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“Scottish Haggis Are Practically Extinct”: 30 Interesting Facts About Countries Round The Globe
The world is wonderfully diverse. So many different countries and so many different cultures. Traveling can broaden our horizons, of course, but some things and experiences can still remain a mystery. That's why it's always interesting to hear from the locals: what they recommend, what they advise to avoid, and what fascinating facts we should know about their native place.
Someone was curious to know more about the latter, so they asked: "What are facts about your country, which foreigners do not usually know about?" People from all around the world started sharing their countries' wonderful secrets. From national animals to lesser-known achievements, all kinds of interesting facts came to light.
What about you, Pandas? Do you happen to know any strange facts about your homeland that you think foreigners should know, too? Let us know in the comments if you do!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
As a Canadian, I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT APPROACH THE GEESE IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE.
RELATED:
#2
French here.
Parisian don't hate you in particular.
They hate everyone.
They hate each other.
And most of them are not even born in Paris in the first place.
gerard julien 1 year ago
wrong stereotype : actually parisians don't hate you, they just ignore you !
#3
Scotland: National animal is the unicorn. Not joking.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
The Lion and the Unicorn. Lion for England and Unicorn for Scotland. The ages old symbol for the United Kingdom. I may be a Yank but I know a few things.
#4
Brazil: We have the biggest japanese community outside Japan.
#5
The Italian national animal is the wolf, yes, but it's usually not specified that it's the *female* wolf.
#6
The United States was formed by a bunch of aristocrats that didn’t want to pay their taxes.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Yeah, originally the constitution stipulated that only WHITE MALES who owned land were allowed to vote. We have a long tradition of preventing minorities and poor people from having a say in government. It's why we still vote on a Tuesday. Can't make it to the ballot box if you have to work all day. Voter suppression is baked in.
#7
Mexico is not yellow, and I'm tired of Hollywood always making Mexico yellow in their movies.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
THANK YOU! I always thought that was weird. I think it's because of the Spaghetti Westerns of the 70s and 80s. So Italians making movies about the USA and making the South West look yellow and orange to make it look hot. That's my theory at least.
#8
One fact not even people who were born and raised know about: During World War 2 the Netherlands had one of the worst survival rates for Jews in all of the German occupied territories; only 5,000 out 105,000 survived the war. The extensive Dutch civil administration is often cited as a cause of this; once German police had access to the public records they knew exactly who was Jewish, and where they lived. Once they had that information, it was easy for them to target and deport any Jewish people living in the Netherlands.
While that is true, what is not often talked about is how much of the work tracking down Jewish people was done by Dutch people, many of whom benefitted financially from their actions. Police and civil servants got paid bonuses if they found Jews in hiding, notaries public would make a hefty commission on the sale of confiscated Jewish properties, even the national rail company got their cut charging the Germans for use of their trains to transport captured Jews to concentration camps.
Education about this aspect of the German occupation has gotten much better over the past ten years or so, but when I was a kid we were taught none of this. We only heard about the how the heroic resistance would oppose the Germans and try to hide Jewish people, when in reality there were more collaborators than there were ever members of the resistance.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
I am Dutch and when I was a kid in the eighties this was taught everywhere.
#9
I feel like too few people are really prepared for how fast the Australian sun will burn them when they get off the plane...
If your SPF isn't 50+ it might as well go in the bin.
Retirement in Australia is basically skin cancer treatments.
Slip slip slap people.
Rayne OfSalt 1 year ago
We play a game here in Oz called "Spot the Brit". It involves keeping an eye out for lobster red people in public. You see one, you've found the Brit. For some reason, Brits are the absolute worst at underestimating just how badly and how quickly the sun will burn them here. If you're travelling to Oz, don't bring sunscreen from your country - it's not formulated for our country and is effectively worthless. Buy some that's made here the moment you get off the plane and slather yourself in it before you step out of the airport.
#11
Iceland does not have a Mcdonalds. Not sure if this is a well known fact or not but I get asked by trourists sometimes.
#12
🇮🇪
1. We're not all drunk alcoholics.
2. We're not British.
3. There is more food and drink in 🇮🇪 than your stereotypes of potatoes, Guinness.
4. We don't like it when you claim your Irish through a long line of relatives.
5. The people here are not leprechauns. Some are just small or ginger.
#13
Most of the haggis sold for meat are farmed in Wales. Wild scottish haggis are practically extinct.
#14
As a Norwegian, Norway likes the "we are forward thinking and accept all people" publicity, but in reality, Norway is incredibly racist and xenophobic.
A lot of Norwegians will get angry if you point it out too.
#15
Many people in the US do not carry firearms.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
MOST. In fact the vast majority of us do not. At this point there are about 80 million gun OWNERS in the USA but there are almost 400 million guns. Most of us don't own any guns but the ones who do, own on average five guns each. Think about that. 2/3 of us own zero guns but the ones who do own guns, own around five. YOU ONLY HAVE TWO HANDS FFS. Gun culture is out of control.
#16
In World War II Canada interned Japanese people.
Many people don't know this but what is now Strathcona and East Vancouver used to be Japantown which was a bustling Japanese community. They were taken from their homes and businesses. In fact if you visit some of the buildings in Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), you're visiting the very buildings they slept in; hundreds of cots, lined up with no privacy.
I_imagine_even_worse_w***s 1 year ago
Honestly the amount of stuff I've learned as an adult about history is frightening that it's not taught on schools. Even history about my own country was white washed in school its shocking.
2WheelTravlr 1 year ago
The focus on memorization of names and dates rather than why they matter is criminal, in my opinion. Although my inability to memorize dates probably skews my viewpoint a bit.
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cugel. 1 year ago
To be fair, the only thing we hear is what the US is doing.
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Jayjay 1 year ago
Even though the Japanese in Canada, US, Australia were probably normal and law abiding citizens, the way Japan wreaked havoc in Asia was abominal and worse. Still the "troostmeisjes" of the Netherlands in Dutch Indonesia did not get a proper apology. And I just read this article on the atrocities of Japanese Unit 731 in China: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/27597226/inside-unit-731-human-experiments-ww2/. The fear for the Japanese before and during WW2 was not something out of the blue.
Westend Revolver 1 year ago (edited)
True. The Japanese did terrible things, but this had nothing to do with Canadians, Americans and Austrlians that happened to be of Japanese descent. The fact that citizens called them not Americans, Canadians or Australians, but Japanese (or j**s) speaks to the issue. It would be one thing if German and Italian descent Canadians, Americans and Australians were placed in camps (gladly they weren't for the most part), but the glaring fact that they weren't shows the xenophobic application of these policies. And while I think awareness of Japanese war atrocities is important, bringing it up when talking up Japanese internment is frankly underlying the issue further as if there is some justification for it.
Load More Replies...
StumblingThroughLife 1 year ago
They also changed the name 'Berlin' to 'Kitchener' after WW2, in Ontario - well, that is what my Canadian Ex-hubby told me.
Nimitz 1 year ago
I grew up in the Lethbridge, Alberta area. We had one of those camps outside. I know people who's families were incarcerated. It is insane that it happened. People nowadays are very kind about the issue. There are lots and lots of cherry trees in the area, and several Japanese cultural centers.
Westend Revolver 1 year ago (edited)
Yes, Southern Alberta has a sizeable Japanese-Canadian population as a result. Some of these Japanese-Canadians have started huge farming businesses as a result and have rebuilt. Lethbridge's Nikka-Yuko Gardens (Japan Canadian Friendship Garden) is a beautiful example of rebuilding.
Load More Replies...
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
USA also had internment camps for Italian-Americans, which held journalists, language teachers, and men active in an Italian veterans group.
Blondieybat 1 year ago
A ad their fair share of 'Internment' camps. George Takai from the original Star Trek series spent a portion of his life in Manzinar.
Trish Christoffersen 1 year ago
Utah had an internment camp too...near Topaz Mountain. Sad days.
Tina Harnish 1 year ago
Actor Robert Ito (from the t.v. series Quincy M.E.) was interned in Tashme, B.C. and then Manitoba.
Celtic Pirate Queen 1 year ago
My former MIL & her family were interned at the camp in Puyallup, WA - while her husband (also Japanese, but born in Hawaii so an American citizen) was fighting for the US in the Army. How f*cked up is THAT?
Rich Black 1 year ago
Bet the japanese didn't treat captured Canadians soldiers any better than they did with chinese, koelrean, filipino, or americans
Morngaur of Gorgoroth 1 year ago
AAMOF, Canada's internment program began before that of the US; Canada housed their interns in uncleaned stables and barns; Canada routinely separated husbands from their families; and the Canadian internment program wasn't shut down until 1949!!!
Kim Lorton 1 year ago
Wow. That is so sad. Taking away their human rights as well as everything else.
Anony Mouse 1 year ago
Italians were also. I assume they were treated better than the Japanese, which may be why we never hear about it.
BarkingSquirell 1 year ago
Just in case anyone was wondering if we were always a peaceful people. We were until the Brits and Catholic Church arrived, ie when the Indigenous controlled their own country.
#17
Amsterdam is not the only place in the Netherlands.
#18
pierogi is already plural , no knead to call them pierogies.
#19
Our elderly care is abysmal. Nursing homes in US costs $8-15k a month and most insurance companies don't cover it. Don't be old, kids!
#20
Germany: The autobahn is just a mundane part of everyday life many of us don't really think about, and speed limits do exist.
Surenu 1 year ago
It's technically true that there's no speed limit, as in there is no general speed limits like on every other type of road. However, authorities can and do enact speed limits if road conditions make one necessary. So don't expect to go blasting over the A43 at 300 kp/h for an hour or so. You'll likely be stuck in a traffic jam for that time.
#21
There are actually more than 3 Pyramids in Egypt.
Korrie Broos 1 year ago
There are more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt. Over 200 in Sudan vs 118 In Egypt
#22
Brazil actually have strong laws against crime. We are just incapable of enforcing them. I think most Brazilians don't know this either.
#23
Canada is a well known place for animation. A lot of US studios farm out work here and it's subsidized by the provincial governments. The standards for children's animation is high and is easily exportable to other countries.
#24
Oktober fest does not start in October.
#25
When it comes to Dubai, 99% of people seem to be of the opinion that Dubai has no culture and little history.
Not so. When i moved there in the 80s (before it became a behemoth), the culture was very much evident.
Fishing from dhous, trading along the river, ancient traditions such as camel racing, falconry and, most impressively, creating successful nomadic communities that thrived for thousands of years in some of the most desolate areas on the globe.
And then oil was discovered.
#26
Good Filipino hospitality only works for foreigners. Towards fellow countrymen, most Filipinos are pretty selfish.
StumblingThroughLife 1 year ago
You could say that about numerous places around the world, tbf.
#27
Australia - has 15 ski resorts, though by international standards they're pretty lame...and expensive.
#28
Rick and morty is animated in ireland.
like... everything about that seems wrong.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Lot of good animation studios in Ireland. Always has been going back to the 60s.
#29
Singapore has entire clusters of crammed foreign worker housing out in the fringes of the city in industrial areas, at the edge of forests, and along the sea.
#30
South Africa, First human heart transplant took place here. Also, the Kreepy Krauly and cat's eyes were invented here.
#32
An exiled French aristocrat is the reason we (the United States) gained our independence. To be honest, I think most U.S. citizens don't realize this either.
#33
In Belgium, hospital insurance is typically included as part of the national social security system, which is funded through taxes. This means that citizens contribute to the financing of hospital insurance through their taxes, ensuring access to healthcare services without additional out-of-pocket expenses for hospitalization.
This partially explains why Belgium has a tax rate of 40% for incomes exceeding 15,000 euros per year, which is essentially a minimum wage salary over here.
#34
There are sand dunes in Colorado, US.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Yeah I knew that. Boys to Men shot a music video there in the '90s
#35
Sweden. Our public transport is good enough that you really don’t beed to rent a car unless you have tonnes of baggage. You can get around on busses and trains super easily.
#36
Foreign people think that Butter Chicken, samosa and butter roti are the only dishes that Indians eat. There are many more than that, taster, healthier, and affordable 🙌🙌.
#37
Didn't ban the use of DDT until 1989 last country in the OECD I believe also the last of the nations that had troops exposed to agent Orange in Vietnam to offer compensation and funded treatment NZ.
#38
To know that Marrakesh and Agadir are not the most beautiful, there are other unknown cities that you can visit and enjoy (Morocco).
#40
Chicago is shockingly clean, and the people are crazy-friendly and will take their entire lunch break to walk you to the Art Institute if you're mildly lost, and invite you to Thanksgiving Dinner along the way.
We're not rude. We're not New York!
Chicago is also one of the world's greatest gourmet food cities, the best American city for architecture, and BY FAR the best American symphony orchestra. We gave the world Modernist Cuisine, and skyscrapers, and deep-dish pizza, and we remain the world's top destination for jazz. The Art Institute is WORLD F*****G CLASS.
Everybody knows facts about New York and LA and SF and Walt Disney World, but foreigners hardly know anything about Chicago -- "It's in the middle, right?" "Ooooh, Al Capone, bang bang!" -- but it should be your top US city to visit.
I absolutely promise you that you will enjoy no US city more than you enjoy Chicago. Everybody who lives here loves Chicago, and wants you to love Chicago, and they are SUPER NICE besides. You will begin to believe in American smiles because Chicagoans smile because they mean it and want you to enjoy your visit.
Kristal 1 year ago
Lol clean? You've got to be kidding me. No, no it's not clean. Maybe certain neighborhoods but not overall. I lived in Southside and used public transport and drove all around the city. I promise you, it would not be considered a clean city by anyone that has actually been to other big cities around the world.
Explore more of these tags
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BravePanda 1 year ago
Yay BP. Learned some new things from this list, and it wasn't repeating frequently featured facts.
Corvus 1 year ago
Yeah, it was a nice surprise. I was expecting the see the inevitable "people don't get how just huge the USA is", but it didn't appear this time.
Load More Replies... Emma S 1 year ago (edited)
The UK has a wide range of accents and dialects. Considering its small area size people are often suprised as how diverse the UK sounds. Usually when non Brits talk about a 'British' accent they are thinking of the recieved pronunciation accent that you hear many famous British people speaking in the media, such as the Royal Family, David Attenborough, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons etc. Most of the UK does not speak with a RP accent as it's usually a sign of a private school education, which very few Brits have had given the cost of private schools. (To clear up another British sterotype I've come across: less than 1% of us went to boarding school). I think it's often taught at drama schools such as RADA and the Guildhall as well which is why so many British actors speak it. Scouse, Brummie, Geordie, Mancunaian, Cockney, Yorkshire to name just a few, all sound very different from each other and that's just in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have several different accents of their own as well. They are all British accents. If you tell us you love the British accent, we'll ask you which one?
UKGrandad 1 year ago
To further complicate things, accents can differ in a very small distance, within cities and towns, and even from village to village, for example. Sadly, regional and local accents are becoming less distinct because of the influence of media and increased social mobility.
Load More Replies...
Diolla 1 year ago
Late to the party, but another Netherlands factoid: our country really is "nether", much more than you might think. 40% or so is below sea level, mostly West and North. So if you're in Amsterdam or the tulip fields, you might actually be several meters under. Which is why we have dykes and windmills.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago (edited)
Son: "So what's a Frisian?" Me: "It's someone from one of the regions that made up what was known as the Netherlands, before the Netherlands became the name of just one country." Son: "So one of the nether regions?" Oh, he was perfectly deadpan, but he knew, he knew...
Load More Replies...
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Canada has sales tax that's calculated at the till, not in the price on the shelf. The amount varies by province because provincial sales tax (PST) is set by the provincial government (in all provinces except Alberta and the three territories, which don't have PST). There is also goods and services tax (GST) which is country-wide. I tend to forget this when I visit now, and get confused as to why things are suddenly costing more than they were advertised.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Also, the elk are not nice and will hurt you. Do not go near them.
Load More Replies...
DeoManus Argentem 1 year ago
Same with the firearms post in the US but with cars - many people don't own either, but if you are an owner you likely own multiple, especially if you're counting by households - if you're middle-class and don't live in a big city you usually own at least one car per person over 15 years old living there (it's the standard 15/16 birthday gift). If you're doing well you often own a "daily driver" and at least one "fun" car (again, assuming you like cars).
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia is a desert, will all the fauna you'd expect, including turtles, reptiles, and rattlesnakes. [ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/okanagan-snake-varieties-tips-1.6848623 ]
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Might have heard it before, but in case you haven't. Australia actually exports both sand and camels to the middle east. Camels were imported here way back when, some got free (or were deliberately released) now we have a sizeable feral camel population.
MaxMi 1 year ago (edited)
Italian food isn’t just pizza and spaghetti. We actually have probably the most complicated food policy, with strict rules we must observe when it comes to eat (in a house seat at a table with your family) with regards to kind of food, the way it’s cooked, the way it’s served and the order it’s eat, which varies depending the time of the day and even more severe some food might be eat togheter while some other can’t. Much more complicated than any other fashion wherever.
JayneDough 1 year ago
Haggis are not real animals. This is a joke that has been around forever. Why is Buzzfeed presenting it as a "fact"?
Kathy 1 year ago (edited)
Playing rather fast and loose with the term "facts" here, aren't we, BP? Some of these "facts" are just personal opinion, other are complete myth! I expected better of you, but BP has definitely gone downhill recently, very few of the truly fascinating articles I liked so much when I joined a few years back, and a lot more nonsense like this or just gossip and crass materialism than before. Pity, BP was my go-to site when I wanted something engaging and informative to read, but that's just not the case anymore.
UKGrandad 1 year ago (edited)
How impatient are you that you honk at a driver for stopping at a yield (a 'give way' in the UK)? It may have been a new or cautious driver or one who was unfamiliar with the area. There are many reasons that a driver might make a seemingly unnecessary stop, and if they are anything like me I can understand why they'd be annoyed at someone honking away because I delayed them by a couple of precious seconds.
Load More Replies... BravePanda 1 year ago
Yay BP. Learned some new things from this list, and it wasn't repeating frequently featured facts.
Corvus 1 year ago
Yeah, it was a nice surprise. I was expecting the see the inevitable "people don't get how just huge the USA is", but it didn't appear this time.
Load More Replies... Emma S 1 year ago (edited)
The UK has a wide range of accents and dialects. Considering its small area size people are often suprised as how diverse the UK sounds. Usually when non Brits talk about a 'British' accent they are thinking of the recieved pronunciation accent that you hear many famous British people speaking in the media, such as the Royal Family, David Attenborough, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons etc. Most of the UK does not speak with a RP accent as it's usually a sign of a private school education, which very few Brits have had given the cost of private schools. (To clear up another British sterotype I've come across: less than 1% of us went to boarding school). I think it's often taught at drama schools such as RADA and the Guildhall as well which is why so many British actors speak it. Scouse, Brummie, Geordie, Mancunaian, Cockney, Yorkshire to name just a few, all sound very different from each other and that's just in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have several different accents of their own as well. They are all British accents. If you tell us you love the British accent, we'll ask you which one?
UKGrandad 1 year ago
To further complicate things, accents can differ in a very small distance, within cities and towns, and even from village to village, for example. Sadly, regional and local accents are becoming less distinct because of the influence of media and increased social mobility.
Load More Replies... Diolla 1 year ago
Late to the party, but another Netherlands factoid: our country really is "nether", much more than you might think. 40% or so is below sea level, mostly West and North. So if you're in Amsterdam or the tulip fields, you might actually be several meters under. Which is why we have dykes and windmills.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago (edited)
Son: "So what's a Frisian?" Me: "It's someone from one of the regions that made up what was known as the Netherlands, before the Netherlands became the name of just one country." Son: "So one of the nether regions?" Oh, he was perfectly deadpan, but he knew, he knew...
Load More Replies... CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Canada has sales tax that's calculated at the till, not in the price on the shelf. The amount varies by province because provincial sales tax (PST) is set by the provincial government (in all provinces except Alberta and the three territories, which don't have PST). There is also goods and services tax (GST) which is country-wide. I tend to forget this when I visit now, and get confused as to why things are suddenly costing more than they were advertised.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Also, the elk are not nice and will hurt you. Do not go near them.
Load More Replies... DeoManus Argentem 1 year ago
Same with the firearms post in the US but with cars - many people don't own either, but if you are an owner you likely own multiple, especially if you're counting by households - if you're middle-class and don't live in a big city you usually own at least one car per person over 15 years old living there (it's the standard 15/16 birthday gift). If you're doing well you often own a "daily driver" and at least one "fun" car (again, assuming you like cars).
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia is a desert, will all the fauna you'd expect, including turtles, reptiles, and rattlesnakes. [ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/okanagan-snake-varieties-tips-1.6848623 ]
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Might have heard it before, but in case you haven't. Australia actually exports both sand and camels to the middle east. Camels were imported here way back when, some got free (or were deliberately released) now we have a sizeable feral camel population.
MaxMi 1 year ago (edited)
Italian food isn’t just pizza and spaghetti. We actually have probably the most complicated food policy, with strict rules we must observe when it comes to eat (in a house seat at a table with your family) with regards to kind of food, the way it’s cooked, the way it’s served and the order it’s eat, which varies depending the time of the day and even more severe some food might be eat togheter while some other can’t. Much more complicated than any other fashion wherever.
JayneDough 1 year ago
Haggis are not real animals. This is a joke that has been around forever. Why is Buzzfeed presenting it as a "fact"?
Kathy 1 year ago (edited)
Playing rather fast and loose with the term "facts" here, aren't we, BP? Some of these "facts" are just personal opinion, other are complete myth! I expected better of you, but BP has definitely gone downhill recently, very few of the truly fascinating articles I liked so much when I joined a few years back, and a lot more nonsense like this or just gossip and crass materialism than before. Pity, BP was my go-to site when I wanted something engaging and informative to read, but that's just not the case anymore.
UKGrandad 1 year ago (edited)
How impatient are you that you honk at a driver for stopping at a yield (a 'give way' in the UK)? It may have been a new or cautious driver or one who was unfamiliar with the area. There are many reasons that a driver might make a seemingly unnecessary stop, and if they are anything like me I can understand why they'd be annoyed at someone honking away because I delayed them by a couple of precious seconds.
Load More Replies... You May Like 38 Australians Share Culture Shocks Tourists Get While Visiting From Famously Dangerous To Surprising, Here Are 50 Destinations That Solo Women Travelers Didn’t Find Safe 51 Safest Places To Travel Right Now
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