Fun Facts About Every Country in the World - Part 2

Embark on a fascinating journey around the globe! Discover 195 fun facts about every country, from the quirky to the historical, and broaden your horizons with surprising trivia.

Dec 13, 2023 - 13:32

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Fun Facts About Every Country in the World - Part 2

Introduction

Welcome to Part 2 of A Fun Fact About Every Country in the World.
Link to Part 1
In this section, we will cover the countries from M to Z.
Get ready for more fascinating facts and interesting tidbits about these countries.

We hope you're as excited as we are to delve into the diverse cultures and unique features of each country. Let's get started!

Countries from M to Z

Madagascar: Madagascar is home to unique wildlife, with 90% of its species not found anywhere else on Earth.
Malawi: Lake Malawi, also known as the 'Calendar Lake', spans 365 miles at its longest and 52 miles at its widest.
Malaysia: Malaysia is considered a 'Megadiverse Country' and is estimated to contain 20% of the world's species.
Maldives: The Maldives is known for its incredible pictures, small size of 8.3 sq km, and population of 227,000.
Mali: Mansa Musa, the 14th-century ruler of Mali, is believed to be the richest human in history, with an estimated net worth of $400 billion.
Malta: Malta was awarded the George Cross for heroism during World War II and displays it on its flag.
Marshall Islands: In 2014, a man washed up in the Marshall Islands after spending 14 months adrift at sea.
Mauritania: The Bay of Nouadhibou in Mauritania is the largest ship graveyard in the world, with over 300 shipwrecks.
Mauritius: The national animal of Mauritius is the dodo, an extinct bird.
Mexico City: Mexico City is sinking due to being built on top of a lake.
Micronesia: Micronesia is in a "free association" with the United States, with the US responsible for defense.
Moldova: Moldova gained internet fame after the Epic Sax Guy meme from the Eurovision Song Contest.
Monaco: Approximately 30% of Monaco's population are millionaires.
Mongolia: Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, with an average of just two people per square kilometer.
Montenegro: Montenegro changed its internet domain from.yu to. me when it became independent.
Morocco: Morocco is home to the University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 and considered the oldest continuously used higher learning institution.
Mozambique: Mozambique has the highest-scoring one-word country name in Scrabble, with a value of 34 points.
Myanmar: In Myanmar, tea leaves are eaten as a delicacy in a dish called "Lahpet.".
Namibia: Namibia was formerly part of South Africa and was known as South West Africa.
Nauru: Nauru does not have an official capital city, but Yaren district serves as the de facto capital and seat of government.
Nepal: Nepal is the only country with a non-rectangular flag.
Netherlands: The fictitious bridges featured on Euro banknotes have been built in the Netherlands.
New Zealand: New Zealand is home to a hill with an 85-letter-long name.
Nicaragua: Nicaragua accidentally invaded Costa Rica in 2010 due to an error on Google Maps.
Niger: The country of Niger is named after the river of the same name, which is also the basis for Nigeria's name.
Nigeria: Nigeria is home to the second-largest film industry in the world, known as Nollywood.
North Macedonia: Mother Teresa, a Nobel Laureate, was born in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje.
Norway: Residing in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland, there is a penguin named Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III, who is part of the Norwegian Army and has received a knighthood.
Oman: The Sultan of Oman decreed that nearly all buildings in the country must be white.
Pakistan: Pakistan has six different national animals.
Palau: Palau is home to a lake with unique golden jellyfish that evolved without stingers.
Panama: Around 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year, generating an annual revenue of over $2.5 billion.
Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with approximately 850 different languages spoken.
Paraguay: The indigenous language of Guaraní is more widely spoken in Paraguay than Spanish.
Peru: The small town of La Rinconada in Peru is the highest permanent human settlement on Earth, located at an elevation of 5,100 meters above sea level.
Poland: Since 1990, Poland no longer shares a border with the countries it did previously due to political changes in Europe.
Portugal: Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize all drugs in 2001.
Qatar: Qatar has the highest men-to-women ratio in its population, with an estimated 3.4 males for every female.
Romania: Romania is home to the tallest rock sculpture in Europe, a carving of the face of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia.
Russia: The Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia is the deepest point on Earth ever reached, at a depth of 12,262 meters.
Rwanda: Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in parliament, with women outnumbering men.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest and least populous country in the Americas, with a land area of just 261 km2 and a population of 52,000.
Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia has the highest number of Nobel Laureates per capita, with two Nobel Laureates and a population of approximately 180,000.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: The islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have served as filming locations for several Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Samoa: Samoa changed its time zone in 2011 by skipping an entire day, moving from UTC-11 to UTC+13.
San Marino: San Marino has the earliest written constitution still in effect, dating back to the year 1600.
São Tomé and Príncipe: Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 1400s, the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were completely uninhabited.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is home to the world's tallest lighthouse, the Jeddah Light, which stands at a height of 133 meters.
Senegal: Senegal is home to a naturally pink lake, known as Lake Retba or Lac Rose.
Serbia: The Serbian language uses both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.
Seychelles: Seychelles, located in the Indian Ocean, is considered part of Africa and is the smallest country on the continent.
Sierra Leone: Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, was founded by freed slaves.
Singapore: Singapore is the only country in the world to have become independent against its own will.
Slovakia: Bratislava, the national capital of Slovakia, is the only capital in the world that borders two independent countries.
Slovenia: Slovenia and Slovakia used to exchange wrongly addressed letters due to their similar names.
Solomon Islands: The Solomon Islands are named after the biblical King Solomon, as they were once believed to contain great riches.
Somalia: The currency code for the Somali Shilling is SOS.
South Africa: South Africa has three different capital cities: Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein.
South Sudan: South Sudan is the newest country in the world, admitted to the United Nations in 2011.
Spain: Spain is home to the La Tomatina festival, where thousands of people gather to throw tomatoes at each other.
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka was the first country to have a female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, in 1960.
Sudan: Sudan is known for having the most pyramids of any country in the world.
Suriname: Suriname is the most forested country in the world, with 95% of its land area covered by the Amazon rainforest.
Sweden: Sweden has the highest number of islands of any country in the world, with a total of 267,570 islands.
Switzerland: Switzerland is home to the world's longest staircase, located on Mt. Niesen, with 11,674 steps.
Syria: The largest restaurant in the world, with a capacity of 6,014 diners, is located in Damascus, Syria.
Taiwan: Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is home to a unique toilet-themed restaurant.
Tajikistan: Tajikistan is home to the Fedchenko Glacier, the longest glacier outside of the Earth's polar regions, measuring 76 kilometers in length.
Tanzania: The shortest war in history took place in what is now Tanzania, known as the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which lasted just 38 minutes.
Thailand: Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, has a full name that translates to "City of angels, the great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, the seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra's behest".
Togo: The name "Togo", meaning "by the water", was originally given to a coastal town but later applied to the entire country.
Tonga: Tonga attempted to create a tax haven using imported sand, but their plans were thwarted when coral reefs were annexed by neighboring countries.
Trinidad: The limbo dance originated from the island of Trinidad.
Tunisia: Tunisia served as a filming location for many of the original Star Wars movies.
Turkey: The bird called a "turkey" is named after the country, despite there being no turkeys native to Turkey.
Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan is home to the Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as the "Door to Hell", a burning natural gas field.
Tuvalu: Tuvalu generates significant revenue from the sale of its .tv domain name, contributing up to 10% of the country's revenue.
Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni has been in office since 1986, with term limits and age limits being scrapped to allow him to continue his rule.
Ukraine: Arsenalna metro station in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the world's deepest metro station at 105 meters below ground.
United Arab Emirates: The United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, is known for numerous world records, including the tallest building, largest mall, highest tennis court, and more.
United Kingdom: People in the United Kingdom consume an average of 165 million cups of tea per day, making it more than 60 billion cups per year.
United States: Mile markers on US highways, specifically 420-mile markers, are frequently stolen, prompting some states to change them to 419.9-mile markers.
Uruguay: Former President Jose Mujica of Uruguay was known as the "world's poorest president" due to his charitable donations, with 90% of his monthly salary going to charity.
Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan is one of only two double landlocked countries in the world, meaning it is entirely surrounded by other landlocked countries.
Vanuatu: Vanuatu offers citizenship for sale through passport sales, which contribute to approximately 30% of the country's revenue.
Vatican City: Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and the remaining absolute monarchy in Europe.
Venezuela: Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world, with a height of 979 meters.
Vietnam: Approximately 40% of the population in Vietnam shares the surname Nguyen.
Yemen: Yemen is the only country in the world that begins with the letter "Y".
Zambia: Zambia has the highest national park coverage of any country, with 32% of its land area designated as national parks.
Zimbabwe: The first president of Zimbabwe was called President Banana, and a law was passed in 1982 forbidding citizens from making jokes about his name.