EUROPE

England

History: Archaeology shows that people came to southern England long before the rest of the British Isles, probably because of the friendly climate between and during the ice ages of long ago.

Food:English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, partly through the importation of ingredients and ideas from North America, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration.

Music: Throughout its history, the United Kingdom has been a major exporter and source of musical innovation, drawing its cultural basis from the history of the United Kingdom, from church music, Western culture and the ancient and traditional folk music and instrumentation of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Fun Facts

1) The longest river in the UK is the River Severn.
2)The largest lake in England is named Windermere.
3) England has a large economy and uses the pound steling as its currency.
4) The Smmer Olympic Games have been held in London 3 times.
5) The official London home of the British monarch is Buchkingham Palace.

Germany

History: The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest prevented annexation by the Roman Empire, although the Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Germania Inferior were established along the Rhine.

Food: The cuisine of Germany has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. Some regions of Germany, like Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share dishes with Austrian and parts of Swiss cuisine.

Music: Germany claims some of the renowned composers, producers and performers of the world. Germany is the largest music market in Europe, and third largest in the world. German Classical is one of the most performed in the world; German composers include some of the most accomplished and popular in history, among them Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was among the composers who created the field of German opera.

Fun Facts

1)Germany was the first country in the world to adopt Daylight saving time.
2)The capital of Berlin has more bridges than Venice.
3)Prison escape is not punishable by law in Germany.
4)It’s illegal to run out of fuel in the German Autobahn.
5)Germay has legal say on what babies can be named.

Italy

History: The history of Italy begins with the arrival of the first hominins 850,000 years ago at Monte Poggiolo. Italy shows evidence of habitation by anatomically modern humans beginning about 43,000 years ago.

Food: Italian cuisine is food typical of or originating from Italy. It has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots stretching to antiquity. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, especially between the north and the south of the Italian peninsula. It offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular in the world.

Music: The music of Italy ranges across a broad spectrum of opera and instrumental classical music and a body of popular music drawn from both native and imported sources. Music has traditionally been one of the cultural markers of Italian national and ethnic identity and holds an important position in society and in politics. Italian innovation in musical scales, harmony, notation, and theatre enabled the development of opera in the late 16th century, and much of modern European classical music, such as the symphony and concerto.

Fun Facts

1)The name Italy comes from the word italia, meaning “calf land,” perhaps because the bull was a symbol of the Southern Italian tribes.
2)Italy is approximately 116,400 square miles (including Sicily and Sardinia), which is slightly larger than Arizona.
3)The official name of Italy is the Italian Republic.
4)Italy is said to have more masterpieces per square mile than any other country in the world.
4)Almost four-fifths of Italy is either mountainous or hilly.

France

Histroy: The first written records for the history of France appear in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. Roman writers noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: the Gauls, the Aquitani, and the Belgae. The Gauls, the largest and best attested group, were Celtic people speaking what is known as the Gaulish language.

Food: French cuisine was heavily influenced by Italian cuisine. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine.

Music: The music of France reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field of classical music, France has produced a number of prominent romantic composers, while folk and popular music have seen the rise of the chanson and cabaret style. The earliest known sound recording device in the world, the phonautograph, was patented in France by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in 1857.

Fun Facts

1)France is the world's most popular tourist destination.
2)France is the largest country in the EU, and known as "the hexagon."
3)Louis XIX was the king of France for just 20 minutes, the shortest ever reign.
4)The French Army was the first to use camouflage in WW1.
5)In France you can marry a dead person.

Spain

History: The history of Spain dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In 1516, Habsburg Spain unified a number of disparate predecessor kingdoms; its modern form of a constitutional monarchy was introduced in 1813, and the current democratic constitution dates to 1978.

Food: Spanish cuisine is heavily influenced by regional cuisines and the particular historical processes that shaped culture and society in those territories. Geography and climate, had great influence on cooking methods and available ingredients, and these particularities are still present in the gastronomy of the various regions that make up the country. Spanish cuisine derives from a complex history, where invasions of the country and conquests of new territories modified traditions and made new ingredients available.

Music: The music of Spain has a long history and has played an important role in the development of Western music and has greatly influenced Latin American music. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical guitar. While these forms of music are common, there are many different traditional musical and dance styles across the regions.

Fun Facts

1)Spain was the third most visited country in the world in 2013.
2)The national anthem of Spain has no words.
3)Spanish rice is unknown in Spain.
4)There are no laws against public nudity in Spain.
5)43% of the world's olive oil production is done in Spain.

Greece

History: The history of Greece encompasses the history of the territory of the modern nation-state of Greece, as well as that of the Greek people and the areas they inhabited and ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied throughout the ages, and, as a result, the history of Greece is similarly elastic in what it includes.

Food: Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine, and meat. Other important ingredients include olives, cheese, eggplant, zucchini, lemon juice, vegetables, herbs, bread and yoghurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; barley is also used. Common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits, and filo pastry.

Music: The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in the Byzantine period and Greek antiquity; there is a continuous development which appears in the language, the rhythm, the structure and the melody. Music is a significant aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece and in the diaspora.

Fun Facts

1)Approximately 16.5 million tourists visit Greece each year.
2)No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older.
3)About 7% of all the marble produced in the world comes from Greece.
4)The saying “taking the bull by its horns” comes from the Greek myth of Hercules saving Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.
5)In the 1950s, only about 30% of Greek adults could read and write. Now, the literacy rate is more than 95%.