PORTUGAL

Country Name: Portuguese Republic

Year Founded: October 5, 1910

Population: 10, 707, 924

Primary Language: Portuguese

Ethnic make-up: Homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent; East Eurpeans.

Political System: Republic; parlamentary democracy.

Year Entered the EU: 1986

Representation of the EU (include party):

Type of Economy: based on services and industry, such as software and automotive.

Currency: euro

Current Exchange rate for American Currency: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)

GDP: 245 billions in PPP; 255.5 billions official exchange rate; .9% real growth rate;

Percentage of trade within the EU: EXPORTS: Spain 27.1%, Germany 12.9%, France 12.3%, UK 5.9%, US 4.8%, Angola 4.5%, Italy 4% (2007) IMPORTS: Spain 29.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 8.4%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Unemployment rate: 7.6 %

Chief Exports: agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision

Key Imports: agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products

Major Religions: Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9%

Surrounding Countries: the West of Spain.

Literacy Rate: Year 15 and over can read and write: 93.3 % of population.

One Interesting Fact: seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

FINLAND

Country's Name: Republic of Finland (Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland)
Year Founded: They declared their independance from Russia on December 6, 1917.
Population: by 2009, they estimate to inhabit 5,250,275 people (by July).
Primary Language: They speak (officially) Finnish and Swedish, but they have regional languages such as Sami and other Russian speaking minorities.
Ethnic Make-up: The ethnic groups that inhabit most of Finland are Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)
Political System: The Constiturion of Finland defines the political system. Finland is a representative democracy with a semi-presidential parlamentary system.
Year Entered the European Union: This country entered in the EU on January 1st, 1995.
Representative of the European Union (include party):
Type of Economy: has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries.
Currency: They use the EURO as their currency
Current Exchange rate for American Currency: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6799 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
GDP: by 2008 was $201.2 billion in purchasing power parity; $282.2 billion in official exchange rate; and the real growth rate was of 1.5%
Percentage of Trade within the European Union: EXPORTS: Germany 10.9%, Sweden 10.7%, Russia 10.3%, US 6.4%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 5.6% (2007). IMPORTS: Germany 15.8%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.8%, China 5.5%, UK 4.9% (2007).
Unemployment Rate: 6.4% estimated by 2008
Chief Exports: electrical and optical equipment, machinery, transport equipment, paper and pulp, chemicals, basic metals; timber
Key Imports: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains
Major Religions: Most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland; a minority belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church; other protestant denominations and Roman Catholic Church are smaller as are the Muslim, Jewish and other non-Christian comminities.
Surrounding Countries: It is surrounded by Norway 727km, Sweden 614 km, and Russia 1,313 km.
Literacy Rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 100%; male: 100%; female: 100% (2000 est.).
One Interesting Fact: The World Economic Forum rank this country #1 in the world. Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan(37%).

the netherlands

Country Name The netherlands

Year Founded 1579

Population 16,715,999 (July 2009 est.)

Primary Language Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Ethnic Make-up
Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)

Political System constitutional monarchy

Year Entered the European Union 1999

Type of Economy free market capitalist

Currency euro

Current Exchange rate for American Currency 1 Euro = 1.3517 U.S. dollars

GDP $909.5 billion (2008 est.)

Percentage of Trade within the European Union Germany 24.4%, Belgium 13.6%, UK 9.1%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.1%, US 4.3% (2007)

Unemployment Rate 2.9%

Chief Exports machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Key Imports machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Major Religions Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)

Surrounding Countries Germany Belgium

Literacy Rate 99%

One Interesting Fact dutch people are the tallest with an average height of 184cm for men and 170cm for women

Bulgaria

• Country Name: Republic of Bulgaria
• Year Founded: In the late 7th century
• Population: 7,204,687 persons
• Primary Language: Bulgarian 84.5%
• Ethnic Make-up: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian)
• Political System: Parliamentary democracy
• Year Entered the European Union: Entered the EU on 1 January 2007
• Representative of the European Union (include party): Meglena Kuneva; political partyà Nacionalno dviženie za stabilnost i vǎzhod (ELDR)
• Type of Economy: is free market economy
• Currency: is the Lev - or in the plural form, Leva
• Current Exchange rate for American Currency: leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.3171
• GDP: Total: $93.8 billion; Per capita: $12,370
• Percentage of Trade within the European Union: European nations accounted for over 51 percent of Bulgaria's foreign trade exchange over the first three months of 2003, a research of the National Statistical Institute shows. Italy, Germany and Greece remain Bulgaria's top trade partners within the EU. These countries make for 63 percent of Bulgaria's exports to the union and over 64 percent of the imports.
• Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
• Chief Exports: clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
• Key Imports: machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
• Major Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4%
• Surrounding Countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
• Literacy Rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 98.2%; male: 98.7%; female: 97.7%
• One Interesting Fact: Bulgaria ranks 3rd in Europe (after Greece and Italy) for its number of archaeological treasures

Sweden

Sweden

v Is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.

v Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden

conventional short form: Sweden

local long form: Konungariket Sverige

local short form: Sverige

v Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway.

v Area:

- Total 449,964 km2 (55th)

173,732 sq mi

- Water (%) 8.7

Population

- 2008 census 9,234,2094

- Density 20/km2 (194th) 52/sq mi

v Capital (and largest city) is Stockholm.

v At 450,000 km² (174,000 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area, and it has a total population of over 9.2 million. Sweden has a low population density of 20 people per km² (52 per square mile), but is much higher in the southern half of the country. Sweden's capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country (population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area).

v Languages:

Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

v The primary language of Sweden is Swedish, a North Germanic language, related and very similar to Danish and Norwegian, but differing in pronunciation and orthography.

v Before the 11th century, Swedes adhered to Norse paganism, worshiping Æsir gods, with its centre at the Temple in Uppsala. With Christianization in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late 19th century.

v The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin.

v Ethnic groups: 83.3% Swedish, Sami. Other 16.7%

v Ethnic groups:

v indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

v Religions:

Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%

v Demonym: Swedish or Swedes

v Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy

- Monarch King Carl XVI Gustaf

- Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

- Speaker of the Riksdag Per Westerberg

v EU accession 1 January 1995

v Economy

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and 2% of employment. Until 2008, Sweden was in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Despite strong finances and underlying fundamentals, the Swedish economy slid into recession in the third quarter of 2008 and growth continued downward in the fourth as deteriorating global conditions reduced export demand and consumption. On 3 February 2009, the Swedish Government announced a $6 billon rescue package for the banking sector.

v GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate

- Total $335.405 billion[4] (30th)

- Per capita $37,525 (IMF) (16th)

GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate

- Total $454.839 billion (18th)

- Per capita $55,623 (IMF) (8th)

defying genocide

As events unfolded, what were Damas Gisimba's concerns?
his concerns were based on the welfare of the people in the orphanage, mostly to find water for all of the children when they were in a hot dry place. He then worried about the militias that were coming to the orphanage. These were more than likely to kill all of the children, but didn’t.
1) What role did the international community play during the genocide?
i believe that if they took part it was minimal or nothing at all
2) Does the international community have the responsibility of assisting countries threatened by genocide?
i opine that someone should be in charge of it and who better than a powerful aliance between countries.
3) How can students get involved and make their voices heard against genocide?
any student can get involved with this by making the situation known or spreading knowledge and when many people follow this student it becomes more known and on and on.
Have you ever witnessed an incident by which a bystander took the responsibility of offering assistance to someone in need of help? What happened?
no
When someone needs help, do bystanders have the responsibility to offer assistance? What do bystanders risk when they intervene and when they do not get involved?
i think that helping is the right thing but one cant really help without knowing facts about who or what their defending

Defying genocide

3. As events unfolded, what were Damas Gisimba's concerns?
Well, his concerns were based on the welfare of the people in the orphanage, the food and mostly to find water for all of the children when they were in such a hot place. Then came the militias that threatened to kill all of the people at the orphanage.