Query: And from 1940 to today, flood damage as a percentage of GDP has fallen to less than 0.05 per cent per year from about 0.2 per cent.

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United Kingdom <=SEP=> The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .

Vietnam <=SEP=> Vietnam ( ˌ ; -LSB- vîət nāːm -RSB- ) , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( SRV ; , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia . With an estimated 92.7 million inhabitants , it is the world 's 14th-most-populous country , and the ninth-most-populous Asian country . Vietnam is bordered by China to the north , Laos to the northwest , Cambodia to the southwest , Thailand across the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest , and the Philippines , Malaysia and Indonesia across the South China Sea to the east and southeast . Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976 , with Ho Chi Minh City as a historical city as well .   The northern part of Vietnam was part of Imperial China for over a millennium , from 111 BC to AD 939 . An independent Vietnamese state was formed in 939 , following a Vietnamese victory in the Battle of Bạch Đằng River . Successive Vietnamese imperial dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia , until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century . Following a Japanese occupation in the 1940s , the Vietnamese fought French rule in the First Indochina War , eventually expelling the French in 1954 . Thereafter , Vietnam was divided politically into two rival states , North Vietnam ( officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ) , and South Vietnam ( officially the Republic of Vietnam ) . Conflict between the two sides intensified in what is known as the Vietnam War . The war ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975 .   Vietnam was then unified under a communist government but remained impoverished and politically isolated . In 1986 , the government initiated a series of economic and political reforms which began Vietnam 's path towards integration into the world economy . By 2000 , it had established diplomatic relations with all nations . Since 2000 , Vietnam 's economic growth rate has been among the highest in the world , and , in 2011 , it had the highest Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies . Its successful economic reforms resulted in its joining the World Trade Organization in 2007 . It is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie . Vietnam remains one of the world 's four remaining one-party socialist states officially espousing communism .

Assam <=SEP=> Assam ( -LSB- langpronəˈsæm -RSB- is a state in northeastern India . Located south of the eastern Himalayas , Assam comprises the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley along with the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts with an area of 30,285 mi2 . Assam , along with Arunachal Pradesh , Nagaland , Manipur , Mizoram , Tripura , and Meghalaya , is one of the Seven Sister States . Geographically , Assam and these states are connected to the rest of India via a 22 km strip of land in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or `` Chicken 's Neck '' . Assam shares an international border with Bhutan and Bangladesh ; and its culture , people and climate are similar to those of Southeast Asia -- comprising the elements in India 's Look East policy .   Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk . The first oil well in Asia was drilled here . The state has conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction , along with the wild water buffalo , pygmy hog , tiger and various species of Asiatic birds . It provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant . The Assamese economy is aided by wildlife tourism , centred around Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park which are World Heritage Sites . Sal tree forests are found in the state which , as a result of abundant rainfall , looks green all year round . Assam receives more rainfall compared to most parts of India . This rain feeds the Brahmaputra River , whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a hydro-geomorphic environment .

Malaysia <=SEP=> Malaysia ( -LSB- məˈleɪsiə -RSB- ; -LSB- məlejsiə -RSB- ) is a federal constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Asia . It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 330803 km2 separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions , Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia ( Malaysian Borneo ) . Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore , Vietnam , and Indonesia . East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur , while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government . With a population of over 30 million , Malaysia is the 44th most populous country . The southernmost point of continental Eurasia , Tanjung Piai , is in Malaysia . Located in the tropics , Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries on earth , with large numbers of endemic species .   Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms present in the area which , from the 18th century , became subject to the British Empire . The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements , whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates . The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946 . Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 , and achieved independence on 31 August 1957 . Malaya united with North Borneo , Sarawak , and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia . Less than two years later in 1965 , Singapore was expelled from the federation .   The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural , which plays a large role in politics . About half the population is ethnically Malay , with large minorities of Malaysian Chinese , Malaysian Indians , and indigenous peoples . The constitution declares Islam the state religion while allowing freedom of religion for non-Muslims . The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on common law . The head of state is the king , known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong . He is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years . The head of government is the prime minister .   Since its independence , Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia , with its GDP growing at an average of 6.5 % per annum for almost 50 years . The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources , but is expanding in the sectors of science , tourism , commerce and medical tourism . Today , Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy , ranked third largest in Southeast Asia and 29th largest in the world . It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , the East Asia Summit and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation , the Commonwealth of Nations , and the Non-Aligned Movement .

Macau <=SEP=> Macau ( -LSB- məˈkaʊ -RSB- ; literally : `` Bay Gate '' ) , also spelled Macao , officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People 's Republic of China , is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River Delta in East Asia . Macau is bordered by the city of Zhuhai in Mainland China to the north and the Pearl River Estuary to the east and south . Hong Kong lies about 64 km to its east across the Delta . With a population of 650,900 living in an area of 30.5 km2 , it is the most densely populated region in the world .   Macau was administered by the Portuguese Empire and its inheritor states from the mid-16th century until late 1999 , when it constituted the last remaining European colony in Asia . Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 1550s . In 1557 , Macau was leased to Portugal from Ming China as a trading port . The Portuguese Empire administered the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887 , when Macau , through a mutual agreement between the two countries , became a colony . Sovereignty over Macau was transferred back to China on 20 December 1999 . The Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau and Macau Basic Law stipulate that Macau operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049 , fifty years after the transfer .   Under the policy of `` one country , two systems '' , the State Council of the People 's Republic of China is responsible for military defense and foreign affairs while Macau maintains its own legal system , public security force , monetary system , customs policy , and immigration policy . Macau participates in international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty .   Macau is a resort city in Southern China , known for its casinos and luxury hotels . Its gaming revenue has been the world 's largest since 2006 , with the economy heavily dependent on gaming and tourism . According to The World Factbook , Macau has the fourth highest life expectancy in the world . Moreover , it is one of the regions in Asia with a `` very high Human Development Index '' , ranking 18th in the world . Macau is among the world 's richest regions , and its GDP per capita by purchasing power parity is higher than that of any country in the world , according to the World Bank .