Beyond the Blog

1. Switzerland is slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey. 2. Zurich and Geneva are among the top ten most livable cities in the world. They rank second and eighth on the list, respectively. 3. The Swiss franc is the official currency of Switzerland. 4. Geneva, Switzerland is also home to the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations. 5. Swiss consumption of chocolates per capital is the highest in the world. They have invented techniques like conching and tempering to help them produce world-class chocolates.

1. Human settlement in Brazil is thought to have begun at least 32,000 years ago. 2. Before the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese, South American Indians had been living in the region for thousands of years. 3. On January 1, 1502, the first official tourist arrived in Brazil. The bay where they landed was named Rio de Janeiro (Bay of January). 4. Brazil was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 300 years. 5. And it finally attained independence from Portugal on September 07, 1822.

1. The word “Mexico” is a derivative of Mexica (pronounced “Me-shee-ka”). 2. What today is Mexico City was the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. 3. Mexico was a site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations – including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec. 4. The Mayans and Aztecs (nomadic people indigenous to Mexico: existed between 12th and 15th century) resided in Mexico some 13,000 years ago. 5. The Aztecs sacrificed about 250,000 people, or about 1% of their population, each year. They did this to please their gods. The sacrifices were usually slaves or prisoners.

1. Constitutional Monarchy: As history would dictate it, Spain is one of the oldest constitutional monarchies in the world. Spain’s former king, King Juan Carlos I came to power after General Franco – a ruthless dictator, died in 1975. Presently, former King Juan Carlos I abdicated his throne to his son. As of 2014, King Felipe VI is the new king of Spain. 2. The first ‘novel’ is attributed to a Spaniard: Spanish author, Cervantes’ is known for his Don Quixote novel which was written in 1605. Don Quixote is considered to be one of the first modern novels. 3. Spain has 47 World Heritage Sites: all throughout Spain, there are several pre-historic rock art, historic cities, and buildings. Additionally, there are also bridges, national parks and landscapes. Originally, Spain was known as Iber. 4. Spain’s connection to the modern stapler: According to records, the first known stapler was made in the 18th century in the Basque country for the French King Louis XV. 5. Contribution to modern s...

1. Did you know Canadians eat more macaroni and cheese than any other country? It’s a strange fact and there’s no real reason for it, but it’s actually been proven with Kraft being their favorite. And the country has been in love with this food since before 1845! 2. Speaking of favorite foods, this country, known for Tim Horton’s, is also responsible for having the most donut shops per capita than anywhere else. Throughout the entire world there is not one country that surpasses them. So it’s definitely going to be a great place to get some breakfast. 3. They’re even known for the oldest brewery in North America and not only did they start it but the brewery is still running. Molson Coors Canada produced Molson Canadian beer and they are still making it right where they started in 1786. 4. While this may not be surprising, it’s still an interesting fact, that approximately 77% of the maple syrup produced in the entire world is made right in Quebec. Yep, they really do love their maple ...

1. Portugal was founded in 1128, making it one of the oldest nations in Europe.  Portugal is named after its 2nd largest city, Porto. 2. Did you know that Porto has the highest number of bridges in Europe crossing over the same river? There is a whopping 6 bridges: Dom Luis I Bridge (most popular), Arrabida Bridge (most controversial), Maria Pia Bridge (the city’s oldest bridge), São João Bridge (the futuristic), Freixo Bridge (the remoted) and Infante D. Henrique Bridge (the newest). The six bridges unite the cities of Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto. The people of Porto are not only proud that these are functional structures but also because they serve as true landmarks. 3. Portugal is a developed country. According to the Global Peace Index 2018, it ranks as the 4th safest country in the world. 4. The Green lane toll pay system and pre-paid mobile phone card are also Portuguese inventions, to name a couple. 5. Portuguese, the national language of Portugal is also spoken in Brazil, M...

1. The locals of Kiribati are called I-Kiribati. They pronounce ‘ti’ as ‘s’. Therefore, they pronounce ‘Kiribati’ as ‘Kiribas’. 2. Kiribati became a full member of the United Nations in 1999. The country is also a member of the IMF, the World Bank and the Commonwealth of Nations. 3. Kiribati is roughly the four-time of Washington, DC. 4. The Australian dollar is the national currency of Kiribati. 5. Kiribati’s capital city, Tarawa, itself is an island. The capital lies halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

1. Hong Kong is among the richest cities in the world. It has more Rolls Royce per person than any other region in the globe. 2. Three quarters of the city’s landmass is rural. Major attractions in the rural areas include 24 parks, woodlands, reservoirs, hills and a beautiful coastline. 3. The name of the city is a Cantonese phrase that translates to fragrance harbor. 4. Hong Kong is the home city to the founder of fiber optic communications: Professor Charles Kao. 5. The third Disney theme park outside the United States was opened in Hong Kong in the year 2005.

1. Thailand is one of the few nations where a monarch is still present. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is currently the world’s longest-serving head of state, with a staggering 70 years as king. He is certainly an inspiration for anyone who wants to live a king-sized life. 2. The King of Thailand wasn’t even born in Thailand. He was born in America and studied engineering in Switzerland. 3. The irony of Thailand’s history is that it never developed any major army, yet it was never colonized by European powers, unlike Asian giants such as India and China. In fact, the very meaning of “Thai” is “free man.” 4. There are more than 100 state-owned radio stations in all of Thailand. Private companies are given time slots in these stations’ shows. 5. Though the name of the country means “free,” on May 22nd 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces organized a coup and overthrew the government. It was the 12th coup since the first one occurred in 1932. Seems like Thailand likes to colonize itself!

1. Taiwan is an eclectic mix of enterprises and individuals, including governmental officials, farmers, small business owners, and artisans. The working class is one fifth of the population, and the middle class makes up another fifth. 2. Taiwan had a time period recently of economic reform that uplifted residents to the middle and upper classes. 3. Many students wear school uniforms. They are comfortable, athletic looking and have a fluorescent colour to them. 4. The condominiums resemble the average Taiwanese person in that they are vertical, tall, and skinny. Many people take the stairs to get up to their flats. Each apartment is typically quite small, and very expensive. 5. Most Taiwanese don’t like the rain. It rains often; however, walking in a bit of rain is a no no in the culture, even if it is only for a few seconds. This typically has to do with pollution and fears of acid rain on their skin.

1. The name Australia comes from the Latin, ‘Terra Australia Incognito’, which means the Unknown Southern Land. 2. It is astounding to note here that Australia is listed on the 58th spot in the index of internet download speeds. According to NetIndex, Australia is even behind Kazakhstan, Madagascar, and Vanuatu. Australian’s may have the most venomous snakes but not the fastest internet. 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. In the area (land); Australia is 32 times greater than that of the U.K, almost twice than that of Europe, and almost equal to that of the United States of America. 5. Australia has the lowest population density in the world—two people per square kilometer.

1. Santa Clause’s reindeer have a hard time delivering presents in New Zealand because it’s summertime during Christmas. A very odd thing to imagine for people living in the Northern Hemisphere. 2. The Mickey Mouse look-alike in the animal kingdom is found only in New Zealand. The Hector Dolphin, native to the southern island has two protruding ears, giving it a funny look. 3. Captain James Cook, the real-life captain Jack Sparrow, was a captain of the Royal Navy of Britain who discovered New Zealand for the West. The lack of fresh citrus fruits in his adventurous voyage led him to discover a cure for scurvy, the simple vitamin C. 4. The Great Barrier Islands in northern New Zealand, extensively used pigeon posts. During the early 20th century, it had two companies that “hired” healthy pigeons to deliver crucial information. It remains an important cultural symbol of the region. 5. The Auckland Volcanic Field is a hotspot for volcanic activity and geologists use the area to study glo...

1. Interestingly, you can smoke Marijuana legally in North Korea. It is not even classified as a drug in the country. 2. On January 23, 1968, North Korea captured “USS Pueblo (AGER-2),” a Banner-class environmental research ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy. It is the world’s only nation to capture and retain a U.S. Navy ship to date. 3. North Korea does not use the Gregorian calendar, which is also known as the Western calendar and the Christian calendar. They have their own calendar in place. The Juche calendar was introduced in 1997 and is based on Kim Il-Sung’s date of birth: April 15, 1912. The year 2015 was the 104th year, as per their Juche calendar. 4. The North Korean city of Pyongyang has the world’s largest stadium, boasting a seating capacity of 150,000. This stadium is used for football, athletics and mass games. 5. Surprisingly, haircuts are also approved by the supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un, in North Korea. There are only 28 styles of approved haircuts from which to cho...

60 Interesting Facts About Indonesia 1. “Srivijaya” is considered the first of the known Indonesian kingdoms, lasting until about 1400 A.D. 2. The Portuguese arrived in Indonesia in the early 16th century, mainly for spices. Due to huge demand for spices in Europe at the time, profits could be made selling them. Hence, the Portuguese seized the Moluccas, the chief spice-producing region. 3. The Portuguese, however, lost their dominance over the region to the Dutch. 4. Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, the world’s third-most-populous democracy, and the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. 5. More than 50% of the country is covered by forests.

1.   There are a total of 28 Nobel Prize winners from Japan. 2. The worlds shortest escalator is in Japan. And yes, it is used as well. 3. Fleeing motorists in Japan are shot by police with paintballs. This technique helps them to identify the defaulters easily. 4. Train stations in Japan have staff people to shove people into the trains because there are so much of passengers. 5. The post-war Japanese constitution has forbidden Japan from having an army. As a result of being unable to invest in the arms race, the central government has poured money into trains. In fact, many people have dubbed the bullet train (“shinkansen”) research as Japan’s space race.

1. The United States of America is also referred to as “the States”, “the United States”, “the U.S.”, “the USA”, and “America”. 2. In 1783, the United States became the first country to gain independence from a European power. 3. Did you know that the GPS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Air Force? The Global Positioning System is a utility that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. The system consists of three segments: the space segment, the control segment, and the user segment. 4. The first constitution of the United States was adopted in 1788. For the acceptance of the constitution which was proposed in 1787, nine states needed to vote in its favor. Delaware was the first state and New Hampshire was the ninth state to accept the constitution, thus making it legal. 5. The current U.S. flag was designed by a high school student – Robert G. Heft.

1. The Korean empire was noted in Chinese records as far back as the 7th century BCE but the country was annexed by Japan in 1910. After Japan’s surrender in WWII the country was divided in two, the northern part occupied by the Soviet Union, and the southern by the United States . 2. After attempts at reunifying the country failed in 1948 the southern part became known as the Republic of Korea while the northern part is known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea . The two countries are separated by a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) approximately four kilometres wide that is along latitude 38 degrees North. 3. The Korean war lasted for 3 years and was the first major military conflict that involved the United States and the Soviet Union. It has yet to officially end though a ceasefire was signed in the 1950s between North and South Korea that is still in effect. 4. Although South Korea is now a liberal democracy, it suffered under a series of military dictatorships between the 1960s ...

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. India has the world’s only floating post office on Dal Lake, Sri Nagar. The office provides all regular postal services.

1. Harald V is the present King of Norway. He represents the country and plays a ceremonial role. 2. More than 30% of the country has received higher education. Norwegian universities and state university colleges do not charge a tuition fee for international students. 3. Norway introduced Salmon Sushi to Japan in the 80s. 4. In 2017, Norway is ranked no. 1 on the prosperity index while it stood second on the list in 2016. 5. Odd and Even are popular names for males in the country.