Mighty Poland is The Ten’s superpower, home to both the world’s strongest man, Mariusz Pudzianowski, and strongest woman, Aneta Florczyk. Pudzianowski’s website (www.pudzian.pl) gives his scary training schedule, while www.heavysports.com/emag/aneta.html proves that Florczyk looks great in evening dress. The excellent links at wings. buffalo.edu/info-poland detail Poland’s convoluted history. In the 12th century, Boleslaus the Wrymouthed did a King Lear and divided his lands between his sons. It ended badly. Fans of Polish literature should visit home.nycap.rr.com/polishlit, a guide to English translations, many of which are online. Wladyslaw Reymont’s spooky short story, Death, with its romantic, superstitious peasants, is but one highlight.

2 HUNGARY
brings Europeans who say it like they see it

In the 5th century, according to www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/history.html, the Hungarian tribes set off from the Urals, and in 896, under Arpad, they settled in the Carpathians. An academic paper on tourism admits that Hungary is “a country with no spectacular natural attractions, without seaside, high mountains, rainforest or ... exotic animals”. But it offers “relaxation ... in a calm setting ” (www.ratztamara.com/rural.html). Be still, my beating heart. The very spare www.eszakalfoldi.hu/117.0.html is more bullish, arguing that Hungary’s thermal baths are great for tourism. Meanwhile, Katalin Kosa, writing in London for the Budapest Sun (www.budapestsun.com), warns potential migrants not to see the UK as a Utopia: it is a “damp, grey but economically sound island ... Taxes are high, the weather is gloomy, there are no authentic ingredients for goulash, and the natives are getting restless”.

3 CZECH REPUBLIC
brings the sound of music

Years ending in a four are “years of Czech music” because they see anniversaries of such famous composers as Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek. Music-lovers know this already, says www.czechmusic.org, which adds that the Ministry of Culture aims to raise the republic’s profile as it enters Europe. Radio Prague (which webcasts in English from the lavish www.radio.cz) recently elegised the folk singer Karel Kryl, whose songs were privately distributed during the communist era and who died 10 years ago. The site’s idiosyncratic history section opens: “The first inhabitants of the Czech lands were prehistoric fish” — harsh on all single-celled organisms, but funny all the same. There is also an outstanding magazine about current affairs, and a section devoted to the famous Czech beer culture (best headline: “British scientists study Czechs, find no link between beer, beer belly”).

4 SLOVAKIA
brings innovation and a bargain for a British supermarket

When a 34-year-old woodcutter tried to extort €290,000 (£193,000) from Tesco last year by exploding a bomb made of fireworks in its Banska Bystrica hypermarket, he proved difficult to apprehend because he did not like the type of helicopter the money was delivered in (www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok-13131.html). Such chopper-snobbery is probably a Slovak trait — www.heartofeurope.co.uk  reports that Slovaks invented the helicopter (Jan Bahyl), as well as the wireless telegraph (Rev Jozef Murgas), the parachute (Stefan Banic) and the zoom lens (Jozef Petzval). Master Pavol of Levoca built the world’s highest wooden altar, at 18.6 metres (the altar, not Pavol). “Ktore je tvoje oblubene zviera?” means “What is your favourite animal?” in Slovak.

5 SLOVENIA
brings intrepid adventurers, natural beauty and lard

In 2000, Slovenian Davo Karnicar became the first man to ski nonstop from the summit of Everest. Davo is an ex-international alpine racer who has written a book called Mountaineering, Self-love, Love. His story, with pictures, can be found at www.everest.simobil.si. Slovenia Landmarks (www.burger.si) explains that the Triglavski Narodni National Park was Europe’s fifth; it also has 360-degree panoramas of castle interiors. Mat’Kurja (www.matkurja.com/eng) is an outstanding portal, taking in Harry Potter home pages (www.harryjezakon.com), Igor Ravbar’s shaving collection (www.geocities.com/igorravbar) and traditional recipes (www.matkurja.com/eng/country-info/food-drinks/recipes). Slovenian dandelion-and-egg salad can be made with two tablespoons of pumpkin-seed oil, but the traditional method involves two tablespoons of lard with crackling, and sounds better.

6 MALTA
brings a warlike history, curtain twitchers and terrible comics

About Malta (www.aboutmalta.com) links to huge swathes of information about Malta’s fighting knights and the second world war siege. The community of Pembroke has a little-used message board, mostly employed in the past few years by Mark Causon to try to organise car-free days, and complain to the mayor about a dog left barking all day (groups.yahoo.com/group/Pembroke). The “First Maltese web-comic books” are hosted at www.apokalupsis.com, which stars the Rock’n’ Roll Kids. Kudos to the site for good use of apostrophes, but it is hard to imagine a less appealing teaser than: “Christian sci-fi superhero team book. The title was inspired originally by the Eurovision song about friendship.” The Rock’n’Roll Kids received their powers from God, so they have to exercise them responsibly. The site also hosts a Japanese manga comic-style version of Genesis.

7 CYPRUS
brings a neighbourhood squabble

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