List of honorary British knights and dames
Business
Table:
List of honorary British Knights and Dames

Name
Nationality
Honour
Year
Category
notes

Angela Ahrendts
United States
DBE
2013
Business
Chief executive of Burberry plc.

Auguste-Louis-Albéric, Prince d'Arenberg
France
GCSI
1909
Business
Member of the Institute of France, President of the Suez Canal Company[87]

Ariyoshi Yoshiya
Japan
KBE
tbd
Business
Chairman of the Japanese Shipowners Association

André Bénard
France
KBE
1991
Business
Chairman, Eurotunnel, 1986–1994

Antonin Besse
France
KBE
tbd
Business
[88]

Ana Patricia Botín
Spain
DBE
2015
Business
Chairman of Santander Bank

Henri Deterding
Netherlands
KBE
1920
Business
[89]

Sierd Sint Eriks
Netherlands
KBE
1961
Business
Managing Director of Mullard Ltd for valuable services to British official interests.[90]

Niall FitzGerald
Ireland
KBE
2002
Business

Bill Gates
United States
KBE
2004
Business
Chairman of Microsoft and Corbis and Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in recognition of his business skills and for his work on poverty reduction.[91]

Lou Gerstner
United States
KBE
tbd
Business

Paul Getty
United States
KBE
1987
Business
Became a British national in 1997 and knighthood became substantive.

Carlos Ghosn
Brazil-France-Lebanon
KBE
2006
Business

Cecil H. Green
United States
KBE
1991
Business
He lost British nationality upon becoming a US citizen before 1949.[N 2]

Hermann Hauser
Austria
KBE
2015
Business

Yii Ann Hii
Philippines
KBE

Business
Became a British national on 3 July 2012.[92]

Kazuo Inamori
Japan
KBE
2019
Business

Sam E. Jonah
Ghana
KBE
2003
Business

Kim Sang Man
South Korea
KBE
1981
Business
Publisher [93]

Gerrit Klijnstra
Netherlands
KBE
1973
Business
[94]

Leveraging the table along with the textual context listed at the end.

Answer the following question: Who is the honour recipient from a country with an area of 83,879 km2 associated with ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

Angela Jean Ahrendts , DBE ( born June 7 , 1960 ) is an American businesswoman and was the senior vice president of retail at Apple Inc. She was the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014 . Ahrendts left Burberry to join Apple in 2014 . Ahrendts was ranked 25th in Forbes ' 2015 list of the most powerful women in the world , 9th most powerful woman in the U.K. in the BBC Radio 4 Woman 's Hour 100 Power List , and 29th in Fortune 's 2014 list of the world 's most powerful women in business . She was also a member of the UK 's Prime Minister 's business advisory council until it was disbanded in 2016 .
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
Burberry Group PLC is a British luxury fashion house headquartered in London , England . Its main fashion house focuses on and distributes trench coats ( for which it is most famous ) , ready-to-wear outerwear , fashion accessories , fragrances , sunglasses , and cosmetics . Established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry , originally focusing on the development of outdoor attire , the fashion house has moved into the high fashion market , developing a first of its kind fabric called Gabardine , which is completely breathable and waterproof , and exclusively made for the brand . Their pattern-based scarves , trench coats , and other fashion accessories are unique . The first shop opened in the Haymarket , London , in 1891 . Burberry was an independent family-controlled company until 1955 , when it was reincorporated . In 2005 , it completed its demerger from GUS plc , the company 's former majority shareholder . The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . In 2015 , Burberry ranked 73rd in Interbrand 's Best Global Brands report , alongside Louis Vuitton and Prada . Burberry has stores in 51 countries .
Auguste Louis Albéric , Prince of Arenberg ( 15 September 1837 - 24 January 1924 ) was a French noble and monarchist politician , born in Paris . Third son of Pierre d'Alcantara Charles Marie , duc d'Arenberg and Alix de Talleyrand-Périgord , he inherited his father 's title because of his older brothers ' premature deaths . He was noted for his great wealth and extensive properties throughout France , in particular at Menetou-Salon ( Cher ) .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
André Bénard ( 19 August 1922 - 15 March 2016 ) was a French industrialist who , as chairman of Eurotunnel , helped lead the construction of the Channel Tunnel linking France and Britain . He retired as co-chairman of Eurotunnel Group after the 31-mile tunnel opened in 1994 , but later was accused by investors of misleading them about prospects for the project . In 2007 , a French court cleared him of those charges . He was married to Jacqueline Bénard , a former magazine editor .
Getlink , formerly Groupe Eurotunnel , is a European public company based in Paris , that manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between England and France , including the Eurotunnel Shuttle vehicle services , and earns revenue on other trains through the tunnel ( DB Schenker freight and Eurostar passenger ) . It is listed on both the Euronext London and Euronext Paris markets and was listed on the London Stock Exchange until 19 July 2012 . The railway operation has 50.45 kilometres ( 31.35 mi ) of double track railway in the main tunnels , plus extensive surface level terminal facilities at Folkestone in England and Calais in France ; the operation is entirely self contained , with connections near the two terminals to the respective national railway networks . Signalling and electric traction supply at 25 kV AC are also under Getlink control . Train operation consists of shuttle trains conveying cars and coaches and other trains conveying heavy goods vehicles between the two terminals . Other trains using Getlink infrastructure are operated by the respective owners . In November 2017 , Groupe Eurotunnel was rebranded as Getlink .
Sir Antonin Besse KBE ( 1877-1951 ) was a French-born businessman based in Aden , where he spent most of his adult life . St Antony 's College , Oxford was established in 1950 as a result of a large donation he made to the university .
Ana Patricia Botín-Sanz de Sautuola O'Shea , DBE ( born 4 October 1960 ) is a Spanish banker . On 10 September 2014 she was appointed executive chairman of Santander Group , the fourth generation of the Botín family to hold this role . Prior to this she was CEO of Santander UK , a role she held from December 2010 . In 2005 , Botín was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 99th most powerful woman in the world . In 2009 , she was ranked 45th . In February 2013 , she was ranked the third most powerful woman in the UK by Woman 's Hour on BBC Radio 4 . In 2016 , she was ranked the 10th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes and in 2017 she rose to the Number 9 spot .
Spain ( Spanish : España [ esˈpaɲa ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( Spanish : Reino de España ) , [ a ] [ b ] is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of Spanish territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean . Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula . Its territory also includes two archipelagoes : the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa , and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea . The African enclaves of Ceuta , Melilla , and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country ( Morocco ) . [ h ] Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory . The country 's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar ; to the north and northeast by France , Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay ; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean . With an area of 505,990 km2 ( 195,360 sq mi ) , Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe , the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union , and the fourth largest country in the European continent . By population ( about 47 million ) , Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Zaragoza , Málaga and Bilbao . Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago . Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician , Greek , Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE , after which the region was named Hispania , based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp ( a ) n or Spania . At the end of the Western Roman Empire the Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe , invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces , including the Suebi , Alans and Vandals .
Henri Wilhelm August Deterding Honorary KBE , ( 19 April 1866 - 4 February 1939 ) was one of the first executives of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and was its general manager for 36 years , from 1900 to 1936 , and was also chairman of the combined Royal Dutch/Shell oil company . He succeeded the founder of Royal Dutch , Jean Baptiste August Kessler , when he died , and made Royal Dutch Shell a competitor to John D. Rockefeller 's Standard Oil and one of the world 's largest petroleum companies . In 1920 Deterding was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire , for services to Anglo-Dutch relations and for his work in supplying the Allies with petroleum during the First World War . Deterding was a bitter enemy of the Soviet Union and helped thousands of White Russian exiles .
The Netherlands ( Dutch : Nederland , [ ˈneːdərlɑnt ] ( listen ) ) , informally Holland , is a country in Northwestern Europe with some overseas territories in the Caribbean . In Europe , it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east , Belgium to the south , and the North Sea to the northwest , with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the United Kingdom . Together with the Caribbean Netherlands - Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba - it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The official language is Dutch and a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian . In the north and east of the country , Low Saxon is also spoken , and in the southeast , Limburgish . In the Caribbean Netherlands English and Papiamento are recognised languages . The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven . Amsterdam is the country 's most populous city and nominal capital , while The Hague holds the seat of the States General , Cabinet and Supreme Court . The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe , and the busiest in any country outside Asia . Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands , and the third busiest in Europe . The country is a founding member of the EU , Eurozone , G10 , NATO , OECD and WTO , as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union . It hosts several intergovernmental organisations and international courts , many of which are centered in The Hague , which is consequently dubbed 'the world 's legal capital ' .
Niall FitzGerald , KBE ( born 13 September 1945 ) , is an Irish businessman .
Ireland ( Irish : Éire [ ˈeːɾʲə ] ( listen ) ) , also known as the Republic of Ireland ( Poblacht na hÉireann ) , is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland . The capital and largest city is Dublin , which is located on the eastern side of the island . Around a third of the country 's population of 4.9 million people resides in the greater Dublin area . The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland , a part of the United Kingdom . It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the Celtic Sea to the south , St George 's Channel to the south-east , and the Irish Sea to the east . It is a unitary , parliamentary republic . The legislature , the Oireachtas , consists of a lower house , Dáil Éireann , an upper house , Seanad Éireann , and an elected President ( Uachtarán ) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state , but with some important powers and duties . The head of government is the Taoiseach ( Prime Minister , literally 'Chief ' , a title not used in English ) , who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President ; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers . The state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty . It had the status of Dominion until 1937 when a new constitution was adopted , in which the state was named Ireland and effectively became a republic , with an elected non-executive president as head of state . It was officially declared a republic in 1949 , following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 . Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955 .
William Henry Gates III ( born October 28 , 1955 ) is an American business magnate , software developer , investor , and philanthropist . He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation . During his career at Microsoft , Gates held the positions of chairman , chief executive officer ( CEO ) , president and chief software architect , while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014 . He is one of the best-known entrepreneurs and pioneers of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s . Born and raised in Seattle , Washington , Gates co-founded Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen in 1975 in Albuquerque , New Mexico ; it went on to become the world 's largest personal computer software company . [ a ] Gates led the company as chairman and CEO until stepping down as CEO in January 2000 , but he remained chairman and became chief software architect . During the late 1990s , Gates had been criticized for his business tactics , which have been considered anti-competitive . This opinion has been upheld by numerous court rulings . In June 2006 , Gates announced that he would be transitioning to a part-time role at Microsoft and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , the private charitable foundation that he and his wife , Melinda Gates , established in 2000 . He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie . He stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in February 2014 and assumed a new post as technology adviser to support the newly appointed CEO Satya Nadella . Since 1987 , he has been included in the Forbes list of the world 's wealthiest documented individuals .
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company with headquarters in Redmond , Washington . It develops , manufactures , licenses , supports , and sells computer software , consumer electronics , personal computers , and related services . Its best known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems , the Microsoft Office suite , and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers . Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface lineup of touchscreen personal computers . In 2016 , it was the world 's largest software maker by revenue ( currently Alphabet/Google has more revenue ) . The word Microsoft is a portmanteau of microcomputer and software . Microsoft is ranked No . 30 in the 2018 Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue . Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4 , 1975 , to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 . It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s , followed by Microsoft Windows . The company 's 1986 initial public offering ( IPO ) , and subsequent rise in its share price , created three billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires among Microsoft employees . Since the 1990s , it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions , their largest being the acquisition of LinkedIn for $ 26.2 billion in December 2016 , followed by their acquisition of Skype Technologies for $ 8.5 billion in May 2011 .
Branded Entertainment Network ( BEN ) is a Los Angeles-based product placement , influencer marketing and licensing company . The company offers product placement , rights clearance , and personality rights management services for the entertainment industry . The company was founded in Seattle by Bill Gates in 1989 as Interactive Home Systems , and later renamed Corbis . The company 's original goal was to license and digitize artwork and other historic images for the prospective concept of digital frames . In 1997 , Corbis changed its business model to focus on licensing the imagery and footage in its collection . The Corbis collection included contemporary creative , editorial , entertainment , and historical photography as well as art and illustrations . Among its acquisitions were the 11 million piece Bettmann Archive , acquired in 1995 ; the Sygma collection in France ( 1999 ) ; and the German stock image company ZEFA ( 2005 ) . Corbis also had the rights to digital reproduction for art from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg , Russia , the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Gallery in London . Corbis later expanded into providing services for the entertainment industry , including brand integration and rights clearance services . In January 2016 , Corbis announced that it had sold its image licensing businesses to Unity Glory International , an affiliate of Visual China Group . VCG licensed the images to Corbis 's historic rival , Getty Images , outside China . Corbis retained its entertainment businesses under the name Branded Entertainment Network .
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ( BMGF ) , previously the William H. Gates Foundation , is an American private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates . Based in Seattle , Washington , it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the largest private foundation in the world , holding $ 46.8 billion in assets . The primary goals of the foundation are , globally , to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty , and , in the U.S. , to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology . The foundation is controlled by its three trustees : Bill and Melinda Gates , and Warren Buffett . Other principal officers include Co-Chair William H. Gates , Sr. and Chief Executive Officer Susan Desmond-Hellmann . It had an endowment of $ 46.8 billion as of December 31 , 2018 [ update ] . The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in venture philanthropy , though the foundation itself notes that the philanthropic role has limitations . In 2007 , its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in the US , and Warren Buffett the first . As of 2018 , Bill and Melinda Gates had donated around $ 36 billion to the foundation . Since its founding , the foundation has endowed and supported a broad range of social , health , and education developments including the establishment of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships at Cambridge University .
Louis Vincent Gerstner Jr. , KBE ( born March 1 , 1942 in Mineola , New York ) is an American businessman , best known for his tenure as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of IBM from April 1993 until 2002 , when he retired as CEO in March and chairman in December . He is largely credited with turning IBM 's fortunes around . Gerstner was formerly CEO of RJR Nabisco , and also held senior positions at American Express and McKinsey & Company . He is a graduate of Chaminade High School ( 1959 ) , Dartmouth College ( 1963 ) and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School . He is a former member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group .
Sir John Paul Getty , KBE ( /ˈɡɛti/ ; born Eugene Paul Getty ; 7 September 1932 - 17 April 2006 ) , was a British philanthropist and book collector . He was the third of five sons born to Jean Paul Getty Sr. ( 1892-1976 ) , one of the richest men in the world at the time , and his wife , Ann Rork . The Getty family 's wealth was the result of the oil business founded by George Franklin Getty . At birth he was given the name Eugene Paul Getty , but in later life he adopted other names , including Paul Getty , John Paul Getty , Jean Paul Getty Jr. , and John Paul Getty II . In 1986 , he was awarded an honorary knighthood for services to causes ranging from cricket , to art and to the Conservative Party . His honorary knighthood would eventually become substantive upon the required acquisition of British citizenship . A long-time Anglophile , he became a British citizen in 1997 . In 1998 he changed his name by deed poll when he renounced the first name Eugene and wished to be known as Sir Paul Getty , KBE .
Carlos Ghosn , KBE ( /ɡoʊsn/ ; French : [ kaʁlɔs ɡosn ] ; Arabic : كارلوس غصن ; Lebanese Arabic pronunciation : [ 'kaːrlos 'ɣosˤn ] , born 9 March 1954 ) is a Brazilian-born businessman who also has French and Lebanese nationality . As of January 2020 , he is an internationally wanted fugitive . Ghosn has served as the CEO of Michelin North America , chairman and CEO of Renault , chairman of AvtoVAZ , chairman and CEO of Nissan , and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors . Ghosn was also chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance , a strategic partnership among those automotive manufacturers through a complex cross-shareholding agreement . The venture has held approximately 10% of the total market share since 2010 , and as of 2017 , was reckoned to be the largest automobile group worldwide . In 1996 , Renault 's CEO Louis Schweitzer hired Ghosn as his deputy and charged him with the task of turning the company around from near bankruptcy . Ghosn elaborated a plan to cut costs for the period 1998-2000 , reducing the workforce , revising production processes , standardising vehicle parts and pushing the launch of new models . The company also undertook organisational changes , introducing a lean production system with delegate responsibilities inspired by Japanese systems ( the Renault Production Way ) , reforming work methods and centralising research and development at its Technocentre to reduce vehicle conception costs while accelerating such conception . Ghosn became known as Le Cost Killer . In the early 2000s , for orchestrating one of the auto industry 's most aggressive downsizing campaigns and spearheading the turnaround of Nissan from its near bankruptcy in 1999 , he earned the nickname Mr . Fix It . Following the Nissan financial turnaround , in 2002 Fortune awarded him Asia Businessman of the Year .
Brazil ( Portuguese : Brasil ; Portuguese pronunciation : [ bɾaˈziw ] ) , [ nt 1 ] officially the Federative Republic of Brazil ( Portuguese : República Federativa do Brasil , listen ( help·info ) ) , is the largest country in both South America and Latin America . At 8.5 million square kilometers ( 3.2 million square miles ) and with over 211 million people , Brazil is the world 's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous . Its capital is Brasília , and its most populous city is São Paulo . The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states , the Federal District , and the 5,570 municipalities . It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas ; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations , due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east , Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers ( 4,655 mi ) . It borders all other countries in South America except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent 's land area . Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest , home to diverse wildlife , a variety of ecological systems , and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats . This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries , and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection . Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral , who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire . Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 , when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro . In 1815 , the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal , Brazil and the Algarves .
Lebanon ( /ˈlɛbənɒn/ ( listen ) ; Arabic : لبنان , romanized : Lubnān , Lebanese Arabic pronunciation : [ lɪbˈneːn ] ) , officially known as the Lebanese Republic [ nb 3 ] ( Arabic : الجمهورية اللبنانية , romanized : al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah , Lebanese Arabic pronunciation : [ elˈʒʊmhuːrɪjje lˈlɪbneːnɪjje ] ; French : République libanaise ) , is a country in Western Asia . It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south , while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea . Lebanon 's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity . At just 10,452 km2 ( 4,036 mi2 ) , it is the smallest recognized sovereign state on the mainland Asian continent . [ nb 4 ] The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years , predating recorded history . Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms , a maritime culture that flourished for almost three thousand years ( c. 3200-539 BC ) . In 64 BC , the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire , and eventually became one of the Empire 's leading centers of Christianity . In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established . As the Arab Muslims conquered the region , the Maronites held onto their religion and identity . However , a new religious group , the Druze , established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well , generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries . During the Crusades , the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church and asserted their communion with Rome . The ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era .
Cecil Howard Green KBE ( August 6 , 1900 - April 11 , 2003 ) was a British-born American geophysicist who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . He was a founder of Texas Instruments . With his wife Ida Green , he was a philanthropist who helped found the University of Texas at Dallas , Green College at the University of British Columbia , St. Mark 's School of Texas , and Green College at the University of Oxford . They were also major contributors to the Cecil H. Green Library at Stanford University , the Cecil H. & Ida Green Graduate and Professional Center at the Colorado School of Mines , the Cecil H. & Ida Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at the University of California San Diego , and the Cecil & Ida Green Building for earth sciences at MIT ( designed by I.M . Pei ) .
Hermann Maria Hauser , KBE , FRS , FREng , FInstP , CPhys ( born 1948 ) is an Austrian-born entrepreneur who is primarily associated with the Cambridge technology community in England .
Austria ( /ˈɒstriə/ ( listen ) , /ˈɔːs-/ ; German : Österreich [ ˈøːstɐʁaɪ̯ç ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Austria ( German : Republik Österreich , listen ( help·info ) ) , is a landlocked East Alpine country in the southern part of Central Europe . It is composed of nine federated states ( Bundesländer ) , one of which is Vienna , Austria 's capital and its largest city . It is bordered by Germany to the northwest , Czech Republic to the north , Slovakia to the northeast , Hungary to the east , Slovenia and Italy to the south , and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west . Austria occupies an area of 83,879 km2 ( 32,386 sq mi ) and has a population of nearly 9 million people . While German is the country 's official language , many Austrians communicate informally in a variety of Bavarian dialects . Austria initially emerged as a margraviate around 976 and developed into a duchy and archduchy . In the 16th century , Austria started serving as the heart of the Habsburg Monarchy and the junior branch of the House of Habsburg - one of the most influential royal dynasties in history . As an archduchy , it was a major component and administrative centre of the Holy Roman Empire . Early in the 19th century , Austria established its own empire , which became a great power and the leading force of the German Confederation but pursued its own course independently of the other German states . Following the Austro-Prussian War and the compromise with Hungary , the Dual Monarchy was established . Austria was involved in World War I under Emperor Franz Joseph following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand , the presumptive successor to the Austro-Hungarian throne . After the defeat and the dissolution of the Monarchy , the Republic of German-Austria was proclaimed with the intent of the union with Germany , which eventually failed because of the Allied Powers and the state remained unrecognized .
The Philippines ( /ˈfɪləpiːnz/ ( listen ) ; Filipino : Pilipinas [ ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs ] or Filipinas [ ˌfɪlɪˈpinɐs ] ) , officially the Republic of the Philippines ( Filipino : Republika ng Pilipinas ) , [ a ] is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia . Situated in the western Pacific Ocean , it consists of about 7,641 islands that are broadly categorized under three main geographical divisions from north to south : Luzon , Visayas and Mindanao . The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City , both part of Metro Manila . Bounded by the South China Sea on the west , the Philippine Sea on the east and the Celebes Sea on the southwest , the Philippines shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north , Japan to the northeast , Vietnam to the west , Palau to the east , and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south . The Philippines ' location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons , but also endows it with abundant natural resources and some of the world 's greatest biodiversity . The Philippines is the world 's 5th largest island country with an area of 300,000 km2 ( 120,000 sq mi ) . As of 2015 , it had a population of at least 100 million . As of January 2018 [ update ] , it is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world . Approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas , comprising one of the world 's largest diasporas . Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands . In prehistoric times , Negritos were some of the archipelago 's earliest inhabitants . They were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples .
Kazuo Inamori ( 稲盛 和夫 , Inamori Kazuo , born January 21 , 1932 ) is a Japanese philanthropist , entrepreneur and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI . He was the chairman of Japan Airlines . In 2011 , he received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry .
Samuel Esson Jonah , KBE ( born 19 November 1949 ) is a Ghanaian businessman , the executive chairman of Jonah Capital , an equity fund based in Johannesburg , South Africa . Jonah was previously president of AngloGold Ashanti and shared the strategic leadership of the company with its CEO , Bobby Godsell .
Ghana ( /ˈɡɑːnə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Ghana , is a country located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean , in the subregion of West Africa . Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2 ( 92,099 sq mi ) , Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west , Burkina Faso in the north , Togo in the east , and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south . Ghana means Warrior King in the Soninke language . The first permanent state in the territory of present-day Ghana dates back to the 11th century . Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged over the centuries , of which the most powerful was the Kingdom of Ashanti . Beginning in the 15th century , numerous European powers contested the area for trading rights , with the British ultimately established control of the coast by the late 19th century . Following over a century of native resistance , Ghana 's current borders were established by the 1900s as the British Gold Coast . It became independent of the United Kingdom on 6 March 1957 . Ghana 's population of approximately 30 million spans a variety of ethnic , linguistic and religious groups . According to the 2010 census , 71.2% of the population was Christian , 17.6% was Muslim , and 5.2% practised traditional faiths . Its diverse geography and ecology ranges from coastal savannahs to tropical rain forests . Ghana is a unitary constitutional democracy led by a president who is both head of state and head of the government .
South Korea ( Korean : 한국/韓國 ; RR : Hanguk or literally 남한/南韓 ; RR : Namhan ) , officially the Republic of Korea ( Korean : 대한민국/大韓民國 ; RR : Daehan Minguk ) is a country in East Asia , constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea . The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo , which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time , ruling most of the Korean Peninsula , Manchuria , parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia under Gwanggaeto the Great . Its capital , Seoul , is a major global city and half of South Korea 's over 51 million people live in the Seoul Capital Area , the fourth largest metropolitan economy in the world . The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period . Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BC . Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century , Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty ( 918-1392 ) and the Joseon dynasty ( 1392-1897 ) . The succeeding Korean Empire was annexed into the Empire of Japan in 1910 . After World War II , Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S.-administered zones , with the latter becoming the Republic of Korea in August 1948 . In 1950 , a North Korean invasion began the Korean War and after its end in 1953 , the country 's economy began to soar , recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990 . Authoritarian rule ended in 1987 and the country is now the most advanced democracy with the highest level of press freedom in Asia . South Korea is a member of the OECD 's Development Assistance Committee , the G20 and the Paris Club . South Korea is a highly developed country and the world 's 12th-largest economy by nominal GDP .