SEYCHELLES
History
=====
The First Inhabitants
The human history of The Seychelles Islands is short, since nobody lived on the islands until the 1700s, when European explorers, traders and pirates began stumbling on the islands. The first to actually claim the Seychelles as their own, and to send settlers, were the French. In 1770 21 brave French settlers arrived with seven slaves to begin a community on Ste Anne Island. This is how the human history of the Seycelles Islands began. They grew local crops and ate tortoises for a few decades until the British decided they wanted the Seychelles. The French gave up the islands without any fight at all. However, this was in name only, and once the British conquerors left, the French flag was raised again. The turnover meant very little to the small settlement of people living there. The Seychelles officially became a British dependency in 1814. In the meantime, more and more slaves were sent to the Seychelles. In 1835, when the British abolished slavery, many freed slaves came here to live. The language was still French, since not many white British people came here to live.
Becoming British
The Brits did little with the Seychelles Islands but send their freed slaves and their exiled prisoners here. Exiled Brits didn't see the exile as much of a punishment, though, since they enjoyed living a tropical life, for the most part. In 1903, the Seychelles officially became a colony, which meant government went back to the Queen in England. Politics weren't much of a discussion topic in the Seychelles, and they didn't even form any political parties until 1964. At that time two parties were formed: Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) and Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP).
The Rise of Tourism
Twelve years later, the two parties worked together and independence was granted from the British. The founder of the SDP, James Mancham, then worked hard travelling around the globe, establishing the Seychelles as a desirable vacation destination. He was something of a playboy, and his flamboyant ways got him, and the Seychelles, noticed. Soon, wealthy Arab investors were buying large tracts of land, and celebrities were coming to the Seychelles on vacation. Tourism dollars were flowing in. The problem was, the money coming in wasn't getting evenly distributed, so some got wealthy, while others remained cash poor. The Seychelles had become a playground for the rich.
Power Struggles
The unequal distributin of tourism wealth caused discontent, and the leader of Seychelle's SPUP, which was heavily socialist, staged a coup. Albert Rene was his name, and he was also a lawyer. He hired some Tanzanian and North Korean soldiers to back him up, although the coup was bloodless and quick. This was in 1977. He also outlawed Mancham's SDP as well. Four years later, his rule was challenged by Colonol Mike Hoare, a warlord from the Congo. The plot was colorful: his men posed as South African Rugby players on vacation coming to the Seychelles. They packed their guns in their luggage and were promptly discovered at the airport. The plot was bungled so they hijacked a plane to fee home.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s and the 1980s, Rene maintained power through many attempts to take him out of power. He survived mutinites and coup attempts and is still in power today. Standards of health and the economy have slowly improved, and Rene has slowly moved towards privatization and a free-market economy. Tourism waned in the 1980s while all the power struggles were taking place, but it has made a comeback and is now 18% of the economy.
http://www.seychelles-s.info/seychelles-history.php
Language
======
Creole, the mother tongue of 94 percent of the Republic of Seychelles in 1990, was adopted as the first official language of the nation in 1981. English and French are also widely spoken in this island country.
By increasing emphasis on Creole, the government hopes to establish a distinct indigenous culture and heritage. This unique tongue of Seychelles evolved from the dialects of southwest France spoken by the original French settlers. Creole is essentially a mix of French and Malagasy, Bantu, English, & Hindi words; the syntax is Bantu and French-centric and the language does betray Arabic & Swahili influences.
Creole is one of the greatest unifying forces in Seychelles. The government-backed Kreol Institute promotes the use of the local language by sponsoring literary competitions, giving instruction in translation, and preparing course material to teach Creole to foreigners. It has also compiled a dictionary of Creole words.
More than one-third of Seychellois can speak English, which is the language of government and commerce. It is the lingua franca of the People's Assembly, although speakers are permitted to communicate in Creole and French as well. The principal journals carry articles in all three languages.
French is used by the elite. It is the language of the Roman Catholic Church and is utilized by older people in correspondence and on formal occasions. Some 40 percent of televised programmes are in French and most Seychellois can speak and grasp the language.
GUAM
History
====
Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Marianas Archipelago. The island is divided into a northern coralline limestone plateau and a southern chain of volcanic hills. Today Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States. The people of Guam have been U.S. citizens since 1950. They have been represented in the U.S. Congress since 1973 by a nonvoting delegate, but they do not participate in presidential elections. The executive branch includes a popularly elected governor, who serves a four-year term. The legislative branch is a 21-member unicameral legislature whose members are elected every two years.
Guam was probably explored by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (sailing for Spain) in 1521. The island was formally claimed by Spain in 1565, and its people were forced into submission and conversion to Roman Catholicism beginning in 1668. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the United States. From 1899 to 1949, the U.S. Navy administered Guam, except during the Japanese occupation from 1941–1944. Guam was liberated by American military forces in the summer of 1944. Guam's economy is based on tourism and U.S. military spending (U.S. naval and air force bases occupy one-third of the land on Guam).
Languages: English and Chamorro; note: most residents are bilingual; Japanese also widely spoken
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113950.html
History
=====
The First Inhabitants
The human history of The Seychelles Islands is short, since nobody lived on the islands until the 1700s, when European explorers, traders and pirates began stumbling on the islands. The first to actually claim the Seychelles as their own, and to send settlers, were the French. In 1770 21 brave French settlers arrived with seven slaves to begin a community on Ste Anne Island. This is how the human history of the Seycelles Islands began. They grew local crops and ate tortoises for a few decades until the British decided they wanted the Seychelles. The French gave up the islands without any fight at all. However, this was in name only, and once the British conquerors left, the French flag was raised again. The turnover meant very little to the small settlement of people living there. The Seychelles officially became a British dependency in 1814. In the meantime, more and more slaves were sent to the Seychelles. In 1835, when the British abolished slavery, many freed slaves came here to live. The language was still French, since not many white British people came here to live.
Becoming British
The Brits did little with the Seychelles Islands but send their freed slaves and their exiled prisoners here. Exiled Brits didn't see the exile as much of a punishment, though, since they enjoyed living a tropical life, for the most part. In 1903, the Seychelles officially became a colony, which meant government went back to the Queen in England. Politics weren't much of a discussion topic in the Seychelles, and they didn't even form any political parties until 1964. At that time two parties were formed: Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) and Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP).
The Rise of Tourism
Twelve years later, the two parties worked together and independence was granted from the British. The founder of the SDP, James Mancham, then worked hard travelling around the globe, establishing the Seychelles as a desirable vacation destination. He was something of a playboy, and his flamboyant ways got him, and the Seychelles, noticed. Soon, wealthy Arab investors were buying large tracts of land, and celebrities were coming to the Seychelles on vacation. Tourism dollars were flowing in. The problem was, the money coming in wasn't getting evenly distributed, so some got wealthy, while others remained cash poor. The Seychelles had become a playground for the rich.
Power Struggles
The unequal distributin of tourism wealth caused discontent, and the leader of Seychelle's SPUP, which was heavily socialist, staged a coup. Albert Rene was his name, and he was also a lawyer. He hired some Tanzanian and North Korean soldiers to back him up, although the coup was bloodless and quick. This was in 1977. He also outlawed Mancham's SDP as well. Four years later, his rule was challenged by Colonol Mike Hoare, a warlord from the Congo. The plot was colorful: his men posed as South African Rugby players on vacation coming to the Seychelles. They packed their guns in their luggage and were promptly discovered at the airport. The plot was bungled so they hijacked a plane to fee home.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s and the 1980s, Rene maintained power through many attempts to take him out of power. He survived mutinites and coup attempts and is still in power today. Standards of health and the economy have slowly improved, and Rene has slowly moved towards privatization and a free-market economy. Tourism waned in the 1980s while all the power struggles were taking place, but it has made a comeback and is now 18% of the economy.
http://www.seychelles-s.info/seychelles-history.php
Language
======
Creole, the mother tongue of 94 percent of the Republic of Seychelles in 1990, was adopted as the first official language of the nation in 1981. English and French are also widely spoken in this island country.
By increasing emphasis on Creole, the government hopes to establish a distinct indigenous culture and heritage. This unique tongue of Seychelles evolved from the dialects of southwest France spoken by the original French settlers. Creole is essentially a mix of French and Malagasy, Bantu, English, & Hindi words; the syntax is Bantu and French-centric and the language does betray Arabic & Swahili influences.
Creole is one of the greatest unifying forces in Seychelles. The government-backed Kreol Institute promotes the use of the local language by sponsoring literary competitions, giving instruction in translation, and preparing course material to teach Creole to foreigners. It has also compiled a dictionary of Creole words.
More than one-third of Seychellois can speak English, which is the language of government and commerce. It is the lingua franca of the People's Assembly, although speakers are permitted to communicate in Creole and French as well. The principal journals carry articles in all three languages.
French is used by the elite. It is the language of the Roman Catholic Church and is utilized by older people in correspondence and on formal occasions. Some 40 percent of televised programmes are in French and most Seychellois can speak and grasp the language.
GUAM
History
====
Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Marianas Archipelago. The island is divided into a northern coralline limestone plateau and a southern chain of volcanic hills. Today Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States. The people of Guam have been U.S. citizens since 1950. They have been represented in the U.S. Congress since 1973 by a nonvoting delegate, but they do not participate in presidential elections. The executive branch includes a popularly elected governor, who serves a four-year term. The legislative branch is a 21-member unicameral legislature whose members are elected every two years.
Guam was probably explored by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (sailing for Spain) in 1521. The island was formally claimed by Spain in 1565, and its people were forced into submission and conversion to Roman Catholicism beginning in 1668. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the United States. From 1899 to 1949, the U.S. Navy administered Guam, except during the Japanese occupation from 1941–1944. Guam was liberated by American military forces in the summer of 1944. Guam's economy is based on tourism and U.S. military spending (U.S. naval and air force bases occupy one-third of the land on Guam).
Languages: English and Chamorro; note: most residents are bilingual; Japanese also widely spoken
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113950.html