Cambodia

Flag Of Cambodia

          Cambodia is a country that is located in Southeast Asia mainland. It is sometimes called Kampuchea. Officially, Cambodia is known as the Kingdom of Cambodia and was once known as the Khmer Empire.



LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY

Cambodia (green) on Southeast Asia map

          Cambodia covers an area 181,035 square kilometers (69,898 sq mi). 97.5 % is land and 2.5 % is water. It lies between latitudes 10° and 15°N and longitudes 102° and 108°E. Cambodia borders with Laos to the north, Thailand to the north and west, and Vietnam to the east. Cambodia has 443 kilometers (275 mi) of coastline along the Gulf of Thailand to its south. With an elevation of 1,813 meters, Phnom Aural is the highest peak in Cambodia. The Mekong River, the longest river, flows south through the eastern part of the country. 
          
          As a tropical country, Cambodia is warm to hot all year round with high average temperature. There are two different seasons, the monsoon and the dry. The monsoon is normally from May to October and the dry season runs from November to April with average temperatures from 27 to 40 degrees Celsius. The coolest and most comfortable months are from October to January.

Topography of Cambodia

HISTORY


          During most of its history, Cambodia has been a monarchy. Around A.D. 100, people in the southern part of what is now Cambodia established the kingdom of Funan. This kingdom became one of the greatest early powers in Southeast Asia. Funan gradually lost its power, and by the A.D. 600s, a new kingdom, Chenla arose in the north of Funan. The Chenla kingdom lasted until the A.D. 700s.

          From the A.D. 800s until the 1400s, the Khmer was a powerful empire in Southeast Asia. The capital was Angkor. The Khmer built hundreds of beautiful stone temples in Angkor and other areas. They also built irrigation channels, hospitals, and roads. During the 1100's, the Khmer empire reached its peak when it took over much of the land that is now Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Problems within the royal family, changing trade routes, and wars with the Thai weakened the Khmer empire. 

          In 1431, Thai forces captured Angkor and the Khmer left the city. However, an independent Khmer kingdom, with its capital near what is now Phnom Penh, survived for another 400 years. In the 1800s, France took control of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. This region was known as French Indochina. The capital was Saigon from 1887 to 1902, and Hanoi from 1902 until 1954. Japanese and Thai forces occupied Cambodia from 1941 to 1945, during World War II. 

          Cambodia received their independence after the French recognized it in 1953. In 1955, King Norodom Sihanouk gave up the throne in order to take a more active role in politics. He took the title of Prince, and became prime minister in 1955 and head of state in 1960.



RELIGION

Sliver Pagoda, Cambodia

          Theravada Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia, which is practice by around 95 percent of the population. Buddhism has existed in Cambodia since at least the 5th century. Since the 13th century, Theravada Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion. There are about 4392 Theravada Buddhist pagodas throughout the country. About 2.2 percent of the Cambodian population is Muslim. Most of these Muslims are the Cham, an ethnic group that typically lives in towns and rural fishing villages on the banks of Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River. Most of the Malay minorities in Cambodia are also Muslims.

          Two percent of the Cambodian population is Christian. There are about 100 Christian organizations that operate freely throughout the country. There are 1,292 churches, 1,224 of them are Protestant and 68 are Catholic. However, only about 1,000 of these churches are officially registered. Other religions with small followings include 10,000 members of the Baha'i Faith and 3,000 ethnic Vietnamese Cao Dai.




LANGUAGE

Khmer language on the signboard

          Khmer is the language for Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is used in government administration, education at all levels, and the media. Khmer consists 33 consonants, 23 dependent vowels and 12 independent vowels. French was once the language of the government in Indochina. It is still spoken by many older Cambodians. Many people from the Khmer-Chinese population speak Mandarin.  Today, English is commonly used in hotels and businesses.


CUISINE

Cambodian cuisine

          Cambodian cuisine includes noodles, soups, grills, curries, salads, desserts, vegetables, tropical fruits, and rice, which is a staple food for Cambodians. The recipes are normally passed from mother to daughter. Noodle dishes are the most popular and every dish includes a bowl of rice. Normally, the rice is served with at least three other dishes. Each of the individual dishes will be either sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Chilis are usually left up to the individual to add. There are many different rice varieties in Cambodia, such as Jasmine, Neang Khon, and Neang Minh among others. 

          French has also affected the Cambodian cuisine. It includes the Cambodian red curry with toasted baguette bread. The toasted baguette breads are dipped in the curry and eaten. Cambodian red curry is also eaten with rice and rice vermicelli noodles.


MUSIC


          Cambodian music is influenced by both ancient forms and Hindu forms. Religious dances that normally describe stories and ancient myths are common. Some dances are accompanied by a pinpeat orchestra, which includes a roneat (bamboo xylophone), pai au (flute), gong (bronze gong), ching (cymbal), and various kinds of drums. There are two categories in Cambodian pop music: ramkbach and ramvong. Ramkbach is closely related to Thai folk music and ramvong is slow dance music.

          In Siem Reap province, a form of music called Kantrum has become popular. It is a fast traditional dance music. Modern Cambodian pop music is often presented in karaoke vcd. Usually, an actor or an actress or both mimic the lyrics to the song by moving their mouths like they are actually singing the song.



GOVERNMENT

Cambodia National Assembly

          Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy. The king, who is selected by the Royal Council of the Throne from the members of the royal family, is head of state. The king, however, only has ceremonial powers. The government is headed by the prime minister, who is selected by the head of the National Assembly and appointed by the king. Cambodia's legislature consist of a 123-seat National Assembly and a 61-seat senate. The members of the National Assembly are chosen by voters. Local counselors, National Assembly members, and the king choose the members of the senate. All of the members will serve only one five-year term.



ARCHITECTURE

Cambodia traditional house

          The house of the local people in ancient Khmer was more or less similar to those found today in villages of modern Cambodia. It is elevated about two and a half meters above the ground. The house is make by wooden piles which supported the walls, floor, and roof and will have the wooden ladder. Another type of house which is the wall make up of bamboo or the straw with the roof covered with the thatched leaves of dry coconut palms.

          The architecture of the dignitaries' houses and the palaces are different from the other house. They used the good materials to build the house that is consist of stronger wooden planks, generally made up of teak wood. The roof covered with tiles for the inner rooms. These are the differences where normal people cannot even put up a single tile on their roof.


INTERESTING FACTS


          The Cambodian flag is the only flag in the world that has an image building on it. Tonle Sap in Cambodia is the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia. Soccer, introduced by French, is one of the most popular sports in Cambodia but the other sport such as baseball, golf, volleyball, and field hockey are also popular.


SOURCES

*http://www.cambodia-travel.com/information/geography.htm
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Cambodia
*http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148861.htm
*http://www.tourismcambodia.org/contents/about_cambodia/index.php
*http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/cambodia-government.html
*http://ringroundtheworld.org/content/cambodia-music
*Software MacKiev's World Book  2012 Edition

Mauritania

                The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, or Mauritania, is a nation in the Maghreb region of western North Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the region. Mauritania has a unique culture and history.


LOCATION

          

          Mauritania is located at 20° N latitude, 12° W longitude. The area of Mauritania is 398,000 sq miles or about 1 million km². It is bordered by Western Sahara on the north, Senegal on the south and Mali and Algeria on the east. The capital city is Nouakchott. Mauritania is also part of the Sahel region.


GEOGRAPHY

Mauritania from space

         
          The Sahara desert covers most of Mauritania. As a result, Mauritania remains hot throughout the year. In the Saharan area, rain usually falls from July to September with annual precipitation of 150 mm or 5.9 in. Kediet ej Jill is a mountain in Tiris Zemmour, Mauritania. At 915 m (3,002 ft) tall, it is the highest peak in Mauritania. The Sebkha de Ndrhamcha, a large salt pan, is the lowest point of Mauritania.




HISTORY
   
          From the A.D. 300s to the 1500s, some areas in Mauritania were part of Ghana, Mali, and the Songhai empire. In the middle of the 1000s, the Berber speaking Sanhaja people established a group that was inspired by the leaders of a ribat, or religious settlement. This group was known as Al-Murabitun (men of the ribat). Because of Spanish mispronunciation, the term Al-Murabitun became Almoravids. They eventually controlled the northwestern corner of Africa and the southern parts of Portugal and Spain. They ruled until April, 1147, when their last king was killed.

          In the 1400s, the Portuguese landed in Mauritania. From the 1600's to the 1800's, France, United Kingdom, and Netherlands were coming to Mauritania. They competed for the Mauritanian gum arabic trade. Gum arabic or also called acacia gum is a natural gum made of hardened sap that are take from the acacia tree. In 1902, France began to occupy Mauritania. They also set up a protectorate here in 1903. The first governor was Xavier Coppolani. He was from the French military.

          In 1920, Mauritania became a French colony. It became a territory in the French Union in 1946. The French Union is an organisation that linked France and its overseas territories. In 1958, Mauritania became a self governing republic in the French Community. The French Community is a group of independent countries and other political units that succeeded the French Union. Mokhtar Ould Daddah was elected as the president in 1959. He was supported by many Moorish leaders and educated blacks. He favored independence and close ties with other west African countries. 

          On Nov. 28, 1960, Mauritania became an independent country. However, Morocco did not recognise their independence. Morocco claimed that Mauritania was historically Moroccan territory. Some of Ould Daddah's opponents went to Morocco and worked to unite the two countries. Morocco finally recognized Mauritania's independence in 1970.


PEOPLE
 
          The Moors make up the majority of people in Mauritania. The Moors are descendants of Arabs and Berbers. They can be split into two main groups, which are the black Moors and white Moors. The white Moors are called Bidan and the black Moors are called Haratine. In Mauritania, they speak an Arabic dialect called Hassaniya. Some of them lead a nomadic life, living in tents and moving over the desert with their cattle to find waterholes and pasture. The term "black and white" does not refer to skin color, but to social status and family heritage. The white Moors have a higher status than black Moors. 

          About a third of Mauritania's people are black Africans that are from separate ethnic groups. Many of them are farmers who live in villages along the Senegal River. Their houses are normally made of dried mud brick. Many of them also live in other city such as Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. The largest black ethnic group is the Toucouleurs. They are mostly Muslim, however, animist is also practiced by some of them. The other ethnic groups are Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, and Bambara.


GOVERNMENT 


          Mauritania is an Islamic republic where the executive president is head of state and is assisted by a prime minister who acts as head of the council of ministers and head of the government. Presidential elections have been scheduled every six years since 1992. The people can vote at the age of eighteen. The legal system is based on Islamic Sharia law and modern western law. The legislative branch includes a bicameral legislature consisting of a fifty-six seat senate that are elected by municipal mayors for six-year terms, and a seventy-nine seat national assembly elected by popular vote for five-year terms. The lower courts, supreme court and an appeals court make up the judicial branch in Mauritania.



RELIGION

         

          Islam is the official religion for this country. 100% of its citizens are Muslim, although there is small community of Christians that are foreigners. Islam has been in Mauritania since the 10th century. Muslims who are convert from Islam will lose their citizenship and their property. Apostasy is illegal in Mauritania and if someone who converts do not recant within three days, they can be sentenced to death under Mauritanian law. 

          There is a Roman Catholic church here. The government does not recognize it, but it also does not intervene. The government can block the printing, importation, or public distribution of Bibles or other non-Islamic religious literature. However, it is not illegal if you have the Bible. Every year, Muslim holy days are national holidays.



LANGUAGE


          Arabic is the official language of Mauritania. French, however, is widely spoken by the people and the media. Soninke, Wolof and Fula are also recognized as national languages. The Moors speak Hassaniya, a dialect of Arabic. Zenaga, a Berber language, was once spoken in much of Mauritania. Today, however, only a tiny group of about 200 or 300 speakers of the Zenaga language may be left as it is being totally replaced by Hassaniya.


ECONOMY



         Mauritania has a wealth of iron ore deposits and 50% of their exports are iron ore. Production of iron ore in Mauritania, however, has slowed down because of lower demand, but with the cost of gold and silver being high, the companies are opening mines in the interior. Fish is also important economy in Mauritania. The country's coastal waters are one of  the richest fishing areas in the world.

          In the Sahel region, a traditional subsistence economy exists. Livestock, agriculture, crafts, and small business support most of the population. About three-fourths of the population is involved in the traditional economy, in which raising livestock is the most important. Sheep and goats are the main important livestock, followed by cattle and camels. Cattle are raised especially in the southern region and Camels are raised mainly in the north and central regions.



CUISINE

          

Couscous with vegetables

         
          The main food in Mauritania is couscous. Couscous is prepared using wheat, millet, or barley and rolled to create small pellets. Couscous is not eaten alone, but with vegetables added. It is also served with cooked meat such as chicken and lamb. A food steamer called couscoussier is used to make the couscous. Couscous was voted as the third favorite dish of French people in 2011. Thieboudiene is the national dish in Mauritania. It’s made of fish and sweet potato, baked with red sauce made of onions, tomatoes, and chopped pepper. A lot of people eat it every single day as lunch. 

          The main beverage is mint tea. The people drink tea any time of the day. It is mixed with green tea, sugar, and mint leaves. Normally, the hot tea is poured from up high to create foam. It is also served after meals. Bissap, which is a roselle syrup, it is the other important beverage in Mauritania. Bissap is not used only as a drink. It is also made into a syrup for sweetening teas and pouring over sweetmeats.


MUSIC

Someone is playing with the tidinit

       

Mauritania’s music mostly has been influenced by the Moors. Music traditionally was used to praise warriors and also to spread news from village to village. One of the traditional instruments is tidinit. It is a simple lute with one to five strings and normally played by men. Other instruments included are tbal, or a kettle drum, and daghumma, which is a rattle. There are three different ways to play music in the Mauritanian tradition: the white way, the black way, and the mixed or “spotted” way. The white way, or al-bayda, is associated with smooth and soft music and comes from the Bidan people. The next way is al-kahla, or the black way. It is generally more masculine, and comes from the Haratin people. The mixed or “spotted” way, or l’-gnaydiya, is a combination of back and white styles.



ARCHITECTURE


          The architecture in Nouakchott is a mixture of traditional French concrete building with Asian and Spanish influences. Because of the fragile and sandy terrain, buildings in here are low. Many houses have colorful traditional mats and pillows, trays, teapots and carpets. Mattresses are placed along the walls with traditional pillows.

Inside of the house

A Traditional architecture

TODAY

Chinguetti Mosque

          
          The Chinguetti Mosque can still be found in Chinguetti, Mauritania. It was an ancient center of worship created by the founders of the oasis city of Chinguetti in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. In 1970s, the mosque was restored through a UNESCO effort. It continues, however, to be threatened by intense desertification.


SOURCES


*http://www.infoplease.com/country/mauritania.html
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Mauritania
*http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mauritania.html
*http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-mauritania
*http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/mauritania/export-import.html
*http://www.travelingeast.com/africa/mauritania/mauritanian-cuisine/
*http://www.africa.com/blog/music_in_mauritania/
*Software MacKiev's World Book  2012 Edition

Myanmar

Flag of Myanmar

          Burma, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar or commonly known as Myanmar, is a sovereign state. The population of Burma is 55 million. This makes it the 25th most populous country in the world.


LOCATION

          Myanmar is located on the mainland of Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by Laos and Thailand to the east and southwest, China to the north and northeast, on the south by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal and on the west by Bangladesh and India. Myanmar covers an area of about 675,000 sq km (over 260,000 sq mi). The capital city is Naypyidaw. Yangon was the capital from 1948 to 2005.


GEOGRAPHY

           The country is divided into two classifications, upper Myanmar and lower Myanmar. Lower Myanmar consists of coastal areas with thick tropical forests that have valuable trees such as timber trees, oil-bearing and teak trees. Upper Myanmar makes up the interior parts of the country. Hkakabo Razi, the highest peak in Myanmar and also in Southeast Asia, has an elevation 19,295 ft (5,881 m). A barrier between Myanmar and India, the Rakhine Yoma range has peaks that range between 915 m (3,000 ft) and 1,525 m (5,000 ft). There are a lot of tropical fruits that can be found in the coastal region, such as citrus, bananas, mangoes, and guavas.

HISTORY


          The first known people who lived in what is now Myanmar were the Mon. The Mon was a group of people who were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand and Burma. The Mon moved to Myanmar as early as 3000 B.C. and settled near the mouths of the Sittang and Salween rivers. The people who migrated later were from an area in Central Asia or what is now southwestern China. In the A.D 600s, the Pyu, coming from Tibet, arrived. During the 800s, the Burmans, Kachin, Chin, Shan and Karen came. They lived apart from each other and kept their own cultures.

          In 1044, a Burman ruler named Anawrahta united the region and founded a kingdom that lasted around 250 years. The kingdom's capital was Pagan (or Bagan), located on the Irrawady River in the central part of the country. In 1287, Kublai Khan, the leader of Mongol invaders, captured Pagan and shattered the kingdom. During the 1500s, a new Burman kingdom arose at Toungoo. In 1752, the kingdom was brought down by the Mon rebellion. After the Mon rebellion, the last Burman kingdom was founded by Alaungpaya.

          There were three wars with the British. They were triggered by Burmese resistance to the United Kingdom's territorial ambitions and commercialism, and led to the kingdom's collapse. The first war was fought from 1824 to 1826, the second in 1852, and the third in 1885. Then, British gradually conquered all of what was then called Burma. Burma became a province of India, which the British ruled after the third war. Burma's economy and population grew rapidly under British control. Educated Burmese wanted to separate from India. In 1920, the United Kingdom set up a legislature after Burmese protests to give the people a small role in the government.

          In the early 1930's, Saya San, a former Buddhist monk, led thousands of peasants in an unsuccessful rebellion.
At the same time, university students founded the All-Burma Students' Union to work for independence. Leaders of the movement included Thakin Aung San and Thakin Nu, and in 1936, they organized a student strike. In 1937, Burma was separated from India by the United Kingdom, and that gave the Burmese partial self-government. However, the struggle for full independence still continued.

          Japan conquered Burma in 1942. The Burma Independence Army was formed by the Thakins, a Burmese nationalist group. They helped the Japanese drive the British out of Burma. In 1943, the Japanese declared Burma independent, but actually it was controlled by the Japanese government. The Burmese disliked Japanese rule even more than British rule. The Thakins then formed the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL), led by General Aung San, to fight the Japanese. In 1945, the AFPFL then helped the United Kingdom and other Allied powers regain Burma.

          Following Japan's defeat, the British regained power over Burma. The AFPFL had become a strong political party and they challenged British control. In 1947, they decided to name AFPFL President Aung San Prime Minister of Burma. However, he was assassinated before Burma got independence. U Nu, who had been vice president of the AFPFL, became the party's president, and later, the British appointed him as a prime minister. Burma got full independence from the British on Jan. 4, 1948.

          
RELIGION

          

Monks at Mahagandhayon Monastic Institution in Amarapura carry alms bowls (thabeik) in order to receive alms.

          Myanmar is a multi-religious country. They don't have any official religion, however, the government shows preference for the major religion, Theravada Buddhism. About 90% of the population practices Theravada Buddhism, 4% are Muslim, 4% are Christianity, 1% Hinduism and 1% other religions. 


LANGUAGE

          Burmese, the official language of Burma, is related to Chinese and Tibetan languages. Approximately 65% of the population speak Burmese. Burmese is also the language of education, media, business and administration. However, various types of languages are spoken, representing four major language families: Austro-Asiatic, Tai–Kadai, Sino-Tibetan, Indo-European and Austro-Asiatic. 

          Burmese has also been in contact with speakers of other languages such as Mon and Pali, the earliest groups to occupy Burma in the 12th-13th centuries, and later with European languages such as Dutch, Portuguese, French and English in the 16th-19th centuries. As a result, modern Burmese used in everyday conversations significantly different from the formal written form of the language used in textbooks, fiction, formal writing expository prose and newspapers. Pali words are still used in the written language of Burmese.

          Today, English is the second language of Myanmar. In the late 19th century to 1964, English was the main language of instruction in higher education until Gen. Ne Win mandated educational reforms to "Burmanize". English continues to be used by the national government and educated urbanites. 



ART


          Burmese art was based on Hindu or Buddhist cosmology and myths. There are some regional styles of Buddha images, each with their own characteristics. For example, the Mandalay style consists of an oval-shaped Buddha with naturally curved eyebrows, a draping robe and smaller but still prominent ears. There are some other common categories of art, such as ba-bu, the art of carving wood or ivory and Pan-ta-mot, the art of making stone sculptures.

          In addition to the traditional arts, there is pottery, gemstone engraving, silk weaving, gold leaf making and tapestry making. Temples are normally built by bricks and stucco. However, pagodas are usually covered with layers of gold leaf, while monasteries tend to be build of wood. Some monasteries in cities are more likely to be built of modern materials. Pyatthat is a very common roofing style in Burmese architecture, which is a spired and multi-tiered roof.

Pyatthat, which is a multi-tiered and spired roof.

CUISINE


          Myanmar has an abundant supply of food because the country has favorable seasonal conditions, diverse geographical features and fertile soil and water resources. About 75% of Myanmar people eat rice as their main food. Rice is served with fish or meat, soup, vegetables and salad. Mohinga, a rice noodle soup with fish, is the favorite Myanmar dish and usually eaten as breakfast. Lahpet are pickled tea leaves with a dash of oil served with roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and fried garlic. This is a popular snack typical of Myanmar. 

MUSIC


          A lot of Burmese music uses traditional musical instruments. Kyaw Kyaw Naing has made traditional musical instruments, called hsaing waing, more widely known in the West. Another traditional Burmese instrument is the saung-gauk, an arched harp that can be traced to pre-Hittite times. Mahagita is a collection of songs related to religion or the glory of monarchs and about natural beauty of the land, forests and the seasons. Today, pop music dominates the music of Burma.

Someone is playing hsaing waing

CLOTHING

Burmese men in a longyi

         

          Indian lungi or longyi is the typical clothing of the Burmese people. This replaced the traditional tamein for women and paso for men by the 20th century.  For formal occasions and business, Manchu Chinese jackets are worn by Bamar men over an English collar shirt and sometimes they wear a turban called gaung baung. For Bamar women, they wear a blouse buttoned at the front called yinbon. Bamar people are dominant ethnic group in Burma covering about two-thirds of the population. Today in urban areas, pants and skirts are becoming more common, especially among the young.

TODAY

          The value of life expectancy for Myanmar is 65.2 years. The leading cause of death is "other injuries". Other injuries deaths in Myanmar reached 142,460 or 26.83% of total deaths. Heart disease, influenza and pneumonia are also leading causes of death in Myanmar. Today, Muslim people in Rohingya, western Myanmar, do not get citizenship, and the government forbids their missionary activities. This forces Rohingyas to flee to neighboring Bangladesh or to other Muslim countries. From last 11 December until 22 December, the 27th Southeast Asian Games took place in Myanmar and they got number two overall with 86 golds after Thailand.

          When Thein Sein became President in 2011, Myanmar started on a major policy of reforms including currency exchange rate, anti-corruption, foreign investment laws and taxation. In 2009-10, foreign investments was US$300 million, then it increased about 667% in 2010-11 by US$20 billion. According to a report released by the McKinsey Global Institute on 30 May 2013, Myanmar's economy is expected to quadruple by 2030 if it invests more in high-tech industries. Myanmar is the largest methamphetamines producer in the world. Myanmar is also the second largest producer of opium in the world after Afghanistan. 90% of the world's rubies come from this country.


SOURCES

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Burma
*http://www.guideformyanmar.com/location.html
*http://aboutworldlanguages.com/burmese
*http://www.myanmar.ca/art/index.htm
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma
*Software MacKiev's World Book  2012 Edition
*http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/myanmar-life-expectancy
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Burma

Amhara People

          
          The Amhara name means "pleasing, agreeable, beautiful, and gracious". The Amhara are an ethnic group that live in the central highland plateau of Ethiopia  numbering about 24 million people and covering about 27% of the country's population. The Amhara are the second largest ethnic group in Ethiopia after Oromo.


LOCATION

          
          The Amhara have lived in Ethiopia for over two thousand years. Because the area is surrounded by great gorges and walled by high mountains, the Amhara at first were isolated and not influenced by the rest of the world. Later however, militaristic people who ruled their country through lines of emperors were expansionists. The Amhara people can now be found all over Ethiopia. The Amhara region is located at altitudes roughly between 7,000 to 14,000 feet or 2,100 to 4,300 meters. It is also situated at 9 o to 14 0 latitude north of the equator. The combination of generous rainfall, rich volcanic soil and a brisk climate makes a stable agricultural existence for the Amhara people. 

HISTORY    

     
          Some of the oldest fossil fragments of human ancestors ever found were discovered in Ethiopia.  They are thought to be about 5 million years old. The kingdom of Axum, or Aksumite Empire, was the first state in what now is Ethiopia. The capital city was Aksum. The Aksumite Empire was an important trading nation in this area. It was established around A.D. 100. The Aksumite Empire got much wealth through the traders from India, Greece, Arabia, Egypt, Persia, and Rome. The Aksumites exported ivory, spices and gold. In the A.D. 300s, Aksum reached its height of power under King Ezana and he made Christianity as the official religion.

          In the late 600s, Aksum power fell after the Muslims gained control of Arabia, the coast of northern Africa and the Red Sea. Christian Aksum foreign trade was end by Muslim. In 1137, the Zagne dynasty gained power on the Ethiopian plateu. Roha, which is now Lalibela, was their capital. Eleven magnificent churches were carved out of solid rock at Roha during the Zagne Empire. In 1270, the Zagne dynasty was overthrown by the Yekuno Amlak. After the 1500s, the Ethiopian Empire broke up into many small kingdoms. 

          In 1889, Menelik II became emperor. In 1896, the battle of Adwa, also known as Adowa, was fought between Ethiopia and the kingdom of Italy. Ethiopia won. With this victory, Menelik II got more respect and increased his power in Ethiopia. He made Addis Ababa the capital. He was responsible for the construction of the railway that links Addis Ababa to Djibouti. He also built modern schools and hospitals in Ethiopia.

           In 1913, Menelik II's grandson, Lij Iyasa, became the emperor of Ethiopia. In 1916, however, he was removed from power because of a military coup. France, The United Kingdom and Italy supported that coup because they feared that he would be against them in World War I. Menelik II's daughter Zawditu then became empress of Ethiopia. She ruled with the help of Ras Tafari, the son of Menelik II's cousin. In 1930, Zawditu died and Tafari became emperor. He took on the name Haile Selassie.

          In 1935, Italy attacked Ethiopia as an attempt to expand its colonies in Africa. The Italians conquered Addis Ababa, and Haile Selassie fled to The United Kingdom. However, because the Italian's rule was harsh, Ethiopians rose up against them. In 1941, during World War II, British troops helped the Ethiopians get the Italians out of Ethiopia. Haile Selassie then returned as emperor. With the death of Haile Selassie, the role of the Amharas as chiefs of Ethiopian society ended.

RELIGION


         The major religion for centuries has been Christianity. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) is the predominant Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia, playing a central role for religion in this region. The EOC has close links with the Egyptian Coptic Church. Their important celebrations are Easter and Epiphany. They will celebrate them with feasting and dancing. According to the 2007 census, 82.5% of the population of the Amhara Region (which is 91.47% Amhara) were Ethiopian Orthodox; 17.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Protestant, and 0.1% other faiths.

          With marriages, they are often arranged by the family for men in their late teens or early twenties. For women traditionally, they were married at fourteen, but in the 20th century, the minimum age was raised to eighteen years old. This was enforced by the Imperial government. After a church wedding, divorce is frowned upon. Each family will host a separate wedding feast after the wedding.

          After childbirth, a priest will visit the family to bless the infant. For physical and emotional strength, the mother and child will stay in the house for 40 days. When an infant boy is on day 40, or day 80 for a girl, he or she will be brought to the church for baptism. Baptism is the religious rite of sprinking water onto a person's forehead or immersion in water and will follow by name-giving.

Crowds gather at the Fasilides' Bath in Gondar to celebrate Timkat - the Epiphany for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

LANGUAGE 

    
          Amharic is the Amhara language and is also known as Amarigna or Amarinya in their mother tongue. Now, Amharic is the official language and the working language of the federal authorities of Ethiopia. However, according to the 2007 census, Amharic is spoken by just 29.33% of the population while 33.8% speak Oromo. Amharic belongs to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. It is also the language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced by regional languages such as Oromo and Tigrinya in many areas.

The Ethiopic writing system is visible on the side of this Ethiopian Airlines Fokker 50: it reads "Ethiopia's": የኢትዮጵያ (ye-Ītyōṗṗyā).

CLOTHING

          
          The Amhara live at cold locations with high altitudes. Therefore, Amhara clothing is designed to maintain their body heat.  The Amhara of the city today commonly wear Western-type clothing but many still prefer the native dress, called gabi, which consists of jodhpur trousers and a long shirt, covered by sheet-sized and soft cotton wrap. This is worn by both women and men, but it is different according to the gender of person. In the countryside, they do not wear shoes, but in the city and towns shoes are generally worn to protect their feet against the debris of the streets.



AGRICULTURE

          
          The Amhara people normally work as farmers. About 90% of the Amhara live in rural areas, mostly in the Ethiopian highlands. They produce corn, sorghum, wheat, barley, beans and other vegetables. In the lowlands, sugarcane is a major crop. Sheep, cattle and goat are main livestock. All farms and land are inherited through each generation. 


ART

          
          Amhara painting is the dominant art in Ethiopia. These paintings are normally related to religion. The Amhara are also weavers of beautiful patterns decorated with 
embroidery. Ethiopian paintings from the Middle Ages are known by art historians from America and Europe as distinct treasures of human civilization.

EDUCATION

          
          Traditionally, formal education was under the power of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. However, in modern times, the last emperor, Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) encouraged a secular or nonreligious education and it become dominant in the urban areas. Secular education is also available in the countryside. Western-sponsored institutions give an education that allows students to enter Addis Ababa University. This university provides good training in political science, economics, history, and anthropology. Today, many students can also attend universities in Europe and America, where they may conduct postgraduate studies.


FOOD


          
          The staple food is injera bo wot. Injera is made from a tiny indigenous grain called teff, a variety of wheat which is common in Ethiopia. Wot is a pepper sauce that is made from meat or beans. The process of making this food is difficult and takes a lot of time. 

TODAY


     
          High death rates and low birth rates, especially from HIV/AIDS, are the main factors causing a low population increase rate in the Amhara region. Amhara people can also be find in 12 countries beside Ethiopia. Around 132,000 people live in United States now. The palaces in Gondar and the 12th century Rock-Hewn churches of Lalibela are the world known heritages of the country. These heritages are registered in the UNESCO list of world heritages. Besides these known heritages, the Blue Nile Falls, the Merto Le Mariam church and the caves and unique stones in northern Showa are special tourist attractions.

Rock-Hewn churches of Lalibela

SOURCES

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amhara_people
*http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Costa-Rica-to-Georgia/Amhara.html
*http://joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?peo3=10294
*http://orvillejenkins.com/profiles/amhara.html
*http://africaimports.com/amhara-people-group.asp
*http://www.ethiopia.gov.et/web/pages/StateAmhara
*Software MacKiev's World Book  2012 Edition