Malaysia is quite literally a country of two halves, with its component land masses – Peninsular Malaysia (which lies on the Malay Peninsula) and East Malaysia (on the island of Borneo) – separated by the South China Sea. A former British colony which gained independence in 1957.
Country Profiles
Netherlands Country Profile
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a small country in North West Europe, bordered by Germany, Belgium and the North Sea. It is often referred to as ‘Holland’ because two of its twelve provinces, North and South Holland, were independent states until 1813.
New Zealand Country Profile
New Zealand is an archipelago consisting of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, along with over 700 offshore islands. The two main islands form a long, narrow shape and the majority of the smaller islands are within 50 kilometres of their coasts.
Nigeria Country Profile
With over 190 million inhabitants, The Federal Republic of Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. Located in West Africa, Nigeria is bordered by Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon and has a coastline which stretches 853 km (530 miles) along the tropical Gulf of Guinea.
Norway Country Profile
The Kingdom of Norway is Europe’s northernmost country, sharing a long eastern border with Sweden and with Finland and Russia to the north. The capital of Oslo lies close to the border with Sweden and is the most densely populated area with around one million inhabitants. Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world,
Qatar Country Profile
The tiny Gulf state of Qatar has risen to global prominence largely due to its vast resources of oil and gas. A small peninsula bordering only Saudi Arabia by land, it lies on the Persian Gulf. With a long cultural history, Qatar boasts relics from many of the great regional powers of the past including the Persian, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
Russia Country Profile
Russia – officially the Federation of Russia – is the largest country on earth and covers one-eighth (6.6 million square miles) of the world’s inhabited land area. It has a population of 143.5 million people and its territory extends from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia.
Saudi Arabia Country Profile
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies the majority of the Arabian Peninsula. Sharing land borders with Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, it also has extensive coastline on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Singapore Country Profile
Singapore is a prosperous city-state located just off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Consisting of one main island and around 60 outlying islands, the whole country is just a few hundred square kilometres in area.
South Africa Country Profile
South Africa is the southernmost country on the African Continent. It is a multi-ethnic, constitutional democracy which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is governed from three official capitals, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.