Category Archives: Asia

For the complete list of nations in Asia, please visit franciscogardening.com.

Malaysia Animals and Plants

Rainforests are huge habitats In East Malaysia we find one of the oldest tropical rainforests on earth, where many wild animals have survived. Almost four fifths of the country’s total area is covered by this rainforest. How many plants there are here is not exactly known. There are more than 8000 flowering plants, including 2500… Read More »

Kyrgyzstan Wildlife and Economy

Animals and Plants What is growing in Kyrgyzstan? Much of the landscape of Kyrgyzstan is steppe. Only grass and no trees grow there. Only 4 percent of the country’s area is covered by forest. Nevertheless, the country in the Jalalabad region has the largest walnut forest in the world. Most trees grow between 1,500 and… Read More »

Cambodia Animals and Plants

Animal Cambodia! More than 212 species of mammals live in Cambodia. This also includes animal species such as tigers, elephants, bears, rhinos and leopards. 720 species of birds feel at home in the forests of Cambodia and, as in many countries in Southeast Asia, butterflies show themselves in a wonderful variety in bright colors and… Read More »

Mongolia Wildlife and Economy

Animals and Plants Biodiversity in Mongolia You can discover over 130 species of mammals, over 430 bird species, 75 fish species, thousands of different plants and unfortunately more than 100 endangered plants in Mongolia. 10 percent of the country is covered with forest. These are mostly coniferous forests with spruce, larch, fir or pine. Steppes… Read More »

Cambodia Economy

Marked by history Although there are now fewer poor people in Cambodia than there were ten years ago and the country’s economy is growing, Cambodia is still one of the “less developed countries” (HDI). The consequences of the Vietnam War, the rule of the Khmer Rouge and the many civil wars can still be felt… Read More »

Myanmar Wildlife and Economy

Animals and Plants What is growing in Myanmar? The mountains and the coastal regions of Myanmar are determined by the tropical rainforest. In the river delta of the longest river Ayeyarwady grow mangroves. In the humid monsoon forest of Myanmar, teak trees and bamboo plants of various kinds stretch upwards. Incidentally, the teak tree can… Read More »

Cambodia Problems

The land of young people If you walk the streets of Cambodia, you may notice that there are a lot of young people walking around here – even more than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. You rarely see old people. Why is that actually? Are the people in Cambodia not getting that old? Or do… Read More »

China Domestic Problems

The Chinese one-child policy For a long time since 1979, each married couple in China was only allowed to have one child. A law that interferes with people’s private lives. A big problem is now that there are many more men than women in China and that many men can no longer find a wife.… Read More »

China Economy

Natural resources China is very rich in natural resources. Bituminous coal, lead, iron ore, zinc and oil are mined, gold and diamonds are mined. There are also tin, copper and natural gas deposits in China. But electricity has to be introduced because China cannot completely supply itself with energy. Despite great efforts to expand hydropower… Read More »

China Everyday Life

How do you live in China? The more than 1.3 billion Chinese need living space and that is scarce in China, especially in the big cities. That is why many houses are being built in China, especially high-rise buildings. Unfortunately, these new buildings often fall victim to old districts. Despite the new buildings, many Chinese… Read More »

China Foods

Chinese cuisine The Chinese eat with chopsticks or use a porcelain spoon for their popular soup. Important foods are rice and wheat, corn and millet, but also legumes and sweet potatoes. A cereal porridge is often eaten for breakfast. Rice or fried wheat flatbreads and pasta are not missing from any meal. There are also… Read More »

China Recent History

The Republic of China In 1895, China suffered a defeat against Japan in the Sino-Japanese War. The population suffered, revolts broke out and the empire was increasingly questioned. Attempts were made to put a stop to these counter-movements, but they did not succeed in the long run. The Quing dynasty was very weak at the… Read More »

Jordan Everyday Life

Jordan holds a key political position in the Middle East. Because of its geopolitical and strategic importance, the country has been an important partner for Germany for decades. The focus of German-Jordanian cooperation is the water sector. Jordan relies on finance, education and tourism as economic engines. Everyday & Practical Information If you are going… Read More »

Jordan Security and Health

Stay healthy in the country Vaccinations, HIV test, medical emergency Traveling and living in Jordan are unproblematic for an average healthy person. Vaccinations are not required for Jordan. However, anyone who lives in the country for more than three months must undergo a medical examination and an AIDS test. If the result is positive, there… Read More »

Shopping in Jordan

Just arrived – where can I find what? Information about kindergartens, schools and leisure activities for families with children can be found on this page under the heading “With children in Jordan” (see below). The English-Arabic city guide Amman Today, which can be found free of charge in electronic form and as a brochure at… Read More »

Living in Jordan

Currency: Jordanian Dinar (JD) Exchange rate: 0.86 JD per euro (December 2020) Time zone: UTC + 2 Country code (phone): +962 Climate (Amman): Moderately Mediterranean-continental Finding accommodation in Amman Thanks to the commitment of other newcomers such as Bastian Müller, you can now find many details about living online, especially about the capital Amman, where… Read More »

Jordan Entry and Residence Requirements

Tip in advance Regardless of whether you are coming for a vacation or to work in the country – take a look at the current pages of the Federal Foreign Office. There you will find information on entry, the current status of pandemic measures (Covid19), possible mandatory HIV tests, importing a car and detailed customs… Read More »

Jordan Film and Music

Film and TV Jordan – an Arab media location According to naturegnosis, Jordan is increasingly the backdrop for regional film productions. In addition, Jordanian companies are relevant players in the Arab TV market. Amman is home to one of the largest independent Arab television production companies. Numerous foreign TV productions, including children’s series from Germany,… Read More »

Jordan Culture

Cultural identities According to militarynous, Jordan is an Arabic-speaking country. With Arabic as a common high-level language, Jordan is culturally associated with an estimated 300 million people from the Atlantic to the Gulf. As the language of the Koran, the Islamic revelation, Arabic has a sacred status for Muslims. Even more than language, Islam has… Read More »

Jordan Religion

Officially recognized religions The annual report of the US State Department on religious freedom in Jordan provides information on the degree of religious freedom, the size of religious communities and their regional distribution in Jordan. Around 97 percent of the total Jordanian population are Sunni Muslims. A good two percent are Christians, most of them… Read More »

Jordan Education System

School and vocational training In Jordan there are public schools, private schools and schools of the UN Palestinian Aid Organization UNRWA. The UNRWA schools run up to the 10th grade and are attended by almost 120,000 children. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the supervision of the school system up to the Abitur. The… Read More »

Jordan Gender Relations Part II

Girls and women as guarantors of family honor A central element of the patriarchal mentality is also the idea that girls potentially threaten the family honor because they could lose their virginity if they are not married. At the latest with the onset of puberty, and often even before that, girls are therefore subjected to… Read More »

Jordan Gender Relations Part I

Jordan is a young society: one third of the population is under 15 years of age, two thirds are under 29 years of age. Many young people are very well educated. But there are not enough jobs and the income is often not even enough for transport to work. Alphabetized adults: 96% (2020) Major religions:… Read More »

Jordan Demographics

The population at a glance Ethnically mixed, religiously and linguistically homogeneous The so-called East Jordanian “tribes ” are considered to be formative for society in Jordan. The term “tribes” is also used very often by the Jordanians themselves, but it can be misleading because in fact we are dealing with large families or family associations.… Read More »

Jordan Economic Policy

The export of skilled labor and raw materials, as well as services and tourism, form the backbone of the Jordanian economy. The rapid increase in the resident population poses a major challenge for Jordan because the country has few water resources and is heavily dependent on energy imports (oil, gas). Economic indicators, analyzes General data… Read More »

Jordan Development Efforts

Estimated GDP: US $ 44 billion (2020) Per capita income (purchasing power parity, PPP): US $ 9,100.00 (estimated 2020) Human Development Rank (HDI): 102 (of 189) (2019) Proportion of poverty: Not specified Distribution of income (Gini coefficient): 33.7 (World Bank 2010, no recalculation since) Economic Transformation Index (BTI): Rank 57 of 137 (2020) Domestic development… Read More »

Jordan Economic Sectors

Economic system Free market economy? Distorted competition According to extrareference, Jordan is committed to the free market economy. However, the designation only applies to a limited extent. Politically motivated high inflows of money from outside, the economic supremacy of the Hashemite royal family, the ramified client and patronage system “Wasta” and subsidies for politically important… Read More »

Jordan Economic Issues

Scarce resources, urban-rural situation Scarce resources (little water, few raw materials), deficits in governance and a poorly developed industry make Jordan economically highly dependent on imports and external financial inflows. International financial aid and loans (USA, IMF, Arab Gulf states), remittances from Jordanian workers abroad (in 2019 it was about 3 billion JD / year… Read More »

Jordan Migration

Migration Refugees According to the UNHCR country office in Jordan, there are currently (spring 2020) around 700,000 registered non-Palestinian refugees, around 670,000 of them from Syria. Another half a million Syrians are believed to be in the Hashemite kingdom without refugee status. Around 170,000 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees are now officially allowed to work, around 28… Read More »

Jordan Foreign Policy

The country in a regional and international context Current are the armed conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen as well as the fight against the so-called Islamic State determining factors for Jordan’s foreign policy. The relationship with Israel and the political instability in the Palestinian territories harbor a growing potential for conflict. Jordan signed a… Read More »