GEOGRAPHYMany Ways to Interpret One World

MAPS The most common “flat” maps are Mercator

projections.

POPULATION

WEALTH

RESOURCES

NORTH AMERICA

1. CANADA America’s #1 trade partner Member of NATO Member of the Group of Eight (G8) Member of NAFTA (North America Free Trade

Agreement)

2. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA World’s largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Member of NATO Member of the UN Security Council Member of the G8 Member of NAFTA President of World Bank is from US World’s only remaining superpower post Cold

War One of eight confirmed nuclear powers--

second largest nuclear arsenal

3. MEXICO America’s #3 trade partner Member of NAFTA #1 source of immigrants to the US

4. HONDURAS Currently in constitutional crisis Considered a biodiversity hotspot Tagged as a “Heavily Indebted Poor Country”

by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund

5.NICARAGUA Occupied by US Marines from 1912-1933 US under Regan financed the funding and

training of the Contras- a counterrevolutionary force that engaged in civil war against the Sandinistas, a Marxist rebel group

Second lowest GDP in the Western Hemisphere

Considered to be one of the countries most impacted by climate change

6.PANAMA Largest economy in central America Home of the Panama Canal US invaded Panama in 1989 to depose leader

Manuel Noriega who was accused of corruption and drug smuggling

7. GUATEMALA Considered a biodiversity hotspot Controlled by the United Fruit company until

the 1920’s The US CIA orchestrated a coup d'état in

1954 that deposed the freely elected leader of Guatemala

SOUTH AMERICA

1. COLOMBIA A major center of drug trafficking The government is continuing to fight against

paramilitary insurgency groups with military suppression of these groups

2. BRAZIL Largest country in South America Emerging economic power Current Non-permanent member of the

Security Council

3. PERU Frequent border conflicts with neighbors Government accused of various human rights

violations after 2000 elections Maoist revolutionaries from the Shining Path

group conducted an insurgency in the 1980’s, terrorist activities slowly increasing again

4. CHILE One of the most stable, developed nations in

South America Member of the G20 Recognized in December 2009 by the

Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OEDC) as a fully developed nation

5. ARGENTINA Growing economy Member of the G20 Relatively stable government after economic

and political unrest in the mid twentieth century

EUROPE

1. ENGLAND (GREAT BRITAIN) Member of NATO Member of the UN Security Council One of the eight confirmed nuclear powers Member of the G8,G20 Member of the European Union, but does not

use the Euro (common currency of the EU)

2. FRANCE Member of NATO Member of the UN Security Council Member of the G8,G20 One of the eight confirmed nuclear powers-

world’s 3rd largest nuclear arsenal Member of the EU Often takes antagonistic political and

economic stands vis-a-vis other NATO countries

3. SPAIN Member of NATO Member of EU 9th largest economy Became democratic in the 1970’s Bouts of terrorist activity from Basque

Seperatists, Islamist Al-Quaida sympathizers

4. ITALY Member of NATO Member of the EU Member of the G20

5 .GERMANY Member of NATO Member of G8,G20 Member of EU Split into two halves post WWI, reunified after

fall of communism in 1989

6. FINLAND Member of the EU Was a neutral country in the Cold War One of the “oldest” countries

demographically- average age of citizens is 41.6 years old

7. SWEDEN Member of the EU Ranked as “most democratic” nation on

Earth

8. NORWAY Member of NATO One of the most stable economies Major contributor to global peace efforts

9. POLAND Member of the EU Member of NATO Turbulent history of occupation and conquest

10. DENMARK Member of NATO Highest level of income equality 2nd most peaceful state

11. THE NETHERLANDS Member of NATO Member of the EU The city The Hague is home to the

International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration among others- nicknamed “The World’s legal Capital”

12. GREECE Member of the EU, Eurozone Recent economic crisis revealed irregularities

in the reporting of their national debt