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Luxembourg is a
landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and
north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. It comprises two principal
regions: the Oesling in the north as part of the Ardennes massif, and the
Gutland ("good country") in the south.
Did you know that:
1. Luxembourg has the highest minimum legal salary in the Europe and the second
highest in the world after Australia. In 2013, it was €1,874.90 ($2,404) per
month or €10.8335 ($13.89) per hour for unqualified workers over 18 - higher
even than in Monaco.
2. Luxembourg contributes to the highest sale of alcohol in European GDP.
3. German is the first language which is taught in schools of Luxembourg and is
also used by the Church and media. However, all the businesses and official
dealings are done in French.
4. The University of Luxembourg is the only university in the country.
5. Due to its banking secrecy laws, Luxembourg has attained the reputation of a
tax haven.
Saudi Arabia is the
largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area and the second-largest in the
Arab world after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north,
Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the
east, Oman to the southeast, and Yemen in the south. It is the only nation with
both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast.
Did you know that:
1. Saudi Arabia is the only place on earth where beheading, amputation of hands
and limbs, and stoning are not illegal.
2. It is illegal in Saudi Arabia to practice any form of sorcery or magic. The
Saudis have a police unit set up specifically for catching witches.
3. It is strictly forbidden to carry and drink alcoholic beverages in Saudi
Arabia.
4. In Saudi Arabia, a liter of potable water is more expensive than a liter of
oil.
5. Women are basically banned from working in Saudi Arabia. For decades, that
meant women were served by men in lingerie shops, which was a bit awkward.
6. Diyya, commonly translated as “blood money,” is a system for criminals to
compensate their victims’ families financially. Doing so allows the person that
committed the crime to be let off from normal criminal justice. It’s a
formalized way of buying one’s freedom.
Burkina
Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries:
Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to
the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its capital is Ouagadougou.
Did you know that:
1. The official language is French, since Burkina Faso was colonized by France.
Other languages spoken include Mòoré, Gourma, Fulfulde, Dioula, Tamasheq.
2. The Mossi is the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso.
3. Burkina Faso is home to 60 different ethnic groups, each with their own
variety of folk music.
4. Burkina Faso is a leader in African art and culture and hosts the largest
craft market in Africa.
5. The Bobo, one of the ethnic groups in Burkina Faso make large butterfly
masks, painted in stripes of red, white and black which are used to invoke the
deity Do in fertility ceremonies. The Mossi are known for their antelope masks.
The Lobi carve wood.
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.
