Evian (France): Venue of the G8 summit, June 2003.

Eyre, lake (Australia): At 15 m. below sea level, it is the lowest point on the continent.

Falkland Islands (UK): British crown colony in S.Atlantic Ocean. To Argentina, they are ‘Malvinas’, War between Argentina and Britain over the Islands in 1982.

Fatima (Portugal): Small village where three shepherds children claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917.

Finland (Northern Europe): A wealthy country. Thousands of lakes. Some think human habitation here dates back 100,000 years.

Flanders (Belgium-France): The region frequently fought over by France, Spain and Austria is divided between Belgium and France. Scene of big trench warfare in WWI.

Florence (Italy): Cultural, intellectual centre of Italy, the rule of the Medice family being the most glorious time, Leading centre of the Renaissance. Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, 1865-71. Te school of Florence includes Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Raphael.

Florida (USA): It forms a long peninsula with thousands of lakes and many rivers. Belonged to the Spanish. America purchased it in 1819. Everglades, Florida Keys, Disney World, Miami, etc are here.

Forbidden city (China): The public museums in Beijing, were in the past imperial places where no commoner of foreigner could enter without special permission. The complex has some 9000 rooms.

Formosa (Taiwan’s former name, republic of China): Island in the Pacific. The Portuguese names it Formosa (“beautiful’), then was under the Dutch, and then under the Ming dynasty of China. Chiang Kaishek fled to Taiwan. Economic growth was spectacular from the 1950’s.

Freetown (Sierra Leone): Capital. Founded in 1790’s as a foundation for freed slaves. From 1808 to 1874, it was capital of British West Africa.