1. For each of the 3 countries, give the following information:

1. capital
2. location/the countries that share its borders
3. the religious breakdown of the population
4. the type of government
5. the chief of state (and head of government if different) If monarch or dictator, since what date has he/she ruled? – include name of heir apparent for monarch
6. the population

Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country, answers can be found under the “Geography” “People” and “Government” headings.

NOTE to students: Before answering the questions below, read the information under “Background” and watch the videos under “Resources.”

2. For NEW ZEALAND:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What type of damage did the earthquake cause?
c) How is the government responding in the aftermath of the quake?

3. For FINLAND:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What is the Unicode Consortium? What is its goal?
c) Which of the four Finnish submissions, if any, do you think Unicode should have accepted? Explain your answer.
d) Finland is the first country to apply to add its own designated emojis. Currently, there are emojis that represent the flags of every country. Do you think the U.S. should apply for emojis that represent our culture? If so, what design do you suggest? If no, why not? Explain your answer.

4. For POLAND:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) How many people marched under the nationalist organized banner?
c) Consider the following:

• Nationalist is defined as a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country--often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries.
• Nationalism involves national identity.
• The term “nationalist” is generally used today in a negative connotation, with the implication that people who express these feelings are racist and xenophobic.
• The people who marched on Poland’s Independence Day say they are opposed to European Union “elites” demands for Catholic Poland to take in Muslim migrants - they say Islam is not compatible with Christianity, and when they grow in number, will demand the implementation of Sharia (Islamic) law. The marchers say they want to keep Polish culture Polish.
• They marched under the slogan “Poland the Bastion of Europe.” Bastion is defined as something that keeps or defends a belief or a way of life that is disappearing or threatened.

The marchers expressed their beliefs peacefully. What do you think: are these Polish nationalists racist and/or xenophobe, or simply proud of their country and culture? Explain your answer.