Global Odyssey • 31st May 2024

Bangladesh, a country rich in culture and hotspot for biodiversity - Global Odyssey

Bangladesh is a country in South Asia and one of the most densely-populated countries in the world with a population of over 170 million people spread out across almost 150,000 square kilometres.


It shares land borders with India to the north, west and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. To the south, it has an extensive coastline stretching along the Bay of Bengal.


Bangladesh is a country rich in culture, heritage and natural beauty, yet not explored to the same extent as its bigger South...

Global Odyssey • 30th May 2024

The Finnish language, a long journey to prominence in Finland - Global Odyssey

Finnish is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland.


Uralic language map (Wikimedia Commons)


It is one of the two official languages in Finland alongside Swedish.


It is spoken by over five million people, most of whom live in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.


The majority of Finland’s population s...

Global Odyssey • 28th May 2024

The Greek language, an odyssey to immense global influence - Global Odyssey

Greek is a language making up the independent Hellenic languages branch of the Indo-European family of languages.


Greek is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), southern Albania, other parts of the Balkans region, the Black Sea coast, Anatolia (large peninsula and region in Turkey) and the Eastern Mediterranean.


Greek language in the Eastern Mediterranean (Wikimedia Commons)


The Greek language has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spannin...

Global Odyssey • 27th May 2024

The Catalan language, a journey of revival and recovery - Global Odyssey

Catalan is a western Romance language and principally spoken on and around the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe.


It is the official language of the country of Andorra, situated between Spain and France, and an official language in three autonomous communities in Spain. These are Catalonia, the Balearic Islands – comprising Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera – and the Valencian Community (comunidad valenciana).


Catalan Countries (Wikimedia Commons)


The language has semi-offi...

Global Odyssey • 26th May 2024

The Turkish language, tracing its history with the Ottoman Empire

Turkish is a language spoken by between 90 and 110 million people and it is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages.


Turkish (Türkçe in Turkish), is the national language of Turkey (Türkiye) and Northern Cyprus. Significant smaller groups of Turkish speakers are also present in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, other parts of Europe, the South Caucasus, and some parts of Central Asia, Iraq and Syria. More than two million Turkish speakers live in Germany.


Turkish...

Global Odyssey • 24th May 2024

Suriname, the diverse South American nation rich in rainforest

Suriname is a country on the northern coast of South America and the smallest self-governing country in South America by both population and territory.


It is bordered by Guyana to the west, French Guiana (an overseas département of France) to the east, Brazil to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.


Suriname is bordered by Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean


It has a population of over 640,000 which is mainly concentrated in and around the capital Paramaribo, m...

Global Odyssey • 23rd May 2024

The Bantu languages, what are they and where are they spoken? - Global Odyssey

The Bantu languages are a language family of around 600 languages spoken by the Bantu peoples in central, eastern, southern and southeast Africa.


They are a group of languages belonging to the Bantoid subgroup of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.


They are spoken over a vast area including a significant part of the African continent. They are spoken all the way from southern Cameroon eastward to Kenya and southward to the southernmost tip of the continent.


Map of...

Global Odyssey • 22nd May 2024

Mozambique, coastal African nation with beautiful turquoise waters

Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony in southeastern Africa, is a beautiful country three times the size of Great Britain and boasts 2500km of coastline.


It is bordered by six countries: Tanzania to the north, South Africa and Eswatini (also known as Swaziland) to the south and southwest, and Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi to the west.


Mozambique borders six other countries and the Mozambique Channel


Lake Malawi straddles the border with Malawi and the Mozambique Channel separates the co...

Global Odyssey • 22nd May 2024

Sumatra, Indonesia's largest island rich in nature and peoples

Sumatra, Indonesia’s largest island and the sixth-largest island in the world, is a melting pot of cultures that contribute to Indonesia’s diverse cultural tapestry.


It is home to a wide range of peoples and tribes who help make up its 59 million plus population. The island spans a northwest-southeast axis from Banda Aceh in the north to Bandar Lampung in the south.


Ernie Johan Manurung was born and grew up in the North Sumatra province, located towards the north of the island. It is the m...

Global Odyssey • 21st May 2024

The Basque language, a language like no other in Europe - Global Odyssey

The Basque language is a fascinating language on many levels and largely because it is a language isolate. This means it is a language without absolute any relationship or connection to another language.


It is the only remnant of the languages spoken in southwestern Europe before the region was Romanised in the 2nd through to 1st century BCE.


The language is the only surviving Paleo-European language spoken in Europe and predates the arrival of speakers of the Indo-European languages that...

Global Odyssey • 21st May 2024

Warsaw, Poland's capital city steeped in suffering and history

As you step into Warsaw, you are not just stepping into one of Europe’s great metropoles but also a city charged with history and one which has suffered more than most.


At the heart of the centre of Warsaw, one is immediately struck by the iconic and imposing Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science). It is a remnant of the Soviet era in the city, standing 237m tall and towering above Warsaw’s plethora of skyscrapers. It is only dwarfed by the Varso Tower office complex, both Wars...

Global Odyssey • 20th May 2024

The Slavic languages, what are they and where are they spoken? - Global Odyssey

If you are planning to travel across central Europe, eastern Europe or the Balkans anytime soon, then it is highly recommended you learn a little bit about the Slavic languages.


From the heart of central Europe in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the vast expanse of Russia and down to the Black Sea in Bulgaria, the Slavic languages spread across a huge scope of Europe. They are the largest ethnolinguistic group in Europe and are spoken by almost 400 million people.


Like the Latin and Ger...

Global Odyssey • 20th May 2024

The Scandinavian languages, what are they and where are they spoken? - Global Odyssey

If you are planning a trip to Scandinavia soon, it will be enriching to learn about the languages that are spoken in this region.


The region of Scandinavia encompasses the countries of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, as well as the self-governing Faroe Islands which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark.


The languages spoken across this region are known as the Scandinavian languages or North Germanic languages, a branch of the Germanic language family.


These Scandinavian languages are...