nPostednon December 18, 2013
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nTodaynis Republic Day in Niger and the Official National Day in Qatar.
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nBothnof these nations are largely desert and mostly Islamic, but otherwisenthey’re pretty different. One of these nations is in the Middle East,nand people speak Arabic. The other is in Western Africa, and peoplenspeak French and a variety of African languages. One nation is verynpoor. The other is the richest nation in the world—with the highestnGDP per capita, one of the lowest tax rates, and almost 15% of thenpopulation being millionaires (in the worth of local money expressed
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nas U.S. dollars)! One has one of the world’s largest uraniumndeposits, and the other has oil and one of the largest natural gasnreserves in the world. One is an absolute monarchy, and the other isna democratic, multi-party nation.
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nDonyou know which is which?
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Nigernis the West African nation, named for the Niger River that alsoninspired the name of one of its neighbors, Nigeria. It is landlockednand mostly covered by the Sahara Desert. It has a lot of uranium, butnthe world market for uranium has fallen as people have turned awaynfrom nuclear power plants. Landlocked, arid, falling market for itsnproduct—these are some of the reasons that Niger is so poor. Nigernwas colonized by the French; after independence the nation was rulednby a few different military governments, but it has now taken stepsnto becoming a democratic republic.
Nigernis the West African nation, named for the Niger River that alsoninspired the name of one of its neighbors, Nigeria. It is landlockednand mostly covered by the Sahara Desert. It has a lot of uranium, butnthe world market for uranium has fallen as people have turned awaynfrom nuclear power plants. Landlocked, arid, falling market for itsnproduct—these are some of the reasons that Niger is so poor. Nigernwas colonized by the French; after independence the nation was rulednby a few different military governments, but it has now taken stepsnto becoming a democratic republic.n
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Qatarnis a nation on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf—it has only a smallnborder with Saudi Arabia. Although most of the land is a barren,nsand-covered plain, there are so much oil and natural gas resourcesnthat the nation has become #1 wealthiest in the world, if wealth isnconsidered per person (that’s what per capita means). Qatarnwas colonized by Britain, but since independence the nation has beennruled by a king (called the Emir) with complete (absolute) power.nSince 1995 that king has been liberalizing his nation. He launched anTV station that wasn’t just his own propaganda, and he endorsednwomen’s right to vote in city elections, and he encouraged thenwriting of the nation’s first constitution. The Emir said that therenwould be an elected legislature to make laws starting this year…butnI cannot see that it has happened yet. Hurry, Qatar! There’s not muchnmore of 2013 to go!
Qatarnis a nation on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf—it has only a smallnborder with Saudi Arabia. Although most of the land is a barren,nsand-covered plain, there are so much oil and natural gas resourcesnthat the nation has become #1 wealthiest in the world, if wealth isnconsidered per person (that’s what per capita means). Qatarnwas colonized by Britain, but since independence the nation has beennruled by a king (called the Emir) with complete (absolute) power.nSince 1995 that king has been liberalizing his nation. He launched anTV station that wasn’t just his own propaganda, and he endorsednwomen’s right to vote in city elections, and he encouraged thenwriting of the nation’s first constitution. The Emir said that therenwould be an elected legislature to make laws starting this year…butnI cannot see that it has happened yet. Hurry, Qatar! There’s not muchnmore of 2013 to go!n
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CelebratenNiger by checkingnout this short video about Niger’s Dinosaur Graveyard!
CelebratenNiger by checkingnout this short video about Niger’s Dinosaur Graveyard! n
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nCelebratenQatar by enjoyingna video about its growth and development. I admirenthe fact that the nation is trying really hard to invest some of itsnwealth in knowledge and infrastructure and diversification.
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nAlsonon this date:
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International Migrants Day
International Migrants Dayn
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nParticlenParty!
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nAnniversarynof the first panda in the U.S.
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nAnniversary of the first performance of The Nutcracker
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest pages on:
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nDecembern holidays
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nDecembern birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in December
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJanuaryn holidays
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nJanuaryn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in January
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