People lived in Jersey before the sea rose and made it an island. There are many pre-historic (very old) buildings in Jersey, like La Hougue Bie.
The island was part of Normandy, and in 1066, Normandy became part of England. In 1259, the King of England lost Normandy but kept Jersey and Guernsey.
Jersey was invaded by the French in the Battle of Jersey in 1781.
During World War 2, Jersey was controlled by the Nazis. It was freed on 9 May 1945, which is called Liberation Day and is the national day of Jersey.
Jersey is an island. It is in the English Channel, a sea in between France and England. It is 22 kilometres (14 miles) from France and 160 kilometres (100 miles) from England. It is the biggest of the "Channel Islands", a group of islands. The other big Channel Island is called Guernsey.
The island is around 9 miles from east to west and 5 miles from north to south, so it is often called "nine-by-five".
The island can have a hot weather in summer and normally has mild weather in winter but sometimes is as cold as -10.3 degrees Celcius. It is sunnier than England, but it rains more as well.
Jersey's culture is a mixture of French and British culture. The people speak English, but the old language is called Jèrriais, which is like French.
Because Jersey is an island, fish is a popular food in the island. There is a fish market in the middle of St Helier which sells fresh fish. Jersey is famous for its milk (from Jersey Cows) and its potatoes (called "Jersey Royals").
Jersey's newspaper is called the "Jersey Evening Post" which has been printed since 1890.
There is a musical festival every year called "the Weekender" which happens in Trinity.
The "Jersey Eisteddfod" is a big art, music, drama, language and dance compeition that happens every year. Many islanders take part and are given certificates.
Jersey takes part in the Commonwealth Games and the Island Games (which happened in Jersey in 1997 and 2015). Jersey does not have famous sports teams, so islanders who can play sports really well often play for England or other countries in the UK.
Jersey has a lot of finance companies who manage people's money. Some call it a tax haven because it has low taxes and many people that use its businesses to pay lower taxes.
Jersey also has a lot of hotels and farms.
There are 12 parishes on the island.
Saint Helier is the capital and main town of Jersey. There are many shops, offices, parks and important buildings.
Saint Saviour is on the east of Saint Helier. There are lots of houses and many people who live here work in Saint Helier.
Saint Clement is in the south east of the island. It is the smallest parish in area.
Grouville is next to Saint Clement. It has a large golf course.
Saint Martin is north of Grouville. It has a large castle in the village of Gorey called "Mont Orgeuil Castle".
Trinity has lots of farms. Jersey's zoo is in Trinity.
Saint John is in the north of the island.
Saint Mary has the smallest number of people than any other parish.
Saint Ouen is the biggest parish in area. It has Saint Ouen's Bay, a large beach which is good for surfing.
Saint Peter has the island's airport.
Saint Brelade has a lovely beach called "St Brelade's Bay" and a lighthouse called "Corbiere Lighthouse".
Saint Lawrence is in the middle of the island.
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of East Timor or Timor Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It is on the eastern side of the island of Timor. It also includes the smaller islands of Atauro and Jaco Island, and a small area, named Oecusse, inside the west side of Timor. Oecusse is an exclave, which means it is separated from the main part of the country by part of another country. That other country is Indonesia.
The capital and largest city, Dili, is home to one hundred and fifty thousand people. The next largest city is Baucau. (see List of settlements in East Timor).
East Timor gets its name from the Malay word for "east", "timur".
It is a member of the United Nations the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.
For a long time, Portugal controlled the East Timor and called it the Colony of Portuguese Timor. In 1975, the Portuguese army left, and East Timor was invaded (taken over) by the Indonesian army in 1975. The invasion was very violent. The army stayed there until 1999, when they gave up control of the territory with the help of the United Nations.
At the time, the United States government said it did not know Indonesia was going to invade East Timor. But secret documents, released from 2002 to 2005, show that Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State of the United States, did know, and supported the invasion.
When it got its independence on 20 May 2002, it became the first country to become independent in the twenty-first century (since the year 2001). In 2006, when Montenegro became independent, East Timor was no longer the newest one.
Since then, East Timor has not been given much attention in the news. Recently, the Colombian music artist Shakira made a song named "Timor", which talks about the country. The attention is because there has been fighting in East Timor between gangs (groups of criminals with guns), security forces (the country's army). Australia, a large nearby country, sent troops in to make peace.
East Timor is a small country located between Australia and Indonesia, 3,000 years ago, East Timor was a mountainous island composed of migrant indigenous people from New Guinea, Australia and Melanesia.
There were some migrants from Austronesia searching for a new life on this island. Some of the people arrived from South China and North Indochina looking for trade because East Timor had resources which could be exported, like sandalwood, honey, slaves and wax.
During the Second World War, the Japanese occupied the region, encountered strong resistance to their attempts to force the population to grow foods for their troops and export. At the time 30% of the population died.
On 25 April 1974, the Portuguese Armed Forces headed by General António de Spínola organized a Military Coup against Salazar’s regime called the Revolution of Carnations. After this revolution, Portugal decided to give freedom to the colonized countries.
East Timor is the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands. To the north of the island are the Ombai Strait, Wetar Strait, and the greater Banda Sea. To the south the Timor Sea separates the island from Australia.
The country has many mountains. Its highest point is Tatamailau (also known as Mount Ramelau) at . The climate is tropical and generally hot and humid.
The Nino Konis Santana National Park is on the eastern tip of the island. The park includes coral reefs, coastal area, and mountains.
East Timor is divided into 13 municipalites. These were formerly named districts. The municipalities are divided into administrative posts (former subdistricts), and further subdivided into sucos. The 13 municipalities are:
Country music
Country music (sometimes called Country & Western) is a form of music that has been enjoyed by people all over the United States for decades. Famous singers from this genre include Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, the Judds, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith and Hank 3
Country music's strongest appeal is with American rural and small-town populations, but many American cities have a large audience. The music also has listeners in Canada, in England, and worldwide. The popularity of Country comes and goes with each decade. Sometimes a new movie (like "Midnight Cowboy" or "Urban Cowboy"), hit record (like "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers), or new performer (like Randy Travis in the 1980s) raises new interest.