Currently there are 195 countries that are recognized as independent countries by the UNO (United Nations Organization). Some countries are inhabited by people of the same ethnicity, such as the Icelanders in Iceland. In Russia, on the other hand, multi-ethnic groups live together: Russians, Tatars, Nenets, and many others.
There are also communities distributed over many countries. All countries have a constitution which is a set of basic laws or principles for a country describing the rights and duties of its citizens. The communities of the countries, such as the EU, can also have a constitution.
How were the countries formed?
In the Stone Age, human beings roamed in tribes. When the number of people started growing, they started assigning ranks and dividing the tasks among them. Gradually, villages and cities were formed, and finally countries came into existence. Rules were laid down to ensure a smooth community living. Thus, the first constitutions were created, which defined the rights and the duties of the inhabitants. Today, new countries are formed when a part of an existing country declares itself independent.
What is the UNO?
UNO is the acronym for United Nations Organization. It was established by 51 countries immediately after the Second World War. The purpose of the UNO was to prevent the occurrence of wars in the future Today, almost all the countries of the world are members of the UNO. Some of the important objectives of the UNO are to promote peace throughout the world and to protect human rights and freedom. If a war breaks out somewhere, the international peace troops of the UNO, often known as ‘blue helmets’, are sent to the war zone to restore peace.
What is the EU?
EU stands for European Union. It is a community of more than 25 European countries. In 1957, after the Second World War, six countries – Belgium, Luxembourg, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands – decided to bury their old enmities and to work together on the economic front. At that time the union of these states was known as the European Economic Community (EEC). The objectives of the EU today are to establish unified economic and security policy for its member nations.
What is the constitution?
A constitution is Supposed to be the defining essence of a country. It is a formal
document defining the rules that govern the political system and the rights of the
citizens. Most constitutions seek to regulate the relationship between the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. It is thus the most basic law of a territory from which all other laws and rules are derived. Constitutions may also ensure that their most basic principles can never be abolished not even by amendment. The longest constitution in existence is the Constitution of India containing 444 articles, 12 schedules, and 94 amendments. The shortest constitution is that of the United States of America.
What is a Nation?
A nation is a group of people unified by important things such as its history and culture, traditions and customs, and a common language. In general, a nation lives together in one country, like the Spaniards live in Spain or the Icelanders live in Iceland. But every nation does not have a country. All the Kurds, for instance, speak Kurdish, but live in different countries—Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. In Switzerland, on the other hand, four languages are spoken: Swiss German, French, Italian, and Rhaeto-Romanic.
Did you know that…
About 5oo million people are living in the EU at present? In comparison, the USA has a population of just 300 million.
The smallest city of the world is the Vatican city with a population of around 1000 people?
Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken in Europe?
The first democratic constitution of recent times was established in 1787 in the United States of America? This was followed four years later by Poland with the first democratic constitution of Europe.