21 November 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Parliament of Navarre in Pamplona © Mgoni4
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Navarre, officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a
foral autonomous community and
province in northern
Spain , bordering the
Basque Autonomous Community ,
La Rioja , and
Aragon in Spain and
Nouvelle-Aquitaine in
France . The capital city is
Pamplona . The present-day province makes up the majority of the territory of the medieval
Kingdom of Navarre , a long-standing
Pyrenean kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western
Pyrenees , with its northernmost part,
Lower Navarre , located in the southwest corner of France. Navarre is in the transition zone between
Green Spain and
semi-arid interior areas, and thus its landscapes vary widely across the region. Being in a transition zone also produces a highly variable climate, with summers that are a mix of cooler spells and heat waves, and winters that are mild for the latitude. Navarre is one of the
historic Basque districts : its Basque features are conspicuous in the north, but virtually absent on the southern fringes. The best-known event in Navarre is the annual
festival of San Fermín held in Pamplona in July. Navarre is one of the wealthiest regions in Spain per capita, with a diversified economy primarily focused on the
energy sector ,
healthcare services and
manufacturing .
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24 October 2022 | Author/Destination: European Free Trade Association | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Bay of Lugano © SamuelFerrara/cc-by-sa-4.0
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Ticino, sometimes Tessin, officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the
26 cantons forming the
Swiss Confederation . It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is
Bellinzona . It is also traditionally divided into the
Sopraceneri and the
Sottoceneri , respectively north and south of
Monte Ceneri . Red and blue are the colours of its flag.
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19 September 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 18 minutes
Nuussuaq district in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, with Sermitsiaq mountain in the background © Oliver Schauf
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Greenland is an
island country that is part of the
Kingdom of Denmark . It is located between the
Arctic and
Atlantic oceans, east of the
Canadian Arctic Archipelago . Greenland is the
world’s largest island , it is one of three constituent countries that form the
Kingdom of Denmark , along with
Denmark and the
Faroe Islands ; the citizens of these countries are all
Danish nationals . Greenland is divided into five
municipalities :
Sermersooq ,
Kujalleq ,
Qeqqata ,
Qeqertalik and
Avannaata . The northeast of the island composes the unincorporated
Northeast Greenland National Park .
Thule Air Base is also unincorporated, an enclave within Avannaata municipality administered by the
United States Space Force . Greenland’s capital is
Nuuk . Though a part of the continent of
North America , Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with
Europe (specifically
Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers) for more than a millennium, beginning in 986. The majority of its residents are
Inuit , whose ancestors migrated from
Alaska through
Northern Canada , gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.
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22 August 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks
Reading Time: 11 minutes
Pallastunturi hills in Pallas-Yllästunturin National Park © Petr Vodička/cc-by-sa-4.0
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Lapland is the largest and northernmost
region of Finland . The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the region of
North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders the
Gulf of Bothnia ,
Norrbotten County in
Sweden ,
Troms and Finnmark County in
Norway , and
Murmansk Oblast and the
Republic of Karelia in
Russia . Topography varies from vast
mires and forests of the South to
fells in the North. The Arctic circle crosses Lapland, so polar phenomena such as the
midnight sun and
polar night can be seen in Lapland.
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25 July 2022 | Author/Destination: Around the World / Rund um die Welt | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Victory Square in Minsk © Mikkalai
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Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a
landlocked country in
Eastern Europe . It is bordered by
Russia to the east and northeast,
Ukraine to the south,
Poland to the west, and
Lithuania and
Latvia to the northwest. Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.3 million, Belarus is the
13th-largest and the
20th-most populous country in Europe. The country is administratively divided into
seven regions .
Minsk is the capital and
largest city .
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20 June 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Vilnius © Diliff/cc-by-sa-3.0
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Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the
Baltic region of
Europe . It is one of three
Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the
Baltic Sea . Lithuania shares land borders with
Latvia to the north,
Belarus to the east and south,
Poland to the south, and
Kaliningrad Oblast of
Russia to the southwest. It has a
maritime border with
Sweden to the west on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km² (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is
Vilnius ; other major cities are
Kaunas and
Klaipėda .
Lithuanians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the
Balts and speak
Lithuanian , one of only a few living
Baltic languages .
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23 May 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Historic centre of Riga, an UNESCO World Heritage Site © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-3.0
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Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the
Baltic region of
Northern Europe . It is one of the
Baltic states ; and is bordered by
Estonia to the north,
Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east,
Belarus to the southeast, and shares a
maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a
temperate seasonal climate . Its capital and
largest city is
Riga .
Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the
Balts ; and speak
Latvian , one of the only two surviving
Baltic languages .
Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.
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25 April 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks , UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time: 14 minutes
The Estonian Song Festival is UNESCO’s Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
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Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Vabariik), is a country in
Northern Europe . It is bordered to the north by the
Gulf of Finland across from
Finland , to the west by the
Baltic Sea across from
Sweden , to the south by
Latvia , and to the east by
Lake Peipus and
Russia . The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of
Saaremaa and
Hiiumaa , and over 2,200 other
islands and
islets on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,339 square kilometres (17,505 sq mi). The
capital city Tallinn and
Tartu are the two
largest urban areas of the country. The
Estonian language is the
autochthonous and the
official language of Estonia; it is the
first language of the majority of its
people , as well as the world’s second most spoken
Finnic language .
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21 March 2022 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General , Theme Weeks
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Connemara National Park from Diamond Hill © Karie Kuiper/cc-by-sa-4.0
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County Galway (
Irish : Contae na Gaillimhe) is a
county in
Ireland . It is in the
West of Ireland , taking up the south of the
province of
Connacht . There are several
Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county. The traditional county includes, and is named for, the city of
Galway , but the city and county are separate local government areas, administered by the
local authorities of
Galway City Council in the urban area and
Galway County Council in the rest of the county. The population of the county was 258,058 at the 2016 census.
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