Otters 5/6 Places (World History)

Medina

City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Hiroshima

City on Japan's Honshu Island, was largely destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II on August 6, 1945. It was chosen because it had not been targeted during the US Air Force's bombing raids on Japan, and was regarded as being a suitable place to test the effects of an atomic bomb. It was also an important military base.

Timbuktu

City on the Niger River in the modern country of Mali. It was founded by the Tuareg as a seasonal camp sometime after 1000. As part of the Mali empire, Timbuktu became a major major terminus of the trans-Saharan trade and a center of Islamic learning.

Liberia

In 1820, the American Colonization Society created a colony in West Africa for freed slaves to go. By the 1840s this colony had its own constitution and became and independent nation. It's capital city is Monrovia, named after President Monroe, a prominent supporter of the colonization of Liberia and the American Colonization Society.

Dunkirk

In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of [this location]. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated.

Singapore

International trade in this small island country has been known since the 1400's. It was taken over by the Siamese and then the Malays, but the Malays allowed the British to locate a trading port on the island, leading to the establishment of this British colony in 1819. During World War II, this island nation was occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1942 to 1945. When the war ended, it reverted to British control, then back to Malaysian control. This island became an independent republic on 9 August 1965.

Fertile Crescent

It stretches from the Nile River in Egypt to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq. It also encompasses several other countries, including Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. The western edge of this borders the Mediterranean Sea, while the eastern edge reaches to the Persian Gulf. Also known as the "cradle of civilization" is a crescent-shaped region where agriculture and the first human civilizations like the Sumer and Ancient Egypt flourished due to inundations from the surrounding Nile, Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Byzantine Empire

(330-1450 AD) The continuation of the Roman Empire and its eastern provinces during the Middle Ages (also known as the Eastern Roman Empire). Its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). It survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural and military force in Europe.

African Colonies

Before World War I, this continent was divided into colonies belonging to the following European countries: Britain, France, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands (Dutch) and Italy. Only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent.

Kampuchea

Also known as Cambodia. The state was controlled by the Khmer Rouge (KR) and was founded when KR forces defeated the Khmer Republic of Lon Nol in 1975. Between 1975 and 1979, the state and its ruling Khmer Rouge regime was responsible for the deaths of millions of Cambodians through forced labour and genocide.

Athens

Capital city and largest city in Greece and is one of the world's oldest cities.

Elba

An Italian island. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to this island in 1814. During the months that Napoleon stayed on the island, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life. He stayed on this island for 300 days, then escaped to France on 26 February 1815.

Byzantium

An ancient Greek colony that later became Constantinople and then Istanbul. It was colonized by the Greeks in 657 BC. It was conquered and controlled by several groups of people throughout its history and became the center of the Byzantine Empire.

Palestine

An area of the former Ottoman Empire (which fell after WWI) in which the Jewish People wished to relocate and create their own Jewish Nation (the Zionist Movement). Conflicts began when a Jewish Guard accidentally shot an Arab Palestinian man, and after that, both sides have attacked each other and tensions, even today are still very high. World In 1948, a war was fought between Israel and the Arab nations around it, and Israel won, taking over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula (which was later returned to Egypt) and the Gaza strip, which is part of this disputed area.

Corsica

An island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica. Corsica was ruled by various powers over the course of its history, but had several brief periods of self-government.

Damascus

Capital city of Syria. It was conquered by Alexander the Great, and became a site of struggle for several empires. The city was entirely redesigned by the Romans after Pompey conquered the region. Still today the Old Town retains the rectangular shape of the Roman city. The city became a city of key importance in the development of Arab cities.

Madras

Now called Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, this city is home to Fort St. George, built in 1644 and now a museum showcasing the city's roots as a British military garrison and East India Company trading outpost.

Tiananmen Square

Site in Beijing where Chinese students and workers gathered to demand greater political openness in 1989. The demonstration was crushed by Chinese military with great loss of life.

Saint Helena

South Atlantic island. Napoleon's final home after the Battle of Waterloo.

Siam

The Kingdom of _____, known today as Thailand, remained relatively independent during through the nineteenth century because they served as a buffer between the colonies of Britain and France in Indochina.

Canton/Guangzhou

The capital and most populated city of the province of Guangdong in southern China. On the Pearl River about 75 miles northwest of Hong Kong, this area has a history of over 2,200 years and was a major terminus of the maritime Silk Road, and continues to serve as a major port and transportation hub, as well as one of China's three largest cities.

Beijing

The capital of China, formerly known as Peking. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and has been built up by several dynasties. It's name, which means Northern Capital, was applied to the city in 1403 by the Ming dynasty. Places of interest and historical significance here include the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and many more.

Pakistan

The history of the Islamic Republic of [this country] began on 14 August 1947 when this country gained independence from Great Britain, following the [this country] Movement and the partition of British India. At the time [this country] consisted of West [this country] , today's [this country] , and East [this country] , today's Bangladesh. India was between these two countries.

Persia

an empire in southwest Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. In modern day Iran.

Tigris River

one of the two largest rivers in Southwest Asia that flow from the mountains in Turkey to the Persian Gulf and is the river around which the ancient society of Mesopotamia was built.

Calcutta

renamed Kolkata in 2001, is the capital of West Bengal in India. At the center of the Bengal Renaissance, Kolkata has rich traditions in drama, art, film, theater and literature. The English arrived in this city in 1690 and became a part of the East India Trading Company.

Sparta

Greek city-state that was ruled by an oligarchy (only a few people had power), focused on military, used slaves for agriculture, discouraged the arts

Pearl Harbor

7:50-10:00 AM, December 7, 1941 - Surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in this location, Hawaii destroyed 18 U.S. ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3000, Japanese losses less than 100. In response, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, entering World War II.

Pretoria

A city founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the Voortrekkers, who named it after his father Andries Pretorius and chose a spot on the banks of the "Apies rivier" (Afrikaans for "Monkeys river") to be the new capital of the South African Republic The founding of this city as the capital of the South African Republic can be seen as marking the end of the Boers' (a member of the Dutch and Huguenot population that settled in southern Africa in the late 17th century) settlement movements of the Great Trek (a movement of Dutch-speaking colonists up into the interior of southern Africa in search of land where they could establish their own homeland, independent of British rule.).

Jerusalem

A city in the Middle East, located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During its long history, this city has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.

Bombay

A city now called Mumbai. A group of seven islands separated by swamps, in 1343 they became part of the lands of the Sultan of Gujarat. In 1534, the Portuguese captured the islands and established a trading centre (or 'factory') there. The Portuguese called the place Bom Bahia, meaning 'the good bay.' This trading place slowly grew, with local people trading products such as silk, muslin, chintz, onyx, rice, cotton and tobacco. By 1626, there was a great warehouse, a friary, a fort and a ship building yard. There were also new houses for the general population, and mansions for the wealthy. By 1700, it was considered the Gateway to India.

Prussia

A former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland. After World War I in November 1918, the monarchies were abolished and the nobility lost its political power during the German Revolution of 1918-19. The kingdom was thus abolished in favour of a republic—the Free State of [place's name], a state of Germany from 1918 until 1933.

Tibet

A formerly independent nation in the high plateaus north of the Himalayas, this nation was overtaken by China in 1950. This Region seeks independence from the Chinese government

Holy Roman Empire

A group of countries in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages (December 25, 800 AD) and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Emperor would be crowned by the Pope considered himself to be King of the Romans, or the inheritors of the ancient Roman empire, although the difference was they had to work closely with the Popes.

Berlin Wall

A guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989 It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), starting on 13 August 1961. The wall was built to prevent immigration from East Germany, and was an attempt to keep government control and spread East Germany political ideas. The wall cut off land travel to West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992.

Suez Canal

A human-made waterway, which was opened in 1869, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea

Phoenicia

A maritime (seafaring) civilization of the Mediterranean that developed extensive trade and communication networks as well as an early alphabetical script (1500 B.C.E). Present Day Lebanon.

Mesopotamia

A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that developed the first urban societies. In the Bronze Age this area included Sumer and the Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires, In the Iron Age, it was ruled by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires.

Ganges River

A river that flows through India and Bangladesh. Home to the beginnings of Ancient Indian Civilization

Euphrates River

A river, along with the Tigris, which follow parallel courses through the heart of the Middle East. The lower portion of the region that they define, known as Mesopotamia, was one of the cradles of civilization. It is the longest river in Western Asia and is part of the fertile crescent. Currently, it flows from Turkey to Syria to Iraq.

Galapagos Islands

A volcanic group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, and is a province of Ecuador. It has a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of the species here later inspired his theory of evolution.

Istanbul

Formerly known as Constantinople, this is a major city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. It was taken over by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

New France

French colony in North America, with a capital in Quebec, founded 1608. New France fell to the British in 1763.

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army (George Washington). He surrendered October 19, 1781.

Constantinople

Modern-day Istanbul, was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, and later the Ottoman Empire. It was named after Emperor Constantine the Great. From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century, this city was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe and had incredible architecture. The name was changed by the Turkish people to Istanbul. In the year 1204 it was taken over by Latin leaders, and in 1261 it was restored into the Ottoman Empire.

Macao

One of two ports in which Europeans were permitted to trade in China during the Ming dynasty

Hong Kong

Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, the territory has become one of the world's most significant financial centers and commercial ports. It became a colony of the British Empire after Qing China ceded the island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842. in 1997, it was turned back over to China, but as a special administrative region, its system of government is separate from that of mainland China.

Sahara Desert

The largest desert in the world, covering most of northern Africa. This desert separated the cultures of Africa by the the Mediterranean from the cultures in middle and Southern Africa. Most scientists argue that the this desert took shape just 2 to 3 million years ago, and that is was known to go from being a dry area to a humid area. They say the last time this desert was humid was during the hunter/gatherer phase, and as it dried out, humans began to domesticate animals. Within the last 10,000 years, the desert has changed drastically, and scientist think humans did it by walking across the area with their goats and herd animals, tipping the area past the point of no return.

Cape Town

The legislative capital of South Africa. Employees of the Dutch East India Company were sent to the Cape to establish a way-station for ships traveling to the Dutch East Indies, and the British arrived on 6 April 1652 and established Dutch Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. This city became the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony and was the largest city in South Africa until Johannesburg surpassed it.

Huang Ho (Yellow River)

The second longest river in Asia, after the Yangtze River. It is also known as "the Mother River" and "the Cradle of Chinese Civilization" because it was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations, like the Xia and Shang dynasties (2100 BC)

Nile River

The world's longest river, which flows northward through East Africa into the Mediterranean Sea. The river around which early kingdoms in Egypt were centered.

Nagasaki

This Japanese port became a centre of colonial Portuguese and Dutch influence in the 16th through 19th centuries, and the Hidden Christian Sites in the region have been recognized and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Part of this city was home to a major Imperial Japanese Navy base during the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War. During World War II, the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and this city made this city the second and, to date, last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack

Battle of Waterloo

This battle was fought on Sunday, June 18, 1815 in present day Belgium. Napoleon Bonaparte and his French armies were defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. This defeat ended Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French, and marked the end of his Hundred Days return from exile.

Aswan Dam

This dam was built across the Nile in Egypt between 1960 and 1970. This dam was built to control flooding better, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity. This enabled Egypt to control the flooding, thus protecting and supporting farmland and the cotton crop, which is economically important to Egypt, and also provided water storage.

Mali (ancient)

This empire historically referred to as the Manden Kurufaba, was an empire in West Africa from 1230 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Musa Keita. The capital was Timbuktu.

Indus River

This river provides key water resources for Pakistan's economy. It is the longest river and national river of Pakistan, and flows along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea. Large ancient civilizations flourished near this river, and this river is where the country of India got its name.