Long ago and far away there was a land that could have been called “the richest little country in the world.” Situated on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, this country had built itself into a maritime power. Its ships of commerce criss-crossed “the Great Sea,” as the Mediterranean was called. Its ships and sailors were the best in the world. They even sailed over two thousand miles to the other end of the Mediterranean Sea, around the coast of Spain, and into the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The international commerce of this little nation brought it treasures from all over the world. The standard of living of its people was beyond anything other nations knew. But then something happened, and the richest little country in the world became the saddest little country in th…