Tell people you're visiting an Armenian church in Iran and chances are you'll get some doubtful looks.

Raghupati Singhania says his country shouldn't be judged only by Games glitches, writes Karyn Scherer.

Forget the cliché of the uncool four-eyed wimp. As Alice-Azania Jarvis explains, 2010 may go down in the history books as the Year of the Nerd.

Despite its political and economic isolation, Aaron Smale finds Cuba a nation with joyful music hard-wired into the souls of its people.

A trip to Vietnam's mountainous and beautiful north allows visitors to experience authentic tribal life, writes Rob McFarland.

John Hawkesby has fallen head-over-heels for crazy, complex, culture-drenched Italy.

Alison Jones and Kuni Jenkins have been researching early engagement between Maori and Pakeha - and have turned up real gems.

Two studies of human development, one launched in the 1970s and the other from earlier this year, reveal how different society is today.

Will Derek Cheng give up his modern luxuries for a more simple life with a Masai maiden? Sadly, love is not in the air this time.

The most ambitious history project of the year — the British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objects — is now a book. Boyd Tonkin talks to its creator and author and finds out that how the world looks depends on where you stand.

All NZ regions had more births than deaths in the past year, with Auckland contributing 45 per cent of NZ's natural increase.

Beauty, mystery, death and destruction await Jim Eagles when he makes a long-anticipated visit to the Chatham Islands.

Museum exhibits give an insight into Fiji's tumultuous past, writes Graham Reid.

Forget Paul Henry’s narrow vision of a New Zealander. People from nearly every country in the world have made Aotearoa their home. Five new New Zealanders tell Shelley Bridgeman how they came here and why they became Kiwis.