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The British
Virgin Islands (BVI), is a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean
to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands
archipelago; the remaining islands constitute the US Virgin Islands and the
Spanish Virgin Islands.
Did you know that:
1. The official name of the Territory is still simply the "Virgin
Islands", but the prefix "British" is often used to distinguish
it from the neighbouring American territory which changed its name from the
"Danish West Indies" to "Virgin Islands of the United
States" in 1917.
2. The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin
Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands
and cays. About 15 of the islands are inhabited.
3. National flower is white cedar (tebebuia heterophylla). It is the flower of
the white cedar tree, the territorial tree which is indegenous to the Virgin
Islands and was integral in the development of the Virgin Islands sloop and in
turn, the economy.
4. National bird is turtle dove (zenaida aurta). Tortola is named the land of
the Turtle Dove.
Azerbaijan is
the largest country in the Caucasus region located at the crossroads of Western
Asia and Eastern Europe. It is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia
to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the
south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east,
Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the
northwest.
Did you know that:
1. Black tea is the official beverage of Azerbaijan.
2. Nearly 60 percent of all land in Azerbaijan has been set aside for
agriculture. This includes a wide variety of resources such as wood, general
crops, and medicinal crops.
3. Due to the fact that Azerbaijan has such a unique climate (it includes 9 of
the 11 climate zone classifications) there is a wide variety of biodiversity.
4. There are 8,350 rivers in Azerbaijan.
5. 40 percent of the country is covered by mountains.
6. Azerbaijan is the first country with a majority of Muslim residents to
perform operas and plays. They are also the first Muslim centric country to
have theaters.
Vatican
City is one of the last six remaining absolute monarchies whose territory
consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of
approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of around 840. This
makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in
the world by both area and population.
Did you know that:
1. The Vatican has its own Post office and issues its own stamps. The Vatican
mail system is widely used by Romans as in most cases is a lot quicker than
Italian mail.
2. The Vatican's radio station is located in a tower inside the Vatican Gardens
and broadcasts in 20 languages throughout the world.
3. The Vatican's railway Station was opened in 1930 and is mostly used for
freight.
4. The Vatican City issues its own passports; the Pope, cardinals, members of
the Swiss guard and clergy being the recipients.
5. The Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the only site to encompass
a whole country.
6. Italians are allowed to donate 8% of their yearly taxes to the Vatican (this
is instead of paying it to the Italian Government).
7. The Vatican museums are over 9 miles (14,5 kilometers) long, and it is said
that if you spent only 1 minute admiring each painting it would take you 4
years to complete the circuit!
Malawi is a
landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It
is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and
Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania
and Mozambique by Lake Malawi.
Did you know that:
1. The Malawians’ first European contact was with the Portuguese. They traded
ivory, iron – and slaves.
2. Lake Malawi was once called “The Lake of the Stars” by the famed Scottish
explorer David Livingstone, because lantern lights he saw from the fishermen’s
boats resembled the stars at night.
3. In 2006, Malawi was brought into international spotlight when David Banda
Mwale, a Malawian boy in an orphanage, was adopted by pop icon Madonna.
Controversy surrounded the adoption because Malawi laws require would-be
parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adoption – and Madonna didn’t.
4. The earliest human settlements in Malawi date back to 50,000 to 60,000 years
ago. They were bushmen people, whose rock paintings can still be seen outside
the capital of Lilongwe.
5. The chambo fish, one of Malawi’s favorite delicacies, is an endangered
species.
6. Malawi is the only country in the world that has a Carlsberg factory (with
the exception, of course, of Denmark).
Albania is
a country in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the
northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the
south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west and on the Ionian
Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto,
which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.
Did you know that:
1. Mother Teresa (Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) is generally celebrated as the only
Albanian to win a Nobel Prize, though born in Skopje in 1910 (now in Macedonia
but then in the Ottoman Empire).
2. Albania, Armenia and Vatican City are the only European countries without a
McDonald’s branch.
3. The most popular sport in Albania is soccer.
4. The official language is
Albanian, other languages used include Greek, Italian, Vlack, Macedonian,
Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Gorani, and Roma.
4. The cuisine can be a mixture of Greek, Turkish, and Italian influences, with
dishes including Tarator, Stuffed Peppers, fried Sardines and other seafood,
Dolma, Bakllasarem, and Baklava.
Latvia is a
country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Estonia,
Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and by a maritime border to the west with Sweden.
Latvia has 2,003,000 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2.
Did you know that:
1. Historically, Latvia is known by the name Lettland. Lettland gets its name
from the natives ‘Letts’ or the Lettish people.
2. Riga Castle was constructed for the Livonian Order of Knights in 1330. In
the present time, the Riga Castle is the official home of the President of
Latvia.
3. The capital of Latvia, Riga is famous for some of the best Art Nouveau
architecture in Europe.
4. In the 17th Century, Tobago, one of the two Caribbean islands comprising the
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, was temporarily a colony of the Duchy of
Courland which is now a part of Latvia.
5. After Finland, Sweden and Slovenia, Latvia has the 4th highest portion of
land covered by forests in the European Union.
Réunion is
a French island with a population of 840,974 inhabitants (as of January 2013), located
in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres southwest of
Mauritius, the nearest island Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas
departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one
of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of
the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland.
Did you know that:
1. Reunion Island was discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century and
was uninhabited at that time.
2. The main exports of Reunion Island include sugar, seafood, rum, and vanilla.
3. Reunion Island is quite mountainous and volcanic in origin.
4. Reunion Island was the first region in the world to use the euro, mainly
because of being located in a time zone to the east of Europe.
5. Administratively, Reunion Island has been divided into 4 arrondissements, 24
cantons, and 24 communes.
6. Reunion Island serves as a useful stop for yachts sailing from the Mauritius
to South Africa.
7. Reunion Creole, derived from French, is the most widely spoken language in
Reunion Island but official language of Reunion Island is French.
