Niger
Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did
Niger hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord
ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and
1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation
Council that effected a transition to civilian rule by December
1999. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with
minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its
resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is
frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region
of Africa.
Nigeria
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new
constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to
civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting
task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have
been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and
institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO
administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious
tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth
and political stability. Despite some irregularities, the April 2003
elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's
history.
Niue
Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic
differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest
of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered.
The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200
in 1966 to about 2,150 in 2005), with substantial emigration to New
Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.
Norfolk Island
Two British attempts at establishing the island as a
penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In
1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of
the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
Northern Mariana Islands
Under US administration as part of the UN
Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana
Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to
forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status
began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political
union with the US was approved in 1975. A new government and
constitution went into effect in 1978.
Norway
Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off
following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in
994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next
several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with
Denmark that was to last for more than four centuries. In 1814,
Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and
adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to
let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union
under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century
led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although
Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to
its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of
World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi
Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway
became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters
in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current
focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and
planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In
referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.
Oman
In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has
ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has
opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a
long-standing political and military relationship with the UK.
Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain
good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five
oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways
include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and
Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic
Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the
Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60
degrees south.
Pakistan
The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim
state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely
Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and
Pakistan have fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the
disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in
1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of
Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming
the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear
weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The
dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but recent discussions
and confidence-building measures may be a start toward lessened
tensions.
Palau
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the
Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the
Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the
Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with
the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered
into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.