3000 metres steeplechase
National records -- Women
Table:
Nation

Time

Athlete

Date

Location

Ref

Kenya

8:44.32

Beatrice Chepkoech

20 July 2018

Monaco

Bahrain

8:52.78

Ruth Jebet

27 August 2016

Saint-Denis

[14]

Russia

8:58.81

Gulnara Galkina

17 August 2008

Beijing

United States

9:00.85

Courtney Frerichs

20 July 2018

Monaco

[58]

Tunisia

9:05.36

Habiba Ghribi

11 September 2015

Brussels

[59]

Uganda

9:07.94

Peruth Chemutai

20 July 2018

Fontvieille

[60]

Ethiopia

9:09.00

Sofia Assefa

7 June 2012

Oslo

[26]

Spain

9:09.39

Marta Domínguez

25 July 2009

Barcelona

Germany

9:11.85

Gesa Felicitas Krause

27 August 2017

Berlin

[61]

Norway

9:13.35

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal

26 August 2017

Sandnes

[62]

Denmark

9:13.46

Anna Emilie Møller

30 September 2019

Doha

[63]

Turkey

9:13.53

Gülcan Mıngır

9 June 2012

Sofia

[64]

Jamaica

9:14.09

Aisha Praught-Leer

31 August 2018

Brussels

[65]

Belarus

9:16.51

Alesya Turova

27 July 2002

Gdańsk

Romania
9:16.85
Cristina Casandra
17 August 2008
Beijing

Poland
9:17.15
Wioletta Janowska
3 July 2006
Athens

Australia

9:18.35

Donna MacFarlane

6 June 2008

Oslo

Portugal

9:18.54

Jessica Augusto

9 June 2010

Huelva

India

9:19.76

Lalita Babar

13 August 2016

Rio de Janeiro

[66]

Morocco

9:20.64

Salima El Ouali Alami

17 July 2015

Fontvieille

[67]

Drawing on the tabular data plus the supporting evidence provided.

Answer the following question: Which African country does the country of the runner who finished the 3000 metres steeplechase in 9:09.39 on 25 July 2009 share a border with ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Kenya ( /ˈkɛnjə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili : Jamhuri ya Kenya ) , is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors . At 580,367 square kilometres ( 224,081 sq mi ) , Kenya is the world 's 48th largest country by total area . With a population of more than 47.6 million people , Kenya is the 29th most populous country . Kenya 's capital and largest city is Nairobi , while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa . Kisumu City is the third largest city and also an inland port on Lake Victoria . Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret . Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest , Ethiopia to the north , Somalia to the east , Uganda to the west , Tanzania to the south , and the Indian Ocean to the southeast . According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material , the Cushites first settled in the lowlands of Kenya between 3,200 and 1,300 BC , a phase referred to as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic . Nilotic-speaking pastoralists ( ancestral to Kenya 's Nilotic speakers ) started migrating from present-day southern Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC . European colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior . Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony , which began in 1920 . Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution , which began in 1952 , and the subsequent declaration of independence in 1963 .
Beatrice Chepkoech Sitonik ( born 6 July 1991 ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase . She is the current world record holder in that event running 8:44.32 in 2018 . With that time she became the first woman to break 8:50 and 8:45 . She was also a bronze medallist over 1500 metres at the 2015 African Games .
Monaco ( /ˈmɒnəkoʊ/ ( listen ) ; French pronunciation : ​ [ mɔnako ] ) , officially the Principality of Monaco ( French : Principauté de Monaco ) , [ a ] is a sovereign city-state , country , and microstate on the French Riviera in Western Europe . France borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Mediterranean Sea . Monaco is about 15 km ( 9.3 mi ) from the state border with Italy . Monaco has an area of 2.02 km2 ( 0.78 sq mi ) , making it the second-smallest country in the world after the Vatican . Its population as of 2018 is 38,682 . With 19,009 inhabitants per square kilometre ( 49,230/sq mi ) , it is the most densely-populated sovereign state in the world . Monaco has a land border of 5.47 km ( 3.40 mi ) , the world 's shortest coastline of approximately 3.83 km ( 2.38 mi ) ( regardless of the coastline paradox ) , and a width that varies between 1,700 and 349 m ( 5,577 and 1,145 ft ) . The highest point in the country is a narrow pathway named Chemin des Révoires on the slopes of Mont Agel , in the Les Révoires Ward , which is 161 metres ( 528 feet ) above sea level . Monaco 's most populous Quartier is Monte Carlo and the most populous Ward is Larvotto/Bas Moulins . Through land reclamation , Monaco 's land mass has expanded by 20 percent . In 2005 , it had an area of only 1.974 km2 ( 0.762 sq mi ) . Monaco is known to be the most expensive and the wealthiest place in the world due to its tax laws .
Bahrain ( /bɑːˈreɪn/ ( listen ) ; Arabic : البحرين al-Baḥrayn Arabic pronunciation : [ al baħrajn ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain ( Arabic : مملكة البحرين Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn ) , is a sovereign state in the Persian Gulf . The island nation comprises a small archipelago centered around Bahrain Island , situated between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia , to which it is connected by the 25-kilometre ( 16 mi ) King Fahd Causeway . According to the most recent 2010 census , Bahrain 's population is over 1.2 million , of which around half are non-nationals . At 780 square kilometres ( 300 sq mi ) in size , it is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore . The capital and largest city is Manama . Bahrain is the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization . It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries , which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century . Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to convert to Islam , in 628 AD . Following a period of Arab rule , Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in 1521 , who in turn were expelled in 1602 by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty under the Persian Empire . In 1783 , the Bani Utbah clan captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family , with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain 's first hakim . In the late 1800s , following successive treaties with the British , Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom . In 1971 , it declared independence .
Ruth Jebet ( born 17 November 1996 ) is a Kenyan-born long-distance runner and steeplechase specialist who competes internationally for Bahrain . She was the world record holder and is currently the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 3000 metres steeplechase , both achieved before turning 20 .
Stade de France ( French pronunciation : ​ [ stad də fʁɑ̃s ] ) is the national stadium of France , located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis . Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the eighth-largest stadium in Europe . The stadium is used by the France national football team and French rugby union team for international competition . It is the largest in Europe for track and field events , seating 78,338 in that configuration . Despite that , the stadium 's running track is mostly hidden under the football pitch . Originally built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup , the stadium 's name was recommended by Michel Platini , head of the organising committee . On 12 July 1998 , France defeated Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final contested at the stadium . It will host the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics events at the 2024 Summer Olympics . It will also host matches for the 2023 Rugby World Cup . Stade de France , listed as a Category 4 stadium by UEFA , hosted matches at the 1998 FIFA World Cup , the UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2006 , and the 1999 and 2007 Rugby World Cup , making it the only stadium in the world to have hosted both a Football World Cup final and a rugby union World Cup final . It also hosted seven matches at UEFA Euro 2016 , including the final , where France lost to Portugal 1-0 after extra-time . The facility also hosted the Race of Champions auto race in 2004 , 2005 , and 2006 .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
Gulnara Iskanderovna Samitova-Galkina ( Russian : Гульнара Искандеровна Самитова-Галкина , Tatar : Гөлнара Искәндәр кызы Самитова-Галкина ) ( born 9 July 1978 in Naberezhnye Chelny , Tatarstan ) is a Russian middle-distance runner . In July 2004 she ran 3000 metres steeplechase in a new world record of 9:01.59 minutes . Early that year she won a bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships . Gulnara Samitova-Galkina is of mixed Tatar and Russian origin . She is a two-time national champion in the women 's 5000 metres . Samitova claimed the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the 3000m steeplechase , breaking her own world record in the final with a time of 8:58.81 min , becoming the first woman in history to run under 9 minutes for the steeplechase . She won both the 800 and 1500 metres races at the Russian Team Championships in June 2009 , clocking a personal best of 2:00.29 in the 800 m and a world leading time over 1500 m. She missed the whole 2010 season , including the 2010 European Athletics Championships , after becoming pregnant and giving birth to her daughter Alina in June . She returned to training in the autumn of 2010 .
Beijing ( /ˌbeɪˈdʒɪŋ/ BAY-JING , /ˌbeɪˈʒɪŋ/ BAY-ZHING ; Mandarin pronunciation : [ pèi.tɕíŋ ] ( listen ) ) , formerly romanized as Peking ( /ˌpiːˈkɪŋ/ PEE-KING ) , is the capital of the People 's Republic of China , the world 's third most populous city proper , and most populous capital city . The city , located in northern China , is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the central government with 16 urban , suburban , and rural districts . Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast ; together , the three divisions form the Jingjinji metropolitan region and the national capital region of China . Beijing is an important world capital and global power city , and one of the world 's leading centers for culture , diplomacy and politics , business and economy , education , language , and science and technology . A megacity , Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation 's cultural , educational , and political center . It is home to the headquarters of most of China 's largest state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the world , as well as the world 's four biggest financial institutions . It is also a major hub for the national highway , expressway , railway , and high-speed rail networks . The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic since 2010 , and , as of 2016 [ update ] , the city 's subway network is the busiest and longest in the world . Combining both modern and traditional architecture , Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world , with a rich history dating back three millennia . As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China , Beijing has been the political center of the country for most of the past eight centuries , and was the largest city in the world by population for much of the second millennium AD . Encyclopædia Britannica notes that few cities in the world have served for so long as the political headquarters and cultural center of an area as immense as China . With mountains surrounding the inland city on three sides , in addition to the old inner and outer city walls , Beijing was strategically poised and developed to be the residence of the emperor and thus was the perfect location for the imperial capital .
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 .
Courtney Frerichs ( born January 18 , 1993 ) is an American middle-distance runner from Nixa , Missouri , who specializes in steeplechase . Frerichs placed second in steeplechase behind Emma Coburn and ahead of Colleen Quigley at the 2016 US Olympic Trials to qualify to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics . She won the silver medal at the 2017 World Championships , becoming the seventh fastest woman in the history of the event ( displaced to # 8 two weeks later ) . Emma Coburn won the gold medal at the same event , thus making Coburn and Frerichs the first female Americans to win the gold and silver medal in any individual World Championships or Olympics race longer than 400 meters since the 1912 Stockholm Games . On July 20 , 2018 , at the Herculis meet in Monaco , she finished in second place behind Beatrice Chepkoech 's world record 8:44.32 . Frerichs ' time of 9:00.85 jumped her ahead of Coburn for the American and North American ( NACAC ) records in the steeplechase and the # 6 mark all time . Frerichs won the steeplechase NCAA title at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a Lobo , setting a collegiate record of 9:24.41 .
Tunisia [ a ] , officially the Republic of Tunisia [ b ] , is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa , covering 163,610 square kilometres ( 63,170 square miles ) . Its northernmost point , Cape Angela , is also the northernmost point on the African continent . Tunisia is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest , Libya to the southeast , and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east . Tunisia 's population was 11.5 million in 2017 . Tunisia 's name is derived from its capital city , Tunis ( Berber native name : Tunest ) , which is located on its northeast coast . Geographically , Tunisia contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains , and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert . Much of the rest of the country 's land is fertile soil . Its 1,300 kilometres ( 810 miles ) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin and , by means of the Sicilian Strait and Sardinian Channel , feature the African mainland 's second and third nearest points to Europe after Gibraltar . Tunisia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic . It is considered to be the only fully democratic sovereign state in the Arab world . It has a high human development index . It has an association agreement with the European Union ; is a member of La Francophonie , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa , the Arab Maghreb Union , the Arab League , the OIC , the Greater Arab Free Trade Area , the Community of Sahel-Saharan States , the African Union , the Non-Aligned Movement , the Group of 77 ; and has obtained the status of major non-NATO ally of the United States .
Habiba Ghribi ( born 9 April 1984 ) is a Tunisian middle- and long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase . She won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics , giving her country its first Olympic medal by a woman . She is also the Tunisian record holder in the event , having run 9:05.36 at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels in September 2015 . Ghribi competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships a number of times but found greater success on the track , winning a steeplechase silver at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics and a bronze in the 1500 metres at the 2009 Mediterranean Games . She represented Tunisia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , finishing thirteenth in the first ever women 's Olympic steeplechase race . In the 2016 Müller Anniversary Games , she won the women 's 3000m steeplechase . She was voted the Best Sportswoman of 2009 by the Arabic daily newspaper Assahafa .
The King Baudouin Stadium ( French : Stade Roi Baudouin , Dutch : Koning Boudewijnstadion ) is a sports ground in north-west Brussels , Belgium . It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 . Crown Prince Leopold attended the opening ceremony . Located in the Heysel section of the Brussels municipality , it was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the 1935 Brussels International Exposition . The stadium hosted 70,000 at the time . A wooden track for cycling races was later added around the pitch .
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda ( Swahili : Jamhuri ya Uganda ; Luganda : Eggwanga Yuganda ) is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa . It is bordered to the east by Kenya , to the north by South Sudan , to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo , to the south-west by Rwanda , and to the south by Tanzania . The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria , shared with Kenya and Tanzania . Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region . Uganda also lies within the Nile basin , and has a varied but generally a modified equatorial climate . Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom , which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country , including the capital Kampala . The people of Uganda were hunter-gatherers until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago , when Bantu-speaking populations migrated to the southern parts of the country . Beginning in 1894 , the area was ruled as a protectorate by the UK , who established administrative law across the territory . Uganda gained independence from the UK on 9 October 1962 . The period since then has been marked by violent conflicts , including an 8-year-long far right military dictatorship led by Idi Amin . Additionally , a lengthy civil war against the Lord 's Resistance Army in the Northern Region led by Joseph Kony , has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties . The official languages are English and Swahili , although any other language may be used as a medium of instruction in schools or other educational institutions or for legislative , administrative or judicial purposes as may be prescribed by law .
Peruth Chemutai ( born July 10 , 1999 ) is a Ugandan steeplechase runner . She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women 's 3000 metres steeplechase race ; her time of 9:31.03 in the heats did not qualify her for the final . Hailing from the Bukwo District , she took up running in 2013 after attending the District Athletics Championships in Bukwo as a casual fan . At the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia , she won silver medals in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres . She also competed in the junior women 's race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala , finishing in 7th place . At the 2018 World Junior Championships held in mid July , she claimed a notable Silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase . A week later , at the Monaco diamond league , she set a national record with a time of 9:07.94
Ethiopia ( /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/ ; Amharic : ኢትዮጵያ , ʾĪtyōṗṗyā , listen ( help·info ) , Tigrinya : ኢትዮጵያ , Oromo : Itiyoophiyaa , Somali : Itoobiya , Afar : Itiyoophiyaa ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia , is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa . It shares borders with Eritrea to the north , Djibouti to the northeast , Somalia , and the de facto state of Somaliland to the east , Kenya to the south , South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest . With over 109 million inhabitants , Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres ( 420,000 sq mi ) . Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa , which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates . Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia . It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond . According to linguists , the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era . Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BCE , Ethiopia 's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history . Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba , under its first king , Menelik I . In the first centuries , the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region , followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137 . During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa , Ethiopia and Liberia were two nations that preserved their sovereignty from long-term colonisation by a European colonial power and many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours . However , the country was later occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia ( part of Italian East Africa ) until it was liberated during World War II .
Sofia Assefa ( Amharic : ሶፍአ አሠፋ ; born 14 November 1987 in Tenta , South Wollo ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase . She was the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics .
Bislett Stadium ( Norwegian : Bislett stadion ) is a sports stadium in Oslo , Norway . Bislett is Norway 's most well known sports arena internationally , with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here . The original stadium was demolished in 2004 and construction of a new stadium was completed by the summer of 2005 . The New Bislett Stadium was designed by C.F . Møller Architects .
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 .
Marta Domínguez Azpeleta ( born 3 November 1975 ) is a Spanish runner and politician . She competes mainly in the steeplechase . She has represented Spain four times at the Olympics and has competed at the World Championships on six occasions . As a 5000m runner , Domínguez won a bronze at the 1998 European Athletics Championships and reached the global podium at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics , winning the silver medal . She scored a gold medal double in 2002 by taking a 3000 metres win at the European Athletics Indoor Championships , before going on to become European champion at the 2002 European Championships . She achieved silver medals in the same events at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2003 World Championships in Athletics the following year . She retained her European crown at the 2006 European Athletics Championships . Domínguez has been accused of both dealing and using performance-enhancing drugs on multiple occasions . In December 2010 , she was arrested for her connection in a doping ring as part of Operación Galgo ; she was acquitted in 2011 . In May 2013 , it was reported that Domínguez had failed a bio-passport test in 2009 . In 2015 , she was banned from competing for three years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for irregularities in her biological passport and stripped of her status as a Spanish national athlete . This annulled all of Domínguez 's competitive results from August 2009 to July 2013 , including her 2009 world championship in steeplechase .
Barcelona ( /ˌbɑːrsəˈloʊnə/ BAR-sə-LOH-nə , Catalan : [ bəɾsəˈlonə ] , Spanish : [ baɾθeˈlona ] ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain . It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia , as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain . With a population of 1.6 million within city limits , its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona and is home to around 4.8 million people , making it the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris , the Ruhr area , Madrid , and Milan . It is one of the largest metropolises on the Mediterranean Sea , located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs , and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range , the tallest peak of which is 512 metres ( 1,680 feet ) high . Founded as a Roman city , in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona . After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon , Barcelona continued to be an important city in the Crown of Aragon as an economic and administrative centre of this Crown and the capital of the Principality of Catalonia . Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination . Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner , which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites . The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona . The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments . Barcelona is one of the world 's leading tourist , economic , trade fair and cultural centres , and its influence in commerce , education , entertainment , sports , media , fashion , science , and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the major global cities . It is a major cultural and economic centre in southwestern Europe , 24th in the world ( before Zürich , after Frankfurt ) and a financial centre .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
Gesa Felicitas Krause ( born 3 August 1992 ) is a German athlete who specialises in the 3000 m steeplechase . She won bronze medals in steeplechase at both the 2015 and 2019 World Championships , and represented Germany at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics . Her personal best for the 3000 m steeplechase is 9:03.30 , which is also a national record . In 2019 Krause set a world best for the 2000 m steeplechase in 5:52.80 .
Norway ( Norwegian : Norge ( Bokmål ) or Noreg ( Nynorsk ) ; Northern Sami : Norga ; Lule Sami : Vuodna ; Southern Sami : Nöörje ) , officially the Kingdom of Norway , is a Nordic country in Northwestern Europe whose territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula ; the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard are also part of the Kingdom of Norway . [ note 2 ] The sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island is a dependent territory and thus not considered part of the kingdom . Norway also lays claim to the Antarctic territories of Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island . Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometres ( 148,729 sq mi ) and a population of 5,312,300 ( as of August 2018 ) . The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden ( 1,619 km or 1,006 mi long ) . Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east , and the Skagerrak strait to the south , with Denmark on the other side . Norway has an extensive coastline , facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea . The maritime influence also dominates Norway 's climate with mild lowland temperatures on the sea coasts , whereas the interior , while colder , is also a lot milder than areas elsewhere in the world on such northerly latitudes . Even during polar night in the north , temperatures above freezing are commonplace on the coastline . The maritime influence brings high rainfall and snowfall to some areas of the country . Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway . Erna Solberg has been prime minister since 2013 when she replaced Jens Stoltenberg .
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal ( born 14 June 1990 ) is a Norwegian athlete competing in long-distance events . She represented her country at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics and at four world championships . She won the bronze medal at the 2016 in the 10,000 metres event and 2018 European Championships in the 3000 m steeplechase .
Denmark ( Danish : Danmark , pronounced [ ˈtænmak ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Denmark , [ N 10 ] [ N 2 ] is a Nordic country in Northwest Europe . Denmark proper , which is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries , consists of a peninsula , Jutland , and an archipelago of 443 named islands , [ N 2 ] with the largest being Zealand , Funen and the North Jutlandic Island . The islands are characterised by flat , arable land and sandy coasts , low elevation and a temperate climate . The southernmost of the Scandinavian nations , Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway , [ N 11 ] and is bordered to the south by Germany . The Kingdom of Denmark also includes two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean : the Faroe Islands and Greenland . Denmark has a total area of 42,924 km2 ( 16,573 sq mi ) , land area of 42,394 km2 ( 16,368 sq mi ) , and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 km2 ( 853,509 sq mi ) , and a population of 5.8 million in Denmark proper ( Danish egentlige Danmark ) ( as of 2020 [ update ] ) . The unified kingdom of Denmark emerged in the 8th century as a proficient seafaring nation in the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea . Denmark , Sweden , and Norway were ruled together under one sovereign ruler in the Kalmar Union , established in 1397 and ending with Swedish secession in 1523 . The areas of Denmark and Norway remained under the same monarch until 1814 , Denmark-Norway . Beginning in the 17th century , there were several devastating wars with the Swedish Empire , ending with large cessions of territory to Sweden . After the Napoleonic Wars , Norway was ceded to Sweden , while Denmark kept the Faroe Islands , Greenland , and Iceland . In the 19th century there was a surge of nationalist movements , which were defeated in the First Schleswig War .
Anna Emilie Møller ( born 28 July 1997 ) is a Danish athlete competing in the 3000 metres steeplechase . She represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics without qualifying for the final . In her heat , however , she set the new national and European junior record in the event .
Khalifa International Stadium ( Arabic : ملعب خليفة الدولي , romanized : Istād Khalīfah ) , also known as National Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha , Qatar , as part of the Doha Sports City complex , which also includes Aspire Academy , Hamad Aquatic Centre , and the Aspire Tower . It is named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani , Qatar 's former Emir . The final of 2011 AFC Asian Cup was held at this stadium . The stadium is also the first completed venue that will host a part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup . In 2017 , it received a four-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System ( GSAS ) , the first in the world to be awarded this rating .
Turkey ( Turkish : Türkiye [ ˈtyɾcije ] ) , officially the Republic of Turkey ( Turkish : Türkiye Cumhuriyeti [ ˈtyɾcije dʒumˈhuːɾijeti ] ( listen ) ) , is a transcontinental country located mostly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe . East Thrace , the part of Turkey in Europe , is separated from Anatolia by the Sea of Marmara , the Bosporus and the Dardanelles ( collectively called the Turkish Straits ) . Istanbul , mostly located on the European side , is the largest city in the country while Ankara is the capital . Turkey is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria to its northwest , the Black Sea to its north , Georgia to its northeast , Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to its east , Iraq and Syria to its southeast , the Mediterranean Sea to its south , and the Aegean Sea to its west . Approximately 70 to 80 percent of the country 's citizens identify as Turkish , while Kurds are the largest minority at anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of the population . At various points in its history , the region has been inhabited by diverse civilisations including the Assyrians , Greeks , Thracians , Phrygians , Urartians , and Armenians . Hellenization started during the era of Alexander the Great and continued into the Byzantine era . The Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century , and their victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 symbolises the start and foundation of Turkey . The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243 , when it disintegrated into small principalities called beyliks . Beginning in the late 13th century , the Ottomans started uniting beyliks and conquering the Balkans . After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 , Ottoman expansion continued under Selim I . During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire encompassed much of Southeast Europe , West Asia and North Africa and became a world power .
Gülcan Mıngır ( pronounced [ ˈɟyldʒan ˈmɯnɡɯɾ ] ; born May 21 , 1989 in Döğer , İhsaniye , Afyonkarahisar Province , Turkey ) is a Turkish female middle distance runner specialized in 3000 m steeplechase . She was a member of Fenerbahçe Athletics Club before she transferred to Üsküdar Belediyespor . She is coached by İhsan Alptekin . Mıngır is 1.65 m ( 5 ft 5 in ) tall and weighs 53 kg ( 117 lb ) . Currently , Gülcan Mıngır is a student of physical education and sports at Dumlupınar University in Kütahya . She is the gold medalist of the 3000 m steeplechase event at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships held in Ostrava , Czech Republic . Gülcan Mıngır qualified to participate at the 2012 Summer Olympics . At the 2013 Mediterranean Games held in Mersin , Turkey , she won the bronze medal in the 3000 m st event .
Vasil Levski National Stadium ( Bulgarian : Национален стадион „ Васил Левски ) , named after Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski , is the country 's second largest stadium . The stadium has 44,000 seats and is located in the centre of Sofia , on the territory of the city 's oldest and most famous park - the Borisova gradina . The Bulgaria national football team 's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue , as well as athletics competitions . It was used as the home venue for Levski Sofia 's Champions League games , and is often used for important derbies between the big clubs from Sofia , instead of their own home stadiums .
Jamaica ( /dʒəˈmeɪkə/ ( listen ) ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea . Spanning 10,990 square kilometres ( 4,240 sq mi ) in area , it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean ( after Cuba and Hispaniola ) . Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres ( 90 mi ) south of Cuba , and 191 kilometres ( 119 mi ) west of Hispaniola ( the island containing the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic ) ; the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 kilometres ( 134 mi ) to the north-west . Originally inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples , the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494 . Many of the indigenous people were either killed or died of diseases to which they had no immunity , and the Spanish thus forcibly transplanted large numbers of African slaves to Jamaica as labourers . The island remained a possession of Spain until 1655 , when England ( later Great Britain ) conquered it , renaming it Jamaica . Under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter , with a plantation economy dependent on the African slaves and later their descendants . The British fully emancipated all slaves in 1838 , and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations . Beginning in the 1840s , the British began utilising Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations . The island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962 . With 2.9 million people , Jamaica is the third-most populous Anglophone country in the Americas ( after the United States and Canada ) , and the fourth-most populous country in the Caribbean . Kingston is the country 's capital and largest city .
Aisha Praught-Leer ( born 14 December 1989 in Moline , Illinois ) is a female middle-distance runner from Illinois competing for Jamaica . She attended Woodrow Wilson Middle School . Praught competed in Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics after running the 1500 meters and steeplechase standards in 2015 . Praught competed in the Women 's 3000 metres steeplechase event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing , China , but was disqualified . She was the gold medalist in the steeplechase at the 2018 Commonwealth Games .
Belarus ( /bɛləˈruːs/ ; Belarusian : Беларусь , IPA : [ bʲɛlaˈrusʲ ] ) , officially the Republic of Belarus ( Belarusian : Рэспубліка Беларусь , Russian : Республика Беларусь ) , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia ( Russian : Белоруссия ) , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest . Its capital and most populous city is Minsk . Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres ( 80,200 sq mi ) is forested . Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing . Until the 20th century , different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus , including the Principality of Polotsk ( 11th to 14th centuries ) , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Russian Empire . In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution , Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People 's Republic , which was conquered by Soviet Russia . The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Byelorussian SSR ) . Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 . Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 , when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland , and were finalized after World War II . During WWII , military operations devastated Belarus , which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources . The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years . In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations , along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR .
Alesia Turava ( Belarusian : Алеся Турава ; born 6 December 1979 ) is a Belarusian middle distance runner . She is a former world record holder in 3000 metre steeplechase with 9:16.51 minutes , achieved in Gdansk on 27 July 2002 . Still , Turava mostly competes over 1500 metres . Her sister , Ryta Turava , also competes in the sport of athletics ( 20 km race walk ) .
Gdańsk ( /ɡəˈdænsk/ , also US : /ɡəˈdɑːnsk/ , Polish : [ ɡdaj̃sk ] ( listen ) ; Kashubian : Gduńsk ; German : Danzig [ ˈdantsɪç ] ( listen ) ) is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland . With a population of 468,158 , Gdańsk is the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and one of the most prominent cities within the cultural and geographical region of Kashubia . It is Poland 's principal seaport and the centre of the country 's fourth-largest metropolitan area . The city is situated on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay on the Baltic Sea , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia , the resort town of Sopot , and suburban communities ; these form a metropolitan area called the Tricity ( Trójmiasto ) , with a population approaching 1.4 million . Gdańsk lies at the mouth of the Motława River , connected to the Leniwka , a branch in the delta of the nearby Vistula River , which drains 60 percent of Poland and connects Gdańsk with the Polish capital , Warsaw . Together with the nearby port of Gdynia , Gdańsk is also a notable industrial centre . The city 's history is complex , with periods of Polish , Prussian and German rule , and periods of autonomy or self-rule as a free city state . In the early-modern age , Gdańsk was a royal city of Poland . It was considered the wealthiest and the largest city of Poland , before the 18th century rapid growth of Warsaw . In the late Middle Ages it was an important seaport and shipbuilding town and , in the 14th and 15th centuries , a member of the Hanseatic League . In the interwar period , owing to its multi-ethnic make-up and history , Gdańsk lay in a disputed region between Poland and Germany , which became known as the Polish Corridor . The city 's ambiguous political status was exploited , furthering tension between the two countries , which would ultimately culminate in the Invasion of Poland and the first clash of the Second World War just outside the city limits , followed by the flight and expulsion of the majority of the previous population in 1945 .
Romania ( /roʊˈmeɪniə/ ( listen ) ro-MAY-nee-ə ; Romanian : România [ romɨˈni.a ] ( listen ) ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central , Eastern , and Southeastern Europe . It has borders with the Black Sea to the southeast , Bulgaria to the south , Ukraine to the north , Hungary to the west , Serbia to the southwest , and Moldova to the east . It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate . With a total area of 238,397 square kilometers ( 92,046 square miles ) , Romania is the 8th largest country and also the 6th most populous member state of the European Union , having almost 20 million inhabitants . Its capital and largest city is Bucharest , and other major urban areas include Cluj-Napoca , Timișoara , Iași , Constanța , Craiova , Brașov , and Galați . The River Danube , Europe 's second-longest river , rises in Germany 's Black Forest and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km ( 1,775 mi ) , coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romania 's Danube Delta . The Carpathian Mountains , which cross Romania from the north to the southwest , include Moldoveanu Peak , at an altitude of 2,544 m ( 8,346 ft ) . Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia . The new state , officially named Romania since 1866 , gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877 . Following World War I after declaring its neutrality in 1914 , when Romania fought on the side of the Allied powers starting with 1916 , Bukovina , Bessarabia , Transylvania as well as parts of Banat , Crișana , and Maramureș became part of the sovereign Kingdom of Romania . In June-August 1940 , as a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and Second Vienna Award , Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union , and Northern Transylvania to Hungary . In November 1940 , Romania signed the Tripartite Pact and , consequently , in June 1941 entered World War II on the Axis side , fighting against the Soviet Union until August 1944 , when it joined the Allies and recovered Northern Transylvania .
Cristina Casandra , née Iloc ( born 1 February 1977 in Zalău ) is a Romanian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase . She took up the event in 2000 , having initially specialized in the 5000 metres . She was the bronze medallist at the Balkan Cross Country Championships in March 2011 . She finished 5th at the 2008 Summer Olympics , but did not reach the final at the 2012 Summer Olympics .
Poland ( Polish : Polska [ ˈpɔlska ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Poland ( Polish : Rzeczpospolita Polska [ c ] [ ʐɛt͡ʂpɔˈspɔlita ˈpɔlska ] ( listen ) ) , is a country located in Central Europe . It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions , covering an area of 312,696 square kilometres ( 120,733 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With a population of nearly 38.5 million people , Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union . Poland 's capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw . Other major cities include Kraków , Łódź , Wrocław , Poznań , Gdańsk , and Szczecin . Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea , Lithuania , and Russia 's Kaliningrad Oblast to the north , Belarus and Ukraine to the east , Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south , and Germany to the west . The history of human activity on Polish soil spans almost 500,000 years . Throughout the Iron Age the area became extensively diverse , with various cultures and tribes settling on the vast Central European Plain . However , it was the Western Polans who dominated the region and gave Poland its name . The establishment of Polish statehood can be traced to AD 966 , when Mieszko I , ruler of the realm coextensive with the territory of present-day Poland , converted to Christianity . The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025 , and in 1569 it cemented its longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin . This union formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , one of the largest ( over 1,000,000 square kilometres - 400,000 square miles ) and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe , with a uniquely liberal political system which adopted Europe 's first written national constitution , the Constitution of 3 May 1791 .
Wioletta Frankiewicz ( née Janowska ) ( born June 9 , 1977 in Piotrków Trybunalski ) is a Polish runner . She competes in the 1500 metres , but she competes also in the 3000 metre steeplechase event , as she did in the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki , Finland . She weighs 58 kilograms and is 1.77 metres tall . She won National Indoor Championships in 2003 ( 800 m ) . She also won the National outdoor championships in 2004 ( 5000 m ) and in 2005 ( 1500 m ) . She won the bronze medal in the inaugural 3000 m steeplechase for women at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg .
Athens ( /ˈæθɪnz/ ATH-inz ; Greek : Αθήνα , romanized : Athína [ aˈθina ] ( listen ) ; Ancient Greek : Ἀθῆναι , romanized : Athênai ( pl . ) [ atʰɛ̂ːnai̯ ] ) is the capital and largest city of Greece . Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world 's oldest cities , with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC . Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus . A center for the arts , learning and philosophy , home of Plato 's Academy and Aristotle 's Lyceum , it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy , largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent , and in particular the Romans . In modern times , Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic , financial , industrial , maritime , political and cultural life in Greece . Athens is a global city and one of the biggest economic centers in southeastern Europe . It has a large financial sector , and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe , and the second largest in the world . The Municipality of Athens ( also City of Athens ) , which actually constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire city , had a population of 664,046 ( in 2011 ) within its official limits , and a land area of 38.96 km2 ( 15.04 sq mi ) . The urban area of Athens ( Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus ) extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits , with a population of 3,090,508 ( in 2011 ) over an area of 412 km2 ( 159 sq mi ) . According to Eurostat in 2011 , the functional urban area ( FUA ) of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union ( the 6th most populous capital city of the EU ) , with a population of 3.8 million people . Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland and the warmest major city in Europe .
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia , is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the largest country in Oceania and the world 's sixth-largest country by total area . The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard . Australia 's capital is Canberra , and its largest city is Sydney . The country 's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne , Brisbane , Perth , and Adelaide . Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years prior to the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th century , who named it New Holland . In 1770 , Australia 's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788 , a date which became Australia 's national day . The population grew steadily in subsequent decades , and by the time of an 1850s gold rush , most of the continent had been explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established . On 1 January 1901 , the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia . Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy , comprising six states and ten territories . Australia is the oldest , flattest , and driest inhabited continent , with the least fertile soils . It has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres ( 2,941,300 sq mi ) .
Donna Tyberek-MacFarlane ( born 18 June 1977 in Melbourne , Victoria ) is an Australian middle distance and steeplechase runner . She set both an Australian record and her personal best time of 9:18.35 , by finishing third in the women 's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2008 IAAF Golden League Meeting in Oslo , Norway .
Oslo ( /ˈɒzloʊ/ OZ-loh , also US : /ˈɒsloʊ/ OSS-loh , Norwegian : [ ˈʊ̂ʂlʊ ] ( listen ) , rarely [ ˈʊ̂slʊ , ˈʊ̀ʂlʊ ] ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway . It constitutes both a county and a municipality . During the Viking Age the area was part of Viken , the northernmost Danish province . Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in the year 1040 under the name Ánslo , and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada . The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around 1300 . Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 reduced its influence . After being destroyed by a fire in 1624 , during the reign of King Christian IV , a new city was built closer to Akershus Fortress and named Christiania in the king 's honour . It was established as a municipality ( formannskapsdistrikt ) on 1 January 1838 . The city functioned as the capital of Norway during the 1814-1905 union between Sweden and Norway . From 1877 , the city 's name was spelled Kristiania in government usage , a spelling that was adopted by the municipal authorities only in 1897 . In 1925 the city , after incorporating the village retaining its former name , was renamed Oslo . In 1948 Oslo merged with Aker , a municipality which surrounded the capital and which was 27 times larger , thus creating the modern , vastly enlarged Oslo municipality .
Portugal ( Portuguese : [ puɾtuˈɣal ] ) , officially the Portuguese Republic ( Portuguese : República Portuguesa [ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ puɾtuˈɣezɐ ] ) , [ note 5 ] is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula , in southwestern Europe . It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe , being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain . Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira , both autonomous regions with their own regional governments . Portugal is the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe and the world , its territory having been continuously settled , invaded and fought over since prehistoric times . The pre-Celtic people , Iberians , Celts , Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and Suebi Germanic peoples . After the Muslim conquests of the Iberian Peninsula , most of the territory was part of Al-Andalus until their expulsion . Portugal as a country was established during the early Christian Reconquista . Founded in 868 , the County of Portugal gained prominence after the Battle of São Mamede in 1128 . The Kingdom of Portugal was later proclaimed following the Battle of Ourique in 1139 , and independence from León was recognised by the Treaty of Zamora in 1143 . On 12 December 2017 , the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal . Tracing its origins back to the 12th century , it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world . In the 15th and 16th centuries , Portugal established the first global empire , becoming one of the world 's major economic , political and military powers .
Jéssica de Barros Augusto , ComM ( born 8 November 1981 ) is a Portuguese runner who competes in cross country , road running and in middle-distance and long-distance track events . At club level , she represents Sporting CP . Augusto has enjoyed much success at the European Cross Country Championships . She won the event in 2010 , was the runner-up in 2008 , and shared in the team gold on three occasions . She was the first European-born runner to finish at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships , although she was 21st overall . She has represented Portugal in three World Championships in Athletics and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics . She has won medals on the track at minor championships , including golds at the 2007 Summer Universiade and 2009 Lusophony Games . In road running , her greatest achievement is a win at the 2009 Great North Run , where she set a half marathon best of 1:09:08 . She has also won at the Cursa Bombers , and finished second at both the São Silvestre de Lisboa and Great South Run .
Huelva ( US : /ˈwɛlvə , ˈ ( h ) wɛlvɑː/ , Spanish : [ ˈwelβa ] ) is a city in southwestern Spain , the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia . It is located along the Gulf of Cádiz coast , in the estuary formed by the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers . According to the 2010 census , the city had a population of 149,410 . Huelva is home to Recreativo de Huelva , the oldest football club in Spain . It has been tentatively defended the existence of pre-Phoenician settlement on the current urban limits since circa 1250 BC , with Phoenicians establishing a stable colony roughly by the 9th century BC .
India ( Hindi : Bhārat ) , officially the Republic of India ( Hindi : Bhārat Gaṇarājya ) , is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh-largest country by area , the second-most populous country , and the most populous democracy in the world . Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast , it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; [ e ] China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the north ; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east . In the Indian Ocean , India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives ; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago . Their long occupation , initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers , has made the region highly diverse , second only to Africa in human genetic diversity . Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago , evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE . By 1200 BCE , an archaic form of Sanskrit , an Indo-European language , had diffused into India from the northwest , unfolding as the language of the Rigveda , and recording the dawning of Hinduism in India . The Dravidian languages of India were supplanted in the northern regions . By 400 BCE , stratification and exclusion by caste had emerged within Hinduism , and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen , proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity . Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires based in the Ganges Basin . Their collective era was suffused with wide-ranging creativity , but also marked by the declining status of women , and the incorporation of untouchability into an organised system of belief .
Lalita Babar ( born 2 June 1989 ) is an Indian long-distance runner . She was born in a small village in the Satara district , Maharashtra . She predominantly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and is the current Indian national record holder and the reigning Asian Champion in the same event . Babar was named as the Sports Person of the Year in the India Sports Awards 2015 organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FICCI ) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India . She was recently honored with prestigious Arjuna Award 2016 by the President of India for her contribution in the field of athletics . She is currently supported by Anglian Medal Hunt Company .
The Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos , formerly the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange ( Portuguese pronunciation : [ iʃˈtadʒw oˈɫĩpiku ˈʒwɐ̃w̃ ɐveˈlɐ̃ʒi ] ; English : João Havelange Olympic Stadium ) , is a multi-purpose stadium located in the neighbourhood of Engenho de Dentro in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . It is used mostly for football matches and athletics and is the home stadium of the football club Botafogo . The stadium was built by a consortium under the leadership of Odebrecht S.A. , from 2003 through to 2007 , opening in time for the 2007 Pan American Games . It hosted the athletics competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics . The stadium is known by a number of names . The nickname Engenhão ( [ ẽʒẽˈɲɐ̃w̃ ] ) refers to the location of the stadium . The stadium was named after former FIFA president and International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) member João Havelange . Havelange died after an attack of pneumonia during the 2016 Olympics at age 100 . Between 2015 and 2017 the Rio municipality allowed Botafogo to refer to the stadium as Estádio Nilton Santos ( English : Nilton Santos Stadium ) . The name honors Nilton Santos , regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game and a member of the World Team of the 20th Century . Botafogo made initial efforts to have the name change official but this was not immediately successful . In February 2017 , the city of Rio de Janeiro officially renamed the stadium Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos .
Morocco ( /məˈrɒkoʊ/ ( listen ) ; Arabic : المغرب , romanized : al-maġhrib , lit . 'place the sun sets ; the west ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : lmeɣrib ; French : Maroc ) , officially the Kingdom of Morocco ( Arabic : المملكة المغربية , romanized : al-mamlakah al-maghribiyah , lit . 'The Western Kingdom ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : tageldit n lmaɣrib ; French : Royaume du Maroc ) , is a country located in the Maghreb region of North Africa . It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west , with land border with Algeria to the east and Western Sahara to the south ( status disputed ) . Morocco also claims the exclaves of Ceuta , Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , all of them under Spanish jurisdiction , as well as several small Spanish-controlled islands of its coast . The capital is Rabat and the largest city is Casablanca . Morocco spans an area of 710,850 km2 ( 274,460 sq mi ) and has a population of over 36 million . Since the foundation of the first Moroccan state by Idris I in 788 AD , the country has been ruled by a series of independent dynasties , reaching its zenith under Almoravid and Almohad rule , when it spanned parts of Iberia and northwestern Africa . The Marinid and Saadi dynasties resisted foreign domination into the 17th century , allowing Morocco to remain the only northwest African country to avoid Ottoman occupation . The Alaouite dynasty , which rules to this day , seized power in 1631 . The country 's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean attracted the interest of Europe , and in 1912 , Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates , with an international zone in Tangier . It regained its independence in 1956 , and has since remained comparatively stable and prosperous by regional standards , with the fifth largest economy in Africa .
Salima Elouali Alami ( born 29 December 1983 ) is a Moroccan athlete . She was born in Karia Ba Mohamed . She competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2012 Summer Olympics , placing 26th with a time of 9:44.62 .
The Stade Louis II ( French pronunciation : ​ [ stad ( ə ) lwi dø ] ) is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco . It serves primarily as a venue for football , being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team . The stadium is most notable for its distinctive nine arches at the away end of the ground . The arena is also used for the Herculis , a track and field meet of the IAAF Diamond League . From 1998 to 2012 , the stadium hosted the annual UEFA Super Cup match .