Children’s / Teenage general interest: Money

On November 4, 2008, Americans went to the polls and elected the first black president in the history of the United States.

Historically, theocracy has been a fairly rare form of government.

In an oligarchy, political power rests with a small privileged group.

Monarchy is a form of government in which a hereditary ruler serves as head of state, typically for life.

How did large, complex states develop from small clans and nomadic tribes?

In the turbulent years after World War I, a new type of governing philosophy took shape in a handful of countries.

Today, the basic ideas underpinning democracy--that government exists for the benefit of the people, and that it must have their consent to be legitimate--may seem obvious.

For several decades during the 20th century, communism was one of the world's dominant forms of government.

Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China has been a one-party state in which the Chinese Communist Party holds a monopoly of political power.

What would China's revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong, think if he were alive today?

In 1976, at the death of its longtime leader Mao Zedong, China was in a state of economic stagnation and social chaos.

Although graced with picturesque beaches, lush rain forests, and abundant diamond mines, the tiny West African nation of Sierra Leone is a land haunted by tragedy.

Located on the westernmost point of Africa, Senegal is a land of stunning coastlines, semi-desert sands, fertile river valleys, grassland plains, and tropical rainforests.

With more than 170 million people, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country.

For centuries the Kingdom of Morocco, located in the northwest corner of Africa, has been a crossroads for trade between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

The early history of Liberia was promising.

The name of the Ivory Coast (also known as Cote d'Ivoire) comes from its history; at one time, Europeans came to the region to hunt elephants for their valuable ivory.

Ghana, located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, was once known as the Gold Coast because of its vast deposits of this precious mineral.

The name Democratic Republic of the Congo is a misnomer: the country has never been truly democratic or a republic.

If Cameroon is "e;Africa in miniature,"e; then understanding this California-sized coastal nation takes one closer to capturing the story of this remarkable continent.

The combination of breathtaking scenic beauty, fabulous wildlife, and peace-loving citizens makes Botswana a favorite of tourists from all over the world.

The modern state of Angola was established in 1975, when it won its freedom from Portugal.

The vast North African country of Algeria became independent in 1962 after a brutal eight-year-long war against France.

Rhodesia, a country in southern Africa, was a fairly prosperous British colony until the mid-1960s; however, the black African majority of Rhodesia was ruled by a handful of white leaders.

Uganda is sometimes called the "e;land of lakes,"e; because almost one-third of its territory is covered by water.

The United Republic of Tanzania was created in the 1960s by the merger of two independent countries: Tanganyika, a territory on mainland East Africa, and the Zanzibar islands in the Indian Ocean.

Even before the East African country of Sudan became independent from British rule in 1956, the people of this region were fighting among themselves.

The beautiful terrain of South Africa is home to some of the most abundant wildlife in Africa.

Even before the country became independent in 1962, Rwanda's two largest ethnic groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, were often at war.

In 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to set foot on the shores of Mozambique.

Libya is the third-largest state in Africa by area.

Many anthropologists believe the human species originated in Kenya's Rift Valley, where hominid skulls more than 2 million years old have been discovered.

Ethiopia, unlike most African countries, remained mostly free from European colonial influence.

The Egyptian civilization along the Nile River was one of the ancient world's earliest and most influential empires.

Like its neighbors Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the tiny African country of Burundi has a long history of internal violence.

Africa, the world's second-largest continent, is home to more than 50 countries.

The story of the women's suffrage movement in the American West is one of expansion, courage, and struggle.

You should be happy being a wife and mother!

The Second World War changed how the United States saw women's roles.

African-American women played a major role in bringing about social change during the civil rights movement.

The Civil War finally ended slavery in the United States in 1865.

A member of the EU since 1973, the United Kingdom is made up mostly of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

A member of the EU since 1995, Sweden is one of the most stable and peaceful countries in the world.

Long ago, Portugal was one of the world's most powerful countries, as it explored and conquered places far from home.

Poland is an Eastern European country that is stepping up on the world stage.

The Netherlands is one of the most progressive countries in the EU.

Italy is a tourist destination for thousands of people every year.

Not long ago, Ireland was a country dealing with poverty and violence.

Greece's economy has struggled a lot in recent years, but it has a long, rich history to draw on to help solve its problems.

Ever since Germany formed in 1871, it has been a major world player.