Intercultural Dialogue through Music Country Portraits Brochure
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Transcript of Intercultural Dialogue through Music Country Portraits Brochure
INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC
Country Portraits Country Portraits
INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC
2008 – 2010
Country Portraits
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Germany
Italy
Poland
Slovenia
United Kingdom
INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC
Country Portraits Country Portraits
Contents:
Foreword ………..…………………………………………………….2
Bulgaria ……………………………….……………………………. 3
Cyprus ………………………………………………………….…. 7
Czech Republic …...……..…………...…………………………………… 11
Germany ………..……………………………………………...…. ..15
Italy …….…..…………………………………………………. 19
Poland ….……..…………………………………………………. 24
Slovenia ..………..………………………………………………….29
United Kingdom ………..…………………………………………………. 33
Epilogue ...…………………………………………………………. 39
1
Foreword
In August 2008, nine schools from eight countries unified around a project idea
of intercultural dialogue through music. Pupils aged 14-18 and their teachers
worked together on an international project named Intercultural Dialogue through
Music taking place in their home country as well as abroad.
In the beginning, each school had chosen a traditional national song and the songs
were studied by every pupil in the music education classes of each institution. Later
on they became a basis for workshops and concerts given at each of the six meetings.
Furthermore, an international hymn was composed and performed at the final
meeting in Bulgaria.
Apart from musical tasks, in history classes, pupils were acquainted with
important cultural achievements of each country and in the language classes, they
worked with the partnership dictionary comprising basic words and phrases from the
eight languages. Using English as the project language, the pupils commented on
the differences between their home country and the visited countries and wrote
about their impressions and experiences in the cultural guide section displayed on
the project website (www.comeniusmusicyear2.shutterfly.com and www.comenius–
music.eu and).
This project brochure aims to give brief information on each of the participating
countries. Their geography, demographics, politics, economics and culture represent
the main field of interest.
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Bulgaria
Geography
The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges: Rila
(with the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, 2 925 metres) and Pirin
and in the east there are the Rhodope Mountains. The long range of the Balkan
Mountains lies west-east through the country whereas hilly country and
plains lie to the southeast along the Black Sea coast.
Out of the circa 540 Bulgarian rivers, the Danube is the most important
and the Iskar the longest. Other major rivers include the Struma and the
Maritsa River.
The country borders with Romania in the north, Serbia and the Republic
of Macedonia in the west and Greece and Turkey in the south. In the east,
there is the Black Sea which forms a natural border with Ukraine, Russia and
Georgia.
Bulgarian climate is very diverse: there are the snowy Balkan Mountains
as well as the sunny Black Sea coast. The climate is both continental and
marine too. The country overall has a temperate climate with cold winters
and hot summers.
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Demographics
In 2009, 7,606,000 people were estimated to inhabit Bulgaria. According
to the census, these are mainly ethnic Bulgarians with the Turkish and
Romani (Gypsy) minorities. Since the 1990, there has been the lowest
population growth in the world.
Most Bulgarians belong to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The first five biggest cities include Sofia, the capital, Plovdiv, Burgas,
Varnna and Rousse.
Politics
Since 1992, Bulgaria has a democratic parliamentary republican
constitution. The National Assembly consists of 240 deputies elected for four-
year term by popular vote. The president is the head of state.
The country became a member of the United Nations in 1955, joined
NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Economics
According to the World Bank, Bulgaria has an upper-middle-income
economy. It experiences rapid economic growth and the GDP was estimated
$12,900 in 2008. The economy is primarily based on agriculture and industry
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with the service sector growingly contributing to GDP growth. The financial
crisis had a negative impact mostly on industry.
Bulgaria produces manufactures and raw materials (such as iron, copper,
gold or coal). Farming predominates over stock breeding. Bulgaria ranks as
on of the top producers of anise, sunflower seed, raspberries or tobacco.
Tourism has made Bulgaria the 30th most popular destination in the
world in 2007 with tourists prevailing from Greece, Romania and Germany.
Culture
Bulgaria has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Madara Rider, the
Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak, the Boyana Church, the Rila
Monastery, the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, Pirin National Park, Sreburna
Nature Reserve and the ancient city of Nesebar.
The Bulgarian empires functioned as the hub of Slavic Europe during
much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural
influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the Preslav
and Ohrid Literary Schools. The Cyrillic alphabet, used in many languages in
Eastern Europe and Asia, originated in these two schools in the tenth
century AD.
5
The country has a long-standing musical tradition, traceable back to the
early Middle Ages. National folk music has a distinctive sound and uses a
wide range of traditional instruments, such as gudulka, gaida, kaval and tupan.
Bulgaria also has a rich visual arts heritage, especially in frescoes, murals
and icons, many of them produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School.
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(Republic of) Cyprus
Geography
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean measuring 240
kilometres long and 100 kilometres wide. Neighbouring territories include
Turkey, Syria and Lebanon to the east, Israel to the southeast, Egypt and
Greece to the west-northwest.
The mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains (with the highest peak
named Mount Olympus, 1,952 m) in the south west and the Kyrenia Range and
the central plain, the Mesaoria, form the relief of the country.
Access to drinking water is difficult which is traditionally attributed to
deforestation that damaged the island's drainage system through erosion.
Winter rivers including the Yialias River, the Pedhieos River or the Serraghis
River rise in the Troodos Mountains. All of them, however, are dry in the
summer.
Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate along the coast and semi-arid
around the capital with long, hot and dry summers. Winters are relatively
mild with rain between mostly December and February.
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Demographics
The total population of Cyprus is slightly over 1 million, comprising
778,700 in the territory controlled by the government of the Republic of
Cyprus and 265,100 in Northern Cyprus. There are communities from
Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and other Eastern European
states. By the end of 2007, about 124,000 immigrants settled in Cyprus,
mostly the Greeks, Britons and Russians.
Most Greek Cypriots are members of the Greek Orthodox Church of
Cyprus, whereas most Turkish Cypriots are adherents of Sunni Islam.
Cyprus is one of the most religious countries in the European Union. Given
the special legal status of the Church of Cyprus, the country is also one of
only five EU states to have an established state church.
Politics
Geopolitically, the island consists of the Republic of Cyprus (with the
internationally recognized government, two-thirds /59.74%/ of the island),
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which occupies the northern third
(34.85%) of the island being recognized only by Turkey, also the United
Nations-controlled Green Line which separates the two covering 2.67% of the
island and last but not least two bases under British sovereignty: Akrotiri and
Dhekelia (covering the remaining 2.74%).
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Economics
The Cypriot economy is prosperous and has diversified in recent years
with the estimated per capita GDP at $28,381 is just above the average of the
European Union.
Cyprus has been sought as a base for several offshore businesses for its
highly developed infrastructure. The government adopted the euro currency
on 1 January 2008.
The economy of the Turkish-occupied area is dominated by the services
sector. In 2004, the growth rate was 11.4%. In 2008, the average income in the
area was $15,984.
The island has witnessed a massive growth in tourism over the years and
as such the property rental market in Cyprus has grown along side. Added
to this is the capital growth in property that has been created from the
demand of incoming investors and property buyers to the island.
Culture
The cultural history of Cyprus can be traced back up to 10,000 years,
following the discovery of a series of carved figures in the villages of
Khoirokoitia and Lempa… Modern times art history begins with the painter
Vassilis Vryonides and the founding fathers Adamantios Diamantis and
Christopheros Savva.
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One of the features of Cypriot art is a tendency towards figurative
painting although conceptual art is being rigorously promoted by a number
of art “institutions”.
The traditional folk music has several common elements with Greek,
Turkish and Arabic music including Greco-Turkish dances such as the sousta,
syrtos, zeibekikos, tatsia and kartsilamas as well as the Middle Eastern-inspired
tsifteteli and arapie. There is also a form of musical poetry known as chattista
which is often performed at traditional feasts and celebrations. The
instruments commonly associated with Cyprus folk music are the bouzouki,
oud, violin, lute, accordion, Cyprus flute and percussion. Composers associated
with traditional Cypriot music include Evagoras Karageorgis, Marios Tokas,
Solon Michaelides and Savvas Salides. Hip Hop, R&B and reggae are also very
popular genres on the island and have been supported by the emergence of
Cypriot rap and the urban music scene at Ayia Napa.
The Cypriot Zeno of Citium was the founder of the Stoic philosophy.
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Czech Republic
Geography
The Czech Republic lies in Central Europe bordering with Poland
(northeast), Germany (northwest), Austria (south) and Slovakia (east). The
Czech Republic has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the European
Union since 2004 (and from January 2009 up to July 2009 it held the
Presidency of the EU Council).
The state consists of Bohemia in the West, Moravia in the South-East and
Silesia in the North-East. Bohemia consists of a basin drained by the Elbe and
the Vltava rivers, surrounded by mountains (with the highest point of Sněžka
at 1,602 m). Moravia is drained by the Morava River.
The Czech Republic has a temperate continental climate, with relatively
hot summers and cold, snowy winters. The temperature difference between
summer and winter is relatively high. Temperatures vary greatly, depending
on the elevation.
Demographics
The 2001 census showed that there are mostly Czech inhabitants (94.24%)
with the following national minorities: Slovaks (1.89%), Poles (0.51%),
Germans (0.38%), Ukrainians (0.22%) and the Vietnamese (0.17%) being most
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important. There were 436,116 foreigners residing in the country in October
2009, with the largest group being Ukrainian. The biggest cities include the
capital called Prague (cca 1 million inhabitants), Brno (cca 400 000
inhabitants) and Ostrava (cca 300 000 inhabitants).
The Czech Republic has one of the least religious populations in the
world. According to the census, 59% of the country is non-believer, 26.8% is
Roman Catholic and 2.5% is Protestant.
Politics
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary
representative democracy, with the Prime Minister as head of government.
The Parliament is comprises the Chamber of Deputies (200 members) and the
Senate (81 members).
The President, elected by the parliament for a five-year term, is a formal
head of state with limited specific powers whereas the Prime Minister is the
head of government.
Economics
The economy of the Czech Republic is developed with a GDP per capita
of 82% of the European Union average. The euro adoption plan omits giving
any date, however, the change is not expected before 2013.
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The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism. In 2001, the
total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5% of
GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than
110,000 people – over 1% of the population.
There are several centres of tourist activity. The historic city of Prague is
the primary tourist attraction, as the city is also the most common point of
entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country. Particularly popular
holiday destinations include spa towns, such as Karlovy Vary, Mariánské
Lázně and Františkovy Lázně. Other popular tourist sites are the castles and
chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn Castle, Český Krumlov and the Lednice–
Valtice area. Away from the towns, Český ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše
Mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits. The Pilsener style beer
originated in western Bohemia in the city of Pilsen and the south town of
Budweis gave its name to the beer known as Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu.
Culture
Music in the Czech Republic has its roots in high-culture classical music
as well as in the traditional music of Bohemia and Moravia. Composers were
often influenced by traditional music. Notable composers include Bedřich
Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů and Gustav Mahler.
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Czech writers include famous names such as Jan Amos Komenský, Karel
Hynek Mácha, Karel Čapek or a playwright Václav Havel.
The Czech Republic also has a rich scientific tradition: the invention of
the contact lens (Otto Wichterle), the production of the Semtex plastic
explosive and personalities such as Gregor Mendel, the "father of genetics",
who researched the inheritance of genetic traits, Bedřich Hrozný who
deciphered the Hittite language or Jaroslav Heyrovský awarded the Nobel
Prize research in polarography and electroanalytical chemistry
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Germany
Geography
The territory of Germany covers 357,021 square kilometres including
7,798 square kilometres of water. The forested central part and the lowlands
of northern Germany with rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe lie
between the mountains of the Alps (with the highest point of Zugspitze at
2,962 metres) in the south to the shores of the North Sea in the north-west and
the Baltic Sea in the north-east. Germany borders with Denmark in the north,
Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the
south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west and Belgium and the
Netherlands in the north-west.
Germany has a temperate seasonal climate moderated by the northern
extension of the Gulf Stream with humid westerly winds. Winters are mild
and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C. In the
east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can
be very warm and long dry periods are often recorded.
Demographics
Christianity is the largest religion in Germany, with 52.116 million
adherents (63%) in 2007. 26.5 million are Protestants (32.3%) and 25.5 million
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are Catholics (31.0%). The second comes Islam with 5% followed by
Buddhism and Judaism. About 29.6% have no registered religious
denomination.
Politics
Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic.
The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the
1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law).
The Chancellor is the head of government and exercises executive
power. Federal legislative power is vested in the parliament consisting of the
Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which together
form a unique type of legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through
direct elections, by proportional representation (mixed-member). The
members of the Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federal
states and are members of the state cabinets. The respective state
governments have the right to appoint and remove their envoys at any time.
The President is the head of state, invested primarily with representative
responsibilities and powers. He is elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal
convention of which the second highest official in the German order of
precedence, the Bundestagspräsident, comes), consisting of the members of the
Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates.
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Economics
Germany has the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth largest
by nominal GDP in the world. Since the age of industrialisation, the country
has been a driver, innovator, and beneficiary of an ever more globalised
economy. From 2003 to 2008, Germany was the world's largest exporter,
being surpassed by China, it is currently the second largest exporter. The
service sector contributes around 70% of the total GDP, industry 29.1% and
agriculture 0.9%. Most of the country's products are in engineering,
especially in automobiles, machinery, metals and chemical goods. Germany
is the leading producer of wind turbines and solar power technology in the
world. The largest annual international trade fairs and congresses are held in
several German cities such as Hanover, Frankfurt and Berlin.
Large German companies include Daimler, Volkswagen, Allianz, Siemens,
Deutsche Bank or E.ON. Well known global brands are Mercedes Benz, SAP,
BMW, Adidas, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen and Nivea.
Germany uses the euro and its monetary policy is set by the European
Central Bank in Frankfurt.
Culture
From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual
and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular.
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The state claims some of the world's most renowned classical music
composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes
Brahms and Richard Wagner. Apart from the classics, Germany has influenced
pop and rock music through artists such as Scorpions or Rammstein.
German painters include personalities such as Hans Holbein the Younger,
Matthias Grünewald and Albrecht Dürer, Caspar David Friedrich and Max Ernst.
Architectural contributions include Walter Gropius or Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe.
German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the works
of writers such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach.
Further names of renowned German authors and poets comprise Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, the Brothers Grimm, Thomas Mann,
Berthold Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Böll and Günter Grass…
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Italy
Geography
Italy is located in Southern Europe and comprises the Italian Peninsula
and a number of islands including the two largest, Sicily and Sardinia.
Although the country occupies the peninsula and most of the southern
Alpine basin, some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin and
some islands are located outside the Eurasian continental shelf. Italy borders
with France, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland.
The country's total area is 301,230 square kilometres including
7,210 square kilometres of water.
The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula's backbone, the Alps form its
northern boundary. The Po, Italy's longest river, flows from the Alps on the
western border with France. The great lakes include Garda, Maggiore and
Como. There are 14 volcanoes in Italy, three of which are active: Etna,
Stromboli and Vesuvius.
The climate is highly diverse: most of the inland northern regions have a
continental, humid subtropical climate. The coastal areas generally fit the
Mediterranean stereotype with mild winters and warm and generally dry
summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer.
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Demographics
In 2008, the Italian population surpassed 60 million, having the fourth-
largest population in the European Union. The biggest cities include Rome
(almost 3 million inhabitants), Milan, Naples, Turin and Palermo.
Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in the country, although the
Catholic Church is no longer officially the state religion. Fully 87.8% of
Italians identified themselves as Roman Catholic, however, only about one-
third of these described themselves as active members (36.8%). The Italian
Catholic Church, is a part of the global Roman Catholic Church, under the
spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome and the Conference of Italian
Bishops.
Politics
The politics of Italy take place in a framework of a parliamentary,
democratic republic and of a multi-party system. Executive power is
exercised collectively by the Council of Ministers, which is led by a President,
informally referred to as "premier" or primo ministro. Legislative power is
vested in the two houses of Parliament primarily and secondarily in the
Council of Ministers. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the
legislative. Italy has been a democratic republic since 1946.
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The President of the Italian Republic is elected for seven years by the
parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The
President serves as a point of connection between the three branches of
power: he is elected by the lawmakers, he appoints the executive, he is the
president of the judiciary and he is also the commander-in-chief of the
armed forces.
Italy elects a parliament consisting of two houses, the Chamber of Deputies
(630 members) and the Senate of the Republic (315 members) which are elected
popularly and directly through a complex electoral system.
Economics
In 2008, Italy was the seventh-largest economy in the world and the
fourth-largest in Europe. Italy is member of the Group of Eight (G8)
industrialized nations, the European Union and the OECD.
The country enjoys a very high standard of living and is the world's 18th
most developed country. According to the last data, Italian per capita GDP
remains approximately equal to the EU average. The country also has the
world's 4th largest gold reserves and is also well-known for its business
economic sector, industrious and competitive agricultural sector and for its
automobile, industrial and fashion design.
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Despite this, the country's economy suffers from many problems: the last
decade's average annual growth rate lagged with 1.23% in comparison to the
EU and the living standards have a considerable north-south divide. Italy
has often been referred the sick man of Europe, characterised by economic
stagnation, political instability and problems in pursuing reform programs.
The economy is weakened by the lack of infrastructure development, market
reforms and research investment and also high public deficit.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the national economy:
with 43.7 million international tourist arrivals and an estimated total income
of $42.7 billion, Italy is the fourth highest tourism earner and the fifth most
visited country in the world. The most popular tourist attractions are the
Colosseum and the ruins at Pompeii.
Culture
Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (44)
and has rich collections of world art, culture and literature from many
different periods. It has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also due
to the fact that numerous Italians emigrated to other countries during the
Italian diaspora. Italy has, overall, an estimated 100,000 monuments of any
sort (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas,
fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains).
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The greatest artists are numerous, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo Da
Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Sandro Botticelli,
Tintoretto, Titian, Raphael and Giotto.
The nation contains several architectural monuments, such as the
Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Piazza del Campo, Milan
Cathedral, Florence Cathedral, the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, the Basilica di
Santa Maria Maggiore, Villa Olmo and the Pirelli Tower.
The basis of the modern Italian language was established by the
Florentine poet Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy. Celebrated literary
figures in Italy include Giovanni Boccaccio, Giacomo Leopardi, Alessandro
Manzoni, Torquato Tasso, Ludovico Ariosto and Petrarch.
Prominent philosophers include Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, Niccolò
Machiavelli and Giambattista Vico.
Italy's most famous composers comprise composers such as Palestrina
and Monteverdi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Corelli, Vivaldi, Paganini, Rossini, Verdi,
Puccini and Berio. The best-known of the innumerable opera houses is
probably La Scala of Milan, among the performers it is the late tenor Luciano
Pavarotti.
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Poland
Geography
Poland’s territory extends from the northwest Baltic seacoast. Above the
lowlands, there are hilly districts of moraines and lakes: the Pomeranian Lake
District, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District and the
Masurian Lake District (the largest of them). South lie the regions of Silesia
and Masovia as well as the Polish mountain region, the Sudetes, the Cracow-
Częstochowa Upland, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and the Carpathian
Mountains. The highest part of the Carpathians is the Tatra Mountains. The
longest rivers are the Vistula, the Oder and the Warta. With almost 10 000 lakes
(covering more than 1 hectare each) Poland has one of the highest number of
lakes in the world including Lake Śniardwy and Lake Mamry. The highest
peak of Rysy (2,499 metres) lies in the High Tatras. Forests cover 28.8% of
Poland’s land area. More than half of the land is devoted to agriculture.
The climate is mostly temperate throughout the country, oceanic in the
north and west; warmer and continental towards the south and east.
Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between 20 °C and
27 °C. Winters are cold, with average temperatures around 3 °C in the
northwest and −8 °C in the northeast.
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Demographics
Poland, with 38,116,000 inhabitants, has the eighth-largest population in
Europe. The largest minority nationalities and ethnic groups in Poland are
Silesians (about 200,000), Germans (152,897), Belarusians (49,000), and
Ukrainians (30,000). Since Poland's accession to the European Union, a
significant number of Poles have emigrated to Western European countries
such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland in search of work. Some
organizations have stated that Polish emigration is primarily caused by
Poland's high unemployment rate (10.5% in 2007), with Poles searching for
better work opportunities abroad.
The largest metropolitan areas are the Silesian metropolitan area centred
on Katowice and other cities of Upper Silesian Coal Basin (over 5 million
inhabitants); the capital, Warsaw (3 million inhabitants), Kraków (1.3 million),
Łódź (1.2 million) and the Tricity of Gdańsk–Sopot–Gdynia.
Because of the Holocaust and the post-World War II development,
Poland has become almost uniformly Roman Catholic. Most Poles (88.4% in
2007) are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Religious minorities
include Polish Orthodox, various Protestants (about 150,000), Jehovah's
Witnesses or Eastern Catholics.
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Politics
Poland is a democracy, with a president as a head of state. The
government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime
minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of
the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the Sejm.
Polish voters elect a bicameral parliament consisting of a 460-member
lower house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate. When sitting in joint session,
members of the Sejm and Senat form the National Assembly which is formed
on three occasions: when a new President takes the oath of office; when an
indictment against the President of the Republic is brought to the State
Tribunal and when a president's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties
because of the state of his health is declared.
The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major
institutions include the Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland, the Supreme
Administrative Court of the Republic of Poland, the Constitutional Tribunal of the
Republic of Poland and the State Tribunal of the Republic of Poland.
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Economics
Poland is considered to have one of the healthiest economies of the post-
communist countries and is currently one of the fastest growing countries
within the EU.
The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a
liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of an
aggressive private sector. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive
sectors" such as coal, steel, rail transport and energy has been continuing
since 1990.
In 2006, GDP growth equaled 6.2%. In 2008, Polish PPS GDP per capita
stood at 57% of the EU average.
There are many challenges ahead, the most notable of which is the
preparation of the economy to allow Poland to meet the strict economic
criteria for entry into the Eurozone, likely to adopt the euro in 2012 or 2013.
Poland is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing
number of visitors, particularly after joining the European Union. The most
popular cities are Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń, including
the historic site of the Auschwitz concentration camp near Oświęcim. Poland
was the 17th most visited country by foreign tourists in 2008.
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Culture
Polish culture has been influenced by both Eastern world and Western
world influences. Today, these influences are evident in Polish architecture,
folklore and art. Poland is the birthplace of some world famous individuals,
including Pope John Paul II, Marie Skłodowska Curie, Tadeusz Kościuszko,
Kazimierz Pułaski, Józef Piłsudski, Nicolaus Copernicus and Frederick Chopin.
Polish painters comprise Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Stanisław Wyspiański
or Jan Matejko.
Polish literature includes many famous poets and writers such as Jan
Kochanowski, Adam Mickiewicz, Bolesław Prus, Juliusz Słowacki, Witold
Gombrowicz, Stanisław Lem, Ryszard Kapuściński, Joseph Conrad, Henryk
Sienkiewicz (won the Nobel Prize), Władysław Reymont (won the Nobel Prize),
Czesław Miłosz (won the Nobel Prize) or Wisława Szymborska (won the Nobel
Prize)..
Many world famous Polish movie directors include Academy Awards
winners Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Janusz Kamiński,
Krzysztof Kieślowski or Agnieszka Holland.
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Slovenia
Geography
Slovenia is situated in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering
the Mediterranean. The Alps dominate Northern Slovenia along its long border
with Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately
43 kilometres from Italy to Croatia. In the southwest, there is the famous
Slovenia's Kras Plateau, a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges and
caves, between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the
East and Northeast, toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders, the
landscape is flat. However, the majority of Slovenian terrain is hilly or
mountainous, with around 90% of the surface 200 m or more above sea level.
Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the
Dinarides, the Pannonian Plain and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is
Triglav (2,864 m). The geographical centre of Slovenia lies in the municipality
of Litija. Slovenia's coastline measures 47 kilometres. Around half of the
country is covered by forests, there is grassland, orchards and vineyards.
The climate is continental in the northeast, a severe Alpine climate in the
high mountain regions and a sub-Mediterranean climate in the coastal
region.
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Demographics
Slovenia's main ethnic group is Slovene (83%) with 5.3% of ethnic groups
from other parts of the former Yugoslavia (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian,
Macedonian, Montenegrin and people who consider themselves
"Yugoslavian").
Traditionally, the majority of the almost 2 000 000 Slovenes are Roman
Catholic (57.8%) but like elsewhere in Europe the Roman Catholicism
affiliation in Slovenia is dropping more than 1 % annually.
Politics
The Slovenian head of state is the president, who is elected by popular
vote every five years. The executive branch is headed by the prime minister
and the council of ministers or cabinet, who are elected by the National
Assembly. The bicameral Parliament of Slovenia is characterised by an
asymmetric duality, as the Constitution does not accord equal powers to both
chambers. The bulk of the power is concentrated in the National Assembly (90
members) while the National Council only has a very limited advisory and
control powers. Elections take place every four years. It is the supreme
representative and legislative institution, exercising legislative and electoral
powers as well as control over the Executive and the Judiciary. The National
Council (40 members) has the authority of the "postponing veto".
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Economics
Slovenia has a high-income developed economy which enjoys the
highest GDP per capita of the new member states in the European Union, 91%
of the EU average. Slovenia today is a developed country that enjoys
prosperity and stability. It benefits from a well-educated and productive
work force and its political and economic institutions are vigorous and
effective.
Slovenia's trade is oriented towards other EU countries, mainly
Germany, Austria, Italy and France. The economy is highly dependent on
foreign trade which equals about 120 % of GDP.
Industry and construction comprise over one-third of GDP whereas
services make up an increasing share of output (57.1%), notably in financial
services. A big portion of the economy remains in state hands. Taxes are
relatively high, the labor market is seen by business interests as being
inflexible and industries are losing sales to China, India and elsewhere.
Slovenia is the economic front-runner of the countries that joined the
European Union in 2004, was the first new member which adopted the euro
on 1 January 2007 and held the presidency of the EU.
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Culture
Some of Slovenia's greatest authors were the poets France Prešeren, Oton
Župančič, Srečko Kosovel, Edvard Kocbek, Dane Zajc and Ivan Cankar. Boris
Pahor, Evald Flisar, Drago Jančar, Alojz Rebula, Tomaž Šalamun and Aleš
Debeljak are some of the leading names of contemporary Slovene literature.
The most important Slovene painters include Jurij Šubic and Anton Ažbe,
Ivana Kobilca, Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar and Avgust Černigoj, Lojze Spacal,
Anton Gojmir Kos, Riko Debenjak, Marij Pregelj, Gabrijel Stupica and Janez
Bernik. Contemporary artists are Emerik Bernard, Metka Krašovec, Ivo Prančič,
Gustav Gnamuš, group IRWIN, Marko Peljhan and Zoran Mušič.
Slovenia is a homeland of numerous musicians and composers,
including Jacobus Gallus, Giuseppe Tartini, Bojan Adamič and Ivo Petrić.
Contemporary popular musicians have been Slavko Avsenik, Laibach, Vlado
Kreslin, Pero Lovšin, Pankrti, Zoran Predin, Lačni Franz, New Swing Quartet, DJ
Umek, Valentino Kanzyani, Siddharta, Big Foot Mama, Terrafolk, Katalena,
Magnifico and others.
Famous Slovene scholars include the chemist and Nobel prize laureate
Friderik - Fritz Pregl, physicist Joseph Stefan, psychologist and anthropologist
Anton Trstenjak, philosophers Slavoj Žižek and Milan Komar, linguist Franc
Miklošič, mathematician Jurij Vega, sociologist Thomas Luckmann, theologian
Anton Strle and rocket engineer Herman Potočnik.
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United Kingdom
Geography
The United Kingdom has approximately 243,610 square kilometres
including the island of Great Britain, the part of Ireland (Northern Ireland)
and smaller islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea within 35 kilometres of France (separated by the English Channel). The
Royal Greenwich Observatory, in London, is the defining point of the Prime
Meridian. When measured directly north-south, Great Britain is a little over
1,100 kilometres in length and is a fraction under 500 kilometres at its
widest. Northern Ireland shares a 360-kilometre land boundary with the
Republic of Ireland.
England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK. Most of the
country consists of lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain north-west
including the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines and
limestone hills of the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The main rivers are
the Thames, Severn and the Humber.
Scotland covers a third of the total area, including nearly eight hundred
islands, notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. Scotland is
distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault which separates two
distinctively different regions; namely the Highlands (with Ben Nevis, 1,343
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metres, the highest point in the British Isles) to the north and west and the
lowlands to the south and east. Lowland areas, especially the narrow land
between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth (the Central Belt) are flatter and
home to most of the population including Glasgow and Edinburgh, the
capital.
Wales covers less than a tenth of the area, is mostly mountainous with the
main population and industrial areas are in South Wales (Cardiff, Swansea
and Newport and the South Wales Valleys). The highest mountains are in
Snowdonia (Snowdon, 1,085 m, the highest peak in Wales). The 14 Welsh
mountains over 3,000 feet are known as the Welsh 3000s. Wales has over
1,200 kilometres of coastline and several islands (with Anglesey, the largest).
Northern Ireland covers just 14,160 square kilometres and is mostly hilly.
Lough Neagh, at 388 square kilometres, is the largest body of water in the UK.
The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all
year round. The temperature seldom drops below −10 °C or rises above
35 °C. The prevailing wind is from the southwest, bearing mild and wet
weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf
Stream, bring mild winters. Summers are warmest in the south east of
England, being closest to the European mainland and coolest in the north.
Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it rarely settles to
great depth away from high ground.
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Demographics
The capitals of the individual countries of the UK are: Belfast (Northern
Ireland), Cardiff (Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland) and London (England); the
latter is also the capital of the UK as a whole.
In 2001, the total population of the United Kingdom was 58,789,194, the
third largest in the European Union. Published in 2008, the mid-2007
population estimates revealed that, for the first time, the UK was home to
more people of pensionable age than children under the age of 16.
The Treaty of Union ensured that there would be a Protestant succession
as well as a link between church and state that still remains. Christianity is
the largest religion, followed by Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and then
Judaism. In 2001, 71.6% of respondents said that Christianity was their
religion.
Politics
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy: Queen Elizabeth II is
head of state of the UK as well as of fifteen other Commonwealth countries.
The UK has an uncodified constitution. The UK has a parliamentary
government based on the Westminster system—a legacy of the British
Empire. The Parliament of the United Kingdom has two houses: an elected
House of Commons and an appointed House of Lords.
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The position of Prime Minister, the UK's head of government, belongs to
the Member of Parliament, usually the current leader of the largest political
party in that chamber. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are formally
appointed by the Monarch to form Her Majesty's Government, though the
Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet and by convention HM The Queen
respects the Prime Minister's choices.
The UK's three major political parties are the Labour Party, the
Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, who won at the 2010 general
election. For elections to the European Parliament, the UK currently has 72
MEPs, elected in 12 multi-member constituencies.
Economics
Based on market exchange rates, the UK is today the sixth largest
economy in the world and the third largest in Europe after Germany and
France. The Industrial Revolution started in the UK with an initial
concentration on heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel
production and textiles. The empire created an overseas market for British
products, allowing the UK to dominate international trade in the 19th
century. However, it began to lose its competitive advantage and declined in
the 20th century. Manufacturing remains a significant part of the economy
but accounted for only one-sixth of national output in 2003.
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The UK service sector, has grown substantially and now makes up about
73% of GDP. The service sector is dominated by financial services, especially
in banking and insurance. London is the world's largest financial centre with
the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and
Options Exchange and the Lloyd's of London insurance market all based in the
City of London.
Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 million
tourists arriving in 2004, the UK is ranked as the sixth major tourist
destination in the world. London is the most visited city in the world with
15.6 million visitors in 2006.
Culture
The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is widely regarded
as the greatest dramatist of all time. Among the English writers are Geoffrey
Chaucer, Thomas Malory, Sir Thomas More and John Milton, Samuel Richardson,
Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Lewis Carroll, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens,
Thomas Hardy, William Blake and William Wordsworth, H. G. Wells, Rudyard
Kipling, A. A. Milne, D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Graham
Greene, Agatha Christie, J. K. Rowling and C. S. Lewis, Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir
Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns. Scotland's capital,
Edinburgh, is UNESCO's first worldwide City of Literature.
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Notable composers of classical music from the United include William
Byrd, Henry Purcell, Sir Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Ralph
Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. The UK is also home to world-
renowned symphonic orchestras and choruses such as the BBC Symphony
Orchestra and the London Symphony Chorus. Prominent British contributors
have influenced popular music over the last 50 years: the Beatles, Queen, Cliff
Richard, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones, all of
whom have world wide record sales of 200 million or more.
The most famous philosophers are John Locke, George Berkeley and David
Hume, Dugald Stewart, Thomas Reid and William Hamilton, Jeremy Bentham and
John Stuart Mill, Duns Scotus, John Lilburne, Mary Wollstonecraft, Sir Francis
Bacon, Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes, William of Ockham, Bertrand Russell and
Alfred Jules Ayer.
The Royal Academy is located in London. Major British artists include Sir
Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable, William Blake, J. M. W.
Turner, William Morris, L. S. Lowry, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David
Hockney, Gilbert and George, Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake, Howard Hodgkin,
Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor.
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Epilogue
… The international project was meant to be creative since its very
beginning. This is why each participant should think of his/her own
epilogue themselves and remember their experiences gained within the
duration of the project…
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Sources:
Information: http://en.wikipedia.org
www.britannica.com
Photographs: The Intercultural Dialogue through Music participants.
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