5. That beat the previous record of the 2,800 athletes from 88 countries who participated in the Winter Games in 2014. This ancient Balkan nation claims to have accidentally created yogurt some 4,000 years ago. 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. When Arthur Guinness signed the lease for the brewerys St. James Gate property in 1759, it was for 9,000 years at 45 per month. World Facts - WorldAtlas The country has had several agreements in place since the late 1990s with companies that sell web addresses using the desirable suffix. That's because these countries are under long-term U.S. trade embargoes. 10 fascinating infrastructure facts from around the world Step aside John, James, Mary, and Janethe most popular name in the world is believed to be Muhammad. The longest river in the world is the River Nile, clocking 6,853km in length. The bitterly cold winter of 1977 made its way to the Bahamas and on January 19, snow fell on Grand Bahama Island. Folklore and superstition reign supreme in this former Soviet republic. The best explanation so far is that Yoruba people eat a type of yam that contains an ovarian stimulate that might release more eggs. No matter where you go, it's comforting to know you can always enjoy a Coca-Cola. The laws date to the introduction of gambling in the country in the mid-1800s to save the nation from bankruptcy. 50 unbelievable facts about the world to make you seem cultured A collection of islands halfway between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalus largest source of income is derived from its country code domain, .tv. Fun Facts about Countries Enjoy our range of fun facts for kids from countries all around the world. Gibnut is so revered in these parts that it was served to Queen Elizabeth II in 1985 during a royal visit. You can hear yourself breathing and it sounds somewhat loud.". Today, however, Cholula is mostly covered by dirt and plants. It is undoubtedly one of Europe's most underrated attractions. Honey is basically bee vomit. A 2020 study led by Clemson University scientists determined that the UV pigmentation in flowers has increased over time which has led to the degradation of their pollen. This former republic of the Soviet Union is considered the most digitally advanced government in the world and was the first to offer its citizens online voting, all the way back in 2005. This Asian nation has no independence day because, unlike most countries around the world, it was never fully occupied by Europeans. Of the 14 million camels in the world, more than half reside in Somalia. Silence is golden, as they say. 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. 1) It snows in the Sahara Desert Photo credit: tonynetone via Flickr Deserts are known to have very low precipitation. In this video it's the countries from M to Z. Bees are big in this former Yugoslavian republic. Since being introduced in the 1880s, baseball has been an obsession in this Caribbean nation. A traditional martial art called Moraingy was developed on this African island in the precolonial 17th century and remains wildly popular. The panda at your local zoo may look like it's at home in its cozy sanctuary. Beef up your knowledge with these fascinating facts about every single country on Earth. We rely on you. However, only The Gambia and The Bahamas formally include "the" in their names. Tabu is the money of choice by the Tolai society, and while its not easy to make, its used like regular currency. As of the time of this writing, the overall human population is estimated to be more than 8 billion people. Not all bacteria are bad. And like other countries, it mints its own euro coins and issues its own stamps. "Most people find the absence of sound deafening, feel a sense of fullness in the ears, or some ringing. This Southeast Asian country is one of only three in the world, along with Liberia and the United States, that does not use the metric system. While that sounds excessive, its basically all-inclusive food, transportation, accommodations, daily guide and local taxes. Yes, they're technically the property of the government of China, according to Vox. "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. A third of world's languages are spoken in Africa! Beyond that, a 2021 study published in Science showed how using a fin whale's song can be far more useful and have less of a negative impact on sea life than using a large air gun, which is the typical tool researchers rely on. The countrys 50,000 doctors working abroad bring Cuba some $11 billion annually. This tiny country sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland is the worlds top producer of false teeth. Without further ado, here's 25 travel facts that are certain to shock and surprise. 100 Amazing Country Facts Around The World - Facts.net The Yoruba people in the southwest part of this African nation are known for giving birth to more twins than anywhere else in the world, at a rate of 50 per 1,000 births. Theres a small city called Sialkot in this South Asian country that produces 40 percent of the worlds soccer balls. 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. We are a movement of people from over 100 countries. Rock music legend Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar while it was a British protectorate. These stunning creations take months of preparation, but inevitably they are trampled on by the celebrations procession. AfrikaBurn is a cousin festival to the Burning Man festival in the U.S. Theres an annual festival in this Southeast Asian nation that pays homage to its many monkeys. You can't expect negotiations with the French to be like negotiations . 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. 25 Fascinating Country Facts from Around the World The popularity is thanks to a Muslim tradition of naming every firstborn son after the Islamic prophet. Christopher Columbus named these Caribbean islands after himself (Kitts was the famous explorers nickname) and the Spanish word for snow (nieves), even though snow is the last thing youd ever find in a place with an average annual temperature of 82 degrees. This Southeast Asian nation is one of the only countries in the world governed by an absolute monarchy. This island nation in the Caribbean Sea is the only country in the world thats named after a woman, in this case Saint Lucy of Syracuse. 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. The wildly popular Brazilian dance style known as samba is rooted in Angolan circle dances. Theres a saying on Barbados that if a mongoose crosses the street in front of you, it signifies good luck. 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." Before and during World War II, the country backed Germany. The longest river in the world is the River Nile, clocking 6,853km in length. It gets about 15 inches of rain a year, compared to the global average of 3.8 inches. Besides big players like the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Mexico and Brazil, most of these countries have fewer than 50 million residents and might be difficult for people to find on a map. 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. On Nov. 18, 1978, more than 900 men, women and children living in Jim Joness Peoples Temple drank poison-laced Kool Aid and died. Beef up your international deal-making skills. During his lifetime between 1162 and 1227, Genghis Khan fathered countless children. It first competed in the Olympics in 1988. Roquemaure's Lovers' Festival boasts 19th-century costumes and music. Men average just over 6 feet while women average 5 feet 6 inches. Its also used generally by women as a sexual enhancer. Bratislava, the capital of this European nation, is the only capital in the world that borders two other countries, Austria and Hungary. This European country is the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, whose iconic Don Quixote is considered the first modern novel. 23 fascinating diagrams reveal how to negotiate with people around the world. Wadi Rum, aka the Valley of the Moon, has been used as a filming site in movies including Lawrence of Arabia, Red Desert and The Martian.. Which two countries in South America are the Iguazu Falls part of? Many people still make their homes outside of bustling locationsespecially in India, which has the largest number of people living in rural areas (approximately 893 million people live outside of the city), according to Reuters. This sovereign state located between Jordan and Israel contains a small city called Bethlehem that, in addition to being the birthplace of Jesus Christ, celebrates Christmas three times a year: Jan. 7 (Greek Orthodox), Jan. 18 (Armenians) and Dec. 25 (Catholics). Watch the whole process of how bees make honey in this video! Six Fascinating Festivals from Around the World | Britannica The Aztecs are believed to have built the Great Pyramid of Cholula some 2,000 years ago. 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. This African island nation in the Indian Ocean is one of the worlds most politically unstable countries, with a coup detat or an attempt at one happening every two years or so since 1975. The Gruesome Tale of the Laughing Death Epidemic, The Greatest Air Race of All Time Which Helped Give Us the Global Airline Industry, An Ode to Glorious Chips (And Who Invented Nachos), What Those Nasty White Chunks That Sometimes Come From Your Throat Are, The Difference Between a Fact and a Factoid, Marilyn Monroe was Not Even Close to a Size 12-16, A Japanese Soldier Who Continued Fighting WWII 29 Years After the Japanese Surrendered, Because He Didnt Know. Their version of the Lords Prayer? Not to be confused with its much larger neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo, this African nation is home to what a National Geographic team dubbed the worlds last eden during a visit in the 1990s. 4. Tourists to this Himalayan hideaway have to pay a minimum of $200 per day (in the low season) to visit the country. English is the official language in this West African nation, but everyone also speaks Krio an English-based creole language so the various ethnic groups can communicate with one another. But unless you live in China, the pandas that you're seeing are just visiting. A new Pew Research Center analysis finds that 79 countries and territories out of the 198 studied around the world (40%) had laws or policies in 2019 banning blasphemy, which is defined as speech or actions considered to be contemptuous of God or of people or objects considered sacred. 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. The United Nations recognizes 193 countries plus two observer states, Palestine and the Vatican (Holy See). The 49th parallel marks the border between Canada and the United States. Not everyone lives in a booming city or sprawling suburb. On Sundays in this West Africa country, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are reserved for sheep bathing. Now they are simply part of the island. While I'm not about to do an interesting fact about all 196, here are a list of 25 fascinating facts about various countries in the world today: Most People Behind Bars - United States: When it comes to incarcerating its population, the United States is the world's uncontested leader. Earthquakes that size can (and do) cause major destruction. 23 Diagrams Reveal How to Negotiate Around the World - Business Insider The first four artciles seem to have childish edits they just make this website look more amateurish. It sat out both World Wars and its last conflict was in 1814 with neighbor Norway, which had declared its independence. Sheep are a prized animal in the Muslim nation and are therefore very well taken care of. 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. We've already featured some interesting . The recovery is thanks in large part to the Montreal Protocol of 1987, which put a global ban on the use of one of the main culprits for the damage: chlorofluorocarbons (CFOs). You might think twins are a rarity, but they're actually becoming more common than ever. 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. Residents of this South American country cannot legally watch The Simpsons because their former president, Hugo Chavez, deemed it unsuitable for children. There may not be any red-billed queleas in your neighborhood, but that's not because there isn't an abundance of them. Religious edicts called fatwas encourage contraceptives, and both men and women are required by law to take a class on modern contraception before their marriage license will be issued. La vie est belle! One of the most iconic foods in this European nation is the tomato. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { Wayuu, Colombia. People in Bolivia don't tend to be much taller, with an average adult height of 5 feet, 2.4 inches. It was originally performed at funerals and is meant to reflect the cycle of life. Home to more than one billion oysters, the area is a no-fishing zone, which will hopefully give the population a chance to recover. Those terms are still adhered to today. Co-residential living is also popular, and men and women both have multiple partners and children with different people over the course of their lives. 20 Fun Facts About the World That Sound Absurd But Are Actually True 43 Fascinating Wedding Traditions From Around the World - Brides Armenia is the only country in the world that requires students to take chess lessons in school, and its paid off the country often wins international competitions and has a high number of grandmasters per capita. 3 since the inception of the Best Countries rankings, Canada finally climbed to the No. That's bad news for everyone, since the fragile gas layer protects our planet and shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. 10 curious facts from places around the world | Booking.com Due to its location 8 to 12 degrees north of the equator, this Central American country is always about the same distance from the sun. That's it for our list of world facts, but be sure to check back in with us soon for even more trivia! The lyrics were composed in 1833 by the same man who wrote Paraguays anthem and the music was added in 1848. The secret police are referred to as the KGB and communal farming is still practiced. That set the Guinness World Record for the most expensive coin ever sold at auction. 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. Thanks to a long monsoon season, this countrys capital, Conkary, is the wettest capital on Earth. It was the most ancient human skeleton ever unearthed, and helped scientists understand early human behavior. However, the situation is a little more complicated than that. While I'm not about to do an interesting fact about all 196, here are a list of 25 fascinating facts about vario Lake Malawi is vitally important to this country. After several years at No. Mecca, the holiest Islamic city, is located in this Middle East country. Punishment ranges from small fines to imprisonment. And King Mswati is permitted to take another wife every year if he so chooses; his predecessor, for instance, had 125 wives. 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. Countries With The Most Summer Olympic Medals. Interesting Facts 01 As a multiethnic country, Nigeria has over 520 spoken languages among its residents. And although the nations population is low, it has produced several of the greatest cricket players of all time, including Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Andy Roberts and Curtly Ambrose. 20 Fascinating Facts About Education Around The World The South American country has the unfortunate distinction of being the site of the worlds largest mass suicide. Thanks to the work of an amateur archaeologist in the early 2000s, residents and government officials in this former Yugoslavian republic in southeast Europe believe that a network of 12,000-year-old pyramids exists within the countrys borders. During Frances 30-year war In the 17th century, King Louis XIII hired Croatian mercenaries who wore a piece of cloth around their necks that the king was particularly fond of. But it's an inevitable part of life for those who live in countries such as China, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey, which are some of the most earthquake-prone places on the planet. 24 Different Cultural Traditions Around the World - Tomedes 03 Uganda is home to the endangered mountain gorilla, particularly in the Ruwenzori Mountains. The practice dates to before colonization and is quite progressive compared to the rest of the world. Due to its placement in the central Pacific Ocean and the fact that its islands cover an area of 1.3 million square miles, Kiribati has the special distinction of being the only country in the world thats located in all four hemispheres. Previous readings have ranged from 29,002 feet above sea level in 1856 down to 20,029 in 1955, according to NPR. 2 and one at No. These days, Interpol (or the International Criminal Police Organization) may be well-known for tracking down outlaws around the world. In 2011, this Pacific Ocean nation comprised of dozens of islands and atolls created the largest shark sanctuary in the world. Bicycles are much more prevalent than personal automobiles in this European country. This former Soviet republic was the largest country in Europe in the 15th century. Of all 24 countries involved, the shortest border length is the 17km border between North Korea and Russia, and the longest is the 7512km border between Russia and Kazakhstan. Mount Qasioun, which overlooks the capital of Damascus in this Middle East country, is said to be where Cain killed Abel with a rock before carrying his body on his shoulders for centuries. At 85 letters long, this is the longest place name in the world. During the Monkey Buffet Festival, residents of Lopburi provide 4.5 tons of fruits, veggies and candies to the 3,000 monkeys that live around the ancient temple of Phra Prang Sam Yot. Hang on to your hats because this isn't your average wind storm. 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. Belgium colonized this African country from 1908 to 1960, and one of the leftovers from this period is an obsession with mayonnaise. However, according to the USGS, Japan records the most earthquakes in the world. * Population stats were sourced from Worldometer. However, that's primarily saltwater. } He claims a director asked him to undress. Some countries are hundreds of years old, while others can trace their nation's history back for thousands of years. In the first few years of its existence, nearly 20,000 people relocated there. One of the things Monaco, a tiny country surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea, is most known for is its casino in Monte Carlo, but local residents of the country are barred from entering it unless they work there. Both men and women in this East Asian nation can only choose between 15 state-approved haircuts. In China, the holiday lasts for weeks! The "weapons-grade" Dragon's Breath chili pepper is so hot it's downright deadly. 10 Interesting Facts From the 2021 Best Countries Rankings - US News Known as Swaziland until 2018, this southern African nation is one of the worlds last absolute monarchies. Forager bees regurgitate it.