E2 Quest: Histories of the World... is over!

The quest is over. However, if you fill one of these nodes I shall endeavour to tell everyone how great you and your write-up are, and I shall list it below for posterity. Keep noding!

Writeups:

Here's our suggestions for sovereign states in the world today:

  • Afghanistan - great on post-1978, but information needed on before.
  • Algeria - could be more comprehensive, how about more detail on the war of independence and internal affairs under the Ottomans and French?
  • Antarctica - how about a history of discovery, exploration, research colonies and territorial claims?
  • Antigua and Barbuda - these unlucky islands have been colonised a fair few times in their history, what's that all about?
  • Argentina - this country has a rich history which is almost entirely un-noded
  • Armenia -a country with a rich and tragic history. What does it feel like to be kicked around by the regional superpowers?
  • Azerbaijan - a country with a rich and varied cultural heritage, temporarily crushed by the Soviets in the last century
  • Barbados - so this place has been a totally happening holiday resort for six thousand years. Right?
  • Belgium - been invaded by just about everyone. Has your country invaded Belgium? And just what else has been going on there?
  • Belize - full independence gained very late, in 1981
  • Bhutan - at a crucial point in Asia, Bhutan has been involved in much of the area's history. What about its relationship to Britain and India?
  • Bolivia - this country has had literally hundreds of coups since independence, and has now embarked on an experiment with democracy. What happened along the way?
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina - this area has been at the heart of Europe's history many times
  • Botswana - swallowed up in the scramble for Africa, now one of Africa's most dynamic economies
  • Brunei - ruled by the same royal family for six centuries, they've enjoyed varying degrees of power and influence throughout this time
  • Burkina Faso - poor and surrounded by unstable neighbours, Burkina Faso has had a chequered history
  • Burundi - once one of Germany's only colonies, now a centre of ethnic conflict
  • Cayman Islands - how did this place become such a tax haven?
  • Central African Republic - a turbulent country in a very turbulent region
  • Chad - a former French colony, independence brought ethnic strife
  • Chile - conquistadors did what conquistadors do, and since then Chile has been strongly influenced by European force or ideas
  • China - one of the world's oldest civilisations and has a very rich history
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo - scene of a massive genocide by Leopold II and of the world's deadliest conflicts since World War II
  • Costa Rica - how did this country achieve its remarkable post-war stability?
  • Cote d'Ivoire - France has been entangled in this area since the nineteenth century
  • Cuba - has been in the Spanish, American and Soviet sphere of influence in its time
  • Denmark - beat up the English and the Russians early on, and involved in European affairs ever since
  • Djibouti - strategic outpost in the war on terror, but there's more to this country than that
  • Dominica - the first Caribbean island to be colonised by Europeans
  • Dominican Republic - this half of Hispaniola has done better politically and economically than Haiti - why?
  • East Timor - some more on pre-colonial history and internal affairs would be good
  • Ecuador - once ruled by the Incas and Spanish, independent since 1830
  • Egypt - once a glorious Empire, Egypt wasn't ruled by Egyptians from the time of the Pharaohs to the early 20th century
  • El Salvador - a violent civil war in the 1980s, but much happened before then
  • Equatorial Guinea - gained its independence relatively late after nearly two hundred years of Spanish rule
  • Eritrea - an ethnically diverse nation which has suffered annexation by Ethiopia in the 20th century, finally gaining independence after millennia of rule by local dominant powers
  • France - this country has been absolutely central to European and world history
  • The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - its name is a UN fudge due to Greek objections, but what has FYROM been up to while the rest of the world argued about its name?
  • Gabon - unfortunately named after a type of coat, later became part of French Equatorial Africa
  • The Gambia - some people think it's just a river, but the Gambia, formerly a British colony, is now a sovereign nation
  • Georgia - we've got great stuff on its modern history, but what about the millennia before?
  • Germany - the superpower of Europe, what happened on its journey to this position?
  • Ghana - previously known as the Gold Coast, renamed after an ancient African Empire
  • Greece - the birthplace of much of what is now considered 'European'
  • Grenada - what happened here before the USA invaded?
  • Guatemala - once central to Mayan civilisation, later ravaged by the Spanish, civil war, and human rights abuses
  • Guinea - Guinea's military hasn't learnt to keep to itself after independence
  • Guinea-Bissau - there was a coup here just last year and a civil war not long ago, how did this instability come about?
  • Guyana - suffered a colonial tug-of-war between the British and Dutch
  • Vatican City - how did the smallest sovereign state on the planet come about, and how does its elective monarchy work?
  • Honduras - has had 300 coups and rebellions since independence, half of them in the last century
  • Hungary - a centre of a vibrant Eastern European country, later became a central battleground between Christendom and the Ottoman Empire
  • Iceland - what happened under the Norwegians and how did Iceland gain its independence?
  • India - a rich history prior to the British Raj and a very complex colonial period are just a few things to mention here
  • Indonesia - a semi-imperial state forged from hundreds of diverse cultures after centuries of Dutch rule
  • Ireland - unimaginatively named by the Romans, but has had a very interesting history
  • Isle of Man - has been ruled by England and Scotland in its time, but has the world's oldest parliamentary body and is proudly independent
  • Israel - who can meet the challenge of giving an objective history of why Israel came to be and what affect it's had on the region?
  • Italy - at various times home to the Roman Empire, the Pope, Machiavelli, and Fascism
  • Jamaica - yeah mon, I was going to node Jamaican history but I'd rather sitta on da beach
  • Jersey - part of the Channel Islands, owned in its time by France, England, and Nazi Germany
  • Jordan - full of autonomous tribes until the British created a totally artificial state - why did they do that?
  • Kazakhstan - so, what's the difference between this and all the other -stans?
  • Kenya - nowadays we know it for its coffee, what was it known for before?
  • Kiribati - this island nation includes Christmas Island!
  • Kyrgyzstan - once part of the Russian Empire, the Soviets just couldn't let it go
  • Lebanon - was home to a delicate sectarian balance that tragically collapsed in the 1980s, how did this come about and what happened to it?
  • Lesotho - what does it feel like to be totally surrounded by South Africa?
  • Liberia - being named after liberty hasn't helped this country avoid several bloody civil wars
  • Libya - Libya has been generally subjected to foreign control until Qadaffi's independent-minded 'Third Universal Theory' - what is it and what was the colonial past he was rebelling against?
  • Liechtenstein - history has largely passed this tiny nation by, but it's done something right - it now has one of the highest standards of living in the world
  • Luxembourg - this small state has been caught in the middle of Europe's wars many times
  • Madagascar - one of the biggest islands in the world, there was plenty of room for interesting history
  • Malawi - came under a strong Scottish influence in the nineteenth century
  • Malaysia - an early commercial centre, but its prosperity attracted Europeans imperialists
  • Maldives - was an Islamic sultanate for most of its history, became a republic in the twentieth century - why the change?
  • Malta - we've got the pre-history, but what's happened since then?
  • Marshall Islands - suffered German and Japanese colonisation, and then US nuclear weapon tests
  • Mauritania - how has the largely nomadic population of this country coped with colonisation and then independence?
  • Mexico - what has America's southern neighbour been up to these last few thousand years? - JediBix783 is working on this
  • Moldova - the Russians were interested in this region early on, and it suffered invasions from Kievan Rus', the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union
  • Monaco - world's smallest French-speaking country. Pretty small.
  • Mongolia - Samuel Huntingdon thinks China will swallow Mongolia in the future, but what happened in its past?
  • Montenegro - independent for many centuries, then involved in a number of federations in the twentieth century. Why did it link itself up with its neighbours?
  • Mozambique - one of the areas discovered by Vasco da Gama, was still fighting for its independence from Portugal in the 1970s. Why did they cling on so long?
  • Nepal - this thin country has a fat history, with Hindus, Buddhists, Brits, and Maoists all getting involved
  • Netherlands - the Dutch had a mini industrial revolution before the British - how did it come about and what went wrong?
  • New Zealand - one of the most recently settled large land masses, the natives didn't arrive much before the Europeans. How has their relationship been?
  • Nicaragua - has fallen into the US sphere on influence for most of its history
  • Niger - a sub-Saharan country that was economically important to the local Empires
  • Nigeria - initially the coast was used to transit slaves, the British later established a formal colony here
  • North Korea - Stalinism is long gone in the rest of the world, why is it still around in North Korea? And what's the deal with the South and China?
  • Pakistan - how did it come about, what's the deal with Kashmir, and what happened to Bangladesh?
  • Palau - we have the modern history of Palau, but what happened before?
  • Panama - born thanks to a canal, what's happened there since?
  • Papua New Guinea - one of the few places left open to German colonisation when they got into the business, the Australians kicked them out shortly afterwards.
  • Paraguay - this country has been characterised by strong, and often military, leaders since independence, but held democratic elections in 1992
  • Peru - this South American country was once home to the Inca Empire
  • Philippines - this archipelago was named after an uppity King, and that was only the start of foreign interference
  • Poland - this country has been described as the 'Heart of Europe', and its central position has led to many a foreign dismemberment
  • Portugal - the earliest colonial and world power, Portugal was only later eclipsed by Spain. Why so and what's happened since?
  • Qatar - declined to be part of Saudi Arabia or the UAE, Qatar has grown rich on oil
  • Romania - home to Romans, Russians, and vampires at various times
  • Rwanda - this country has seen a most terrible tragedy, what legacy could allow this to happen?
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis - small island nation that the British and French once fought over
  • Saint Lucia - another island the British and French fought over, independent since 1979
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - the British and French sure fought over a lot of islands
  • Samoa - an unlikely colonial history sees it divided by Germany and the USA, then occupied by New Zealand
  • San Marino - a tiny sovereign nation in the middle of Italy, claims to be the world's oldest republic
  • Saudi Arabia - a country carved in blood by an alliance of extreme religion and political cunning. How did this country of paradoxes come about?
  • Seychelles - strategically placed for trade, these islands were contested by the colonial powers
  • Sierra Leone - an early European colony, the natives resisted fiercely - and violence has been a feature of Sierra Leone ever since
  • Singapore - Singapore has a very old recorded history, and in modern times has come to be considered a unique specimen of non-Western modernity. How has this effected its inhabitants?
  • Slovakia - ruled by Hungary and then part of Czechoslovakia, why did it separate from it?
  • Slovenia - why has this country's recent experience been less turbulent than other ex-Yugoslav states?
  • Solomon Islands -
  • Somalia - with a political party for every tribe, independent Somalia has never been boring. What happened before the recent turmoil, and how did it come about?
  • South Africa - one of the oldest states in Africa, South Africa has been repeatedly settled by Europeans and has had a controversial history in the last century
  • South Korea - a rich ancient history and a turbulent modern one
  • Sudan - Sudan has been conquered by Egypt, Belgium and Britain - did they lay the groundwork for the current tragedy?
  • Suriname - gained its independence late, plunged into military dictatorship
  • Swaziland - humans have been in this region for 100,000 years, what have they been up to?
  • Sweden - a great early modern history here already, but what did Sweden do as a European superpower, and why did it decline?
  • Switzerland - it once furnished mercenaries to the rest of the Europe, but has managed to avoid armed conflict on its soil for over one hundred and fifty years
  • Syria - what was life like here under the Ottomans, or even before?
  • Taiwan - relations with the mainland dominate this country's recent past, but what have internal conditions been like on the island?
  • Tajikistan - has mostly been part of various Empires in recorded history, and has had a rocky time while independent
  • Tanzania - Germany's largest colony, then played regional policeman by kicking out Idi Amin
  • Thailand - resisted European colonisation, how did this make it develop differently to its neighbours?
  • Togo - ex-German colony, has the form of democracy but lacks the content
  • Tonga - this Pacific nation is proud of being unique in never losing indigenous government
  • Trinidad and Tobago - has done very well recently thanks to mineral wealth, but what were earlier centuries like?
  • Tunisia - the ancient site of Carthage, suffered Roman and Ottoman deprivations
  • Turkey - formerly a huge Islamic Empire in Europe and the Middle East, how has Ataturk's transformative legacy worked out?
  • Turkmenistan - part of various Empires for most of its history, finally became a sovereign state in 1991
  • Uganda - (in)famous in the twentieth century thanks to Idi Amin, but what happened before his rise to power?
  • United Arab Emirates - oil-rich and conservative, once under British control and a home for pirates (arrr!)
  • United Kingdom - the UK has always eschewed continental entanglement, but was for a time the world's superpower. What brought this about?
  • United States of America - a country that at once infuriates and fascinates the rest of the world, what legacy has made the USA what it is today?
  • Uruguay - a colony not just of Europeans but of Brazil, Uruguay had a particularly hard struggle for independence
  • Vanuatu - Yumi, Yumi, Yumi i glat blong talem se, Yumi, Yumi, Yumi i man blong Vanuatu!
  • Venezuela - one of the first South American countries to establish democratic civilian rule, but there have been hiccups along the way
  • Vietnam - there's more to this country than a war, as the Vietnamese have a long and proud history characterised by resistance to China and expansion southward
  • Yemen - a rich cultural heritage, scene of much conflict since the rise of Ibn Saud, and near the heartland of Islam
  • Zambia - another region that initially suffered being named after its conqueror, Zambia later became independent
  • Zimbabwe - in the news a lot recently, but what led to the current situation?

Prefer to node your favourite historical state? Here are just a few suggestions -

  • Abbasid Caliphate - saw much of what is now considered the 'golden age' of Islam
  • French Indochina - why did the French come to lump these diverse countries together, and what effect did this have?
  • Mali Empire - the Empire that made Timbuktu famous!
  • Manchukuo - the puppet state set up by the Kwantung Army in Manchuria - what did the Manchurians think of it?
  • Roman Empire - it's a challenge to sum this up concisely
  • Scotland - what was Scotland like before being absorbed into the UK, and why did the Scots eventually decide to stop resisting?
  • Songhai Empire - one of Africa's largest ever Empires, based around the Niger River
  • Tibet - prior to Communist takeover, Tibet had a unique culture. What was it like and how has it rebelled against Communist power?
  • Umayyad Caliphate - the first caliphate after the death of Ali