Curated playlist
BRICS nations
- EthiopiaEthiopia stayed independent while most of Africa fell to European rule. Its army beat Italy at Adwa in 1896.
- IndonesiaMore than half of Indonesia's people live on one island, Java. It is the most heavily populated island in the world.
- United Arab EmiratesIn 2021, the United Arab Emirates sent a probe named Hope into Mars orbit. It was the first Arab country to reach Mars.
- ChinaChina gave the world papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder.
- South AfricaSouth Africa built six nuclear devices, then became the first nation to voluntarily dismantle its arsenal.
- BrazilBrazil is named after a tree that produced a deep red dye. European textile makers prized pau-brasil, or brazilwood.
- IranIranian students seized the US embassy in 1979 and held 52 hostages for 444 days.
- EgyptAbout 99% of Egyptians live on roughly 5.5% of the country's land. The rest is desert and scattered oases.
- RussiaRussia spans eleven time zones, more than any other country. Its borders touch fourteen nations.
- IndiaIndia is both the most populous country and the most populous democracy. More than 1.4 billion people live there.