Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

With an area of 2,381,741 square km, Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the 10 th largest in the world. Algeria is also the 9 th most populous country in Africa, having a population of around 42 million. St. Augustine of Hippo played the most significant role in bringing the dominant position of Christianity  to the Roman Empire. He is also known as the  father of orthodox theology . The birthplace of this philosopher and theologian was Algeria. Algeria has the highest number of immigrants in France . 16% of the total immigrants in France are of   Algerian descent. Prominent Algerians in France are Zinedine Zidane (footballer), Rachid Arhab (journalist), and Azouz Begag (writer). ( Source ) Algeria was conquered by the  Umayyad Caliphate in the 8 th Century. This event initiated the Islamization of the area, which became a Muslim-majority in the 10 th Century. Algeria came under the rule of various local Berber dynasties after the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate.  Alg

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country  is located within the Alps and is highly mountainous . Only around 1/3 rd of its area is below 500 m (1,640 ft.). The Austrian capital Vienna was declared the  most livable city  in the world in 2018 and 2019. Vienna achieved this position by scoring 99.1 points out of a total of 100. ( Source ) Austria is the world’s first country to  publish postcards . This European country introduced the first postcard in 1870. A 19 th  Century Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel, performed several experiments in his monastery garden between 1856 and 1863. His research included crossing pea  plants  of various colors, seed shapes, pod shapes, etc. These experiments and their results were first presented in 1865 and resulted in the advancement of modern genetics. Therefore, this Austrian monk is known as the  father of modern genetics . Austria is the birthplace of the world’s oldest existing daily newspaper , Weiner Zeitung. The initial ye

Alpacas are closely related to other South American camelid animals. These include llamas, vicuna (a wild form of alpaca), and guanaco (a wild cousin of the llama). Alpacas are native to Peru . They are also present at high altitudes in other South American countries:  Ecuador , Bolivia , and Chile. Alpacas have been exported to different parts of the world thanks to their numerous benefits. Today, they are present in all continents except Antarctica . As compared to 30 teeth of female alpacas, male alpacas have 32 teeth. These two extra razor-sharp teeth are known as  fighting teeth  due to their usage during a fight. Male alpacas and llamas can sometimes become aggressive towards their masters. It is due to a syndrome (ABS or Aberrant Behavior Syndrome ) that usually develops in bottle-fed male alpacas that lose the company of their mothers in childhood. Alpacas are helpful in therapy for the  treatment of trauma  and mental health issues. This treatment is effective for peopl

Armenia is a landlocked country in Western Asia. It is located at the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia and is sometimes considered a Eurasian country . More Armenians  live abroad  than in Armenia. Compared to 3 million Armenians in Armenia, more than 6 million Armenians have settled in other parts of the world. ( Source ) Armenia is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world. The  oldest winery  has been discovered in a cave in Armenia, which is 6,100 years old. ( Source ) The longest non-stop double-track cable car is located in Armenia. Its length is 5,752 m (18,871 ft.). ( Source ) Levon Aronian is a world-renowned Armenian chess player. He was ranked the  4 th  best chess player in history with a rating of 2830. Chess has been a compulsory subject in Armenian schools since 2011. There are mandatory chess lessons for children between ages 6 and 8. ( Source ) Armenia is known as the first Christian country . It adopted Christianity as its state religion in

The Gambia is a small country in western Africa,  surrounded by Senegal from three sides. The Atlantic Ocean is present on its western side. The Gambia is the  smallest country  in mainland  Africa . The width of this narrow country is between 15 and 30 miles (25 to 50 km), while its total area is 11,300 km 2 . The Gambia has the lowest average elevation (34 m) in Africa and the sixth-lowest in the world. The highest point in this flat country is 63 m high. ( Source ) The Gambia is one of the two countries (besides the Bahamas ) whose official name begins with a definite article “The.”   The Portuguese initially named this area “The Gambia” for its relation to “the Gambia River.” In 1964, the British agreed to continue this name at the request of the then-Gambian prime minister to avoid similarity with its neighboring country, Zambia. ( Source ) A famous Crocodile Pool in the Gambia contains over 100 crocodiles that do not harm people. Many people consider that this 1600-year-old

Djibouti is a small country in the area known as the  Horn of Africa .  It is located at a  strategic location  at the border of the Red Sea, while the Gulf of Aden is at its east. It is the southernmost country on the Arabian plate Djibouti is the 8 th smallest country in Africa and the 3 rd smallest country in mainland Africa after Gambia and Lesotho. Djibouti has one of the highest unemployment rates  in the world. Around 40% of people in Djibouti are unemployed. ( Source ) Due to this strategic location, Djibouti hosts military bases for several countries. Countries that use Djibouti for their bases include the  USA , France, China, Japan, and Italy . Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti is the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa.  China and Japan have their only overseas military bases in this country. These military bases provide economic benefits to Djibouti. The lease payments from these bases make up around 5% of the GDP of Djibouti. Lake Assal in Djibouti is the lo