Do you know what G8 stands for? It stands for a group of the eight richest countries in the world. The G8 countries are the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia. Together they represent 65% of the world's economy! They have enormous military power, and almost all of the world's active nuclear weapons.
Do you know how G8 was formed? Since 1975, the heads of state or government of the major industrial democracies have been meeting annually to deal with the major economic and political issues facing both their own countries, and the international community as a whole. The six countries at the first summit, held at Rambouillet, France, in November 1975, were France, The United states, Britain, Germany, Japan and Italy. Canada and Russia were added to the group later on.
The group's activities include year round conferences and policy research, culminating with an annual summit meeting attended by the heads of government of the member states. Regular meetings are also held to discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The range of topics include health, law enforcement, labor, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism and trade.
