Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Latvia is a country in northeastern Europe . It is one of the three Baltic States, located in the middle of the other two (Estonia and Lithuania). Alongside the two Baltic States, Latvia shares land borders with Russia and Belarus. The country also has a maritime border with Sweden. Latvian is the sole official language of Latvia. It is one of the two surviving Baltic languages (a group of Indo-European languages) alongside the Lithuanian language. Russian is the most learned foreign language in Latvia due to its Soviet past. It is the mother tongue of nearly 38% of Latvians. However, the country banned teaching Russian in schools in 2023 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. From 2026, children can adopt one of the languages of the EU (European Union) or EEA (European Economic Area) as a foreign language in place of the Russian language. ( Source ) Humans started to inhabit Latvia in 9,000 B.C. Finns settled here around 3,000 B.C., and the pre-Baltic tribes arrived nearly...

Grenada is an island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is the southernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. Its nearest countries are Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Grenada consists of the main island of Grenada and some smaller islands. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are the other notable islands. It is the  second-smallest country in the Caribbean  after Saint Kitts and Nevis. The initial settlers of Grenada were Arawaks who arrived here from South America. Later, Caribs from South America captured these islands and drove away the peaceful Arawaks. The people present here at the time of the arrival of Europeans were Caribs. Christopher Columbus was the first European to land on this island in 1498, and he named it Concepcion. Later, it became Grenada when other Spanish sailors named it after the Spanish city Granada. English merchants were the first Europeans who tried to settle in Grenada. However, the Caribs ...

Oman is a country on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula at the junction of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen and maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. Paleontologists have discovered several Arabian Nubian Complex sites in Oman since 2011. The oldest, discovered in 2011 in southern Oman, shows that humans initially arrived here 106,000 years ago. Since the 1960s, scientists have identified the Nubian complex in North Africa, East Africa , and southern Arabia. ( Source ) There are three main physical features of Oman. A central desert plane ( Rub al-Khali  or Empty Quarter) bisects two rugged mountains in the north and south of the country. Mount Shams (2,980 meters) in the northern Hajar Mountains is the  highest point  in the country. The climate is primarily hot and dry, while the south receives summer monsoon rainfall. Apart from Oman proper, the country includes  two exclaves , Musadam peninsula and ...

Dominica is an island country in the Lesser Antilles , an arc of tiny islands on the Caribbean Sea. Its nearest islands are two French overseas departments (Guadeloupe and Martinique). Dominica is known as the  “Nature Island of the Caribbean”  due to its variety of  plants ,  animals , and other natural features. Nearly 60% of Dominica’s land is forested, making it the most heavily forested country in Lesser Antilles. Dominica contains some less-known endemic and endangered  birds  and other animals. Some  unique animals  on this island are two parrot species (sisserou and red-necked parrots), blue-headed  hummingbirds , Lesser Antillean iguanas, and a frog (mountain chicken). The mountain chicken, one of the largest frogs in the world, tastes like a  chicken  and was once considered the  national dish of Dominica . It is present only in Dominica and Montserrat (a British overseas territory to its north). Due to an infectious ...

Vanuatu is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean . This archipelago consists of over 80 islands, and most of them are inhabited. Vanuatu claims sovereignty of two uninhabited islands of New Caledonia, Matthew and Hunter. Vanuatu is located in the area known as Melanesia, a sub-region of Oceania. It is the smallest of the four countries (including Fiji , Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea) in this region. Nigol is a centuries-old tradition in Vanuatu where men of all ages jump from a 100-foot-long wooden structure with only vines tied to their ankles. This tradition inspired a less-frightening  bungee jumping . According to a legend, women of these islands initiated these jumps as fun, but later men adopted them to display courage. This tradition follows a strict season and other measures to ensure safety. However, these jumps have caused few fatal incidents. ( Source ) The initial known inhabitants of Vanuatu settled on its northern islands around 1300 BCE . They ...

Monaco is a microstate in Europe. It has a land border with France from three sides and a small coastline with the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco is one of the only three remaining sovereign principalities in the world. The other two are Andorra and Liechtenstein. The prince is the head of this constitutional monarchy in Europe . The foundation of Monaco took place in the 6 th century BC as a Greek colony. It derives its name from two Greek words: monos (single) and oikos (house). The Grimaldi family took control of Monaco in 1297 from Genoa. During their rule, they received protection from France, Spain (1524-1641), and Sardinia (1815-1861). The French Revolutionary regime annexed Monaco in 1793. The Grimaldi regained the sovereignty of Monaco in 1814 after the fall of Napoleon I. Menton and Roquebrune remained part of Monaco for centuries. However, the principality lost control of these neighboring towns in 1848 and later ceded them to France under the terms of a treaty in 1861. M...

Bahrain is a small island country on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is the third smallest country in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. Bahrain consists of over 30 natural and artificial islands . The country has planned to build five new luxury artificial islands that can increase its landmass by 60%. However, it can devastate marine life and create several environmental problems. ( Source ) The largest island in this Gulf country is Bahrain Island . It contains nearly 85% of the total land area of Bahrain. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the nearest countries to Bahrain. The 15-mile-long King Fahd Causeway, opened in 1986, links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia . Bahrain was the seat of the ancient Dilmun civilization nearly 5,000 years ago and acted as a trade route between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia. It declined around 2000 BC due to cutting off trade from India . Bahrain came under Muslim rule in the 7 th Century, and most of its inhabitants converted to Islam . ...