We're super excited to co-chair this event! As we looked at the list of countries that have been presented at past world fairs, we wanted to select countries that have not been represented, yet. We also wanted to cover countries that may have been in the news a lot, but that many of us, and especially our kids, may not know much about. And we wanted to include some island nations.
Knowing that there are many countries that have contributed in often unknown ways to the world as we know it, we chose our theme to be “New Horizons or Historical Beginnings”. Many of these countries also have a significant number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites!
Afghanistan - All the major cities of modern Afghanistan were centers of science and culture in the past. Afghanistan was the cultural capital of Persia until the Mongol Invasion in the 13th century.
Denmark - The Danish monarchy is the oldest in the world. And the oldest state flag in the world still in use by an independent nation is the Danish Flag. Denmark is home to the world's oldest amusement park, Bakken, as well as the second oldest one, Tivoli Gardens. Denmark was a pioneer in developing wind turbines. And, of course, LEGO was started in Denmark!
Equador – Part of the Inca Empire and one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. It is also home to the Galapagos Islands!
Ethiopia - Fossils of some of the earliest human ancestors have been found in Ethiopia (Lucy). It's considered the birthplace of coffee, was never fully colonized, and is home to eight (8) UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Haiti - Haiti was the world’s first black-led republic after it threw off French colonial control and slavery in the early 19th century.
Israel - Israel is the only country in the world that has the same name, is located in the same land, and speaks the same language as it did 3,000 years ago. Israel is a world leader in the invention of new technologies.
Mongolia - The Mongol Empire was, for a time, the second-largest empire that ever existed. Mongols were not merely ruthless slaughterers, but a progressive nation that contributed to the overall development of Western culture.
Samoa – Samoa is considered the Cradle of Polynesia. Samoan culture is central to Polynesian life, and its styles of music, dance, and visual art have gained renown throughout the Pacific islands and the world.
We hope you are excited about presenting one of these amazing places to the greater LCE community! We will need leads for each country as well as at least 3-4 volunteers per country. Please go to Sign-up Genius and pick a country to present: https://www.
Babette & Kam
World Fair Co-Chairs
For more information, please contact worldfair@lcepta.org.