1. COUNTRY PROFILES Comenius Programme 2013-2015 France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey

2. What is Comenius? “We are all citizens of one world” The Comenius Programme is named after Jan Amos Comenius (1592-1670) – often considered the father of modern education. The programme takes place in schools and other educational institutions throughout Europe It has 2 main objectives: 1. Develop knowledge and understanding among youth and education staff regarding the importance of the diversity of European cultures 2. Help young people gain knowledge and skills that will help them personally and in terms of their future careers within Europe

3. FRANCE France is the largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the third largest in Europe as a whole! It is known as l’Hexagone because of its shape. It’s population is around 66 million. The capital is Paris, famous for the Eiffel Tower. It’s motto, established during the French Revolution in the 18th Century, is Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, which means ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’. Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, La Réunion, and Mayotte are all considered parts of the French Republic!

4. France

5. French Guiana French Guiana is an Overseas Department of France that is situated on the Atlantic coast of South America. Cayenne is the capital. The population is 240,000 – very small in comparison to France, although its land mass is much bigger! You can find Amazon Rainforest in the country, and it is home to some important ecosystems! The climate is very different from Europe – it is very hot, humid, and wet.

6. French Guiana

7. Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany is the most populous country of the European Union. Its population is over 80 million! It consists of 16 states, and Berlin is the capital. Its motto is Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit which means “Unity and Justice and Freedom”. Germany is the major economic and political power of Europe, and is also a main leader in terms of technology, history and culture.

8. Germany

9. Greece Greece is officially the Hellenic Republic, and since ancient times has been known as Hellas. The population of Greece is around 11 million. Athens is the capital, and it is the largest city of the country. It shares land borders with Albania, Turkey and Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia. It has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean Basin, and 80% of the country is made up of mountains – Mount Olympus is the highest at 2917m (9570ft) The motto is Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος, which means “Freedom or Death”.

10. Greece

11. Italy Italy, Italia, officially the Italian Republic has a population of 60 million. It borders Austria, France, Switzerland and Slovenia to the north. It also includes two islands, Sicily and Sardinia, in the Mediterranean sea. Interestingly, there are two separate Sovereign States within mainland Italy – the Vatican, where the Pope lives, and San Marino. In addition, Campione d’Italia is an Italian exclave (state) in Switzerland. Its capital city is Rome, famous for the Colosseum.

12. Italy

13. Poland The capital of Poland, officially known as the Republic of Poland, is Warsaw, which is the largest city. Poland in Polish is Polska. The official language is Polish, but there is also a regional language called Kashubian. It is the 9 th largest country in Europe, with a population of 39 million. It was heavily involved in WWII, but it has managed to preserve much of its historical buildings and there are now over 14 UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Poland.

14. Poland

15. Slovakia Slovakia, Slovak, is a landlocked state in Central Europe. Its population is over 5 million. It is bordered by the Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava. The official language is Slovak, but Hungarian is quite widely spoken in the South. It became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

16. Slovakia

17. Spain The capital of Spain, España, officially the Kingdom of Spain is Madrid. Spain also includes the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza) and the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, etc.) as well as two autonomous cities in Africa – Ceuta and Melilla which border Morocco – and some other small islands. The motto of Spain is Plus Ultra which means “Further Beyond”. It is the second largest country in Western Europe with a population of 47 million. Spanish colonisation was expansive, meaning that today there are over 500 million speakers of Spanish in the world. It has a monarchy, and the current King is Juan Carlos I. There are many other languages spoken in Spain such as Basque, Catalan, Galician and Occitan.

18. Spain

19. Sweden Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe. Its motto is För Sverige – i tiden, which means "For Sweden – With the Times". It borders Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark via a bridge-tunnel. It is the third-largest country in Europe by land area, but is has a low population of just 9.5 million. The capital is Stockholm It is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliament. In 2013 it was declared the most reputable country on earth by The Reputation Institute.

20. Sweden

21. Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is bordered by 8 countries – it is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, making it important geographically The motto of the Turkish people is Egemenlik kayitsiz, şartsiz Milletindir, which means “Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the Nation”. It became independent in 1923 following the Turkish War of Independence. It is secular, but the main religion is Islam. It began full negotiations with the EU in 2005. The capital is Ankara, but Istanbul is the largest city. Its population is over 75 million. The Turkish Lira is the official currency.

22. Turkey

23. COMENIUS… “We are all citizens of one world” France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey