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Italy
Italy ( [Listen] i/ˈɪtəli/; Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica italiana),[7][8][9][10] is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and has a largely temperate climate; due to its shape, it is often referred to in Italy as lo Stivale (the Boot).[11][12] With 61 million inhabitants, it is the 5th most populous country in Europe. Italy is a very highly developedcountry[13] and has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth-largest in the world.[14]
Since ancient times, Etruscan, Magna Graecia and other cultures have flourished in the territory of present-day Italy, being eventually absorbed by Rome, that has for centuries remained the leading political and religious centre of Western civilisation, capital of the Roman Empire and Christianity. During the Dark Ages, the Italian Peninsula faced calamitous invasions by barbarian tribes, but beginning around the 11th century, numerous Italian city-states rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking (indeed, modern capitalism has its roots in Medieval Italy).[15] Especially during The Renaissance, Italian culture thrived, producing scholars, artists, and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Italian explorers such as Polo, Columbus, Vespucci, and Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery. Nevertheless, Italy would remain fragmented into many warring states for the rest of the Middle Ages, subsequently falling prey to largerEuropean powers such as France, Spain, and later Austria. Italy would thus enter a long period of decline that lasted until the mid 19th century.
After various unsuccessful attempts, the second and the third wars of Italian Independence resulted in the unification of most of present-day Italy between 1859-66.[16] From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the new Kingdom of Italy rapidly
Italy plays a prominent role in global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs[23] and thus is considered a major regional power.[24][25][26] Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union. Italy is a member of numerous international institutions, including the UN, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the DAC, the WTO, the G4, G6, G7, G8, G10, G20, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Latin Union, the Council of Europe, theCentral European Initiative, the ASEM and the Uniting for Consensus.
Ireland
Ireland ( [Listen] i/ˈaɪərlənd/; locally: /ˈɑːrlənd/;[citation needed] Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic to the west of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St Georges Channel, and after which it is the largest island of the British Isles archipelago. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth.[6]
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remaining area and is located in the north-east of the island. The population of Ireland is about 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.[7]
The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%.[8][9] There are 26 extant mammal species native to Ireland.[10]
Prehistoric Ireland saw the arrival of humans after 8000 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century and lasted until the early 17th century. The island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following theNorman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland. However, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest. This led to colonisation of Ireland by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. With the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century was followed by the partition of the island, creating the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades, and Northern Ireland which remained a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973, both parts of Ireland joined the European Economic Community.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and education. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed for example through Gaelic games, Irish music, and the Irish language. The culture of the island has also many features shared with Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, and golf.
Portugal
Portugal (UK /ˈpɔːtʃʊɡl/; US [Listen] i/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/; Portuguese: Portugal [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]; Mirandese: Pertual), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa; Mirandese: República Pertuesa), is a country in southwest Europe. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula, and it is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, being bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. Aside from continental Portugal, the Portuguese Republic holds sovereignty over the Atlantic archipelagos of Azores and Madeira, which are autonomous regions of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose name derives from a combination of Latin "Portus", and the Celtic place-name "Cale".[12]
The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continually fought over and settled since prehistoric times. The Celts and the Romans were followed by the Visigothic and the SuebiGermanic peoples, who were themselves later invaded by the Moors. These Muslim peoples were eventually expelled during the Christian Reconquista of the peninsula. By 1139, Portugal established itself as akingdom independent from León.[13] In the 15th and 16th centuries, as the result of pioneering the Age of Discovery, Portugal expanded western influence and established the first global empire,[14][15][16] becoming one of the world's major economic, political and military powers, and ultimately dividing the world with Spain.
The Portuguese Empire was the longest-lived of the modern European colonial empires, spanning almost 600 years, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau to the People's Republic of China in 1999 (de facto) or the granting of sovereignty to East Timor in 2002 (de jure) after occupation by Indonesia since 1975. The empire spread throughout a vast number of territories that are now part of 53 different sovereign states, leaving a profound cultural and architectural influence across the globe with a legacy of over 250 million Portuguese speakers today (making it the sixth most spoken first language) and a number ofPortuguese-based creoles. Portugal's international status was greatly reduced during the 19th century, especially following the Independence of Brazil. After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, itself being superseded by the "Estado Novo" right-wing authoritarian regime. Democracy was restored after the Portuguese Colonial War and theCarnation Revolution in 1974. Shortly after, independence was granted to Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.
Portugal is a developed country with an advanced economy, high living standards[17][18][19] and high-quality infrastructures, ranking 2nd in the quality of the road network[20] and 11th overall,[21] according to theGlobal Competitiveness Report. It is one of the world's most globalized, peaceful and responsive nations.[22][23] It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, Eurozone, OECD, NATO, WTO, Schengen Area, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Portugal was among the first countries to abolish capital punishment in 1867. On 31 May 2010, Portugal became the sixth country in Europe and the eighth country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage on the national level.[24] Portugal also received international attention for being the first country in the world to fully decriminalize the usage of all drugs in 2001.[25]
Second Blog Post
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Quisque eleifend et mi eu lobortis. Suspendisse quam massa, luctus convallis tempor quis, malesuada id metus. Cras quis porttitor orci. Morbi aliquet viverra purus sed sagittis. Vivamus viverra nunc odio, sit amet malesuada nisl aliquet vel. Pellentesque facilisis, nunc sit amet maximus vehicula, mauris magna rhoncus ligula, vitae ultrices dui elit accumsan nisi. Vestibulum luctus sed tellus ac luctus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Quisque et rutrum ante, a fermentum turpis. Sed vestibulum lacus nibh, vitae fermentum lacus sollicitudin at.
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First Blog Post
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Aenean mollis eros dolor, dapibus rhoncus urna elementum nec. Vivamus a odio vestibulum, sodales ligula vitae, convallis magna. Phasellus ut nibh a ante feugiat facilisis sit amet sit amet neque. Donec condimentum elit eu convallis ullamcorper. Nam at lorem ac risus suscipit feugiat vel at nisl. Nunc mattis ipsum sit amet mi feugiat, maximus tristique enim condimentum. Donec id nulla odio. Donec fringilla magna ac luctus eleifend. Nulla rhoncus blandit mi, et sollicitudin ex semper quis. Duis condimentum suscipit ligula, sit amet blandit orci feugiat vitae. Etiam ut accumsan mauris. Maecenas vehicula, felis ut maximus gravida, est massa dignissim nunc, sit amet porttitor orci mi efficitur leo. Phasellus a rhoncus massa. Etiam a facilisis sem, in pellentesque urna. Vestibulum consectetur facilisis augue, non rutrum erat rutrum a. Morbi dolor quam, placerat sit amet arcu eu, bibendum dapibus neque.
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