Though decidedly modern and largely secular, Israel is a country steeped in biblical history and in which religion and tradition continue to play an active role in public life. In seventy five years it has grown from a sparsely populated strip of lan...

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is a nation of striking contrasts and remarkable diversity. Home to over 250 distinct ethno-linguistic groups, its landscapes range from sandy beaches and tropical jungles to vast plains, rugged mountains, and...

Slovakia is a young country with a long history, an enduring culture, and a very old language. Its recent history has been one of frequent change, but the traditions of the Slovak people are rich and easily perceived in the architecture and geography...

Costa Rica is renowned for its tropical beauty and for the warmth of its inhabitants � the "Ticos". With an infectious enthusiasm for life, the Ticos are a proud people who cherish their democracy in a region that has seen generations of political un...

If you are looking for a country where everything works like clockwork, now might be a good time to turn back. If you can relax and go with the flow, however, you will experience a land diverse in environment, a rich and dynamic culture, and a people...

Nestled in the Caucasus Mountains at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Georgia plays a geopolitical role far greater than its size would suggest. Its strategic location has been both a blessing and a curse, however. Once a battlefield of the Christi...

The largest and most populous Central American country, Guatemala is a land of contrasts and contradictions. It offers great physical beauty alongside ancient Mayan ruins and a conglomeration of diverse peoples and cultures. It is also unique in Cent...

The stranger-than-fiction story of the Enlightenment visionaries who discovered the unexpected effects of inhaling nitrous oxide. At the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, England, founded in the closing years of the eighteenth century, dramatic exp...

A groundbreaking story of Japanese comics from their nineteenth-century origins to the present day. The immensely popular art form of manga, or Japanese comics, has made its mark across global pop culture, influencing film, visual art, video games,...

The world as we know it would not exist without plants. Have you ever stopped to think about how your morning cappuccino came to be? From the coffee bush that yielded the beans to the grass for the cattle, or perhaps the soya, that produced the milk...