FACT FILES

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT LIBYA 1.                  Tripoli, the capital of Libya, was in a position to help protect American ships from attack by Barbary pirates in the 19th century. 2.                  In Libya’s entire history, it only had one King. King Idris reigned from 1951 until he was overthrown by Colonel Gaddafi in 1969. 3.                  Although an Islamic nation today, Libya was an early Christian center historically. 4.                  Libya’s 1,770 kilometers (1099 miles) of Mediterranean Sea coast is the longest of any North African country. 5.                  The area of the Mediterranean Sea north of Libya is frequently called the Libyan Sea.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT ZIMBABWE 1.                  The first people of the country were the Bantu-speaking Iron Age farmers that settled in the region around AD 300 . 2.                  Zimbabwe’s former president – Robert Gabriel Mugabe – is one of the oldest and also the longest-serving leaders of a non-royal country in the world. 3.                  It is illegal in Zimbabwe for the police to impound your vehicle on the road. 4.                  Zimbabwe has won a total of eight medals at the Olympic Games in two sports. 5.                  Zimbabwe is a landlocked plateau country.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT VATICAN CITY 1.                  The Vatican City – 0.44 km² is the smallest country in the world. 2.                  Officially, the Vatican City is known as the Vatican City State or State of Vatican City. 3.                  It is located within the city of Rome, Italy. 4.                  The city-state is ruled by the bishop of Rome – The Pope. 5.                  The Vatican City is different from the Holy See. The Holy See is the universal government of the Catholic Church.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BRAZIL     1.                  The official name of Brazil is “Federative Republic of Brazil”. 2.                  Human settlement in Brazil is thought to have begun at least 32,000 years ago. 3.                  Before the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese, South American Indians had been living in the region for thousands of years. 4.                  On January 1, 1502 , the first official tourist arrived in Brazil. The bay where they landed was named Rio de Janeiro (Bay of January). 5.                  Brazil was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 300 years.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SINGAPORE 1.                  Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a global city in Southeast Asia. 2.                  Singapore was occupied by Japan during World War 2. 3.                  Today, Singapore is titled as “the easiest place to do business” by the World Bank. 4.                  Singapore can teach the world some lessons in honesty. The tiny city-state is the least corrupt in Asia and the 5th least corrupt country in the world. 5.                  Singapore has its national tree planting day on 7th November every year. Everyone plant trees on this day.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SWITZERLAND 1.                  The Swiss franc is the official currency of Switzerland. 2.                  Switzerland is slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey. 3.                  Swiss consumption of chocolates per capital is the highest in the world. 4.                  Mountaineering, snowboarding, and skiing are some of the popular sports in Switzerland. 5.                  Half of the luxury watches produced in the world come from Switzerland. Brands like Tissot, TAG Heuer, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Longines are all Swiss.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT JAMAICA 1.                  In 1994, Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to launch a website. 2.                  In 1688, Jamaica was the first British colonial territory to establish a postal service. 3.                  Jamaica was the first commercial producer of bananas in the Western world. 4.                  Chicken is probably the true favorite among Jamaican meat eaters. 5.                  Jamaica is home to the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIA 1.            Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is an Oceanian country. 2.            The name Australia comes from the Latin, ‘Terra Australia Incognito’, which means the Unknown Southern Land. 3.            Australia is also known as ‘the sports capital’ of the world. The reason is – more than 70% of its capital participates in a recreational activity or sports, at least once in a week. 4.            Australia has the lowest population density in the world. 5.            Australia is the only continent-nation in the world. It means, it is a continent and an independent country as well.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT CYPRUS 1.                  Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. 2.                  Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. 3.                  Some of the world’s oldest water wells can be found in Cyprus. 4.                  The largest bank in Cyprus is owned by the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The church also plays a significant role in the social and political life of the island’s people. 5.                  Alexander the Great seized the island from the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians in 333 BC.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT INDONESIA 1.                  The official name of Indonesia is the “Republic of Indonesia.” 2.                  Indonesia is the world’s third most populous democracy, and the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. 3.                  More than 50% of the country is covered by forests. 4.                  Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other country in the world. The country outranks even Japan and the United States in the tally. The country also leads the world in terms of total number of active volcanoes. 5.                  The Javan rhino is an Indonesian native animal that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. An estimated 50 or fewer of these animals are in existence today.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT INDIA 1.                  The name ‘India’ is derived from the river Indus. It is a valley around which people settled in earlier times. 2.                  India is the world’s oldest, largest and continuous civilization – the Indus Valley civilization. 3.                  India is also one of the largest democracies in the world. 4.                  India has the largest postal system in the world with more than 150,000 post offices, which is thrice the size of that of China. 5.                  India has more than 300,000 active mosques. This outnumbers any other country in the world, even the Muslim countries.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT CHINA 1.                  China is officially known as the “People’s Republic of China.” 2.                  Have you ever wondered where toilet paper came from? Well, you guessed right, it came from China. 3.                  Apart from toilet papers, the Chinese invented paper, gunpowder, which is a well-known fact, the compass, and the art of printing. 4.                  The Chinese language is the longest language still in use in writing in the world. 5.                  For a majority of the Chinese, their hobby is stamp collecting!

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT GERMANY 1.                 Modern Berlin is only 26 years old! The city has been around since at least 1237, when it is believed to have been found. But modern Berlin was really born with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. 2.                 Germans have the strangest queens – the Apple Queen, Saxon Fish Queen, Beer Queen and more. 3.                  Germans like square pillows instead of rectangles. And the pillows are huge, so beware if you bring your own pillowcases from home! 4.                 Germans don’t have house numbers. The postman delivers mail by the last name, even in apartment blocks. 5.                When you go to eat at a restaurant in Germany, don’t expect the automatic glass of water. You have to buy your bottled water here. In fact, beer used to be cheaper than water in Germany!

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SUDAN 1.                  The official name of Sudan is the Republic of the Sudan. 2.                  The name “Sudan” translates to “the land of the blacks” in Arabic. 3.                  The independent state of the Republic of Sudan was born on July 9, 2011. 4.                  Sudan was once the largest and the most geographically diverse state in South Africa. However, it was split into two countries in July 2011. Now, it is the third largest country in Africa. 5.                  By 1945, two political parties had emerged in Sudan. One was the National Unionist Party and the other was the Umma Party.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA 1.                  South Africa is the largest meat producer in Africa. 2.                  Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on the planet. 3.                  South Africa is the only country in the world where right hand drive cars are produced by Mercedes Benz. 4.                  The variety of flower species found on Table Mountain number more than those found in the entire United Kingdom. 5.                  Rovos Rail is the most lavish train in the world.