Switzerland (or the Swiss Confederation) is one of the richest countries in the world, a relatively small alpine country in the middle of Europe. Bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein, Switzerland has a long history of neutrality and hosts many international organizations, such as the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and one United Nations European office.

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The country’s economic centres are Geneva, Basel and Zurich. Continue reading »

New Zealand is actually a country distributed on two main islands: the North Island and the South Island, plus other numerous smaller islands. At 2000 km southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation.

The indigenous Māori are the largest minority, most of the population being of European descent. New Zealand is a wealthy country, with economy focused on agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and film industry. Continue reading »

The United States of America is one of the richest countries in the world, with a strong economy and huge military power. US cities are however rarely mentioned at the top of worldwide surveys and rankings for best cities. Criminal rates are still high, the terrorist threat is there and many social programs lack in proper medical coverage and sanitation.

There are however several great US cities. Hawaiian Honolulu is a great touristic destination, Minneapolis has cold weather but warm people and Boston is an aristocratic city. Continue reading »

Australia is a country and continent in the southern hemisphere, also including the major island of Tasmania and other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia is a country with endless sunbaked horizons, dense tropical rainforests and chilly southern beaches.

For thousands of years, the mainland has been inhabited by indigenous Australians. The eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British, after being discovered by Dutch explorers. Six colonies became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Continue reading »

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada occupies most of northern North America. By total area, it is the world’s second largest country and shares borders with the USA to the south (Alaska to the northwest).

British and French expeditions discovered the land inhabited for millennia by various aboriginal peoples. Canada is today a federation of ten provinces and three territories. With a high-tech industrial society, Canada maintains a diversified economy, technologically advanced and industrialized. Continue reading »