38 definitions by Ben E. Hama

samoa is a pacific island nation. formerly a british and then german colony, new zealand took control after WWI. the samoans, traditionally a reseliant people, despised new zealand control, and in the style of gandhi, used non-violence to eventually win independence. to americans, samoa is known for producing a number of football offensive and defensive lineman.

tiny country that is basically just an independent city surrounded by italy. its people are ethnic italians, but when italy was unified in the 1870s, san marino refused to join. it's actually been an independent nation since 301 AD. nowadays, they are famous for producing special coins and postage stamps marketed directly at tourists.

são tome and principe is an island nation off the coast of africa. modern slavery unfortunately began on these islands, as portuguese merchants in the 1400s brought thousands of african mainlanders to these once uninhabited islands. the result was a successful sugar colony and later equally profitable coffee and cocoa plantations. the island received independence in the 1970s and since the late 1980s have had a stable and real democracy, with only one failed coup attempt.

a country that is not named burma, regardless of what some nations say. myanmar was originally burma, a once proud kingdom that fell to the british and was a colony til the wwii era. it experimented with democracy, but american actions in vietnam drove this country toward communism in the 1970s, which evolved in the 1990s into a corporatist military junta. myanmar is a very efficient military state that has fended off countless coups. however, it is one of the world's 2 'secret societies,' along with north korea. foreigners are rarely admitted and no one really knows the power structure of the gov't.

commonly known as PNG, papua new guinea is an island nation in oceania, consisting of part of the huge island of new guinea, which it shares with indonesia. once a portuguese, and later german and then australian territory, it became independent in the 1970s. it is currently the most rural country in the world, with most people outside of the capital of port mosebly either working as subsistant farmers or living in traditional tribes.

africa's only wealthy country, it's made up of a number of tiny islands spread out over the indian ocean. the portuguese, british, and french all came here to trade (and conquer). in the 1970s, it became independent and drew up a constitution guaranteeing a one party state. 15 years later, a coup changed that. now this nation is doing ok because of tourism and fishing. and it's a good tax haven too. the swiss love to put their money here.

a nation in northern africa along the medditeranian. most of its people live along the coast, as the interior is as a barren desert. inhabited by people of berber decent, it had a history of piracy (the barbary coast). in the 1800s, the french colonized this place and a very very bloody war for independence occured in the 1950s. the democratic government has had problems since then, including assassinations, coups, single party rule, and terrorism. while the nation currently elects its leaders in what are considered free elections, its an open secret that politicians are subsurviant to miliatry leaders.