Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

The whale shark is the biggest fish in the ocean . It can reach a length of up to 40 feet. This shark species is present in all tropical and warm-temperate seas around the globe. ( Source ) Whale sharks are not dangerous to humans . Juvenile sharks may run away from humans, but adults remain calm in the company of human divers. Though whale sharks are not dangerous, they can act strangely under stress. A large whale shark almost swallowed a diver before forcefully spitting her outside its mouth. ( Source ) The whale shark has the  toughest and thickest skin  (on its back) in the  animal  kingdom. The average thickness of their skin is 10 cm (4 inches). ( Source ) Whale sharks have an extremely long lifespan. The latest research shows that these fish can live for up to 130 years . ( Source ) The name of whale sharks is due to their large size and filter-feeding  habits similar to the baleen  whales. Whale sharks are  one of only three fi...

Yemen is a mountainous country in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. It is located at a strategic location due to its vicinity to Bab-el-Mandeb (a strait between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa). The history of Yemen is nearly 3,000 years old. Ancient Yemen was dominated by the kingdoms of Minaean, Sabaeans, and Himyarites. Abraha was the Christian ruler of Yemen during the 6 th Century. He tried to capture Mecca but remained unsuccessful. There is a chapter in the Holy Quran describing his failed attempt. Islam arrived in Yemen during the 7 th Century and spread quickly.  It remained under the control of several Sunni and Shia dynasties from the 9 th to 15 th centuries. Arwa al-Sulayha was the last ruler of the Sulayhid dynasty in Yemen. She was the longest-reigning queen of Yemen and one of the two female monarchs in the Muslim Arab world to have had their names in Khutbah in the mosques. ( Source ) Yemen remained under Ottoman control from 1538 to 1635 ...

The starfish is a star-shaped marine invertebrate. There are around 2,000 known species of starfish. They  are present in  all the world’s  oceans ,  and live on the ocean floor.  Starfish are not related to fish . They belong to a group of animals known as echinoderms. It is the reason that they are also called sea stars. The closest relatives of starfish are sea urchins and sand dollars. The purple sea star was one of the first recognized  keystone species  necessary to keep balance in their habitat. The absence of this starfish in its habitat can increase the population of  mussels , resulting in the extinction of all other species. ( Source ) Most of the starfish species have five arms. But few species can have 10, 20, or even up to 40 limbs . Starfish have varying colors . They are present in brown, pink, red, yellow, purple, or orange color of various intensities. These colors and their shades depend on species and environmental conditions...

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa.  It is the 3 rd largest and the 10 th most populous country in Africa . It was the largest African country before the independence of South Sudan in 2011. The  world’s first underwater village  was constructed in 1963 in the Sudanese Red Sea, 35 km from Port Sudan. The depth of "Precontinent II" was from 7m to 45m. This abandoned underwater-living project is a visitors' paradise. According to archaeological records, the  earliest known human settled  in Sudan between 30,000 and 20,000 BCE. Sudan became part of   Egypt in 1821. The religiously motivated Mahdists took hold of the country in 1885 after defeating the Ottoman-Egyptian forces. Sudan came under British rule in 1899. The country gained independence from Britain in 1956 and became a Republic. A  vast, ancient underground lake  was discovered in Sudan’s Darfur area in 2007. This “megalake” spans over 19,110 sq m, three times the size of Leba...

Mali is a landlocked country in Western Africa.  It is the 8 th largest  and the 23 rd most populous country in Africa . Mali is the 4 th largest gold-producing country in Africa. The gold mine production in Mali was 46,000 kg in 2019. ( Source ) Mali is the 8 th poorest country in the world. More than 41% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line. ( Source ) The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali is the  largest mud-brick building  in the world. Its initial construction took place in 1240. Later, the mosque was rebuilt in 1906-07. This unique mosque is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Sahara desert and the Sahel steppe region are the geographical features in the northern and southern parts of Mali. Most of the population resides in the southern part of the country. Mali remained part of the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire between the 4 th and 16 th centuries. Mali became a colony of France in the late 19 th Century....

Ethiopia is a landlocked African country in the area known as the Horn of Africa. It is the 13 th most populous country in the world. Ethiopia is the world’s most populous landlocked country . It has a population of more than 110 million. ( Source ) Ethiopia is the 2 nd most populous country in Africa. Only Nigeria has more inhabitants than Ethiopia in the continent. ( Source ) Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee . The coffee plant was initially cultivated in Ethiopian highlands around 1,200 years ago. It constitutes more than 24% of Ethiopian export. The country is the 5 th largest exporter of coffee in the world and the largest in Africa . Around 15 million households in Ethiopia are, directly or indirectly, dependent on coffee for their livelihoods. ( Source ) Sof Omar Cave in Ethiopia is the  longest cave in Africa  and the 306 th  longest in the world. It has a length of 16 km. ( Source ) Ethiopia was one of two African countries, along with Liberia, ...