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| The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful CIA-backed invasion of this country | |
| Upon achieving independence from Portugal in 1822, this country existed as an Empire until becoming a presidential republic in 1889 | |
| In 2009, this country became the first South American nation to nationally legalize same-sex civil unions | |
| This modern day country, renowned as the former center of the Inca Empire, is home to the UNESCO-recognized site of Machu Picchu | |
| Soon after seceding from Colombia in 1903, work on the first canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was begun in this country | |
| This modern-day country is the location of the first known European attempt at colonizing the Americas | |
| In 1983, this country became the youngest sovereign nation in the Americas when it achieved independence from the UK | |
| In 1969, the Soccer War broke out between El Salvador and this country, coinciding with rioting between fans at a qualifying match for the 1970 FIFA World Cup | |
| This country is home to Nelson's Dockyard, the residence of Admiral Horatio Nelson from 1784 to 1787 | |
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| Since 1964, FARC, a Marxist guerilla organization, has been in persistent armed conflict with right-wing paramilitaries and government forces in this country | |
| In 1997, US-born Janet Jagan was elected president of this country, thus becoming South America's first democratically elected female President | |
| From 1831 until its collapse in 1838, the Federal Republic of Central America, a sovereign state consisting of five modern-day countries, had its capital in this country | |
| On January 5th 2012, Portia Simpson-Miller was elected the 7th Prime Minister of this country | |
| After being settled by Christopher Columbus in 1492, this modern-day country became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas | |
| From 1973 to 1998, Augusto Pinochet headed a military regime in this country that is credited with 'disappearing' over 3,000 political opponents | |
| The frequency at which this modern day country alternated between British and French control resulted in it receiving the nickname 'Helen of the West Indies' | |
| The Galápagos Islands, visited by Charles Darwin prior to his writing 'On the Origins of Species', are a province of this country | |
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