Happy Birthday to Panama!

A busy market in Dar es Salaam, the former capital as well as the most populous city in Tanzania. *Photo from Wikipedia December 9 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tanganyika from Britain in 1961. Tanganyika was a sovereign state that existed from 1961 until 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes. Before that, Tanganyika was a territory administered by the United Kingdom from 1916 until 1961. Prior to that, the territory was part of the German colony of “German East Africa”. The African Great Lakes nation of Tanzania dates formally from 1964,

Students of the Escuela Lenin. *Photo from Wikipedia May 20 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Cuba from the United States in 1902. The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Mesoamerican cultures prior to the arrival of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus’ arrival, Cuba became a Spanish colony, ruled by a Spanish governor in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. However, the Spanish-American War resulted in a Spanish

Port-Louis, the Capital of Mauritius. *Photo from Wikipedia March 12 is National Day, celebrates the independence of Mauritius from the UK in 1968. The island of Mauritius was visited during the Middle Ages by the Arabs and then by the Portuguese. The island was uninhabited until the Dutch Republic established a colony in 1638, with the Dutch naming the island after Prince Maurice van Nassau. The Dutch colony was abandoned in 1710, and, five years later, the island became a French colony and was named Isle de France. Due to its strategic position, Mauritius was known as the “star and