d Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002,
citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro
banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 -
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and
Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to
ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an
expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February
2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU
institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29
October 2004, gave member states two years to ratify the document
before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006. Referenda
held in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005 rejected the
proposed constitution. This development set back the ratification
effort and left the longer-term political integration of the EU in
limbo.

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Although first sighted by an
English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur
until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement
(French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over
to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject
of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then
between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the
islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina
invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an
expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce
fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.

Faroe Islands
The population of the Faroe Islands is largely
descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The
islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th
century. A high degree of self government was attained in 1948.

Fiji
Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a
British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military
coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as
dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers
brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The
coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian
control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the populat