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Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
Edward Bangs Drew (1843 - 1924) joined the Chinese Maritime Customs Service in 1864 after earning his BA degree from Harvard. In 1868, Drew was appointed a Commissioner of the Service, a position he held for decades.<br/><br/> During that time he collected photographs that document clothing, customs, and daily life in 19th century China, and of Drew's life and career, including family and social gatherings, public appearances, and events and ceremonies.
The Manchu (pinyin: Manzu; Wade–Giles: Man-tsu) are a Chinese ethnic minority and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name.<br/><br/> Manchus form the largest branch of the Tungusic peoples and are distributed throughout China, forming the fourth largest ethnic group in that country.
William Purdom (10 April 1880 – 7 November 1921) was a British plant explorer sent by Veitch and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University to the northern provinces of China in 1909. He collected and photographed plants for the Arboretum along China’s Yellow River for three years, 1909–1911.<br/><br/> In 1914 Purdom and a companion Reginald Farrer set out on an ambitious expedition to Tibet and the Province of Kansu province of North-west China. These two years of exploring and plant collecting are described in Farrer's 'On the Eaves of the World' (2 vols) (1917), and Farrer's posthumous 'The Rainbow Bridge (1921).
<i>Uta Garuta</i> (lit. poem cards) is a card game in which 100 <i>waka</i> poems are written on two sets of cards that make up one full deck of 200 cards. One set is <i>yomifuda</i> or 'reading cards', and the other is <i>torifuda</i> or 'grabbing cards'.<br/><br/> As they were denoted, the words in the <i>yomifuda</i> are read and players have to find its associated torifuda before anybody else does to complete a poem and recite it.
The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.<br/><br/> Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component sub-groups, which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho (Qho) Xiong. The Miao live primarily in southern China, in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei.<br/><br/> Some members of the Miao sub-groups, most notably Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand). Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975, a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations (United States, France, Australia, and elsewhere.)
The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.<br/><br/> Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component sub-groups, which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho (Qho) Xiong. The Miao live primarily in southern China, in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei.<br/><br/> Some members of the Miao sub-groups, most notably Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand). Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975, a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations (United States, France, Australia, and elsewhere.)
The Zhuang people (Chinese: 壮族; pinyin: Zhuàngzú; Zhuang: Bouxcuengh) are an ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. They form one of the 55 minority ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. With the Buyi, Tay–Nùng, and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao. Their population, estimated at 18 million people, puts them second only to the Han Chinese and makes the Zhuang the largest minority in China.<br/><br/>Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon's scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of the dragon. Visitors standing on the top of the mountain can see the dragon's backbone twisting off into the distance.
The Zhuang people (Chinese: 壮族; pinyin: Zhuàngzú; Zhuang: Bouxcuengh) are an ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. They form one of the 55 minority ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. With the Buyi, Tay–Nùng, and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao. Their population, estimated at 18 million people, puts them second only to the Han Chinese and makes the Zhuang the largest minority in China.<br/><br/>Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon's scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of the dragon. Visitors standing on the top of the mountain can see the dragon's backbone twisting off into the distance.
The Zhuang people (Chinese: 壮族; pinyin: Zhuàngzú; Zhuang: Bouxcuengh) are an ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. They form one of the 55 minority ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. With the Buyi, Tay–Nùng, and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao. Their population, estimated at 18 million people, puts them second only to the Han Chinese and makes the Zhuang the largest minority in China.<br/><br/>Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon's scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of the dragon. Visitors standing on the top of the mountain can see the dragon's backbone twisting off into the distance.
The Assyrian people, most commonly known as Assyrians and other later names, such as: Ashuriyun, Atorayeh and Syriacs, are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia. They are Semitic people, who speak and write distinct dialects of Eastern Aramaic exclusive to Mesopotamia and its immediate surrounds.<br/><br/> Assyrians trace their ancestry back to the Sumero-Akkadian civilisation that emerged in Mesopotamia circa 4000–3500 BCE, and in particular to the northern region of the Akkadian lands, which would become known as Assyria by the 24th century BCE. The Assyrian nation existed as an independent state, and often a powerful empire, from the 24th century BCE until the end of the 7th century BCE. Assyria remained a Geo-political entity after its fall, and was ruled as an occupied province under the rule of various empires from the late 7th century BC until the mid 7th century CE when it was dissolved, and the Assyrian people have gradually become a minority in their homelands since that time.<br/><br/> Today that ancient territory is part of several nations; the north of Iraq, part of southeast Turkey and northeast Syria. They are indigenous to, and have traditionally lived all over what is now Iraq, northeast Syria, northwest Iran, and southeastern Turkey. They are a Christian people, with most following various Eastern Rite Churches, although many are non-religious.
The Assyrian people, most commonly known as Assyrians and other later names, such as: Ashuriyun, Atorayeh and Syriacs, are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia. They are Semitic people, who speak and write distinct dialects of Eastern Aramaic exclusive to Mesopotamia and its immediate surrounds.<br/><br/> Assyrians trace their ancestry back to the Sumero-Akkadian civilisation that emerged in Mesopotamia circa 4000–3500 BCE, and in particular to the northern region of the Akkadian lands, which would become known as Assyria by the 24th century BCE. The Assyrian nation existed as an independent state, and often a powerful empire, from the 24th century BCE until the end of the 7th century BCE. Assyria remained a Geo-political entity after its fall, and was ruled as an occupied province under the rule of various empires from the late 7th century BC until the mid 7th century CE when it was dissolved, and the Assyrian people have gradually become a minority in their homelands since that time.<br/><br/> Today that ancient territory is part of several nations; the north of Iraq, part of southeast Turkey and northeast Syria. They are indigenous to, and have traditionally lived all over what is now Iraq, northeast Syria, northwest Iran, and southeastern Turkey. They are a Christian people, with most following various Eastern Rite Churches, although many are non-religious.
The Adyghe or Adygs (Adyghe: Адыгэ or Adǝgă, Arabic: شركس/جركس‎, Jarkas/Sharkas, Persian: چرکس‎, Charkas), also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, were a North Caucasian ethnic group who were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.<br/><br/> Adyghe people mainly speak Circassian. Predominant religions include Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity. There remain about two million speakers of Circassian in Adygea, and Karachay–Cherkessia & Kabrdinia Republic, as well as a number in the Russian Federation outside these republics.<br/><br/> The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization estimates that there are as many as 3.7 million ethnic Circassians in the diaspora outside the Circassian republics, of whom about 2 million live in the Republic of Turkey, 700,000 in the Russian Federation, about 150,000 in the Middle East, and about 50,000 in western countries (Europe and USA).
Bedouin (from the Arabic badawī بَدَوِي, pl. badw بَدْو or badawiyyūn بَدَوِيُّون) are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes, or clans, known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir (عَشَائِر).The term 'Bedouin' derives from a plural form of the Arabic word badawī, as it is pronounced in colloquial dialects. The Arabic term badawī (بدوي) derives from the word bādiyah (بَادِية), which means semiarid desert (as opposed to ṣaḥarāʾ صَحَرَاء, which means desert).<br/><br/> Starting in the late nineteenth century, many Bedouin under British rule began to transit to a seminomadic life. In the 1950s and 1960s, large numbers of Bedouin throughout Midwest Asia started to leave the traditional, nomadic life to settle in the cities of Midwest Asia, especially as hot ranges have shrunk and populations have grown. For example, in Syria the Bedouin way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961, which forced many Bedouin to abandon herding for standard jobs. Similarly, governmental policies in Egypt and Israel, oil production in the Persian Gulf, as well as a desire for improved standards of living, effectively led most Bedouin to become settled citizens of various nations, rather than stateless nomadic herders.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a n ame given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.
Lamphun was the capital of the small but culturally rich Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai from about 750 AD to the time of its conquest by King Mangrai (the founder of Chiang Mai) in 1281.
The various traditional ethnic garments worn in Japan are still in use, they are mainly worn for ceremonies and special occasions, like weddings or festivals. Today both men and women favor 'western-style' clothing in their daily lives- due to the comparative convenience and the influx of global fashion.<br/><br/> Japanese clothing is styled to fit the seasons. Clothing with more rustic colors and patterns (like russet leaves) are favored in autumn, while in spring more vibrant colors and floral designs (like cherry blossoms) are common. In winter, those dressing in kimono tend to wear darker colors and multiple layers (sometimes as many as ten).
Located in the northeast of the country, Shan State covers one-quarter of Burma’s land mass. It was traditionally separated into principalities and is mostly comprised of ethnic Shan, Burman Pa-O, Intha, Taungyo, Danu, Palaung and Kachin peoples.<br/><br/> The ethnic Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as ‘Tai Long’ (Great Tai) or ‘Thai Yai’ (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as ‘Tai Noi’ (Little Tai) or ‘Tai Nyai’.<br/><br/> The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE, but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044-1077).
Known to the central Siamese as the Lao States at the turn of the 20th century, the northern region of what is now Thailand was an independent region known as the Lanna kingdom.<br/><br/> The main city, Chiang Mai, was built in 1296 by King Mengrai. The city was abandoned in 1776—91 due to Burmese invasions, but became an acknowledged part of Siam around the same time. The north was linked to Bangkok only by river, a journey which could take some six months, until in 1922, a railway was completed which connected Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including the water festival. Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own, the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a "Siam" nation, corrupted to Shan or Assam in some places. The majority of Tai Lu live around Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province in southern China. Other Tai Lu villages can be found in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a n ame given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.
Produced by Dai Nippon Seitō Kabushiki Kaisha sugar manufacture and refining company, Tokyo.
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including the water festival. Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own, the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a "Siam" nation, corrupted to Shan or Assam in some places.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
The Tai Dam or Black Tai are an ethnic group found in parts of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand. Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people). The Tai Dam originate from the vicinity of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
Situated southwest of the Thai capital Bangkok, Phetchaburi is an old royal city, dating back to the ethnic Mon in the 8th century, and later, Khmer settlers. In 1860, King Mongkut (King Rama IV), built a palace near Phetchaburi, that became commonly known as 'Khao Wang', although its official name is Phra Nakorn Khiri, meaning 'Holy City Hill'. Located on the three peaks of the 92m-high hill are: the king's summer palace; a chedi with a Buddhist temple; and an astronomical observatory. The site was registered as a historical park in 1979, with two of the palace buildings now housing a branch of the Thai National Museum.
The Karen are a major ethnic group of Burma, though several hundred thousand live in northern Thailand. Linguistically Tibeto-Burman, the Karen maintain a legend that dates them back to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. There are several branches of Karen—the Red Karen (Karenni), Sgaw Karen and Pwo Karen. There is also the hilltribe of Padaung, better known as 'Long-neck Karen'. In present-day Myanmar, the Karen rebel army, the KNU, has continuously fought a bloody civil war with the central Burman government since 1948.<br/><br/> The main traditional Lao instrument is the flute-like khene (kaen) which is made of bamboo. The khene (also spelled khaen, kaen and khen) is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin.<br/><br/> Today associated with the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand, similar instruments date back to the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, it is used among the ethnic Lao population of the province of Stung Treng and is used in lakhon ken, a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the khene as the premiere instrument.
The Akha are a hill tribe of subsistence farmers known for their artistry. The ethnic group may have originated in Mongolia around 1500 years ago. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.
The Akha are a hill tribe of subsistence farmers known for their artistry. The ethnic group may have originated in Mongolia around 1500 years ago. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.
The Yao nationality (its great majority branch is also known as Mien; Pinyin: Yáo zú; Vietnamese: người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south.<br/><br/> They also form one of the 54 ethnic groups officially recognized by Vietnam. In the last census, they numbered 2,637,421 in China, and roughly 470,000 in Vietnam. In Thailand they number 40,000 and in Laos 20,000.<br/><br/> The Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China. They are of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes, and their population is estimated at around 100,000. The Tai often refer to them by the exonym "Mussur", meaning hunter. About 10,000 live in Laos. They are one of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, where about 1,500 live in Lai Chau province.
The Akha are a hill tribe of subsistence farmers known for their artistry. The ethnic group may have originated in Mongolia around 1500 years ago. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.
Known to the central Siamese as the Lao States at the turn of the 20th century, the northern region of what is now Thailand was an independent region known as the Lanna kingdom. The main city, Chiang Mai, was built in 1296 by King Mengrai. The city was abandoned in 1776—91 due to Burmese invasions, but became an acknowledged part of Siam around the same time. The north was linked to Bangkok only by river, a journey which could take some six months, until in 1922, a railway was completed which connected Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Known to the central Siamese as the Lao States at the turn of the 20th century, the northern region of what is now Thailand was an independent region known as the Lanna kingdom. The main city, Chiang Mai, was built in 1296 by King Mengrai. The city was abandoned in 1776—91 due to Burmese invasions, but became an acknowledged part of Siam around the same time. The north was linked to Bangkok only by river, a journey which could take some six months, until in 1922, a railway was completed which connected Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including the water festival. Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own, the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a "Siam" nation, corrupted to Shan or Assam in some places. The majority of Tai Lu live around Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province in southern China. Other Tai Lu villages can be found in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma.
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including the water festival. Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own, the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a "Siam" nation, corrupted to Shan or Assam in some places. The majority of Tai Lu live around Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province in southern China. Other Tai Lu villages can be found in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a name given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.