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While Afghanistan has suffered a tremendous period of economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis resulting from multiple factors, including but not limited to political turmoil and persistent conflicts through the late 20th and 21st centuries, this is a more recent devastating chapter in a much longer peaceful history.  The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for centuries, and its location at the cross section of Central, South and Western Asia has made it a hub of diversity.  Afghanistan was once coined the “roundabout of the ancient world.”   

While Afghanistan has suffered a tremendous period of economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis resulting from multiple factors, including but not limited to political turmoil and persistent conflicts through the late 20th and 21st centuries, this is a more recent devastating chapter in a much longer peaceful history.  The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for centuries, and its location at the cross section of Central, South and Western Asia has made it a hub of diversity.  Afghanistan was once coined the “roundabout of the ancient world.”   

While Afghanistan has suffered a tremendous period of economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis resulting from multiple factors, including but not limited to political turmoil and persistent conflicts through the late 20th and 21st centuries, this is a more recent devastating chapter in a much longer peaceful history.  The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for centuries, and its location at the cross section of Central, South and Western Asia has made it a hub of diversity.  Afghanistan was once coined the “roundabout of the ancient world.”   

While Afghanistan has suffered a tremendous period of economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis resulting from multiple factors, including but not limited to political turmoil and persistent conflicts through the late 20th and 21st centuries, this is a more recent devastating chapter in a much longer peaceful history.  The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for centuries, and its location at the cross section of Central, South and Western Asia has made it a hub of diversity.  Afghanistan was once coined the “roundabout of the ancient world.”   

Located in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island nation in the Persian Gulf, situated between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Bahrain is made up of more than 30 islands. The largest of the islands is Bahrain Island, where the country’s capital, Manama, is located.

Located in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida and north of Cuba, The Bahamas is an island nation made up of approximately 700 islands and more than 2,000 cays (which are small islands made of sand and coral that form on top of a coral reef).

Located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the Republic of Azerbaijan lies along the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan shares a border with Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south.

Located in central Europe, Austria is a small mountainous country, that is landlocked and bordered by eight other countries – Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Austria is divided into nine provinces.

Situated between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the southern hemisphere, Australia is the sixth largest country in the word by land area, ranking behind Russia, Canada, China, the United States, and Brazil.

The republic of Armenia is a small, rugged, mountainous country that gets its name from the historical Armenian plateau, which encompasses a complex network of mountain ranges, volcanic peaks, valleys, rivers and lakes.  The small, landlocked country of Armenia covers about 11,600 square miles in area and makes up about one tenth of the plateau region.  Its bordering countries include Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan, the Republic of Georgia, Iran, and Turkey.  Due to its geographical location, Armenia tends to have hot summers and cold winters, is very susceptible to earthquakes and some droughts and is rich in mineral resources.  Despite its small size, Armenia is still densely populated.  Half of its nearly three million inhabitants live in the Ararat plain, which only makes up about ten percent of the full Armenian territory and contains the capital city of Yerevan.