Interesting facts about the least known countries in the world

Interesting facts about the least known countries in the world

A selection of the most interesting facts about the world's least known countries that we have collected over the years

This is a subjective topic, I know. What counts as an interesting fact? What is one of the least known countries in the world?

There is no scientific answer, but when this question was asked on the Q&A site Quora, some notable details were certainly raised about some of the world's more obscure sovereign and not-so-sovereign states.

Below I've picked out some of the most interesting facts about the world's least known countries, collected from visits to over 80 countries.

1. Nauru hat mit über 95 % Übergewicht die übergewichtigste Bevölkerung der Welt.

alt="obese people in Nauru, one of the least known countries in the world">Lorrie Graham/AusAID/Creative CommonsNauru has the most obese population

1. Die Marshallinseln im Pazifischen Ozean sind der am stärksten gefährdete Inselstaat und haben aufgrund des Klimawandels das höchste Überschwemmungsrisiko.
2. Prinz Phillip, Ehemann der britischen Königin, wird von den Dorfbewohnern von Yaohnanen auf der Insel Tanna in Vanuatu verehrt. Anhänger der Prinz-Philipp-Bewegung glauben, dass der Herzog von einem ihrer geistigen Vorfahren abstammt und sie 2016 besuchen und – wenn sie Glück haben – bei ihnen wohnen werden.

alt="Two men in Vanuatu, one of the least known countries in the world">Christopher Hogue Thompson/Creative CommonsPrince Phillip is adored in Vanuatu

1. In Französisch-Polynesien ist das Tematangi-Atoll der Antipode von Mekka. Dies bedeutet, dass Muslime, die auf der Insel beten möchten, knien und in jede Richtung schauen können, da sie theoretisch immer nach Mekka schauen würden.

2. Much of Guam's roads are made of a coral-oil mixture because the island has no natural supply of sand. In wet weather, oil tends to float to the surface of roads, making them dangerous. Because of this, the speed limit on most of the island is only 35 miles per hour.

3. Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with 851 individual languages ​​listed. Of these, 839 are alive and 12 are extinct. English is the official language, although only 1-2% of the population speaks English.

alt="Tribes People Papua New Guinea, , one of the least known countries in the world">Christopher Michel/Creative CommonsEnglish is the official language in Papua New Guinea

1. San Marino ist der älteste Staat der Welt mit einer Geschichte, die bis ins Jahr 301 n. Chr. zurückreicht. Es ist auch der einzige Staat mit mehr Autos als Menschen mit 1.263 Straßenkraftfahrzeugen pro 1.000 Einwohner.

2. Niger has the most youthful population in the world. In 2013, over half of Niger's population (50.09%) was under 14 years old. At the other end of the scale are Germany and Japan, where only 13% of the population is under 14 years old.

3. Kiribati is the only country in the world that falls in all four hemispheres, spanning the equator and extending into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Kiribati was also the first country to experience the beginning of the third millennium on January 1, 2000.

alt=“A map of Kiribati, one of the least known countries in the world “>Creative CommonsA map of Kiribati, one of the least known countries in the world

1. Die Komoren sind der einzige Staat mit Mitgliedschaft in der Afrikanischen Union, der Frankophonie, der Organisation für Islamische Zusammenarbeit, der Arabischen Liga (wo sie das südlichste und einzige Mitglied vollständig innerhalb der südlichen Hemisphäre ist) und der Kommission für den Indischen Ozean. Vielleicht ein bisschen verwirrt über seine nationale Identität?

2. Fiji is the only country besides India with Hindi as an official language. Native Fijians make up 54% of the population. Under British rule, Indian laborers were brought to Fiji to work on the sugar cane crop. Descendants of these workers are called Indo-Fijians and today make up about 40% of the population.

3. Transsexual people, known as fa'afafine, are a third gender that has been officially recognized and accepted in Samoa since at least the early 20th century.

4. Liberia is one of only two countries in Africa that was not colonized by European powers. The other is Ethiopia.

5. Nauru, appearing for the second time on this list, has no official capital, but Yaren is the largest settlement and the seat of parliament.

6. Red Star OS is the official and only operating system used in North Korea. It is based on Linux and developed by the Korean Computer Center. It looks remarkably similar to Apple's early versions of Mac OS X.

alt=”North Korea is one of the least known countries in the world “>KCC/GNU/General Public LicenseNorth Korea is one of the least known countries in the world

1. Der winzige Inselstaat Niue hat nur 1.190 Einwohner, ist aber der erste und einzige WLAN-Staat der Welt (dh mit landesweit freiem WLAN-Zugang, der den Bürgern von der Regierung zur Verfügung gestellt wird).

2. Bhutan is the only country that measures happiness instead of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The BNH (Gross National Happiness) concept, used in Bhutan since 1972, has inspired a modern political happiness movement, and in 2011 the UN General Assembly unanimously placed “happiness” on the global development agenda.

3. Bhutan is also a country where paintings of phallic penises are commonplace. Bhutanese believe that the immodest image of an erect penis promotes fertility, provides protection from evil and dispels spiteful gossip. The murals can be painted on the walls of their homes and hung on the eaves of their homes.

alt="Bhutan is one of the least known countries in the world">Nagarjun Kandukuru/Creative CommonsBhutan is one of the least known countries in the world

1. Lesotho, San Marino und die Vatikanstadt sind die einzigen souveränen Staaten der Welt, die auf allen Seiten von einem einzigen Land umschlossen sind, was sie zu Enklaven macht. Lesotho ist Binnenland von Südafrika, die anderen von Italien.

2. For a long time, Tuvalu was unable to join the United Nations because it could not afford the $100,000 entry fee. When domain names were first distributed to countries, Tuvalu was given the coveted abbreviation .tv. In 2000, the country negotiated a 12-year, $50 million lease for its domain, and again in 2011. It has used the profits to install electricity on outer islands, create scholarships and eventually join the UN.

3. There are 22 countries in the world that do not have an army, the vast majority consisting of tiny island states or enclaves. Incidentally, this does not include Vatican City, which has the Swiss Guard as a military corps.

alt="The Swiss Guard in Vatican City">DreamtimeThe Swiss Guard in Vatican City

1. Trotz der Popularität des schönen Spiels in Grönland kann das Land nicht der FIFA (dem internationalen Dachverband des Fußballs) beitreten, da dort aufgrund der extremen Wetterbedingungen kein Gras wachsen kann. 2006 durften sie an zwei WM-Qualifikationsspielen teilnehmen. Sie haben beide verloren.

alt=“Footballer in Greenland, one of the least known countries in the world “>Algkalv/Creative CommonsGreenland is one of the least known countries in the world

1. Zum dritten und letzten Mal taucht Nauru auf der Liste auf. Das Land verdient mehr Geld als sein BIP, indem es abtrünnige und umstrittene Länder anerkennt. Ein nach Souveränität strebender Staat kann nur dann ernst genommen werden, wenn er von anderen UN-Mitgliedsstaaten anerkannt wird (je mehr, desto besser). 2009 erkannte Nauru das von Russland unterstützte Abchasien und Südossetien im Austausch für 50 Millionen Dollar an russischer Hilfe an. Es gab andere umstrittene Beispiele im Zusammenhang mit dem Kosovo und Taiwan.

2. Lichtenstein and Uzbekistan are the only countries in the world that are dual landlocked. The first is blocked by Switzerland and Austria, the second by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, all of which are landlocked states themselves.

3. In 2018, Swaziland changed its name to the Kingdom of Eswatini. King Mswati III, who renamed the country, announced the official change at a stadium during celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Swazi's independence from British rule.

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