Fed Cup Tidbits

As we prepare for the Fed Cup I wanted to post some info about some of the teams and how they've been moving up and down in past years.  This stuff is interesting to me though I'm not sure how it is interesting to others.

World Group I


Italy, Czech Republic, Russia, and the United States were quarterfinal winners in 2010.
France returns to the world group I after winning a playoff.
Belgium, Australia, and Slovakia were promoted from world group II.
The last time these countries were in world group I was...2004 (AUS,SVK), 2007 (BEL)

World Group II


Germany, Serbia, and Ukraine were relegated from world group I in 2010.
Spain and Estonia competed at this level last year.
Canada, Slovenia, and Sweden were promoted from zonal competition.
The last time these countries competed at this level was...2003 (SWE), 2004 (SLO), 2007 (CAN)

Europe/Africa Zonal Group I


Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands, Romaina, and Switzerland were in zonal group I in 2010 with Austria and Switzerland losing promotion playoffs and Bulgaria and Latvia surviving relegation playoffs.
Poland was demoted from world group II.
Greece and Luxembourg were promoted from zonal group II.
The last time these countries competed at this level was...2005 (GRE), 2009 (LUX)

Americas Zonal Group I


Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay were in zonal group I in 2010 with Colombia losing the promotion playoff and Bolivia and Chile surviving relegation playoffs.
Argentina was demoted from world group II.
Mexico and Peru were promoted from zonal group II.
The last time these countries competed at this level was...1998 (PER), 2008 (MEX).  However, Peru was absent from Fed Cup competition between 2000-2008.

Asia/Pacific Zonal Group I


Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan were in zonal group I in 2010 with Japan advancing but losing in the world group II playoff.  Taiwan lost in the promotion playoff and Uzbekistan survived the relegation playoff.
China was demoted from world group II.
India was promoted from zonal group II.  They last competed at this level in 2009.
Also of note, New Zealand is not participating this year.

Asia/Pacific Zonal Group II


Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, and Singapore were in zonal group II in 2010 with Kyrgyzstan losing the promotion playoff.
Indonesia was demoted from zonal group I.
Oman, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan did not compete in Fed Cup last year.
The last time these countries competed was...2000 (PAK), 2008 (TKM), while Oman is making its Fed Cup debut.
Also of note, Malaysia and Syria are not participating this year.