Europe together

The European Union (EU) is a union of twenty-seven independent states to enhance political, economic and social co-operation. With 27 members countries and a population of nearly half a billion, the European Union covers a large part of Europe. Since its creation, it has worked to bring prosperity and stability to its citizens.

EU promotes economic, political integration of Europe through:

A common currency

Freedom of movement between member states

Trading market without frontiers

Enlargement

Development of common foreign, security policy

With its neighbours and others, the EU works to spread prosperity, democratic progress, the rule of law and human rights beyond its frontiers. The European Union is the world’s biggest trading power and a major donor of financial and technical assistance to poorer countries

This is the European flag. It is the symbol not only of the European Union but also of Europe's unity and identity in a wider sense. The circle of gold stars represents solidarity and harmony between the peoples of Europe.

The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of Member States. There are twelve stars because the number twelve is traditionally the symbol of perfection, completeness and unity. The flag therefore remains unchanged regardless of EU enlargements.

Task

You are going to gather information about one of the countries which are members of the EU in order to get to know each other better. You may design a digital presentation report based on your findings. Try to include photos to make it more attractive.

The information you collect should include:

General facts such as

Three famous people: a short biography including why they are famous.
A typical recipe with ingredients and how the dish is prepared.
Two festivities or important days
Some special superstition
Some typical sayings
One or two jokes
Some customs or traditions
A folk or traditional tale

Process

Starting with the resources listed below, learn about your member country. Remember that not every piece of information that you find will be useful and for some topics you will have to surf the internet. Try to search in English. It will be easier to adapt. With this in mind, you should look for relevant information and clear graphical images and photos or maps. Try to design a presentation that displays the information you have gathered in an appealing layout.

Resources

Here are some websites where you can find information you need but for some of the topics you will have to surf the internet on your own.

http://flagspot.net/flags/

http://europa.eu/index_en.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htm

http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm

http://europa.eu/abc/keyfigures/index_en.htm

http://europa.eu/abc/keyfigures/index_accessible_en.htm

http://www.politicalresources.net/eu.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3498746.stm

Key facts and figures about Europe and the Europeans is also available as a booklet (http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/eu_glance/66/index_en.htm).

A great deal more information about the European Union is available via the Europa internet portal (http://europa.eu/index_en.htm).

Conclusion

Now that you have concluded your research anthisd presentation, hopefully you have increased your knowledge about some of the countries that reside across the Atlantic Ocean. Through this project, you have had the chance to explore some culture and facts about the countries within the European Union. You have studied the culture and physical aspects. Be prepared to share your knowledge with your classmates

Countries members

For further information on any EU country you are thinking of visiting, here are the websites of their official national tourist organisations.

A Austria.- Vienna www.austria.info

B Belgium.-Brussels www.visitflanders.com www.opt.be

BG Bulgaria.-Sofia www.bulgariatravel.org

CY Cyprus.-Nicosia www.visitcyprus.com

CZ Czech Republic.-Prague www.czechtourism.com

D Germany.-Berlin www.germany-tourism.de

DK Denmark.- Copenhagen www.visitdenmark.com

E Spain.- Madrid www.spain.info

EST Estonia.- Tallinn www.visitestonia.com

F France.- Paris www.franceguide.com

FIN Finland.-Helsinki www.visitfinland.com

GB United Kingdom .- London www.visitbritain.com

GR Greece.- Athens www.visitgreece.gr

H Hungary.- Tallinn www.hungary.com

I Italy.-Rome www.enit.it

IRL Ireland.- Dublin www.discoverireland.com

L Luxembourg .- Luxembourg www.visitluxembourg.lu

LT Lithuania.- Vilnius www.travel.lt

LV Latvia.- Riga www.latviatourism.lv

M Malta.- Valletta www.visitmalta.com

NL Netherlands.-Amsterdam www.holland.com

P Portugal.- Lisbon www.visitportugal.com

PL Poland.- Warsaw www.poland.travel

RO Romania.- Bucharest www.romaniatourism.com

S Sweden.- Stockholm www.visitsweden.com

SK Slovakia.- Bratislava www.slovakia.travel

SLO Slovenia.- Ljubljana www.slovenia.info

When you finish your project send the file to the following e-mail address

rosamflorez@gmail.com