Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Tanzania is a country in East Africa within the African great lakes region. It is situated south of the Equator. Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania is the highest mountain in Africa , with an altitude of 5,895 m. Its summit is about 4,900 m from its base, making it the world’s highest freestanding mountain . Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, Mount Meru, is the 4 th tallest mountain in Africa. ( Source ) The place for the  highest altitude pizza delivery on land  is 5,897 m (19,347 ft.) at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This record was made by Yum! Brands ( USA ) and Pizza Hut Africa ( South Africa ) in 2016. ( Source ) Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania has the most continuous record of human evolution from 2.1 million to 15,000 years ago. It contains fossil remains of more than 60 human-like creatures. It also has the longest known stone tool. Olduvai Gorge is also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ( Source ) The  oldest hominid footprints on earth  were dis

Penguins are flightless marine birds. They spend their life on land and in the sea. There are between 18 and 21 species of penguins. The blue (or fairy) penguin is the smallest, while the emperor penguin is the largest penguin species. Almost all species live in the Southern Hemisphere,  particularly on the Antarctic coast and sub-Antarctic islands. Few penguin species inhabit temperate regions. The Galapagos penguin is the only species that reside at the equator. Unlike other birds , penguins have flippers instead of wings . These flippers are primarily for faster swimming and other underwater movements. Penguins also have small and dense feathers on their flippers that provide insulation. Flippers are also helpful for maintaining balance on land and for communication purposes. ( Source ) Penguins are carnivorous animals that eat fish , krill, squid, and other marine animals. Smaller species usually eat small and large krill, while larger species (like emperor and king penguins) pre

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia and the largest country wholly inside Europe. Ukraine was initially inhabited between mid-5 th to 3 rd millennia BC.  The East Slavs arrived and settled in Ukraine between the 5 th and 6 th Centuries. Kievan Rus was the first great East Slavic dynasty,  ruled from 879 to 1240 AD. Ukrainian capital Kyiv remained the capital of Kievan Rus from 882 to 1240 AD. After the disintegration of Kievan Rus, Ukraine was directly or indirectly ruled by several foreign powers . These include Golden Hordes, Polish-Lithuanian, Austria -Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Russian Empire. Ukraine adopted its  initial constitution in 1710 . It happened more than 75 years before the American Constitution in 1787-89. ( Source ) The Soviet authorities deported more than 180,000 Crimean Tatars  from Crimea to Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia in May 1944 for their alleged cooperation with Nazis during WW

Jamaica is an island country in the West Indies. Its closest islands are Cuba and Haiti in the Caribbean Sea.  Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in Jamaica in 1494.  The initial inhabitants of Jamaica at the time of the arrival of Europeans were Taino.   The Taino vanished during the Spanish occupation of Jamaica before the English invasion in 1655. It happened due to slavery and diseases brought by Europeans. England  captured this island   from Spain in 1655. They brought many African slaves to work on the sugar plantation. Today, more than 90% of the inhabitants of Jamaica are descendants of these former slaves. Port Royal in Jamaica was notorious for being  “the wickedest city on  earth ”  during the 17 th  Century. It was the home to infamous pirates during that period. Around 25% of all the buildings in the city were either bars or brothels. The headquarters of the Royal Navy in the Caribbean was also located in the same town. ( Source ) The first post offi

Foxes are mammals that belong to the Canidae family . Other members of this family are dogs, wolves, jackals, etc. There are 12 species of true foxes: red fox, Arctic fox, fennec fox, etc. A few other related animals of the dog family are also called foxes. These are gray fox, bat-eared fox, crab -eating fox, Darwin’s fox, and others. Foxes are present on every continent except Antarctica . They live in various habitats, including forests , mountains , grasslands, icecap regions, and deserts . Researchers have found a  16,500-year-old cemetery  in Jordan that contains the remains of a man and his pet fox. It is the earliest known example of interaction between humans and animals. It is 4,000 years earlier than the earliest known burial site of humans and dogs. ( Source ) Foxes use the earth’s magnetic field  to catch prey. The success rate of their hunting leap is 73% in the northeast direction and 60% in the opposite direction. It is a mere 18% in any other direction. The animal us

Squirrels are small or medium-sized rodents present in all inhabited continents except Australia.  Their closest relatives are mountain beaver and dormouse. The name squirrel derives from the Greek word skiouros , which means “shade tail.” There are more than 260 known species of squirrels in 50 genera. The most common are tree squirrels, with over 120 species in 22 genera. Other well-known squirrels include ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks , marmots, and prairie dogs. Squirrels initially appeared on earth around 36 million years ago in western North America. Later they migrated to Europe (30 mya), Africa (20 mya), and Southeast Asia (11 mya). ( Source ) Unlike most other mammals , tree squirrels can  descend from the tree head-first . They can do so by rotating their hind limbs 180 degrees. They also get a strong grip thanks to their sharp claws. Squirrels  use their tails  for defensive purposes against  rattlesnakes . They heat their tails through infrared ra