ds of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib
Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second
voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were
succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery,
established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished
in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British
Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.

Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five
oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and
the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US
and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two
important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river,
and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.

Argentina
Following independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina
experienced periods of internal political conflict between
conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military
factions. After World War II, a long period of Peronist
authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was
followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy
returned in 1983, and numerous elections since then have underscored
Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.

Armenia
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally
adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy,
over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires
including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. It was
incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. Armenian
leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim
Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated
region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow.
Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the
struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from
the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold,
Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a
significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both
sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress
toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on
Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian
occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding ar