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“Germany Kicked The Beatles Out Of The Country”: 43 Facts About Countries That Sound Fake But Are True
Africa is not a country... Now that we've got that out the way, we can move on to what we've gathered here to discuss today: the wonderful and slightly confusing world of facts about countries that seem totally fake - but are 100% true.
Planet Earth is home to nearly 200 nations and each has its own people, quirks, customs, and "Wth?!" moments that make it totally unique. Some have laws so bizarre they sound like they've come straight from a comedy show. Others have populations so small that the citizens could fit into a school hall and there'd still be space.
Someone recently asked, "What’s a fact about your country that sounds fake but is actually true?" and the answers read like a deck of Trivia Pursuit cards that might have been written by a daydreaming 6-year-old. People shared strange truths about their native nations that might challenge everything you thought you knew about geography.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the most interesting but false-sounding facts for you to scroll through ahead of your next holiday abroad. They're proof that the world is truly a melting pot of delightful absurdities. Each country boasting a unique flavor of weirdness, shaped by centuries of tradition, some accidental history, and a few questionable decisions that somehow stuck.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Canada
Canada shares a land border with Denmark - Hans island.
For decades, Canadian & Danish patrols would visit the island alternately.
Each time, they would take down the other’s flag, raise their own, and leave a bottle of booze (Canada left Canadian whisky, Denmark left schnapps or aquavit) and baked goods. It became known as the “Whisky War”.
In June 2022, Canada and Denmark finally signed a deal splitting Hans Island down the middle, making it the world’s newest international land border.
Both sides celebrated with toasts of whisky and schnapps ending the world’s most polite territorial dispute.
Cuppa tea? 3 months ago
Can UN make binding declaration, that all international conflicts have to be resolved this way.
Philly Bob 3 months ago
Give it time, I'm sure orangeman wants to annex it and put up a resort.
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In a world filled with misinformation and fake news, you'd be forgiven for wanting to fact check just about everything you read. And some of the facts listed in this compilation might be right at the top of your list of things to research.
Take the one about Finland, for example. Someone claimed that the population could fit into a sauna simultaneously... Hmmm. At first, we thought they meant the population was so small that everyone could climb into the same sauna at the same time.
But what the person meant was that the country has so many saunas that there are enough for everyone living there to be in a sauna, somewhere, at the same time. Let's break it down further. Finland has a population of about 5.5 million people. And according to the This Is Finland site, there are an estimated 3 million saunas in the country.
You see, the sauna is an institution over there. A way of life. Part of the culture.
RELATED:
#2
Japan
We have indigenous people, just like every country does, but ours are quite similar to Native Americans. The primary group is called the Ainu, who mostly resided in Hokkaido. Fishing and hunting were our (I am Ainu) main activities, and we worshipped nature. Our women would be tattooed on their arms and faces as protection from evil spirits. Our men had long facial hair.
Like Native Americans and other indigenous people, we were colonized and forced to assimilate. Japanese settlers banned all of our practices and tried to erase us. The Japanese government is so disgusting in its erasure that we only achieved official acknowledgement in 2019.
Skara Brae 3 months ago (edited)
The earliest period is the Jomon period, from circa 10,500 BC to 300 BC. Their art and carvings are completely different than traditional 'Japanese' art. Here are a couple of links to examples: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dmon_pottery (2) https://artrkl.com/blogs/news/the-mystery-of-japans-dog-figures
David 3 months ago
people use this term "indigenous people" without knowing what the term means. Ainu are that to the Hokkaido island, Okinawans to the southern most and Yamato (what we call Japanese the the rest). All the word means is the original or oldest known inhabitants with a heritage and connection to a place, but people use it to refer to select types of minority cultures and a***e the term. Ainu were on Hokkaido which became part of Japan 1000+ years ago. The Ainu were also imperialists who conquered the Emishi on Sakhalin Island, and their culture no longer exists due to the Ainu conquest. Ainu were later conquered by the Yamato people, who only in the 1800s after the Meiji restoration forcibly Yamatocized the Ainu and forced out their culture (an idea proposed to them by the British btw)
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
For comparison, the last Indian Residential School in Canada (that's what they called them, and what they are referred to as in memorials) was finished in 1996. I don't mean "finished" like "closed", if you're curious.
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
I remember reading about the Ainu in NatGeo about 25 years ago. Their Wikipedia page is fascinating.
Dirk Daring 3 months ago
This is the part where I admit I only learned about the Ainu from Ghost of Yotei.
FluffButt Central 3 months ago
I met an Ainu man years ago in NYC at a Native American drumming class. He was a beautiful soul. So kind.
#3
Canada
From a legal standpoint, saying “sorry” does *not* count as admission of guilt, since we Canadians overuse the word so much.
hannahbahngswife 3 months ago
Is this how I find out that in other countries, saying "sorry" count as admission of guilt
pandamonium 3 months ago
Well, I should be careful saying "Sorry for your loss" on funerals lest I be accused of murder!
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Annie Furu 4 days ago
Allegedly a ship builder in Finland built a big ship for an arabian sheik and when presenting the ship for the buyer he proudly showed him the sauna. The ship was supposedly going to an arabic hot country where saunas were accessible as soon as you went outdoors in the sun! :D
"In days gone by, they were the most practical place to wash during the long winters when there was no hot running water," explains This Is Finland. "You can still find people in Finland who were born in a sauna. Not when it was heated up, of course, but it was a sterile place where hot water was available."
The site adds that big companies and state institutions have their own saunas. Even the president has an official sauna, as does the prime minister. Saunas are everywhere it would seem, so it's not entirely impossible that the whole population could fit into saunas simultaneously... with a push.
#4
Germany
In Germany, it’s illegal to run out of fuel on the Autobahn.
It sounds bizarre, but because stopping on the Autobahn (unless in an emergency) is a safety hazard, running out of gas is considered preventable negligence. Drivers can get fined, and in some cases even lose their license for it.
sturmwesen 3 months ago
to be fair: on average there are gas station every 17-29km..really no reason to run out
Jrog 3 months ago
Exactly. Also, if you run out of fuel because of a gas station unexpectedly being shut down or out of fuel, and can prove it, you will not be fined. It's a sensible law that avoids some very stupid and preventable hazards.
Load More Replies... Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
There was a US tourist who thought Autobahn laws applied to Germany's roads in general. 500 euros worth of speeding tickets
TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago
It's generaly stupid to assume that there are no limits on the Autobahn either because 30% of the network indeed have speedlimits
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Na Schi 3 months ago
To my knowledge yes. But apparently there's a chance coming due to implementing EU law (I'm not completely certain of the specifics). It seems that you have to renew your licence after x amount of years, but no medical examination/knowledge test or else is attached to it.
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Miguel Aleixo 4 days ago
In Portugal you can also be fined for running out of gas, and in any kind of public road.
DC 3 months ago
When my fuel gauge failed, I had to refill on the shoulder once, too. Really scary, really sucks. Can't recommend! As I always have a can of 5 liter in the trunk, to make stuff like this not worse than already is, it wasn't worse than that. No walking to a gas station, walking back, no police in sight, so no fine to pay. Sucked already anyway.
#5
Egypt
There were ancient Egyptian archeologists in ancient Egypt.
Marko Jovanovic 1 month ago
the time difference between Khufu who built the great pyramid and Cleopatra the last pharaoh is greater than difference between Cleopatra and now
Lady Eowyn 3 months ago
Egyptian civilization has been around so long that things were considered ancient by those we consider ancient.
Load More Replies... #6
Sweden
17% of the surface is covered in blueberries.
What about running out of fuel on the Autobahn in Germany? Is it really illegal? Yes, it is. But before we explain why, it's important to understand exactly what the Autobahn is...
If you've never heard of it, it's a high-speed, limited-access highway. You can drive as fast as you want on this national highway network that stretches more than 7,200 miles (12,000 km).
“The Autobahn in many people’s minds is a bucket list item,” says David Tracy, co-founder and editor-in-chief of automotive news outlet, the Autopian. “Car enthusiasts love the idea of an unrestricted roadway. Being able to actually put your vehicle to the test and really show its full potential is the ultimate.”
#7
Brazil
We have a mosquito factory.
We breed genetically modified mosquitoes that don't carry diseases and release them in the wild where they'll keep multiplying and "infecting" the others with this gene.
So in the future no mosquito here will carry any disease .
Jrog 3 months ago (edited)
Panama and Mexico have similar initiatives. They were handled in cooperation with the US, but with Trump the US decided to build their own factory in Texas. The new factory is going to cost as much as 50 years of the existing initiatives, have a yearly cost double the current, all without meaningful improvement except moving it on US soil.
cerinamroth 3 months ago
And all the Mexican mosquitoes will need passports if they want to visit the US. /s
Load More Replies... Paulina 2 months ago (edited)
This is not true❗ I read the research and those mosquitoes are NOT modified to not carry the diseases. No one figured out this kind of immunity gene modifier yet. Instead, Aedes aegypti are genetically modified in a way that prevents female mosquitoes from maturing and breeding - they die before that happens. Male mosquitoes are still active, but spread the gene. Essentially, they carry a self distruction gene to control the population. Living mosquitoes still bite and CAN CARRY DISEASES, but there's less of them & that's the mode of disease control that is used for now.
Bored Trash Panda 2 months ago
Have you seen the movie Mosquito. Enough said.
Load More Replies... #8
New Zealand
We have a parrot that eats sheep and car parts.
Regitse Jensen 2 months ago
I'm so in love with keas, apart from the sheep thing, I find them Adorable 🥰
Verena 3 months ago
Anything rubbery in the first place. Window sealing, wipers...
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Space Invader 3 months ago
They hack into the side and drink the blood, apparently.
Load More Replies... #9
New Zealand
A bat won our "Bird of the Year" contest in 2021.
According to CNBC, top speeds on Germany's autobahn have surged above 250 miles per hour. It would make complete sense then that the government wouldn't want stationery cars chilling around without fuel as others come whizzing by.
Especially if the driver could have avoided the entire situation by simply checking their fuel gauge and filling the tank as required.
If you're planning a trip to Germany, and want to drive while you're there, running out of fuel isn't the only thing that could land you in trouble on the autobahn. It's illegal to pass on the right side of the road, to stop on the shoulder, to forget to use your blinkers/indicators when you merge, and to make a U-turn.
#10
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland: We have no flag and we’re officially described as either a province, region or country. (No one seems to know, in all honesty) Everyone born here has the right to choose both British and Irish nationalities. We have three different issuers of banknotes, all of which are private banks.
Hugo 3 months ago
Unfortunately the banks can't agree on the colours, which is potentially confusing.
Papa 3 months ago
I have also been confused by currency. My wife and I went to Belize last year. Their dollar has a fixed ratio of two Belize dollars to one US dollar. Many (maybe all) businesses in Belize will accept either. After having a few beers, determining whether or not I got the correct amount of change when it was a mixture of Belize and US currency was quite a challenge. I generally just stuck it in my pocket and hoped for the best.
Load More Replies... #11
Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
Actually, no, we're not. We're sorry for USA for... being under the Tariff Sheriff's fist, and for having so many tiny states. For reference, you could fit Texas, the famously largest state, into the slot between Canada's smallest provinces
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R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Hahaha! And that's how my brother's right hand at work (He's Canadian) knew me and my brother we weren't joking when he requested 2 weeks off to go back to Canada and bring his now fiancee back to the UK! We told him: "You BETTER be back with that lovely girl of yours OR we will hunt you down in Canada and dump your corpse in one of the hundred lakes of yours and nobody will find it!" My right hand also said "Can I join you hunting him down?, please!" 😅 Yup! Next year, he's getting married here in the UK and wants my brother to be his Best Man! Cheers beautiful Canada! ☺👍
#12
Scotland
Our national animal is the unicorn.
Our national dish is sheep offal
It was from Scotland on Iona that Irish monks developed the techniques to spread Christianity back across western Europe after Rome fell.
We have the shortest flight in the world at 1.7 miles which takes 1 minute.
Until 2017, we were the only country in the world with a free market where a local soft drink outsold Coca Cola. That drink is the bright orange Irn Bru.
Ace 3 months ago
Since the UK introduced the so-called "sugar tax" Irn Bru has been completely reformulated with artificial sweeteners. Coca-Cola is one of the few brands (Pepsi as well) that chose to continue selling full-sugar soft drinks, alongside their 'diet' versions. It's been suggested that this may be part of the reason for the declining relative sales.
El Dee 3 months ago
Irn Bru '1901' (called the Old and Unimproved version) was sold, initially as a short run, but is now available freely. It has the full sugar content. So far, however, it is not for sale outside Scotland.
Load More Replies...While Finland has saunas for days, the same can be said about Switzerland and nuclear bunkers. With a population of nearly 9 million, the country has more bunkers per capita than anywhere else in the world – enough to guarantee shelter space for every single resident in the event of a crisis.
According to the Guardian, Switzerland's policy to provide shelter to each resident in the event of a crisis was signed into law more than 60 years ago.
#13
Australia
Sometimes you really do see kangaroos on the streets of our capital, Canberra.
Tucker Cahooter 3 months ago
True. I've seen a mob of them grazing on the median strip of Yamba Drive, as well as hopping across (or into) traffic many times
#14
Australia
We have the most camels.
Papa 3 months ago
Some people might not know that the US Army imported camels for use in the desert Southwest in the 1800's. They were brought through at the port of Indianola, Texas, which was almost completely obliterated by hurricanes a few decades later. Now it's just a small community near Port Lavaca.
Tucker Cahooter 3 months ago
That's what happens when you let them loose into a country with lots of wide open empty spaces where they can breed continuously. See also rabbits, cane toads etc
Nikki Angulo 2 months ago
Why are they showing the camels from Petra in Jordan?? Also, the Australian camels are the fastest.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
And if you're visiting the Outback, be careful while driving! There's lot's of camels in the North
Wang Zhuang 3 months ago
I would not have guessed this, but it makes sense when I think about it
#15
Australia
A prime minister disappeared while swimming, so we named a pool after him.
Kristy Marion 3 months ago
And some rhyming slang. To do a Harold Holt means to bolt ( leave/disappear)
Manic Mama 3 months ago
And if that doesn't demonstrate the Australian sense of humour, nothing does.
"Every new residential building must either include an on-site bunker, or else developers are required to earmark funds for a nearby public one maintained by the state. As a result, Switzerland is now host to 370,000 bunkers designed to protect civilians underground for anywhere from a few hours to two weeks," reports the media outlet.
The Guardian adds that the ventilation systems neutralize the effects of radiation, nuclear fallout, and all the other chemical and biological stuff that comes with a crisis of this nature.
#16
Germany
We have an ongoing border conflict with Austria and Switzerland that will never be resolved because nobody cares.
Jesse 3 months ago
Yup, that's the one. Also because the German city of Konstanz is on the Swiss side of the lake and pretended to be Swiss in WW2 to avoid annihilation by the Allies.
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georgios pahatouridis 2 months ago
Let Trump know. He will end this war in no time and then he will have 9 wars in 9 months. Nobody saw a pacifist like this before in the world. It´s the most beautiful pacifist and sweet
Bjørn Langbakk 1 month ago
Det er ingen aktiv grensekonflikter mellom de to landene. Mindre justeringer av grensene i alpine områder kan forekomme på grunn av endringer i isbreer som smelter, ettersom nidtlinjen av isen historisk sett har definert grensen.
#17
Iran
My country has one of the worlds oldest Churches.
cerinamroth 3 months ago
Iraq had the world's first female rabbi. How sad the way religious extremism has taken over in so much of the region.
Gebidozo 3 months ago
Very sad. Iraq has an amazing cultural past. Sumer civilization, Akkadian kingdoms, Assyrian and Babylonian empires, flowering of early Christianity, Jewish academy that compiled the Talmud, Golden Age of Islamic culture in Baghdad. Those horrible fanatics don’t care for culture, even their own, just as they don’t care for human lives.
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Nicole Weymann 3 months ago
"One of the oldest" is somewhat arbitrary if you don't include a number. The German Wikipedia lists 22 still existing churches that were planned and used as such even before the 7th century (trusting @Gebizodo is right about the photo), in Jordan, Georgia, Israel, Armenia, Greece, Turkey, and even Tyrol and Ethiopia. Without the picture - which might be a semi-related stock photo - OP could live anywhere there and then some.
Gebidozo 3 months ago
Yes, St. Thaddeus is definitely not one of the very oldest churches, but I think the OP wanted to emphasize that a church that is still quite old (closer to Jesus than to us, at any rate) is, of all places, in Iran - a country that isn’t usually associated with Christianity, especially today, when it’s sadly ruled by a gang of Islamist fanatics. It is important to remember that Iran also has a rich Christian past, especially in the areas that the Persian Empire conquered from Armenia.
Load More Replies... #18
Vietnam
Vietnam have fought against 5/5 of the UN permanent security council and won against 3 of them (The US, France and China)
Vietnam have established diplomatic relations with all 193/193 UN member state
Vietnam became a non-permanent member of UN Security Council back in 2020-2021 with a record breaking 192/193 votes in favor, highest in history.
John Dilligaf 3 months ago
question: When did Vietnam fight against Russia/The Soviet Union and Great Britain?
Nicole Weymann 3 months ago
I guess that must have been about WW2. Japan took Vietnam from the French, and Great Britain faught (or helped France fight) the Japanese to restore the French government/occupation. And during the Vietnam war the Soviet Union supported and faught with north Vietnam against the (US supported) south.
Load More Replies... TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago
They also did quite a positive economical transformation by implementing capitalist principles around 30 years ago - They brought their poverty rate from 80% of the population down to 5% nowadays and became one of the biggest producers of rice after they had massive famines and were reliant on international aid for a long time.
David 3 months ago
And vietnam is one of the most Pro-US countries in the world today with 84% giving positive views of the US (Poland is 1 with 93%, Israel is 2 with 89%), the third highest in the world. It also has the second lowest distrust if the US and Americans in the world. Interesting the Southern part is more pro-US than the northern parts, but both parts are very pro-US
#19
Australia
We lost a war against emus.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
They forgot to mention that the emus in Australia, don't like to take prisoners...alive! 😆 Cheers Australia!! ☺👍
Caitlin Youngquist 3 months ago
When I was a kid growing up in Southern California, a neighbor kept emus. Those emus loved head scritches and would come running when they saw my friends and I walking home from school.
Load More Replies... #20
Canada
Our strategic Maple syrup reserve has been burgled.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Er, I don't know if Canada has the De*th penalty, but if they do....take the burglars once they capture them and straight to the firing range! Nobody mess with the sacred Canadian elixir and gets away with it, Nobody! (Yeah, yeah! I know, im going straight to hell! 😆)
#21
Finland
Our entire population would fit in saunas simultaneously.
Auntriarch 3 months ago
That only sounds weird if saunas sound weird to you. If I said the entire population of UK could fit in bathrooms simultaneously, you might have to think about it for a couple of seconds, then you would remember that every (just about) house has a bathroom, hotels have bathrooms, clubs, etc, and suddenly it all sounds possible. Though maybe not actually desirable.
Amy S 3 months ago
Thank you for the explanation, I misread it and thought all Finns could fit in a sauna. I wasn't sure if there were way fewer Finnish people that I thought or I'd they have super large saunas.
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Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Used to live in Northern Ontario. Lots of saunas, lots of Scandinavians.
#22
Sweden
The entire town of Kiruna (population 23 000) is being picked up and moved, since it's been literally undermined and is not considered safe. The church, weighing 700 tons, was moved in one piece about a month ago.
April Pickett 3 months ago
Undermined how and why considered unsafe. Where are they being moved to?
Isak Nygren 3 months ago
There's ore mining since early 1900s and it's starting to get unsafe for the residents to live there, so they're moving the city to safer grounds.
Load More Replies... #23
Belgium
We have the record of country without government , in peace time, for the longest period. 541 days.
MonicaChicagoGal 3 months ago
Yes and unfortunately for the next 4 years..
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#24
Scotland
We have what is probably the oldest extant stone circle in the world - about 600 years older than Stonehenge.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
Do you mean AD? No one was building stone circles in Saxon times
Load More Replies... #25
New Zealand
If you look at a map of New Zealand's North Island, there's a big hole in the middle called Lake Taupo.
This is in-fact the crater of a giant volcano, and the last time it went off, it put so much ash, etc, into the atmosphere that there's a thin layer of sediment almost everywhere in the world from it, and as a volcano it's not extinct...
Auntriarch 3 months ago
I was enchanted by the notice on the back of the hotel room door at Chateau Tongariro, alongside the usual instructions what do in case of fire, it told you what to do if the volcano behind the hotel erupted.
Norm Gilmore 3 months ago
Sadly, now closed because of Seismic Risk. Though I don't know whether this will change because the current government has introduced a bill to remove the New Building Standards for some older at risk buildings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Tongariro
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#26
Estonia
22% of Estonia's land is swamp.
We have highest number of supermodels per capita.
Our highest mountain is shorter than the Eiffel tower. (Suur Munamägi 318 m).
cerinamroth 3 months ago
I do love this sentence. Although I am a moorland peasant myself.
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Roxy222uk 3 months ago
I listened to an interesting programme about how fantastically well Estonia did at getting their entire population properly online in a short space of time. It was a BBC World Service series called Compass, sub title ‘My Perfect Country’ episode about Estonia. I don’t know if you can find it if you’re outside the UK, but I’d hope you can seeing as it’s the World Service.
#27
Sweden
The Swedish army accidentally invaded itself, we have hotel made entirely of ice, rebuilt every year.
Jeremy Seymour 1 month ago
They didn't actually invade themselves, however did accidentally invade Liechtenstein more than once. All is good, though.
Load More Replies... Nikki Angulo 2 months ago
I checked and the invading itself is incorrect. They had to retreat from Denmark, but that’s it.
Huddo's sister 3 months ago
My brother went to the ice hotel. He just did a day tour, because it's so expensive to stay in. Each room had a different theme. I have been in an ice 'castle' in Edmonton, Canada which was cool.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Sort of James Bond "Die Another Day"? If so, where can I make reservations?
#28
Kazakhstan
We were the USSR for 4 days with everyone else leaving except for us.
Luke Branwen 3 months ago
When all the gamers leave your party so you're automatically designated the leader
TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago (edited)
It's also the home of the Sovjet / Russian space program's most famous launch site
Jrog 3 months ago
This is very interesting and a source of some serious debate. With the breakup of the USSR, most countries split and became independent, including Russia. Kazakhstan was the last to do so, formally remaining the last remaining part of USSR. This means that, according to some interpretations, Kazakhstan would have had rights to hold the Power of Veto at the UN Security Council, not Russia. Or at least, no one should have inherited the power. With the ethically questionable use of the veto power done by Russia, this is sometimes brought up in the discussions about the revocation of said power.
Load More Replies... #29
United Kingdom
Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire.
Gebidozo 3 months ago
I don’t know why this keeps reappearing as some sort of a surprising fact, as though Aztec Empire were ancient. Aztec Empire was founded in the 14th century AD. Lots of things are older than it.
Forrest Hobbs 3 months ago
Gebidozo 1/2: apologies for being slightly weird, but my posts in the relevant thread keep getting deleted. Someone with at least two "fake" Forrest Hobbs accounts is trawling (and trolling) that thread, downvoting and reporting my posts to get BP to delete them, posting childish abuse under my name to confuse people, and presumably downvoting everything else they don't like. With enough downvotes and reports of harassment, it's possible that BP might remove the crazy posts.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 3 months ago
Of course it is. Keith Richards was the first person to get an honorary degree from Oxford.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
I heard he was on the committee that designed the first campus.
Load More Replies... Bjørn Langbakk 1 month ago
Oxford begynte med undervisning rundt år 1096, litt over 200 år før Aztekerriket ble etablert.
Forrest Hobbs 3 months ago (edited)
Aztec Empire: 1428 AD. The University of Oxford claims origins prior to 1167 AD, and got a Royal Charter in 1248 AD - that was after the University was well established and a bunch of disaffected academics had buggered off to found a rival university in Cambridge in 1209 AD (it was the riots that did it...). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford#Founding and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Empire. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mob_Quad
Load More Replies... #30
Serbia
1 in 4 roman emperors was born in what is now modern day Serbia.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
Almost all Brits don’t know that we were once ruled by a black African. Septimus Severus was born in Libya, is clearly black from a portrayal of him, with his father coming from North Africa (and, as Sofia said, Romans didn’t care about skin colour). He and his family came to the UK while he focused on goals here, and the Roman Empire was ruled for three years from York, until his death. Try tell the people that paint the cross of St George on mini roundabouts that.
#31
France
France has a reputation of being a country of cheese (pays du fromage in french) with 1000 different kinds of cheese. In reality, we have 1200 different kinds of cheese.
We eat around 25kg of cheese per year per inhabitant.
France is also in the top 3 of the countries producing the most cheese :
1) US with 6.4 millions of tonnes
2) Germany with 2.3 millions of tonnes
3) France with 1.7 millions of tonnes
We definitely are a country of cheese !
Jrog 3 months ago (edited)
The US Cheese production is mostly in the "Commodity/Industrial" category, characterized by low quality, low cost, long shelf life, high volume production. 32% of US production is processed mozzarella. About 8% is counterfeit Parmigiano and Provolone (that are protected names, often used illegally). 41% is generically classified as "processed american-type", i.e. slices, spreads, shredded, spray cheese etc. Only less than 18% of American cheese is "specialty" or "artisan" cheese, comparable in style to what is produced in France or Italy.
Jeremy Seymour 1 month ago
I was surprised that the US is #1 until I thought "Oh wait. Most of our cheese is $#!%." That said, we do have some good companies that make some very good cheeses.
Load More Replies... Trillian 3 months ago
I have seen what passes for "cheese" in the US. This ranking is not deserved.
Caitlin Youngquist 3 months ago
We do have some excellent cheese. But it's from small, specialty cheesemakers, not the stuff you find in most supermarkets.
Load More Replies... R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
As a HUGE fan of cheese...I salute you France!!! Oh! And Mexico, for their variant types of cheeses as well!
Hugo 3 months ago
When I worked in Paris for a while (nearly 50 years ago) I was told 365 different cheeses. That's inflation for you! But I'm sure that if you did a blindfold test you wouldn't detect anything like as many tastes.
Auntriarch 3 months ago
You're probably right, but I'd really like the chance to test it...
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#32
Brazil
There are more Lebanese here than in Lebanon.
Ace 3 months ago
On the same false premise that there are more Irish in Boston than there are in Dublin.Yes, we know what you mean.
Michael Largey 3 months ago
Casual phrasing ("Irish" instead of "Irish American") is not a false premise.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 3 months ago
Australia has the largest population of Greeks outside of Greece. Most live close to where I grew up. There were outside of school hours Greek school lessons at my primary school.
nm 3 months ago
I read that in Jordan are 11.55 million, on Israel 9.974 million and in Lebanon 5.806 million. The Arab-Brazil Chamber of Commerce released a census, according to which they estimated the number of descendants living in Brazil at around 12 million. Brazil's foreign ministry estimates between 7 and 10 million Brazilians have a Lebanese ancestor. - https://www.google.com/search?q=lebanon+population&client=firefox-b-d&sca_esv=99331a272fb6ecba&ei=ZK3naPSAItePxc8PgpLigQM&oq=lebanon+&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiCGxlYmFub24gKgIIBzIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEC4YgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgARInFdQvRBYsDlwA3gBkAEAmAHdAaAB1AiqAQUwLjcuMbgBAcgBAPgBAZgCC6AC1wnCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgILEAAYgAQYkQIYigXCAg4QLhiABBiRAhjUAhiKBcICCxAuGIAEGNEDGMcBwgILEC4YgAQYkQIYigXCAgoQLhiABBhDGIoFmAMAiAYBkAYCkgcFMy43LjGgB8B4sgcFMC43LjG4B8IJwgcFMi01LjbIB2Q&sclient=gws-wiz-serp - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Brazilians#:~:text=The%20Arab%2DBrazil%20Chamber%20of%20Commerce%20released%20a
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
In South Africa you will find people of Indian descent. They would be holding South African flags. I don't see what's confusing?
Load More Replies... #33
French Republic
It is always day-time in at least one part of the French Republic, and the nation spans yesterday, today, and tomorrow simultaneously.
David 3 months ago
they do have a lot of colonial holdings, some like New Caledonia want to be free, so France is giving white French more power and authority there to keep them in line. Azerbaijan is the only country that supports New Caledonia independence. France is willing to recognize Palestine, but not give their own colonies the independence they want.
Load More Replies... IntombiyoMzulu 3 months ago
The gang would absolutely love this shout out.😆
Load More Replies... cerinamroth 3 months ago
I think it's mind-boggling that you can use the Euro in South America and the Indian Ocean territories.
#34
Canada
The beaver is our national animal.
Strahd Ivarius 3 months ago
I guess the proper answer from BP will be "sorry"...
Load More Replies... Sam Trudeau 3 months ago (edited)
That's our emergency self-defence weapon.
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Happy Onion 3 months ago
Perfect. Just a cool little dude that gets s**t done. Yep, sounds like the Canadians I know!
#35
Australia
Despite the size of the country, and our international reputation a la Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee, 85% of Australians live in urban areas (cities).
Slmd 2 months ago
Most of the cities are on the coast anyways XD and most people live in the capitals, all of which except Canberra are next to the sea.
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NotAThreat (he/him) 3 months ago
we have about 3.3 ppl per square km, to put that in perspective, America has about 37.9 per square km and 8.5 in Russia
#36
United States Of America
There's 1.4 billion lbs of cheese stored in caves in Missouri by the government.
waterotterbottle:
It starts during a national dairy shortage in the 1970s.
In response to this dairy shortage and 30% inflation on dairy products, the government intervened, resulting in prices falling drastically. So, in 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter decided to pour money into the dairy industry to motivate production and alleviate the crisis. The government set a new policy to subsidize dairy, providing two billion dollars to the industry over the next four years. While this plan was welcome to dairy farmers, it also primed them for overproduction.
Farmers who had been struggling were motivated to produce as much dairy as they could, knowing that whatever was not sold on the market could likely be purchased by the government, and it was. By the early 1980s, the government owned over 500 million pounds of cheese. The reason the dairy product was converted to cheese was because it has a longer shelf life than other dairy products as the government searched for solutions to the problem it had created.
This led to Ronald Reagan enacting public distribution of the government cheese in 1981. That year then-Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block showed up at the White House with a molding five-pound block of cheese and told reporters, “We’ve got 60 million of these that the government owns… It’s moldy, it’s deteriorating… we can’t find a market for it, we can’t sell it, and we’re looking to give some of it away.” Thus, “government cheese” was born, and the federal government distributed these cheese blocks through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). It was given away for free by pickup to people at food banks, community centers, and so on. “Government cheese” became a totem of American culture, signaling both class and nostalgia.
AHeftiBlum 3 months ago
I come from a long line of cheese-makers, and none of it comes in spray form.
Load More Replies... Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Whats this? Redneck farmers taking government hand outs? Sounds like welfare, or dare I even say - Socialism
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Well, you Yanks have a commie, s*x offender felon as a president right now, so...why not? He won the first term and then his second term "thanks" to his Boss Putin, isn't it?
Load More Replies... brookeannsimmer 3 months ago
And for all my fellow lactose intolerant friends out there, this is why whey protein and milk byproducts seem to be in everything for no good reason. The government has for decades offered subsidies and incentives to add dairy to products.
#37
Spain
We have lunch and dinner very late, I mean VERY late by almost anyone standarts.
Most people have lunch arround 14.00-15.00, and have dinner about 21.00 - 22.00, but it's not strange that you have dinner even at midnight (So, Jan in The Office in Dinne Party it's more or less rigth).
Hugo 3 months ago
Crazier is that Spain uses Central European Time even though most of the country is west of the Greenwich meridian. So effectively those times are an hour earlier.
Jrog 3 months ago
It was a deliberate decision under the Francoist regime, to align Spain with the economic powers of central Europe.
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#38
United States Of America
In one single borough of New York City (Queens), there are over 138 languages spoken.
The United States has a lot more diversity than most people realize.
Kristy Marion 3 months ago
Oh we know. It's why this pivot to white nationalism is so surprising to me. I saw a pretty inane post on Reddit where the poster was complaining about all the foreigners in the US but also commenting that the Chinese/Italian/Mexican food in the US was the best in the world. The hypocrisy is really quite something else
Philly Bob 3 months ago (edited)
And even worse, the one who backs the rumpoid's policies is named something like Jose Fong. I don't get it... many on FB that do the MAGA name calling have hispanic names. People are like "you're either a bot, or wait until it's your turn to be beaten and exported." They voted for him and will cry "this isn't what we voted for!!" Oh hell yes it is! Famers in the midwest are losing their farms and begging for a handout but hate socialism. And they'll straight up tell you they voted for him "to make the libs cry!" And again... they say "this isn't what we voted for!" Oh hell, yes you did! You just thought it wouldn't happen to you. Jackholes!
Load More Replies... David 3 months ago
Queens has over 200 spoken, its 138 nationalities, but there are more languages than that, over 200 ethnicities and languages. Queens is the most lingistic and ethnic diverse place in the world today, and a major foodie place for authentic food from around the world. Where I visit a lot in Queens you got Uzbek owned bakery, on the block of a Moroccan Jewish resturant, which also has a Afghan Halal kabob house on the block, and an American-Italian place, and just a withina few blocks you have a Chinese take out, a authentic cantonese dumpling house, and so much more. Welcome to Queens
Nicole Weymann 3 months ago
One of the reasons New York is on my bucket list (the historic and natural history museums being another). Sadly way out of my budget, though. And with the current US administration the pull has temporarily lessened quite a bit.
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#39
Ireland
Ireland
One of the largest outdoor events in Europe is the National Ploughing Championships in Ireland. Almost nobody goes to actually watch the ploughing.
Russ Kincade 3 months ago
Because there are plenty of ploughing videos on the interweb these days, I suppose.
Cuppa tea? 3 months ago
It's more like banter, social gathering. Something like Royal Ascots races, except instead royalties you have farmers.
#40
Egypt
For decades now we’ve been trying to solve the water crisis by using nuclear energy in the desert a little bit southwest of alexandria to create a new lake but the problem is there’s too many undetonated mines still left over from WW2
Jrog 3 months ago (edited)
OP is referencing the flooding of the Qattara Depression to create an inland saltwater basin, for climatic modification, salt production and some hydroelectric generation. The "nuclear energy" mentioned was a brief proposal about using over 200 nuclear warheads to excavate a canal, following a US-backed project (the infamous "Operation Plowshare" from "Atoms for Peace"), shortly before most of the World came together and told both US and Egypt "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F*CKING MIND?". The current status of the project is formally "frozen" but practically is closer to "let's continue to commission studies into it as a way to funnel public money into our friend's pockets and get some bribes in the process".
April Pickett 3 months ago
Isn't that the way of all government projects, local or enternational?
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Hugo 3 months ago
Can we assume it's a desalination project, rather than setting off atom bombs to carve out a lake?
Jrog 3 months ago
They tried to develop nuclear-powered desalination, catering to Russia for technical help. Work started in El Dabaa (that is north-west, not south-west of Alexandria, BTW) 2022 and is going.. not well, to be generous. The desalination would not be for a lake though... explaining it on a different comment
Load More Replies... #41
New Zealand
Up until 2016, High Schools in NZ could legally hold up to one pound of Uranium for Educational purposes.
PeepPeep the duck 3 months ago (edited)
And not sure about now days, but you could have a drivers license at 15 back in the 70s. (My dads from kiwi land ).
Charles McChristy 3 months ago
You can have one in the US at 15 in some places, 16 in others.
Load More Replies... #42
New Zealand
There’s 4.5 to 5 sheep for every person who lives here.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Yep! I can completely vouch for that about Kiwiland and their huge herds of sheep's, I've seen them with my own eyes!
#43
Germany
Germany kicked The Beatles out of the country cause 2 of the members set something on fire and another one was underage and wanted to work at a nightclub where he was too young for ... so yeah.
Danger Molotow-Anjachie 3 days ago
There is a Story told that...i think it was paul and pete.. nailed a c****m on a wall in a backally and Set it on fire to Show theire anger over their landlord or the boss
#44
Japan
Nintendo was founded while Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last feudal shogun, was still alive.
#45
United States Of America
We have more Spanish speakers than every country except Mexico. We're also home to half of all the Jewish people worldwide.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
This makes me very happy and proud about me, my brother and our parents learning that beautiful language (my wife and my SIL are not far behind too!) So, with all my heart, Thank You Mexico City! Even more for being the first country in America where we expanded our family business!
#46
Netherlands
In 1787, mountaineer and aristocrat Horace-Bénédict de Saussure climbed the Mont Blanc. He cut off the top bit, and sold it to a museum in Haarlem. So in a way, the highest part of Europe is in the flattest country.
Jrog 3 months ago (edited)
I understand this is probably a joke, but a misleading statement anyway. The "top bit" he took was a random piece of exposed rock near the top. He literally describes it as the exposed piece of rock closest to the top he could find, noting that anything higher was covered in ice. He took the sample from the Rocher de la Tournette (4,677 m) that is not even the mountain's highest peak, being about 120 meters lower than the highest rocky summit. The summit is covered by about 15 meters of ice.
#47
Argentina
We have the world’s widest avenue. Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires.
It’s up to 140 meters wide and has as many as 12 lanes of traffic, plus medians with trees and monuments. It’s so wide that crossing it on foot often takes multiple green lights.
We gave the world the first animated feature film.
In 1917, Quirino Cristiani released El Apóstol, a full-length animated movie, 20 years before Disney’s Snow White. Sadly, the only known copy was lost in a fire.
We were the first country to use fingerprints in a criminal case.
In 1892, police in Buenos Aires solved a murder using fingerprint evidence, the first recorded case in history.
In 2007, a man legally changed his name to… Batman.
His real name was Ricardo López, but he insisted on being called *Batman* in official documents. Argentina actually allowed it.
El Dee 3 months ago
Someone downvoted this but, as far as I can tell, it's TRUE. "Melbourne was founded by a joint effort from both John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner in 1835, who led independent parties of settlers from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)"
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#48
Ireland
- Our national colour is St Patrick's Blue.
#49
Canada
In Canada, a woman was on her way to visit her sister who was in the hospital because she hit a moose with her car and had an accident. The woman driving down ended up also ending up in the hospital because she ended up hitting a moose on the way, and also got hurt.
StrangeOne 3 months ago
The mooses are never okay when they get hit. Same with the car. It's an ugly mess.
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FlamingZombies 3 months ago
No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink".
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FreeTheUnicorn 3 months ago
It's good luck they both survived, moose crashes are usually fatal.
Nikki Angulo 2 months ago
One of my former elementary principals passed away from hitting a moose with his minivan. I believe his wife survived. RIP Mr. Cop (yes, that was his real name, it might have been spelled with two P’s at the end, in not sure.)
Load More Replies... R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Right. And since that happen in Canada, I suspect the moose were kind enough and send a 'get well' as apology to those unfortunate Ladies, right?...of course they did! Its Canada FGS!
#50
Philippines
We have the oldest university in Asia. And also divorce is illegal.
StrangeOne 3 months ago
Ah. Now I know why the Filipinos at my work don't understand why couples get divorced. "You take the oath" they say. I don't think they really mean it's good to stay in a particularly a*****e relationship. I'm not too sure, though. I was afraid to ask and get into a heated argument.
Nikki Angulo 2 months ago
I know of one lady in Canada who is Filipina and divorced.
Load More Replies... #51
Sweden
The swedish national anthem never mentions Sweden by name, but the polish one does... Not very favorably...
Verena 3 months ago
The Dutch one mentions Spain and Germany, first lines are about the King being from German blood and served Spain dutifully. It is a speech of Willem I, made into an anthem.
Michael Largey 3 months ago
Not uncommon. The national anthems of the US and the UK never mention the country. Canada is - for once - less bashful.
El Dee 3 months ago
The UK anthem, verse 6, mentions the Scots and how God should crush them..
Load More Replies... Strahd Ivarius 3 months ago
At a time, Sweden and the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania were ruled by 2 kings of the same family, the Vasa; and of course were rivals for the throne of Sweden... Fortunately, the country is now ruled by a good French family...
Paulina 2 months ago
Almost, but not quite :) AFAIK last Vasa ruler of Sweden was Christina, till 1654. Next one was Charles X Gustaw of Wittelsbachs. So she didn't actually rule in 1655 when events mentioned in the Polish anthem happened. Because that's precisely what we mean - the 1655 so called "swedish flood" and subsequent division of our country between Sweden and Russia.
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Apatheist Account2 3 months ago
I believe the Polish one also begins with the words "O, Lithuania".
Volga 1 month ago
It starts with ”Poland is yet not dead, till we are alive" "Oh Lithuania" is start of a very famous epic by Adam Mickiewicz, not an athem
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#52
United States Of America
The smallest county in California by area (San Francisco, 47 sq miles, 827K people) has a bigger population than all of Alaska, the nation’s largest state by area (665K sq miles, 740K people). On a related note, Riverside County, CA (home of Palm Springs) has a population over three times that of Alaska’s.
Kim Kermes 3 months ago
And San Bernardino County is the largest in the contiguous US, 20,105 sq miles, 52,070 sq km.
Papa 3 months ago
. . . which is approximately 13 times larger than Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US.
Load More Replies... Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
And Alaska is about the size of Alberta or Saskatchewan. Still not nearly as big as the bigger provinces.
#53
Australia
We eat both of the animals on our nations coat of arms.
Huddo's sister 3 months ago
Kangaroo is a more 'meaty' meat. It has a lot of iron. I don't mind it. I have never tried emu though, I think it's easier to get in places like the Northern Territory. I regret not trying camel burgers when I was in central Australia because I haven't found it anywhere else.
Nikki Angulo 2 months ago (edited)
We had camel sausage when I was there. I don’t really like sausage, but the camel ones were very good! (Very low in fat.) The kangaroo we tried was a bit chewy. Emu was ok.
Load More Replies... R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Gosh! All of you are going to hate me for this, but, f you love lifting weights like me, kangaroo meat will help you a lot building muscle, because it is monumentally rich in proteins.
#54
France
We used the guillotine for the last time in 1977. That’s right, the same year star wars came out
Michael Largey 3 months ago
Lee had the voice, height, and acting ability to have made a great Darth Vader.
Load More Replies... Tucker Cahooter 3 months ago
Every time I see this fact, they are always linking it to Star Wars. Didn't anything else of significance occur that year?
#55
United States Of America
We had a homeless self-proclaimed Emperor who became a tourist attraction amd best friends with Mark Twain. It just sounds so absurd.
Kim Kermes 3 months ago
All hail Norton the First, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, resident of San Francisco.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Like it wasn't enough in the US with that blatantly ar**ole paed**hile of agent orange as "presidente"...and now that?!?
Michael Largey 3 months ago
The current self-proclaimed emperor has several houses but no friends.
#56
United States Of America
69% think angels are real.
FreeTheUnicorn 3 months ago
I'm utterly unbothered about the belief in angels, it's the belief in a racial hierarchy that disgusts me.
Michael Largey 3 months ago
I never had much faith in the Angels till they won the World Series in 2002.
Norm Gilmore 3 months ago
Educate yourself. Muslims and Jews believe in angels with Buddhists and Hindu having a belief in spiritual beings.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_in_Islam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_in_Judaism
Load More Replies... #57
Switzerland
Our “air force” works from monday till friday until 5 in the evening. They are off on the weekend. Our neighboring countries are then in charge for air protection.
Not even mentioning that the last place in my country granting women voting only allowed it in 1991.
Treasy 3 months ago (edited)
It exists! A few ships patroling the lakes and rivers at the borders, maybe all week but not on holidays. :)
Load More Replies... #58
Germany
In Germany you are not allowed to dance in the Easter week and this law is enforced.
TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago
It's also forbidden to show "The life of Brian" on Good Friday on TV
Treasy 3 months ago
Yes. Good Friday is a so-called ‘silent holiday’ on which Christians are supposed to mourn the suffering and death of Jesus
Load More Replies... #59
Poland
Poland once had a bear enlisted as a soldier in its army.
During World War II, a brown bear named Wojtek was adopted by Polish soldiers. He was officially given a rank (Private Wojtek), a paybook, and even helped carry artillery shells during the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the war, he lived in a zoo in Scotland.
TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago
He was officialy enlisted because the british navy didn't allow any "pets" onboard of their ships so he officialy became a soldier to get him on board
#60
Japan
Japan: 1: None of us are anime characters
2: we have so little crime that the news talks about something ohtani posted on instagram daily.
R1MV4Superleggera 3 months ago
Gosh! Japan is sooo darn beautiful that, I don't even know where to begin to describe it! The nighttime alone in Tokyo is something else, no wonder why my brother and SIL love (apart from Mexico) Japan so much!
Philly Bob 3 months ago
No but they do have a lot of girls with cat ears.
Load More Replies... #61
Canada
We have the largest coastline, almost 2.5 times the length of the nation with the second largest (Norway).
Pharexsys Mage 3 months ago
i call bs on this one.The total coastline of Australia, including islands, is approximately 59,700 kilometers.
Kristy Marion 3 months ago
Canada's is considerably longer. 4 times longer. Alot more islands
Load More Replies... #62
United Arab Emirates
The UAE has camel beauty contest where winners can fetch millions of dollars. Some camels were disqualified from contests for being injected with botox to look prettier.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
I’m sure I’ve read that more goes on than that; like fake eye lashes and spray painting their coats.
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#63
Ireland
We invaded Canada 3 times in the 19th century
SkippityBoppityBoo 3 months ago
Pretty sure you didn't... We have Mooses/Meece... Plus Canadian Geese... So? Hums, we win 😀
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
1866, 1870 & 1871. And no, they did not. BTW these were American Irish.
Load More Replies... #64
United States Of America
The US has the longest and most robust train system in the world. Just none of it used for people lol.
Jrog 3 months ago (edited)
OP is delusional. US railway system averages roughly three train derailments per day, and is among the ones with the highest death tolls in incidents and accidents despite having the lowest traffic per rail mile. It is among the lowest rating for on-time services worldwide (76% of trains on the most busy lines are delayed on average). It has severe maintenance and safety lapses, lacking safety infrastructure that is common in most of the developed world, with industry interference having severely eroded safety standards for cost reduction. The US have the lowest percentage of infrastructure investment among developed nations, barely one quarter of the EU average.
Philly Bob 3 months ago
They're too busy sending all that money to the billionaires to fix stuff.
Load More Replies... Robert Trebor 3 months ago
Most of it not used for people. We have a skeletal, under-capitalized, and incompetently operated national rail system.
#65
United States Of America
Alaska is the northernmost, westernmost and easternmost state in the US.
Hugo 3 months ago
Easternmost only because some of the islands are on the other side of the international date line: you wouldn't go east to get there.
FreeTheUnicorn 3 months ago
You literally have to draw the line somewhere, but yes, according to the arbitrary system of latitude and longitude, which is only slightly less arbitrary than the borders which are also imaginary lines, Alaska fits this definition.
Load More Replies... #66
Hungary
The largest denomination of banknotes ever in the world was issued in Hungary. It was worth 100,000,000,000,000,000,000. It was labelled as 100,000,000 trillion pengő (b.-pengő; trillion in Hungarian is billió for the long scale numbering).
Ace 3 months ago
Just to weigh in on the billion/trillion thing it was generally accepted, when I was growing up in the UK, that a billion was a million million. It used to be common for people to specify if/when quoted figures were using American billions. It was a gradual shift but I think that by now the American usage is almost universal.
azubi 3 months ago
And a german Billion is thousand american billions. A thousand million is called a Milliarde in german. It's a Trap.
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#67
Canada
If you add up the area of freshwater here, it would still be the 36th or so largest country.
#68
United States Of America
Abraham Lincoln could have sent a fax to a samurai.
Robert Trebor 3 months ago
King Mongkut offered Abraham Lincoln elephants for war use. Lincoln politely declined.
TotallyNOTAFox 3 months ago
A lot of people don't believe that Fax technology was first patented in 1848
#69
United States Of America
I'll share a fun fact specific to my state—Michigan was the first English-speaking jurisdiction to ban capital punishment, in 1846.
#70
United States Of America
The northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states in the US can only be accessed by small plane, water or by driving through Canada (Minnesota's Northwest Angle).
Happy Onion 3 months ago
And this isn't the only part of the USA that is like that. Point Roberts on the west coast has the same problem
#71
Saudi Arabia
We lowered the price of oil in the late 80s causing the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent freeing of eastern Europeans.
Russ Kincade 3 months ago
Imma calling BS on this one. That was not the only reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Nikki Angulo 2 months ago
It cost our driver the equivalent of 6.66$ Canadian to fill our bus in Saudi! Also, when they fill their vehicles there, they leave them running!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Gavin Johnson 3 months ago
Y’know that thing that folks say about your country that’s negative, insulting, untrue, hateful, narrow minded or downright stupid? It’s a generalisation that’s designed to make them feel like their country is better. Here’s the truth, we are, on the whole, pretty much the same, we love our families and friends, we care about animals, we hate injustice, we don’t want the world to burn and we laugh at stuff. We would all benefit from being a bit kinder and less judgemental of those we don’t know. Be more kind eh? Your country will be better for it.
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
South Africa has one of the highest number of official languages in the world (12). There are other languages spoken as well, which have protected status. Functionally, a lot of people speak English as the lingua franca but most black people (we capitalize the ethnic group, not the colour) speak Zulu when interacting. A lot of white people can also speak one of the indigenous languages (seriously, check YouTube).
nm 3 months ago
In Papua New Guinea there are 840 living languages spoken in the country, although estimates vary due to the distinction between a language and a dialect.
Load More Replies... Dorothy Smith 3 months ago
All were very interesting and insightful. Really enjoyed all of each countries facts and all the educated OP views. Nice.
Marnie 3 months ago
For the US, I would say something that others don't seem to know (not that I would expect them to). States are not like counties. Each has its own Constitution, its own governor, its own Congress, its own Supreme Court, Health department, laws, regulations, and many other aspects of a country.
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
Little-known fact about Canada: In 1970, Quebec started rioting for separatism. We sent the National Guard, because that's what the National Guard is meant for.
Gavin Johnson 3 months ago
Y’know that thing that folks say about your country that’s negative, insulting, untrue, hateful, narrow minded or downright stupid? It’s a generalisation that’s designed to make them feel like their country is better. Here’s the truth, we are, on the whole, pretty much the same, we love our families and friends, we care about animals, we hate injustice, we don’t want the world to burn and we laugh at stuff. We would all benefit from being a bit kinder and less judgemental of those we don’t know. Be more kind eh? Your country will be better for it.
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
South Africa has one of the highest number of official languages in the world (12). There are other languages spoken as well, which have protected status. Functionally, a lot of people speak English as the lingua franca but most black people (we capitalize the ethnic group, not the colour) speak Zulu when interacting. A lot of white people can also speak one of the indigenous languages (seriously, check YouTube).
nm 3 months ago
In Papua New Guinea there are 840 living languages spoken in the country, although estimates vary due to the distinction between a language and a dialect.
Load More Replies... Dorothy Smith 3 months ago
All were very interesting and insightful. Really enjoyed all of each countries facts and all the educated OP views. Nice.
Marnie 3 months ago
For the US, I would say something that others don't seem to know (not that I would expect them to). States are not like counties. Each has its own Constitution, its own governor, its own Congress, its own Supreme Court, Health department, laws, regulations, and many other aspects of a country.
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
Little-known fact about Canada: In 1970, Quebec started rioting for separatism. We sent the National Guard, because that's what the National Guard is meant for.
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Ieva Pečiulytė
Ieva Pečiulytė
Ieva Pečiulytė
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