Palau

Palau is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is geographically part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country's population of around 21,000 is spread across 250 islands forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands. The most populous island is Koror. The islands share maritime boundaries with Indonesia, Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Did you know that:
1. Palau is often referred to as Belau.
2. In the Pacific Ocean, Palau is a part of the Caroline Island chain. In 1500, European explorers first discovered the Caroline Islands.
3. In 1783, Palau was accidentally discovered by the shipwrecked crew of Captain Henry Wilson when he reached the shores of Ulong.
4. In the Republic of Palau, the highest point is Mount Ngerchelchuus (242m).
5. Palau’s currency is the U.S. dollar.
6. The languages spoken are English, Japanese, Palauan and 3 other local languages.
7. Palauan women, like their male counterparts, traditionally used to go topless in the past. They used only a two-piece skirt and a few garlands as costumes. Today, some local women still continue their traditional dressing, although more covered and conservative styles of modern clothing have found their way into their culture, especially with the heavy influx of tourists.

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.

Did you know that:
1. Nelson was the first city in the world, which introduced the eight-hour work day.
2. Sources close to Nelson Waikoropupu contain the purest spring water in the world. Its capacity is 2.16 million gallons of water a day.
3. In the local language Maori New Zealand is called Aotearoa which means "country of the long white cloud".
4. On Thursdays in pubs and clubs can be found almost as many guests as on Saturday - people enjoy that tomorrow Friday! :)
5. New Zealand is one of only three countries that have two official national anthems. One of them is "God Save the Queen" and the other "God Defend New Zealand" (two other countries are Denmark and Canada).
6. Probably the longest geographic name in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu - that is one of the hills in New Zealand with a height of 305 meters :)
7. In 2001 New Zealand declared itself to accept residents of Tuvalu in an emergency flooding across the ocean.

Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands (including Great Bird, Green, Guinea, Long, Maiden and York Islands and further south, the island of Redonda). The permanent population numbers approximately 81,800 (at the 2011 Census) and the capital and largest port and city is St. John's, on Antigua.

Did you know that:
1. Despite having a small population, Antigua has produced some of the world’s best cricketers including Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Andy Roberts and Curtly Ambrose. Many of them still live there - maybe attracted by the fact that Antigua collects no personal taxes.
2. A sport for the very, very lazy, crab-racing is held once a week.
3. Antigua and Barbuda are best visited during the cool and dry winter months (mid-December to mid-April), the peak tourist season. In January and February, the coolest months, the average daily high temperature is 81°F (27°C).
4. The islands get even hotter in the summer. In July and August, the warmest months, the average daily high is 86°F (30°C). It's less dry in the autumn (September to November), during the rainy season, though Antigua's fairly dry year-round.
5. Carnival, Antigua's big annual festival, is held from the end of July and culminates in a parade on the first Tuesday in August. Most Carnival activity takes place in St John's. Calypso music, steel bands, masqueraders, floats and street 'jump-ups' are all part of the celebrations. If you have enough energy by the last day to be up and dancing in the streets at 4am you can jump up during J'Overt, the climax of Carnival. The other major musical event is the annual Antiguan Jazz Festival, which takes place in October.
6. National Bird od Antigua & Barbuda, (Fregata magnificens L) is also known as Man-o'-War or Weather bird. Relatives of the pelicans, the male is glossy black. To attract females, he blows up his scarlet throat. The females have white breasts. Frigates weigh about three pounds, have a wing span of 8 feet, a deeply forked tail and fly about 22 (mph).

Madagascar

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar as well as numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from India around 88 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90 % of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population.

Did you know that:
1. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, approximately 587,040 km2. The only larger islands are Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo.
2. Madagascar has two seasons, a hot rainy season which starts in November and last until April and a cooler dry season which starts in May and last until October.
3. One of the most interesting Madagascar facts listed here is that almost all of the animal and plant species found on the island are unique to the island. These plants and animals have evolved into some of the oddest forms found on earth.
4. The island has two official languages, Malagasy and French.
5. Millions of years ago Madagascar was part of the African continent. Over time it broke away and reached the location it is in now (approximately two million years ago).
6. Madagascar has lost approximately ninety percent of its original forest land since humans arrived on the island about two thousand years ago.
7. Madagascar was home to the largest bird in the world, the elephant bird, until it became extinct in the 17th century. It is believed to have been over ten feet tall (3 meters).

South Africa

South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It has 2,798 kilometres of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north lie the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; within it lies Lesotho, an enclave surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, and with close to 53 million people, is the world's 24th-most populous nation.

Did you know that:
1. Table Mountain in Cape Town is believed to be one of the oldest mountains in the world.
2. South Africa has the longest wine route in the world.
3. South Africa has a penguin colony, which thrives thanks to the cold Antarctic currents on the west coast near the Cape.
4. South Africa has the cheapest electricity in the world.
5. The deepest mine is a gold mine in South Africa. in 1977 the Western Deep Levels Mine reached a depth of 11,749 feet. Most mines descend to about 3,300 feet.
6. The Tugela Falls is the second highest waterfall in the world, where the water tumbles down 2,789 feet. First place goes to the Angel Falls in Venezuela at 3,212 feet.
7. Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world - and the largest green one. The Grand Canyon in the U.S. is the biggest, and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia the second, but both are very dry.
8. South Africa is home to the world's smallest succulent plants (less than 0.39 inches) and the largest (the baobab tree).

Barbados

Barbados is a sovereign island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about 168 kilometres east of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 400 kilometres north-east of Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados is outside of the principal Atlantic hurricane belt.

Did you know that:
1. There are about 270,000 people that live in Barbados
2. The name Barbados was originally Los Barbados, Portuguese for “the bearded ones”, from the many fig trees and their hanging, aerial roots, looking like beards from a distance.
3. Barbados can be known as the “the land of the flying fish”, with flying fish being a common sight around the island.
4. In Barbados you drive on the left side of the road.
5. The cuisine in Barbados includes many types of fish, seafood, sweet potato, yam, breadfruit, cassava, rice, pork, and pasta.  The national dish is Cou Cou and Flying Fish.

China

China is a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party, with its seat of government in the capital city of Beijing. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The PRC also claims Taiwan – which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity – as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War.

Did you know that:
1. One in every five people in the world is Chinese. China’s population is estimated to reach a whopping 1,338,612,968 by July 2009.
2. Fortune cookies are not a traditional Chinese custom. They were invented in 1920 by a worker in the Key Heong Noodle Factory in San Francisco.
3. China is also known as the “Flowery Kingdom” and many of the fruits and flowers (such as the orange and orchid) are now grown all over the world.
4. Toiled paper was invented in China and was initially only for emperors.
5. The Chinese invented paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing.
6.  Despite its size, all of China is in one time zone.
7. Ping-pong is one of the most popular games in China, but it was not invented in China. It originated in Britain, where it is called table tennis.