Nickie's Blog

Auschwitzthe-Birkenau the extermination camp began in October 1941. It was designed to hold several categories of prisoners. The first gas chamber at Birkenau was "The Little Red House," a brick cottage converted into a gassing facility by tearing out the inside and bricking up the walls, they started exterminating in March of 1942. Then they built a second one a few weeks later called "The Little White House." The camp was staffed partly by prisoners, some of whom were selected to be kapos (orderlies, most of whom were convicts) and sonderkommandos (workers at the crematoria). The kapos had to keep the order in the barrack huts. The sonderkommandos took the new arrivals to the gas chambers and lied to them telling them to remove their clothes and get completely naked and to not take anything in the "shower" with them. They just told the new arrivals and the different groups who got sentenced to go to the chambers that they were just taking showers and they had to remember which hooks they left their clothes to come back and get their stuff. But little did the people know they were never coming back out of the chambers alive they would be killed and then the sonderkommandos were ordered to take the bodies to the crematoriums so the bodies could be burned. By June 1943 all four crematoriums were all up and operating. Some times they burned bodies of the people who were apart of their families at one point before being sent to the camp or they could have been friends or neighbors. They would switch out new sonderkommandos every four months and the old sonderkommandos would be sent to the gas chambers or a different way of execution. But the sonderkommandos and kapos got privileges such as the gold people brought and better housing and better and more food and even got liquor.

Africa-Botswana
1. It borders South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia. Is located at the Southern tip of Africa.
2. Population- 1,990,876
3. Land Area- 581,730 km
4. GDP Per Capita- $6,406
5. It is near the Atlantic Ocean.
6. Language- English, Setswana
7. Currency- Pula

I started in Tshabong and it is located in the Kalahari Desert. The population in 2001 was 6,591 people. The primary hospital serves a huge outlying area, and includes several tuberculosis refuges.


Then I went to Ramotswa which is a village in South-East District of Botswana, southwest of the capital of Gaborone. The population in 2001 was 20,680 people. Ramotswa's main industry is a wheat flour mill. The village also manufactures metal products.

Australia
1. Borders the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, the Tasman Sea, the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Coral Sea, and the Southern Ocean. Southeast of Asia and East of Africa and Northeast of Antarctica.
2. Population- 22,527,932
3. Land Area- 7,617,930 km
4. GDP Per Capita- $45,285
5. It is near the Coral Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Carpentaria.
6. Language- English
7. Currency- Australian Dollar

I first went to Melbourne most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. In June of 2009 it had an approximate population of four million. People of Melbourne are called Melburnians. It was founded in 1835 by settlers from Van Diemen's Land. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities.


Then I traveled to Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. The area was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State because of its warm weather.

Europe-Slovakia
1. Borders Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. It is located in the middle of Europe.
2. Population- 5,429,763
3. Land Area- 49,035 km
4. GDP Per Capita- $16,281
5. It is near the Black Sea and the Ionian Sea.
6. Language- Slovak
7. Currency- Euro

I first started in Bratislava in Slovakia, Europe which is the capital of Slovakia. It's population is about 431,000 people. it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries which are Austria and Hungary. Bratislava was renamed in 6 March 1919 to Bratislava. Bratislava has been around since 5000 BC. The Slavs arrived between the 5th and 6th centuries during the Migration Period.


Then I went to Medzev. The town was first mentioned in 1359 in historical records. It has a population of about 3800 people. 75.43% of inhabitants were Slovaks, 13.55 Germans, 6.65% Roma, 1.55% Hungarians and 0.44% Czechs. The religious make-up was 77.58% Roman Catholics, 12.95% people with no religious affiliation, 2.18% Greek Catholics and 0.79% Lutherans.

South America-Venezuela
1.It is located in the Northern part of South America, and North of Venezuela is the Carribean Sea. It borders Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana.
2.Population- 26,814,843
3.Land Area- 916,445 km
4.GDP Per Capita- $11,726
5.It is near the Carribean Sea.
6.Language- Spanish
7.Currency- Bolivar Fuerte

I started in Barcelona in South America. Did you know Barcelona was founded in 1671? The city's cathedral is named Iglesia El Carmen and it was built between 1748 and 1773. And Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela. Barcelona has well-preserved colonial architecture. One of the most interesting colonial buildings is the Museo de Anzoátegui, which is the oldest building in the city which was built in 1671.


Then I went to Maracaibo is in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of Lake Maracaibo. It is the second largest city in Venezuela. The population is about 1,495,199 people. The first Europeans first arrived there in 1499. Maracaibo is nicknamed La Tierra del Sol Amada which translates to the beloved land of the sun. The name Maracaibo comes from the brave Cacique who was an Indian Chief.