25 fascinating country facts from around the world

Theres a tribe in this Oceania country that still uses shells as its currency. Singapore has the world's best infrastructure. The U.S. Defense Departments Operation Christmas Drop started in 1952 on one of the many islands that make up Micronesia in the North Pacific Ocean. On Sundays in this West Africa country, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are reserved for sheep bathing. If the Earth's time zones were each one hour apart, then we would have 24 time zones, which sounds pretty straightforward. } ); This small country in southern Africa once had a national soccer team, but it was dissolved in 2017 because of continued poor results. Ivoclar Vivadent manufactures 60 million artificial teeth annually, which is 20 percent of all false teeth made worldwide. 5 / 10. That means it has 12 hours of light and 12 hours of night every day of the year, and sunrise and sunset times are always within a one-hour period. Following its invasion of Ukraine, the Coca-Cola Company announced that it would be suspending business in Russia. chemically refined about 2,500 years ago in India, 20 percent of the worlds 6.0-magnitude or higher temblors, 18 emperors born in what is now modern-day Serbia, mints its own euro coins and issues its own stamps. The Western Hemispheres oldest botanical garden is located within this Caribbean island country. Every year, on the weekend closest to Feb. 14, Saint Valentin offers lovers the chance to marry in a rose-covered garden and pin love notes on the Tree of Vows. Or enjoy a day of silence during Nyepi in Bali where both work and pleasure are prohibited for one whole day. Either way, the main fermentation bacteria in the creamy dairy product is named after Bulgaria, lactobacillus bulgaricus, and was first discovered in the region. But Italians have only been eating this fruit since the 1500s, when Spanish conquistadors brought it from Peru to Naples, which at the time was under Spanish rule. Now you're ready for the facts. Africa has 54 countries! They apparently put it on everything here. Previous readings have ranged from 29,002 feet above sea level in 1856 down to 20,029 in 1955, according to NPR. Canada Is (Finally) No. 3 since the inception of the Best Countries rankings, Canada finally climbed to the No. Far south from the Peruvian capital of Lima are the mysterious Nazca Lines. Unique Cultural Traditions Around the World In order not to be considered disrespectful or rude when you're visiting another country, learn some of the unique cultural traditions and customs around the world. This is the only country in Central America that doesnt have a coastline on the Caribbean Sea. In the town of Gao in this West African nation, one can straddle the prime meridian and have one foot in the Western Hemisphere and the other in the Eastern Hemisphere. During his lifetime between 1162 and 1227, Genghis Khan fathered countless children. The temperature was recorded in Antarctica during a span of research between 2004 and 2016. But during the Napoleonic wars, the British transplanted nutmeg trees to many other locales, including Grenada in the Caribbean. The Kalenjin tribe in this East African nation produces the worlds best long-distance runners. The stars and stripes make up one of the most recognizable flags of any country in the world. The program, called Acoustic Kitty, involved surgically implanting batteries, microphones and antennae inside cats. Fedchenko Glacier stretches some 47 miles and is located among thousands more glaciers in the Pamir Mountains. It first competed in the Olympics in 1988. Only recently did this African nation switch from marbles to paper ballots for elections. President Alexander Lukashenko has been in office since the post was created in 1994. Manas is a folk hero in this former Soviet republic. Since 1949, the Finnish government has given every expectant mother a cardboard box that their baby can sleep in, filled with essential items like clothes, sheets and toys. These birds, which live in sub-Saharan Africa, are considered agricultural pests because their massive flocks can obliterate entire crops. Around 80 percent of Greenland is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, which Britannica explains is the "largest and possibly the only relic of the Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere.". Because of this, it grows 99.9 percent of all commercially grown artichokes, and has even been nicknamed the "Artichoke Capital of the World.". Roquemaure's Lovers' Festival boasts 19th-century costumes and music. Part 1: https://youtu.be/ZPZnTAAGKvsFor my next. 23. Yes, they're technically the property of the government of China, according to Vox. Another former Yugoslavian republic, North Macedonia is the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet, which is used in more than 50 languages. The Milestii Mici wine cellar contains nearly 2 million bottles and the tunnel system housing them stretches for 75 miles. Its more than 2,000 years old and lives among several other olive trees that are 500 to 700 years old. In China, the holiday lasts for weeks! It's seven years old. Could that be the work of the first dentist? So why make such an impractical pepper? The geoglyphs comprise humans figures, plants and animals and are believed to have astronomical significance. As of the time of this writing, the overall human population is estimated to be more than 8 billion people. Much of chocolate as we know it today was created in Switzerland, including milk chocolate, chocolate with hazelnuts and melting chocolate. Essential Facts. The rising global demand for cashews has been a boon for this small African nation. Most crocodiles live in tropical rivers and swamps and many can grow up to 7 m/ 23 ft in length. That set the Guinness World Record for the most expensive coin ever sold at auction. Five hundred people live on the island in around 155 houses. There are also about 300 different sign languagesincluding American Sign Language and International Sign Languageas well as 41 countries that recognize them as an official languages. 1) It snows in the Sahara Desert Photo credit: tonynetone via Flickr Deserts are known to have very low precipitation. This African nation has the special distinction of being the highest lowest point in the world its the only country thats located entirely above 1,000 meters, or about 3,280 feet. Only four out of 10 Danes own a vehicle, while nine out of 10 own a bike. Do a little math and you'll find out that means there are approximately 250 births each minute, 15,000 each hour, and 360,000 each day. The former member of Yugoslavia in southeastern Europe is home to whats considered one of, if not the, worlds oldest olive tree: Stara Maslina. On Nov. 18, 1978, more than 900 men, women and children living in Jim Joness Peoples Temple drank poison-laced Kool Aid and died. Although it's off the coast of northwestern Africa, the archipelago is actually part of Spain. Its the longest-running humanitarian effort by the Defense Department and now includes over 50 islands in the Pacific. Now you're ready for the facts. You can also sign up for our newsletter to enjoy hit pieces on health, entertainment, and travel. Now they are simply part of the island. } Bicycles are much more prevalent than personal automobiles in this European country. You can't expect negotiations with the French to be like negotiations . The East African island is now part of Tanzania. At 2,000 feet long, 1,400 feet wide and almost 500 feet tall, it is twice the size of Britains Wembley Stadium. By adding 772,000 square miles of space, the Marshall Islands nearly doubled the amount of protected ocean for the marine mammals. This is one of the things that make it one of the top 10 countries in the Caribbean. Belgium colonized this African country from 1908 to 1960, and one of the leftovers from this period is an obsession with mayonnaise. Some 5 to 10 percent of the indigenous population of this Oceania island nation have blond hair. During the Secret War from 1964-73, U.S. forces dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance on this Southeast Asian nation. Since many time zones only differ by 30 or 45 minutes, they don't fit into a neat and tidy 24-hour span, which means that there are more than 24, though it's hard to say exactly how many. This makes it one of the most innovative countries on the planet. According to The Weather Channel, "Olivia's eyewall produced five extreme three-second wind gusts, the peak of which was a 253 mph gust," which blew past the previous wind record of 231 mph set in Mount Washington, New Hampshire back in 1934. Which of these is NOT a South Africa national park? While this may sound scary, Matthew Sullivan, a microbiologist at the Ohio State University, told CNN, "Having that road map [of what viruses exist] helps us do a lot of the things we'd be interested in to better understand the ocean and, I hate to say it, but maybe to have to engineer the ocean at some point to combat climate change.". The only known habitat of the dodo bird it of human-induced extinction fame (dont go the way of the dodo) was on this African island nation, although the cause of its demise is debatable. But you know what? There are 63 million pairs of chopsticks or 126 million single sticks manufactured in China every year. The best explanation so far is that Yoruba people eat a type of yam that contains an ovarian stimulate that might release more eggs. 14. And while it may not be worth quite as much as jewels and gold to most people, it certainly was the primary goal for those who built the quietest room in the world. At 5,525 miles, its the worlds longest unprotected border. So are we looking at the early signs of future land-dwellers? One of the top attractions in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Other vegetables high in water are lettuce, celery, bok choy, radish, zucchini, green bell peppers, and asparagus. Chinese New Year (also called Lunar New Year and celebrated in many countries outside China), starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization likely also play a role. One of the most iconic foods in this European nation is the tomato. Its not known exactly when, but it appears to date to at least 1610 and possibly as far back as the 1300s. But thanks to dedicated work by scientists at the Horn Point Laboratory, the Army Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Nature Conservancy, the state is now home to the world's largest man-made oyster reef. Located east of the Philippines, Palau is a small island nation and one of the only places in the world that adheres to a strict matrilineal system in which kinship is traced through the mothers family line. In Spanish, the area's name is Islas Canarias, which comes from the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae for "island of dogs.". Category 1: Nature The deepest place on Earth is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. It was part stunt and part cry for help, and it at least succeeded in attracting media attention. Fortunately, climate change experts believe that the ozone layer will recover to '80s status by the time we hit 2040, according to a 2022 report from the World Meteorological Organization. Interesting Facts. While that sounds excessive, its basically all-inclusive food, transportation, accommodations, daily guide and local taxes. Uzbek people have several superstitions surrounding bread, which is considered sacred in this former Soviet republic. In 1996, a tropical cyclone named Olivia hit off the coast of Barrow Island, Australia with such force that it broke an incredible record. After Catherine of Braganza wed King Charles II in 1662, her favorite libation, tea from China, quickly caught on in the royal palace, then the rest of the country. That's bad news for everyone, since the fragile gas layer protects our planet and shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This South Asian country is very warm so warm, in fact, that the lowest temperature ever recorded was 2.6 degrees Celsius (37.7 degrees Fahrenheit), which is just above freezing. 04 18 children are born for every 1000 people in the world as of 2019. If youve ever dreamed of walking up to an ATM and withdrawing a gold bar, then head to Dubai in this Middle East nation, where you can find just such a machine. Well, at the bottom of a 1.4 km core sample, which was taken in 1966 at Camp Century, researchers found "well-preserved fossil plants and biomolecules," which means that the massive sheet melted and reformed at least once in the last million years. Coffee is grown commercially in Hawaii! Of the 14 million camels in the world, more than half reside in Somalia. And like other countries, it mints its own euro coins and issues its own stamps. Located at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the lab room measures a background noise of -20.35 dBA, which is 20 decibels below the threshold of human hearing and breaks previous records for spaces that were deemed the planet's quietest places, according to CNN. This North American country is home to many pyramids built by the Mayans and other ancient civilizations. Called the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it included whats now Belarus and parts of Ukraine, Poland and Russia. Burkinab revolutionary Thomas Sankara is known as the African Che Guevara for his efforts, as president from 1983-87, to rid the country of corruption and environmental degradation while empowering women and boosting education and health-care access. In order to avoid excessive wear and tear to its historic monuments, this ancient European country banned high heels at archaeological sites. According to wildlife presenter Chris Packham, who appeared on the BBC in 2014 to discuss this, when combined, all of those ants would weigh about the same as all of us humans. Not all bacteria are bad. 1. In fact, some of those itty-bitty biological cells are actually good for us and aid the world in various and complex ways. READ THIS NEXT: 175 Random Facts So Interesting You'll Say, "OMG!". The first time a conifer was decorated for Christmas in the style we know today was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia. For instance: Were you aware that the Pacific Ocean is shrinking every year? Finding previously undiscovered organisms in the depths of the ocean may sound like something straight out of a sci-fi horror film, but a 2020 study of a deep-sea volcano near New Zealand, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, uncovered "over 90 putative bacterial and archaeal genomic families and nearly 300 previously unknown genera.". Naples is, of course, also the birthplace of pizza. The largest petroglyph in the world can be found in this African nation. xhr.send(payload); That's it for our list of world facts, but be sure to check back in with us soon for even more trivia! The Namib Desert, from which this African country gets its name, is the oldest desert in the world at 55 million years old. Which two countries in South America are the Iguazu Falls part of? The holes were likely made using a prehistoric bow drill. Those terms are still adhered to today. For simplicity's sake, most of the more than 200 countries in the world use the metric system when describing things like length or mass. Here's another world fact to keep in the back of your mind: According to the Population Reference Bureau, since the time Homo sapiens first hit the scene 50,000 years ago, more than 108 billion members of our species have been born. When looking for unusual and fascinating cultures all around the world, you don't want to pass up an opportunity to visit or even see the Wayuu people. For decades, residents of Comayagua in this Central American nation have celebrated Good Friday by creating ornate and colorful sawdust carpets in front of their homes that depict scenes from Jesus Christs life. From hidden secrets to strange phenomenons, here's 20 things about the world that may sound absurd at first but are actually proven to be true facts! Some countries are hundreds of years old, while others can trace their nation's history back for thousands of years. About a quarter of all overseas nurses come from the Philippines, making it the worlds top supplier of nurses. That makes dentistry one of the oldest recorded professions and is definitely a reason to smile. 6. Other biting research conducted by the University of Bologna, Italy on a 14,000-year-old skull found that "one rotten tooth in the jaw had been deliberately scoured and scraped with a tool." Pew Research Center's surveys have shed light on public opinion around some of the biggest news events of 2022 - from Russia's military invasion of Ukraine to the overturning of Roe v. Wade to Americans' experiences with extreme weather events.Here's a look back at the past year through 15 of our most striking research findings, which cover these topics and more. According to a worldwide survey conducted in 2019 by the World Economic Forum, Singapore ranks number one in the world for its infrastructure, with an impressive score of 95.4 on a scale of 0 to 100. Though the Japanese were hesitant at first, it became a raw-seafood staple for them by 1995. The longest river in the world is the River Nile, clocking 6,853km in length. The ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia what is now modern-day Iraq invented the worlds first writing system, called cuneiform, from 3500-3000 BC. When 174 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement on Earth Day in 2016 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, it was the largest number of countries ever to come together to sign anything on a single day. READ THIS NEXT: 40 Facts So Funny They're Hard to Believe. Everyone associates this European nation with chocolate, and for good reason. Although the majority of the human population is currently under 30 years old, there are still plenty of older folks among us. Rock music legend Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar while it was a British protectorate. Tea is big on this European island nation locals reportedly drink 165 million cups a day. According to the bureau, the number of people alive today represents a whopping 7 percent of the total number of humans who have ever lived. While I'm not about to do an interesting fact about all 196, here are a list of 25 fascinating facts about vario Men fasten plant vines to their ankles and jump off a rickety wooden platform high above the ground. Oct 27, 2019 - This is a guest post contributed by List25 Depending on which government list you're reading from and which countries they recognize, it's estimated that there are about 196 official countries in the world. Until the early 1800s, nutmeg production was entirely centered in Indonesia. The total population of people who are alive on Earth hasn't even hit 8 billion. Camels are extremely important to the people of this African nation. Amazingly, the boy's unimpressed teacher gave him a B-. There are estimated to be 72 million deaf people around the world. He published several other works but made almost no money off any of them. Bees are big in this former Yugoslavian republic. ", National Centers for Environmental Information, 70 Wonderfully Weird Facts That Will Make You Question Everything, United Nations World Tourism Organization, 100 Fascinating Facts You'll Want to Share with Everyone You Know, 125 Facts That Will Make You Feel Instantly Smarter, 12 percent of people on Earth are 60 years old, 40 Facts So Funny They're Hard to Believe, 50 Summer Facts That'll Make You Even More Excited for the Season, https://www.mountwashington.org/about-us/history/world-record-wind.aspx, https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/study/32292, https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/102/2/BAMS-D-20-0101.1.xml, https://www.pnas.org/content/118/13/e2021442118, https://www.pnas.org/content/117/51/32627, https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31267-7, https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12150, https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/which-country-has-most-earthquakes, https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests-and-forestry/state-canadas-forests-report/how-much-forest-does-canada-have/17601, https://www.audubon.org/news/what-most-abundant-wild-bird-world, https://www.interpol.int/en/Who-we-are/What-is-INTERPOL. The Spanish Steps (seen below) are found in which city? With around 200 countries and more than 7.8 billion people (plus plants, animals, and other organisms), the world is full of interesting, fun, and fascinating facts. It might seem safe to assume that the Canary Islands were named after canary birds, but the location was actually named after a different animal. Finland has one of the oldest school starting ages in the world, as well as one of the most successful education systems. They keep the money, and the mothers brother is tasked with providing for her children. "From about 1915, when the statistical record begins, until 1980, about one in every 50 babies born was a twin, a rate of 2 percent," writes Alexis C. Madrigal of The Atlantic. It involves some 10,000 people simultaneously hopping while another 40,000 look on. Confoundingly, it was replaced by Baywatch.. This European island nation is known for being tops in a lot of per-capita categories, but none is more surprising than Coca-Cola. Monaco wanted foreign money from this pursuit, but it didnt want its own citizens going into debt from gambling addictions. Previously, CFOs had been common in refrigerators, aerosol cans, and dry-cleaning chemicals. Its constitution was suspended in 1997 and there is only one political party in the entire country, the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice. Spain has twice occupied this African nation, and its the only country on the continent with Spanish as its official language. This East African nation was the site of an archaeological discovery that rewrote human history. Boys and girls are educated separately in Iran until they reach university. There is a dancing ceremony in this tiny European country that is so old and so popular that in 2010 it was included on UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Figs aren't fruits, they are flowers. There are more uncontacted people in Brazils portion of the Amazon than anywhere else on the planet, with the number of isolated tribes believed to be more than 100. Europe has been experiencing serious dry spells and extreme heat since 2015, which has caused major droughts. Santa Cruz del Islote in the Archipelago of San Bernardo off the coast of Colombia may only be about the size of two soccer fields (two acres), but the artificial island has four main streets and 10 neighborhoods. India gave the world its sweet tooth. They can also be used to sonically map out the ocean floor thanks to the fact that the sound can reach depths of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) under the water, which bounces back and provides researchers with accurate measurements. It gets about 15 inches of rain a year, compared to the global average of 3.8 inches. Erno Rubik never intended his creation to be a toy but rather a vehicle for helping to understand three-dimensional geometry.

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