After more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government...

Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simón BOLÍVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Much of its subsequent history has...

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and...

Thirteen of Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of...

First settled by the French in the early 17th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are the sole remaining vestige of...

Mexico was the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations -- including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec --...

Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 80% ice capped. The Inuit came to Greenland from North America in a...

This isolated atoll was named for John CLIPPERTON, an English pirate who was rumored to have made it his hideout...

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867, while retaining ties to...

Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists heading for Virginia. Self-governing since 1620, Bermuda is the oldest...

The Kingdom of Yemen (colloquially known as North Yemen) became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and in 1962...