.... the republic of the Gran in 1822 and other nations followed suit. The Gran existed only briefly, Venezuela seceded in 1829 and Ecuador followed in 1830. The remaining province, consisted most of modern day and Panama was named the Republic of Nueva Granada in 1831 and Santander was elected the first President. Two political parties dominated the region: the Conservatives believed in a strong central government and a powerful church; the Liberals believed in a decentralized government, strong regional power, and a less influential role for the church. Nine different governments followed, each rewriting the constitutio .....

.... often depicted as fun-loving, happy-go-lucky folk (which they often are), they are also very strong-minded and have struggled for centuries to preserve their spirit of independence. Thailand's two coastlines and countless islands attract schools of water babies. Diving and snorkeling are-particularly popular in Phuket. The islands of Chumphon Province, just north of Surat Thani are less developed and the reefs here are practically undisturbed. Touring the islands and coastal limestone formations around Phuket and Ao Phang-Nga by inflatable canoe are always an ever-increasingly popular activity. The typical sea-canoe tour .....

.... raise cattle for meat and dairy products. On the coastal waters, fishing is rich. Ecuador is the leader in the tuna fishing. Ecuador also fishes herring, mackerel, and shrimp. Transportation The lack of all-weather roads held back economic development in Ecuador for many years. In the 1960's new roads have helped people to get from one place to another. The Pan American Highway runs through Ecuador from north to south. Communication The largest newspaper, El Universo, is published in Guayaquil. The daily sale of this newspaper is 84,000 copies. Ecuador has 300 radio stations and 10 television stations, which are privat .....

.... dynesties. Chinas had three dynasties. The first of which was the Xia (2,000 b.c. to 1,500 b.c.) except for ancient legions one really doesn't know much about the Xia rulers. In 1,500 b.c. the Xia rulers were overthrown and the Shang dynasty came into focus and into place. During the Shang dynasty, Chinese artists were busy making beautiful art figures, religious stuff, and were making weapons out of bronze. Even though the Shang dynasty lasted for several hundred years most of the rulers were extremely viscious and had fun playing games of torture The nobles lived very rich lives and were treated very good .....

.... held the fine-grained soil in place in spite of the long recurrent droughts and occasional torrential rains characteristic of the area. A large number of homesteaders settled in the region in the 30 years before World War I, planting wheat and row crops and raising cattle. Both of these land uses left the soil exposed to the danger of erosion by the winds that constantly sweep over the gently rolling land. Beginning in the early 1930s, the region suffered a period of severe droughts, and the soil began to blow away. The organic matter, clay, and silt in the soil were carried great distances by the winds, in some cases darkening .....

.... structure, a tomb copied in stonework from earlier brickwork piles (Peck). In its most common form, a pyramid is a massive stone or brick structure with a square base and four sloping triangular sides that meet in a point at the top (Pyramids 810). However, the pyramids are anything but simple. Pyramids have been built by different people at various times in history. Hundreds of thousands of men were used to construct these massive monuments and they took many years. The pyramids were tombs for the pharaohs (Gardner 140). The pharaohs in Egypt wanted their people to know how powerful they were. Therefore, they ordered peop .....

.... business, plus competition from the Americans, Canadians, and the British also made it hard to earn a profit. In addition, animals with fur were becoming more and more scarce, due to over-hunting. In 1824 and 1825, two separate treaties were signed by Russia, one dealing with Britain and the another dealing with America. In these treaties Russia recognized latitude 54 degrees 40' as the southern boundary of Russian territory in America. Russia also gave Britain and the United States of America trading rights along Alaska's Pacific coast. By the 1850s, the Russian-American Company was no longer interested in trade, mainly due t .....

.... listed in the previous paragraph are modified in the eastern parts of Tropical Africa by the mountains and monsoons. The soils of Tropical Africa pose another problem. They are unlike the soils of temperate areas. Soils are largely products of their climates, and tropical soils are different from temperate soils because the climate is different. Because of the great heat of the tropics tends to bake the soils, while on the other hand, the rainfall leaches them. The combined heat and moisture tend to produce very deep soils because the surface rock is rapidly broken down by chemical weathering. All this causes the food's rate .....

.... Mediterranean Sea to the Lebanon-Syria border is 50 miles. In the south, along the border with Israel, Lebanon's eastern border is only 20 miles from the sea. Although a tiny land, Lebanon boasts a great diversity in its landscape which makes it one of the most picturesque countries in the world. The coast line is br oken by many bays and inlets of varying size. At some points, the mountains wade silently right into the sea - then climb suddenly tier on tier away from the Mediterranean to the sky. Because of the limitation of flat agricultural land, all but the steepest hillsides have been patiently and neatly terraced and p .....

.... Sower', a statue symbolizing Nebraska's farms, stands atop the tower. Museums include the State Museum of History, the University of Nebraska's Christlieb Western Art Collection, and the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, designed by architect Philip Johnson. Pioneers Park includes a nature center. The Nebraska State Fair takes place in Lincoln each summer. Other cultural groups include a symphony orchestra, the Lincoln Community Playhouse, and the National Art Association. Lincoln got its first rail connection in 1870 and by the late 1800s had 19 different rail routes. Railroads gave Lincoln its most important industry-- railroad-ca .....