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Showing posts from May, 2022

France - A Country in 6 Continents

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  Let me ask you a question. In which continent is France located? This might seem like a dumb question. All of us would say, Of course it is Europe. While that is true, it is not entirely true because France is   also located in Africa and North America. In fact, it is in 6 out the 7 continents. This because of overseas territories which France holds. As you would have guessed, it is also the topic of this post. The overseas territories of France are the remnants of the French empire, one of the largest in the world. There are more than a dozen places which are overseas territories of France so let’s just jump in. All overseas territories of France are classified into two categories: Overseas Regions : These are like the Regions in Mainland France in terms of power. Overseas Collectivity : These are areas which have greater autonomy compared to Regions. North America You would be surprised to know that in the 16 th and 17 th century, large parts of North America, were under French

How many countries are there in the world - I say less than 3,62,947!!!!

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  This post is about how.. I know you read the title so let’s just continue. At first glance, this might seem obvious. Just look at a map and count how many countries are there, but it is not that simple. ( if it is so simple, why am I making this post ). Depending upon whom you ask, the number of countries range from 192 to over 200. What constitutes a Country? Let’s first try to define what constitutes a country. Suppose I want to create my own country, what should I do. There are few steps to do: Acquire Land of your own I should first find some land, which is not controlled by any other country. Leaving out Antarctica, there are very few areas in the world that are not controlled or claimed by any country. The most famous example is Bir Tawil, which lies between Egypt and Sudan.  Great, that means can I go and create my own country there.  Sadly, that is not enough.  Stable Population : To be a country, you need people living there permanently.   Bir Tawil unfortunately has no po