MAP

ASSIGNMENT
A presentation on Australia, Belgium, Colombia,
Iran & Sudan By Naomi Nitee Sarker
AUSTRALIA: The Land Down Under
Overview:

• Formally known as the common-wealth of Australia.

• World’s 6th largest country
• 26 million people currently call Australia home.
• Australia is an island state consisting of continental mainland,
Tasmania and other small islands
• Australia is composed of six states and ten territories
• Previously named new-holand by Dutch explorers in early 17 th
century
• Australian aborigines inhabited this land for 65,000 years,
however their population is dwindling at present.
Geography, Environment and Climate:

• Is considered as worlds largest Island.

• Has an Area of 7,617,930 square kilometers
(2,941,300 sq mi)
• Identified as a megadiverse country, with deserts in
the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east,
and mountain ranges in the south-east.
• The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef
can be found a short distance off the north-east
coast and extends for over 2,000 km (1,200 mi)
• Uluru (Ayers Rock) is world’s largest monolith and
sacred to the aborigines.
History & Culture:

• Evidence of Human Inhabitation dates back to 65,000

Years ago
• Human remains found in Lake Mungo dates back 41,000
years ago
• Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon is attributed as the first
European to make landfall on 26th February 1606
• Captain James Cook in 1770 sailed and mapped the
eastern cost, later claiming as the territory of Great
Britain
• The first colony was established in 1788 under the
command of Captain Arthur Phillip
• Was extensively used by great Britain to facilitate convicts
• Infectious diseases and conflict severely diminished
indigenous population
Politics & Economics:
• Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
• The country has maintained a stable liberal democratic
political system since 1901
• Australia is the world's sixth oldest continuous democracy
• Australia is the world's twelfth-largest economy.
• Identified as eighth-highest in Human Development Index,
and the ninth-highest in democracy
• Australia is a member of the United Nations, the G20, the
Commonwealth of Nations, the ANZUS, the OECD, the WTO,
the APEC, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community
and the ASEAN
• Australia was identified by the Credit Suisse Research
Institute as the nation with the highest median wealth in the
world and the second-highest average wealth per adult in
2013.
• Australia has the tenth highest per capita GDP (nominal) at
US$55,692.
• Current unemployment rate is 5.2% with relative poverty rate
being 13.6%
BELGIUM: The Venice of the North
Overview:

• Officially known as the Kingdom of Belgium

• Located in Western Europe
• Has an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi)
• 11.5 Million people call Belgium Home
• One of the six founding members of European
Union
• Earned it’s independence from Netherlands
through the Belgian Revolution in 1830
• Dutch speaking Flemish community make up
60% of the population
• The French speaking community make up the
rest
Geography, Environment and Climate:

• Has an Area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi)

• Belgium is bordered by France (620 km),
Germany (167 km), Luxembourg (148 km)
and the Netherlands (450 km)
• Has three main geographical regions: Anglo-
Belgian Basin, the Ardennes uplands and
Hercynian orogenic belt
• The climate is maritime temperate with
significant precipitation and average
temperature of 10–15 °C in all seasons.
History & Culture:

• Frankish Merovingian kings ruled Belgium in the 5th

century
• During the 8th century Belgium was a part of Carolingian
Dynasty
• The Duke of Burgundy in France took control of Belgium
in the 15th century
• During the French revolution of 1794 Belgium like the
other low countries were annexed by The First French
Republic
• After the Abdication of Napoleon, these low countries
formed the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1814
• The Belgian Revolution led to the separation of the
Southern Provinces from the Netherlands forming
independent Belgium in 1830
Politics & Economics:

• Belgium is a constitutional, popular monarchy and a federal parliamentary democracy

• The federal parliament is bicameral and constitutes of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives
• The King is the head of state with limited authority
• King Philippe is the current King
• Belgium hosts the official seats of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union,
and the European Council, as well as one of two seats of the European Parliament
• Belgium is also a founding member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD, and WTO
• World's 15th largest trading nation
• First continental European country to undergo the Industrial Revolution
• Services account for 74.9% of GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP
• The per capita income (PPP) is $37,500 one of the highest globally
COLOMBIA: The Gateway to Latin America
Overview:

• Officially Known as Republic of Colombia

• The country is located in South America
• 25th largest nation of the world
• Consists of an area of 1,141,748 square kilometres (440,831 sq mi)
• 50 million people call Colombia home
• Over 70 languages are spoken with Spanish being the official
Language
• The country is subdivided in 32 departments.
• One of worlds 17 mega diverse countries
• Has the second highest levels of Biodiversity
• Indigenous People inhabited Colombia for at least 16,000 years
Geography, Environment and Climate:

• It is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, the northwest

by Panama, the south by Ecuador and Peru, the east by
Venezuela, the southeast by Brazil, and the west by the Pacific
Ocean
• Geographically can be divided in six natural regions
• Colombia has a diverse range of climate zones, including
tropical rainforests, savannas, steppes, deserts and mountain
climates.
• Forest area accounts for 12.77% of the Colombian territory and
covers an area of about 14,268,224 hectares (142,682.24 km2)
• One of the megadiverse countries in biodiversity.
• Ranks first among Avian Biodiversity
• Colombia has the highest rate of species by area as well as the
largest number of endemic species
• 10% of the existing species of the Earth can be found Colombia
History & Culture:

• Was a corridor of early human civilization from

Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to the Andes and
Amazon basin
• Indigenous people inhabited Colombia since 12,500 BCE
• Alonso de Ojeda was the first to find Colombia landing in
La Guajira in 1499
• Spain colonized parts of the region by 16th century
• Colombia was finally decolonized and gained
independence from Spanish empire in 1810
• Independence was achieved on 20th July 1810 through a
series of rebellion and liberation movement led by Simón
Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander
• Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to
the early culture of Spain of the 16th century
 Politics & Economics:
• Colombia is a presidential participatory democratic republic.
• The president of Colombia serves as both head of state and head of government.
• The legislative branch of government is known as the Congress and is bicameral in
nature
• The Congress consists of a 166-seat Chamber of Representatives and a 102-seat
Senate.
• Colombia is a member of the United Nations, the WTO, the OECD, the OAS, the
Pacific Alliance, the Andean Community, and a NATO Global Partner
• Colombia is 28th largest Economy and 3rd largest in Latin America
• Colombian economy was mostly an Agrarian Economy, However rapid
Industrialization and Urbanization has led to a change.
• Only 15.8% of the workforce are presently employed in agriculture, whilst 19.6%
of the workforce are employed in industry and 64.6% in services
• Agriculture generates just 6.6% of GDP, with industries and services providing
33.4% and 59.9% respectively
• Colombia's GDP (PPP) was US$500 billion in 2007
IRAN: The fallen Persian Empire
Overview:

• Officially known as Islamic Republic of Iran.

• Also known as Persia.
• Is located in western Asia and covers an area of
1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi).
• 83 million people call Iran home.
• Iran is divided in 5 regions and thirty one provinces.
• Identified as Second largest country in middle east
• Tehran is the Capital and largest city
• Is one of the ancient civilizations and evidence of human
inhabitation between one million years ago to 200,000
years ago in archeological sites.
Geography, Environment and Climate:

• Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and

Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the
northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan,
to the southeast by Pakistan, to the south by the Persian
Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey
and Iraq.
• Iran consists of the Iranian Plateau and is one of the
most mountainous country
• The only flat land are found along the coast of the
Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf
• Iran located in seismically active area. On average every
10 years one 7 Richter earthquake occurs in Iran
• Iran have a diverse climate with 11 climates out of the
world's 13 observed
History & Culture:

• Archeological evidence discovered at Kashafrud and Ganj Par in

northern Iran, confirm a human presence in Iran atleast 300000 years
ago
• The Elamite kingdoms were formed in the fourth millennium BC
• Iranian Medes unified the region in 7 th century BC
• Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire ,one of the largest
empire in human history in 6th century BC
• Alexandar the Great conquered Achaemenid Empire in 4 th century BC
• Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in the third century
BC,
• Sasanian Empire succeeded in the third century AD and ruled till 7 th
century and were then conquered by Arab Muslims
• The constitutional revolution resulted in The first Iranian constitution
and the first national parliament of Iran to be founded in 1906
• In 1979 through the Islamic Revolution Iran was Declared an Islamic
Republic
 Politics & Economics:

• The political system of the Islamic Republic is

based on the 1979 Constitution which is a
"hybrid" of "theocratic and democratic
elements
• The Leader of the Revolution ("Supreme
Leader") is responsible for delineation and
supervision of the policies of the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
• The Iranian president has limited power
• Iran has a GDP of $427.7 billion ($1.631
trillion at PPP), or $20,000 at PPP per capita
SUDAN: Land of the Nubian Pyramids
Overview:

• Officially known as The Republic of Sudan

• Located in North-East Africa.
• Sudan Occupies 1,886,068 square
kilometres (728,215 square miles)
• Third largest country in Africa
• The capital is Khartoum
• Arabic and English are the two official
languages amongst 145 languages spoken
Geography, Environment and Climate:

• It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest,

Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the
southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the
southeast, Eritrea to the east, and the Red Sea to the northeast.
• Deriba Caldera (3,042 m or 9,980 ft), located in the Marrah
Mountains, is the highest point in Sudan.
• The Blue Nile and White Nile rivers unify in Khartoum to form
the Nile river.
• Mostly desert Areas Nubian Desert to the northeast and the
Bayuda Desert to the east cover the majority of Sudan , with
tropical savannahs in the southern region
• The central and the northern part have extremely dry desert
climate while southern regions have increased rainfalls
• The Rains last about four months (June to September) in the
north, and up to six months (May to October) in the south.
 History & Culture:
• Sudan's history dates back to 3100 BC during the Pharaonic period
• Sudan was ruled by the Kingdom of Kerma (c. 2500–1500 BC)
• Egyptian New Kingdom (c. 1500 BC–1070 BC) also controlled parts of
Sudan.
• Sudan also saw the rise Kingdom of Kush (c. 785 BC–350 AD) which
later ruled Egypt
• The Nubians of Sudan also formed e three Christian kingdoms of
Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia
• Nomadic Arabs started settling in Sudan during 14th and 15th century
• Muhammad Ali under his dynasty conquered Sudan in 19th century
• Caliphate of Omdurman was established by self-proclaimed Mahdi
Muhammad Ahmad during Mahdist Revolt
• The Mahdist forces were eventually defeated by a joint Egyptian-
British military force and Egypt and Britain shared Sudan’s sovereignty
in 1899
• On 1st January 1956, Sudan was duly declared an independent state as
both Egypt and Britain terminated their shared sovereignty of Sudan.
 Politics & Economics:

• Sudan was a federal representative democratic republic until April 2019

• Transitional Military Council was established by Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf to run the
country
• The bicameral parliament was dissolved and constitution suspended
• The Transitional Military Council was officially replaced as head of state by an
11-member Sovereignty Council, and as head of government by a civilian Prime
Minister
• Sudan was considered the 17th-fastest-growing economy however things
drastically went south
• Sudan's GDP fell from US$123.053 billion in 2017 to US$40.852 billion in 2018
• As of 2014, 45% of the population lives on less than US$3.20 per day
• Agriculture is Sudan's most pivotal sector, employing 80 percent of the
workforce and contributing 39 percent of GDP.
• Oil was Sudan's main export but production capacity decreased significantly
with the independence of South Sudan
Thank You!