World Roulette: Fun Facts #2
Last updated: Saturday May 24th, 2025
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Welcome To World Roulette
We continue with the series that consists of spinning a roulette with all the recognized, non-recognized countries, and territories of the world, and there will be fun facts about each one! I hope that you like it and let's get started.
The 11th one is...
● South Africa is the 24th biggest country in the world and the 24th in terms of population with 64,4 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (110th) with 0,717 which is considered "high".
● It's the only country with 3 official capitals (and the most populous city isn't one of them)
Earth's oldest mountains
South Africa is home to some of the Earth’s oldest mountains. The oldest rocks in the world, with 3.5 billion years of history, are found in the Barberton Mountains in Mpumalanga, making them older than the Himalayas or Alps.
A Nobel Prize street
South Africa is the only country where a street has been home to two different Nobel Prize winners. Vilakazi Street in Soweto, Johannesburg. The Nobel Prize winners are Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
The 12th one is...
● Dominican Republic is the 128th biggest country in the world and the 85th in terms of population with 11,4 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (82nd) with 0,766 which is considered "high".
● Dominican Republic is the only country with a bible on the flag.
The Oldest in the Americas
Founded in 1492, Santo Domingo is the site of the oldest colonial settlement in the Americas. It's currently home to over three million people.
DR has both the highest and the lowest points in the Caribbean
Incredibly, this small island area has both the top peak and lowest elevation in all of the Caribbean. The Central American mountain range of Pico Duarte towers up 3,098 meters above sea level whilst the largest lake in the Caribbean, Lake Enriquillo sits 46 meters below sea level.
The 13th one is...
● Georgia is the 119th biggest country in the world and the 129th in terms of population with 3,80 million people.
● It's a very good country to live in terms of HDI (60th) with 0,814 which is considered "high".
● Georgia was rated the 7th safest country in the world in 2017.
A lot of Climate zones
Despite it's size, Georgia is one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world. There are 12 different climate zones from subtropical to semi-desert and even alpine.
Birthplace of wine
Georgia have been making and perfecting this beverage for about 8,000 years!
The 14th one is...
● Kyrgyzstan is the 85th biggest country in the world and the 106th in terms of population with 7,25 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (117th) with 0,701 which is considered "high".
● Kyrgyzstan is very mountainous with 94% of the country located 1,000m above sea level and an average elevation of 2,988m, the second-highest in the world.
Holy Bread
Bread is considered holy in Kyrgyzstan and it should never be wasted, thrown away or placed it upside down the table. It is believed the bread honors and feed the souls of the dead.
Horses are very symbolic
Horses are very symbolic of the nomadic culture of Kyrgyzstan. So much so that during summer, horse games take place in Kyrgyzstan which, played by mainly men, depict "Spectacular skills and manliness"
The 15th one is...
● Colombia is the 25th biggest country in the world and the 28th in terms of population with 53,2 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (91st) with 0,758 which is considered "high".
● It's the second most biodiverse country in the world only behind Brazil. It also has the highest amount of species by area in the world
A strong patriotism
The National Anthem plays on the radio and television twice per day as required by law. The anthem can be heard at both 6 AM and 6 PM.
The rainiest cities in the world
Some towns in Colombia are amongst the rainiest cities in the world. For example, the town of Tutendo averages 11.7 meters of rainfall every year.
The 16th one is...
● The U.S. Virgin Islands are a US territory that has an area of 346.4 km2 and a population of 87,146
● If it were a country, it would be the 186th in terms of size and 186th in terms of population.
● The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. The Danish were the first Europeans to permanently settle the islands in the early 1700s.
A confusing driving system
Unlike the rest of the United States, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, vehicles drive on the left side of the road.
A water problem
There is no fresh water source on the island of St. John. All water used is collected from the rain or boated and trucked in at very high prices.
The 17th one is...
● Bolivia is the 27th biggest country in the world and the 79th in terms of population with 12,5 million people.
● It's a decent country to live in terms of HDI (120th) with 0,698 which is considered "medium".
● As in South Africa, Bolivia has multiple official capitals. In this case, Bolivia has 2: La Paz and Sucre and has the peculiarity that, like South Africa, its most populated city is not one of its capitals.
A lot of languages
Bolivia has 37 official languages, including Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní, etc. The most spoken out of them all is Spanish, but Indigenous languages are common too.
A really high country
Bolivia is home to two of the highest cities in the world. Potosí, known for its silver mines and economical importance, sits at an altitude of 4,090 m, while El Alto claims the prize for ‘highest administrative city in the world’ at an altitude of 4,150 meters.
The 18th one is...
● Guam is a US territory that has an area of 540 km2 and a population of 168,801.
● If it were a country, it would be the 180th in terms of size and 179th in terms of population.
● Guam is more than 10 hours ahead of continental US.
Guam is home to some impressive coral reefs
Over 300 varieties of coral reefs provide habitats for thousands of species of fish and marine life. This abundance of sea life harbored by the coral reef is estimated to bring $127 million dollars to Guam’s economy each year.
A really tall mountain (almost)
Guam has one of the tallest mountains on Earth, Mount Lamlam, but most of the mountain is underwater so it only rises 1,332 feet above sea level.
The 19th one is...
● Malaysia is the 67th biggest country in the world and the 44th in terms of population with 35,8 million people.
● It's a really good country to live in terms of HDI (63rd) with 0,807 which is considered "very high".
● Established in AD 1136 on the Malay Peninsula, the Sultanate of Kedah is one of the oldest sultanates in the world.
Quite a lot of roads
Malaysia has 65,877 kilometres of highway roads in all, which is even greater than the circumference of the Earth (40,075 kilometres).
The number 4 doesn't exist (kinda)
In many buildings here in Malaysia, you often find that the floors with the number 4 are renamed to avoid bad luck. For example, level 4 becomes 3A, level 14 becomes 13A and so on.
The 20th one is...
● Albania is the 141st biggest country in the world and the 141st in terms of population with 2,77 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (74th) with 0,789 which is considered "high".
● Albania, along with North Macedonia, is home to Europe’s oldest lake, Lake Ohrid. It was first established 1.36 million years ago.
Nod for No, shake your head for Yes
The common form of indicating ‘yes’ or ‘no’ works in the completely opposite way in Albania. Albanians shake their heads when they want to say yes and nod their heads when they want to say no.
Albania was named the first atheist country in the world in 1967
This ban did not last forever. Today, Albania is known for its religious tolerance, even receiving praise from Pope Francis during his visit to the country in 2014.
just a sidenote, english uses this number format: 50,111.27 while many european languages would use 50.111,27 for the same number. you probably already know this 😅, but just mentioning it.
thanks for the great blog! can’t wait for the next one to come out.