Is that a good clue? Does it tell you very much?

Well, to use this clue to figure out the name of the mystery country, you must first learn a little more about the Roman Empire. When did it exist? What part of the world did it cover? Was it large or small? How many countries were part of it?

Since we are trying to identify a mystery country, let's start with a map to learn more about the Roman Empire. Find a globe or world map or a good map of Europe. Now see if you can find Rome. Rome is a city in the center of the country of Italy. (Because of the name, "Roman Empire," maybe you guessed that the Roman Empire was centered around the City of Rome. If you did, you were right!)

Once you have found Rome on your map, look carefully at its location. Can you see why Rome might have been the center of a mighty empire?

Rome is located at about the halfway point on the boot-shaped peninsula of Italy. That location allowed Roman armies to move both north and south and conquer the lands and people around them.

As you look at your map, you will also notice that Rome is located on the Tiber River and is near the Mediterranean Sea. This location made it easy for Roman armies to sail out into the Mediterranean and conquer other lands.

And, in fact, that's just what happened.

Beginning about 2,500 years ago, the leaders of the Roman Republic (the government that came before the Roman Empire) began moving up and down Italy and around the perimeter (or edge) of the Mediterranean and attempting to conquer anyone they found in their way. Soon, all of Italy, Greece, and many lands in Spain, France, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East that bordered the Mediterranean Sea were in Roman control. The people the Romans conquered often fought back fiercely, but Rome managed to survive - and usually win - war after war over the centuries.

The Roman Republic fell apart during a civil war that began about 2,000 years ago. But that was not the end of Rome. New leaders took power and began to extend the boundaries of their government even farther.

This began the Roman Empire, which existed for 500 years. At its peak the Roman Empire controlled almost all of Europe, including most of what is today Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Balkan Peninsula (which includes Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey), Judea (which includes parts of Israel and the West Bank), Egypt, and much of North Africa (including the present-day countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia).

Can you imagine being in control of such a large empire?

Yet the Roman Empire made its mark on all of these places, and even today, the ruins of Roman buildings, forts, roads, and baths can be found in many of these countries.

The Roman Empire lasted for about 500 years. After it was defeated, parts of it - the Eastern Roman Empire, which was also called the Byzantine Empire - survived for many more centuries.

In fact, here's another clue for you: the border between the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire ran right through our mystery country.

Next week, we'll learn more about why the Roman Empire was so important. But for today, study your map and see if you can make a list of all the countries that were once part of the Roman Empire.

Check out past Trade Topics entries!