Bolivia:
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR,
broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history
has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups.
Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s,
but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty,
social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting
foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, continuing
the privatization program, and waging an anti-corruption campaign.
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of
sovereignty in October 1991, was followed by a referendum for
independence from the former Yugoslavia in February 1992. The
Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia - responded with
armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic
lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "greater Serbia." In
March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring
factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint
Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November
1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties signed a peace agreement
that brought to a halt the three years of interethnic civil strife
(the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The
Dayton Agreement retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international
boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic
government. This national government is charged with conducting
foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second
tier of government comprised of two entities roughly equal in size:
the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS
governments are charged with overseeing internal functions. In
1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of
60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military
aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led
Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission is to deter renewed
hostilities. SFOR remains in place at a level of approximately
21,000 troops.
Botswana:
Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland,
Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The
economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by
diamond mining.
Bouvet Island:
This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely
covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered
in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named.
No claim was made until 1825 when the British flag was raised. In
1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied
the island the previous year. In 1971, Bouvet Island and the
adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. Since
1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station on the
island.
Brazil:
Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil
became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most
populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than
half a century of military intervention in the governance of the
country to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development
of the interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor
pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic power by the
1970s. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.
British Indian Ocean Territory: Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier resident in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
British Virgin Islands:
First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the
islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy
is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to
the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Brunei:
The Sultanate of Brunei's heyday occurred between the 15th
and 17th centuries, when its control extended over coastal areas of
northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently
entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal
succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In
1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was
achieved in 1984. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and
natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs
in the less developed countries. The same family has now ruled in
Brunei for over six centuries.
Bulgaria:
Bulgaria earned its independence from the Ottoman Empire
in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it
fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's
Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria
held its first multi-party election since World War II and began the
contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a
market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption,
and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a
path toward eventual integration into NATO and the EU - with which
it began accession negotiations in 2000.
Burkina Faso:
Independence from France came to Burkina Faso
(formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the
1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early
1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every
year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.