Library of Congress

Those who already awaited the coming of vacation days with keen anticipation could undoubtedly better understand and imagine what delights Lucio had in entertaining the thought of spending his vacation with his friend out in the province, just as soon as he had received his sheepskin diploma from the Provincial High School, and laid up his dust-covered books on the shelves in order to resume the happy role of youthful life. In one of the rural and sequestered plains of Central Luzon, called the Fertile Valley, where 'the rice fields yielded the cup of joy to the industrious farmers, and where the harvest filled aplenty the' barns of the poor, there lived simple, homely people, free from' the rush and stir of city life. It was during one Friday morning in the month of April when the sam-paguita began to open its buds to receive the soothing dew of the starry evening hour, which diffused fragrance and sweetness all around; it was when the duma-de-noche, that charming and most fragrant native flower, profusely embalmed the atmosphere at the magic touch of the night which gave it perfume and life, -it was in such springtime, merry and blithesome, when we found Lucio at home and his friend, Camilo, who, before the closing of school days; invited him to take his vacation at their town and then, to their Hacienda. Lucio and Camilo were school chums, members of a recently graduated High School class. Lay those worm-eaten tomes of romance and history, and come with me, and we will gleefully spend our vacation time in the bosom of the fields, and there could you realize real life and be in close touch with human nature," nonchalantly said Camilo, smiling and looking him straight into his eyes as if wishing to convince him

Capital: Caracas. Major Cities: Caracas, 1.8 million inhabitants; Zulia, 2.9 million; and Carabolo, 1.9 million (2003). Independence: July 5, 1811, from Spain. Public Holidays: Ano Nuevo (New Year's Day), January 1; Carnaval (Carnival), the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, movable dates in early February to early March; Dia de San Jose (St. Joseph's Day), March 19; Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Holy Friday), movable holidays in March or April; Signing of Independence, April 19; Primero de Mayo (Labor Day), May 1; Ascension, May 20;* Corpus Christi, June 10;* Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart), June 18;* Battle of Carabobo, June 24; San Pedro y San Pablo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul), June 29;...

Capital: Hanoi. Major Cities: With 5.6 million people, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the most populous city. Hanoi has a population of 3 million. Other major cities are Danang, Haiphong, and Can Tho. Independence: Vietnam declared independence from Japan and France on September 2, 1945. However, Vietnam remained under French control until the communist Viet Minh defeated French forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Public Holidays: Official holidays are New Year's (January 1), Tet or Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February), Liberation Day to commemorate the fall of Saigon (April 30), Labor Day (May 1), and Independence Day to commemorate Japan's withdrawal following its defeat in World War II (September 2).

Capital: The capital of central administration of Taiwan is Taipei (T'ai-pei- -literally, Taiwan North), located in T'ai-pei County in the north. Since 1967, Taipei has been administratively separate from Taiwan Province. Major Cities: The largest city is Taipei, with 2.6 million inhabitants in 2004. Other large cities are Kao-hsiung, with 1.5 million, and T'ai-chung, with 1 million. Fifteen other cities have populations ranging from 216,000 to 749,000 inhabitants.

Capital: Damascus (population estimated at 5 million in 2004). Other Major Cities: Aleppo (4.5 million), Homs (1.8 million), Hamah (1.6 million), Al Hasakah (1.3 million), Idlib (1.2 million), and Latakia (1 million). Independence: Syrians celebrate their independence on April 17, known as Evacuation Day, in commemoration of the departure of French forces in 1946. Public Holidays: Public holidays observed in Syria include New Year's Day (January 1); Revolution Day (March 8); Evacuation Day (April 17); Egypt's Revolution Day (July 23); Union of Syria, Egypt, and Libya (September 1); Martyrs' Day, to commemorate the public hanging of 21 dissidents in 1916 (May 6); the beginning of the 1973 October War (October 6); National Day (November 16); and Christmas Day (December 25). Religious feasts with movable dates include Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice; Muharram, the Islamic New Year; Greek Orthodox Easter; Mouloud/Yum an Nabi, celebration of the birth of Muhammad;...

Capital: Seoul. Major Cities: The largest cities are Seoul (11 million), Pusan (3.9 million), Taegu (2.5 million), Inch'4n (2.4 million), Kwangju (1.4 million), and Taej4n (1.3 million). Independence: August 15, 1945, from Japanese occupation; Republic of Korea founded August 15, 1948. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February), Independence Movement Day (March 1), Arbor Day (April 5), Children's Day (May 5), Birth of Buddha (movable date in April or May), Memorial Day (June 6), Constitution Day (July 17), Independence Day (August 15), Ch'us4k (an autumnal harvest festival and day of thanksgiving, movable date in September or October), National Foundation Day (October 3), and Christmas Day (December 25).

Capital: Singapore. Major Cities: Singapore is a city-state. The city of Singapore is located on the south-central coast of the island of Singapore, but urbanization has taken over most of the territory of the island. Date of Independence: August 31, 1963, from Britain; August 9, 1965, from the Federation of Malaysia. National Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February); Hari Raya Haji (Feast of the Sacrifice, movable date in February); Good Friday (movable date in March or April); Labour Day (May 1); Vesak Day (June 2); National Day or Independence Day (August 9); Deepavali (movable date in November); Hari Raya Puasa (end of Ramadan, movable date according to the Islamic lunar calendar); and Christmas (December 25).

Capital: Bucharest (Bucuresti). Major Cities: As of 2003, Bucharest is the largest city in Romania, with 1.93 million inhabitants. Other major cities, in order of population, are Iasi (313,444), Constan a (309,965), Timisoara (308,019), Craiova (300,843), Galati (300,211), Cluj-Napoca (294,906), Brasov (286,371), and Ploesti (236,724). Independence: July 13, 1878, from the Ottoman Empire; kingdom proclaimed March 26, 1881; Romanian People's Republic proclaimed April 13, 1948. Public Holidays: Romania observes the following public holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), Orthodox Easter (a variable date in April or early May), Labor Day (May 1), Unification Day (December 1), and National Day and Christmas (December 25).

Capital: Manila. Major Cities: Located on Luzon Island, Metropolitan Manila, including the adjacent Quezon City and surrounding suburbs, is the largest city in the Philippines, with about 12 million people, or nearly 14 percent of the total population. Other large cities include Cebu City on Cebu Island and Davao City on Mindanao Island. Independence: The Philippines attained independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and from the United States on July 4, 1946. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday, movable date in March or April), Good Friday (movable date in March or April), Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor, commonly called Bataan Day outside of the Philippines, April 9), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (June 12), National Heroes Day (last Sunday of August), Bonifacio Day (celebration of the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, November 30), Eid al Fitr (the last day of Ramadan, movable date),..

Capital: Asuncion. Major Cities: Asuncion (508,000 inhabitants), Ciudad del Este (261,000), San Lorenzo (228,000), Luque (210,000), Capiata (199,000), Lambare (126,000), and Fernando de la Mora (120,000) rank as Paraguay's most populous cities the country's only cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Independence: Paraguay led the South American charge for independence, securing its freedom from Spain on May 17, 1811, after several days of fighting. Independence day is observed on May 15. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Day of Heroes (March 1); Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (variable dates in March or April); Labor Day (May 1); Independence Day (May 15); Chaco's Peace (June 12); Founding of Asuncion (August 15); Battle of Boqueron (September 29); Virgin of Caacupe (December 8); and Christmas Day (December 25).

Capital: Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico), located in the Federal District (Distrito Federal) with a population estimated at 8.8 million in 2008. Major Cities: The Greater Mexico City metropolitan area encompasses Mexico City and several adjacent suburbs, including the populous cities of Ecatepec de Morelos (1.8 million residents in 2005) and Netzahualcoyotl (1.2 million). The total population of the Greater Mexico City metropolitan area is estimated at about 16 million. Other major cities include Guadalajara (1.6 million), Puebla (1.3 million), Ciudad Juarez (1.2 million), Tijuana (1.1 million), and Monterrey (1.1 million). Independence: September 16, 1810 (from Spain). Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Constitution Day (February 5); Birthday of Benito Juarez (March 21); International Labor Day (May 1); Independence Day (September 16); Discovery of America (October 12); Anniversary of the Revolution (November 20); Christmas (December 25); and New Year's Eve (December 31).

Capital: Abu Dhabi City. Major Cities: Al Ayn, capital of the Eastern Region, and Madinat Zayid, capital of the Western Region, are located in Abu Dhabi Emirate, the largest and most populous emirate. Dubai City is located in Dubai Emirate, the second largest emirate. Sharjah City and Khawr Fakkan are the major cities of the third largest emirate-Sharjah. Independence: The United Kingdom announced in 1968 and reaffirmed in 1971 that it would end its treaty relationships with the seven Trucial Coast states, which had been under British protection since 1892. Following the termination of all existing treaties with Britain, on December 2, 1971, six of the seven sheikhdoms formed the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The seventh sheikhdom, Ras al Khaymah, joined the UAE in 1972.

Capital: Ankara. Other Major Cities: Istanbul, zmir (Smyrna), Bursa, Adana, Gaziantep, and Konya (in order of size). Independence: Turkey celebrates October 29, 1923, the date on which the Republic of Turkey was declared after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, as its date of independence. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), National Sovereignty and Children's Day (April 23), Commemoration of Ataturk and Youth and Sports Day (May 19), Victory Day (August 30), the End of Ramadan (September 30-October 2, 2008; variable date determined by the Islamic calendar), Republic Day (October 29), and the Feast of the Sacrifice (December 8-11, 2008; variable date determined by the Islamic calendar).

Capital: Bangkok (in Thai, Krung Thep, -City of Angels). Major Cities: The largest metropolitan area is the capital, Bangkok, with an estimated 9.6 million inhabitants in 2002. According to the 2000 Thai census, 6.3 million people were living in the metropolitan area (combining Bangkok and Thon Buri). Other major cities, based on 2000 census data, include Samut Prakan (378,000), Nanthaburi (291,000), Udon Thani (220,000), and Nakhon Ratchasima (204,000). Fifteen other cities had populations of more than 100,000 in 2000. Independence: The traditional founding date is 1238. Unlike other nations in Southeast Asia, Thailand was never colonized.

Capital: Riyadh (estimated population 3.6 million). Major Cities: Population estimates for 2006 show continued growth for Saudi Arabia's major urban areas: Jiddah (2.9 million), Mecca (1.6 million), Ad Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran (1.6 million), and Medina (854,500). Mecca and Medina have religious significance that far outweighs their respective populations. Independence: Following Ottoman dominance, Egypt controlled Arabia from 1818 to 1824. For the remainder of the nineteenth century, Egypt, Britain, and the Ottomans vied for control of the region. On September 23, 1932, Abd al Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman Al Saud established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Unification brought together competing tribes into a modern state, covering an area approximating present boundaries.

Capital: Moscow (Moskva). Major Cities (in order of population): St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Omsk, Samara, Kazan', Chelyabinsk, Rostov-na-Donu, Ufa, Volgograd, and Perm. Independence: Russia officially marks its independence on June 12, 1991, the date of the Russian Republic's declaration of sovereignty from the Soviet Union. Public Holidays: Official holidays are New Year's (January 1-2), Orthodox Christmas (January 7), Women's Day (March 8), Orthodox Easter Monday (variable date in April or early May), May Day (May 1-2), Victory Day (May 9), Russia Day (Independence Day, June 12), National Unity Day (November 4), and Constitution Day (December 12).