With a surface area of 1.29m sq km and 2414 km of coastline, Peru is the third-largest country in South America. It has a population of 28.2m, 30.2% of which is under the age of 14. While there is no official religion, the majority of Peruvians are Christian, and the Catholic Church plays an important role in the country’s culture.

Over the past decade, Turkey has experienced a number of important transitions that have led to demographic, economic and cultural transformation. These changes have made contemporary Turkey a regional focal point

South Africa lies on the southern tip of Africa, occupying 1.22m sq km with some 2800 km of coastline along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The so-called “Rainbow Nation” has a population of around 50.5m and is a melting pot of ethnicities, cultures and languages that reflect its rich and tumultuous history.

Bahrain has weathered the effects of a difficult global economic period well, and its recovery has been solid, demonstrating the strength and flexibility of its economy. The government’s drive to diversify away from oil and gas dependence has been renewed, and a wealth of ambitious non-oil sector projects – from infrastructure to renewable energy technology – is now in the pipeline.

Although economic headwinds have thrown international markets off course, the Philippine economy has managed to stay on a relatively even keel. Local authorities note that while GDP growth slowed in 2011 relative to 2010 due to weak external demand and government underspending, household