Lists of geographical facts have become “hackneyed” (check out the definition and geographic origin of that interesting word here), but list25.com has come up with one that holds a few surprises: “Depending upon your definition, and whether or not you count Taiwan, there are “approximately” 196 countries in the world as of this writing. So while you may consider yourself to be a knowledgeable global citizen, and we’re sure you are, given the dynamic and complex nature of our planet, there are certain to be at least a couple facts on this list that you will find surprising. Here are 25 things that you wouldn’t believe about these countries” (Ibid.; posted by David Pegg, 2/3/12).
A few of the more interesting items on Pegg’s list:
- France covers the most time zones: “If you count everything, including overseas territories, then France claims the title by covering 12 time zones. The United States would be the runner-up with 11 and then Russia with 9.”
- Nauru has the most overweight population: “With over 95% of its population being overweight, the small island nation of Nauru is by far the fattest country on Earth. Its obesity epidemic is primarily attributed to the importation of western fast food that coincided with an increased standard of living in the 20th century due to the global popularity of its phosphate exports. It’s almost non sequitur…almost.”
- Papua, New Guinea has the most languages: “Although English is its official language, only 1-2% of the population actually speaks it. As the most linguistically diverse country in the world, over 820 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea or 12% of the world’s total.”
- Canada has the most educated people: “With 50% of its population having been educated at the post-secondary level, Canada easily has the most educated populace in the world. It is followed by Israel at 45% and Japan at 44%.”
- The United States has the most people behind bars: “When it comes to incarcerating its population, the United States is the world’s uncontested leader. With 2.2 million people behind bars it has 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. China comes in second place at 1.5 million and Russia comes third at 870,000.”
Article by Bill Norrington, with thanks to Meryl Wieder for suggesting it.
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