Country name

Republic of Botswana

Capital

Gaborone, approx. 230,000 inhabitants

Location

Borders South Africa in the south and south-east, Zimbabwe in the north-east, and Zambia in the north and Namibia in the west

Size

582,000 km²

Population

2.26 million inhabitants

National languages

Setswana and English

Religions

approx. 70% Christian of diverse churches; remainder predominantly animists; others Baha'i, Muslim (approx. 5,000 mainly south-Asian descent)

Government/ state type

republic with a presidential constitution

Climate

Mainly hot and dry desert climate; cold winter (occasional night-time frost)

Country name

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Capital

Kinshasa, est. 10 million inhabitants

Location

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zaire from 1971 to 1997, also known as Congo-Kinshasa or simple the Congo, is a republic in central Africa; it borders the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and the Atlantic (source Wikipedia)

Size

2,345,410 km² - Congo is the second largest state of Africa in size and fourth largest in populations (source Wikipedia)

Population

78.74 million (2016; World Bank), roughly 250 ethnic groups

National languages

In addition to French (official language), four languages as national languages: Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo and Ciluba, there are also 200 further languages

Religions

About 50% Roman Catholic, approx. 20% Evangelical, approx. 10% Kimbanguist, 10% Muslim and 10% traditional animistic religions; "Pastor"-led charismatic free-church faith communities are gaining importance

Government/ state type

presidential republic

Climate

The climate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is tropical; the average temperature fluctuates between 20°C in the dry season (May to October) and 30°C in the rainy season (November to April); the annual precipitation amounts to roughly 150-200 centimeters, while the eastern mountainous region witnesses the most rain throughout the entire year

Country name

Arab Republic of Egypt

Capital

Cairo (al-Qahira); with a catchment area of approx. 22 million inhabitants

Location

In the north-east of the African content; between the 22. degree and 32. degree north latitude and 26. degree and 33. eastern longitude

Size

1,001,450 square kilometers, of which about 4 percent arable

Population

92 million; the Nile valley and delta are some of the most densely populated regions in the world (1,120 inhabitants/sqkm; Cairo: 28,500 - 120,000 inhabitants/km²)

National languages

Written language: modern high Arabic, common speech: Egyptian-Arabic dialect; English and to a lesser extent French are widespread as a business and education language

Religions

approx. 90 percent Muslim (of which 99 percent Sunni, 1 percent Shiites); 10 percent Christian (of which 91 percent Coptic-orthodox, 4.5 percent Coptic-Catholic - figures concerning Copts differ widely), 2 percent other religious groups

Government/ state type

republic, presidential democracy

Climate

Mediterranean (Mediterranean coast, Nile delta) to desert like (Cairo, mid to upper Egypt)

Country name

Gabonese Republic

Capital

Libreville, approx. 700,000 inhabitants

Location

on both sides of the equator (250 km to the north, 470km to the south), 800 km Atlantic coast in the west, borders Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon in the north, the Republic of the Congo in the east and south

Size

267,600 km²

Population

1.7 million inhabitants

National languages

French as the official language and lingua franca, plus different Bantu languages

Religions

41% Catholics, 13% Protestants, 32% other Christians (syncretism with trad. religions), 6% Muslims

Government/ state type

presidential democracy based on the French example

Climate

tropical rainforest climate, determined by the proximity to the equator and ocean; annual median temperature 26.6°C; two rain/dry seasons

Country name

Republic of Madagascar

Capital

Antananarivo, approx. 2 million inhabitants

Location

In the Indian Ocean, separated from Africa by the Mozambique Channel

Size

592,000 km²

Population

approx. 29 million inhabitants

National languages

Malagasy, French

Religions

More than 50 % of the population are adherents to original natural religions (Animists); 8 million Christians, of which 4.5 million Catholics, 3.5 million Protestants, 1.4 millions Muslims

Government/ state type

presidential democracy

Climate

Tropical lowland and mountain climate, ever-damp to periodically humid; the capital Antananarivo’s warmest month is December up to 27°C, coldest month is July up to 20°C, the rainiest month is January with an average precipitation of 300 mm

Country name

Republic of Mauritius

Capital

Port Louis, approx. 150,000 inhabitants

Location

Parts of the Mascarene Islands in the south-western Indian Ocean, approx. 800 km east of Madagascar

Size

2,040 km² in total, of which Mauritius has 1,865 km², Rodrigues 105 km² as well as Agalega and Saint Brandon (Cargados-Carajos) 71 km²

Population

approx. 1.3 million inhabitants (of which: Rodrigues approx. 37,000, Agalega and Saint Brandon approx. 300)

National languages

English is the official language; the mother tongue of the majority of the population is Mauritian Creole/Morisyen, however, a Creole language derived from French.  In addition, the various ethnic groups speak further languages, especially Bhojpuri, French, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Chinese.

Religions

52 % Hindus, 30 % Christians, 17 % Muslims, 0.2 % Buddhists

Government/ state type

Republic, parliamentarian democracy, single-chamber system

Climate

Sub-tropical; warm and dry winter (May-November); hot, humid summer (November-May)

Country name

Kingdom of Morocco

Capital

Rabat, 800,000 inhabitants

Location

Morocco is located between the 28. and 36. degree of latitude and 1. and 13. degree of longitude.

Size

459,000 km², internationally disputed West-Sahara territory poses an additional area of approx. 266,000 km²

Population

approx. 33 million inhabitants

National languages

Officially Arabic (the Maghreb-Arabic dialect Darija is spoken) and since the new constitution was adopted, the Berber language Tamazight as well; further local Berber language; French is widespread as business and education language, Spanish in the north

Religions

Islam (Sunnis in the Maliki school of jurisprudence); approx. 23,000 mainly foreign Christian, about 3,000 Jews

Government/ state type

Monarchy with elements of a parliamentarian democracy and central privileges of the king

Climate

Different climate zones; Rabat: Atlantic climate, humid-hot in the summer, humid-cool in the winter

Country name

Republic of Namibia

Capital

Windhoek, approx. 320,000 inhabitants

Location

Namibia is located in south-western Africa

Size

824,292 km²

Population

approx. 2.2 million inhabitants

National languages

official language: English; other languages: Afrikaans, Ovambo, Otjiherero, Khoekhoe, German i.a.

Religions

approx. 87 % Christian, of which about 80 % Protestants and about 20 % Catholics; the remainder traditional African religions

Government/ state type

presidential democracy

Climate

arid climate; rainy season January-March/April.

Country name

Republic of Senegal

Capital

Dakar, approx. 3,5 million inhabitants in the greater area (2015 estimate)

Location

Transition of the Sahel region to humid-hot tropics

Size

196,712 km²

Population

approx. 15.1 million (2015 estimate), of which 43 % under the age of 15, annual population growth approx. 2.5 % (2015); most important of the roughly 20 ethnic groups: Wolof, Serer, Peul, Diola, Toucouleurs, Mandingue, Soninké

National languages

Official language is French, plus national languages Wolof, Serer, Diola, Malinke, Pulaar, Soninké, among others

Religions

Muslims (roughly 94 %, organized in so-called brotherhoods), Christian (Roman-Catholic, 5 %), Animists (roughly 1 %)

Government/ state type

presidential democracy

Climate

Dry season from December-May, humid-warm rainy season from June to November

Country name

Republic of South Africa

Capital

Pretoria, approx. 1 million inhabitants (more than 2 million in the greater area)

Location

Located on Africa’s southern tip, borders Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the north

Size

1,219,090 km² (= 3.4x the size of Germany)

Population

54.96 million (2015)

National languages

All 11 national languages are official languages: isi Zulu (23.8 %), isi Xhosa (17.6 %), Afrikaans (13.3 %), sePedi (9.4 %), English (8.2 %), seTswana (8.2 %), seSotho (7.9 %), xiTsonga (4.4 %), siSwati (2.7 %), tshiVenda (2.3 %), isiNdebele (1.6 %), other languages (0.6 %). German is one of the 14 supported languages according to the constitution.

Religions

Christians: 79.8 %, Muslims 1.5 %, Hindus 1.2 %, traditional African religions: 0.3 %, Jews: 0.2 %, others: 0.6 %, undetermined: 15.1 %

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy with a strong executive president and federal elements

Climate

Dry to sub-tropically humid

Country name

Kingdom of Swaziland/Kingdom of Eswatini

Capital

Mbabane

Location

Between South Africa and Mozambique

Size

17,364 km²

Population

approx. 1,3 million inhabitants

National languages

Siswati, English

Religions

70 % Christian-oriented African religions; 25 % Protestants and Catholics

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy with the king as the executive head of state

Climate

Sub-tropical, moderate to hot (depending on the altitude)

Country name

United Republic of Tanzania

Capital

nominally: Dodoma, approx. 0.8 million inhabitants; de facto seat of government and economic center: Dar es Salaam, approx. 4.2 million inhabitants

Location

East Africa between the Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi as well as the Indian Ocean

Size

947,300 km² (roughly 2.5x the size of Germany), of which Zanzibar 2,644 km²

Population

approx. 49.3 million; portion of people that are under the age of 15: 45.25 million; portion of people that are over the age of 65: 3.2 percent

National languages

official language: Kiswahili, educational language and lingua franca: English

Religions

No longer captured since 1959, approx. 40 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, 20 percent adherents to traditional African religions

Government/ state type

Presidential system with a prime minister and union government for Tanzania, own government for Zanzibar with partial autonomy under the direction of the president, who is also the second vice president of the union

Climate

Periodically humid tropics with pronounced dry and rainy seasons

Country name

Republic of Tunisia

Capital

Tunis, approx. 2.0 million inhabitants with suburbs

Location

On the southern shore of the Mediterranean between Algeria in the west and Libya in the east

Size

164,150 km²

Population

11.2 million inhabitants (2016), ethnic composition: Arabs or “Arabized” Berber; population growth 1.0 percent (2010)

National languages

Arabic (official language) plus lingua franca is French, also German in the tourist areas

Religions

Islam, very small Jewish and Christian communities

Government/ state type

After the 2011 revolution a vote followed for a constitutional assembly which legislated a new constitution in 2014; Tunisia has been a parliamentarian republic since then with special privileges for the president in foreign, defense and security policies

Climate

Mediterranean in the north, desert climate in the south

Country name

Zambia

Capital

Lusaka, approx. 2 million inhabitants

Location

on the central-African plateau: capital Lusaka at approx. 1,300 meter altitude

Size

752,614 km²

Population

approx. 15.7 million inhabitants; (roughly 70 Bantu tribes

National languages

official language: English; plus 7 officially recognized tribal languages Bemba (31 %), Nyanja (16 %), Lozi (9 %), Tonga, Lunda, Kaonde, Luvale plus 72 dialects

Religions

Christian (roughly 90 %; of which approx. 25 % Catholics, 65 % Protestants of different denominations), adherents to traditional African religions, Muslims, Hindus

Government/ state type

Republic

Climate

Tropical (rainy season from November to April, from May to August cool and September/October hot dry season)

Country name

Belize

Capital

Belmopan, approx. 14,000 inhabitants; established as capital in 200o; previous capital Belize City, roughly 54,000 inhabitants, remains the economic center

Location

Belize is located on the central American mainland and border Mexico in the north (Yucatan peninsula), Guatemala in the west and south; hundreds of island and coral reefs are situated off the Caribbean coastal strip in the east

Size

22,965 km²

Population

352,000 inhabitants, plus approx. 160,000 Belizeans live in the USA (of which 70,000 naturalized). 50% Mestizos, 21% Creole, 10% Maya, 5% Garifuna, approx. 9% Europeans, Indians, Chinese

National languages

Spanish 46%, English 39% (official national language), locally in part also Maya (10%), Garifuna (5%), German dialect (3%)(Mennonites), each the mother tongue; English is spoken by nearly all inhabitants, Spanish by approx. 70%

Country name

Republic of Costa Rica

Capital

San José, approx. 340,000 inhabitants; in the greater area (Gran Área Metropolitana GAM) 2.2 million inhabitants

Location

On the central American isthmus between Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south

Size

51,100 km²

Population

4.8 million inhabitants, about 94% descendants of European immigrants, approx. 5% of African, Asian and indigenous descent, proportion of foreigners: approx. 9%, though a large number of undocumented immigrants (source: census 2011)

National languages

Spanish

Religions

Catholic (state religions, approx. 69%), other (22%), of which Evangelical (13.8%)

Government/ state type

presidential government

Climate

tropic to sub-tropical; dry season December - April; rainy season May - November.

Country name

Republic of Guatemala

Capital

Guatemala City, approx. 5 million inhabitants

Location

Bordered by Mexico in the west and north, Belize in the north-east, narrow access to the Atlantic, borders Honduras and El Salvador in the east and the Pacific in the south

Size

108,889 km²

Population

approx. 16 millions inhabitants, approx. 40% Mayas (Indígenas), approx. 58% Mestizos (Ladinos), remainder are of European or Asian descent, minor Afro-Caribbean minority (Garífuna) along the Atlantic coast and Xinkas

National languages

Official language is Spanish, plus 22 Maya languages (mother tongue for 40-60% of the population including bi-lingual persons), Xinca and Garífuna

Religions

approx. 60% Roman-Catholic, 40% Protestant/evangelical, plus traditional Maya religions

Government/ state type

republic, presidential constitution

Climate

tropical on the coasts, moderate in the central highlands

Country name

Republic of Nicaragua

Capital

Managua, approx. 1.7 million inhabitants

Location

Central America

Size

130,700 km²

Population

6.5 million inhabitants, of which approx. 14% indigenous and Afro-Caribbean descent

National languages

Spanish, Creole (Caribbean-English), indigenous languages (Miskito, Mayangna, Rama, Garífuna)

Religions

Roman-Catholic (58.5%), Protestant religious communities (23.2%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.9%), other (1.7%), no religious denomination (15.7%)

Government/ state type

Republic with a presidential constitution

Climate

Tropical

Country name

Republic of Panama

Capital

Panama City, approx. 1.5 million inhabitants

Location

Located between Costa Rica and Columbia

Size

75,517 km²

Population

4.09 million inhabitants, of which 12% indigenous and 9% Afro-Caribbean according to self-assessment

National languages

Spanish (official language):

Religions

86% Roman-Catholic, 10% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 1% Muslim

Government/ state type

presidential democracy

Climate

Tropical

Country name

Canada

Capital

Ottawa (Ontario Province), 934,243 or 1.323.783 inhabitants (greater area of Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario and Quebec Provinces)

Location

Set in the north of America, the USA border to the south, otherwise surrounded by the ocean

Size

9,984,670 km²

Population

35 million inhabitants

National languages

English, French

Religions

(Data from 2011): Christianity (67.3%), Islam (3.2%), Judaism (1.0%), Hinduism (1.5%), Buddhism (1.1%), Sikhism (1.4%), not religious (23.9%)

Government/ state type

Federal constitutional monarchy, parliament with two chambers, parliamentarian government system with a majority voting system (direct mandates)

Climate

Continental climate with cold, long winters and hot summers; sea climate in the coastal provinces

Country name

United Mexican States

Capital

Mexico City, approx. 22 million inhabitants in the urban area

Location

Located between the USA and Guatemala; two cordillera regions from north to south with a plateau in between

Size

1,964,375 km² (5.5x the size of Germany)

Population

124.6 million inhabitants, mainly mestizos, approx. 12 million indigenous that are part of 62 ethnic groups, and approx. 4 to 5 million Mexican of European descent; annual population growth approx. 1.2 %

National languages

Official national language is Spanish, plus 68 recognized indigenous languages, Náhuatl and Maya yucateco are the most important

Religions

82.7 % Roman-Catholic, 7.5 % Protestant and other Christian communities, 2.4 % other religions, 4.7 % other religions, 2.7% no specification (national census 2010); since 1873 constitutionally strict, and since 1992 mild separation of church and state.

Government/ state type

Federal state (32 states), presidential republic

Climate

Climate in the coastal areas is tropical, mountain climate in the capital (2,250 m), rainy season from May to October

Country name

United States of America

Capital

Washington, D.C.; city: approx. 658,000 inhabitants; greater area: 5.95 million inhabitants

Location

North American, further territories - overseas territories (with different legal statuses):  Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa

Size

9,857,306 km² (approx. 25x the size of Germany)

Population

319 million inhabitants; of which approx. 55 million are of Latin-American descent, approx. 40 million African-American, approx. 17 million of Asian descent, approx. 2 million of Indian descent, approx. 82% of the population lives in urban areas

National languages

English, locally also Spanish

Religions

80% of the population are part of one of the 238 religious communities, of which 37% are Protestant communities (Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians), 23% are Roman Catholic, 2% Jews, 0.8 % Muslim

Government/ state type

Federal and presidential republic; separation and limitation of powers

Climate

Predominantly warm and cool, moderate zones

Country name

Argentine Republic

Capital

Buenos Aires, federal capital: approx. 3 million inhabitants; greater area (capital plus catchment area): more than 13 million inhabitants

Location

Southern South America, largest north-south dimensions: 3,700 km, largest width: 2,100 km

Size

2.78 million km² (second-largest country of South America)

Population

approx. 43.6 million inhabitants; immigration country in the 19th/20th century, mainly Italian and Spanish origin; approx. 2% indigenous descent; approx. 1 million of German descent

National languages

Spanish

Religions

Catholics 90%, Protestants 2% and Jews 1%, other religious groups 6%

Government/ state type

Presidential democracy, federal republic; congress comprises 2 chambers: senate with 72 and chamber of deputies with currently 257 seats

Climate

Due to its large north-south expanse, the country has several climate and vegetation zones; as Argentina lies on the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to those of the northern hemisphere

Country name

Plurinational State of Bolivia

Capital

Sucre, approx. 260,000 inhabitants); seat of government La Paz, approx. 1,000,000 inhabitants

Location

landlocked, neighbors: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru

Size

1,098,581 km²

Population

approx. 11 million; large indigenous population (according to national censure 44% see themselves as indigenous)

National languages

Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, other indigenous languages

Religions

Predominantly Roman-Catholic (78%), Evangelical churches, great influence of old natural religions

Government/ state type

Presidential system with a two chamber system

Climate

Mountainous climate (Andes) to sub-tropical climate (Yungas) up to tropical lowland climate (Beni) and dry regions (Chaco)

Country name

Federative Republic of Brazil

Capital

Brasília, 450,000 inhabitants (federal district 2.9 million inhabitants)

Location

Borders all South-American countries but Chile and Ecuador

Size

8.5 million km², 47% of the area of South America

Population

207.1 million inhabitants, ethnic diversity and mixture, approx. 800,000 indigenous

National languages

Portuguese in a Brazilian variant

Religions

Predominantly Roman-Catholic (roughly 68%); growing Protestant groups and sects; widespread syncretistic-animistic cults

Government/ state type

Presidential federal republic

Climate

Tropical and sub-tropical

Country name

Republic of Chile

Capital

Santiago, approx. 6.5 million inhabitants

Location

Located in the south-west of the Americas, surrounded by Peru, Bolivia and Argentina; north-south expanse approx. 4,200 km, west-east expanse on average less than 200 km

Size

756,626 km²

Population

18 million, approx. 75% descendants of European immigrants, roughly 10% indigenous

National languages

Spanish

Religions

Catholics: 67.37%, Protestants: 16.62%, others: 11.58%

Government/ state type

Republic and presidential democracy

Climate

From deserts (north) to Mediterranean (center) to moderate humid-cool zones (south)

Country name

Republic of Colombia

Capital

Bogotá, 8,4 Mio. inhabitants

Location

In Northwest South America. 1.600 km coastline to Caribbean area and 1.300 km to Pacific ocean. Neighbors : Panama, Venezuela, Brasil, Peru and Ecuador

Size

1,138 Mio. qkm

Population

49,4 Mio.; increase srate 1,2% p.a.; Composition according to the 2015 census: 3.% indigenous population, 18% Afro-Colombians, 49% mestizos, 30% whites

National languages

Spanish; 65 indigenous languages; English in San Andrés and Providencia.

Religions

Catholic (about 80%); increasingly Evangelical (about 20%)

Government/ state type

Presidential Democracy; Congress with two chambers: Senate and House of Representatives

Climate

Broad spectrum of climatically different zones depending on altitude; predominantly tropical or subtropical; the capital Bogotá lies in the temperate climate zone. There are hardly any seasonal temperature fluctuations.

Country name

Republic of Ecuador

Capital

Quito, approx. 2.2 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area

Location

North-west coast of South America, Andean state on the equator

Size

256,370 km²; the Galápagos islands are part of Ecuador

Population

16.2 million inhabitants (2015); of which approx. 65% Mestizos, 25% indigenous, 7% European origin as well as 3% African-Ecuadorian, most recently considerable return, especially from Spain

National languages

Spanish, indigenous languages (Quechua and Shuar)

Religions

Roman Catholic church (approx. 85% of the population), Protestants, Jews, adherents to natural religions

Government/ state type

Presidential democracy with single chamber parliaments (“Asamblea Nacional")

Climate

Humid-hot tropical climate in the coastal region and eastern lowland, moderate climate with strong temperature fluctuations in the Andean highlands (5-25°C)

Country name

Republic of Peru

Capital

Lima, approx. 9.9 million inhabitants (with the harbor city Callao)

Location

On the western coast of South America

Size

1,285 million km², 3,079 km coastline

Population

approx. 31.83 million (45% indigenous, 37% mestizos, 15% white, 3% Asian and African descent)

National languages

Spanish (86.6%), Quechua, Aymara

Religions

81.3% Roman-Catholic, 12.5% Evangelical, 3.3% other religions, 2.9% no denomination

Government/ state type

Republic

Climate

Eastern Amazon region: humid-tropical. Highlands: tropical highland climate. Coast: hot in the summer (December-March), cool from May to November; dry

Country name

Republic of Suriname

Capital

Paramaribo, approx. 250,000 inhabitants

Location

North-east coast of South American between Guyana, French Guyana and Brazil

Size

approx. 164,000 km²

Population

approx. 550,400 inhabitants (2017 estimate), of which roughly 35% Indian, 34% Creole and 18% Javanese descent

National languages

Dutch (official language) plus: Sranang-Tongo (lingua franca), English, Hindi, Javanese among others

Religions

Christian (48%), Hindu (25%), Muslim (20%), other religions (5%) (census 2004)

Government/ state type

republic with a presidential constitution

Climate

Tropical, temperatures between 23° and 32°C

Country name

Oriental Republic of Uruguay

Capital

Montevideo, approx. 1.33 million inhabitants

Location

Flat-hilly landscape east of the Uruguay river and north of the Río de la Plata; borders Argentina and Brazil

Size

176,215 km² (of which 876% arable land); maritime economic area: 140,000 km²

Population

approx. 3.38 million inhabitants predominantly of European descent, life expectancy 76.6 years

National languages

Spanish

Religions

Catholic 45.7%; other Christian groups 9%, devout without a denomination 30.1%, atheists 12%, agnostics 2%, other 1.2%; predominantly secular state

Government/ state type

Presidential democracy with a directly elected president; 2 chambers with 30 senators and 99 representatives

Climate

Moderate-warm, median temperature: winter 13.3°C, summer 22.8°C

Country name

Bahamas

Capital

Nassau/Providence, approx. 267,000 inhabitants (2014)

Location

The Bahamas comprise approx. 700 islands of which 30 are inhabited, more than 2000 coral reefs (Cays), that stretch across an area of roughly 250,000 km of sea between the south-east coast of Florida to the north-west cost of Hispaniola

Size

13,880 km²

Population

388,000 inhabitants (source: DESTATIS 2015), more than 90% of African descent

National languages

English, Creole (introduced by Haitian immigrants)

Religions

Protestant 69% (Baptist 35%, Anglican 13.7%, Pentecostal Church 9% , Adventist 4%, Methodist 3% and others), Catholics (12%), other Christian groups 13%, other 4%

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian monarchy in the Commonwealth

Climate

Sub-tropically moderate climate, median annual temperature is 26°C

Country name

Barbados

Capital

Bridgetown, approx. 110,000 inhabitants

Location

Atlantic island just off the Lesser Antilles

Size

431 km²

Population

approx. 285,500 inhabitants (2017 estimate), of which roughly 93% are of African and 1% Indian descent

National languages

English

Religions

Christian (approx. 70% Anglican)

Government/ state type

Constitutional Commonwealth monarchy, parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Mild tropical maritime climate with unchanging air temperature and mild humidity

Country name

Republic of Cuba

Capital

Havana (San Cristóbal de La Habana); 2.1 million inhabitants

Location

Island state in the Caribbean

Size

110,860 km²; the main island is more than 1,200 km long and between 30 to 190 km wide.

Population

11.2 million inhabitants

National languages

Spanish

Religions

85% Catholics, Protestants; Majority of the population is officially without a religious affiliation

Government/ state type

Socialist republic, single-party rule by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC); top-most state body and de facto legislative body is the State Council with 31 members; plus the highest executive organ in the shape of the Council of Ministers with 33 members

Climate

Tropical humid-hot ocean climate; seasonal fluctuations of the average temperature between 21°C (February) and 37°C (July-August); average humidity 80-90%; rainy season: May to October

Country name

Dominican Republic

Capital

Santo Domingo, approx. 3 million inhabitants, old town world heritage site since 1990

Location

Eastern part of the Hispaniola island, Greater Antilles, Caribbean

Size

48,320 km²

Population

10 million inhabitants

National languages

Spanish

Religions

65% Catholics, 18% Protestants (mainly Evangelical), 12% atheists/without religion and 5% other

Government/ state type

Presidential democracy; national assembly (congress) comprises the senate (32 seats) and house of representatives (190 seats)

Climate

Tropical

Country name

Jamaica

Capital

Kingston and Kingston Metropolitan Area, a combination of Kingston and St. Andrew: 588,000 inhabitants (census: late 2015; source: Statistical Institute of Jamaica)

Location

Third-largest Caribbean island in the north-western part of the Caribbean Sea, 145 km south of Cuba and 190 km west of Haiti

Size

10,991 km²

Population

2.73 million (10/2015, source: Statistical Institute of Jamaica) of African (95%), European, Indian and Chinese descent

National languages

English, colloquial language amongst locals: Patois (local dialect with English and French elements)

Religions

Christians: 67.5% (mainly free churches); Rastafarian: 1.1%; Hindu: 0.7%; Islam: 0.6%; Jews: 0.2%, others: 8,6%; without faith: 21.3% (census 2011)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian monarchy in the Commonwealth since 1962

Climate

Maritime-tropical, due to the mountainous topography nearly all tropical climate zones are present

Country name

St. Lucia

Capital

Castries, approx. 70,000 inhabitants (2014)

Location

Island part of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean, south of Martinique and north of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Size

616 km²

Population

approx. 187,200 inhabitants (2017 estimate), predominantly of African descent

National languages

English, Patois also widespread as colloquial language

Religions

Christian, up to 90% Roman-Catholic

Government/ state type

Commonwealth monarchy, parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Tropical maritime

Country name

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Capital

Port-of-Spain, approx 37,522 inhabitants according to the last census 2011

Location

Southern-most island of the Caribbean island arc, of the north-eastern coast of Venezuela, Tobago lies 33 km northeast of Trinidad

Size

5,128 km², of which Trinidad 4,828 km², Tobago 300 km²

Population

1.4 million inhabitants (2017), of which 35.4% Indian, 34,2% African descent (census 2011)

National languages

English

Religions

28% free church, 21.6% Roman-Catholic, 18,2% Hinduism, 5.7% Anglican, 5.0% Muslim, 9% other (census 2011)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Tropical with a dry season (January-May) and rainy season (June-December)

Country name

Kingdom of Bahrain

Capital

Manama, approx. 300,000 inhabitants

Location

Located beside Saudi Arabia, archipelago comprising 33 islands, roughly in the middle of the Persian Gulf

Size

760 km²

Population

1,2 million inhabitants, of which approx. 50% foreigners

National languages

Arabic, English widespread as business language

Religions

Islam, roughly 70% of the inhabitants are Shiites; small Jewish community; there are 18 Christian churches

Government/ state type

Constitutionally based monarchy since 2002

Climate

Very hot summer, moderate winter months, high relative humidity

Country name

Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, in short: Brunei

Capital

Bandar Seri Begawan, approx. 298,800 inhabitants (“Brunei-Muara” greater area)

Location

Northern coast of Borneo on the South China Sea

Size

5,765 km² (roughly twice the size of Luxembourg)

Population

420,000 (source: IWF, 65 % Malays, 11 % Chinese, 6 % mainly non-Muslim indigenous, 18 % other)

National languages

Malay (official language), English is the educational language and lingua franca, Chinese dialects

Religions

Predominantly Sunni Islam, Shafi'i grouping (state religion), Christianity, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Animism

Government/ state type

Absolute monarchy (Malay Islamic Monarchy - MIB)

Climate

Tropically humid-hot, 28°C average, little nightly cool-off, relative humidity more than 80%

Country name

Kingdom of Cambodia

Capital

Phnom Penh, approx. 2 million inhabitants (with suburbs)

Location

On the gulf of Thailand, borders Thailand in the north and west, Laos in the north and Vietnam in the east

Size

181,035 km²

Population

13.4 million (census 2008)

National languages

Khmer, English common as business language

Religions

Buddhist (Theravada) 97%, Muslim 2%, other 1%

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy

Climate

Humid-hot monsoon climate

Country name

People's Republic of China

Capital

Beijing, larger area: approx. 21.5 million inhabitants, of which 8 million migrant workers

Location

East Asia

Size

9,597,995 km² (incl. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao)

Population

approx. 1.382 billion inhabitants (source: IWF) of which approx. 92% Han Chinese, as well as 55 minorities (Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighurs, Yi, Mongolian, Tibetan, Buyi, Koreans and others)

National languages

Standard high Chinese ("Putonghua"), Chinese dialects; different minority languages (Mongolian, Tibetan, Uighur, Turk languages, Korean)

Religions

Atheist state ideology; Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Protestant and Catholic “State churches” as well as independent local churches

Government/ state type

One-party socialist republic

Climate

Continental in the north, sub-tropical in the south

Country name

Georgia

Capital

Tbilisi approx. 1.2 million inhabitants

Location

Located between 41° and 44° latitude north, 40° and 47° longitude est, south of the Caucasus on the Black Sea. Borders the Russian Federation, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Size

69,700 km²

Population

approx. 3.7 million (census 2002: approx. 84% Georgian, 6.5% Azeri, 6% Armenian, 1.5% Russian, 2% other)

National languages

Official language is Georgian; common foreign languages are Russian, English, German and French; Minority languages: Abkhazian, Armenian, Azerian, Ossetian, among others

Religions

Georgian Orthodox Apostolic Church, plus religious communities of the Armenians, Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Baptists and Yazidis

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy (following the constitutional change of 2010 that came into effect in November 2013)

Climate

Warm and sub-tropically humid in the west, mild in the east

Country name

Republic of India

Capital

New Delhi, approx. 16.3 million inhabitants

Location

South Asia (north of the tropic on both sides)

Size

3,287,000 km² (roughly nine times the area of Germany)

Population

approx. 1.25 billion inhabitants (national census 2011)

National languages

Hindi and English and national languages, 21 further recognized languages

Religions

Hinduism (ca. 80,5%), Islam (ca. 13,4%), Christianity (ca. 2,3%), Sikhism (ca. 1,9%) as well as Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi and others

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy: Federal state (29 states, 6 union territories, National Capital Territory Delhi)

Climate

Monsoon dependent (July-September), hot dry season (April. June), severe seasonal fluctuation in northern India

Country name

Republic of Indonesia

Capital

Jakarta, approx. 10 million inhabitants, approx. 30 million in the greater Jakarta area

Location

South-east Asia, largest Archipelago in the world

Size

land area 2.02 million km², biggest expanse north-south 1,870 km, west-east 5,100 km, total coastal length 81,350 km

Population

The fourth most densely populated country in the world with approx. 260 million inhabitants (census 2010) Densely populated on Java (roughly 143 million inhabitants on 6.6% of the total area). More than 30 larger ethnic groups, of which the majority are of Malay descent, plus approx. 4 million Indonesians of Chinese descent, further with Indian, Arab or Melanesian descent. German: approx. 1,400 household with roughly 2000 persons, especially business people, company representatives, engineers and development experts

National languages

Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)

Religions

6 recognized religions: Islam (approx. 87% of the population), Evangelical and Catholic Churches (combine about 9%), Hinduism (2%, mainly on Bali and East Java); Buddhism (and Taoism, roughly 1%) and Confucianism; plus natural religions (about 1%)

Government/ state type

Presidential republic; president appoints the members of government; multi-party coalition in the national assembly supports these

Climate

Tropical, humid-hot

Country name

Japan

Capital

The capital Tokyo forms the world’s largest metropolitan region in combination with the cities Yokohama and Kawasaki, population density: roughly 5,400 inhabitants/km²

Location

Encompasses 6,852 islands and is located in east Asia in the Pacific; indirectly borders Russia in the north, the People’s Republic of Chine in the north-west, North and South Korea in the west and the Republic of Chine (Taiwan) in the south-west; the world’s fourth-largest island state in matters of area (source: Wikipedia)

Size

Japan’s total area of 377,930 km² is divided by the four main islands

Population

approx. 127 million inhabitants; population density: 336 inhabitants/km²

National languages

Japanese

Religions

The traditionally strongest religions in Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism; in addition there are Christian and other religious minorities

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Hokkaido: cold winter, warm summer; Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu: mild to sub-tropical; Okinawa: sub-tropical

Country name

Republic of Kazakhstan

Capital

Astana, approx. 1 million inhabitants (July 2016)

Location

Central Asia; northern-most point at the same level as Moscow, southern-most point roughly on the level of Madrid. Forest steppe in the north, more than half of the territory in central and west Kazakhstan is semi-desert or desert (the so-called Hungry Steppe). High mountain region in the north-east (Altai) and south (Tienshan, Alatau).

Size

2,724,900 km²

Population

17.9 million inhabitants with more than 55% urban population, with the following composition: Kazakhs (65%) and Russians (22%) combined; Uzbek (3%), Ukrainian (1.8%), Uighur (1.4%), Tatars (1.2%) and German (1.1%) represent significant minorities (updated 2013)

National languages

Kazakh (state language; Turk language); Russian is also an official language next to Kazakh in state organizations and bodies of  public autonomous administration

Religions

Sunni Islam (Hanafi), plus Russian-Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Christians, Jewish religions and other religious communities

Government/ state type

Presidential republic. Two-chamber parliament with limited competences; limited local self-government

Climate

Continental in the north, desert-like in central and west Kazakhstan, humid continental climate in the south

Country name

Lao People's Democratic Republic

Capital

Vientiane, with outskirts approx. 800,000 inhabitants

Location

Landlocked in south-east Asia, borders China in the north, Vietnam in the east, Cambodia in the south and Thailand as well as Myanmar in the west

Size

236,800 km²

Population

approx. 7.0 million inhabitants (2015); the parallel existence of numerous ethnicities (officially 49) is the source of great cultural wealth, yet poses a significant political challenge in view of the further development

National languages

Lao, lingua franca: English, at times also French

Religions

(Theravada-)Buddhism (approx. 60%), plus animistic tribal religions, Baha’i, Christians and Muslims

Government/ state type

One-party socialist republic

Climate

Tropical monsoon climate (humid-hot rainy season from May to November; mild, comparatively cool weather in December and January, dry-hot season from February to May)

Country name

West Malaysia (Malay Peninsula)
with the federal states Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Selangor, Terengganu, the federal territory of the capital Kuala Lumpur and the administrative center Putrajaya

East Malaysia (Borneo)
with the federal states Sarawak and Sabah and the federal territory of the Labuan Island

Capital

Kuala Lumpur, 1.6 million inhabitants; federal territory (greater area Kuala Lumpur: more than 7.2 million inhabitants); administrative capital: Putrajaya, 30 km from Kuala Lumpur

Location

Country in south-east Asia; geographically consists of two regions split by the South-China Sea, the Malay Peninsula in the west and Borneo Island in the east. The western part border Thailand in the north, the city-state of Singapore lies in the south on an island, the eastern part shares a long border with Indonesia and envelops the Sultanate Brunei in the north (source Wikipedia)

Size

West Malaysia: a total of 330,252 km² (a bit smaller than Germany); East Malaysia: Sarawak: 124,000 km², Sabah: 77,000 km²

Population

31.7 million inhabitants (2016; Department of Statistics Malaysia), of which 68.6 % Malays and related ethnic group/indigenous (growing proportion), 23.4% Malays of Chinese descent 7.0 % Malays of Indian descent

National languages

Malay (described as "Bahasa Malaysia" since 1967) as the official language; English is widespread, plus Chinese and Indian languages

Religions

Islam is the official religion; approx. 61% of the Malaysians, including the Malays, are Sunni Muslims. Malaysians of Chinese descent are mostly Buddhists, Confucians or Christians; Malaysians of Indian or Sri Lankan descent:  Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or Buddhists; the indigenous tribes are mainly Christians or Animists. In total, roughly 9% (2.7 million) of the Malaysians are Christian.

Government/ state type

Constitutional elective monarchy and parliamentarian democracy

Climate

In both regions: humid-hot tropical climate with a north-east and south-west monsoon, yet without significant seasonal fluctuations, average temperature 27°, (maximum: 35°, minimum: 21°); humidity mostly above 80%

Country name

Republic of Maldives

Capital

Malé, 105,000 inhabitants (2012)

Location

Island state in the Indian Ocean, south-west of the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent

Size

Consists of single island groups (atolls) with a total of roughly 1,190 islands, expands across 750 km in length and 120 km in width; about 200 of the mostly small islands are inhabited by the native population, a further 88 are used for tourism

Population

approx. 344,000 inhabitants (2014)

National languages

Dhivehi, related to the old-Sinhalese Elu; significantly enriched by Arabic foreign words; English is widespread in management circles and in the general business world

Religions

Islam is the state religion (Sunni orientation)

Government/ state type

Executive presidential constitution

Climate

Tropical with relatively high humidity, no seasons, rather monsoon periods (north-east monsoon from November to March, southwest monsoon from June to late August); average minimum temperature 25.5°C, average maximum temperature 30.4°C

Country name

Mongolia

Capital

Ulan Bator (alternative spelling: Ulaanbaatar, approx. 1.4 million inhabitants

Location

Central Asian territorial state between Russia (Siberia) and China; 3,485 km state border with Russia, 4,677 km border with China

Size

1,565 million km²(4.5x the size of Germany)

Population

3 million inhabitants; 94% Mongolians, 4,3% Kazakhs, 1,1% Tuvans (last national census 2010); approx. 60% of the total population lives in cities, 1.4 million inhabitants in the capital alone

National languages

Mongolian 95%, Kazakh 4.3%

Religions

Lamaist Buddhism, Islam (Kazakhs), small amount of Christians

Government/ state type

Republic, parliamentarian democracy with a constitution

Climate

Continental, semi-arid

Country name

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

Capital

Kathmandu, approx. 1.7 million inhabitants, greater area of Kathmandu approx. 3.5 million inhabitants

Location

Landlocked in south Asia; borders the People’s Republic of China in the north, and India in the east, south and west

Size

147,181 km²

Population

approx. 30,4 million inhabitants (roughly 100 ethnic groups of Indo-Arian and Tibeto-Burmese origin)

National languages

Nepalese is the official national language; plus roughly 50 minority languages and dialects

Religions

approx. 80% Hindus, 9% Buddhists, 4% Muslims, 1.4% Christians; ban on missionary work

Government/ state type

Federal parliamentary republic

Climate

Monsoon climate, milder in the north due to the altitude, mild winter  (0° to -20°C), high precipitation in the summer (25° to 32°C)

Country name

Sultanate of Oman
 

Capital

Muscat, including expanded capital region approx. 1.2 million inhabitants

Location

State in the east of the Arabian Peninsula (source: Wikipedia)

Size

309,500 km² (roughly equal to Germany)

Population

Total population approx. 4.5 million; more than 80% of the Omani population are under the age of 35

National languages

Arabic, also English as business language

Religions

approx. 88% Muslims, Islam is the state religion; Ibadism (roughly 75%),  Sunni and Shiite

Government/ state type

Monarchy

Climate

Very hot  (Muscat in the summer up to 52°, in the interior up to 57°, in the winter 25 - 35°C) very high humidity in the coastal areas; little precipitation

Country name

Republic of the Philippines

Capital

Manila, approx. 12 million inhabitants, greater Manila area approx. 17 million inhabitants

Location

South-east Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, located east of Vietnam

Size

approx. 300,000 km²

Population

approx. 100 million inhabitants (2014)

National languages

Filipino (Tagalog) and English (general lingua franca), Spanish less so

Religions

approx. 81 % Catholic, 2.8 % Evangelical, 5% Muslim

Government/ state type

Presidential system, based on the 1987 constitution

Climate

Maritime tropical climate, humid especially in the south-east all year; north-east monsoon (November to April); south-west monsoon (May to October); typhoons from August to December possible across the center and north of the Philippines

Country name

State of Qatar

Capital

Doha (Arabic: Ad-Dawha), approx. 2 million inhabitants

Location

Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, borders Saudi Arabia, maritime borders with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran

Size

11.437 km² (largest length 160 km, largest width 80 km)

Population

2.6 million inhabitants, of which 600,000 women; approx. 12% Qatari, otherwise mainly guest workers from Asia and Arabic states

National languages

Arabic, yet English is widespread as business language

Religions

Islam (Orthodox-Sunni-Wahhabi orientation, very small Shiite minority) as a state religion; some Christian churches have gained legal status since 2006

Government/ state type

Monarchy with an advisory assembly

Climate

Partially humid-hot tropical climate, in the summer up to 50°C with occasional sand storms, mild winters with few, at times intense rainfalls

Country name

Republic of Singapore

Capital

Singapore

Location

Singapore is located on an island just south of the Malay Peninsula; east-west expanse: 42 km; north-south: 22 km; connected to the mainland via a dam and a bridge; 54 further small islands

Size

718 km²; the land area has been expanded by more than 20% land reclamation measures

Population

5.54 million inhabitants, of which 2.16 million foreigners including 0.53 million "Permanent Residents", citizens and “Permanent Residents”

National languages

English (lingua franca and trade and administrative language), Chinese (Mandarin, southern dialects), Malay, Tamil

Religions

Buddhism, Taoism: 33.9%, Christian: 18.1%; Islam: 14.3%, Hinduism: 5.2%, others: 0.7%, without religion: 16.4% (2010)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy, single-chamber system

Climate

Tropical climate with high humidity (annual average is 84%); temperatures at daytime 31-33° C and at night 23-25° C

Country name

Republic of Korea / Daehan Minguk

Capital

Seoul. approx. 9.86 million inhabitants

Location

Southern part of the Korean peninsula, border between South and North Korea is the 38. degree of latitude

Size

100,329 km²

Population

50.6 million inhabitants

National languages

Korean

Religions

Buddhists (10.7 million), Protestants (8.6 million), Catholics (5.1 million)

Government/ state type

Republic with a presidential constitution, only limited self-government of the municipalities and provinces

Climate

Four defined seasons: humid-hot June to August, dry and cold from December to February, spring and fall are mild.

Country name

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Capital

Officially: Sri Jayewardenepura - Kotte (on the edge of Colombo, approx. 100,000 inhabitants), de facto: Colombo (inhabitants 2001: city 637.865, district 2.32 million inhabitants)

Location

Island state in the Indian Ocean (source: Wikipedia)

Size

65,610 km²

Population

20.7 million inhabitants, of which: 74.9 % Sinhalese, 15.4% Tamil (11.2% Sri Lanka-Tamil, 4.2% Tamil of Indian descent), 9.2% Arab, 0.5% other (Malay, Burgher, Vedda, etc.)

National languages

Sinhalese and Tamil are official languages; English is the lingua franca

Religions

70.2% Buddhist (Theravada-Buddhism), 12.6% Hindu, 9.7% Muslim, 7.4% Christian, 0.1% other

Government/ state type

Unitary presidential republic with parliamentary-democratic system

Climate

Tropical humid-hot

Country name

Taiwan, at times other names, incl. “Chinese Taipei”. Taiwan uses the term “Republic of China”

Capital

Taipei, 2.7 million inhabitants, greater area approx. 7 million inhabitants

Location

State in eastern Asia, more than 99% of the territory is comprised of the Taiwan Island and the smaller islands offshore (source: Wikipedia)

Size

Total area: 36,193 km²

Population

23.45 million inhabitants, of which approx. 2% Austronesian-Polynesian indigenous people

National languages

Chinese (Mandarin); further languages: Taiwanese (Minnan dialect of the Chinese), Hakka dialect, indigenous languages

Religions

Predominantly Buddhist (35%), Taoist (33%) or mixed religions, about 4% Christians, 19% not religious

Government/ state type

Republic with strong position of the president

Climate

Sub-tropical in the north, tropical in the south

Country name

Kingdom of Thailand

Capital

Bangkok, (phonetically) "Krung Thep" in Thai ("city of angels") and other names, approx. 12 million inhabitants

Location

South-east Asia

Size

513,115 km²

Population

approx. 67.2 million, predominantly ethnic Thai (approx. 15% of the population is of Chinese descent); Malay: approx. 2 million, Chinese: approx. 223,000, so-called “mountain tribes”, numbers fluctuate between 0.6 and 6.5 million, plus Khmer, Vietnamese, Indian, Burmese, Nepali, German

National languages

Thai

Religions

Buddhism (approx. 95%), Islam (approx. 4%), Christianity, Hinduism, Animism

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy

Climate

Tropical

Country name

Turkmenistan

Capital

Ashgabat, approx. 860,000 inhabitants

Location

The southern-most of the central Asian states, borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, maritime border (Caspian Sea) with Azerbaijan

Size

488,100 km², of which 85% desert (Karakum), second-largest central-Asian country, as large as Germany, Austria and Denmark combined

Population

6.7 million inhabitants (official data, estimates amount to approx. 5.2 million inhabitants)

National languages

Turkmen, official language since 1996; Russian is the lingua franca in the capital and individual urban areas; transition to the Latin alphabet in 1996; Turkmen is used exclusively in public life

Religions

Predominantly Islam (roughly 90% of the Sunni of the Hanafi teachings); Russian-Orthodox church (9%); Bahai community; Jewish community

Government/ state type

Presidential republic

Climate

Continental climate; extremely hot, dry summer, cold winter; agriculture depends on irrigation

Country name

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Capital

Abu Dhabi, according to official data approx. 2.5 million inhabitants

Location

In the south-east of the Persian Gulf, neighbored states Oman, Saudi-Arabia; maritime border with Iran

Size

83,600 km²

Population

according to official data approx. 9.15 million inhabitants, of which 85% foreigners (i.a. approx. 2.5 million Indian, 1 million Pakistani)

National languages

officially Arabic; English widespread; native languages of the local foreigners

Religions

Islam is the state religion (80% Sunni, 16 % Shiite); resident foreigner practice their religions mostly without inhibition (such as Christianity, Hinduism)

Government/ state type

Federal constitutional monarchy (7 emirates)

Climate

Dry climate, humid-hot in the summer, up to more than 50°C on the coast, and nearly 100% humidity, the interior is dry and extremely hot

Country name

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capital

Hanoi, following regional reform approx. 7.6 million inhabitants

Location

Elongated coastal state in south-east Asia; borders China, Laos, Cambodia, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea (source: Wikipedia)

Size

332,800 km²

Population

approx. 92 million, of which approx. 10 million members of minorities (54 ethnic groups, among others Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Chinese)

National languages

Vietnamese

Religions

Buddhist (approx. 20 million), Catholic (approx. 6,2 million), Protestant (approx. 1 million), diverse syncretistic religion

Government/ state type

One-party system

Climate

Sub-tropical to tropical

Country name

Commonwealth of Australia

Capital

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: 392,000 inhabitants (Sep. 2015 estimate)

Location

Located on the southern hemisphere, north-west of New Zealand and south of Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea; in addition to the main continental mass, also includes the offshore island of Tasmania and a few smaller Oceanic islands

Size

approx. 7.7 million km² (22x the size of Germany)

Population

approx. 23.86 million inhabitants predominantly of European descent (Sep. 2015 estimate)

National languages

English

Religions

Protestant 30.1% (Anglican 17.1%, Uniting Church 5%, Presbyterian & Reformed 2.8%, Baptists 1.6%, Lutherans 1.2%, Pentecostal 1.1%, other Protestants 1.3%), Catholics 25.3% (Roman-Catholic 25.1%, other Catholics 0.2%), other Christians 2.9%, Orthodox 2.8%, Buddhist 2.5%, Islam 2,2%, Hindu 1.3%, Jews 0.5%, other 0.8%, no religious affiliation 22.3%; 2011 census)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian-democratic monarchy in the Commonwealth of Nations

Climate

Mild in the south and east, tropical in the north, desert-like in the interior

Country name

Originally French-Oceania, now a French  overseas territory in Polynesia

Capital

Papeete, approx. 25.769 inhabitants (2012)

Location

Comprises a total of 118 islands and atolls, that are part of five archipelagos; in the southern Pacific roughly at 15° south and 140° west The most famous and highly populated island is Tahiti; the atoll Mururoa, where French nuclear tests took place, are also part of French Polynesia

Size

4,167 km²; the islands are dispersed across an ocean area of roughly4,000,000 km²with a land area of only a bit more than 4,000 km²

Population

The overall agglomeration had 267,000 inhabitants in 2012, roughly 78% if the population are Polynesian who are organized in different ethnic groups; the largest minority are Chinese at 12% who have significant influence in the economy, especially; formerly immigrated French settlers comprise 6% and French people who were born in France and not French Polynesia make up 4% of the total population by now; a certain portion of the population is of mixed descent

National languages

French

Religions

A majority of 54 % of the population are Protestant and 30 % are Roman-Catholic Christians. 1% are Jehovah's witness, 10% are followers of other faiths or religious communities; 6% without religious affiliation

Government/ state type

The country’s political situation severely changed between 2004 and 2005. In February 2004, a new statute of autonomy for French Polynesia was concluded in the French capital Paris. Among other things, the official status of the region was changed from French overseas territory (TOM = Territoire d'outre-mer) to overseas country (POM = Pays d'outre-mer). The position of the local government and the local president were strengthened. In the future, France will only be responsible for the foreign policy, justice department, defense policy, domestic security and finance.

Climate

The climate is quite uniform on all islands, namely permanently tropically warm and always moist with limited seasonal temperature fluctuations

Country name

New Zealand

Capital

Wellington, 200,100 inhabitants ( City Council estimate, February 2016); greater Wellington: 491,400 inhabitants (June 2014 estimate)

Location

Geographically isolated island state in the southern Pacific; it comprises a northern and southern island as well as numerous smaller islands; the nearest mainland in the west is the Australian continent, the French island New Caledonia and the island states of Tonga and Fiji in the north as well as the continent of Antarctica in the south

Size

268,107 km²

Population

4.69 million inhabitants (Statistics NZ June 2016)
approx. 74 % European descent, approx. 15 % Maori (native Polynesian), approx. 7 % Pacific islanders (immigrated Polynesians); approx. 12 % Asians; approx. 1 % other (multiple answers were possible at the 2013 census)

National languages

English, Maori and Kiwi sign language

Religions

48.9 % Christians of different denominations; 41.9 % no religions; remainder other religions (national census 2013)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian-democratic monarchy in the Commonwealth of Nations

Climate

Moderate

Country name

Republic of Austria

Capital

Vienna, approx. 1.741 million inhabitants

Location

Landlocked between the Federal Republic of Germany, the Czech Republic in the north, Slovakia and Hungary in the east, Italy and Slovenia in the south, Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the west

Size

83,879 km²

Population

8.7 million inhabitants, of which 12.5% foreigners, especially from southern and south-eastern Europe, from Germany (approx. 265,000 Germans with a primary or secondary residence) and Turkey

National languages

German; official languages: German, Slovenian (regional), Croat (regional), Hungarian (regional)

Religions

Catholics (5.21 million), Protestants (306.183), Muslims (600.000), Orthodox Christians (ca. 500.000), Jews (ca. 13.500), no religious affiliation (estimates are around 2.4 million)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian-democratic republic

Climate

Central European transition climate with increasing continental influence towards the east

Country name

Republic of Belarus

Capital

Minsk; approx. 1.94 million inhabitants (as at 2016)

Location

central-eastern Europe, borders Lithuania and Latvia (north), Russia (east), Ukraine (south) and Poland (west)

Size

207,600 km², north-south expanse: 560 km, west-east expanse: 650 km

Population

9.5 million inhabitants (as at 2016) with a growing tendency

National languages

State languages: Belorussian and Russian; lingua franca: Russian (approx. 85%, especially in urban centers)

Religions

Russian-orthodox (predominantly); Roman-Catholic (roughly 20 %); smaller Evangelical, Jewish and Muslim (Tatar) communities

Government/ state type

Presidential republic

Climate

Moderate-continental

Country name

Kingdom of Belgium

Capital

Brussels, approx. 1.17 million inhabitants

Location

West Europe, borders France in the south-west, the North Sea in the north-west, the Netherlands in the north, Germany in the east and Luxembourg in the south-east

Size

30,528 km²

Population

approx. 11.43 million (as at 2016), of which approx. 11.29% foreigners (as at: 2014); approx. 6.4 million Flemish, approx. 3.5 million Walloons, of which German-speaking community approx. 76,000, 1y175 million in Brussels (as at 2015)

National languages

Dutch, French, German

Religions

approx. 72% Roman-Catholic, approx. 1% Protestant, approx. 8% Muslim, approx. 16% no denomination, approx. 40.000 Jews

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy, two-chamber system, federal state

Climate

Moderate climate

Country name

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Capital

Sarajevo, approx. 275.000 inhabitants

Location

South-eastern European state, with Serbia in the east, Montenegro in the south-east and Croatia in the north, south and west; short Adria-coastal strip at Neum (28 km)

Size

51,197 km²

Population

approx. 3.5 million inhabitants, of which approx. 63 % in the entity "Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (FBiH), approx. 35 % in the entity "Republika Srpska" (RS), about 2 % special district Brcko (each as per national census 2013)

National languages

Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, with Latin (Bosnian/Croatian) and Cyrillic alphabet (Serbian)

Religions

Religious affiliation is often equated with an ethnic affiliation that is defined by religion; according to the citizen’s specification in the census of 2013: 50.7 % Muslim (mainly Bosniaks), 30.7 % Serbian-Orthodox (mainly Serbs), 15.2 % Catholics (mainly Croats) and 1 % other religions

Government/ state type

Democratic state with two largely autonomous entities: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS)

Climate

Continental climate; Mediterranean climate in the coastal area

Country name

Republic of Croatia

Capital

Zagreb, approx. 793,000 inhabitants (incl. suburbs approx. 1 million)

Location

Mediterranean, at the same time central European state with the following neighbors: Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Italy (maritime border); the largest part of the country is mountainous or hilly; numerous islands are located off the coast

Size

56,538 km²

Population

4.29 million inhabitants (2011), declining tendency: approx. 90% Croats; 4.4% Serbs; 5% other; the population is concentrated in the north and along the coast; numerous Croatian citizens live abroad; 263,000 Croats are registered in Germany

National languages

Croatian, additional in official use in regions with strong ethnic minorities: Serbian, Italian, Hungarian

Religions

86% Roman-Catholic, 4% Serbian-Orthodox, 1% Muslim, 0.3% Evangelical, 0.01% Jewish

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Long, warm (at times humid-hot) summers and (except at the coast) cold winters, spring and fall not very pronounced

Country name

Republic of Cyprus

Capital

Nicosia, buffer zone secured by UN troops; South-Nicosia approx. 313,400 inhabitants (administrative district), North-Nicosia approx. 75,000 inhabitants

Location

Island in the eastern Mediterranean, it is the third-largest Mediterranean island following Sicily and Sardinia; geographically, Cyprus is part of Asia, but is usually seen as part of Europe (source:   Wikipedia)

Size

9,251 km², of which approx. 59 % under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, 36 % under Turkish control, 3 % buffer area under UN administration as well as 2 % British sovereign military bases in the south of the island

Population

891,000 inhabitants in the Republic of Cyprus (as at December 2014), of which 179,547 foreigner; 301,988 persons in the island’s northern part (as at 2013), of which approx. 135,000 Turkish Cypriot recognized by Cyprus); portion of urban population: 70.2%

National languages

Greek (south), Turkish (north), lingua franca: English

Religions

Greek-Cypriot part of the island: predominantly Greek-Orthodox as well as approx. 3,600 Maronites, approx. 1,300 Armenians, approx. 300 Roman-Catholics and approx. 380 Muslims; Turkish-Cypriot part of the island: predominantly Muslim as well as approx. 460 Greek-Orthodox and approx. 170 Maronites

Government/ state type

republic, presidential democracy

Climate

Mediterranean: hot and dry summer, rain between November and March

 Country name

Czech Republic, short form: Czechia

Capital

Prague, approx. 1.3 million inhabitants

Location

landlocked state in central Europe; borders Germany (approx. 815) and Austria, Poland and Slovakia

Size

78,866 km²

Population

10,58 million inhabitants, population (according to citizenship): 95.6% Czechs, 4.4% foreigners, of which 1.0% Ukrainians, 0.9% Slovaks, 0.5% Vietnamese, 0.3% Russians, 0.2% Poles, 0.2% Germans

National languages

Czech

Religions

79.2% without affiliation, 6.7% devout, without affiliation to a denomination, 10.4% Roman-Catholic, 0.5% Protestant, 0.4% Czech-Hussite, 0.2% Orthodox, 0.1 % Jehovah's Witnesses, about 0.2% Jews, about 0.1% Muslims, others: 2.2 %.

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy, dual-chamber parliament

Climate

Moderate continental climate with quite hot summers and cold winters; major temperature differences between the coldest month of January and the hottest month of July (source Wetterkontor)

Country name

Kingdom of Denmark

Capital

Copenhagen, 591,000 inhabitants, Faroes: Torshavn, approx. 19,950 inhabitants, Greenland: Nuuk/Godthåb, approx. 16.800 inhabitants

Location

Denmark list in the north of Europe and comprises Jütland, Fünen, Seeland and roughly 500 further islands (i.a. Lolland, Falster and Bornholm) as well as the self-governing parts of the kingdom Faroes and Greenland

Size

Denmark 43,094 km², Faroes: 1,399 km², Greenland: 2,166,086 km²

Population

Denmark: 5,6 million inhabitants; Faroes: approx. 48.300 inhabitants, Greenland: approx. 55.900 inhabitants

National languages

Danish, German-speaking minority in North Schleswig (up to 15,000), native languages on the Faroes and Greenland (Faroese and Greenlandic)

Religions

Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Denmark 80.4 %, Muslim 3.8 %, Catholic 0.6 %

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentarian democratic government system

Climate

Denmark and Faroes: atlantic, Greenland: arctic

Country name

Republic of Estonia

Capital

Tallinn, approx. 443,000 inhabitants, of which 38 % ethnic Russians

Location

Tallinn (previously Reval) is located at sea level approx. on the degree of latitude of Stockholm, roughly 80 km south of Helsinki

Size

45,227 km²

Population

approx. 1.3 million inhabitants (January 2017), of which ethnic Estonian: 69.8%; further Ethnic groups: Russian 25.2%, Ukrainian 1.7%, Belorussian 0.9%, Finnish 0.6%, other 1.8%

National languages

Estonian (sole official language), Russian (lingua franca in regions dominated by the Russian-speaking population, especially in the north-east)

Religions

Evangelical-Lutheran and Orthodox, Russian-Orthodox dominates in the non-Estonian part of the population

Government/ state type

Republic, parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Maritime to moderately very long winters, cool summers (average temperatures +17.8° C in July, +0.7°C in February)

Country name

Republic of Finland

Capital

Helsinki, approx. 635,000 inhabitants, capital region: approx. 1.1 million inhabitants (December 2016)

Location

Country in northern Europe; border Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic (source: Wikipedia)

Size

338,435 km² (69% forest, 10% water, 8% agricultural area)

Population

approx. 5.5 million inhabitants (December 2016), of which approx. 329,000 with a foreign mother tongue; of those roughly 6,000 with German as their mother tongue (2015)

National languages

Finnish and Swedish, Sami also in parts of northern Finland

Religions

Lutherans: 73.0%, Orthodox: 1.1%, other: 1.5%, without affiliation: 23.5% (as at: 2015)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy with elements of a presidential democracy

Climate

Average daily temperature in July 2016: Helsinki 17.7°C, Sodankylä (Lapland) 14.5°C; in February 2016: Helsinki -0.6, Sodankylä (Lapland) -6.3°C

Country name

French Republic

Capital

Paris, Paris city numbers 2.2 million inhabitants (2016), Paris metropolitan area 12.4 million (2013)

Location

Unitary state in western Europe with islands and territories overseas on several continents (source: Wikipedia)

Size

543,965 km² (without overseas departments, that encompass 88,969 km²)

Population

66.6 million inhabitants (inhabitants), of which approx. 4.2 million foreigners (2014)

National languages

French

Religions

Estimates; no official data available: 61 % Roman-Catholic, 25 % without religion, 7 % Muslim, 4 % Protestant, 2 % other religions and 1 % Jews.

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian presidential democracy with two chambers

Climate

Four main zones: Atlantic region - moderate ocean climate; continental region - pronounced temperature changes (especially in the east); Mediterranean zone - moderate, warm sea climate; Alpine zone - rough mountain climate

Country name

Federal Republic of Germany

Capital

Berlin, approx. 3.5 million inhabitants (December 2015)

Location

State in central Europe that comprises 16 German states; the longest expanse from north to south totals 876 km, and 640 km from west to east

Size

357,050 km²

Population

82,2 million inhabitants, of which foreigners: 8.7 million (December 2015)

National languages

German

Religions

Evangelical (27%); Catholic (29%); Muslim (4%); 100,000 members of Jewish communities, i.a. (updated 2015)

Government/ state type

Democratic parliamentarian federal state

Climate

Germany is located in the moderately cool west-wind zone between the Atlantic Ocean and continental climate in the east

Country name

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Capital

London; approx. 8.6 million inhabitants

Location

Island in north-western Europe

Size

243,820 km²

Population

64.6 million inhabitants

National languages

English, Welsh, Gaelic

Religions

approx. 38 million Christians (mainly Anglicans (Church of England and Church of Scotland); approx. 5 million Catholics; about  2 million Muslims, 1.5 million Hindus and Sikhs; 300,000 Jews; 15 million other / without religious affiliation

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian monarchy with two chambers

Climate

Moderate

Country name

Hungary

Capital

Budapest, approx. 1.73 million inhabitants (census 2011)

Location

Hungary is bordered to the north by Slovakia, to the north-east by Ukraine, to the east by Romania, to the south by Serbia and Croatia, and to the west by Slovenia and Austria

Size

93,030 km²

Population

9.2 million inhabitants, of which approx. 186.000 Hungarian-Germans as well as about 316,00 Roma (census 2011)

National languages

Hungarian

Religions

Rom.-Cath. (37%), calv.-ref. (12%.), evang.-luth. (2%), Jewish (0.1%), without a church (17%), no specification (27%) (national census 2011)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy, single-chamber parliament

Climate

Continental

Country name

Hellenic Republic

Capital

Athens

Location

Peninsula and island state in south-eastern Europe

Size

132,000 km²; of which 107,000 mainland and approx. 25,000 island area; coat approx. 15,000 km

Population

10.8 million inhabitants, of which 1 million registered foreigners (updated: 2011 - Eurostat)

National languages

New Greek

Religions

Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece as well as Muslim (approx. 130,00), Protestant, Catholic (combined about 50,000) and Jewish (6,500) members

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy since 1974, single-chamber system with 300 delegates

Country name

Iceland

Capital

Reykjavík, approx. 122,000 inhabitants

Location

The main island in the largest volcanic island on earth and is located just south of the Arctic Circle (source Wikipedia)

Size

103,000 km²

Population

332,529 inhabitants (Jan. 2016), of which two thirds in the greater Reykjavik area; nearly all settlements on the coast (5,000 km of coastline)

National languages

Icelandic, mandatory foreign languages: English, Danish

Religions

1. church as the state church (80% of the population)

Government/ state type

Republic, parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Sub-arctic ocean climate: cool summers and relatively mild winters, precipitation in the south up to 2,000mm per year. Temperatures in Reykjavik (2014): median annual temperature 6°C, median January temperature 2.4°C (min. -5°C), median July temperature 11.8°C (max. 17.5°C)

Country name

Republic of Ireland

Capital

Dublin; Dublin City: 525,383 inhabitants; Dublin County: 1.273 million inhabitants; metrop. area: 1.8 million inhabitants

Location

Island state in Western Europe (source Wikipedia)

Size

Ireland is roughly the size of Bavaria at 70,282 km²; the 6 counties in the north that belong to the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) total an additional 14,139 km²

Population

4.75 million inhabitants (national census 2016); in the wake of the EU expansion and migration from European and non-European countries (especially Poland and Baltic states) an non-European countries (especially the Philippines and Nigeria) the proportion of foreigners has risen to 8.1% (EU average is 6.6%); since 2008, migration trend reversal due to more emigration than immigration.

National languages

Irish (first official language, but the daily language of only roughly 3% of the population), English

Religions

approx. 84 % Roman-Catholic, 3 % Anglicans (Church of Ireland), plus other Protestant denominations and smaller groups and religions, 1% Muslim (2006)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian-democratic republic

Climate

Maritime climate, moderate; mild winter, frequent change of weather, significant precipitation (“Green island”)

Country name

Italian Republic

Capital

Rome, 2.7 million inhabitants

Location

In southern Europe on the Apennine Peninsula; neighboring states: France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Vatican City

Size

301,277 km²

Population

60 million inhabitants, of which 4.5 million foreigners (7.5% of the entire population)

National languages

Italian, officially recognized minority languages include Friulian, Ladin, German, Slovenian, Occitan, French, Franco-Provençal, Albanian, Greek, Sardinian, Catalan and Croatian

Religions

Quite predominantly Roman-Catholic, plus approx. 1.3 million Muslims, roughly 550,000 Protestants, 230,000 Jehovah’s witnesses, 200,000 Buddhists, 110,000 Hindus and 40,000 Jews

Government/ state type

Republic, parliamentarian democracy with dual-chamber system

Climate

North: central European; center and south: Mediterranean

Country name

Vatican City State

Location

On the Vatican hill on the right side of the Tiber in Rome

Size

44 hectare (the smallest state in the world with only 1/4 the area of Monaco)

Population

Roughly 300 persons (cardinals and prelates, who reside in the Vatican City or have an important function there as well as 80 laymen). There are approx. 600 citizens The majority of the roughly 3,000 employees of the Holy Sea and the Vatican City State does not live on the territory and has a different citizenship.

National languages

Italian, Latin for official statements, French in diplomatic correspondence

Independence / sovereignty

The Lateran Treaty (state contract, financial agreement and concordat) with Italy on 02.11.1929 founded the Vatican City State. Its purposes lies in ensuring the independence and sovereignty of the Holy Sea in the international sphere and to makes this visible as well. A further Concordat signed with Italy on February 18, 1984 revised a part of the Lateran Treaty. Among other things, it defines the religious pluralism and new order of the state services for religious facilities.

Head of State

Pope Francis

Country name

Republic of Latvia

Capital

Riga, approx. 702,000 inhabitants

Location

On the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, borders Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, and the Russian Federation in the east and Belarus in the south-east

Size

64,573 km²

Population

1.976 million inhabitants (62 % Latvians, 27 % Russians, 11 % other)

National languages

Latvian (sole official language); Russian widespread

Religions

Evangelical-Lutheran, Roman-Catholic Church, Russian-Orthodox Church, Jewish synagogue community, German Ev.-Luth. church with 5 parishes

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Moderate, but with considerable seasonal temperature fluctuations: Summer warm; spring and fall are short and relatively mild, winter very long (October to April) with extreme sub-zero temperatures (down to -30 degrees)

Country name

Republic of Lithuania

Capital

Vilnius approx. 530,000 inhabitants

Location

Eastern Baltic state; neighboring states: Latvia, Belarus, Poland, Russia (Kaliningrad region)

Size

65,300 km², largest of the thee Baltic states

Population

approx. 3 million inhabitants, of which: 86.7 % Lithuanians, plus Poles (approx. 5.6 %), Russians (4.8 %) and Belorussians (approx. 1.3%), other nationalities under 1 %.; Germans at 0.1% with approx. 3,150 persons

National languages

Lithuanian

Religions

Predominantly Catholic, plus Russian-Orthodox, Protestant

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy, special competences of the state president when forming governments and in foreign policy

Climate

Moderately continental

Country name

Constitutional name: “Republic of Macedonia”, UN membership under the name of “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”

Capital

Skopje, approx. 700,000 inhabitants

Location

In the southern central Balkans, borders Serbia in the north, Kosovo in the north-west, Bulgaria in the east, Greece in the south and Albania in the west

Size

25,713 km²

Population

2.1 million inhabitants, of which ethnic Macedonians 64.2 %, Albanians 25.2 %, Turks 3.9 %, Romani 2,6 %, Serbs 1.8 %, Bosniaks 0.8 %, Vlachs 0.5 %, others 1.0 % (as per national census 2002)

National languages

Macedonian; Albanian, Turkish; Romani, Serbian, Vlach language

Religions

Macedonian-Orthodox (approx. 70%, autocephaly since 1967, not yet recognized by other orthodox churches); Islamic community (approx. 25 %); Catholic Church (0.5%); Methodist, Jewish community

Government/ state type

Republic/parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Continental, very hot in the summer, very cold and wet in the winter

Country name

Republic of Malta

Capital

Valletta, approx. 5,750 inhabitants

Location

Island group in the Mediterranean, encompassing Malta, Gozo and Camino, approx. 90 km south of Sicily, 320 km east of Tunisia, 350 km north of Tripoli

Size

316 km²

Population

433,300 inhabitants (2015); more than 400,000 Maltese live abroad

National languages

Maltese; English is used everywhere as a second official language, in part even Italian (“3. official language”)

Religions

97% of the population is Roman-Catholic

Government/ state type

Republic

Climate

Mediterranean climate with precipitation, nearly exclusively in the north, but frequently stormy winter months. Hot summers with little rain, high humidity year-round. Temperatures can drop to 2°C in the winter and climb to 42°C in the summer

Country name

Montenegro

Capital

Podgorica, 140,000 inhabitants (city) or 187,000 inhabitants (municipality)

Location

State on the Adriatic coast, in the Balkans, neighbors: Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, separated from Italy by the Adriatic Sea

Size

13,812 km²

Population

national census April 2011) 625,266 inhabitants;  composition in categories of the April 2011 census: 45 percent Montenegrin, 29 percent Serbs, 8.6 percent Bosniaks, 3.3 percent Muslims, 5 percent Albanians, 1 percent Croats, 1 percent Romani

National languages

Montenegrin (mostly written in Latin, but Cyrillic is still common); Albanian is the official language of instruction in schools in the predominant settlement area of this population group (cities of Ulcinj and Tuzi). Schools there can choose either Montenegrin or Albanian

Religions

72 percent Serbian-Orthodox, 3.5 percent Roman-Catholic, 16 percent Muslim, the rest without specification (mostly denominational)

Government/ state type

Republic

Climate

Mediterranean on the Adriatic coast, the interior is moderately continental, the mountains see rather long winter with lots of snow

Country name

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Capital

Amsterdam, approx. 833.000 inhabitants; greater Amsterdam approx .1.13 million inhabitants (2015)

Location

The country is mainly located in northern West-Europe borders the North Sea in the north and west, Belgium in the south and Germany in the east (source Wikipedia)

Size

41,526 km²

Population

17.012 million inhabitant (May 2016), of which 3.66 million foreigner (of which 430,934 from EU member states, 2015), 71,751 Germans (2015), 61,048 with dual German-Dutch citizenship (2015)

National languages

Dutch, West Frisian (Friesland province)

Religions

24.4% Roman-Catholic, 5,7% Protestant, 6,7% Dutch Reformed Church, 3.4% reformed; 4.9% Muslim; 0.1% Jewish (2014)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian monarchy

Climate

Moderate maritime climate

Country name

Kingdom of Norway

Capital

Oslo, 658,000 inhabitants (June 2016); with a catchment area of approx. 1.5 million inhabitants

Location

Norway is locate don the Scandinavian peninsula and border Sweden in the east and Finland and Russia in the north-east. Norway’s economic zone borders Denmark in the south and Great Britain (Scotland) in the west (source Wikipedia)

Size

385,186 km²

Population

approx. 5.23 million inhabitants (July 2016)

National languages

Norwegian (2 written languages: bokmål and nynorsk) and Sami (in some communities of the municipalities of Troms, Finnmark, Nordland and Nord-Trøndelag equal to Norwegian)

Religions

Church of Norway (Evangelical-Lutheran): 75.2%; Roman-Catholic Church: 2.4%; Islam: 2.6%; Buddhism: 0.3%; Hinduism: 0.1% humanist communities: 1.7%, without religion: 12.3 %; other: 7.2% (as at 2016)

Government/ state type

Constitutional monarchy

Climate

Oceanic climate along the coast due to gulf stream; rather continental or mountainous climate in the interior

Country name

Republic of Poland

Capital

Warsaw, approx. 1.729 million inhabitants in the greater area (2014)

Location

North-south between the Baltic, Sudeten Mountains, High Tatra and the Beskids, east-west between the Oder, Neiße and Bug

Size

312,679 km²

Population

37.97 million inhabitants (2016)

National languages

Polish

Religions

Catholic (33.5 million), Orthodox (504,400), Jehovah’s witnesses (124,100), Lutheran (61,700), Reformed, Methodist, Old Catholics, Jews, Muslims

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy (two-chamber parliament) and president with (limited) executive powers

Climate

Moderate transition climate

Country name

Portuguese Republic

Capital

Lisbon (Lisboa), city center approx. 547,000 inhabitants, with greater area ("Grande Lisboa") approx. 2.04 million inhabitants

Location

Extreme west of the European continent and the Iberian Peninsula; north-south expanse: 577 km, west-east: 286 km

Size

92,345 km²

Population

10.6 million inhabitants

National languages

Portuguese

Religions

79.5 % Roman-Catholic

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian republic

Climate

Atlantic and Mediterranean climate; Azores: moderate climate; Madeira: sub-tropical climate

Country name

Romania

Capital

Bukarest; approx. 1.9 million inhabitants (2013 estimate)

Location

South-eastern Europe, bordering Hungary in the north-west, Ukraine in the north, the Republic of Moldova and the Black Sea  in the east, Bulgaria in the south and Serbia in the west

Size

237,500 km²

Population

19.861 million inhabitants (of which 83.4% Romanian, 6.1% Hungarian, 3.1% Romani, 0.3% Ukrainian, 0.2% German and others (2011 estimate)

National languages

Romanian

Religions

Romanian-Orthodox 87 %, Roman-Catholic about 5 %, Greek-Catholic about 1 %, and others

Government/ state type

Republic

Climate

Continental (hot summer - up to 40°C, cold winter; colder than Germany overall)

Country name

Russian Federation (Russia)

Capital

Moscow, approx. 12.3 million inhabitants

Location

In the eastern part of Europe and in the northern part of Asia, borders Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Lithuania (Oblast Kaliningrad)

Size

17,098,200 km²

Population

146.5 million inhabitants (official figures), ethnic proportions (approx. 200 ethnic groups in total): 77.7% Russian, 3.7% Tatar, 1.4% Ukrainian, 1.1% Baschkiri, 1% Chuvash, 1% Chechens, 10.2% other ethnicities, 3.9% unspecified

National languages

Russian

Religions

Christianity (Russian-Orthodox), Islam, Judaism, Buddhism

Government/ state type

Presidential republic, federal state structure

Climate

From north to south transition from an arctic to continental climate (dry; very cold winters, warm to hot summers)

Country name

Republic of Serbia

Capital

Belgrad (Beograd), approx. 1.659 million inhabitants (census 2011)

Location

Central Balkan state Neighbors: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia

Size

77,484 km²

Population

7,114,393 inhabitants (official 2015 estimate)

National languages

Serbian (written both in Latin and in Cyrillic, with Serbian authorities obligated to use Cyrillic script); in addition, minority languages (Hungarian 3.8%, Bosnian 1.8%, Romani 1.1%, others 4.1%) are used officially but only to a limited extent in their respective settled areas

Religions

84.6% Serbian Orthodox, 5% Roman Catholic, 3% Muslim, 1% Protestant, 0.04% other Christian Churches, 0.02% eastern religions, 0.008% Jews, 0.02% other religions, 0.06% agnostics and 1.1% atheists (as at 2012)

Government/ state type

Republic; parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Moderately continental

Country name

Republic of Slovenia

Capital

Ljubljana, approx. 287,000 inhabitants (October 2015)

Location

Transition between central and south-eastern Europe; is bordered by Italy to the west, the Adriatic to the southwest, Austria to the north-west and north, Hungary to the north-east and Croatia to the south and east

Size

20,273 km²

Population

approx. 2.06 million inhabitants (October 2015); as per survey 2002: Slovenians: 83.1%; Hungarian (about 6,000), Italian (about 2,000); other population groups: Croat (approx. 35,500), Serb (approx. 39,000), Bosnian (approx. 21,500), Albanian (approx. 6.000), Macedonian (approx. 4.000), Roma (approx. 3,000), Montenegrin (approx. 2,500), German-speaking (approx. 680)

National languages

Slovenian

Religions

According to a 2002 census, 57.8% of Slovenians identify themselves as Roman-Catholic, 2.5% as Muslim, 2.3% as Orthodox and 0.9% as Protestant

Government/ state type

Republic/parliamentarian democracy

Climate

Several climate zones: alpine climate (W/NW), continental climate (N/E), Mediterranean climate (W/SW)

Country name

Kingdom of Spain

Capital

Madrid, 3.16 million inhabitants (January 2016)

Location

Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula as is Portugal (in the west) and UK-owned Gibraltar and takes up roughly six sevenths of the Iberian peninsula; Spain borders France in the north along the Pyrenees mountains as well as the micro state Andorra (source Wikipedia)

Size

505,990 km²

Population

46.3 million inhabitants, share of foreigners: 9.5% (January 2016=

National languages

Spanish (Castellano) is the official language in the whole of Spain; respective regional languages are used in the autonomous regions of Basque, Galicia, Catalonia Valencia, Navarre and the Balearic Islands, facutally as a second official language

Religions

Roman-Catholic (more than 90%)

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian monarchy

Climate

Madrid: highland climate (Castilian Meseta, 680m asl): dry, cold winters, hot summers (up to 40°C), coast Mediterranean/ Atlantic climate

Country name

Kingdom of Sweden

Capital

Stockholm, approx. 935,000 inhabitants, greater area approx. 2.2 million inhabitants (December 2016)

Location

Border Norway in the west and Finland in the north-east with a solid bridge connection (Öresundsbron) to Denmark in the south-west

Size

449,696 km²

Population

approx. 10 million inhabitants (January 2017), of which born abroad: 1.78 million

National languages

Swedish; minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli, Sami, Romani, Yiddish

Religions

No state church (since 2000), no official statistics to religious affiliations approx. 65% of the population are Lutherans as part of the “Swedish Church” (Svenska Kyrkan), numerous free Protestant-Christian organization; plus immigrant with a growing proportion of Muslims and Catholics

Government/ state type

Parliamentarian democracy with monarch as head of state

Climate

Average temperatures January/July: Malmö -0.5°C/+17°C, Stockholm -3°C/+17°C, Kiruna -14,5°C/+12°C

Country name

Swiss Confederation (CH = Confoederatio Helvetica)

Capital

Bern, approx. 139,000 inhabitants

Location

Central Europe, borders France to the west, Liechtenstein and Austria to the east, Germany to the north and Italy to the south

Size

41,285 km²

Population

approx. 8.237 million inhabitants, of which 2.048 million foreigners (24.6%,) of which approx. 313,000 Germans

National languages

Official languages: German 64.9%, French 22.6%, Italian 8.3%, Romansh 0.5%; other languages (Serbian/Croatian, Albanian, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Turkish, etc.)

Religions

Residential population Roman Catholic 38.2%, Reformed 26.9%, other Christian churches 5.7%, Muslims 4.9%, Jews 0.2%, other religions 2.7%, denominational 21.4%

Government/ state type

Democratic and republican federal state

Climate

Alpine moderate

Country name

Republic of Turkey

Capital

Ankara, approx. 5.3 million inhabitants (December 2016)

Location

3% in Europe (Thrace), 97% in Asia Minor (Anatolia)

Size

814,578 km², roughly equal to 2.3x the size of Germany

Population

79.8 million inhabitants (December 2016), average age 31 years

National languages

Turkish, various Kurdish languages are also spoken in wide areas in the south-east and east

Religions

Predominantly Muslims with growing portion since the Ottoman period (today approx. 99%), majority are Hanefites (Sunni, orthodox orientation of Islam), plus 15 million Alevi. According to unofficial estimates approx. 60,000 Armenian Christian, approx. 23.000 Jews, 15,000 Syrian-Orthodox, 10,000 Baha’i, approx. 3,500-4,000 Greek-orthodox Christian, approx. 2.000 Yazidi, approx. 2,500 Protestants of different denominations and followers of the Roman-Catholic church each

Government/ state type

Republic/parliamentarian democracy; secular state philosophy, i.e. strict separation of state and religions, though state control

Climate

Anatolian highlands: continental; southern and western coast: Mediterranean