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On every banknote, there is a picture of a different European building style. All banknotes are the same throughout the entire eurozone; there are no different designs for different countries, unlike the euro coins. One side of each coin is the same in all euro countries. The other side is different since each country who mints the coins inserts a symbol relating to that country. Today there are many different sets of coins. Any of the coins can be used everywhere throughout the eurozone despite the country-specific symbol on the back.
The ten new European countries that entered the European Union in May 2004 are planning to adopt the Euro also. First they must meet some conditions to show that they have stable economies.
The symbol for the euro is the Greek letter epsilon (E) with two horizontal lines: €.
Some people see it as the Latin capital letter C with an equal sign (=).
It is also legal to simply write "euro". This is especially useful when the symbol cannot be produced, or the result is not satisfactory.
Members of the eurozone are:
These countries form the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
Even though they are not part of the EU, the euro is also the currency used in:
Many other countries' currencies are "pegged" (tied) to, although not exactly equal to, the euro:
Currency
Currency is the unit of money used by the people of a country or Union for buying and selling goods and services.
Certain currencies are said to be "pegged" or "fixed" to something, usually another currency. A fixed or pegged currency is one that has a constant value compared to what it is pegged to. For example, the Cape Verdian escudo is pegged to the Euro. If the value of the Euro goes up 1% compared to another form of currency, the value of the escudo also goes up 1% compared to that same currency.
Many countries have used systems where their currency was pegged to a commodity rather than to another currency. Most used either gold or silver. When they did this, as the value of gold increased, so did the value of their money. This was called the "gold standard" or "silver standard". Most countries stopped using silver and gold standards in the 20th century.
Some well-known currencies are:
This list appears in alphabetical order:
Mercure
Mercure may refer to:
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a type of antenna, like a huge satellite television dish. It is used for radio astronomy. Stars shine and the light can be seen with an ordinary telescope, but they also give off radio waves. Scientists with radio telescopes receive these radio waves and use computers to learn about the stars. Other things like black holes also give off radio waves and radio telescopes are useful for learning about them too.
The dish is sometimes constructed of a conductive wire mesh whose openings are smaller than a wavelength. The information received by several radio telescopes in different places can be combined. This gives similar results to having a single dish as big as the distance between the telescopes. It can receive very faint signals, and see more details. The biggest telescope is a virtual radio telescope almost as big as the Earth, called the Event Horizon Telescope.
The radio telescope at the Parkes Observatory, Parkes, New South Wales was used by NASA to receive messages from the Apollo 11 moon landings.
Light year
A light year (symbol: ly) is the distance that light travels in empty space in one year. Since the speed of light is about 300,000 km per second (about 186,000 miles per second), then a light year is about 10 trillion kilometers (about 6 trillion miles). A light year is not a length of time.
The light year is used in astronomy because the universe is huge. Space objects such as stars and galaxies may be hundreds, thousands or millions of light years away.
Think of a star at a distance of 100 light years from us on Earth. Light leaves the star and takes 100 years to get to us. When we see the star's light, we are seeing that star as it was 100 years ago.
Korea
Korea is a peninsula in northeast Asia. It covers a peninsula called the "Korean Peninsula". Korea became a country (or state) in 918. In 1948, it split into two countries: North Korea and South Korea. North and South Korea and their allies fought against each other in the Korean War.
People have lived in Korea for about 15,000 years. In the past, some of modern Manchuria and Siberia was governed by Korea. Korea is known for its fine silk. In the 7th century, the people of China sought after gold-workers from Korea. Europeans had little knowledge about Korea until the modern era.
Korea is famous for its traditional food kimchi. The Korean people usually eat sticky white rice. Traditionally, Koreans eat seaweed soup on their birthdays. People believe the soup is also good for pregnant women.
South Korea has over 50 million people, and North Korea has more than 23 million. South Korea's biggest city is Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The city has more than 10 million people and the region of Seoul has more than 15 million people. North Korea's biggest city is Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It has fewer than 4 million people.
Korean people speak the Korean language. Many people in South Korea study English and other languages such as Chinese, Japanese, ... in school.
In the Korean language Korea is known as 조선 in North Korea and 한국 in South Korea
South Korea is an advanced country with large cities, high-speed rail trains, high-speed internet, and many television and radio networks. Many Korean television dramas are popular around the world. But there are still poor areas, even in South Korea. The Korean farmers are not rich and struggle to compete with cheap food from other countries.
Gojoseon is the first state in Korean history. It was established in 2333 BCE. Its real name is Joseon, but it is called Gochosun to make it different from other Joseon in Korean history. "Go" is a Korean prefix meaning 'old'. The founder of Gojoseon is said to be Dangun. The Korean people believe that Dangun established the country on October 3rd, and still celebrate that day. In Korea, October 3rd is a national holiday, which is named Gaecheonjeol (The day heaven opened). It is said to be the day that Dangun's father whose name is Hwan-ung came from the sky on October 3rd 2457 BCE. Gochosun was destroyed by the Chinese Han Dynasty in 108 BCE.
After Gojoseon had been destroyed, there were many confederations in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria: "Mahan, Byeonhan, Jinhan, Buyeo, Dongye, Okjeo, Goguryeo", and so on. The ancient confederation countries later merged into three more powerful kingdoms and an advanced confederation country.
Between 57 BC and the year 668 there were three kingdoms in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. The names of the kingdoms were: "Silla", "Goguryeo" and "Baekje". In the year 372, the religion Buddhism came from China to Korea. Buddhism was very important in Korea.
In the year 660, the kingdom of Silla invaded the kingdom of Baekje. In the year 668 the kingdom of Silla invaded the kingdom of Goguryeo. The people of Goguryeo ran away and made a new kingdom with the name "Barhae". After a little time, the kingdom of Balhae was invaded by Liao Dynasty.
When Silla was the only country, it had the name "Unified Silla". In the Silla kingdom Buddhism was very important.
In the year 698, Balhae was founded by allies of Goguryeo. We call the time when united Silla and Balhae were existing together (698∼926) "The northern and southern kingdoms period".
In the year 918 the kingdom of "Goryeo" began. The name "Korea" comes from "Goryeo". The kingdom of Goryeo had power until the year 1392.
The kingdom of Goryeo wrote the law in books, and had a big government. Buddhism was very important in the kingdom of Goryeo. Bronze-type printing technology was invented in Goryeo Dynasty. This is known as the world's oldest bronze-type printing technology.
In the year 1392 a man from the military of Korea went to China. His name was "Yi Seonggye". Yi's job was to attack China. But Yi returned without doing it. When Yi came back to Korea, he changed the kingdom. Yi became king.
The name of the kingdom was "Joseon". In the year 1394, the people of Joseon moved the capital to Seoul. The religion of Buddhism was not important. A new religion, Confucianism was important. Confucianism came from China.
In the year 1443 the king "Sejong" ruled. He invented the Korean alphabet Hangeul.
In the year 1592 and the year 1598 the people from Japan fought Korea. A man from the military made very strong ships, including the famous "turtle ship". The name of the man was "Yi Sun-sin". With the strong ships, the people of Korea won.
The people of Joseon were friends with the people of China.
Today, North Koreans use the name Joseon (officially Chosŏn) to mean Korea.
In the 19th century the people of Korea did not want to trade with other people. People called Korea "Hermit Kingdom".
The people of the United States and Japan wanted to trade with Korea. Before 1876, people failed when they tried to use force to trade with Korea. In the year 1876 the military of Japan fought Korea. Korea and Japan made a contract to trade.
In 1895 Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War in the Korean peninsula. This ended Chinese influence in Korea. Empress Myeongseong, also called Queen Min, wanted the Russian Empire as a friend, to help Korea against Japan. Agents of the Ambassador of Japan killed her in October 1895.
In 1905 Japan won the Russo-Japanese War. In the year 1910, the emperor of Japan made Korea a colony of Japan.
Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945.
When World War II started, the policy of the Japanese government changed. The government made the religion of Japan (Shinto) the religion of Korea.
In 1945 Japan lost World War II. The United States and Soviet Union made a contract. United States occupied the south of Korea and Soviet Union occupied the north of Korea.
The people of Korea wanted to be independent. The United States and the Soviet Union agreed the people of Korea would be free and independent. But soon the United States and Soviet Union were not friends and the Cold War started. United States and Soviet Union refused to settle a deal. In 1948 the people in the south made an independent country called South Korea (also called the Republic of Korea). The United States helped them. In 1948 the people in the north also made a country North Korea (also called the DPRK or Democratic People's Republic of Korea). The Soviet Union helped North Korea.
In 1950 a war started in Korea. The name of the war was the Korean War. The war ended in 1953, but no peace treaty was signed. The border line between North and South was almost the same in the end as it was before the war.
English as a second language
English as a second language is a common phrase which has related acronyms, including
Each of these acronyms means roughly the same thing. In each, the learners already have another native or "mother" language, and they want to learn English as well.
The teaching of English as a second language has a long history. For example, the official introduction of English into India's education system began in 1835.
English as a second language is the single most popular subject in the world, after mathematics. English is a very important language in business. Many people study English as a foreign language, because they want a better job. English is also very important in education. Many pages on the internet are in English.
Many people who can not go to English language classes study on the internet, using websites like BBC Learning English.
Many people study English in a country where the people speak English. This way, many students learn to listen and speak English better.
There are many English exams. These English exams are important for learners. They may show how well a person can use English. It is very difficult to compare different English exams. Every exam is a little different. Read Testing English as a foreign language for more information.
Global Scale of English (GSE) is a test for learners of English as a second or foreign language. The GSE is a list of can-do statements based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for English. Learners' abilities are rated on a 10-to-90 point scale for each of the four basic skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). A learner reaches a level on the scale when she or he can correctly perform 50% of the can-do tasks at that level. The education company Pearson PLC developed the scale.
Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is referred to the practice of teaching the English language to the students with different first languages. It is taught in the state school system or privately with a language school or with a tutor. TEFL can also take place in an English-speaking country for people who have immigrated there.
TEFL teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. Other forms of TEFL are TESL ("Teaching English as a second language"), TESOL ("Teaching English to speakers of other languages"), and ESL ("English as a second language").
Switzerland
Switzerland (; ; ; ; Swiss German: "Schwiz") is a comparatively small country in Western Europe. The official name of Switzerland is "Confoederatio Helvetica". This is Latin and is not often used except for state documents. Switzerland is a confederation of even smaller states, which are the 26 cantons.
Switzerland is known for its neutrality. A country is neutral when it does not take sides among the countries who are at war. Switzerland has been neutral since 1815. Many international organizations are in Switzerland. The United Nations has a main office (but not its headquarters) in Geneva. Its predecessor organization, the League of Nations, was headquartered in Geneva.
There are four official languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Some cantons and even towns have two languages spoken in them, and the largest canton by area, Graubünden, has three. About 2/3 of the population speak German; French is spoken in the west of the country, while Italian is spoken in the canton of Ticino and Romansh in parts of Graubünden. Romansh language is spoken less than by 1% of the population.
The capital of Switzerland is Bern. The largest city of Switzerland is Zürich.
To the north of Switzerland is Germany. East of Switzerland are Austria and Liechtenstein. To the south of Switzerland is Italy. To the west of Switzerland is France.
The area of Switzerland is 41,285 km². The confederation is divided into 23 full states called "cantons". All 26 cantons are: Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Berne, Fribourg, Geneva, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, and Zürich.
The mountains are very tall in the center and south of Switzerland. About 60% of Switzerland is in the Alps area. Only few people live here. The highest mountain is the "Dufour Peak" at 4,634 m.
Many of the mountains have ice all year. This ice is called glaciers. The rivers Rhine, Rhône, and many other rivers start in the mountains of Switzerland.
There are many lakes in Switzerland. The biggest lakes are all in the north and west: Lake Geneva ("Lac Léman"), Lake Zürich, Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Constance ("Bodensee").
Mountains in the north of Switzerland are fewer and smaller. That is why most Swiss people live in cities and towns in the north. The Jura mountains are in the northwest of Switzerland.
Switzerland has 2,485 villages, towns and cities.
The largest cities are:
There are about 8.4 million people in Switzerland. About 64% of the people speak Swiss German (German Alemannic) as their first language, in northern and central Switzerland. 19% of the people speak French as their first language, mainly in the west of Switzerland. 8% of the people speak Italian, in the south of Switzerland. Only 1% of the people speak Romansh, in the southeastern part of Switzerland. Romansh is an old language that is similar to Latin.
The German-speaking people of Switzerland do not actually speak "German" as their native language. Swiss people speak something called Alemannic which has its own writing language and grammar but still is normally considered a German dialect. Alemannic may be difficult for Germans to understand. Swiss people do write like the people from Germany and also speak standard German very well, especially in the larger cities.
About 23% of the people in Switzerland do not come from Switzerland. They come from other places to usually work in Switzerland.
The religion of most people in Switzerland is Christianity. 43% of the population follow Catholicism. 35% of the population follow Protestantism. 2% follow Eastern Orthodoxy. The religion of 4% of the population is Islam. The rest follow other religions, or they have no religion.
Switzerland is famous for its chocolate, cheese, banking system, watches and mountains.
In 1291, people from Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden wanted to be free. They signed a contract to work together called the "Eternal Alliance". Together, they could be free from the people of Habsburg, who were very strong. In 1315 the people from the Eternal Alliance fought the Habsburgs in battles at Morgarten, Sempach and Näfels. The people of the Eternal Alliance won all the battles.
People from other areas signed the contract and joined the Eternal Alliance. More and more people worked together to be free. In 1648, other countries from Europe made an agreement that Switzerland was free. The name of this agreement was the "Peace of Westphalia". More areas came to be part of Switzerland.
Switzerland was important to the slave trade that forced black Africans to be sold as slaves. Swiss companies made indiennes, which are a kind of cloth. These cloths were sent to Africa and exchanged for captured slaves. Some Swiss also joined French companies already making indiennes or owned plantations with slaves in French colonies.
In 1798, France invaded Switzerland. The ruler of France was Napoleon. He changed many laws. In 1815 Switzerland again became independent from France. Other countries agreed at the Congress of Vienna that Switzerland was free and neutral.
The constitution of Switzerland that was made after a short civil war in 1848 was replaced in 1999. Switzerland did not fight in World War I or World War II. Since 2002, Switzerland is part of the United Nations. It did not join the United Nations for 57 years because of its neutrality.
Switzerland is a republic. Switzerland does not have the same kind of president as the United States or France. Seven people (called ministers) do the job of president. They are called the Federal Council in English, "Bundesrat" in German, "Conseil Fédéral" in French, "Consiglio Federale" in Italian and "Cussegl Federal" in Romansh. Every year one of these people is made president. The president is not more important than the other six people. At present 3 of the 7 people are women.
The seven people are:
There are two parts of parliament in Switzerland. The "Council of States" and the "National Council". Only both together can make laws. There are 46 people in the Council of States. Every full canton of Switzerland can send 2 people. There are 200 people in the National Council. The biggest canton sends most people to the National Council. The smallest 6 cantons can only send one person to the National Council.
The people of Switzerland can collect signatures if they do not like a new law or a law change. This is called a "referendum". If enough people sign a referendum, the people vote. The people can also collect signatures to change the constitution. This is called an "initiative". The constitution is the basic law of a country.
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but it is member of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA). The EFTA makes trade with other countries in Europe easier. In 1999 Switzerland and the European Union made a contract. This contract makes trade even easier. They recently made two other contracts.
The banks of Switzerland and the insurance companies in Switzerland together produce eleven per cent of the gross domestic product. Tourism is important in Switzerland. There are many places for tourists. Davos, St. Moritz, Pontresina and Flims are in Switzerland. These towns are important both in winter (for skiing) and in summer. Tourists also like the cities of Lucerne, Geneva, and Zürich.
In 2011 the pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland directly and indirectly employed about 135,000 people. The companies Novartis and Roche are the second and third largest pharma companies in the world. They both have invented many life saving drugs because of well developed research and development facilities.
The literature of Switzerland is divided according to the language used. Most Swiss literature was written in German from 1291 until 1798. French became popular in Bern and elsewhere in the 18th century and many words also in the German speaking parts of Switzerland come from the French and are not known to Germans. Italian language and Romansch-Latin literature are less common in Switzerland.
Heidi, a book for children by Johanna Spyri, is the most famous book of Switzerland. It is in the mountains in Graubünden.
Skiing, snowboarding and mountaineering are among the most popular sports in Switzerland. Because of the large mountain range the nature of the country is well suited for such activities. Bobsleigh was invented in St. Moritz. The first world ski championships were held in Mürren (1931) and St. Moritz (1934). St. Moritz hosted the second Winter Olympic Games in 1928 and in 1948. Among the most successful skiers and world champions are Pirmin Zurbriggen and Didier Cuche.