Republic of Singapore
Carlos Estrada A01566138 Singapore was founded as a British colony by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, he discovered Singapore in 1819 and he thought the island would be a magnificent port for UK, this colony didn't last too long, since Singapore became a republic on 9 August 1965, this separation forced Singapore to be self-sufficient but Singapore wasn't prepared for that, the country faced many problems as mass unemployment and lack of natural resources. As a fun fact, the first prime minister in Singapore was Lee Kuan Yew’s and his government lasted almost the same than “El Porfiriato”, lasting around 31 years. The Republic of Singapore is one of the countries with less territory worldwide with 719 km^2, but this doesn’t mean that Singapore is a poor country, since they have a powerful currency, the Singapore dollar (has almost the same value than the Canadian one) and Singapore is ranked as the 40th best economy, also the average salary is pretty good (3685 USD) and the quality of life is one of the best worldwide, 100% of the inhabitants have access to drinking water and electricity, while almost 95% have access to smartphones and TV. Singapore’s government is known to be a parliamentary republic, the maximum powers in government are the president and the prime minister and they have control over the media, even though Singapore’s government is very strict, there haven't been reports related to corruption. Same sex marriage and any kind of homosexual act is prohibited in Singapore and it’s punished with jail, other controversial topics like abortion are accepted up to 6 months after pregnancy. Weather in Singapore is mainly hot and humid, since it’s located near the equator; I think Singapore is a very beautiful country, with mesmerizing landscapes, great life quality and a nice temperature in every season, on the other hand I also believe that their acceptance to new things like LGBT should improve.
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Australia and New Zealand
Carlos Estrada A01566138 Australia and New Zealand are two countries separated by the Tasman Sea, both countries have similarities, but they also have many differences. One of the similarities that these countries have and that they share with Canada and other countries is that their Head of State is Queen Elizabeth ll , she is only a representative for these countries, since each one has a different form of government, in Australia the ruler is the Prime Minister as in New Zealand, the only difference is that in New Zealand people elect their prime minister, while in Australia people vote for a House of Representatives, which elects who will be the prime minister. New Zealand and Australia accept the change of sex of their citizens, same sex marriage and adoption for these families. The economy is one of the most crucial factors in each country, since most of the times it reflects the quality of life of its citizens and it’s a measure in which both countries differ greatly, since Australia is considered as the 13th best economy in the world whereas the economy of New Zealand is in the place 53. Although Australia's economy is considered superior to that of New Zealand, there are not many differences in the quality of life of the inhabitants, in both countries, almost 100% of the people have access to water and electricity and ¾ parts of the population have Internet access and smartphones, even the average monthly wage in New Zealand is $ 600 higher than that of Australia, which is 5600 USD. Australia's main exports include minerals, precious metals and meat, while in New Zealand they mainly export animal products such as butter, milk, cheese and meat. Australia is one of the countries with less population density with 3 inhabitants per square kilometer, mainly because they have a big territorial extension and a great part of the country is uninhabited since there is much desert land, on the other hand New Zealand has a much larger population density, since its territory is small. A fun fact is that although New Zealand has a much higher population density than Australia, Australia has 6 times more inhabitants. The population of both countries is mostly European, the only difference is that the second largest group of people in Australia is Chinese and in New Zealand is Maori, a group native to that country. The ethnic group of the Maori is a group with many traditions, the most important is haka, which is a dance used to intimidate opponents since ancient times and currently used by the rugby team of the country at the beginning of each game. I think both countries are very beautiful, but I would like to visit New Zealand first, I would even like to live there, since the weather is very good, between 12 and 25 degrees all year round, besides the landscapes there are beautiful and tropical, while in Australia the climate is very arid. References: . (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2017, from https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/government-in-new-zealand/ . Presentations viewed in class. United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland
Carlos Estrada A01566138 The Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom are two countries that share some traditions, but also differ in many other aspects, some of them include economics. For instance, UK´s economy is rated as the fifth best economy worldwide, while it´s estimated that Ireland´s is the number 40, this is reflected in the average salary of the population in both countries, in UK there’s an average salary of 34.5k US dollars a year, while in Ireland it is between 18k and 23k USD per year. As another difference, scientific studies indicate that the population of the United Kingdom is 14 times larger than in Ireland, even though UK territory is only 4 times bigger than Irelands, this implies that there are much more people living per km2 in UK than in Ireland. It is common knowledge that most inhabitants in UK live in the cities, since there are some of the most representative and larger cities such as London, which is full of history and has been the scene of multiple films and series throughout history. Having said that, only 17 percent of the population lives in rural areas, meanwhile the population of Ireland lives mostly in rural areas and only one third of the total inhabitants live in the cities. As everyone knows, the main religion in United Kingdom is Christianity, however in Ireland the most practiced religion is Roman Catholic. Among the multiple similarities between Ireland and UK we can find that both countries have similar forms of government, for instance UK´s is democracy, since there’s an elected House of Representatives and the queen is merely symbolic, on the other hand although Ireland doesn’t have a king or queen, democracy is also applied by selecting a prime minister. The last population census carried out in Ireland and UK indicated that in both countries most inhabitants are of white ethnicity, while the other two larger ethnic groups are Asian and black. In addition, life expectancy in both countries is around 80 and 82 years, due to the high quality of medical services in the two countries. The approval of the LGBT agreement has been performed in both countries, although in Ireland marriage is still forbidden. A culinary tradition that both countries share is eating fish on Fridays, this tradition emerged through religion (since eating meat on Friday was a sin) and has been modernized to such a degree that it is now served fried, with a dressing and French fry, there are also original traditions of each country, such tea time in the UK and St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. Both countries have been the birthplace of many renowned artists, but the best known are from the UK, some examples are the Beatles, One Direction, Harold Pinter and even some online media creators such as Ali-A and Zoella. All things considered, I think that both countries are rich in traditions and culture, the climate of both countries seems good to me, the forms of government of both are very similar, but after all, UK is a much more developed country and although I would like to visit both, if I were to choose one to visit, I would choose UK, because I believe it is a country with more history and art than Ireland, I love UK´s climate and the girls’ accent seems lovely to me. . Rural population (% of total population). (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2017, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS . K. (2016, December 09). The role of the Monarchy. Retrieved August 16, 2017, from https://www.royal.uk/role-monarchy . Smartmontgomery.com. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2017, from http://www.smartmontgomery.com/words-expressions-to-help-you-conclude-your-essay/ Republic of the Philippines
Carlos Estrada A01566138 The Republic of Philippines is a group of islands located in Southeast Asia, the islands are divided in three regions, the northern region (Luzon), the central region (Visayas) and the southern region (Mindanao), there are a total of 7100 islands The Philippines received their name when Spain claimed the territory and named it in honor of the King Philip II, until 300 years later Philippines was ceded to USA after a war and a monetary agreement between Spain and USA in 1898. Philippines was granted independence on July 4th, 1946, exactly 170 years after USA was independent. The Philippines has a democratic government with a presidential system, the president is the maximum leader, since he has the position of head of state, head of government and as the commander in chief of the armed forces. There are many controversial topics nowadays like abortion and homosexuality, both topics aren’t that widely accepted in the country, since abortion and same sex marriage are not permitted, although homosexual people are treated with equality. The economy in Philippines is not that great, the country is positioned as the 34th best economy worldwide, one place above South Africa. Philippines mainly export machines and machine parts at a low cost to Asia, this helps Asian countries like China in the production of cheap technology; The main products that Philippines import are petroleum and cars. Wealth distribution is one of the worst worldwide, since 10% of the population owns 70% of the assets, this inequality can be noticed in the inadequate quality of life of the Filipinos considering that only 91% of the population has access to the basic need of proper hydration, only 89% has access to electricity and 3 out of 10 have a smartphone. I would like to visit Philippines because of their diverse landscapes and ethnicities, I think Philippines is a very calm country, since almost 60% of the population lives in rural areas and I love calm scenarios. The Republic of India
Carlos Estrada A01566138 The Republic of India has a very large territory, it is the seventh country with the largest territorial possession and the biggest economy in the world. The Republic of India has a union government, which is divided in three, the executive, legislative and judicial. The maximum leader in India is the president, who is head of state, while the prime minister is head of the government and advisor to the president. In India they are very strict with same sex relationships, they disapprove same sex couples and they cannot legally marry, there are jail penalties for the ones that disobey those rules. India is part of the G20, and its exports and imports are of great importance to its economy, they mainly export refined petroleum and precious metals and stones, while they usually import crude petroleum. Even though India´s economy is very strong, most of the people live in poverty, since there´s a big wealth distribution inequality and 1% of the population owns almost 60% of the wealth. Life quality in India is deficient, since 77 million people can´t drink clean water and almost half of the population doesn´t have access to a toilet, this is a disquieting fact considering that India is the second country with the highest population and its estimated that India will become the most populated country by 2050. The population of India is mainly composed by Hindu and Muslim people and its weather is dry most of the year with some rain falls between July and September. The Republic of India is a country full of traditions and most of them include exotic dances and music, I would love to visit India to explore their extensive territory, try new food and learn more about their interesting culture. South Africa Presentation: Here's a presentation created by some classmates and I. South Africa
Carlos Estrada A01566138 The Republic of South Africa is a country that has been conquered several times in its history and by several countries, among the countries that claimed this territory are Portugal, India, Germany and England, the last remaining with the South African territory. In the antiquity, privileged Africans and Europeans were related by means of the exchange of goods, most of the Africans were considered physical possessions, since they could be bought by other Africans and Europeans and the owners could do what they wanted with them, for example having them working as servants, in the field or even having them as a companion. The Abolition of Slavery Act ended slavery in Cape Town officially in 1834, but it was until 1994 that all South Africans where truly free. Today South Africa is a much more developed country, one of the best in the whole African continent and although they still have multiple problems like government and low quality of life in some areas, their economy is growing rapidly. The form of government in South Africa is very similar to the one we have in Mexico, they have 3 government systems like us, which are executive, legislative and judicial. As a curious fact, South Africa's constitution is internationally acclaimed for its emphasis on human rights. The economy in South Africa is one of the strongest in all of Africa and the 30th best worldwide, South Africa is the only country on the African continent that belongs to G20, a group of 20 countries for international cooperation in financial matters. South Africa obtains many resources through the export of precious metals such as gold and diamond and buys technological resources from countries such as the United States, Germany and China. South Africa is a country full of resources and culture and because it was considered a very rich country, its inhabitants suffered a lot because of the conquest by other countries, now at days the population of South Africa lives in peace, and although their country isn’t completely developed, they are improving each year. |
Hi, I'm Carlos!
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