In 1959, Hawaii became the fiftieth state of the USA, The Aloha State. Aloha is a Hawaiian word with several meanings. It is often used to mean “welcome,” “hello,” or “good-bye.” Hawaii is the most remote inhabited place on the Earth. By the way, it is the only state which territory is constantly increasing (due to volcanic eruptions). And it is the only U.S. state that is made up entirely of islands (132 islands and islets).
Mauna Kea is the highest mountain on the Earth – 4205 m above sea level and 5181 meters under water. he top of the volcano Mauna Kea is ideal for astronomical observations. There are NASA telescopes here.
Hawaiian alphabet consists of 12 letters: 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and 7 consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P, W).
Niihau is “forbidden island” of Hawaii. The island’s population is 230 people. The Robinsons, whose ancestors bought the island from King Kamehameha IV over a century ago, own it. You can visit the island only if you have an invitation from a family member or native Hawaiians living on Niihau.
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Poltava victory over the Swedes in 1709 inspired Russian Tsar Peter I on creativity. He wanted to have summer residence, garden and park ensemble, such as the French Versailles, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. Peter himself went to the high place and made first sketches.
Following the sea route from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt, Peter often approached shore, where there was a simple manor. He rested there. But the manor was not enough for the king-winner. He needed the palace as the French king Louis XIV had near Paris. The best architects of the time Johann Braunstein and Andreas Schlüter managed the building.
The official date of Peterhof’s foundation is considered 1712, when Saint Petersburg became the capital of the Russian state. For two years the level of the Upper Garden and the Lower Park was increased, the Grand Canal was dug. In 1716, well-known architect Jean-Baptiste Leblond, whom Peter had met abroad, came to Peterhof. He was assigned the architect-general. Leblond developed a system of water supply of the Grand Cascade, offered to put the sculptures. After his death in 1719, Italian architect Niccolo Michetti became the manager. His main achievement was the development of fountains, cascades, pavilions, pergolas and trellis fences.
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Japan is made up of a string of islands that stretches for nearly 1,500 miles along the coast of northeastern Asia in the Pacific Ocean. The four main islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Honshu is the largest of them.
Japan’s capital is Tokyo, one of the world’s largest cities.
Mountains cover most of the land. Some mountains are active volcanoes.
The country’s main language is Japanese. Shinto and Buddhism are the major religions.
People lived in Japan at least 10,000 years ago. According to legend, the emperor Jimmu founded the Japanese state in 660 BC.
In 1185 a samurai named Minamoto Yoritomo took control of Japan. In 1192 he took the title of shogun. His military government was called a shogunate. Japan had an emperor, but he held less power than the shogun.
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The Korean peninsula is a land of beautiful mountains. For a long time it was a single country. In 1948, after World War II, the Korean peninsula was officially divided into North Korea and South Korea.
Korea has a rich culture that was influenced by China, especially in early times. The Buddhist and Confucian religions came to Korea from China.
All Koreans speak the Korean language.
People have lived on the Korean peninsula for more than 12,000 years.
In 1910 Japan made Korea into a Japanese colony. North Korea became an independent country in 1948, one month after South Korea.
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Mesopotamia, “The Land Between Two Rivers,” lay in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The rivers provided fish and birds as sources of food. The water from the rivers allowed the fertile land of Mesopotamia to produce crops.
Sumerian civilization dominated Mesopotamia from 3500 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. It was replaced by Babylonia, then Assyria.
Cities were vital for trade, handicraft production, government, and military defense. The cities collected the wealth of their outlying agricultural regions: barley, dates, wheat, vegetables, and livestock.
Each city had its own god. The central structure in the fortified city was the temple to the city’s god and protector. City administration was initially by assembly, but by 3000 B.C.E., kings ruled the city-states. The king ruled over the city and its hinterlands.
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Egypt is a large country in northeastern Africa. Its capital is Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa. It is very old, dating back more than a thousand years. It stands on the banks of the Nile River. It flows through Uganda, The Sudan, and Egypt on its way from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt depends almost entirely on the Nile. The river is the source of all the water used for farming in Egypt. That is why people call Egypt the “gift of the Nile.” People farm on the banks of the river. Two of the most important things they grow are rice and cotton. Egyptian cotton is one of the finest cottons in the world.
Canals, or man-made streams, act as a highway network for small boats and ships during the flood season.
In fact, ancient Egypt was one of the world’s earliest civilizations. The ancient Egyptians built large cities and many great monuments. The king was known as the pharaoh. People thought of him as a god.

Fact File: Rise and fall of ancient Egypt
About 3100 BC – unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Mencs.
About 2650 – Imhotep builds the Step Pyramid of Zoscr.
About 2560 – Construction of the Giza pyramids and Sphinx.
2181 – end of Old Kingdom; civil wars.
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The Miracle of the Holy Fire is known as “The greatest of all Christian miracles”. It takes place every year, on the same time, in the same manner. It occurs every year on the Orthodox Easter Saturday. The miracle happens at 2:00 PM. No other miracle is known to occur so regularly. The miracle happens in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Scientists consider the church to contain both Golgotha, the little hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified, as well as the “new tomb” close to Golgotha that received his dead body.
Pilgrims come from all over the world. The Holy Fire spreads to all people present in the Church. The ceremony may be the oldest unbroken Christian ceremony in the world.
Every year many believers claim that this miraculous light ignites candles, which they hold in their hands, of its own initiative.
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