Geography fun facts

# Iceland is the world's oldest functioning democracy

# Mongolia is the largest landlocked country

# Because heat expands the metal, the Eiffel Tower always leans away from the Sun

# There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower

# In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained

# The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China

# Birth-control campaigns in Egypt in the late 1970s failed because village women ended up wearing the pills in lockets, as talismans

# Niagara Falls has moved about ten miles upstream in the last 10,000 years. The falls are eroding at the rate of 5 feet per year

# The Sahara desert is expanding half a mile south every year

# The Channel between England and France grows about 300 millimeters each year

# The Hudson River along the island of Manhattan flows in either direction depending on the tide.

# There is now an ATM at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, which has a winter population of 200 people

# The Australian term for extras in cricket are 'sundries'

# In early Rome, March 1 was New Year's Day. Later, the ancient Romans made January 1 the beginning of the year

# Ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, symbolizing productivity

# Due to precipitation, for a few weeks K2 is bigger than Mt Everest

# Vietnamese currency consists only of paper money; no coins

# Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women

# There are more Rolls Royce cars in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world

# Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world

# It snowed in the Sahara Desert in February of 1979

# Australia's national anthem is called Advance Australia Fair

# The only nation whose name begins with an A, but doesn't end in an A is Afghanistan

# The Atlantic Ocean gets wider by a little more than one inch every year

# The world's only city whose name consists solely of vowels is Aiea, in Hawaii, USA.

# Soldiers in the Netherlands are not required to salute officers

# Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula". In English this means 'The City of Angels'

# The Netherlands has built 800 miles of massive dikes and sea walls to hold back the sea. If it wasn't for these walls, 40% of the country would be flooded.

# Big Ben is actually the name of the largest bell inside the London clock tower, not of the clock itself.

# In 1867 the United States paid Russia only $7.2 million (2 cents an acre) for Alaska

# Every year in France there is a "Thieves Fair" where people are encouraged to try to steal things from the stalls

# The world's longest street is in Canada. Toronto's Yonge Street runs 1,190 miles

# In the kingdom of Bhutan, all citizens officially become a year older on New Year's Day

# Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in the ancient southeastern Turkish town of Lycia early in the fourth century

# Belgium is the only country that has never imposed censorship for adult films

# The Nullarbor Plain of Australia covers 100,000 square miles without a tree.

# Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country

# Australia is the only continent on earth without an active volcano.

# In Turkey, in the 16th and 17th centuries, anyone caught drinking coffee was put to death

# There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people.

# There are no public toilets in Peru

# Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy

# The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the 13th century

# Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular or square flag

# In 1949, the temperature in part of Portugal soared to 158 degrees F for a couple of minutes. No one knows why

# Nauru is the only country in the world with no official capital

# Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland

# It was once against the law to slam your car door in a city in Switzerland

# In 1980, Bhutan was the only country in the world with no telephones

# There is a hotel in Sweden built entirely out of ice; it is rebuilt every year.

# In the great fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6 people were injured.

# The longest fence in the world is in Australia and it runs for over 3,436 miles (5,530 km)

# In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 P.M. if you live in an apartment.

# Holland is the lowest country in the world. It is estimated that 40 percent of the land is below sea level.

# Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting

# Netherlands, most densely populated country in the world, followed by Belgium, then Japan

# Perth, Australia, is the most isolated city on the planet..200 miles across impenetrable desert from the next city of any size.

# Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina delos Angeles de Porciuncula". It means the City of Angels.

# India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.

# In Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear

# In Israel, picking your nose is illegal.

# In Sweden, while prostitution is legal, it is illegal for anyone to use the services of a prostitute.

# On every continent there is a city called Rome.

# Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with a population of 1,000 and a size of 108.7 acres.

# China has only about 200 family names.

# The country with the most Post offices is India with over 152,792 compared with just over 38,000 in the United States.

# Colombia produces the most emeralds of any country in South America.

# The world's largest gold mine is in Juneau, Alaska

# Namibia, Africa, supplies the most valuable diamonds of the 18 countries in southern Africa rich with diamonds.

# Switzerland attracts the most suicide tourists.

# India has no rabbits in the wild – only hares

# In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!

# It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis, Missouri!

# It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas!

# It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain churches in Omaha, Nebraska!

# The state of Florida is bigger than England!

# In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits.

# It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!

# There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!

# About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!

# In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals!

# A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!

# Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States!

# In Tokyo, they sell toupees for dogs!
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