Happy Birthday to Panama!

Koror City, the largest city in Palau. It was formerly the capital until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia October 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Palau from the UN Trust Territory status in 1994. The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574. Following Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty, where they were administered

Bissau-Guinean women. *Photo from Wikipedia September 24 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guinea-Bissau from Portugal in 1973. Guinea-Bissau was once part of the Kaabu Empire, as well as part of the Mali Empire. Parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century, while a few others were under some rule by the Portuguese Empire since the 16th century. In the 19th century, it was colonized as Portuguese Guinea. Upon independence, declared in 1973 and recognized in 1974, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country’s name to prevent confusion with Guinea (formerly French Guinea). Guinea-Bissau,

People at a local school in Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. *Photo from Wikipedia August 13 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Central African Republic (CAR) from France in 1960. The country’s current borders were established by France, which ruled the country as a colony starting in the late 19th century. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders. The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast,