz, Gottingen, Gustrow, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen,Gera, Giessen, Goslar, Gotha, Greifswald, Hagen, Halberstadt, Halle, Hamburg, Hameln, Hamm, Hanau, Hannover, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Herne, Hildesheim, ,Husum, Idar-Oberstein, Ingolstadt, Iserlohn, Jena, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Kiel, Kleve, Koblenz, Konstanz, Krefeld, Lubeck, Luneburg, Lunen, Landsberg, Landshut, Leipzig, Lemgo, Leverkusen,Limburg an der Lahn,Lindau, Ludwigsburg, Ludwigshafen, Monchengladbach, Mulheim an der Ruhr, Munster, Magdeburg, Mainz, Mannheim, Marburg an der Lahn, Meissen, Minden, Munich, Nordlingen, Nurnberg, Naumburg, Neubrandenburg, Nordhausen, Oberhausen, Offenbach, Osnabruck, Paderborn, Passau, Pforzheim, Potsdam, Quedlinburg,Rastatt, Ravensburg, Recklinghausen, Regensburg, Remagen, Remscheid, ,Rostock, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Rottweil, Saarbrucken, Salzgitter, Schleswig, Schwabisch Gmund, Siegen, Solingen, Spandau,Speyer, Stralsund, Stuttgart, Tubingen, Tangermunde, Trier, Ulm, Viersen, Wurzburg, Weimar, Westerland, Wiesbaden, Wilhelmshaven, Wismar, Wittenberg,Wolfenbuttel,Wolfsburg |
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Neujahr - 1 January, or the New Year, is a public holiday in Germany.
During the week before Catholic Lent, Carnival?called Fastnacht or Fasching?is celebrated in some regions, where people have fancy balls, parades, and other celebrations. In the Rhineland region of western Germany, the first of the five days of Carnival is Weiberfastnacht, or ?Women?s Carnival.? The tradition is said to have started in the town of Beuel in the early 19th century, when the laundry women grew tired of watching their husbands celebrating Carnival without them?and, even worse, with the money they earned washing clothes. In protest the women themselves began to celebrate with song and dance. Now this celebration is known for its carefree nature and often bizarre events.
The week before Easter is known in Germany as Karwoche??Still Week? or ?Silent Week??and Holy Thursday is called Green Thursday. This comes from the tradition of giving a green branch to penitents after they have finished their penance. Easter Sunday and Monday are both observed, with worship services on Sunday and family gatherings on Monday.
Walpurgisnacht (?Walpurgis Night?) is celebrated on 30 April. On this date in the 8th century, the remains of Saint Walburga were moved to Eichstatt. After that time, according to legend, oil was found on the rocks at Eichstatt that had the power to cure, so a shrine to Saint Walburga was established. She is revered as the saint who protects against magic. People once believed that on Walpurgisnacht, witches rode across the sky over the Harz Mountains of Germany. In an effort to ward off the witches, people banged pots and pans and lit torches. This day is still celebrated with bonfires and other activities
New Year 1st January.
Good Friday (Karfreitag) 10th April, variable.
Easter Monday 13t of April, variable.
May Bank Holiday 1st May.
Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) 21st May, variable.
Whitsun (Pfingstmontag) 1th June, variable.
Day of the Reunification of Germany 3rd October.
Christmas Day 25th December.
Boxing Day (2. Weihnachtstag) 26th December.
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Italy Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Population:
57,715,625 (July 2002 est.)
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Rome
Administrative divisions:
20 regions (regioni, singular - regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto
Independence:
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution:
1 January 1948
Legal system:
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Rome has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. |
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6 January, Epiphany
25 April, Liberation Day
1 May, May Day
Sunday nearest 2 June, Republic Day
15 August, Assumption of the Virgin Mary
1 November, All Saints Day
Sunday nearest 4 November, WWI Victory
8 December, Immaculate Conception
26 December, St. Stephen?s Day |
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NorwayNorway is located on the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula in North West Europe. It is bound by the Arctic Ocean to the north, Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east, the Norwegian Sea to the west and the Skagerrak Strait to the south. The territory also includes many island groups such as the Lofoten and Vesteralen groups as well as individual islands including Senja, Soroya, Ringvassoy and Hitra. Norway is a mountainous country with the Kjolen Mountains in the north, the Dovrefjell Range in the central area and the Jotunheim group in south central Norway. |
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May, May Day
17 May, National Independence Day
24 December, Christmas Eve (half day from 12 noon)
Many Norwegians do not work from Palm Sunday to Easter. |
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PolandRepublic of Poland
Capital Warsaw
Area 312,684 square kilometers
120,728 square miles
Big Cities
Warsaw
Lodz
Krakow
Wroclaw
Poznan
Szczecin
Bydgoszcz
Katowice
Lublin
Bialystok
Czestochowa
Gdynia
Sosnowiec Wielki
Radom
Nowy Bytom
Gliwice
Kielce
Torun Polnocny
Zabrze
The Poles are descendants of a Slavic people who settled between the Odra and Wisla rivers as early as 2000 BC. The vast majority of the people are of Polish origin. Minorities include Ukrainians, Belarusians, and, in Silesia, Germans.
The country's largest cities are Warsaw, the capital; Lodz; and Krakow.
Government Multiparty republic
Independence 11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)
Constitution
In December 1992, an interim ?small constitution? replaced the Communist-imposed 1952 constitution. A new constitution was ratified by the parliament and approved in a nationwide referendum in 1997; this replaced the interim ?small constitution.? |
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1 May, May Day
3 May, Constitution Day
26 May, Mother's day
15 August, Assumption of the Virgin Mary
1 November, All Saints Day
11 November, Independence Day |
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Spain Capital: Madrid. Area: 504,750 kilometres square. Currency: Peseta. Population: 39.652.742 inhabitants. Language: Spanish or Castilian, Catalonian, Galician, "Euskera" or Basque and Bable.
Type of State: Parliamentary Monarchy. Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy. Borders: To the North, the Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees (which separate it from France); to the East, the Mediterranean Sea; to the West, the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal; and to the South, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, with the Straits of Gibraltar being the shortest distance between Europe and Africa (15 kilometres). Situated between the African continent and Europe, Spain has an area of 504,705 sq. km., making it the second largest state in the European Union after France. Its territory includes most of the Iberian Peninsula, plus a Mediterranean archipelago (the Balearic Islands), another group of islands off the West coast of Africa (the Canary Islands), and two enclaves under Spanish sovereignty on the Northern coast of Africa (Ceuta and Melilla).
Main cities are:
Albacete,Alcantara,Alcaniz,Alcala de Guadaira,Alcorcon, Alcoy, Algeciras, Almagro, Almeria, Arcos de la Frontera, Astorga, Aviles, Bejar, Badajoz, Badalona, Baeza, Baracaldo,Barcelona, Bayona, Bilbao, Burgos, Caceres,Cadiz,Cordoba, Cadaques, Carmona, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Cerdanyola del Valles,Ceuta, Chinchon,Ciudad Real, Ciudad Rodrigo, Comillas,Coria, Cornella, Denia, El Ferrol, El Prat de Llobregat, Elche, Estella, Fuendetodos, Gandia ,Gerona, Getafe, Gijon, Guadix, Guernica, Hospitalet, Huesca, Irun, Jativa, Javea,,Jaen, Jaca, Jerez de los Caballeros, Lerida, La Coruna, La Linea,, La Manga, Langreo,Laredo,Las Palmas, eganes, Llanes, Logrono, Lorca, Lugo, Malaga, Merida, Mostoles, Madrid, Manresa, Marbella, Matalascanas, Mataro, Medina del Campo, Medinaceli, Melilla, Mieres, Mojacar, Mondonedo, Morella, Murcia, Nerja, Onate, Olivenza, Olot, Orense, Osuna, Oviedo, Padron Palencia, Palma, Palos de la Frontera, Pamplona, Ponferrada, Pontevedra, Portugalete, Puente la Reina, Puertollano Reus, Ribadesella, Roncesvalles,Ronda,Roses, Rubi, Sabadell, Salamanca, San Cristobal de La Laguna, San Fernada, San Fernando de Henares,San Sebastian, San Vicente de la Barquera, Sanlucar de Barrameda, SantaCruz de Tenerife, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Seville, Siguenza, Sitges, Tuy, Talavera de la Reina, ,Tarifa Tarragona, Telde, Terrasa, Teruel, Toledo, Tordesillas, Toro, Torrelavega, Tortosa, Tossa, Trujillo, Tudela, Valdepenas, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria, Zafra, Zamora, Zaragoza |
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Hispanidad Day, October 12. The Spanish name is Dia de la Hispanidad.
National Holiday of Spain, October 12. Honors Columbus' discovery of the New World. Occurs on the same day as Columbus Day in the USA.
Constitution Day, December 6.
Labor Day, July 18.
Queen Isabella Day, April 22. Birthday of Isabella (b.1451), the Spanish queen who funded Christopher Columbus's expidition. Also occasionally observed by various states in the United States.
Fiesta del Arbol, March 26. "Tree Festival". Anniversary of the day in 1895 when King Alfonso planted a pine tree near Madrid.
Grenada Day, January 2. Commemorates the recapture of Grenada from the Moors in 1492.
Christmas, December 25. Children receive their presents during street festivals.
Public holidays New Year's Day, Epiphany, Maundy Thursday (except Barcelona), Good Friday, Easter Monday (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca), St Joseph the Workman (May 1), St Isidro's Day (May 15, Madrid only), Corpus Christi, King Juan Carlos' Saint's Day (Jun 24), St James Day (Jul 25), Assumption, National Day (Oct 12), All Saints' Day, Constitution Day, Immaculate Conception (except Barcelona), Christmas, Boxing Day (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca). Local holidays are also observed. |
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United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: England, London ; Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Barnsley, Bath and North East Somerset, Bedfordshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford, Brent, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Camden, Cheshire, Cornwall, Coventry, Croydon, Cumbria, Darlington, Derby, Derbyshire, Devon, Doncaster, Dorset, Dudley, Durham, Ealing, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Enfield, Essex, Gateshead, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Hackney, Halton, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Haringey, Harrow, Hartlepool, Havering, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Isle of Wight, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kent, City of Kingston upon Hull,Kingston upon Thames, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lewisham, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, City of London, Luton, Manchester, Medway, Merton, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newham, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, North Tyneside, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Oldham, Oxfordshire, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Redbridge,Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland, Salford, Shropshire, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Slough, Solihull, Somerset, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire, South Tyneside, Southwark, Staffordshire, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Suffolk, Sunderland, Surrey, Sutton, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Warrington, Warwickshire, West Berkshire, Westminster, West Sussex, Wigan, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wirral, Wokingham, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, York; Northern Ireland; Antrim, County Antrim, Ards, Armagh, County Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, County Down**, Dungannon, Fermanagh, County Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, County Londonderry, Derry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, County Tyrone**; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian;
England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927. |
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2 January, Bank Holiday (Scotland only)
17 March, St. Patrick?s Day (Northern Ireland only)
1st Monday in May, May Day (Bank Holiday)
Last Monday in May, Bank Holiday (except Scotland)
12 July, Battle of the Boyne Day (Northern Ireland only)
1st Monday in August, Bank Holiday (Scotland only)
Last Monday in August, Bank Holiday (except Scotland) |
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Greece Area - 131,957 square kilometers 50,949 square miles
Region - Southern Europe.Situated on the southernmost part of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece is nearly
surrounded by seas. The Aegean lies to the east, the Mediterranean to the south, and the Ionian to the west.
Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Bulgaria and Turkey are its northern
neighbors. The country includes more than 2,000 islands. Traditionally an agricultural nation, Greece produces wine, wheat, wool, cotton, olives, raisins, and tobacco. Industry accounts for about half of export earnings, of which the largest component is manufactured goods. Food and beverages, petroleum products, and minerals are the other main exports. Services account for a major part of the nation?s income, and tourism is an important foreign-exchange earner.
Capital is Athens. Main cities are:
Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraieus, Patrai, Peristeri, Iraklion, Kallithea, Larisa, Nikaia,Volos, Kavala, Serrai,
Khania, Trikala, Khaidharion. |
| Holidays, culture, etc. |
Greece is steeped in traditional customs. Name days are celebrated rather than birthdays, whereas weddings and funerals all have special significance. There are also a succession of festivals and events which mark the calender. National public holidays in Greece are:
January 1 - New Year's Day
The year kicks off with St Basil's feastday and it is customary to exchange
gifts on this day. A coin is hidden in the New Year's cake (vasilopitta), and
the person who finds the slice with the coin will supposedly have a lucky year.
January 6 - Epiphany The feast commemorates Christ's baptism by St John. Religious ceremonies are held to bless the waters (seas, lakes and rivers). Crosses are tossed into the waters which swimmers dive in to fetch.
February - Ash or Clean Monday
The Pre-Lenten carnival season draws to a halt on the first day of Lent.
Meat-eating and masquerading come to an end as people take to the hills with their families for the traditional koulouma picnic consisting of Lenten food such as squid, pickles, lagana unyeasted bread and beans. Kites are
traditionally flown on this day.
March 25 - National Independence DayBishop Germanos hoisted the Greek flag which marked the start of the Greek War of Independence on March 25, 1821. Independence Day coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation which makes it a double feast.
March/April - Good Friday/Easter Saturday/Easter Sunday/Easter Monday
Easter is the most important festival of the Greek Orthodox religion.
Parishioners take part in an Epitaph (shrouded bier) procession which they
follow around the streets with lighted candles. The Resurrection mass takes place on Saturday evening. At midnight, the lights are turned off, as the Holy Flame from Jerusalem is passed around parishioners who use it to light their lambades (Easter candles) as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection.
May 1 - Spring Festival/Labour Day
Flowers are gathered and made into wreaths to decorate houses.
June - Ascension Day
The Ascension of Christ is celebrated 40 days after Easter.
August 15 - Feast of the Assumption
There are celebrations throughout the country. The island of Tinos is a place of pilgrimage for thousands who come to see the miracle-working icon of Panagia Evangelistria.
October 28 - Ohi (No) DayDictator Ioannis Metaxas refusal to allow Mussolini's troups to occupy Greece during WWII is commemorated with military parades and feasts throughout the country. |
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