Bucharest Transformed Some leaders have used Communist ideology to justify radical social policies.

Romania's Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauescu ordered workers to demolish many of Bucharest's elegant French-style buildings and replace them with austere apartment blocks of North Korean design. Ceauescus ideological fervor also led him to order the demolition of many other historic buildings to make room for the House of the Republic, an enormous government building seen here in the background.

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Vietnamese Communist Party As the only legal political party in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Communist Party exercises exclusive power in the government. The government is based closely on the Communist system of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The images of Communist revolutionary leaders Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin can be seen on the curtains.

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Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat served as president of Mongolia from 1990 to 1997.

U.S. Bombing of Cambodia From 1969 to 1973, during the Vietnam War, the United States bombed Cambodia in order to destroy Vietnamese Communist strongholds there. In this picture, U.S. soldiers survey the Cambodian town of Snul after it has been almost completely flattened by U.S. bombers.

Khmer Rouge Carnage The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, killed close to 1.7 million people in the mid- to late 1970s. In this photo, human bones and skulls fill a museum in Cambodia that had been used as a prison and torture center during Pol Pots reign.

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Korean Prisoners of War The Korean War caused great devastation to the people of the Korea Peninsula. Although 20 other nations eventually became involved in the war, the Koreans saw it primarily as a civil war between the North and the South. In this photograph, Koreans suspected of being Communists are held by anti-Communist South Korean troops.

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung was the leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death in 1994. Born Kim Sung Chu, he joined the Korean Communist party in 1932 at age 19. He served as a guerrilla fighter against the Japanese in the 1930s and was a Soviet soldier in a Korean unit during World War II (1939-1945). Kims attempt to extend his power to South Korea led to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.

Castro Delivers a Speech In 1961, after two years as Cubas leader, Fidel Castro set out to transform the country according to Communist principles. Here Castro addresses a crowd at Santiago de Cuba in 1968.

Victorious Sandinistas Cheering crowds greeted Sandinista soldiers as they entered Managua, Nicaragua, in July 1979 after overthrowing the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

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Daniel Ortega Saavedra Former president of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega led the urban resistance campaign of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) that ousted dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979. Ortega became president in 1984 after winning over 60 percent of the votes. His government tried to stabilize the countrys economy, but received both economic pressure from the United States and military pressure from the United States-backed contras in opposition to its leftist policies. In 1990 Ortega lost the presidency to Violeta Chamorro, whose more moderate policies earned her support from the United States and the disheartened Nicaraguan population.

Damaged Statue After the collapse of the Communist Party and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), many statues and artifacts were vandalized, destroyed, or stolen.

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Communist Party of the United States Thousands of American Communists demonstrate in New York Citys Union Square in 1929. The Communist Party of the United States attained its greatest influence in the 1930s and early 1940s, when the hardships of the Great Depression caused many to question capitalism.

Fort Morro in Havana, Cuba The 16th-century Fort Morro offers this view of the city from across the Bay of Havana. Although Havana is one of the oldest cities in the western hemisphere, it has a modern section and is the largest city in the West Indies.

DuPont Mansion, Cuba The island country of Cuba, in the West Indies, is lined with sandy beaches and deep bays. The DuPont Mansion, shown here, is a tourist attraction and restaurant in coastal Varadero.

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Tobacco Plant The tobacco plant is one of the most important commercial nonfood crops grown in Cuba. Mature tobacco plants, reaching 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft), produce between 10 and 20 broad leaves. Cuban cigar makers roll the tobacco leaves into some of the worlds finest cigars.

Cuban Solenodon One of only two species of solenodon, the Cuban solenodon is a rare insectivore that resembles a large rat. It emerges from rocks and hollow logs at night to prey on insects and lizards. The tawny-colored Cuban solenodon and its dark brown Haitian relative are both in danger of extinction.

Caiman The caiman, a close relative of the alligator and crocodile but with a smaller body and shorter, broader snout, is found in Cuba and other tropical and subtropical areas of the western hemisphere. The caiman is carnivorous, eating insects when young and later feeding on fish, mammals, birds, and other animals.

Cubas Agricultural Lowlands The fertile lowlands of Cuba produce abundant coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruit.

Cuban People Cubans are a racially diverse people, descended mainly from African slaves and Spanish colonists. In this photograph, Cuban citizens attend the state funeral in Havana for Ernesto Che Guevara, who fought in the Cuban Revolution and died while leading a rebel group in Bolivia in 1967. Guevaras remains were returned to Cuba for burial in 1997.

Santera, a Fused Religion Santera dates from the 19th century, when thousands of Yoruba people from western Africa were brought to Cuba to work in the thriving sugar industry. Here the Yoruba created spiritual lives for themselves by fusing their own African traditions with Roman Catholic rituals. In Spanish, Santera means "the way of the saints." Despite its

syncretic use of Catholic symbolism and imagery, Santera is in essence an African way of worship. Devotees use the language, music, dance, and food of Yoruba to worship African deities wrapped in the guise of Catholic saints.

Home-cooked Cuban Meal Cubans have deftly overcome chronic shortages of meat, vegetables, and favored spices such as cumin, spearmint, and garlic by improvising countless ways of serving the food that is available to them. The family shown here enjoys beef liver and rice, but many meals in Cuba feature either congri or moros y cristianos-two delectable renditions of beans and rice. Most meals in Cuba finish off with a strong shot of sweet, syrupy, espresso-style coffee.

Cuban Mother and Daughter The traditional Cuban family structure has changed considerably in recent decades, particularly as more and more women have entered the workplace. Enactment of the Family Code in 1975 was an effort by the Cuban government to strengthen gender equality and reaffirm its support for the nuclear family and the crucial role it plays in Cuban life. Among other things, the code stresses the importance of marital commitment and the need for husband and wife to share equally in the duties of child rearing, household maintenance, and other familial responsibilities.

Santera Priest A Cuban Santera priest stands before his altar. Santera is a blend of African religions and Roman Catholicism. The religion developed when slaves imported from Africa continued to worship African religious deities by associating them with Roman Catholic saints.

Malecn

Waves crash ashore along the seawall of the Malecn, one of the major roads in Havana, Cuba. The Malecn runs for 5 km (3 miles) along Havanas shore. Aside from its scenic beauty, the six -lane roadway provides a major transportation artery for the city.

Castro and Khrushchev Cuban leader Fidel Castro shakes hands with Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Castro and Khrushchev first met in 1960 during a United Nations General Assembly in New York. The two men later established diplomatic ties that joined their two nations together as allies for almost 30 years.

Revolutionary Portraits This banner adorns the wall of a building in Havanas Plaza de la Revolucin. Banners and murals that promote the political ideals of the Cuban government decorate a number of Havanas buildings.

Castro as a Rebel Leader In 1956 Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and about 80 armed followers returned from exile in Mexico and landed on the southern shore of Cuba. Government troops killed most of the rebels during the landing, but Castro and a handful of men escaped to the mountains of eastern Cuba, where they continued a guerrilla campaign to oust Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Batista fled the island on January 1, 1959, and Castro emerged as the leader of the new government in Cuba.

Che Guevara Born in Argentina and trained as a physician, Che Guevara became a military commander for Fidel Castro from 1956 to 1959, during the Cuban revolution. Guevara opposed United States intervention in Latin American affairs and believed that only violent revolution could remedy the poverty of the masses. Guevara wrote two books about guerrilla warfare and led guerrilla forces in South American countries. He was captured and killed by Bolivian troops while leading a guerrilla band trying to overthrow the Bolivian government.

Oldest Cathedral in the Western Hemisphere The oldest cathedral in the Western hemisphere is the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor, constructed between 1512 and 1541 in Santo Domingo, now the capitol of the Dominican Republic. It features round arches borrowed from Renaissance architecture and elaborate carving that is characteristic of late gothic decoration.

Santo Domingo Church, Oaxaca, Mexico Dominican friars began construction of Santo Domingo Church and Monastery in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1550, but it was not completed until a century later. Typical of much early colonial architecture in Latin America, it combines the simple horizontal and vertical lines of a Renaissance structure with ornate carving on the facade. The carving continues on an even grander scale inside the church, which is filled with dazzlingly intricate plaster and gilt work.

Colonial Fortress The imposing fortress of San Felipe de Barajas, in the foreground, was built in the mid-17th century to defend the colonial port settlement of Cartagena. Modern day Cartagena, Colombia, can be seen in the background.

Churrigueresque Church This church in Potosi, Bolivia, is an example of the Churrigueresque architectural style that was brought to Latin America from Spain in the 18th century. This style is characterized by elaborate ornamentation and open, curving shapes. The style was named for the Churriguera family of Spain; many members of this family were architects and sculptors.

Decorated Facade Ornate plasterwork decorates the colorful facade of this building in Puebla, which dates from Mexico's colonial past. Puebla is one of the oldest colonial settlements in Mexico.

Municipal Theater, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theater) was designed by Brazilian architect Oliveira Passos and completed abiyt 1910. The theater's faade exemplifies the Parisian styles favored by Brazilian architects and designers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Catedral Metropolitana Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer designed nearly all the major buildings for the Brazilian capital, Braslia, including the Catedral Metropolitana from the 1960s, shown here. The cathedral, most of which is underground, has 16 curved columns and a stained glass interior. Standing near the entrance are statues known as the Four Evangelists.

Mosaic by Juan OGorman The mosaic on the exterior of the library at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in Mexico City, was designed by Mexican artist Juan OGorman in 1952. Scenes from the history of Mexico are illustrated, and the images range from Aztec designs and mythological creatures to modern figures and activities.

Hibiscus The hibiscus is the common and scientific name for a genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs grown primarily for their large, showy, colorful flowers. The hibiscus is cultivated throughout warm, temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and grows best in sunny locations in very fertile, well-drained soils.

Aerial View of Havana A cargo ship passes beneath the walls of El Moro (shown in foreground), one of the four colonial fortresses that guard the entrance to Havana Bay. Havana, Cuba, is one of the safest ports in the world and by far the largest port of entry for cargo going to and from Cuba.

Jos Gil de Castros Simn Bolvar Peruvian soldier and artist Jos Gil de Castro painted this portrait of Simn Bolvar, the principal leader in the struggle for South American independence from Spain, in the 1820s. Gil de Castro was one of the first artists to paint the heroes of the South American Wars of Independence.

Dal Lake, Kashmr These houseboats float on Dal Lake in the part of Kashmr under Indian control. This region contains a section of the Karakoram Range, which can be seen here in the background. Most of Indias high peaks are located in Kashmr, including a number of mountains more than 7500 m (25,000 ft) high.

Likir Monastery The Likir Monastery, pictured here, is located in Ladakh, a region in eastern Kashmr. Nestled in the Himalayas, Ladakh is one of the highest inhabited places in the world.

Pakistani Troops in Jammu and Kashmr Pakistani troops deployed in the Pakistani-controlled portion of Jammu and Kashmr listen to a military officials speech in 2002. That year, rising tensions between Pakistan and India over Jammu and Kashmr led to massive troop deployments along their shared border.

Artillery Fire in Jammu and Kashmr

Indian troops fire artillery rounds into the Pakistani-controlled portion of Jammu and Kashmr, a disputed territory that India and Pakistan fought two wars over after they became independent countries in 1947. Border clashes such as this 1999 artillery barrage commonly erupt along the Line of Control, which divides the territory between the two countries.

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Karakoram Range in the Himalayas The Karakoram Range lies within the Himalayan mountain system, which forms part of Indias northern border. The approximately 60 peaks average 6600 m (22,000 ft) in height.

Camels in the Desert Camel drivers cross rolling sand-hills in the Thar Desert, which extends from India into Pakistan.

Deccan Plateau The Deccan Plateau is a vast triangular region in peninsular India. The land is rocky but contains areas of fertile soils.

Tropical Mountain Forests Dense tropical forests cover the seaward slopes of the Western Ghats Mountains in southern India. The forests thrive in the heavy rains that the summer monsoon season brings to the Western Ghats.

Boating on the Jhelum River Life in the resort city of Srnagar, India, revolves around the Dal Lake and the Jhelum River. The river divides the city into two parts and is crossed by a number of bridges. Only small portions of India's rivers are navigable because of silting and wide seasonal variations in water flow that result from the monsoon climate.

Pakistani Orchard Much of western Pakistan is a dry, mountainous plateau, in which bare ridges separate desert valleys. Where water is available, farmers grow wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane, vegetables, and oilseeds. Western Pakistan borders Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north. Two-thirds of the people are rural farmers and herders who live in villages.

Pakistani Town of Skrdu Skrdu, a remote town in northeast Pakistan, perches on a rocky plateau. The 16th-century fortress of Karpochu towers above the town on a promontory called the Rock of Skrdu. The nearby Indus snakes through shifting sand dunes ringed by mountains. The Skrdu Valley is a popular starting point for trekking and mountaineering expeditions.

Strategic Khyber Pass The strategic Khyber Pass is a gap in the Safed Koh mountain range that separates Pakistan from Afghanistan. The pass was used for centuries by invaders to enter India. Extending for about 53 kilometers (33 miles) on both sides of the border, the pass bears many marks of history, including a British cemetery, a Buddhist shrine, and numerous small forts.

Pakistan's Shyok River The Shyok flows 550 km (340 mi) through rugged escarpments before joining the mighty Indus at Khapalu in Pakistani-controlled Baltistn. Once the center of a wealthy kingdom, Khapalu is today an agricultural village that makes extensive use of irrigation to grow food crops.

Terraced River Valley, Pakistan Terraced fields line the Shyok River Valley in northern Pakistan. The pristine, glacially fed waters of the Shyok and many other mountain streams feed the Indus River, making it the countrys largest river.

Khyber Pass, Pakistan Located at 1072 m (3517 ft) in the Safed Koh, Khyber Pass is the most important pass connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan. Invaders historically used the pass to reach Afghanistan and India. The pass, which is controlled by Pakistan, continues to have both strategic as well as commercial significance, with a market center located at the highest point.

Hindu Kush Mountains, Pakistan The Hindu Kush mountain system in central Asia extends for 1,000 km (600 mi) in parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. With about two dozen peaks surpassing 7,000 m (23,000 ft), the range reaches its highest point in Pakistans highlands, where the peak known as Tirich Mr rises 7,690 m (25,230 ft) above sea level.

Mohenjo-Daro, the Mound of the Dead Mohenjo-Daro, the most important archaeological site of the Indus Valley civilization, dates from 2500 to 1500 BC. A thriving metropolis in its day, the city once lay on the Indus River, now 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, and housed an estimated 40 to 50 thousand people. In 1922 British archaeologist Sir John Marshall began excavating the site, also known as the Mound of the Dead. The ancient city lies in two parts: a citadel mound to the west, and a larger lower city, laid out on a grid pattern, to the east.

Faisal Mosque, Islmbd A planned city, Islmbd replaced Karchi as Pakistans capital in 1967. The city contains many examples of modern architecture, including Faisal Mosque, designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay.

Mohenjo-Daro Ruins The ruins of the ancient city Mohenjo-Daro are found in the province of Sind, southern Pakistan. Dating to 2500 BC, the ruins are an important source of information about the Indus Valley civilization, which was one of the worlds first great civilizations.