Aarushhh/wikipedia-simple-splitted huggingface dataset:
The military campaign ended in disaster after Romania's forces were defeated in 1917 and Moldova was one of the few parts of Romania that was not captured. When the Allies eventually won the war, the Austria-Hungarian Empire was dissolved and an independent Hungarian republic was proclaimed. Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of Romania in 1918 as had been promised. After the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, Hungary formally gave up any claims over Transylvania. Romania and Bukovina were joined in 1919 as a result of the Treaty of Saint Germain. Bessarabia joined with Romania in 1920 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

Greater Romania 
After World War I was much bigger and more nationalist. The small Kingdom received ("major Transylvania"). The principalities Wallachia, Moldavia and Bessarabia (Moldova) together formed the "Greater Romania" 1918-1940. "Greater Romania" did not survive World War II.
Romanians called their country România Mare, meaning Great Romania or Greater Romania, in the time between World War I and World War II. They called it so because it controlled  of land.

The Great Depression meant social unrest, high unemployment, strikes and riots, especially a miners' strike in 1929 in Valea Jiului and a strike in Griviţas maintenance workshops. By the mid-1930s, with a recovering Romanian economy, industry grew, although about 80% of Romanians still were engaged in agriculture.

Iron Guard 
In end of 1930s, Romania's liberal democracy was slowly being replaced by the fascist dictatorship. The Archangel Michael Legion, known as the Iron Guard organization, was led by Corneliu Codreanu Zelea. In 1937 elections the party supported Adolf Hitler and Nazism and got 15.5% of the votes and became the third biggest party. In 1938 king Carol II of Romania seized power over Romania. He dissolved all political parties and executed Corneliu Codreanu Zelea along with 12 other leaders.

World War II
World War II

Carol II of Romania declared the country as neutral when World War II broke out in 1939, but included since the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and northern Bukovina an alliance with Hitler's Germany. This occurred after field marshal Ion Antonescu forced the authoritarian Carol II of Romania to abdicate. Antonescu appointed himself "conducator", Romania's dictator, and signed at the November 23 of 1940 three-powers pact with Nazi Germany. Hitler's Germany was dependent on a continuous importation of fuel and crude oil from the Romanian oil fields of Ploesti. In 1940, yjr Kingdom of Hungary took over the legitimate domination in Northern Transylvania to the end of the World War II.
The country's troops fought together with the German Wehrmacht against the Soviet Union.
In summer of 1941, Romania join Hitler's war against the Soviet Union in combination also Finland, Slovakia and Hungary join Hitlers war. Romania built concentration camps and began conducting a massive persecution of Jews, of which became very extreme in the city of Iasi.

Holocaust in Romania
Romania participated in the Holocaust. The author of the book "The Destruction of the European Jews" Raul Hilberg writes follow: "There was / ... / moment when the Germans actually had to intervene and slow the speed with which the Romanian measures were taken." The hunt for Jews in eastern Romania (including Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transnistria and the city of Iasi) had more the character of pogroms than the German, well-organized camps and transport.
There were pogroms in the city of Iasi. The homes for the Jewish minority in Iasi were marked with crosses. On June 27, 1941, Ion Antonescu make a phone call with the city's mayor and Antonescu said into the phone: "clean the city Iasi from the Jews." And the Holocaust in Romania has began. Police officers and many civilians went to every Jewish home marked with a cross in the town and murdered thousands of Jews on the same day.

In June 1941, the Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu gave an "illegal secret order" to the special police force. He ordered the police in cooperation with the Romanian Army and the German SS troops to kill all Jews in east Romania within the next coming years. The Jews living on the countryside was being killed right on the spot. The Jews in the cities were first collected in the ghettos and later deported away.
On October 22, 1941 the Soviet union with bombs blow up the Romanian military headquarters in Odessa, and killed 66 Romanian soldiers. As revenge Ion Antonescu decided that for every dead Romanian officer, 200 Soviet communists must be killed and for each dead soldier, 100 communists must be killed. All other Communists were imprisoned and Jewish families were taken hostage in the hope that the partisan movement would cease its operations.

The day after in Bucharest, on October 23, 1941, around 5 000 people and the majority were Jews was arrested who later executed by hanging. In the Soviet village Dalnik, almost 20,000 Jews were incarcerated in to several locked buildings and burned alive.
After the massacre, many of the Jews who remained in Odessa were sent to various concentration camps. Nearby Odessa on October 25, 1941, approximately 40,000 Jews, was gathering together on a special closed military secured area, and the Jews had to stay outdoors for more than ten days without food or supply. Many died of cold and starvation. The survivors were murdered one month later.

Totally approximately 469,000 Jews had been murdered by the military and police in Romania between 1941 and 1944, including the 325,000 murdered Jews in Bessarabia and Bukovina.
At the end of 1943, the Red Army liberated most of Soviet territory and started advancing westward from its borders to defeat Nazi Germany and its allies. It was in this context that the Soviet forces crossed Romania. If the Soviet Union could hit Romania, Nazi Germany's last hope is gone, said the military leadership of the Red Army. Russians deposited the entire 1.5 million soldiers in the attack against Romania and Romania last reserves consisting only of 138 000 soldiers. During the summer of 1944 it began the attack on Bessarabia (Moldova) and the Romanian army fled the area. On 2 August, the whole Bessarabia (Moldova) is captured by the Red Army. The Russians then went a long way in Romania and on 23 August they reached into the Romanian capital Bucharest. The public opinion turned in the country against Antonescu and of summer 1944 he was deposed and imprisoned. The new government signed a ceasefire and extradited itself to the Soviet Union
. The Red Army killed the members from the old fascist regime (including Ion Antonescu) on June 1, 1946.
At the end of the war, Romania was allowed to keep the whole of Transylvania in west and Dobruja from south, but lost Bessarabia/Transnistria and Odessa Oblast in the east (with rich oil reserves) which became parts of the Soviet Union. Bukovina was split in half because in the north part the majority ethnic group was Ukrainian and in the south part Romanian.

The Soviet Union replaced the royal monarchy with a communist regime in 1947. The Soviet Union took the country's resources, which led to increased poverty in Romania.

Romania and communism

Michael I abdicated the throne and had to leave Romania in 1947 because of the Communists. Romania changed from a monarchy into a republic. The USSR occupied Romania until the late 1950s, when Soviet troops left Romania. During this time, resources in Romania were taken by the Soviet Union due to agreements made by Communist leaders.
1989 to 2007
In 1989, the National Salvation Front came into power. It was led by Ion Iliescu. When they came into power, several other parties from before World War II were remade. These included the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party, the National Liberal Party and the Romanian Social Democrat Party. In April 1990, as a result of several rallies, protests started. The people who protested did not recognize the results of the election. This was because they thought that members of the National Salvation Front were communists. More and more people protested, and it became a demonstration – a very big protest. This was called the Golaniad, and it became very violent.
When the National Salvation Front lost power, several other parties were made. These were the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Party, and a couple of other parties from before the war. The Social Democratic Party ruled Romania from 1990 until 1996. Ion Iliescu was the head of state, or person in charge. After 1996, several other parties came into power and lost it. In 2004, Traian Băsescu became the president.

After the Cold War, Romania became closer friends with Western Europe. In 2004, Romania joined NATO and hosted the 2008 summit. The country applied in June 1993 for membership in the European Union and became an Associated State of the EU in 1995, an Acceding Country in 2004, and a member on January 1, 2007.

Geography

Romania is a part of southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea and the Danube River. The Carpathian Mountains lie in the center.
Romania is the biggest country in southeast Europe by population. It has an area of . It is the twelfth-largest country in Europe. Most of Romania's border with Serbia and Bulgaria is made by the Danube. The Danube joins the Prut River. The Prut River makes the Moldovan–Romanian border. The Danube then flows into the area of the Black Sea inside Romania. This makes the Danube Delta. The delta is a biosphere reserve and a biodiversity World Heritage Site. Some of the other major rivers in Romania are the Siret, the Olt, and the Mureş. The Siret River runs from the north to the south of Moldavia. The Olt River runs from the Carpathian Mountains to Oltenia. The Mureş runs through Transylvania from the east to the west.

Landscape
The land in Romania is made up of equal parts of mountains, hills, and low-lying areas. The Carpathian Mountains make up a big part of the center of Romania. Fourteen of its mountain ranges are taller than . The tallest mountain in Romania is Moldoveanu Peak, with a peak altitude of .
Rivers
The Danube is the longest river in Romania. Its length inside Romania is about . That is almost half of the length of the entire Danube. Almost all of the rivers in Romania are either direct or indirect tributaries of the Danube.

Weather
Romania has a climate that changes between temperate and continental climates. The reason for the climate changes is because Romania is near the coast. Romania has four different seasons. The average temperature during the year is  in southern Romania and  in the northern part.

Lots of rain and snow falls on the highest western mountains. Most of this falls as snow. In the southern parts of the country, the amount of rain and snow that falls is around .

The lowest temperature ever taken in Romania was , at Braşov in 1944. The highest temperature ever recorded in Romania was , near Calafat in the 1950s.

Society

These are the development regions of Romania:
 Northeast
 West
 Northwest
 Center
 Southeast
 South
 Bucharest-Ilfov
 Southwest
Language and culture
The official language of Romania is Romanian. The Romanian language is an Eastern Romance language.

Romania has its own culture because of where it is found. It is the point where 3 different areas meet: Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. Romanian culture is a mix of all these areas. The culture of Romania was influenced by the Greeks, Romans, and Slavs.

Religion
Romania is a secular state. This means Romania has no national religion. The biggest religious group in Romania is the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is an autocephalous church inside of the Eastern Orthodox communion. In 2002, this religion made up 86.7% of the population. Other religions in Romania include Roman Catholicism (4.7%), Protestantism (3.7%), Pentecostalism (1.5%), Islam (1%) and the Romanian Greek-Catholicism (0.9%).

Cities

Bucharest is the capital of Romania. It also is the biggest city in Romania, with a population of over 2 millions peoples.
There are 5 other cities in Romania that have a population of more than 300,000 people. These are Iaşi, Cluj-Napoca, Timişoara, Constanţa, and Craiova. Romania also has 5 cities that have more than 200,000 people living in them: Galaţi, Braşov, Ploieşti, Brăila, and Oradea.

Thirteen other cities in Romania have a population of more than 100,000 people.

Economy

Romania joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. Romania's economy is healthy. Currently, Romania makes around $350 billion in Gross domestic product and a GDP per capita of $16,540.
Long into the 1900s, Romania was still a largely agricultural country. During Communism 1947-1989, the country had planned economy. The transition from planned economy to a market economy after the communist regime led to economic collapse in the 1990s, the reasons was that more money was printed, expensive prices and substantial privatization of the companies, which initially leads to skyrocketing unemployment. The reforms in the 1990s allowed foreign investors for the first time to buy land in Romania. When it was going well for industry in the Latin countries such as France, Italy and Spain, they began to trade with Romania. Foreign companies have expanded in Romania since then, and spurs the market.

Romania has the highest percentage of homeowners in Europe.  The fall of communism prompted many Romanians to purchase the flats they lived in cheaply while the country underwent a wave of privatisation and devaluation of the currency.
Education
In Romania school is compulsory for 10 years. Children have the opportunity to be part of a voluntary pre-school for age 3–6 years. After school, students can voluntarily take the entrance exam to high school, which has a range of practical and theoretical lines. There are over 40 higher educational institutions, including five universities and five technical colleges. Tuition is free and is a hot political commitment even at the university. The country's minorities can have instruction in their native language. Since 1989, education has been reformed. But it has been slow and the standard of education varies greatly in different parts of the country, Education has improved the standard of urban compared to rural areas where quality can be very low. Romania participates fully in the EU's education program.

Social welfare
The unemployment rate in Romania is 5% in 2023 and has been low for many years.
Living standards were very low at the end of the Communist era, but the situation improved a little bit during the 1990s. The large privatization  resulted in high unemployment and rising prices. In  2010 nearly 10% of the population were in absolute poverty and of these, 90% live in rural areas. The State social insurance system has relatively broad coverage but resources are extremely small.

Reforms have been initiated and in 1999 the health insurance became privatized and paid by the employers and the employees. Several thousand local trade unions were founded after the revolution, which were later combined into federations. These unions and federations have helped organise students, pensioners and the unemployed; because these groups of people all have similar needs, concerns and goals.

By the first quarter of 2011 the average monthly household income is 2,318 Romanian leu (equivalent to approximately £862 USD). Income is 36% higher in the urban area than in the countryside.
The pension system is reformed.

The most worrying thing is the fact that there are more pensioners than the number of working people. because many who dismissed during the privatizations had per-retirement. Romanian Pensioners average pension at the month is at about 190 euros (equivalent to approximately £250-300 USD). The current low average retirement age (55 years for men and 57 years for women) will be gradually increased until 2014, when it gets to 60 years for women and 65 years for men.

Many of the country's Gypsies have no identity cards and are therefore are excluded from the social benefit systems, schools and health care. The State-run health care is free, but the care system is neglected and has deteriorated in recent years due to lack of resources and underpaid staff. In many cases, the patients pay "under the table" to get treatment. There is evidence to suggest that a patient's wealth plays an important role in how they receive medical treatment.

Science and technology
Victor Babeş discovered more than 50 germs and a cure for a disease named after him, babesiosis; biologist Nicolae Paulescu discovered insulin. Another biologist, Emil Palade, received the Nobel Prize for his contributions to cell biology. George Constantinescu created the theory of sonics, while Lazăr Edeleanu was the first chemist to synthesize amphetamine and also invented the modern method of refining crude oil. Costin Neniţescu found new methods for the synthesis of pirilium salts, of carbenes, tryptamine, serotonin, two new syntheses for the indole nucleus, and a new method of polymerisation of ethylene.

Several mathematicians distinguished themselves as well, among them: Gheorghe Ţiţeica, Spiru Haret, Grigore Moisil, Miron Nicolescu, Nicolae Popescu and Ştefan Odobleja; the latter is also regarded as the ideological father behind cybernetics.
The nuclear physics facility of the European Union's proposed Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) laser will be built in Romania. Romania currently has 1,400 MW of nuclear power capacity by means of one active nuclear power plant (Cernavodă) with 2 reactors, which constitutes around 18% of the national power generation capacity of the country. This makes Romania the 23rd largest user of nuclear power in the world.

Government

Politics
The Constitution of Romania is found to be based from the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic. It was passed into law on December 8, 1991. after a referendum was held. 73 amendments were added to the constitution in October 2003 to bring the constitution of Romania up to code with the constitution of the European Union.
The legislative branch of the Romanian government is known as the Parliament. It contains two chambers – the Senate, containing 140 members, and the Chamber of Deputies, which has 346 members. The members of both chambers are elected every four years through party-list proportional representation.

The judicial branch of the Romanian government is separate from the other branches. It is made up of a system of courts. The court with the most authority is the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which is the supreme court of Romania. Other courts, including appeal, county, and local courts also make up the judicial branch of the Romanian Government. The way the system of courts works in Romania is modelled off of the French model of law. It is based on civil law.

Divisions
Romania is divided into 41 counties, including the municipality of Bucharest, which is also its own county.

Romania is divided further into 319 cities and 2,686 communes. Each of the communes has its own council that is led by a mayor.
Army 
The Romanian Army is made up of Land, Air, and Naval Forces, which are all led by a Commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief is given orders by the Ministry of Defense. During war, the President leads the Army. 90,000 people were in the Romanian Army in 2003: 15,000 civilians and 75,000 military people. Of the 75,000 military people in the Romanian Army, 45,800 are in the land forces, 13,250 are in the air forces, 6,800 are in the naval forces, and 8,800 in other areas of the military.

Related pages
 Communes of Romania
 Counties of Romania
 List of cities in Romania
 List of lakes of Romania
 List of Romanian writers
 Municipalities of Romania
 Romania at the Olympics
 Romania national football team

References

Other websites
Other websites

 BBC News Country Profile - Romania
 CIA World Factbook - Romania 
 US Department of State - Romania
 Federal Research Division, Library of Congress -Romania : a country study
 Exchange Rates  - from the National Bank of Romania
 Romanian Law and Miscellaneous - English
 Chronology of Romania from the World History Database
 ICI.ro - A comprehensive site about Romania 
 Treasures of the national library of Romania

 
European Union member states
1859 establishments in Europe
Argon is a chemical element. Its symbol is argon is Ar and its atomic number is 18. It is part of the noble gas group. It is an odorless and tasteless gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere.

The name "argon" is from the Greek word ἀργός meaning "lazy" or "inactive" because it does not react with other chemicals.

Chemistry 
Argon atoms are found in air. About 1% of the Earth's atmosphere (the air around us) is argon. It is not toxic and it does not burn easily. Not many compounds can be made from Argon. However, some compounds have been formed, like argon fluorohydride (HArF). Argon is a heavier gas than helium, so if a balloon is filled with argon, it would fall to the ground.

History 
Argon was first removed from air in 1894 by Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay at University College London by removing oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen from a sample of clean air.
Isotopes
The main isotopes of argon found on Earth are 40Ar (99.6%), 36Ar (0.34%), and 38Ar (0.06%). The most abundant isotope of argon is 40Ar. But other planets have different isotopes of argon.

Production
Argon is gotten industrially by the fractional distillation of liquid air. About 700,000 tonnes of argon are produced worldwide every year.

40Ar is made by the decay of 40K with a half-life of 1.25 billion years by electron capture or positron emission. Because of this, it is used in knowing how old rocks are.

Uses 
Argon is often used when welding steel and similar work, to push away the air around the weld, so the oxygen in the air can't join with the metal being welded. It can also be used in neon lights for a purple color. Argon is used in the poultry industry to asphyxiate birds. Argon is sometimes used for extinguishing (ending) fires.
Liquid argon is used in neutrino experiments and looking for dark matter. Argon is used to preserve food. Argon is sometimes used as the propellant in aerosol cans. Argon is also used as a preservative for such products as varnish, polyurethane, and paint. Argon has been used by athletes as a doping agent and has been banned as use. It is used to know how old rocks are.

Related pages
 List of common elements
 Periodic table

Sources

Noble gases
To trade is to willingly give things or services and get other things or services in return. For example, a person giving a thing must find another person who wants to get that thing. The giver gets something back in return. A trade is sometimes also called an "exchange" or a "swap".

An early type of trade is barter. Barter was the exchange of goods and services for other goods and services. Barter involves trading things without using of money. Modern traders commonly buy and sell by the use of money. Trade between two traders is called bilateral trade. Trade between more than two traders is called multilateral trade.

Terms 
The things that are given from one person to the other are called goods.

Services can also be part of a trade. One person can do a job or work for another, and get something in return in a trade.

Money can be given in return for a service or for a thing. If money is part of the trade, then the person who gives the money is buying, and the person who gets the money is selling.
A place where trading takes place is called a market.

When there is no money involved in the trade, the trade is called barter. If there is money involved in the trade, the trade is called a purchase. In the past, people would barter to get what they wanted, instead of buying goods and services.

Economics includes the study of trade.

Trade occurs not just between people, but also between large companies and even countries. Governments sometimes take some of the money or goods involved in a trade between countries. This is a type of tax called a tariff. Smugglers try to trade without paying tariffs.

Free trade between two countries is when there are small or no tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions on trade. When one country stops all trade with another country, it is called an embargo.

Types of trade
Types of trade

Domestic trade
Domestic trade is the exchange of goods within a country. Domestic trade is very important because it allows different types of goods to reach to all parts of the country. It makes the standard of living of the people of the country better. It helps an industry to grow by making sure that there are raw materials. Domestic trade may be divided into two. They are:

Wholesale
Wholesaling is the sale of goods to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional businesses. They can also be sold to other wholesalers. It is the sale of goods to anyone that is not a consumer. Wholesalers usually buy and sort goods in large numbers.

Retail
Retail is the process of selling goods or services to consumers through many means of distribution to earn a profit. The term "retailer" usually means where a person sells a small amount of good to many individuals, who are consumers.
International trade
International trade is the exchange of goods and services between different countries. International trade has existed throughout history. Some examples include Uttarapatha, Silk Road, Amber Road, scramble for Africa, Atlantic slave trade, and salt roads. When there is trade between two or more countries, factors like currency, government policies, economy, judicial system, laws, and markets affect trade.

International trade may be split up into three different types.

Import
An import is a good or service that was bought in one country but was produced in another country.

Export
An export is a good or service that was produced in one country but was sold to another country.

Entrepôt
An entrepôt is a port, city, or trading post where goods may be imported, stored or sold. These cities grew because of the growth of long-distance trade.

References
The European Union (abbreviation: EU) is a union of 27 member countries in Europe established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992-1993. It is a sui generis political entity that uses the characteristics of a federation and confederation.

The EU grew out of the European Economic Community (EEC) which was established by the Treaties of Rome in 1957. It has created a common economic area with Europe-wide laws allowing the citizens of EU countries to move and trade in other EU countries almost the same as they do on their own. Nineteen of these countries also share the same type of money: the euro.

The name of Europe comes from the Latin Europa, which in turn derives from the Greek Εὐρώπη, from εὐρύς eurys "wide" and ὤψ ops "face".
The Treaty of Lisbon is the most recent treaty that says how the Union is run. Every member state signed to say that they each agreed with what it says. Most importantly, it says which jobs (’powers’) the Union should do for the members and which jobs they should do themselves. The members decide how the Union should act by voting for or against proposals.

The objective of the EU is to bring its member states closer together with respect of human rights and democracy. It does this with common rules about fair trading with each other, common agreements about law enforcement, a common style of passport, and other agreements. Most members share a common currency (the euro) and most allow people to travel from one country to another without having to show a passport. It does this with common rules about fair trading with each other, common agreements about law enforcement, and other agreements. It has a common style for (its) passports.

History
History 

After World War II, the countries in Europe wanted to live peacefully together and help one another's economies. Instead of fighting each other for coal and steel, the first member countries (West) Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg created one European Coal and Steel Community in 1952.

In 1957 in the Italian city of Rome, the member countries signed another treaty and made the European Economic Community. Now it was a community for coal, steel and for trade. Later it changed the name to  the European Community.
In 1993, with the Treaty of Maastricht it changed its name to the European Union. Now the member countries work together not only in politics and economy (coal, steel and trade), but also in money, justice (laws), and foreign affairs. With the Schengen Agreement, 22 member countries of the EU opened their borders to each other, so people can now travel from one country to the other without a passport or identity card. Many of the countries of the EU also share a currency, which is called the euro. 10 new countries became members of the EU in 2004, 2 more became members in 2007, and 1 more in 2013. In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. Today there are 27 member countries altogether.

Free movement 
A person who is a citizen of the European Union can live and work in any of the 27 member states without needing a work permit or visa. For example, a French person can move to Greece to work there, or just to live there, and he or she does not need permission from an authority in Greece.
In the same way, products made in one member country can be sold in any other member country without any special permissions or extra taxes. For this reason, the members agree rules on product safety - they want to know that a product made in another country will be as safe as it would be if it had been made in their own.

Main institutions 
Institutions of the European Union

Council of the European Union 

The Council of the European Union is the main decision-making group. The cabinet ministers of the member countries meet (Ministers for Foreign affairs, for Agriculture, for Justice, etc...) and discuss issues that are important to them.
Before the Treaty of Lisbon (written in 2007, implemented in 2008) each member state takes a turn at being President of the council for six months. For example, from January 2007 until July 2007, Germany held the presidency. The six months before that, Finland held the presidency. Now the President of the European Union chairs the council summits. The President of the council is the organiser and manager and is voted into office for a duration of two and a half years. He or she does not have the power to make decisions about the European Union like the President of the United States does for that country.

Member countries with a large population (Germany, France, United Kingdom, etc.) have more votes than countries with small populations (Luxembourg, Malta, etc.) but a decision cannot be made if enough countries vote against the decision.
Twice a year, the heads of government (Prime Ministers) and/or the heads of state (Presidents) meet to talk about the main issues and make decisions on different issues. This meeting is different and not as formal. It is known as a European Council.

Note: This is not the same thing as the Council of Europe, which is not part of the European Union.

European Commission 

The European Commission runs the day-to-day running of the EU and writes laws, like a government. Laws written by the commission are discussed and changed by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

The commission has one President and 27 Commissioners, selected by the European Council. The Commission President is appointed by the European Council with the approval of the European Parliament.

The commission operates like a cabinet government. There is one Commissioner per member state, though Commissioners are bound to represent the interests of the EU as a whole rather than their home state.

European Parliament
The Parliament has a total of 705 members (called Members of the European Parliament, or MEP). They are elected in their countries every five years by the citizens of the European Union member countries. The Parliament can approve, reject or change proposed laws. It can also sack the European Commission. In that case, the entire commission would have to give up their jobs.

Politics 
There are many discussions in the EU about how it should develop and change in the future.

The main reasons why European countries came together are political and economic:
 The need to prevent another European war after World War I and World War II.
 The need to respect human rights, rule of law and democracy more affirmed by Council of Europe.
 The need to have a common economic area.

Member States
Member States 

In 1951, six countries made the European Coal and Steel Community, a basic version of what the EU is now. These six then went further and in 1957 they made the European Economic Community and the European Coal and Steel Community. The UK and others decided not to join, and then when the UK changed its mind it was stopped from joining by French President Charles de Gaulle. When he was no longer President, the UK and others started to join. Today there are 27 members but the idea that more should join is not seen as a good one by everyone.

Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey and Iceland are "candidate countries"; they are being considered for membership. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are expected to follow.
However, since there have been many political problems happening in Turkey recently, especially with President Edrogan's arresting of tens of thousands of political rivals since the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, it is unlikely that it would be allowed to part of the EU anytime soon because EU members believe that the current Turkish government is not respecting human rights, rule of law, or democracy.

Motto
United in diversity (or together with many types of people in Simple English), is the motto of the European Union.

The motto in other languages:

Brexit 
On June 23, 2016, the UK held a referendum on whether it should stay in the EU or leave it. The majority [52% to 48%] favored leaving. Britain leaving the EU is commonly known as Brexit.
The government of the UK invoked "Article 50" of the Treaty of European Union (the Treaty of Lisbon) on 29 March 2017. This began negotiations with fellow members of the EU on the terms of exit. The timetable for these negotiations is two years, which meant that the UK would remain a member of the EU until at least March 2019. However this deadline was later extended to October 31st 2019 at the request of the British Government. The United Kingdom left the European Union on the 31 of January 2020 at 23:00 (Greenwich Mean Time). Following the UK left from the European Union on January 31, the transition period  expired on December 31, 2020 and ended on January 1, 2021.

Related pages
 Citizenship of the European Union
 Multilingualism
 Brexit
 Robert Schuman

References

References

Other websites 

 European Union online portal
 Lithuania's EU Council Presidency 
 'Your Europe' information website
 Europe of cultures 50 years of artistic creation and cultural life from the 27 countries of the European Union
1952 establishments in Europe
G7 nations
G8 nations
Greece (  or  ), officially the Hellenic Republic ( ), (historically known as Hellas) (Greek: Ελλάς), is a country in Southeastern Europe. Its capital city is Athens.

It borders Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea is to the East and South of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea is to the West. Both are part of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and have many islands. 80% of the country is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak.
Ancient Greece created democracy, philosophy, science and mathematics, drama and theater and the Olympic Games.  This is why other languages use many Greek words.
Greece is a parliamentary republic, in which the leader of the party with more seats in the parliament is the Prime Minister. The country has a President, but his powers are ceremonial. He is the head of state, not the head of government, much like how Kings and Queens operate in constitutional monarchies and is elected by Parliament and not the people. Its economy is the highest in the Balkans region, though facing financial difficulties due to a Greek government-debt crisis. The country was under control by the Ottoman Empire until 1821.
The official language spoken in Greece is Greek, spoken by 99% of the population, and by 90% of the population of the Republic of Cyprus.  It identifies as Christian Orthodox. Many Greeks also understand English, French and German, which are taught in schools. Greece was a founding member of the United Nations, joined NATO in 1952, became a member of the European Union in 1981, and adopted the Euro in 2001. Due to the large tourism industry, powerful shipping sector, and its geostrategic importance, it is sometimes classified as a middle power.

History
History 

Greece's history is one of the richest in the world. The Greeks were one of the most advanced civilizations. Greece is famous for its many philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle, and kings like Alexander the Great and Leonidas. Greece is said to be the birthplace of Democracy, because city-states like Athens, now the capital of Greece, were the first to elect their leaders and not have kings. During the years of Alexander the Great, a huge Greek Macedonian empire was created that stretched from modern-day Greece to Egypt and Iran, until the borders of India.  Because of the significant role that Greek culture played during that time, it is called the Hellenistic period (or Greek-dominated period).  During that time, the Greek language became the 'lingua franca' of the Middle East, which means the language that people who do not speak the same language use to communicate, like English is used today as an international language.
Greece was then ruled by the Roman Empire, and many argue that Rome conquered Greece with its army, but Greece conquered Rome with its culture. The Roman Empire after the conquest of Greece became a civilization known as the Greco-Roman (or Greek-Roman) civilization.  When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Greeks emerged as the ruling class of the Byzantine Empire, and the Greek language became the official language of the empire, which included all the territories around the eastern Mediterranean Sea.  It was then occupied by the Ottoman Empire for a period of 400 years. Some areas of Greece, like the second-largest city in the country, Thessaloniki, were occupied for 500 years and became part of Greece in the early 20th century. 

The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 and Greece was an independent country (a republic) in 1828.  In 1832 Greece was made a kingdom by the United Kingdom and Russia, under the German Wittelsbach dynasty.
In 1912, Greece took part in the Balkan Wars, where it gained many of the territories that make up the country now, such as Greek Macedonia and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Greece fought in both World War I and World War II in the side of allies. During World War I, Greece was divided into two countries, the State of Thessaloniki in the north and the State of Athens in the south.  Both countries claimed to be the legitimate government of Greece, but the State of Thessaloniki received support from the Allies.  The country was reunited in 1917 when the King abdicated.  In 1920 Greece expanded again and briefly reached its maximum size.  The territories that the country had gained in Turkey were given back to Turkey in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but Greece kept Western Thrace.  The king returned in 1935, and Greece was under a fascist dictatorship from 1936 until 1941, friendly to the Allies when it was invaded by Nazi Germany.
Greece’s Macedonia region is known for its rich history, The ancient kingdom of Macedonia (sometimes called Macedon) was Alexander the Great's empire.

In 1940, Greece was invaded by Italy, but defeated the invasion. This was the first victory of an Allied country against an Axis power. After this, Hitler decided to attack Greece sooner than he had planned. Germany invaded on 6 April 1940 and captured Greece's second-largest city of Thessaloniki on 9 April, while Athens was captured on 27 April. Most fighting ended with the Battle of Crete. Greece suffered major damages in the war.

Between 1946 and 1949, the Greeks fought a civil war. The fighting was between the communists and the people who supported the king, who also had support from the United Kingdom and the United States. The war left the country devastated and the people very poor.
In 1967 the military took control of the country and restricted democracy. Free elections were then held again 7 years later, and the Greeks voted to send the king away and declared a republic in 1974. Greece became a member of the European Union in 1981. Greece had seen rapid growth in the 1990s, but some of the country's economic statistics were modified to appear more correct than they were, as the government had lied with the help of banks from the United States. In 2004, Greece hosted the Olympic Games for a second time. Since 2009, Greece has been in an economic crisis, which is also becoming a political crisis.

Politics
Politics 

It is not a federal state like the United States, but a unitary state like the United Kingdom.  It is ruled by a parliament, called the Hellenic Parliament (or Greek Parliament in Simple English), which has 300 members. It is a parliamentary republic, which means that, unlike in the United States, the President has very few powers. The person in charge of the government of Greece is the Prime Minister.

Greece was a kingdom for most of its history as an independent nation. It officially became the Third Hellenic Republic (or The Third Republic of Greece in Simple English) in 1975, when the monarchy was abolished by a popular vote.

Greece was under a military dictatorship between 1966 and 1975.  Demonstrations by the students of the universities across Greece took place in 1973 but were suppressed by the regime, which forcibly stopped the protests.  The dictatorship collapsed after the invasion of Cyprus and handed over power to Constantine Karamanlis.
There are many political parties in Greece, but only seven are in the Greek parliament.  Until 2015, only two political parties formed governments, the PASOK party (which is social democratic) and New Democracy (ND, which is conservative).  The government ousted in the 2015 election was led by PASOK, DIMAR, AND ND. Other parties include the Communist party, the left-wing SYRIZA party, the nationalist party and others. SYRIZA, led by Alexis Tsipras, won the 2015 parliamentary election held on January 25 of that year, and entered into a coalition government with the small right-wing party Greek Independents.

The New Democracy Party won the 2019 election and the 2023 election.

Divisions
Divisions

The divisions of Greece are called 'Peripheries'. As of January 2011, there are 13 peripheries in Greece. Peripheries are subdivided into 'peripheral units', and previously they were known as 'prefecture', but prefectures were abolished in 2011. The most populated peripheries in Greece are Attica, where the capital city of Greece, Athens, is, and Central Macedonia, where Greece's second-largest city, Thessaloniki, is. All the peripheries, and their capital cities, are:

Demographics

People
Greece is a small country compared to other countries such as the United States, Spain , Italy, the United Kingdom and Russia. The population of Greece is estimated to be over 11 million. Most of the people in Greece are Greek people, and they form 94% of the population of the country. There are also many Albanians in Greece, and they make up 4% of the population. Other nationalities make up for another 2% of the country.
The Greek government recognizes only the Muslim minority in the country, the Turkish one in the region of Western-Thrace. They include Pomak and Xoraxane Roma. The majority of them live in cities like Xanthi and Komotini. The dispute between Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia has resulted in the refusal of Greece to acknowledge the existence of a Macedonian minority. The 2001 population census showed only 747 citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia in Greece. The Republic of North Macedonia says that there are a maximum of 300,000 ethnic Macedonians in Greece, but Greece says that if there is a minority in the country, it would not be more than 30,000 people, in the northern part of the country, near the border with the Republic of North Macedonia. This is also supported by international organizations.

Greek flag
Greek flag

The Greek flag was officially adopted in 1828 as a civil and state ensign (a flag for use only on boats and ships) and as a national flag when flown outside of Greece, for example on embassies. A different flag (white cross on a blue field) was used as a land flag within Greece from 1828 until 1969 and from 1975 to 1978. In 1978 the current flag became national flag and the older land flag was abolished.

There are many theories about the origin of the color of the flag. One says that blue represents the color of the sea and the white represents the waves, and others include white for the waves and blue for the sky and white for purity and breaking away from tyranny, and blue for Greece. There are nine stripes on the flag, which according to the legend represent the nine syllables in the phrase “Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος’’ which means “freedom or death.’’ The cross stands for Christianity.

Economy
Economy 

Greece has a capitalist economy, like the United States and France. Greece has the largest number of trading ships (a 'merchant navy') in the world. Tourism is also a major source of income for Greece. Throughout the 20th century Greece had its own currency the Drachma but since 2001 it uses the Euro as most other European Union countries do. From 2000 Greece saw high levels of GDP growth, peaking at 5.8% in 2003 and 5.7% in 2006.

Greece has adopted some welfare state policies, such as public healthcare and free education, like many other European countries. However, the government could not collect enough taxes to fund public services due to extensive tax evasion in the 1990's and 2000's. The pension system also came under immense pressure as the population was aging rapidly.
During the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the global economy entered a recession. This created a very difficult situation for Greece as the country had accumulated a high debt over the previous years. The effects of the global financial crisis triggered a debt crisis in Greece that caused a severe recession and an increase in unemployment in the early 2010's. Government spending was cut and taxation was increased, but these measures worsened the recession and caused economic and social unrest. As a result of the economic crisis, the country implemented many reforms to its economy in order to improve productivity, reduce debt and attract foreign investment. Recently, Greece's exports reached an all time record for 2022, due to strong economic recovery.

Tourism 
About 30 million tourists visit Greece each year. That is more than the country’s entire population. To serve the many tourists, Greece has many international airports. Tourism also makes up more than 20% of the Greek GDP.
Related pages 
 Greece at the Olympics
 Greece national football team
 List of Greek islands
 List of rivers of Greece

References 

 
European Union member states
Sweden () is a Nordic country in the part of Europe called Scandinavia. Its neighbors are Finland and Norway. Sweden is also connected to Denmark in the south by a bridge. It is a developed country. It is famous for its welfare state. People who live in Sweden are called Swedes.

The population of Sweden is about 10 million people. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also Sweden's largest city, with almost one million people. Other large cities are Gothenburg and Malmö. These cities are all in the southern half of the country, where it is not as cold as in the north. Swedes drink filmjölk, it is a traditional fermented milk product from Sweden. It is made by fermenting cow's milk. Glögg, is spiced mulled wine which people drink around Christmas. It normally contains red wine, sugar, orange peel, and spices. Swedes eat yellow pea soup with pork (or pork sausages) along with mustard.