(In alphabetical order)
Cambodia, Southeast
Asia
Cambodia has a long and storied past. Home to the Khmer Empire until the 15th
century, the empire's center of power was Angkor. Angkor Wat is the most famous
& well preserved religious temple on the site & is a reminder of Cambodia's
past. The history however didn't stop there, as Cambodia was the locations of
some of the more graphic parts of the 20th century. It's hard to forget the
killing fields, & mass genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge. A visit to
Cambodia today is a must for any historical buff. From the jungle temples of
Angkor, to the killing fields near Phnom Penh this country is living history.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Angkor Wat and
The Killing Fields
China,
East Asia
Ancient China was one of the earliest centers of human civilization. Chinese
civilization was also one of the few to invent writing independently. China
alternated between periods of political unity and disunity, occasionally
becoming dominated by foreign peoples, most of whom were assimilated into the
Han Chinese population. Cultural and political influences from many parts of
Asia, carried by successive waves of immigration, expansion, and assimilation,
merged to create Chinese culture. Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is
portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way
quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the
overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been
defeated.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Hong Kong,
Guangzhou,
Macau,
The Forbidden City,
The Great Wall,
Terracotta Warriors,
Tibet
England,
Western Europe
The history of England begins in the prehistoric during which time
Stonehenge was erected. At the height of the Roman Empire, Britannia was under
the rule of the Romans. Their rule lasted until about 410, at which time the
Romano-British formed various independent kingdoms. The Anglo-Saxons gradually
gained control of England and became the chief rulers of the land. Raids by the
Vikings were frequent after about AD 800. In 1066, the Normans invaded and
conquered England. There was much civil war and battles with other nations
throughout the Middle Ages. England had conquered Wales in the 12th century and
was united with Scotland in the early 18th century and they became "Great
Britain". In the mid 17th century England then went into its Civil War. After
the Commonwealth period the monarchy was restored. After the Industrial
Revolution, Great Britain ruled the largest empire ever amassed encompassing one
quarter of the world's land surface. The 20th century however saw the empire
dissolve.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Bath, Hadrian's Wall,
London,
Stonehenge, White
Cliffs of Dover
Egypt,
Northeastern
Africa
The history of Egypt is the longest continuous history, as a unified state, of
any country in the world. Egypt's peculiar geography made it a difficult country
to attack, which is why Pharaonic Egypt was for so long an independent and
self-contained state. Its survival as an independent state ceased in 332 BC,
with its conquest by Alexander the Great. And once Egypt did succumb to foreign
rule, it proved unable to escape from it, and for 2,400 years, Egypt was
governed by a series of foreign powers: the Nubians, Persians, Macedonians,
Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Ottomans, French, and British.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Giza Pyramids,
The Citadel,
The Valley of the Kings
France, Western Europe
France has enjoyed a clear sense of its own identity in the modern period, but
this identity took a very long time to develop. The term France did not refer
uniquely to the territory now identified with the French nation until the end of
the Middle Ages. In 1789 the monarchy was overthrown in one of the world’s
greatest revolutions. The French Revolution opened up a century and a half of
political instability as defenders battled opponents of the revolutionary
heritage. Despite this internal strife, the nation remained robust enough to
develop a modern industrial economy, build and lose a vast colonial empire,
fight in two world wars, become a nuclear power, and establish itself as a major
center of the arts and sciences. France is now negotiating to integrate itself
politically and economically with the rest of Europe as it has not done since
antiquity.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Avignon,
Paris, The Cliffs of
Normandy
Greece,
Eastern Europe
Ancient Greece is considered by most historians to be the
foundational culture of Western Civilization. Greek culture was a powerful
influence in the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of
Europe. Ancient Greek civilization has been immensely influential on the
language, politics, educational systems, philosophy, art and architecture of the
modern world, particularly during the Renaissance in Western Europe and again
during various neo-Classical revivals in 18th and 19th century Europe and The
Americas.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Athens, Olympia,
Santorini, Sparta
India,
South Asia
India's extraordinary history is intimately tied to its geography. A
meeting ground between the East and the West, it has always been an invader's
paradise, while at the same time its natural isolation and magnetic religions
allowed it to adapt to and absorb many of the peoples who penetrated its
mountain passes. No matter how many Persians, Greeks, Chinese nomads, Arabs,
Portuguese, British and other raiders had their way with the land, local Hindu
kingdoms invariably survived their depredations, living out their own sagas of
conquest and collapse. All the while, these local dynasties built upon the roots
of a culture well established since the time of the first invaders, the Aryans.
In short, India has always been simply too big, too complicated, and too
culturally subtle to let any one empire dominate it for long.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Agra,
Bundi, Hampi,
Kolkata, Leh
Iran,
Middle East
Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman Empire Hispania
flourished and became one of the Empire's most important regions. During the
early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire
peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in
the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in
1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global
empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half
of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a
diminished status. In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a
dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a
spectacular economic revival.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Iraq, Middle East
The region of Iraq was historically known as Mesopotamia. It was home to the
world's first known civilization, the Sumerian culture, followed by the Akkadian,
Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures, whose influence extended into neighboring
regions as early as 5000 BC. These civilizations produced some of the earliest
writing and some of the first sciences, mathematics, laws and philosophies of
the world; hence its common epithet, the "Cradle of Civilization". Iraq has also
been home to some of the 21st century's more vivid history characterized by
Sadaam Hussein & the American invasion of the nation.
Historic & Cultural Highlights: Baghdad
Italy,
Western Europe
Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural
community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 8th century BC to a
colossal empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. In its twelve-century
existence, Roman civilization shifted from a monarchy, to a republic based on a
combination of oligarchy and democracy, to an autocratic empire. It came to
dominate Western Europe and the entire area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea
through conquest and assimilation.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Florence,
Milan,
Rome,
Vatican City,
Venice
Japan, East Asia
The written history of Japan began with brief appearances in Chinese history
texts from the first century AD. However, archaeological research indicates that
people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the upper paleolithic
period.[1][2] Following the last ice-age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem
of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human development, yielding the earliest
known pottery during the Jōmon period. Japanese history has alternating periods
of long isolation punctuated by radical, often revolutionary, influences from
the outside world.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Hiroshima,
Kyoto
Jordan, Middle East
The land that became Jordan forms part of the richly historical Fertile Crescent
region. Its history began around 2000 B.C., when Semitic Amorites settled around
the Jordan River in the area called Canaan. Subsequent invaders and settlers
included Hittites, Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
Greeks, Romans, Arab Muslims, Christian Crusaders, Mameluks, Ottoman Turks,
Circassians, and, finally, the British.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Petra
Mexico,
Central America
Human presence in Mexico has been shown to date back 40,000 years based upon
ancient human footprints discovered in the Valley of Mexico . For thousands of
years, Mexico was a land of hunter-gatherers. Around 9,000 years ago, ancient
Mexicans domesticated corn and initiated an agricultural revolution, leading to
the formation of many complex civilizations.
These civilizations revolved around cities with writing, monumental
architecture, astronomical studies, mathematics, and militaries. For almost
three thousand years, Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica were the site of several
advanced Amerindian civilizations, among them the Olmecs, the Mayas and the
Aztecs.
Historic & Cultural Highlights: Chichen Itza,
Mexico City
Mongolia,
East Asia
Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman Empire Hispania
flourished and became one of the Empire's most important regions. During the
early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire
peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in
the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in
1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global
empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half
of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a
diminished status. In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a
dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a
spectacular economic revival.
Historic & Cultural Highlights: The Steppes
Morocco,
Northern Africa
After the 13th century, Moscow gradually came to dominate the former cultural
center. By the 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had become the huge
Russian Empire, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean. Expansion
in the western direction sharpened Russia's awareness of its separation from
much of the rest of Europe and shattered the isolation in which the initial
stages of expansion had occurred. The Russian Revolution in 1917 was triggered
by a combination of economic breakdown, war weariness, and discontent with the
autocratic system of government, and it first brought a coalition of liberals
and moderate socialists to power, but their failed policies led to seizure of
power by the Communist Bolsheviks on October 25. Between 1922 and 1991, the
history of Russia is essentially the history of the Soviet Union, effectively an
ideologically based empire which was roughly coterminous with Russia before the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Fez and
Marrakech
Peru, South America
The earliest evidence of human presence in Peruvian territory has been dated to
approximately 11,000 years BCE. The oldest known complex society in Peru, the
Norte Chico civilization, flourished along the coast of the Pacific Ocean
between 3000 and 1800 BCE. These early developments were followed by
archaeological cultures such as Chavin, Paracas, Mochica, Nazca, Wari, and Chimu.
In the 15th century, the Incas emerged as a powerful state which, in the span of
a century, formed the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Andean societies
were based on agriculture, using techniques such as irrigation and terracing;
camelid husbandry and fishing were also important. Organization relied on
reciprocity and redistribution because these societies had no notion of market
or money. In 1532, a group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro defeated
Inca Emperor Atahualpa and imposed Spanish rule.
Historic & Cultural
Highlights: Machu
Picchu
Russia, Eastern
Europe
After the 13th century, Moscow gradually came to dominate the former cultural
center. By the 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had become the huge
Russian Empire, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean. Expansion
in the western direction sharpened Russia's awareness of its separation from
much of the rest of Europe and shattered the isolation in which the initial
stages of expansion had occurred. The Russian Revolution in 1917 was triggered
by a combination of economic breakdown, war weariness, and discontent with the
autocratic system of government, and it first brought a coalition of liberals
and moderate socialists to power, but their failed policies led to seizure of
power by the Communist Bolsheviks on October 25. Between 1922 and 1991, the
history of Russia is essentially the history of the Soviet Union, effectively an
ideologically based empire which was roughly coterminous with Russia before the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Moscow,
Novosibirsk,
St Petersburg
South
Africa,
Southern Africa
After the 13th century, Moscow gradually came to dominate the former cultural
center. By the 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had become the huge
Russian Empire, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean. Expansion
in the western direction sharpened Russia's awareness of its separation from
much of the rest of Europe and shattered the isolation in which the initial
stages of expansion had occurred. The Russian Revolution in 1917 was triggered
by a combination of economic breakdown, war weariness, and discontent with the
autocratic system of government, and it first brought a coalition of liberals
and moderate socialists to power, but their failed policies led to seizure of
power by the Communist Bolsheviks on October 25. Between 1922 and 1991, the
history of Russia is essentially the history of the Soviet Union, effectively an
ideologically based empire which was roughly coterminous with Russia before the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Cape Town,
Pretoria,
Soweto,
Zululand
Spain,
Western Europe
Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman Empire Hispania
flourished and became one of the Empire's most important regions. During the
early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire
peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in
the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in
1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global
empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half
of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a
diminished status. In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a
dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a
spectacular economic revival.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Barcelona,
Madrid,
Pamplona,
Sevilla
Turkey,
Middle East
Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman Empire Hispania
flourished and became one of the Empire's most important regions. During the
early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire
peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in
the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in
1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global
empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half
of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a
diminished status. In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a
dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a
spectacular economic revival.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Ephesus,
Istanbul, Troy
United
States, North America
Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman Empire Hispania
flourished and became one of the Empire's most important regions. During the
early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire
peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in
the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in
1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global
empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half
of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a
diminished status. In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a
dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a
spectacular economic revival.
Historic & Cultural Highlights:
Boston,
Chicago,
Los Angeles,
Miami,
New York City,
Philadelphia,
San Francisco,
Washington DC
- Article written in whole by Dakota Smith - Travelers Digest
