More Information Zambia

Zambia is the land of the legendary African walking safari. Big game, abundant birdlife and raw, pulsating wilderness are what visitors can expect to find. The Zambian government has long recognised the economic importance of its wildernesses and is acutely aware of environmental concerns: almost one-third of the country is given over to national parks and game reserves.

First colonised by the British South African Company in 1889, it was not until 1924, when the company ceded administrative control to the British Crown (whereupon it became the colony of Northern Rhodesia), that serious exploitation of the country’s main natural resource, copper, began. Though this could have made Zambia one of the continent’s richest countries, it is one of the world’s poorest.

More Information Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe also offers some of the best wildlife parks in southern Africa. From the forested mountains of the Eastern highlands to the sun-washed grasslands of Hwange National Park, from the hot Mopani Forest to the shores of Lake Kariba, more than 11% of Zimbabwe’s land – 44,688 sq km (17,254 sq miles) – has been set aside as parks and wildlife estates. There are also several botanical gardens, sanctuaries and more than a dozen national safari areas for hunting (an activity that helps to finance the conservation programme and is strictly controlled).

Present-day Zimbabwe was the site of a large and complex African civilisation in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was populated by descendants of the Bantu tribes, who had migrated from the north around the 10th century. Evidence of their mainly pastoral lifestyle may still be seen in the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, near the present-day town of Masvingo.

The first contact with Europeans was with the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century. Relations between the two were fairly stable until the 1830s, when the region was thrown into upheaval by the northward migration of the Ndebele people from South Africa.

At this point, a new aggressive breed of colonists arrived in the form of British mining interests led by Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company (BSAC). The BSAC took control of the country – which they called ‘Southern Rhodesia’ – until 1923, when it became, nominally, a British colony.

From 1953-63, Southern Rhodesia formed part of the Central African Federation with neighbouring Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi). In 1965, to resist decolonisation, the settlers – with South African support – issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). This triggered a bitter civil war between the white minority government and fighters for African independence, ending only in 1980, with the granting of independence and the holding of a general election under British auspices, which was won decisively by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU party.

Modern Zimbabwe is in a terrible state. The economy has all but collapsed. There is widespread famine, which has been cynically manipulated by the government so opposition strongholds suffer the most. The government lacks the resources or machinery to deal with the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which affects an estimated one-quarter of the population. With all this and the forced and violent removal of white farmers in a brutal land redistribution programme, President Mugabe has earned himself widespread scorn from the international arena.

More Information Yemen

To the Romans, Yemen was Arabia Felix, whose mountains and fertile areas distinguished it from the barren desert of the rest of the Arabian peninsula. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Yemen came into the seventh century under the influence of Islam. It remained within the orbit of various regional powers until, in the 15th century, it became a flashpoint in the struggle between the Egyptians and the Ottoman Empire. During the early 17th and early 19th centuries, the struggle for control was between the Europeans and the Ottomans. Split in two by political and civil warfare throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Yemen was finally reunited in 1990 under Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The country is home to numerous significant archaeological sites, while adventure travellers can enjoy camping and trekking in the unique Socotra archipelago, which counts over 270 endemic species among its enormous range of wildlife and plant life.

More Information Virgin Islands (U.S)

The Danes’ legacy is evident in Christiansted, on the largest island, St Croix, whose historic sites include Fort Christiansværn (dating from 1774) and the Old Custom House. St Thomas too retains much of its Danish influence; in the capital, Charlotte Amalie, converted warehouses now house stylish boutiques. Those seeking unspoilt natural beauty should head to St John. With no airport, and two-thirds of the island’s deep valleys set aside as a national park, this is an ideal Caribbean retreat.

The islands were first inhabited by Carib and Arawak Indians but, in common with the rest of the Caribbean, they endured various waves of European invasion and settlement from the 1490s onwards, finally becoming part of the Danish West Indies. The US government purchased the islands in 1917 and they are now an unincorporated territory of the USA. A measure of self-government was introduced in 1954, along with the introduction of an elected Senate.

More Information Venezuela

Originally inhabited by Carib and Arawak Indians, Venezuela was claimed as a Spanish territory by Christopher Columbus in 1498. Spanish rule was administered from a distance, leaving the various regions to develop separately from the capital, Caracas. In the 18th century, Simón Bolívar led widespread resistance to colonial meddling, and Venezuela finally became a sovereign state in 1830.

Today’s politics are dominated by President Hugo Chávez, who draws on the support of the disaffected masses of poor Venezuelans. Despite attempts by the opposition to remove him, Chávez has remained a formidable political force, gaining another six-year term after an overwhelming victory in 2006.

More Information Uruguay

A delightfully low-key, hospitable place, modern Uruguay enjoys a high standard of living but draws fewer tourists than neighbouring Brazil and Argentina. Visitors here can melt into the background and experience the everyday life of a different culture – whether riding horses under the big sky of Uruguay’s sparsely populated interior or strolling with throngs of mate-drinking locals along Montevideo’s 15km- (9 miles) long beachfront.

The three most popular destinations are the culturally vibrant capital Montevideo, the picturesque 17th-century port of Colonia, and the trendy coastal resort Punta del Este, which lures jetsetters from around the globe to its sandy beaches, fine restaurants and party-till-you-drop nightclubs. Visitors with more time should explore the dunes and lagoons of Uruguay’s long Atlantic coastline, soak in the hot springs near Salto, or spend the night at a tourist estancia amidst the wide-open grandeur of gaucho country.

More Information United States

The USA is a huge country to explore, with 50 states to choose from, flanked by two oceans and covering an incredibly varied terrain. For five centuries, since the ‘New World’ discoveries of Christopher Columbus, people from every corner of the globe have come here in search of ‘the American Dream’. Between them, they have created the richest, most powerful country on earth, and a fascinating melting pot of cultures and traditions.

Vast plains, snow-covered mountain ranges, forested rolling hills, deserts, strange rock formations, soaring skyscrapers, stunning coastlines, impressive national parks and a thriving cultural scene; the USA has it all, plus some.

Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus initiating trade routes to the Americas in 1492, the northern continent was inhabited by peoples thought to have been descended from nomadic Mongolian tribes who had travelled across the Bering Sea, between Russia and Alaska. The first wave of European settlers, mainly English, French and Dutch, crossed the Atlantic in the 17th century. The restrictions on political rights and punitive taxation imposed by the British government on American colonists led to the Boston Tea Party and the ensuing American War of Independence (1775-1783), with the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776. The American Constitution resulted from the states’ Declaration, a governing format emulated by many other countries.

By 1853, the boundaries of the USA were, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, as they are today. Economic activity in the southern states centred on plantation agriculture dependent on slavery. Attempts by liberally-inclined Republicans, led by Abraham Lincoln, to end slavery were opposed. The election of Lincoln to the presidency in 1861 precipitated a political crisis in which 10 Southern states seceded from the Union, leading to the American Civil War – a war that focused primarily on states’ rights. After the four years of war, the country entered a period of consolidation, building up an industrial economy and settling the vast interior region of America known as the Wild West.

More Information United Kingdom

The UK is also a topically diverse country, with such landscapes as the rolling moors of Yorkshire, the lakes and mountains of the Lake District and Scotland, and the ancient forests of Nottinghamshire or the stunning beaches of Wales. All this, as well as genteel villages with chocolate-box cottages or vibrant cities at the forefront of modernity, means the UK has something to offer everyone.

London is the natural starting point for visitors and is a great introduction to this varied country, with famous sights such as the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye and renowned exhibitions in the National Gallery, Natural History Museum and Tower of London.

Not far out from the capital are the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, with their elegant architecture, and Windsor, home to the Queen’s famous castle residence.

The British seaside is at its best in the south coast resorts of Brighton and Bournemouth or the harbour villages in Cornwall, Dorset and Devon. For more beautiful, wilder, windswept beaches, head to the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales or the Scottish islands of Skye, Shetland and Orkney.

Walkers have no end of choice with hundreds of miles of hiking trails in the hilly Peak District, the mountainous Lake District, Wales and Scotland or along the coastal paths of southern England. For more gentle pursuits, pretty villages of the Cotswolds and Suffolk offer endless photo opportunities of thatched cottages or leaning timber-framed houses.

More Information United Arab Emirates

The space age image of the UAE’s modern cities is in marked contrast to its comparatively recent past prior to the advent of the oil industry, when these seven sheikdoms were a sleepy backwater reliant on fishing and pearls.

Abu Dhabi City is a modern and sleek city, filled with skyscrapers. The UAE’s capital, located on an island connected to the mainland by two bridges, is increasingly developing visitor attractions. And dazzling Dubai is a tourism honeypot, with superb shopping and rich cultural life.

The UAE is a federation of seven states (emirates) – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain – formed in 1971 after independence from Britain.