1. In which country was the famous composer Frédéric Chopin born?
   
   
2. What is the name of the famous Hungarian stew containing meat, vegetables, and spices such as paprika?
   
   
3. Which two countries in Central Europe were united before they split peacefully in January 1993?
   
   
4. The Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster occurred in which country in 1986?
   
   
5. Which country is home to the Belavesha forest reserve, where zubry (European bison) still roam though they became extinct elsewhere in Europe long ago?
   
   
6. What is the name of Latvia's capital city, founded in 1201?
   
   
7. One of Europe's oldest academic institutions, Tartu University, was built in 1632 and is located in what country?
   
   
8. What is the most popular holiday in Russia, celebrated with parties, decorated fir trees, and presents?
   
   
9. Which country is the second-smallest former Soviet Republic? (Hint: Armenia is the smallest)
   
   
10. Which language is part of the Baltic language group along with Latvian and the extinct languages of Yatvangian and Old Prussian?

In Russia, before 1991, couples could marry only in a “wedding palace.” Many couples are now also having a traditional church wedding before or after the civil ceremony. The elaborate traditional ceremony is called venchaniye (literally, “coronation”). The divorce rate is high since many people do not view marriage as a lasting commitment.

More than 1,500 museums can be found throughout Romania. Excellent orchestras, theaters, and opera houses are available in major cities. Even in remote areas of the country, performing groups provide access to puppet shows, operas, dance productions, and other arts. Medieval castles and monasteries are significant examples of Romanian architecture.

In Hungary, the official language is Magyar, or Hungarian, as it is referred to in other countries. Ninety-eight percent of the population speaks it. Magyar is part of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family, which includes Estonian and Finnish. It has a complex grammar, which includes restrictions on what sort of vowels may occur together within a word. In addition, the presence or absence of diacritical markings on words may change meaning.

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• Iowa is named for the Ioway Native American tribe.
  
• Fred Maytag from Newton introduced the first commercial washing machine in 1907.
  
  
• One of the world's smallest churches is located near Festina and seats just eight people.
  
  
• In the Scandinavian town of Stanton, the world's largest coffeepot holds 40,000 gallons of coffee.
  
  
• Iowa ranks first in the United States in harvesting grain.
  
  
• Iowa is the only state that has both its eastern and western borders formed by rivers. The Mississippi River forms the eastern border, and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River form the western border.

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World Holidays Featured This Month

Estonia – Mardi Day – November 10
A day for children to paint their faces, dress up in old clothes, and go to their neighbors' houses. They knock, sing special national songs, and sometimes dance, asking to be let in out of the cold. They are given candy and fruit.

Belize – Garifuna Settlement Day – November 19
Marks the arrival of the Garifuna to Belize. They originally came from Saint Vincent and settled in Honduras before migrating to Belize.

Tunisia – Second Revolution – November 7
Marks the day that Ben Ali assumed power from former president Habib Bourgiba.

Barbados – National Independence Festival of the Creative Arts – November
A festival that spans the month of November and provides a forum for citizens to compete in visual, literary, culinary, and performing arts.

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National Geography Standards

Places and Regions

• Standard 6: The geographically informed person knows and understands how culture and experience influence people's perception of places and regions.

Developed by the National Council for Geographic Education

• CultureGrams World Edition
• Turkey Report
• Middle Eastern reports (See below)
• European reports (See below)

1. Divide the class into two debate teams: one that will argue that Turkey should be classified as part of Europe and another that will argue that it should be grouped with Asia. Select three students to be judges. (Make sure these students are aware that they must read both teams' materials.)
   
   
2. For homework, assign all students to read the CultureGrams report for Turkey. Then, assign each team to read the reports from the two different regions. Team One will read selections from the Middle Eastern reports. Team Two will read selections from the European reports.

   Team One: Middle East
   Iran
   Syria
   Lebanon
   etc.
   
   Team Two: Europe
   Greece
   Macedonia
   Bulgaria
   Albania
   etc.

   Instruct the students that they may want to skim the CultureGrams reports assigned to the opposite group in order to anticipate their opponent's arguments. Remind the three students who are judges that they must read the assignments for both teams.
   
   
3. In class, give each team time to prepare and organize its arguments.
   
   
4. Divide the board in half and have each team write the group's main arguments on it.
   
   
5. Have a spokesperson from each team explains their group's arguments, without responding to what the other team has written on the board.
   
   
6. Give the teams time to consult and come up with rebuttals, while reinforcing their initial arguments. A different spokesperson from each team delivers the rebuttals to the class, with help from team members who raise their hands to offer additional comments.
   
   
7. The class judges decide which team wins and justify their decision to the class.
   
   Discussion Questions
   
   
8. Why would Turkey's government want to be classified as part of Europe? (Discuss how they are attempting to gain membership in the European Union).
   
   
9. Why would other elements of the population be more interested in Turkey being grouped with the Middle East? (Discuss cultural reasons).
   
   
10. Can the students think of any other countries that might fit in more than one region?
    
    Extension Activity
    
    
11. Have the students write a persuasive essay to the publisher of a fictitious U.S. geography textbook. Instruct the students that these essays should elaborate on the points brought up in the debate and make a case for Turkey being placed either in the Middle East or Europe. Their essays should also demonstrate a keen awareness of audience while also addressing and refuting counter-arguments.

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