Did you know, there are 196 countries in the world today? In fact, there are so many countries, whose names are also not recognized by many of us. There are so many informative facts about different countries.
Let's take a look at 10 Interesting and unknown facts about different countries that you need to know:
1. The country which still follows a traditional calendar that is seven years behind the rest of the world
Ethiopia still follows a traditional calendar that is seven years behind the rest of the world. Because of the strong presence of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the country, the traditional calendar of that church is still influential in Ethiopia. The calendar came about in the 16th century, when most of Christianity changed the date Jesus is believed to have been born on, but those in Ethiopia decided to maintain the original date. Because of the time discrepancy, Ethiopia held celebrations for the new millennium in 2007, seven years after the rest of the world.
2. The country which falls in all 4 hemispheres
Kiribati is the only country on the planet to fall into every one of the four hemispheres of the globe, straddling the equator and stretching out into the eastern and western hemispheres. Kiribati was also the first country to see the dawn of the third millennium on 1st January 2000.
3. The country which is smaller than Central Park in New York City
Smaller than Central Park in New York City – Monaco: Although Vatican City is smaller (.17 sq mi) than Monaco (.8 sq mi), not at all like Monaco it doesn’t have any permanent residents which leaves Monaco as the smallest permanently inhabited nation in the world… Smaller than Central Park.
4. The most diverse Country
The Most Diverse Country in the world is India: In almost every category – culturally, economically, climatically, racially, linguistically, ethnically, and religiously India is either the most diverse countries in the world, or the runner-up.
5. The Least Religious Country
A 2007–2008 Gallup survey found Estonia to be the least religious country in the world. The survey asked respondents from around the world, “Is religion an important part of your daily life?” Only 14% of Estonians answered in the affirmative, the lowest of all nations. In contrast, in that same poll, Egypt had a 100% “yes” rate.
6. There is another country which has Hindi as its official language
Fiji is the only country other than India with Hindi as an official language. Native Fijians make up 54% of the population. Under British rule, Indian labourers were brought to Fiji to work on the sugar cane crops. Descendants of these labourers are called Indo-Fijians and today they account for around 40% of the population.
7. There are countries which do not have an Army
There are 22 countries in the world that do not have an army, the large majority comprising tiny island states or enclaves. Incidentally, this doesn’t include the Vatican City, which has the c as a military corps.
8. The country which has 23 native languages
There are 23 native languages recognised by the government in Guatemala. Overall, about 40% of the population speak one of these languages, including Quiche, Kekchi, and Mam.
9. The country which lies in 2 continents
Istanbul, Turkey, is the only country which falls in 2 continents.
10. The country which has the most amount of Obese people
Nauru has the most amount of Obese population in the world with over 95% of its population overweight.