- published: 22 Dec 2012
- views: 9217
- author: gamespot
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![[GET] PSN Code Generator 2013 | Free PSN Codes | Tested & Working](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9bPaapl5Uw/default.jpg "Get PSN Codes: www35.zippyshare.com This is one of the few working psn code generators out there at the moment. I have paid for this with my own money, and i am giving it away for you for free! All I ask in return is to leave some comments & a like if you enjoy the software. How to install: -Open the folder -Extract contents -Run psncode.exe -Follow on screen instructions -Choose the amount you want -Generate codes")
![PSN Code Generator [DECEMBER 2012] [DOWNLOAD LINK]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JXwPTNf9d4I/default.jpg "DOWNLOAD LINK : psncodegen.webs.com Why would you release this? We decided to release this to the public because, in our opinion, the Playstation Team are robbing it's users out of their fun. First, you have to buy a $300 console. Then for you to actually play it, you have to buy games!...")
![Let's Look At: Karateka! [PC/XBLA/PSN]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dU1C6wzHoos/default.jpg "I don't know how to pronounce it, I just know the sound it makes when it takes a man's life. If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting it by clicking the Like button. It helps a lot! Check out Karateka on Steam: bit.ly Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com Follow me on Facebook! facebook.com Saving Progress is a group of YouTube personalities (Northernlion, michaelalfox, and JSmithOTI) who produce videos covering the gaming industry with their own unique brand of humor and entertainment. To stay up to date on their collaborative efforts, visit the Saving Progress forums, subscribe to them on YouTube, and check them out on your social media platform of choice! Saving Progress Forums: forums.savingprogress.com YouTube youtube.com Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: facebook.com")
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Argentina
Argentina
i/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Australia
Australia (
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] (
listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Bahrain
Bahrain ( pronunciation) (Arabic: البحرين, al-Baḥrayn) (Persian: بحرين, Baḥrain), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabic: مملكة البحرين, Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn), is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,234,571, including 666,172 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.
Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands, the largest being Bahrain Island, at 55 km (34 mi) long by 18 km (11 mi) wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway. The peninsula of Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain. The planned Qatar Bahrain Causeway will link Bahrain and Qatar and become the world's longest marine causeway.
Known for its oil and pearls, Bahrain is also home to many large structures, including the Bahrain World Trade Center and the Bahrain Financial Harbour, with a proposal in place to build the 1,022 m (3,353 ft) high Murjan Tower. The Qal'at al-Bahrain (the harbour and capital of the ancient land of Dilmun) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit.
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Belgium
Belgium (i/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
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Brazil
Brazili/brəˈzɪl/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people. It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone country in the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.
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Bulgaria
Coordinates: 42°45′N 25°30′E / 42.75°N 25.5°E / 42.75; 25.5
Bulgariai/bʌlˈɡɛəriə/ (Bulgarian: България, IPA: [bɤ̞ɫˈɡarijɐ]), is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and the Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 14th-largest country. Its location has made it a historical crossroad for various civilisations and as such it is the home of some of the earliest metalworking, religious and other cultural artifacts in the world.
Prehistoric cultures began developing on Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history was marked by the presence of the Thracians, and later by the Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian ethnicity and state dates back to the First Bulgarian Empire, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavic peoples during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five hundred years. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 resulted in the Third Bulgarian State, recognised in 1908. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both World Wars. In 1946 it became a Communist republic with a single-party system until 1989, when the Communist Party allowed multi-party elections. After 1990 Bulgaria transitioned to democracy and a market-based economy.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Chile
Chile (i/ˈtʃɪliː/ or /ˈtʃɪleɪ/), officially the Republic of Chile (Spanish: República de Chile [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈtʃile] ( listen)), is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Along with Ecuador, it is one of two countries in South America that do not border Brazil. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
Chile's distinctive shape—4,300 kilometres (2,700 mi) long and on average 175 kilometres (109 mi) wide—makes it the longest country in the world, north to south, with the fifth lengthiest coastline at over 78 thousand kilometers. The diverse climate of Chile ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama—through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an Oceanic climate, including alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south. The northern desert contains great mineral wealth, principally copper. The relatively small central area dominates in terms of population and agricultural resources, and is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands.
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Colombia
Colombia (
/kəˈlʌmbiə/ kə-LUM-biə, or /kəˈlɒmbiə/ kə-LOM-biə), officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia [reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja]), is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the northwest by Panama; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia has maritime borders with Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest country by area and the fourth largest in South America after Brazil, Argentina and Peru. With over 46 million people, Colombia is the 27th largest country in the world by population and has the second largest population of any Spanish-speaking country in the world, after Mexico. Colombia is a middle power, with the fourth largest economy in Latin America, and the third largest in South America. Colombia is famous for the production of coffee, flowers, emeralds, coal, and oil. All of these products make up the primary sector of economy.
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Croatia
Croatia (i/kroʊˈeɪʃə/ kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
In the early 7th century the Croats arrived in area of present-day Croatia. They organised the state into two dukedoms by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925 AD, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Peter Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs that declared independence from Austria–Hungary and co-founded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A Croatian state briefly existed during World War II as a fascist puppet state. After the war, Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared independence, which came into effect on 8 October of the same year. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration.
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Cyprus
Cyprusi/ˈsaɪprəs/ (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros, IPA: [ˈcipɾos]; Turkish: Kıbrıs, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs]), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [cipɾiaˈci ðimokɾaˈtia]; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs dʒumhuɾijeˈti]), is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria, Lebanon, northwest of Israel and north of Egypt. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union.
The earliest known human activity on the island dates back to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, which has been declared a World Heritage Site with an "enhanced protection" status in the event of armed conflict by UNESCO, along with the archaeological sites of Paphos and the Painted Churches of the Troodos Region. Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world.
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Czech Republic
The Czech Republic (i/ˈtʃɛk/ CHEK;Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen), short form Česko Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague.
It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century as a small duchy around Prague, at that time under dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire (which reached its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Svatopluk I from the House of Mojmír). After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia, under the Přemyslids. During the rule of Přemyslid dukes/kings and their successors, the Luxembourgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent (13th–14th century). Life in the country was significantly affected by the Hussite wars, during which it faced economic embargo and crusades from all over Europe. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) led to the further centralization of the monarchy including forced recatholization and Germanization. During radical reforms in the 18th century the Bohemian Crown was even de facto abolished (1749). In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.
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Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark, pronounced [ˈkɔŋəʁiːəð ˈdanmɑɡ̊] ( listen)) is a constitutional monarchy and sovereign state consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The kingdom is a unitary state with some power being devolved from Denmark proper to Greenland and the Faroe Islands; this polity is referred to as the Danish Realm. Denmark proper is the hegemonial area, where judicial, executive, and legislative power resides. The Faroe Islands are defined to be a community of people within the kingdom, and the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.
Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland and many islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm, as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.
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Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°00′N 06°47′W / 62°N 6.783°W / 62; -6.783
The Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar pronounced [ˈfœɹjaɹ], Danish: Færøerne Danish pronunciation: [ˈfæɐ̯øːˀɐnə]) are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland. The islands form a self-governing country under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The total area is approximately 1,400 km² (540 sq mi) with a 2010 population of almost 50,000 people.
The Faroe Islands has been a self-governing dependency of Denmark since 1948. Over the years, the Faroese have taken control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands also has representatives in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation.
The Faroe Islands were associated with and taxed by Denmark and Norway up to 1814, when Norway fell under the rule of Sweden. Scandinavia was in political turmoil following the Sixth Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars, when the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland in 1814. The Danish trade monopoly ended in 1856.
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Finland
Coordinates: 65°N 27°E / 65°N 027°E / 65; 027
Finlandi/ˈfɪnlənd/ ( Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland (help·info)), officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern region. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 336 municipalities, and an autonomous region of the Åland Islands. About one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area, which consists of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Kuopio.
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Greece
Greecei/ˈɡriːs/ (Greek: Ελλάδα, Ellada, IPA: [eˈlaða] ( listen) historically in Katharevousa and Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, Hellas, IPA: [eˈlas] and [helːás] respectively), officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Elliniki Dimokratia, IPA: [eliniˈci ðimokraˈtia]), is a country in Southern Europe, politically considered part of Western Europe.Athens is the capital and the largest city in the country (its urban area also including Piraeus). The population of the country is around 11 million.
Greece has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1,400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).
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Greenland
Greenland (Kalaallisut: Kalaallit Nunaat, "Land of the Kalaallit";Danish: Grønland) is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and later Denmark) for more than a millennium. Greenland is, by area, the world's largest island. With a population of 56,615 (January 2011 estimate) it is the least densely populated dependency or country in the world.
Greenland has been inhabited, though not continuously, by Arctic peoples via Canada for 4500–5000 years. In the 10th century, Norsemen settled on the uninhabited southern part of Greenland. In the 13th century, the Inuit arrived, and in the late 15th century the Norse colonies were abandoned. In the early 18th century, contact between Scandinavia and Greenland was re-established and Denmark established rule over Greenland.
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Hong Kong
Coordinates: 22°16′42″N 114°09′32″E / 22.27833°N 114.15889°E / 22.27833; 114.15889
Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港) is one of two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups. Hong Kong's Han Chinese majority originate mainly from the cities of Guangzhou and Taishan in the neighbouring Guangdong province.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty. The region espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive non-interventionism during the colonial era. The time period greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West", and the educational system, which used to loosely follow the system in England until reforms implemented in 2009.
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Hungary
Hungaryi/ˈhʌŋɡəri/ (Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ] ( listen)) is a country, which is located in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The country's capital, and largest city, is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and is a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian, also known as Magyar, which is part of the Finno-Ugric group and is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
Following a Celt (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (AD 9 - c. 430) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian prince Árpád, whose great-grandson Saint Stephen I was crowned with a crown sent by the pope from Rome in 1000 AD. The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centres of the Western world. After about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541–1699), Hungary was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy, and later constituted half of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy (1867–1918).
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Iceland
Icelandi/ˈaɪslənd/ (Icelandic: Ísland, IPA: [ˈislant]) is a Nordic European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The country has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterised by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.
According to Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norse settler on the island. Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the following centuries, Norsemen settled Iceland, bringing with them thralls (slaves) of Gaelic origin. From 1262 to 1918 Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies. Until the 20th century, the Icelandic population relied largely on fisheries and agriculture, and the country was one of the poorest and least developed in the world. Industrialisation of the fisheries and aid from the Marshall Plan brought prosperity in the years after World War II, and by the 1990s it was one of the world's wealthiest countries. In 1994, Iceland became party to the European Economic Area, which made it possible for the economy to diversify into economic and financial services.
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India
India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
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Indonesia
Indonesia (i/ˌɪndəˈniːʒə/ IN-də-NEE-zhə or /ˌɪndoʊˈniːziə/ IN-doh-NEE-zee-ə), officially the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia Indonesian pronunciation: [rɛpʊblɪk ɪndɔnɛsɪa]), is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 17,508 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an elected legislature and president. The nation's capital city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN and a member of the G-20 major economies. The Indonesian economy is the world's 17th largest economy by nominal GDP.
The Indonesian archipelago has been an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya and then later Majapahit traded with China and India. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries CE, and Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished. Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources. Muslim traders brought Islam, and European powers brought Christianity and fought one another to monopolize trade in the Spice Islands of Maluku during the Age of Discovery. Following three and a half centuries of Dutch colonialism, Indonesia secured its independence after World War II. Indonesia's history has since been turbulent, with challenges posed by natural disasters, corruption, separatism, a democratization process, and periods of rapid economic change.
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Ireland
Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8
Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] ( listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
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Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Japan
Japan
i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwaiti/kuːˈweɪt/ (Arabic: دولة الكويت, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic أكوات ākwāt, the plural of كوت kūt, meaning a fortress built near water. The country covers an area of 17,820 square kilometers (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 3.5 million.
Historically, the region was the site of Characene, a major Parthian port for trade between Mesopotamia and India. The Bani Utbah tribe were the first permanent Arab settlers in the region, and laid the foundation of the modern emirate. By the 19th century, Kuwait came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, and after World War I, it emerged as an independent sheikhdom under the protection of the British Empire. Kuwait's large oil fields were discovered in the late 1930s.
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Lebanon
Lebanon (i/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية al-Jumhūrīyah al-Libnānīyah, Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]), is a country in the East Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze, to include more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and established a unique political system, known as confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities – Bechara El Khoury who became independent Lebanon's first President and Riad El-Solh, who became Lebanon's first prime minister, are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon in 1946.
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Luxembourg
Luxembourg (i/ˈlʌksəmbɜrɡ/ LUKS-əm-burg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg, Dutch: Groothertogdom Luxemburg), is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland ("good country") in the south. Luxembourg has a population of over half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi). A representative democracy with a constitutional monarch, it is ruled by a grand duke. It is now the world's only remaining sovereign grand duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the world's highest GDP (nominal) per capita according to the IMF. Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count's castle site in the Early Middle Ages. It was an important bastion along the Spanish Road when Spain was the principal European power influencing the whole western hemisphere and beyond in the 16th–17th centuries.
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Malaysia
Malaysia (i/məˈleɪʒə/ mə-LAY-zhə or i/məˈleɪsiə/ mə-LAY-see-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula.
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963, with si being added to give the new country the name Malaysia. However, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
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Malta
Maltai/ˈmɒltə/, officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya, with Gibraltar 1,755 km (1,091 mi) to the west and Alexandria 1,508 km (937 mi) to the east. Malta covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi) in land area, making it one of the world's smallest states. It is also one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. The de facto capital city of Malta is Valletta; the largest town, Birkirkara. The main island comprises many towns, which together form one Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with a population of 368,250 according to Eurostat. The country has two official languages, Maltese (constitutionally the national language) and English.
Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004. Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement and in 2008 it became part of the eurozone.
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Mexico
Mexico (i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
In Pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, the Mexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] (
listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. The city is referred to as New York City or The City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part. As a global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural capital of the world.
Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which comprises a state county. The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898. With a Census-estimated 2011 population of 8,244,910 distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (790 km2), New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The New York City Metropolitan Area's population is the United States' largest, with 18.9 million people distributed over 6,720 square miles (17,400 km2), and is also part of the most populous combined statistical area in the United States, containing 22.1 million people as of the 2010 Census.
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New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.
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Norway
Norwayi/ˈnɔrweɪ/ (Norwegian: Norge (Bokmål) or Noreg (Nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and the subantarctic Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres (148,747 sq mi) and a population of about 5 million. It is the second least densely populated country in Europe. The majority of the country shares a border to the east with Sweden; its northernmost region is bordered by Finland to the south and Russia to the east; in its south Norway borders the Skagerrak Strait across from Denmark. The capital city of Norway is Oslo. Norway's extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, is home to its famous fjords.
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Oman
Oman (i/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان ʻUmān), officially called the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam enclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
For a period, Oman was a moderate regional power, formerly having a sultanate extending across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran, and modern day Pakistan, and far south to Zanzibar on the coat of south-east Africa. Over time, as its power declined, the sultanate came under heavy influence from the United Kingdom, though Oman was never formally part of the British Empire, or a British protectorate. The Omani royal family claim that Oman has been ruled by the Al Said dynasty since 1744, although without substantial proof. Oman has long-standing military and political ties with the United Kingdom and the United States, although it maintains an independent foreign policy.
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Pakistan
Pakistan (i/ˈpækɨstæn/ or i/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
The territory of modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Neolithic Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and has undergone invasions or settlements by Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures. Thus the area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of India where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.
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Peru
Perui/pəˈruː/ (Spanish: Perú; Quechua: Perú;Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced: [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ( listen)), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
Peruvian territory was home to ancient cultures, spanning from the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing.
Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a high Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 31%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Portugal
Portugali/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula . Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.
The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continuously settled since prehistoric times: occupied by Celts like the Gallaeci and the Lusitanians, integrated into the Roman Republic and later settled by Germanic peoples such as the Suebi, Swabians, Vandals and the Visigoths. In the 8th century most of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Moorish invaders professing Islam, which were later expelled by the Knights Templar under the Order of Christ. During the Christian Reconquista, Portugal established itself as an independent kingdom from León in 1139, claiming to be the oldest European nation state.
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (/ˌpɔrtə ˈriːkoʊ/ or /ˌpwɛərtə ˈriːkoʊ/), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, [esˈtaðo ˈlibɾe asoˈsjaðo ðe ˈpweɾto ˈriko]—literally, "Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port") comprises an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area of the Greater Antilles. However, it ranks third in population amongst that group of four islands, which also include Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Jamaica. Due to its location, Puerto Rico enjoys a tropical climate and also experiences the Atlantic hurricane season.
Originally populated for centuries by indigenous aboriginal peoples known as Taínos, the island was claimed by Christopher Columbus for Spain during his second voyage to the Americas on November 19, 1493. Under Spanish rule, the island was colonized and the indigenous population was forced into slavery and nearly wiped out due to, among other things, European infectious diseases. The remaining population was emancipated by King Charles I in 1520. Spain possessed Puerto Rico for over 400 years, despite attempts at capture of the island by the French, Dutch, and British. The Spanish Crown, in an attempt to keep Puerto Rico from gaining its independence, revived the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815. The decree was printed in three languages — Spanish, English and French — and it fostered the immigration of hundreds of non-Spanish European families.
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Qatar
Qatar (i/ˈkɑːtɑr/ or i/kəˈtɑr/;Arabic: قطر [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ɡɪtˤɑr]), also known as the country or State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain.
Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d'état. The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built intimate military ties with the United States, and is now the location of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center.
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Republic of Ireland
Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. Its capital is Dublin. The population of the state was 4.59 million in 2011. It is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected president serving as head of state. In the 1937 constitution, the name of the state is given as simply "Ireland". The Constitution of Ireland (Article 4) and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 provides that the "Republic of Ireland" (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is "the description of the state".
Ireland is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. A developed country with the seventh highest Human Development Index, Ireland is also highly ranked for press freedom, economic freedom and democracy and political freedom.
The modern Irish state was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Empire, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which brought an end to the Irish War of Independence. The partition of Ireland had already been provided for in previous British legislation in 1921 in response to opposition to Irish Home Rule or independence by Unionists, who formed a majority in the north-eastern part of the country. Six of the nine counties in the northern province of Ulster were established under that legislation as Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with which the Irish state shares its only land border. The state is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.
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Romania
Romania (i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia (i/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbi.ə/ or i/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbi.ə/; Arabic: السعودية as-Su‘ūdīyah[citation needed] or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km2 (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as the Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as being Islamic, though this is contested by many due to its strong basis in Salafism, a minority school of thought in Islam. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.
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Singapore
Singapore (i/ˈsɪŋəpɔər/ SI-ngə-pohr), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.
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Slovakia
The Slovak Republic (short form: Slovakiai/sloʊˈvɑːkiə/ or /sləˈvækiə/; Slovak: Slovensko (help·info), long form Slovenská republika (help·info)) is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi). Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava, and the second largest is Košice. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, OECD and WTO among others. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family.
The Slavs arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries during the migration period. In the course of history, various parts of today's Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire (the first known political unit of Slavs), Principality of Nitra (as independent polity, as part of Great Moravia and as part of Hungarian Kingdom), Great Moravia, Kingdom of Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Habsburg Empire, and Czechoslovakia. A separate Slovak state briefly existed during World War II, during which Slovakia was a dependency of Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1944. From 1945 Slovakia once again became a part of Czechoslovakia. The present-day Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
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Slovenia
Slovenia (i/sloʊˈviːniə/ sloh-VEE-nee-ə, Slovene: Slovenija), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija, [reˈpublika sloˈveːnija]) is a Slavic nation state, situated in South-Central Europe, at the crossroad of main European cultural and trade routes. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Croatia to the south and southeast, and Hungary to the northeast. It covers 20,273 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.05 million. It is a parliamentary republic, member of the European Union and NATO. Relative to its geography, history, economy, culture, and language, it is a very diverse country distinguished by a transitional character. It is characterised by a high economic and social level. Its capital and largest city is Ljubljana.
The territory of Slovenia is mainly hilly or mountainous and has an exceptionally high landscape and biological diversity and a mosaic structure, which are a result of natural attributes and the long-lasting presence of humans. Four major European geographic units interweave here: the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Mediterranean, with a small portion of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, and the Pannonian Plain. The climate is temperate and significantly influenced by the variety of territory, with a strong interaction of the continental climate, the sub-Mediterranean climate and Alpine climate across most of the country. The country is one of the water-richest in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karstic underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest.
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South Africa
Coordinates: 30°S 25°E / 30°S 25°E / -30; 25
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It is divided into nine provinces and has 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline. To the north of the country lie the neighbouring territories of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an enclave surrounded by South African territory.
South Africa is multi-ethnic and has diverse cultures and languages. Eleven official languages are recognised in the constitution. Two of these languages are of European origin: South African English and Afrikaans, a language which originated mainly from Dutch that is spoken by the majority of white and Coloured South Africans. Though English is commonly used in public and commercial life, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. All ethnic and language groups have political representation in the country's constitutional democracy comprising a parliamentary republic; unlike most parliamentary republics, the positions of head of state and head of government are merged in a parliament-dependent President.
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South Korea
South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국; Hanja: 大韓民國; Daehan Minguk listen), is a sovereign state in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name "Korea" is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages (an initial "G" in Korean is pronounced like an English "K").
Its neighbors are China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the Korea Strait to the south. South Korea lies in the north temperate zone with a predominantly mountainous terrain. It covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of almost 50 million. The capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of 9,794,304.
Archaeological findings show that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Lower Paleolithic period.Korean history begins with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by the legendary Dan-gun. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea under Silla 668 AD, Korea went through the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910, when it was annexed by Japan. After liberation and occupation by Soviet and U.S. forces at the end of World War II, the nation was divided into North and South Korea. The latter was established in 1948 as a democracy, though political turmoil and times of military rule and martial law characterized much of the period until the foundation of the Sixth Republic in 1987.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Sweden
Sweden (i/ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən; Swedish: Sverige [ˈsværjɛ] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund.
At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.4 million. Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54 /sq mi) with the population mostly concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city.
Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire. The empire grew to be one of the great powers of Europe in the 17th and early 18th century. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, practicing "non-participation in military alliances during peacetime and neutrality during wartime". However, Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the OECD.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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Taiwan
Taiwan (i/ˌtaɪˈwɑːn/ TY-WAHN; Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; pinyin: Táiwān; see below), officially the Republic of China (ROC; Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó), is a state in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China now governs the island of Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa), which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands. Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taipei is the capital city and economic and cultural centre of the country, and New Taipei is the most populous city.
The earliest evidence of inhabitation of Taiwan dates back to the late Paleolithic era. The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before being colonized in the 17th century by the Dutch and the Spanish Empire. The first Han Chinese polity on Taiwan began when Koxinga's troops defeated Dutch forces and established the Kingdom of Tungning. The island was subsequently ruled by the Qing Dynasty after the kingdom's defeat in the Battle of Penghu in 1683, a period that lasted for over 200 years. Following Japan's victory over the Qing Dynasty in the first Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895.
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Thailand
Thailand ( /ˈtaɪlænd/ TY-land or /ˈtaɪlənd/;Thai: ประเทศไทย, RTGS: Prathet Thai), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย, RTGS: Ratcha Anachak Thai; IPA: [râːt.tɕʰā ʔāːnāːtɕàk tʰāj] ( listen)), formerly known as Siam (Thai: สยาม; RTGS: Sayam), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama IX, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand is titled Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, the Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.
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Turkey
Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. The vast majority of the population are Muslims. The country's official language is Turkish, whereas Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken by Kurds and Zazas, who constitute 18% of the population.
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Ukraine
Ukraine (i/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]; Russian: Украина; Crimean Tatar: Ukraina) is a country in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after the Russian Federation.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages until it disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. A chaotic period of incessant warfare ensued, with several internationally recognized attempts at independence from 1917 to 1921, following World War I and the Russian Civil War. Ukraine emerged from its own civil war, and on December 30, 1922 Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian SSR's territory was enlarged westward during the civil war shortly before, and after World War II, and further south in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.
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United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emiratesi/juːˌnaɪtɨd ˌærəb ˈɛmɪrɨts/ (Arabic: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, Al Imārāt al ‘Arabīyah al Muttaḥidah), sometimes simply called the Emirates or the UAE, is a country situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north.
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates (equivalent to principalities), each governed by a hereditary emir, with a single national president. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state's center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
Prior to independence in 1971, the UAE was known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a 19th-century truce between the local sheikhs, hereditary rulers of the territories, and the United Kingdom. The term Pirate Coast was also used by some to refer to the emirates from the 18th to the early 20th century, owing to the preponderance of pirates operating from Emirati ports.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
wn.com/United_States -
YLE
Yleisradio (Finnish) or Rundradion (Swedish), abbreviated to Yle (pronounced [yle]), is Finland's national public-broadcasting company, founded in 1926. Yleisradio's organization shares many of its characteristics with its British counterpart, the BBC, on which it was largely modelled. It employs around 3,200 people in Finland.
Yle is a public limited company, owned by the Finnish state (with a 99.98 % share). It is funded primarily (90%) through a television fee, allocated by the Cabinet of Finland, which is between €208.15 and €215.4 per year, as well as through private television broadcasting license fees. Yle has a status that could be described as that of a non-departmental public body. It is governed by a parliamentary governing council. Yle's turnover in 2006 was 383.5 million euro.
Yle operates four national television channels, 13 radio channels and services, and 25 regional radio stations. Finland being an officially bilingual country — around 5.5% of the population have Swedish as their mother-tongue — Yle provides radio and TV programming in Swedish through a department called Svenska Yle. As is customary in Finnish television and cinemas, foreign films and shows are generally subtitled on Yle's channels. Dubbing is used in cartoons intended for young children who have not yet learned to read, as well as many nature and history documentaries ("to avoid spoiling beautiful pictures").
wn.com/YLE
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
wn.com/Austria -
Howard Stringer
Sir Howard Stringer (born February 19, 1942) is a Welsh-born American businessman. He is the chairman and former CEO of Sony Corporation.
Stringer was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of Marjorie Mary (née Pook), a Welsh schoolteacher, and Harry Stringer, an English sergeant in the Royal Air Force. He emigrated to the United States in 1965, and drafted into United States Army during the Vietnam War. Stringer became a naturalized citizen in 1985 and now holds dual US-UK citizenship. His younger brother, Rob Stringer, was chairman of Sony Music Label Group[citation needed]. In 1978, Stringer married Jennifer A. Kinmond Patterson. They have two children.
Stringer attended Oundle School in Northamptonshire and received a Master of Arts from the University of Oxford in Modern History. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on December 31, 1999.
Stringer had a 30-year career at CBS, where he was a journalist, producer and senior executive. He served as president of CBS from 1988 to 1995, where he was responsible for all the broadcast activities of its entertainment, news, sports, radio and television stations.
wn.com/Howard_Stringer -
Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton is the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA), a division of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. He is primarily responsible for the company's United States market.
After graduation from Providence College with a science degree, New England-born Tretton became a territory manager for the Duracell battery company from 1983 through 1985. He served as vice president of sales at Activision from 1986 to 1991, and as general manager of JVC Musical Industries’ game division from 1991 to 1995. While at JVC, he was awarded Sega’s CD Game of the Year Award two years in a row.
After joining the Sony Corporation in March 1995, Tretton was a member of the team that founded PlayStation in September of that year. He was involved in the development and publishing of the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 game consoles, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Move, and PlayStation Vita.
In November 2006, Tretton was promoted to president and chief executive officer for Sony Computer Entertainment America.
wn.com/Jack_Tretton -
Kazuo Hirai
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫, Hirai Kazuo?, born December 22, 1960) is the President and CEO of Sony Corporation. He also serves as Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony. He was noted by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the entertainment industry. Hirai became Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment on September 1, 2011 and was replaced by Andrew House as President and Group CEO. Hirai became the President and CEO of Sony on April 1, 2012.
Hirai was born in 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. The son of a wealthy banker, Hirai often traveled with his father across the world to California, New York, and Canada and around Japan — a trait which Hirai noted to be a major factor in his later multi-continental business success.
It was his interest in games that later brought him into the entertainment business. After graduating from the International Christian University in August 1984 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, Hirai was hired at CBS/Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.), where he was involved in marketing international music within Japan.
wn.com/Kazuo_Hirai -
Ken Kutaragi
Ken Kutaragi (久夛良木 健, Kutaragi Ken?, born August 8, 1950) is the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI), the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.
Before this time, he had designed the sound processor for the Super Nintendo. With Sony, he designed the VLSI chip which works in conjunction with the PS1's RISC CPU to handle the 3D rendering.
Kutaragi was closely watched by financial analysts who trace profiles of the losses and profits of the Sony Corporation. This has been attributed to the PlayStation franchise's high profit returns for Sony; it has been the key source of profit for the company.
Ken Kutaragi is currently president and CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment Inc. He also serves on the boards of Kadokawa Group Holdings, Inc., Nojima Corporation, and Rakuten, Inc.
In 2009, he became a visiting professor of Ritsumeikan University.
wn.com/Ken_Kutaragi -
Marcus Rivers
Marcus Rivers (portrayed by child-actor Bobb'e J. Thompson) is a fictional 12 year-old character used by Sony Computer Entertainment America as part of their Step Your Game Up advertising campaign for the PlayStation Portable and PSPgo consoles in North America, much like the PlayStation 3's "It Only Does Everything" advertising campaign commercials with Kevin Butler. He stars as the publicist of the PlayStation Portable division of Sony, responding to "Dear PSP" queries. The character was created by Deutsch/LA, the advertising agency responsible for the campaign. The YouTube channel "marcuspsp" that hosted his videos, was closed in June 15, 2011 for an undisclosed reason.
Marcus Rivers first appeared at E3 2010 in a promo called "Marcus meets Kevin" where Marcus Rivers claims the PSP needs more publicity, Kevin agrees, and hires Marcus as the new PSP publicist. After this, the his first "Step Your Game Up" television commercials ensue. Marcus also appears in various YouTube videos titled "Don't Play That" where he talks about games that people shouldn't waste their money on, instead instructing them they should get a PSP.
wn.com/Marcus_Rivers -
Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison is the former British corporate executive and a representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). At E3 in 2005 he showcased the first public realtime demonstrations of PlayStation 3 development hardware which included the famous ducks demo. On 3 March 2008, Infogrames Entertainment SA announced Harrison was their new President and Directeur Général Délégué. On 29 May 2009, it was announced that Harrison had become the non-executive director of Atari, formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA.
From 1989 to 1992, Harrison served as head of development for Mindscape International, and prior to that as a game designer and graphic artist in the UK.
Since joining Sony in 1992, he has held executive management positions in Europe and North America – where he served as Vice President, 3rd Party Relations and Research and Development for Sony Computer Entertainment America from 1996 to 2000. He has been a core member of the teams that successfully launched all of the PlayStation family of hardware formats and software that have helped expand the market for computer entertainment worldwide.
wn.com/Phil_Harrison
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Best PSN Game of 2012 Winner
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:45
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
This is GameSpot's pick for best PSN game of 2012. Vote on the People's Choice Game of the Year Award at GameSpot.com! www.gamespot.com Check more of the Best of 2012 at GameSpot.com! www.gamespot.com Visit our other channels: Gameplay & Guides - www.youtube.com Trailers - www.youtube.com MLG, NASL & eSports - www.youtube.com Mobile Gaming - www.youtube.com Like - www.facebook.com Follow - www.twitter.com Stream Live - twitch.tv www.gamespot.com
http://wn.com/Best_PSN_Game_of_2012_Winner
This is GameSpot's pick for best PSN game of 2012. Vote on the People's Choice Game of the Year Award at GameSpot.com! www.gamespot.com Check more of the Best of 2012 at GameSpot.com! www.gamespot.com Visit our other channels: Gameplay & Guides - www.youtube.com Trailers - www.youtube.com MLG, NASL & eSports - www.youtube.com Mobile Gaming - www.youtube.com Like - www.facebook.com Follow - www.twitter.com Stream Live - twitch.tv www.gamespot.com
GTA San Andreas - PlayStation 3 Gameplay (PSN)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:15
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
GTA San Andreas - PlayStation 3 Gameplay (PSN) Follow our GTA San Andreas Show for more videos: www.youtube.com =================================== Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available to download from the PlayStation Store for $14,99. The game is a "PS2 Classic", so don't expect a HD remake with Trophies to unlock or other improvements. It's just the original game released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004. The download is 4340 MB. Xbox 360 players can also get GTA San Andreas from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace (Games on Demand - Xbox Classics section). All PlayStation 2 cheats for GTA San Andreas work in the PlayStation 3 version. In the video, we show actual gameplay footage on the PS3. =================================== Audio file provided by www.audiomicro.com - Good To Be Back - GTA San Andreas Theme Song =================================== For more, visit ● www.youtube.com ● www.gtaseriesvideos.com ● http ● www.gta-downloads.com ● http
http://wn.com/GTA_San_Andreas_PlayStation_3_Gameplay_PSN
GTA San Andreas - PlayStation 3 Gameplay (PSN) Follow our GTA San Andreas Show for more videos: www.youtube.com =================================== Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available to download from the PlayStation Store for $14,99. The game is a "PS2 Classic", so don't expect a HD remake with Trophies to unlock or other improvements. It's just the original game released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004. The download is 4340 MB. Xbox 360 players can also get GTA San Andreas from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace (Games on Demand - Xbox Classics section). All PlayStation 2 cheats for GTA San Andreas work in the PlayStation 3 version. In the video, we show actual gameplay footage on the PS3. =================================== Audio file provided by www.audiomicro.com - Good To Be Back - GTA San Andreas Theme Song =================================== For more, visit ● www.youtube.com ● www.gtaseriesvideos.com ● http ● www.gta-downloads.com ● http
- published: 12 Dec 2012
- views: 156077
- author: GTASeriesVideos
The 5 Recent PSN Games You Might Have Missed
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:53
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Guess the world didn't end... bit.ly A bunch of stuff has landed on the PlayStation Store, but the holiday rush means it's been overlooked. Here's the video rundown. Subscribe to IGN's channel for reviews, news, and all things gaming: www.youtube.com The 5 Recent PSN Games You Might Have Missed
http://wn.com/The_5_Recent_PSN_Games_You_Might_Have_Missed
Guess the world didn't end... bit.ly A bunch of stuff has landed on the PlayStation Store, but the holiday rush means it's been overlooked. Here's the video rundown. Subscribe to IGN's channel for reviews, news, and all things gaming: www.youtube.com The 5 Recent PSN Games You Might Have Missed
- published: 21 Dec 2012
- views: 26229
- author: IGNentertainment
My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:29
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Can we destroy 2000 likes?! Stay away from Fake GGG's! ❤SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly All my Black Ops 2 videos: bit.ly My PSN ID: TillThenXOXO My Gamertag: GirlGoneGamer24 FOLLOW ME: twitter.com LIKE MY FB PAGE: www.facebook.com My Amazing Thumbnail Designer: www.youtube.com --- My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's
http://wn.com/My_PSN_ID,_Prestige_Master,_and_Fake_GGG's
Can we destroy 2000 likes?! Stay away from Fake GGG's! ❤SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly All my Black Ops 2 videos: bit.ly My PSN ID: TillThenXOXO My Gamertag: GirlGoneGamer24 FOLLOW ME: twitter.com LIKE MY FB PAGE: www.facebook.com My Amazing Thumbnail Designer: www.youtube.com --- My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's My PSN ID, Prestige Master, and Fake GGG's
- published: 07 Dec 2012
- views: 119033
- author: GirlGoneGamer
Kazuo Hirai - PSN Relaunch Announcement
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:52
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Kazuo Hirai - PSN Relaunch Announcement - blog.eu.playstation.com
http://wn.com/Kazuo_Hirai_PSN_Relaunch_Announcement
Kazuo Hirai - PSN Relaunch Announcement - blog.eu.playstation.com
- published: 14 May 2011
- views: 510611
- author: PlayStationBlogEU
[GET] PSN Code Generator 2013 | Free PSN Codes | Tested & Working
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:52
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Get PSN Codes: www35.zippyshare.com This is one of the few working psn code generators out there at the moment. I have paid for this with my own money, and i am giving it away for you for free! All I ask in return is to leave some comments & a like if you enjoy the software. How to install: -Open the folder -Extract contents -Run psncode.exe -Follow on screen instructions -Choose the amount you want -Generate codes
http://wn.com/_GET_PSN_Code_Generator_2013_|_Free_PSN_Codes_|_Tested_Working
Get PSN Codes: www35.zippyshare.com This is one of the few working psn code generators out there at the moment. I have paid for this with my own money, and i am giving it away for you for free! All I ask in return is to leave some comments & a like if you enjoy the software. How to install: -Open the folder -Extract contents -Run psncode.exe -Follow on screen instructions -Choose the amount you want -Generate codes
- published: 17 Dec 2012
- views: 21483
- author: workingpoints2013
IGN News - God Mode Announced for XBLA, PSN, and PC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:15
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Click here for the trailer bit.ly Saber Interactive (makers of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Inversion, and TimeShift, among others) and subsidiary Old School Games have announced God Mode, a tongue-in-cheek fast-action third-person shooter due out in early 2013 for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC. Subscribe to IGN's channel for reviews, news, and all things gaming: www.youtube.com IGN News: God Mode Announced for XBLA, PSN, and PC
http://wn.com/IGN_News_God_Mode_Announced_for_XBLA,_PSN,_and_PC
Click here for the trailer bit.ly Saber Interactive (makers of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Inversion, and TimeShift, among others) and subsidiary Old School Games have announced God Mode, a tongue-in-cheek fast-action third-person shooter due out in early 2013 for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC. Subscribe to IGN's channel for reviews, news, and all things gaming: www.youtube.com IGN News: God Mode Announced for XBLA, PSN, and PC
- published: 20 Dec 2012
- views: 22336
- author: IGNentertainment
PSN Code Generator - Free PSN Codes
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:42
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Download: prestige-hack.com PSN Code Generator - No Surveys - Free PSN Codes THhis is an AMAZING Psn Code Generator. You must check this one out, It's working for over 10 thousand on our top rated PSN forum for gamers. This PSN Code Generator generates unlimited free PSN codes every single time. Tutorial: -First download the Psn Code Generator over here: prestige-hack.com run it and just then extract the PSN Card Generator. Lastly, open up the installer -Let the installation setup wizard run and do it's task. This PSN Card Generator should be respected and not over used please. Don't abuse the PSN Card Generator or leak it anywhere. Download the PSN Code Generator and keep it to yourself, this PSN Code Generator was coded in VB.Net and has been working for many months. This PSN Code Generator is the only working generator on YouTube that actually works. Please leave some comments after you have used the PSN Code Generator, to show others that it is working. Download the PSN Card Generator for free here: prestige-hack.com
http://wn.com/PSN_Code_Generator_Free_PSN_Codes
Download: prestige-hack.com PSN Code Generator - No Surveys - Free PSN Codes THhis is an AMAZING Psn Code Generator. You must check this one out, It's working for over 10 thousand on our top rated PSN forum for gamers. This PSN Code Generator generates unlimited free PSN codes every single time. Tutorial: -First download the Psn Code Generator over here: prestige-hack.com run it and just then extract the PSN Card Generator. Lastly, open up the installer -Let the installation setup wizard run and do it's task. This PSN Card Generator should be respected and not over used please. Don't abuse the PSN Card Generator or leak it anywhere. Download the PSN Code Generator and keep it to yourself, this PSN Code Generator was coded in VB.Net and has been working for many months. This PSN Code Generator is the only working generator on YouTube that actually works. Please leave some comments after you have used the PSN Code Generator, to show others that it is working. Download the PSN Card Generator for free here: prestige-hack.com
- published: 30 Dec 2012
- views: 1148
- author: Bob Marley
PSN Code Generator (2012-2013) ✔
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:40
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Download: world-of-free-games.blogspot.com
http://wn.com/PSN_Code_Generator_2012-2013_✔
PSN Code Generator [DECEMBER 2012] [DOWNLOAD LINK]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:28
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
DOWNLOAD LINK : psncodegen.webs.com Why would you release this? We decided to release this to the public because, in our opinion, the Playstation Team are robbing it's users out of their fun. First, you have to buy a $300 console. Then for you to actually play it, you have to buy games!...
http://wn.com/PSN_Code_Generator_DECEMBER_2012_DOWNLOAD_LINK_
DOWNLOAD LINK : psncodegen.webs.com Why would you release this? We decided to release this to the public because, in our opinion, the Playstation Team are robbing it's users out of their fun. First, you have to buy a $300 console. Then for you to actually play it, you have to buy games!...
- published: 06 Dec 2012
- views: 12910
- author: LAforEver30
NEW | PSN Code Generator 2013 | Free PSN Codes | Tested & Working Codes
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:35
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Get the 2013 Generator: www35.zippyshare.com It is 2013, and here is the updated and new PSN Code Generator 2013. Bring the new year in with style by making unlimited PSN Codes. This software has been working in beta stage for over 3 weeks, and I am giving it away for free. All I want in return is for you to leave a review & like this video! Installation -Download the file -Extract -Run the installer file (psncodegen.exe) -Follow the on-screen instructions (step by step guide). -Run the generator
http://wn.com/NEW_|_PSN_Code_Generator_2013_|_Free_PSN_Codes_|_Tested_Working_Codes
Get the 2013 Generator: www35.zippyshare.com It is 2013, and here is the updated and new PSN Code Generator 2013. Bring the new year in with style by making unlimited PSN Codes. This software has been working in beta stage for over 3 weeks, and I am giving it away for free. All I want in return is for you to leave a review & like this video! Installation -Download the file -Extract -Run the installer file (psncodegen.exe) -Follow the on-screen instructions (step by step guide). -Run the generator
- published: 24 Dec 2012
- views: 14822
- author: secretsoftware2013
Let's Look At: Karateka! [PC/XBLA/PSN]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 21:04
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
I don't know how to pronounce it, I just know the sound it makes when it takes a man's life. If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting it by clicking the Like button. It helps a lot! Check out Karateka on Steam: bit.ly Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com Follow me on Facebook! facebook.com Saving Progress is a group of YouTube personalities (Northernlion, michaelalfox, and JSmithOTI) who produce videos covering the gaming industry with their own unique brand of humor and entertainment. To stay up to date on their collaborative efforts, visit the Saving Progress forums, subscribe to them on YouTube, and check them out on your social media platform of choice! Saving Progress Forums: forums.savingprogress.com YouTube youtube.com Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: facebook.com
http://wn.com/Let's_Look_At_Karateka!_PC_XBLA_PSN_
I don't know how to pronounce it, I just know the sound it makes when it takes a man's life. If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting it by clicking the Like button. It helps a lot! Check out Karateka on Steam: bit.ly Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com Follow me on Facebook! facebook.com Saving Progress is a group of YouTube personalities (Northernlion, michaelalfox, and JSmithOTI) who produce videos covering the gaming industry with their own unique brand of humor and entertainment. To stay up to date on their collaborative efforts, visit the Saving Progress forums, subscribe to them on YouTube, and check them out on your social media platform of choice! Saving Progress Forums: forums.savingprogress.com YouTube youtube.com Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: facebook.com
- published: 06 Dec 2012
- views: 25685
- author: Northernlion
![SEN Enabler and Disabler [4.31] - PSN on CFW - PS3 Homebrew](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CqlYU2Hg2BE/default.jpg "SEN Enabler and Disabler [4.31] - PSN on CFW - PS3 Homebrew")
SEN Enabler and Disabler [4.31] - PSN on CFW - PS3 Homebrew
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:25
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Attention: If you use this, you'll probably get banned by sony. How to enable and disable PSN/SEN access on 3.55 CFW with SEN Enabler and Disabler [4.31] by Nathan_r32_69. Downloads and more information: www.ps3hax.net psx-scene.com
http://wn.com/SEN_Enabler_and_Disabler_431_PSN_on_CFW_PS3_Homebrew
Attention: If you use this, you'll probably get banned by sony. How to enable and disable PSN/SEN access on 3.55 CFW with SEN Enabler and Disabler [4.31] by Nathan_r32_69. Downloads and more information: www.ps3hax.net psx-scene.com
- published: 02 Nov 2012
- views: 7098
- author: PS3Homebrew
The PSN and Xbox Live Code Generator v4.5 Updated December 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:11
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
UPDATED THE LINK! Download Link: www23.zippyshare.com Hi, with this Generator you can get free xbox points and psn codes by generating them. Go and get ALL DLC'S for free with it! Please Rate and Comment the Video, if you have Questions, feel free to ask me! This Video complies with...
http://wn.com/The_PSN_and_Xbox_Live_Code_Generator_v45_Updated_December_2012
UPDATED THE LINK! Download Link: www23.zippyshare.com Hi, with this Generator you can get free xbox points and psn codes by generating them. Go and get ALL DLC'S for free with it! Please Rate and Comment the Video, if you have Questions, feel free to ask me! This Video complies with...
- published: 04 Dec 2012
- views: 335167
- author: psnxbox2012freed
Harvestmoon : Back to Nature - PS3 (PSN) Gameplay
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 27:55
- Updated: 29 Dec 2012
Harvestmoon Back to Nature is already playable on PS3 (PSN)!! :D Thanks for NATSUME and the fans who made this happen!! This was, and still one of my most favorite game of all time! :D
http://wn.com/Harvestmoon_Back_to_Nature_PS3_PSN_Gameplay
Harvestmoon Back to Nature is already playable on PS3 (PSN)!! :D Thanks for NATSUME and the fans who made this happen!! This was, and still one of my most favorite game of all time! :D
- published: 12 May 2012
- views: 15218
- author: TaraArtsGame
Bully / Midnight Club 3 / Red Dead Revolver - PlayStation 3 Gameplay (PSN)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:43
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Bully (Canis Canem Edit), Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix and Red Dead Revolver are now available to download from the PlayStation Store for $9.99 / £7.99 / €9.99 each.These are "PS2 Classic" games, so don't expect a HD remake with Trophies to unlock or other improvements. The download is 4 GB for Bully, 8 GB for Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix and 2.2 GB for Red Dead Revolver. In this video, we show actual gameplay footage on PlayStation 3. =================================== Music: Defender Of The Castle - Shawn Lee (from Bully Original Soundtrack) =================================== For more, visit: ● www.youtube.com ● www.gtaseriesvideos.com ● http ● www.gta-downloads.com ● http
http://wn.com/Bully_Midnight_Club_3_Red_Dead_Revolver_PlayStation_3_Gameplay_PSN
Bully (Canis Canem Edit), Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix and Red Dead Revolver are now available to download from the PlayStation Store for $9.99 / £7.99 / €9.99 each.These are "PS2 Classic" games, so don't expect a HD remake with Trophies to unlock or other improvements. The download is 4 GB for Bully, 8 GB for Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix and 2.2 GB for Red Dead Revolver. In this video, we show actual gameplay footage on PlayStation 3. =================================== Music: Defender Of The Castle - Shawn Lee (from Bully Original Soundtrack) =================================== For more, visit: ● www.youtube.com ● www.gtaseriesvideos.com ● http ● www.gta-downloads.com ● http
- published: 21 Dec 2012
- views: 13861
- author: GTASeriesVideos
![PSN Code Generator [Updated 4th December 2012][Free PSN Codes]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/btyKI-889to/default.jpg "PSN Code Generator [Updated 4th December 2012][Free PSN Codes]")
PSN Code Generator [Updated 4th December 2012][Free PSN Codes]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:31
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Get your code right now only at psn.sleekhacks.com Hi guys! Today I'm sharing a website with you, that has personally generated me lots and lots of PSN codes. I made a short video that details the process to get the free codes. Please let me know if you want anything to be added. Sorry for...
http://wn.com/PSN_Code_Generator_Updated_4th_December_2012_Free_PSN_Codes_
Get your code right now only at psn.sleekhacks.com Hi guys! Today I'm sharing a website with you, that has personally generated me lots and lots of PSN codes. I made a short video that details the process to get the free codes. Please let me know if you want anything to be added. Sorry for...
- published: 01 Dec 2012
- views: 15608
- author: iamdavidization
![[December 2012] PS3 PSN Code Generator - Updated [Direct DL]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/p0Se7oTa9_E/default.jpg "[December 2012] PS3 PSN Code Generator - Updated [Direct DL]")
[December 2012] PS3 PSN Code Generator - Updated [Direct DL]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:32
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Hello Youtubers, Presenting you PS3 PSN Code Generator [UPDATED] 1) Download Keygen Here: psnpointcodegenerator.blogspot.com [UPDATED] Virus FREE, No Malwares or Backdoors. Tested with VirusTotal. 100% clean, guaranteed. VirusTotal 0/43: www.virustotal.com 2) Run the PS3 PSN Code Generator....
http://wn.com/_December_2012_PS3_PSN_Code_Generator_Updated_Direct_DL_
Hello Youtubers, Presenting you PS3 PSN Code Generator [UPDATED] 1) Download Keygen Here: psnpointcodegenerator.blogspot.com [UPDATED] Virus FREE, No Malwares or Backdoors. Tested with VirusTotal. 100% clean, guaranteed. VirusTotal 0/43: www.virustotal.com 2) Run the PS3 PSN Code Generator....
- published: 23 Dec 2012
- views: 5901
- author: PS3PSNCodeGenerator
![Free Codes For PSN - [Mediafire] [27 December]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/W-Y3xHDTTe8/default.jpg "Free Codes For PSN - [Mediafire] [27 December]")
Free Codes For PSN - [Mediafire] [27 December]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:20
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Download: www.mediafire.com
http://wn.com/Free_Codes_For_PSN_Mediafire_27_December_
The PSN and Xbox Live Code Generator v3 Updated December 2012.rar
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:38
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
UPDATED THE LINK! Download Link: www23.zippyshare.com Hi, with this Generator you can get free xbox points and psn codes by generating them. Go and get ALL DLC'S for free with it! Please Rate and Comment the Video, if you have Questions, feel free to ask me! This Video complies with...
http://wn.com/The_PSN_and_Xbox_Live_Code_Generator_v3_Updated_December_2012rar
UPDATED THE LINK! Download Link: www23.zippyshare.com Hi, with this Generator you can get free xbox points and psn codes by generating them. Go and get ALL DLC'S for free with it! Please Rate and Comment the Video, if you have Questions, feel free to ask me! This Video complies with...
- published: 04 Dec 2012
- views: 31335
- author: xboxpsn2012december
Lets Play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Part 3 - Paramedic Missions, Drive-By - ( PSN )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 15:01
- Updated: 28 Dec 2012
Part 3 of the GTA: SA lets play/ playthrough! In this part we tackle the paramedic missions to gain maximum health along with some more of Sweet's missions! A grand part so be sure to hit the like button and drop your comments! :) Intro made by: www.youtube.com Twitter: www.twitter.com :)
http://wn.com/Lets_Play_Grand_Theft_Auto_San_Andreas_Part_3_Paramedic_Missions,_Drive-By_PSN_
Part 3 of the GTA: SA lets play/ playthrough! In this part we tackle the paramedic missions to gain maximum health along with some more of Sweet's missions! A grand part so be sure to hit the like button and drop your comments! :) Intro made by: www.youtube.com Twitter: www.twitter.com :)
- published: 14 Dec 2012
- views: 552
- author: Only1Gam3r
![[WORKING 12/30/12] PlayStation Network Code Generator [MEDIAFIRE NO SURVEY NO PASSWORD]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121231044054im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9vugdY1uzms/default.jpg "[WORKING 12/30/12] PlayStation Network Code Generator [MEDIAFIRE NO SURVEY NO PASSWORD]")
[WORKING 12/30/12] PlayStation Network Code Generator [MEDIAFIRE NO SURVEY NO PASSWORD]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:39
- Updated: 30 Dec 2012
Get it here! : www.filedropper.com NOTE: This generator requires WinRar for you to extract the contents of the RAR file. You may download WinRar here: www.rarlab.com Psn Code Generator can transform anything about the playstation network. The Playstation network is like Xbox Dwell, a marketplace via the internet to pay money for video games,cheats,maps and more and more other goods. You are mandatory to pay money for a playstation network card in the amount of money of $20 and then use it on the network. There are a good number of other strategies to get the cards zero cost. The least difficult and fastest way to get zero cost Playstation network cards is by employing the Psn Code Generator. You do not demand to down load or set up nearly anything to get a code. Nearly anything that entails you to down load to use is a virus. Do not down load and set up. In its place you could use the Psn Code Generator?Think of all the cash flow you could help you save utilising the generator? If you perform on the network and pay out quite a lot of your cash flow than that will shift immediately after examining this posting. Quickly the Playstation will be including a type of premium bundle for a month to month payment named playstation as well as. This is set to arrive out relatively quickly if not previously. Most players are absolutely mad about the support and charging a once a month rate of $fifteen for some supplemental includes and goods on the playstation. This Video complies ...
http://wn.com/_WORKING_12_30_12_PlayStation_Network_Code_Generator_MEDIAFIRE_NO_SURVEY_NO_PASSWORD_
Get it here! : www.filedropper.com NOTE: This generator requires WinRar for you to extract the contents of the RAR file. You may download WinRar here: www.rarlab.com Psn Code Generator can transform anything about the playstation network. The Playstation network is like Xbox Dwell, a marketplace via the internet to pay money for video games,cheats,maps and more and more other goods. You are mandatory to pay money for a playstation network card in the amount of money of $20 and then use it on the network. There are a good number of other strategies to get the cards zero cost. The least difficult and fastest way to get zero cost Playstation network cards is by employing the Psn Code Generator. You do not demand to down load or set up nearly anything to get a code. Nearly anything that entails you to down load to use is a virus. Do not down load and set up. In its place you could use the Psn Code Generator?Think of all the cash flow you could help you save utilising the generator? If you perform on the network and pay out quite a lot of your cash flow than that will shift immediately after examining this posting. Quickly the Playstation will be including a type of premium bundle for a month to month payment named playstation as well as. This is set to arrive out relatively quickly if not previously. Most players are absolutely mad about the support and charging a once a month rate of $fifteen for some supplemental includes and goods on the playstation. This Video complies ...
- published: 10 Dec 2012
- views: 11888
- author: MyPSNCodeGenerator20
Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 Prestige Hack - Duplicate account Giveaways - psn RiP_syndicate
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:23
- Updated: 31 Dec 2012
Hello there Guys & Girls. Follow Me on Twitter: twitter.com Add me on Fackbook: www.facebook.com Add me as a Friend on YouTube: tinyurl.com Skype Name:TritanHD Here for you is Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 Prestige Hack - Duplicate account Giveaways - RiP_syndicate 25/12/2012 After the Video get 100 like I will be giving away accounts that I have done. The First will be RiP_Syndicate. I will only do this for Active Subscribers also. I have decided that when the next glitch or hack is out I will not give you all a tutorial as I have heard that loads of you guys are Charging people for the things I have given you. 100 LIKES WILL GET YOU ALL WHAT YOU WANT. HURRY AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO LIKE THIS VIDEO. THE KD OF THE ACCOUNT IS 3,20 AND 5 DAYS GAME PLAYED WITH ALL TITLES! EVEN A FOUNDERS TITLE. ALL DIAMOND CAMO'S ON SMG'S, ASSAULT RIFLES, SNIPERS, SHOTGUNS, AND MORE Thanks For watching my Hacks and If I helped you in any way then please thank me. I never ask for money. Just I ask that you leave a like. TritanHD
http://wn.com/Call_Of_Duty_Black_Ops_2_Prestige_Hack_Duplicate_account_Giveaways_psn_RiP_syndicate
Hello there Guys & Girls. Follow Me on Twitter: twitter.com Add me on Fackbook: www.facebook.com Add me as a Friend on YouTube: tinyurl.com Skype Name:TritanHD Here for you is Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 Prestige Hack - Duplicate account Giveaways - RiP_syndicate 25/12/2012 After the Video get 100 like I will be giving away accounts that I have done. The First will be RiP_Syndicate. I will only do this for Active Subscribers also. I have decided that when the next glitch or hack is out I will not give you all a tutorial as I have heard that loads of you guys are Charging people for the things I have given you. 100 LIKES WILL GET YOU ALL WHAT YOU WANT. HURRY AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO LIKE THIS VIDEO. THE KD OF THE ACCOUNT IS 3,20 AND 5 DAYS GAME PLAYED WITH ALL TITLES! EVEN A FOUNDERS TITLE. ALL DIAMOND CAMO'S ON SMG'S, ASSAULT RIFLES, SNIPERS, SHOTGUNS, AND MORE Thanks For watching my Hacks and If I helped you in any way then please thank me. I never ask for money. Just I ask that you leave a like. TritanHD
- published: 25 Dec 2012
- views: 3172
- author: TritanHD
photo: AP / Altaf Qadri
29 Dec 2012
Police in India have sealed off much of the capital, Delhi, and issued an appeal for calm after the death of a woman who was gang-raped in the city. The 23-year old woman, who has not been identified, died early on Saturday at a hospital in Singapore, where she had been taken for specialist treatment. Her body is to be flown back to India for burial ... Gatherings of more than five people have been banned in the city centre ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
photo: AP / New York City Police Department
30 Dec 2012
A woman who told police she shoved a man to his death off a subway platform because she has hated Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US and thought he was one was charged on Saturday with murder as a hate crime, prosecutors said ... Menendez, 31, was awaiting arraignment on the charge on Saturday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted ... On Dec ... ....(size: 3.0Kb)
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
28 Dec 2012
The president of Central African Republic (CAR) has urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital. Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Francois Bozize on Thursday pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler ... 516 Share ... News ... ....(size: 19.5Kb)
photo: AP / Shaam News Network
30 Dec 2012
London. UN-Arab League envoy to Damascus, Lakhdar Brahimi, has said that a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria seemed far away, adding that the country risked being slithering into ‘hell’ ... (ANI). For Zee News’s Updates, follow us on Twitter , Facebook, Google+, Pinterest. First Published ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
28 Dec 2012
Galaxy Note 2 vs. iPhone 5. Do The Companies Have Their Game Plans Right?. Posted by Jay099 on December 28, 2012 02.15 pm 0. via. Mountain View at California seems to be a busy center now. Google is stepping up the gas on the march towards a holistic environment and experience for the consumers ... My Blog . My FB Page ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)
Joystiq
30 Dec 2012
Digital Spy
30 Dec 2012
Tomba! and Tomba! 2 have been released through PlayStation Network in Europe. The PSone platformers are available to download for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, MonkeyPaw Games announced via Joystiq. Tomba! was originally intended for release on PSN in September but ran into emulation issues ... MonkeyPaw Games is in negotiations to bring Tomba! 2 to PSN in North America ... More ... 'Tomba!' titles released for PSN ... 'Tomba!' titles released for PSN ... ....(size: 7.0Kb)
The Verge
30 Dec 2012
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Horn. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Comments ... Examples. ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 7.9Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. The Room. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Comments ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. ARC Squadron. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Comments ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Punch Quest. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Comments ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Real Boxing. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Comments ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Jetpack Joyride. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Send ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Rayman Jungle Run. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Beat Sneak Bandit. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Angry Birds Star Wars. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... → Learn More ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12....(size: 8.0Kb)
Crunch
30 Dec 2012
Apple Facebook Amazon Twitter Google. Comment. Letterpress – Word Game. Catherine Pickavet. View Staff Page Follow me on twitter. Catherine Pickavet is a TechCrunch copy editor based in San Francisco. She was the chief copy editor for InternetNews.com in New York before moving to Sydney and becoming group editor of RBI Australia’s manufacturing group ... Comments ... Two Tomba games out now on European PSN Alt-week 12.29.12 ... ....(size: 8.0Kb)
Not to be confused with Sony Entertainment Network.
"PSN" redirects here. For other uses, see PSN (disambiguation).
| 170px | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Type | Online service |
| Launch date | November 11, 2006 |
| Platform | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita |
| Members | 90 million registered accounts[1] |
| Website | Official Indian website Official Japanese website Official Australian website Official Canada website Official European website Official UK website Official US website |
PlayStation Network, often abbreviated as PSN, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service provided/run by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita video game consoles.[2] The PlayStation Network is the video game portion of the Sony Entertainment Network.
On April 19, 2011 the PlayStation Network (and later also Sony Online Entertainment's network) was temporarily put offline due to a "compromise of personal information as a result of an illegal intrusion".[3] At the time of the intrusion, the network consisted of "approximately 130 servers, 50 software programs and 77 million registered accounts".[4]
History[link]
Sony's second console, the PlayStation 2, had a limited number of online features in select games via its online network. It required a Network Adaptor, which was available as an add-on for original models, and integrated into the hardware on slimline models. However, Sony provided no unified online service for the system, so support for network features was specific to each game and there was no interoperability of cross-game presence.
In March 2006, Sony announced the online network for its upcoming PlayStation 3 system at the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing meeting in Tokyo, Japan,[5] tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform". Sony also stated that the service would always be connected,[6] free,[7] and include multiplayer support.[8] The full list of features available at launch was announced at their TGS 2006 press conference. When the network launched, the registration interface could only be accessed through the PS3 or PSP system interfaces.[9] This has been changed since to allow users to sign up from the PlayStation Network website.
At the Tokyo Game Show on September 21, 2006, Sony was revealed that users would be able to download some PlayStation and PSP titles from the PlayStation Network for about US$5–15, starting with those with the smallest game data.[10]
On May 8, 2007 Sony Computer Entertainment announced PlayStation Network Cards,[11] a form of electronic money that can be used with the Store. PlayStation Network Tickets, available in units of 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 yen, can be purchased at convenience stores throughout Japan.[12] Each ticket contains a 12 character alphanumeric code which can be input on the PlayStation Network to place credits in the virtual wallet.[13] The tickets are available through electronic kiosks at 26,000 convenience stores, including Lawsons, Family Mart, Daily Yamazaki, Ministop and Sunkus.[14] They are also available at 26,000 post office ATMs, although registration at a special mobile website is required first.[14]
A similar system based around cards rather that tickets was introduced in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan in Mid 2007,[15] in North America in early 2008,[16] in Malaysia in June 2009 (in conjunction with the launch of the Malaysian PlayStation Store), and in the UK and Eurozone in October 2009.
On June 29, 2010, Sony launched a premium subscription service on top of the free PSN service. Known as PlayStation Plus, the system provides access to exclusive content, as well as discounts on games, free games, and other free content such as themes for the PlayStation 3.
On September 15, 2011, Sony changed the PlayStation Network's license agreement to legally bar users from filing lawsuits and joining class action lawsuits.[17][18][19]
2011 security breach and outage[link]
Main article: PlayStation Network outage
The PlayStation Network April 2011 outage, which began on April 20, 2011 and affected 77 million registered accounts,[20] is the longest amount of time the PSN has been offline since its inception in 2006.[21] Sony acknowledged that the outage prevented users from having the "ability to enjoy the services provided by PlayStation Network and Qriocity including online gaming and online access to music, movies, sports and TV shows", making it temporarily unavailable.[22]
While remaining offline, the PlayStation 3 was unable to play certain Capcom titles that were downloaded from the PlayStation Store.[23] Streaming video providers Hulu, Vudu and Netflix were noted to be inaccessible displaying the same maintenance message.
Sony reported on April 26, 2011 that user data had been obtained by the same hack that resulted in the downtime. This included names, addresses, email addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network passwords and logins. It was also possible that profile data, including purchase histories, billing addresses and PlayStation Network password security answers may have been obtained. Sony proceeded to give step-by-step guidelines on how US users could obtain a credit report, place a fraud alert, and freeze their credit file through Equifax, Experian and TransUnion in an effort to prevent identity theft.[24][25]
On May 1, Sony issued a press release and their sincerest apologies stating that the PlayStation Network would shortly begin a "phased restoration", starting with gaming, music and video services.[26] Sony also announced "a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty".[27] On May 5, Sony announced that they would be offering all PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States one free year of AllClear ID Plus, an identity theft protection program powered by Debix.[28]
On May 14, 2011, Sony began regionally restoring the PlayStation Network and released a mandatory security firmware update that required users to update their passwords.[29]
In June 2011, Sony launched a "Welcome Back" program following the outage, allowing all PSN subscribers who joined prior to April 20 to download two free PlayStation 3 titles and two free PlayStation portable games. Users also got 30 free days of PlayStation Plus, while users who were already subscribed before the outage got 60 free days.[30]
User registration[link]
Registration is performed via the PlayStation 3 console, a PlayStation Portable or a PC. Two types of accounts can be created; Master accounts and Sub accounts. Master accounts allow full access to all settings, including parental control, but the Master must be over the age of 18 to create an account. Sub accounts can subsequently be created with desired restrictions set by the master account holder.[31]
Since Master/Sub accounts are not linked to the PlayStation 3 serial number, which allows users to buy and sell used consoles, they can be used with different consoles as a guest user; therefore a single console can have multiple Master accounts. Although unregistered users can access and browse the PlayStation Store,[32] registration is required to purchase items. Once purchased, items can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store to up to two consoles, however, if the owner account is deleted from a console, the content becomes invalid and is locked.
PlayStation Network launched in November 2006 to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation 3 console in North America and Japan. Due to the delay of the European launch to March 2007, Sony allowed residents of Europe to pre-register their PlayStation Network via PC in order to reserve their favored PSN ID, allowing them to quickly retrieve their details on the day of release.[33]
Services[link]
The full list of current services for PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus are as follows:
|
|
Canceled Services:
- Room for PlayStation Portable - development halted on April 15, 2010[44]
- PlayStation Rewards
User information[link]
Online ID[link]
An online ID is the player's username on the PlayStation Network.[45] An online ID used online must be unique and can be from 3 up to 16 characters long, including numbers, letters, hyphens and underscores. Online IDs cannot be changed and the system supports one PlayStation Network account per user (of which there can be sixteen). Online IDs are not to be confused with the system's usernames. Each user can be named (and renamed), and the online ID is connected to that user.
Online IDs also contain avatars,[46] often associated with certain games or game characters. Downloadable avatars (including premium ones) were made possible with firmware 3.0,[47] but will be made available on the PlayStation Store in time. These avatars are not to be confused with the PlayStation Home avatars, which are 3D representations of the user only used in Home.
Sign-in ID[link]
A sign-in ID is the player's email on the PlayStation Network[45] and is used to sign into any PlayStation Network-related service. Although the online ID is displayed instead, users may only use their email addresses to sign in. The sign-in ID is also used by Sony to send updates and promotional material and is attached to the user's online ID automatically.[45]
Trophies[link]
- See List of PlayStation 3 games and List of downloadable PlayStation 3 games for a list of titles that support PlayStation 3 Trophies and Achievement (video gaming) for a general description of the concept of achievements/trophies in computer and video gaming.
"Trophies" are an accomplishment tracking system, introduced to the PlayStation 3 in system software update 2.40 in July 2008.[48] The portable console PlayStation Vita will be the second console to feature Trophy support for games.[49][50]
The four different types of trophies—bronze, silver, gold, and platinum—are awarded to players for making specific accomplishments (e.g. completing a level or defeating a certain number of enemies) or reaching certain milestones in games (e.g. reaching a "pro" rank online). Developers can also choose to make certain trophies hidden so that the trophy's value, title and description is not shown until the user has unlocked it. A gold, silver, or bronze trophy is normally awarded based on the difficulty of the accomplishment with each trophy contributing to a 'level' system linked to a player's PlayStation Network profile,[51] with gold trophies contributing more experience level advancement than silver, and silver contributing more experience than bronze. A platinum trophy is automatically awarded to the player once they unlock all other trophies in a game, excluding extra trophies that can only be obtained through downloadable content, and contribute more experience than a gold trophy. However, smaller games such as certain PlayStation Network titles, lack a platinum trophy.[51] Trophies are displayed on a player's PlayStation Network profile screen, which also shows their trophy level.
As of the beginning of January 2009, trophy support has become mandatory for all PlayStation 3 games submitted to Sony for certification.[52]
Portable IDs[link]
A Portable ID is a small, automatically generated graphic available to PlayStation Network users in Europe and North America through their respective PlayStation websites.[53][54] Intended for use as forum signatures and the like, these graphics contain information such as the user's trophy level, number of trophies and recently obtained trophies. Each user is able to log into their PSN account using a web browser to access and customize their personal Portable ID and are then given a unique URL for the graphic which they can use to display their ID elsewhere on the internet. The graphic is automatically updated regularly to display recent trophy information.[55] Several third-party websites offer similar graphics (commonly referred to as "trophy cards") as both free and paid services which either update the graphic automatically from the user's official Portable ID, from the PlayStation Network or are updated manually by the user.[56]
User profile[link]
The PlayStation Network profile is an information panel used to summarize certain PSN information.[46] The information displayed on these profiles includes the user's avatar and PSN name as well as information such as languages and an "About me" section if the user chooses to provide it. User profiles can display a comment, similar to a Facebook status, which can show a short message. However, the comment can only be viewed if a player is online. The profile also includes a summary of the player's Trophy Level, the eight most recently collected Trophies and the number of Trophies the player has collected. A player's user profile can be viewed via the XrossMediaBar, or online through the PlayStation website.
PlayStation Store[link]
Main article: PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store is an online shopping-based service for the PlayStation Network. The store uses both physical currency and PlayStation Network Cards. The PlayStation Store's gaming content is updated every Tuesday with content such as full games, game demos, game add-ons, game trailers, movie trailers, XMB wallpapers and XMB themes.
Video content such as films and television shows are also available from the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 3 and PSP and will be made available on some new Sony BRAVIA televisions, VAIO laptop computers and Sony Blu-ray Disc players from February 2010.[57]
Video download service[link]
On April 15, 2008, Peter Dille, SCE Senior Vice President of Marketing & PlayStation Network, announced that a video download service consisting of full-length TV shows and movies would be launching on the network in 2008.[58] Speaking at Sony’s mid-term strategy meeting on 26 June 2008, SCE president Kaz Hirai confirmed that the video download service would launch on the PlayStation Network during the summer,[59] initially in North America and then in other countries at later dates. Further information was released during the E3 2008 press conference, where SCEA CEO Jack Tretton revealed that movies and TV shows would be available in full and/or rental form, and would be situated in a separate section of the PlayStation Store. Many major studios are participating in the video download service, including Sony Pictures, MGM content under Sony and WB, Lions Gate Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The service officially launched in the United States on July 15, 2008, the same day as Sony's E3 press conference.[60][61]
The service was expanded to the UK, France, Germany and Spain on 20 November 2009. The service launched in other territories in Summer 2010[62][63] At the same time Sony started offering movies and TV Shows in Japan whereas before they only offered anime and manga shows. The service was launched in Italy on the 18th May 2010 and Australia on the 20th May 2010. Sony announced at their E3 2010 press conference that the video service will hit Canada on July 1, with other territories to follow the same month.[64]
File:Qore sccenshot.jpg
Qore for the PlayStation Network
Qore and FirstPlay[link]
Main articles: Qore (PlayStation Network) and FirstPlay
Qore (pronounced like "core"), presented by the PlayStation Network, announced on June 3, 2008 by SCEA, is a subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation Network,[65] which launched on the PlayStation Store in North America on June 5, 2008.
FirstPlay (previously known as Official PlayStation Magazine HD or OPMHD) is an electronic magazine similar to Qore, produced by Future Publishing. Released in April 2010, it is available to PlayStation 3 users via the PlayStation Store in the UK. Like Qore, FirstPlay offers exclusive videos, demos and downloads.[66][67] but is released weekly instead of monthly.[68]
PSOne Classics[link]
Main articles: List of PSone Classics (Japan), List of PSone Classics (North America), and List of PSone Classics (PAL region)
PSOne Classics, launched in North America on December 4, 2006, are re-releases of original PlayStation games through emulation on the PlayStation Store. Available at launch were Cool Boarders, Crash Bandicoot, Hot Shots Golf, Syphon Filter and Tekken 2.[69] Initially, users were able to play downloaded games only on the PSP, although they could download games from the PS3.. System software version 1.70 for the PS3 allowed PSOne Classics to be playable on the PS3.[70] Eventually the PSP PlayStation Store was added in system software version 5.00, allowing the direct download of PSOne Classics to the PSP.[71]
PlayStation Plus[link]
| File:PlayStation Plus.png | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Type | Premium online service |
| Launch date | June 29, 2010 |
| Platform | PlayStation 3 |
| Website | Official US website |
PlayStation Plus is a paid PlayStation Network subscription service that was officially unveiled at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton, President and CEO of SCEA. Rumors of such service had been in speculation since Kaz Hirai's announcement at TGS 2009 of a possible paid service for PSN but with the current PSN service still available. Launched alongside PS3 firmware 3.40 and PSP firmware 6.30 on June 29, 2010, the paid-for subscription service provides users with enhanced services on the PlayStation Network, on top of the current PSN service which is still available with all of its features. These enhancements include the ability to have demos, game and system software updates download automatically to the PlayStation 3. Subscribers also get early or exclusive access to some betas, game demos, premium downloadable content and other PlayStation Store items as well as a free subscription to Qore. Users may choose to purchase either a one-year or a three-month subscription to PlayStation Plus.[72]
SCEA offered a limited time offer for the one-year subscription, which was additional three-months for free, while SCEE offered one-year subscribers a digital copy of LittleBigPlanet for a limited time. Regular free bonuses are also made available. These include PlayStation Store discounts and free PlayStation Network games and Downloadable Content (DLC), PSone Classics and PlayStation Minis which the user will own for the duration of their subscription as well as themes and avatars which the user can keep after their subscription has lapsed. PlayStation Plus also offers "Full Game Trials" of some PlayStation Network and retail games, allowing the user to download the full game and use it for one hour (the game expires 1 year after download until the trial has commenced, after which, the trial expires 60 minutes after it has been launched from the XMB). Users can later purchase the game and continue their progress (earned trophies are not added to the users PSN profile until the game is purchased). For SCEA, the first Full Game Trial to be offered was inFamous,[73] while European subscribers get to try out Shatter and Savage Moon.[74] More titles have been added since. In addition, users who are PlayStation Plus subscribers have the PlayStation Plus icon by their PSN ID. Users can only sign up for PlayStation Plus through the PlayStation Store via the PS3.[75]
On March 9, 2011, Sony expanded the features list for its PlayStation Plus service with the addition of online game save storage.[76] As part of the PlayStation Plus subscription, subscribers are given 150 MB of space in "the cloud" for up to 1,000 save files. Copy-prohibited files can be backed up, with the caveat that users can only restore files that have been deleted from their systems once per 24 hours. This feature came into effect with the introduction of PlayStation 3 firmware v3.60.
As part of Sony's "Welcome Back" program from the PSN outage, Sony offered each user who were PSN subscribers before April 20, 2011 a free PlayStation Plus subscription for 30 days, while already existing Plus subscribers received an additional 30 days to their service plus the amount of days PSN was offline.
PlayStation Blog[link]
Main article: PlayStation Blog
PlayStation Blog is an online PlayStation focused gaming blog which is part of the PlayStation Network. It was launched on June 11, 2007[77] and since its launch it has featured numerous interviews with both third-party companies such as Square Enix[78] as well as posts from high-ranking Sony Computer Entertainment executives such as Jack Tretton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment.[79] A sub-site of the blog called PlayStation.Blog Share was launched on March 17, 2010 and allowed readers of the blog as well as users of the PlayStation.Blog to submit ideas to the PlayStation team about anything PlayStation-related as well as vote on the ideas of other submissions.[80][81]
PlayStation Home[link]
Main article: PlayStation Home
File:PlayStation Home Logo.png
PlayStation Home logo.
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social network gaming service for the PlayStation Network.[82] Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically.[83][84] Users can edit and decorate their personal apartments, avatars or club houses with free, premium or won content.[83] Users can shop for new items or win prizes from PS3 games, or Home activities.[84] Users interact and connect with friends and customise content in a virtual world.[85] Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer games with others.[85]
A closed beta began in Europe from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after.[86] Home was delayed and expanded[87] several times before initially releasing.[88][89] The Open Beta test was started on December 11, 2008. Home is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free and requires a PSN account.[84][85]
Home features places to meet and interact, dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces and events. The service undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. As of December 2010, since Home's release in December 2008, the number of users has increased from 0.2 to 17 million, the games from the original nine to 236, virtual items from 114 to 7,000 and 25 events to 600 events.[90]
Netflix[link]
In October 2009, following the expiration of an exclusivity deal with Microsoft, Netflix and Sony Computer Entertainment announced that the service would also be available on the PlayStation 3 in November 2009 in the United States. The set-up is similar to that on the Xbox 360 in that Netflix subscribers can stream movies and TV shows from their Instant Queue to watch on the console, but different in that access to the application is free for all PlayStation 3 users. Initially, the Netflix application was available only on a Blu-ray Disc, which was made available on Netflix's website for free for subscribers. In September 2010, Netflix officially became available in Canada. On October 18, 2010, a new version of the Netflix application, which does not require a disc (but does require a free PlayStation Network account) and appeared automatically in the Video section of the XMB was released.[41] With features like Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and 1080p, it was regarded as the best Netflix experience for its time.[91]
Facebook[link]
On November 18, 2009, Sony released PS3 system update 3.10 which incorporates Facebook into the PS3. With the update, users have the option to automatically update their Facebook News Feeds with Trophy and PlayStation Store activity. The update also allows developers to set specific criteria in their titles to publish additional game information to the user's Facebook News Feed.[92]
What's New[link]
File:Whats-new.png
The XMB's PSN section, depicting the What's New screen automatically animating.
What's New was released on September 1, 2009, with PlayStation 3 system software 3.00. The feature was to replace the existing [Information Board], which displayed news from the PlayStation website associated with the user's region. The concept was developed further into a major PlayStation Network feature, with the [Status Indicator] featuring some of What's New (currently in North America, Japan and Brazil only).
The system displays the What's New screen by default instead of the [Games] menu (or [Video] menu, if a movie was inserted) when starting up. What's New automatically animates even without opening the application, just by hovering over it. The application has four sections: "Our Pick", "Recently Played", and new content available in PlayStation Store. There are four kinds of content the What's New screen displays and links to,[93] on the sections. "Recently Played" displays the user's recently played games and online services only, whereas, the other sections can contain website links, links to play videos, and access to selected sections of the PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation Store icons in the [Game] and [Video] section similarly to the What's New screen, except that they only display and link to games and the Video Store in the PlayStation Store, respectively.
Life with PlayStation[link]
Main article: Life with PlayStation
File:LifeWithPlayStation Weather.jpg
The Life with PlayStation application showing weather forecasts and news headlines for New York City. Screenshot taken at approximately 8pm PST.
Life with PlayStation was released on September 18, 2008[94] to succeed Folding@home. Life with PlayStation uses virtual globe data to display news and information by city. Along with the Folding@home functionality that allows consoles to simulate molecular processes, the application also provides the user with access to four other information "channels", the first of which being the Live Channel which offers news headlines and weather. Information is provided by Google News, The Weather Channel, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, among other sources.[95] The second channel is the World Heritage channel which offers historical information about historical sites. The third channel is the United Village channel. United Village is a project designed to share information about communities and cultures worldwide.[96] A recent update has allowed video and photo viewing in the application.[94] The fourth channel is the USA exclusive PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel for direct streaming of game trailers.
Sony Entertainment Network on other platforms[link]
In May 2009, Sony announced their intention to make the PlayStation Network an "open system". This change will facilitate the use of the PSN in devices other than the PlayStation 3 but no specific plans have yet been announced. Sony CEO, Howard Stringer said that the PSN has a lot of potential and that only having it available on the PlayStation 3 was limiting the scale of the service.[97]
Availability[link]
PlayStation Network is currently available in 60 countries, although PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and other features are only available on a handful of selected markets. The list is viewable when signing up for a new PSN account with the PS3.
As access restrictions are based on the address entered by the user and not on IP address, it is possible for users from non-supported regions to use the service.[citation needed]
Although available in 60 countries, many are still left out from PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store services which ended up with hundreds of ongoing petitions around the world asking Sony to add support for their countries allowing them to use PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store services. Many of the still ongoing petitions can be found at PlayStation Blog Share website.[98]
See also[link]
References[link]
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- ^ a b c "GDC 2007 Sony keynote speech". Engadget. 2007-03-08. http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/07/joystiq-and-engadget-live-at-sonys-2007-gdc-keynote/. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ a b c "PlayStation Home, the free virtual world of PlayStation 3". JoyStiq. 2007-03-07. http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/playstation-home-the-free-virtual-world-of-playstation-3/. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "IGN: Europeans Go Home". IGN PlayStation 3. 2007-05-01. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/784/784759p1.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ "PlayStation Home Beta Extended Today". http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/09/19/playstation-home-beta-extended-today/.
- ^ "Virtual Worlds News: Sony Home Delayed to Spring 2008". Virtual Worlds News. September 20, 2007. http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2007/09/sony-home-delay.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- ^ "PlayStation Home not open till fall of 08". Platform Nation. 22 April 2007. http://www.platformnation.com/2008/04/21/playstation-home-not-open-till-fall-of-08/.
- ^ Buser, Jack (2010-12-10). "PlayStation Home Turns Two, New Games Incoming". SCEA. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/12/10/playstation-home-turns-two-new-games-incoming/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=playstation_home_121010. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ "New PS3 Netflix Version Leapfrogs Xbox 360, Best Version Yet". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/207925/new_ps3_netflix_version_leapfrogs_xbox_360_best_version_yet.html.
- ^ "PlayStation 3 Firmware (v3.10) Update Preview". http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2009/11/17/playstation-3-firmware-v3-10-update-preview/. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "About What's New". PlayStation.net. September 1, 2009. http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/whatsnew/whatsnew.html. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
- ^ a b "Life with PlayStation". PlayStation.com. September 18, 2009. http://www.playstation.com/life/en/index.html. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ "Life With PlayStation out now". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5051551/life-with-playstation-out-now.
- ^ "United Village". http://www.united-village.net/en/about.html. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ "PSN to be on other hardware platforms". Eurogamer. 2009-05-11. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/psn-to-appear-on-other-hardware-platforms.
- ^ PlayStation Blog Share
External links[link]
- PlayStation Network
- Sony Media Go
- Life with PlayStation official website
- FirstPlay official website
- Frequently Asked Questions about the April 2011 PSN outage
- PlayStation Plus
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http://wn.com/PlayStation_Network
Related pages:
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Network
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Kazuo Hirai | |
|---|---|
 Hirai holding a PlayStation Vita prototype at PlayStation Meeting 2011 |
|
| Born | (1960-12-22) December 22, 1960 (age 51)[1] Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | President and CEO, Sony Corporation Chairman, Sony Computer Entertainment |
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫, Hirai Kazuo?, born December 22, 1960) is the President and CEO of Sony Corporation. He also serves as Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony.[2] He was noted by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the entertainment industry.[3] Hirai became Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment on September 1, 2011 and was replaced by Andrew House as President and Group CEO.[4] Hirai became the President and CEO of Sony on April 1, 2012.[5][6]
Contents |
Early years[link]
Hirai was born in 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. The son of a wealthy banker, Hirai often traveled with his father across the world to California, New York, and Canada and around Japan — a trait which Hirai noted to be a major factor in his later multi-continental business success.
It was his interest in games that later brought him into the entertainment business. After graduating from the International Christian University in August 1984 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, Hirai was hired at CBS/Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.), where he was involved in marketing international music within Japan.
He eventually became head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's international business affairs office in New York.
Sony Computer Entertainment[link]
In August 1995, Hirai joined Sony's computer and video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment America.[3] Two years later, in 1997, Hirai was credited on his first completed video game.
PlayStation[link]
Since heading up Sony Computer Entertainment America, Kazuo Hirai has been instrumental in Sony's success.[7] He played a fundamental role in the rise of the PlayStation in the United States, and his methods of cross-promoting of the PlayStation brand took its advertising beyond merely "game" or computer oriented fields. PlayStation advertisements were placed in mainstream sports events such as the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and even NASCAR. This method of marketing has been credited with introducing large numbers of individuals to video games who would ordinarily have not considered purchasing a console.
With the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, Kazuo continued his success, utilizing second-party franchises such as Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series of games. Under his leadership, SCEA continually managed to retain high profits throughout the sixth generation era.
2006-2011 SCEI management shuffle[link]
On July 3, 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Hirai had been made a vice president of its corporate executive group on July 1, 2006.[8]
On November 30, 2006, just under two weeks after the launch of PlayStation 3, Hirai replaced Ken Kutaragi as President of Sony Computer Entertainment. While maintaining his positions at SCEA, Hirai also became chief operating officer of SCEI. Kutaragi himself was promoted to chairman of SCEI, and remained chief executive officer of the group.[9]
On April 26, 2007, it was announced that Hirai will be promoted to President and Group CEO of SCEI, replacing Ken Kutaragi who would retire and instead take up the role of Honorary Chairman.[10][11][12][13]
Sony[link]
On April 1, 2009, Sony’s electronics and game businesses were merged and reconfigured as two major groups: the Consumer Products & Devices Group (CPDG) and the Networked Products & Services Group (NPSG). Hirai was appointed as Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the NPSG. He has overseen all development, production and marketing activities at the NPSG, comprising Sony's game (i.e. SCEI & Sony Online Entertainment), personal computer (VAIO), networked mobile (including Walkman) and network service (including online distributions of music, video, books, etc.) businesses and new business incubation projects.[14][15]
On April 1, 2011, Sony's consumer electronics, game, and networked service businesses were reorganized into one group, named the "Consumer Products & Services Group." Hirai was promoted to Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation. He oversaw the Consumer Products & Services Group.[2][16] Hirai was speculated to become the successor to Howard Stringer, the current sitting president and CEO of Sony Corporation, who was then expected to step down in 2013.[17]
On February 1, 2012, Sony announced that Hirai has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2012.[18] He is also expected to be appointed to the Board at the June shareholders meeting.
Notes[link]
- ^ Sony Corporation. "Form 20F (Annual Report) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009". http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/library/8ido18000001xz5p-att/FY08_20F_PDF.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ a b "Sony Corporation Announces Executive Appointments and Realignment of Key Businesses". Sony Corporation. 2011-03-10. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201103/11-032E/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
- ^ a b Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.. "Kaz Hirai, President and Chief Executive Officer". http://www.us.playstation.com/Corporate/About/Management/kazhirai.html. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
- ^ "SCEI Announces New Management Team" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. 2011-06-29. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/110629_e.html. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ "Executive Appointments". Sony Corporation. 2012-02-01. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201202/12-019E/index.html. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Sony Establishes New Management Structure". Sony Corporation. 2012-03-27. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201203/12-043E/index.html. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
- ^ The Guardian
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (2005-07-03). "News of corporate executive affairs" (in Japanese) (PDF). http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/060703.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (2006-11-30). "SCE Announces New Management Team" (PDF). http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/061130e.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
- ^ "Kutaragi to retire from executive role at Sony". gamesindustry.biz. April 26, 2007. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=24588. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "Farewell Mr Playstation". mvcuk. April 26, 2007. http://www.mcvuk.com/news/26780/Farewell-Mr-PlayStation. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "PlayStation creator Kutaragi resigns". CNET News.com. April 26, 2007. http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9712823-7.html. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ^ "Farewell, Father". GamesIndustry.biz. April 27, 2007. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=24620. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ^ "Sony Corporation Announces Major Reorganization and New Management Team Led by Howard Stringer". Sony Corporation. 2009-02-27. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200902/09-028E/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Executive Appointments". Sony Corporation. 2009-03-31. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200903/09-041E/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Games business chief promoted to head of consumer products unit, putting him in line to succeed Sir Howard Stringer as CEO". gamespot.com. March 10, 2011. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6303189.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Sony promotes Hirai as possible successor to CEO". Reuters. March 10, 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/10/us-sony-idUSTRE7290YK20110310. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Sony names Kazuo Hirai as President and CEO; Sir Howard Stringer to become Chairman of the Board of Directors". Sony Corporation. 2012-02-01. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201202/12-018E/index.html. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
External links[link]
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Kazuo Hirai |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kazuo Hirai |
- Interviews
- Kikizo video interview
- Gamespot video interview - Playstation 3 pre launch
- Gamespot video interview - TGS 2006
- 1UP.com interview
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hirai, Kazuo |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | December 22, 1960 |
| Place of birth | Tokyo, Japan |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Kazuo_Hirai
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Kazuo Hirai
http://it.wn.com/Kazuo Hirai
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuo_Hirai
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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