Happy Birthday to Central African Republic!

Coconut palms line the beaches of Fiji. *Photo from Wikipedia October 10 is Fiji Day, celebrates the independence of Fiji from United Kingdom in 1970. The first settlements in Fiji were started by voyaging traders and settlers from the west about 5000 years ago. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643 while looking for the Great Southern Continent. Europeans settled on the islands permanently beginning in the 19th century.The first European settlers to Fiji were beachcombers, missionaries, whalers, and those engaged in the then booming sandalwood and bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber)

Crowd of Belgian fans at the 2018 World Cup. *Photo from Wikipedia July 21 is: Belgian National Day. It celebrates the inauguration of Léopold I, the first king of the Belgians, after its independence from the Netherlands on October 4, 1830. In 1830, drawing inspiration from the recent July Revolution in France, the southern provinces of the United Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule after a period of growing economic and religious disparity and political alienation. The Dutch were forced out of much of the area and Belgium gained de facto independence. A National Congress was created to write a Constitution

Children in Malawi. *Photo from Wikipedia July 6 is Independence Day/Republic Day, celebrates the independence of Malawi from United Kingdom in 1964. The region was once part of the Maravi Empire. The area of Africa now known as Malawi was settled by migrating Bantu groups around the 10th century. Centuries later in 1891 the area was colonized by the British. In 1953 Malawi, then known as Nyasaland, a protectorate of the United Kingdom, became a protectorate within the semi-independent Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Federation was dissolved in 1963. In 1964, the protectorate over Nyasaland was ended and Nyasaland