The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, takes place in May. It celebrates the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Afghanistan Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ﻣﺟ یروﮭ ﯽﻣﻼﺳا نﺎﺗﺳﻧﺎﻐﻓا Capital & Largest City – Kabul Official Language – Pashto, Dari Ethnic groups – 42% Pashtun, 27% Tajik, 9% Hazara, 9% Uzbek, 4% Aimaq, 3% Turkmen, 2% Baloch Religion – Islam Government – Unitary presidential Islamic republic Legislature – National Assembly Formation – Hotak Empire 21 April 1709 Area – 652,230 km2 Population – 32,225,560 (43rd) Currency – Afghani (AFN) American Samoa American Samoa Amerika Sāmoa Sovereign State – United States Capital & Largest City – Pago Pago Official Language – English, Samoan Ethnic groups – 89% Samoan, 3% Tongan, 3% Multiracial, 2% Filipino, 3% other Religion – 98% Christian, 2% other Government – Devolved presidential constitutional dependency Legislature – Fono Area – 200 km2 Population – 55,191 Currency – US Dollar Armenia Republic of Armenia Հանրապետություն Capital & Largest City – Yerevan Official Language – Armenian Religion – Armenian, Orthodoxy Government – Unitary parliamentary republic Legislature – National Assembly Establishment – Orontid Dynasty 6th century BC Independence from the Soviet Union – 21 September 1991 Area – 29,743 km2 Population – 2,951,745 (99th) Currency – Dram (AMD) Republic of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azərbaycan Respublikası Capital & Largest City – Baku Official Language – Azerbaijani Ethnic groups – 92% Azerbaijani, 2% Lezgian, 1% Armenian, Russian, Talysh, 2.4% others Religion – 97% Islam, 3% Christianity Government – Unitary dominant- party semi-presidential republic Legislature – National Assembly Independence from the Soviet Union – 30 August 1991 Area 86,600 km2 Population – 10, 027,874(90th) Currency - Manat Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain ﻣﻣ ﻠ ﺔﻛ نﯾرﺣﺑﻟا Capital & Largest City – Manama Official Language – Arabic, English Ethnic groups – 50.7% Arab, (46% Bahraini people, 4.7% Other Arabs), 45.5% Asian, 1% European Religion – Islam Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy Legislature – National Assembly Independence from the United Kingdom – 14 August 1971 Area 780 km2 Population – 1, 569, 446 (149th) People’s Republic of Bangladesh Bangladesh গণজাত'ী বাংলােদশ Capital & Largest City – Dhaka Official Language – Bengali Ethnic groups – 98% Bengalis 2% Minorities Religion – 89.5% Islam, 8.5% Hinduism, .6% Buddhism, .4% Christianity Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic Legislature – Jatiya Sangsad Independence declared 26 March 1971 Area 147,570 km2 Population – 161,376,708 (8th) Bhutan Kingdom of Bhutan འག་ལ་ཁབ་ Capital & Largest City – Thimphu Official Language – Dzongkha Religion – 77.4% Vajrayana Buddhism, 22.6% Hinduism Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy Legislature – Parliment Formation – Unification of Bhutan 1616 – 1634 Area 38,394 km2 Population – 741,700 (165th) Currency – Ngultrum (BTN) Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace Brunei ارﺎﻧ ﻲﻧورﺑ اراد مﻼﺳﻟ ردﻲوﺑ ر Capital & Largest City – Bandar Seri Begawan Official Language – Malay, English Ethnic groups – 66% Malays, 10% Chinese, 24% others Religion – Sunni Islam Government – Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy Legislature – Legislative Council Formation – Creation of the Sultanate – 1368 Independence from the United Kingdom – 1 January 1984 Area 5,765 km2 Population – 442, 400 (168th) Cambodia Kingdom of Cambodia ពះ$%&ចកកម*+% Capital & Largest City – Phnom Penh Official Language – Khmer, English, French Ethnic groups – 98% Khmer, 1%Cham, .1% Vietnamese, .1% Chinese, 1% other Religion – 98% Buddhism, 1% Islam, .5% Christianity Government – Unitary dominant- party parliamentary elective constitutional monarchy Legislature – Parliament Formation – Funan Empire 50/69 AD – 550/627 AD Area 181,035 km2 Population – 15,288,489 (72nd) People’s Republic of China China 中华人民共和国 Capital – Beijing Largest City – Shanghai & Chongqing Official Language – Chinese Ethnic groups – Majority Han 55 minorities Religion – 74% non- religious/Chinese folk religion, 16% Buddhism, 8% Other, 3% Christianity, .5% Islam Government – Unitary Marxist- Leninist one-party socialist republic Legislature – National People’s Congress Formation – 1st pre-imperial dynasty c. 2070 BCE Area 9,596,961 km2 Population – 1,427,647,786 (1st) Cook Islands Cook Islands Kūki 'Āirani Capital & Largest City – Avarua Official Language – English, Cook Islands Maori Ethnic groups – 78% Maori, 8% Part-Maori, 14% Other Government – Unitary constitutional monarchy Legislature – Parliament Associated State of New Zealand 4 August 1965 Area 236.7 km2 Population – 17,518 Currency – New Zealand dollar (NZD) Republic of Cyprus Cyprus Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Capital & Largest City – Nicosia Official Language – Greek, Turkish Ethnic groups – Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites Religion – 89% Church of Cyprus Government – Unitary presidential constitutional republic Legislature – House of Representatives Independence from the United Kingdom – 19 February 1959 Area 9,251 km2 Population – 1,189,265 (158th) Currency – Euro (EUR) Easter Island Easter Island Rapa Nui Capital & Largest City – Hanga Roa Official Language – Spanish, Rapa Nui Government – Municipality Municipal Council Provincial Governor – Laura Alarcon Rapu Alcalde – Pedro Edmunds Paoa Legislature – National Assembly Special Territory of Chile Area 163.6 km2 Population – 7,750 Currency – Peso (CLP) Republic of Fiji Fiji Matanitu Tugalala o Viti Capital & Largest City – Suva Official Language – Fijian, English Ethnic groups – 57% Fijians, 38% Indo-Fijians, 1% Rotumand, 4.5% other Europeans & Pacific Islanders Religion – 64% Christianity, 28% Hinduism, 6% Islam, .3% Sikhism Government – Unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic Legislature – Parliament Independence from the United Kingdom – 10 October 1970 Area 18,274 km2 Population – 926, 276 (161st) French Polynesia French Polynesia Polynésie française Capital – Papeete Largest City – Fa’a’a Official Language – French, Tahitian, Austral Ethnic groups – 66.5% Polynesians, 7% mixed Polynesians, 9% Demis, 12% Europeans, 5% East Asians Government – Devolved parliamentary dependency Legislature – Assembly of French Polynesia Sovereign state of France Area 4,167 km2 Population – 275,918 (177th) Currency – CFP Franc (XPF) Georgia Georgia საქართველო Capital & Largest City – Tbilisi Official Language – Georgian, Abkhazian Ethnic groups – 87% Georgians, 6% Azerbaijanis, 5% Armenians, 1% Russians, 2% other Religion – 83% Eastern Orthodoxy, 11% Islam, 4% Oriental Orthodoxy, 1% Roman Catholic Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic Legislature – Parliament Establishment – Colchis & Iberia 13th c BC – 580 AD Area 69,700 km2 Population – 3,723,464 (129th) Guam Guam Guåhån Capital – Hagatna Largest City – Dededo Official Language – English, Chamorro Ethnic groups – 37% Chamorro, 26% Filipino, 7% White, 7% Chuukese, 2% Korean, 2% Other Asian, 2% Chinese, 2% Palauan, Religion – 75% Catholicism, 18% Protestantism, 1% Buddism Government – Devolved presidential constitutional dependency Legislature – Legislature of Guam Sovereign State of United States Area 540 km2 Population – 162,742 Hawaiian Islands Hawaiian Islands Mokupuni o Hawai‘i Capital & Largest City – Honolulu Official Language – English A archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the island of Hawaiʻi in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Total Islands – 137 Highest Point – Mauna Kea 13,796 ft Became a state – 21 August 1959 Area 780 km2 Population – 1,428,446 Currency – US Dollar India Republic of India Bhārat Gaṇarājya Capital – New Delhi Largest City – Mumbai Official Language – Hindi, English Religion – 80% Hinduism, 14% Islam, 2% Christianity, 2% Sikhism, 1% Buddhism, and others Government – Federal parliamentary constitutional republic Legislature – Parliament Independence from the United Kingdom – 15 August 1947 Area 3,287,263 km2 (7th) Population – 1,352,642,280 (2nd) Currency – Indian rupee (INR) Republic of Indonesia Indonesia Republik Indonesia Capital & Largest City – Jakarta Official Language – Indonesian & Over 700 regional languages Ethnic groups – Over 300 ethnic groups Religion – 87% Islam, 10% Christianity, 2% Hinduism, 1% Buddhism, and others Government – Unitary presidential constitutional republic Legislature – People’s Consultative Assembly Formation – Hindu & Buddhist kingdoms – 2nd Century Area 1,904,569 km2 Population – 267,670,543 (4th) Iran Islamic Republic of Iran ﻣﺟ یروﮭ ﯽﻣﻼﺳا نارﯾا Capital & Largest City – Tehran Official Language – Persian Ethnic groups – 61% Persian, 16% Azerbaijani, 10% Kurd, 6% Lur, 2% Turkman, and others Religion – Islam Government – Unitary Khomeinist presidential theocratic- constitutional Islamic republic Legislature – Upper & Lower House Establishment – Median Empire c 678 BC Area 1,648,195 km2 th Population – 83,183,741 (17 ) Republic of Iraq Iraq ﻣﺟ روﮭ ﯾ ﺔ قارﻌﻟا Motto: “God is the Greatest” Capital & Largest City – Baghdad Official Language – Arabic – Kirdish, Mandaic, Shabaki, Persian