Haiti. The remainder of
the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own
independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians
for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican
Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to
the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that
restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly
non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of
Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected
president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In
1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil
war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin
BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER
maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when
international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his
term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been
held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former
President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a
second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing
presidents to serve more than one term.

Ecuador
What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire
until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish
colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New
Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada
(Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between
1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When
Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of
the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost
territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border
war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although
Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period
has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have
contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three
democratically elected Presidents. In 2007, a Constituent Assembly
was elected to draft a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since
gaining independence.

Egypt
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood,
coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east