Slovenia

Slovenia has an area of 7,827 sq mi (roughly the size of Massachusetts). Most of the area is mountainous and/or forested. The main language is Slovene, which is a southern Slavic language. The capital city is Ljubljana, and the population is roughly 2,063,077.

Slovenia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It was part of the Roman empire, Carolingian empire, recently the Austro-Hungarian empire and in the 20th century, joined with Serbia, Croatia, & Montenegro to become Yugoslavia. It became independent in 1991, and is part of the EU.

Bled, Slovenia

The main employment sector in Slovenia is service, employing around 2/3 of the population. The other 1/3 is in industry and construction. The main exports of Slovenia are automobiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and fuels.

FUN FACTS: the World's oldest vine, Europe's lowest-elevation dining area, the World's longest stone arch bridge, and the tallest industrial chimney in Europe.

Cyprus

When i went to get my car inspected last year, I was in the waiting room with a guy from Cyprus. He was impressed that I even had heard of the country! Basically all I knew, though, was that its flag is the only one in the world with a picture of the country on it, and that it was an island in the Mediterranean. I asked him what language they spoke there and he was like "good question!' He explained that most people spoke Greek, but it is a slightly different dialect than that spoken in Greece.

Cyprus is an island nation in the Mediterranean, which has inhabited since at least 10,000 BCE. It has an area of 3,572 square miles (slightly bigger than Lake Titicaca) and a population of about 1,141,166 people. The capital is Nicosia.

Due to Cyprus's strategic location in the Middle East, it has been occupied by many empires throughout its history, including the Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Byzantine, Arab Caliphates, Ottoman, and in the 20th Century, British. Cyprus became independent from Britain in 1960, and has been in dispute by Greek Cypriots who want to be part of Greece, and the Turkish Cypriots who wish to be part of Turkey. The island is partitioned, with the Turkish area under its own control. Turkey is the only nation to recognize this region as independent. The international community considers this region as part of Cyprus under Turkish occupation.

The main industries in Cyprus are tourism, shipping, and the financial sector. The main languages are Greek and Turkish.

Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus. Photo Credit

FUN FACT: in Greek mythology, the goddess Aphrodite is said to have sprung from the sea near Cyprus after the titan Cronus cut off the god Uranus's 'nads and threw them into the ocean.

Moldova

Moldova was one of the first countries to inspire me to do this project-- I was looking at a map several years ago and saw this little country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine and realized I had never ever even so much as heard of it. So, here goes.

MOLDOVA: population 3,538,288 (as of 2014). Capital city: Chișinău

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, despite having a 99% literacy rate. The service sector is the largest employer, though there is a lot of agriculture and some manufacturing. Moldova is known for its wine making, and has historically been a major food supplier for Europe due to its awesome soil and temperate climate.

Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and is a parliamentary republic. Most people are Orthodox Christians. The official language is Moldovan, which is pretty much the same thing as Romanian, though there are picky political nuances which dictate whether you call it Moldovan or Romanian. Moldovan was written using the Cyrillic alphabet until 1989, when the Romanian Latin alphabet was adopted.

Transnistria is a breakaway region on the eastern shore of Moldova's main river, the Dniester that stretches to the border with Ukraine. There was a brief civil war in 1992 over the region, and currently, though not recognized by the U.N., Moldova designates it as the Transnistria autonomous territorial unit with special legal status.

Fun Fact: Strong Drinks Museum, in Tirnauca village, is the largest building in the world in the shape of a bottle