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Mayotte is
an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island,
Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and
several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern
Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa,
namely between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.
Did you know that:
1. Mayotte Island is geographically part of the Comoros archipelago, a small
group of islands lying between the northern tip of Madagascar and East Africa
in the Indian Ocean.
2. The island is surrounded by reefs and the main harbour at Dzaoudzi is very
well-protected. There are many anchorages inside the reef and diving is
excellent.
3. The climate is tropical, with two seasons: the dry season lasting from May
to October, with an average temperature of 24°C, and the rainy season from
November to April, when both temperature and humidity are higher. The cyclone
season is from December to March.
4. The native languages of Mayotte are: Shimaore, a dialect of the Comorian
language (a close relative of Swahili); Kibushi, a western dialect of the
Malagasy language (the language of Madagascar) heavily influenced by Shimaore
and Arabic; Kiantalaotsi, another western dialect of the Malagasy language also
heavily influenced by Shimaore and Arabic; Arabic, essentially learned in the
Quranic schools. But the only official language of Mayotte is French.
Georgia is
a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of
Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to
the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast
by Azerbaijan. The capital and largest city is Tbilisi.
Did you
know that:
1. The ethnic Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi.
2. The world’s deepest cave is the Voronya Cave in Georgia.
3. Georgia is considered as a transcontinental country as it spans more than
one continent.
4. Wine making is the most notable old tradition of Georgia.
5. Georgia is considered to preserve one of the earliest evidences of human
habitation. Archeological excavation has found skulls of pre-historic human
being that date back to 1.7 million years.
6. The name of the capital of Georgia, T’bilisi has been derived from the
Georgian word for warm.
Slovakia is
a sovereign state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million
and an area of about 49,000 square kilometers. Slovakia is bordered by the
Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the
east and Hungary to the south.
Did you know that:
1. Slovak women marry the youngest (average 24 years old) within the European
Union, along with Lithuanian and Polish women.
2. Slovakia, along with the three Baltic countries, has the highest death rate
for heart diseases in the EU.
3. Slovak is an official language in Vojvodina (a region in northern Serbia).
4. The country is such a small one that it could easily fit three times over
into Minnesota.
5. Considering that it is such a tiny country, it has a whopping 300 castles.
They tower over the stunning landscape almost everywhere you go.
6. Andy Warhol, the world famous pop artist was of Slovakian descent.
7. Slovakia is a car-country. With more than 100 cars per 1000 people we are
the largest producer of cars if counted per person.
Lithuania is a
country in Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. It is situated
along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and
Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south,
Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the
southwest.
Did you know that:
1. The colors of the Lithuanian flag are the same colors as a stoplight. Not
the same order, though.
2. Basketball is the country’s national sport, and the team is ranked third
worldwide. Several players have even joined the NBA.
3. In Lithuania, the Easter Bunny doesn’t bring you Easter eggs. Easter Granny
does.
4. The Lithuanian language is one of the oldest and existing languages of the
Indo-European category.
5. The method of making vodka from corn was first discovered by the
Lithuanians.
Tajikistan
is a mountainous landlocked sovereign country in Central Asia. It is bordered
by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north,
and China to the east.
Did you know that:
1. The official language of Tajikistan is Tajik, though Dari, Russian and Uzbek
are also spoken there.
2. The currency of Tajikistan is Somoni.
3. The ancient city of Khodjand, located in Tajikistan, was an important location
on the Silk Route Road.
4. The terms ‘Tajikistan’ literally means ‘Land of the Tajiks’.
5. The Iskanderkul Lake of Tajikistan is named after Alexander the Great.
6. Over ninety percent of the area in Tajikistan is mountainous.
Uzbekistan
is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia. It is a unitary,
constitutional, presidential republic, comprising 12 provinces, 1 autonomous
republic, and 1 independent city. Uzbekistan is bordered by five countries:
Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea to the north; Tajikistan to the southeast;
Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the
southwest.
Did you
know that:
1. Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world. (The
other one is Liechtenstein). A doubly landlocked country is one that is
landlocked by other landlocked countries.
2. Uzbekistan’s Muruntan gold mine is one of the largest open pit gold mines in
the world.
3. Tashkent’s metro features chandeliers, marble pillars and ceilings, granite,
and engraved metal. It has been called one of the most beautiful train stations
in the world.
4. In Uzbekistan, handshakes are only acceptable if it is between two men.
5. The way to greet an Uzbek woman is by bowing to her with your right hand
placed over your heart.
6. In Uzbekistan, lipioshka (bread) is never laid upside down and is never put
on the ground, even if it is in a bag. The Uzbeks believe that turning bread
upside down will bring you bad fortune.
Cyprus is
an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is the third largest
and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, and a member state of the
European Union. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon,
northwest of Israel, north of Egypt and east of Greece.
Did you know that:
1. Cyprus is known as 'the playground of the gods'. Aphrodite is said to have
risen out of the water near Paphos.
2. Cyprus was once the wealthiest nation in the known world. It was during the
Copper and Bronze Ages when the island's rich natural copper resources were
exported to other countries.
3. There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cyprus - Paphos, the Painted
Churches in the Troodos Region and Choirokoitia.
4. Cyprus is home to 20 rare species of orchid.
5. The Cyprus Mufflon is a wild sheep that is found in the Troodos & Paphos
mountains. It exists nowhere else in the world.
6. George Michael was born in
Cyprus.
7. One of the world's most famous shipwrecks lies off the Cypriot coast near
Limassol Harbour. The Zenobia, with its cargo of vehicles, sunk in 1980.
8. Cyprus has the world's oldest wine label, Cypriot dessert wine - Commandaria.
