World Roulette: Fun Facts #4
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 31st is...
● United Kingdom is the 78th biggest country in the world and the 21st in terms of population with 69,9 million people.
● It's one of the best countries to live in terms of HDI (15th) with 0,940 which is considered "very high".
● A Welsh town has the longest name in Europe: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Big Ben in London actually doesn’t refer to the clock.
If you didn't know, Big Ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons.
They really like sports
Soccer, rugby, golf, boxing, and cricket were ALL invented in the United Kingdom. Also... Cheese rolling. Yes.
The 32nd one is...
● Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that has an area of 34 km2 and a population of 58,477 people.
● If it were a country, it would be the 193rd in terms of size and 188th in terms of population.
● Mostly because of it's size, Sint Maarten holds the record of most beaches and restaurants per square mile and the most nationalities per capita.
A shared island
St. Maarten is the smallest area in the world that’s co-shared by two countries. With a total covered area of 87 kilometers square, St. Maarten is the smallest populated island as well as the only one of this size to have two different governing bodies
Oldest officially open border in the world
Since the treaty of Concordia in 1648, the Dutch and French side of the island has been open.
The 33rd one is...
● Nicaragua is the 96th biggest country in the world and the 108th in terms of population with 6,97 million people.
● It's a decent country to live in terms of HDI (130th) with 0,669 which is considered "medium".
● Nicaragua is the only country in Latin America to be colonized by both the British and the Spanish.
An equal country
Nicaragua is the most gender-equal country in the Americas and ranks seventh in the world overall for gender equality.
Volcano Boarding
This activity involves sliding down the slopes of an active volcano on a specially designed wooden board. Cerro Negro, close to the city of León, is an ideal location for this sport, thanks to its relatively young age and the fine volcanic ash that coats its slopes.
The 34th one is...
● Cayman Islands is a British overseas territory that has an area of 259 km2 and a population of 87,866 people.
● If it were a country, it would be the 190th in terms of size and 186th in terms of population.
● The Cayman Islands have 5 hours of difference with mainland UK.
The Cayman Islands are not islands (kinda)
Although on the surface above water the three islands of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac may appear as separate islets, they are all part of one gigantic underwater mountain - the "Cayman Ridge." This mountain has a height of over 7.500 meters from the ocean ground.
A lot of nationalities
Around 60,000 people of ~130 different nationalities live on the island, including Caymanian, Jamaican, British, American, Canadian, Filipino, South American, Australian & Kiwis, South Africans, and French.
The 35th one is...
● Bahrain is the 174th biggest country in the world and the 151st in terms of population with 1,63 million people.
● It's a very good country to live in terms of HDI (34th) with 0,888 which is considered "very high".
● The Bahrain International Circuit opened in 2004 as the first Formula One track in the Middle East.
Tree of Life
On a hill in the middle of the Arabian Desert sits an ancient acacia that gets around 65,000 visitors every year: the awesome Tree of Life. Planted in 1582, this ancient natural wonder survives against all odds. Bahrain gets very little rain, there are no known water sources near it, and it’s the only tree growing in a barren environment.
A really unique bridge
Due to a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia from 1957 to 2018, the bridge between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was the only bridge in the world where women could drive on one side but not the other.
The 36th one is...
● Saint Kitts and Nevis is the 189th biggest country in the world and the 188th in terms of population with 47,000 people.
● It's a very good country to live in terms of HDI (51st) with 0,838 which is considered "very high".
● The islands were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago
Hamilton birthplace
The Broadway musical Hamilton is based on the life of US founding father Alexander Hamilton, who was born on the island of Nevis in 1755/57.
The first of many
St. Kitts was the first English colony in the Caribbean, earning it the title “The Mother Colony of the West Indies".
The 37th one is...
● Algeria is the 10th biggest country in the world and the 33rd in terms of population with 47,2 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (93rd) with 0,745 which is considered "high".
● In 2019, Algeria became the second African country to be officially recognized as malaria-free, following Mauritius in 1973.
The Algerian national anthem is a war song against the French
The national anthem, “Qassaman” or “Kassaman,” was adopted in 1962. The lyrics promote nationalistic ideals and principles on the front line, and championing armed uprising as the sole route to independence. The song foreshadows a “day of reckoning” for France, Algeria’s former colonial ruler.
Iced coffee was invented in Algeria
Around the year 1840, a drink was invented in Algeria called Mazagran. It is a cold sweetened coffee, using ice to quickly cool the beverage down.
The 38th one is...
● Bosnia and Herzegovina is the 125th biggest country in the world and the 133rd in terms of population with 3,14 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (80th) with 0,779 which is considered "high".
● Sarajevo built an electric tram system before London
A lot of waterfalls
Bosnia and Herzegovina has more waterfalls than Italy, France and Germany combined. According to official data, there are 202 waterfalls in the country.
A really small coastline
Bosnia & Herzegovina has 20km of coastline along the Adriatic Sea. Of the countries that have a coastline, this is the world’s second shortest after Monaco.
The 39th one is...
● United Arab Emirates is the 114th biggest country in the world and the 86th in terms of population with 11,2 million people.
● It's one of the best countries to live in terms of HDI (17th) with 0,937 which is considered "very high".
● The UAE is home to the world’s tallest building. The Burj Khalifa, this building is 828 metres tall.
First Arab country in Mars
On 9th February 2021, the United Arab Emirates became the first Arab country to reach Mars successfully. They launched a probe called Hope. It's also the 5th country to reach Mars.
A peaceful country
Unlike other countries who went through great effort and violence to free themselves from the colonial rule of Great Britain, the UAE gained their independence through peaceful agreements (mainly because of the UAE's leverage over the discovery of oil).
The 40th one is...
● Sierra Leone is the 117th biggest country in the world and the 102nd in terms of population with 8,76 million people.
● It's one of the worst countries to live in terms of HDI (184th) with 0,458 which is considered "low".
● Around 626 types of birds live in Sierra Leone
A tolerant country
Sierra Leone is known to be a tolerant country. It observes both Muslim and Christian celebrations despite Islam being the main religion in the country.
A famous cotton tree (R.I.P)
One of the most famous sights in Freetown was the Cotton Tree, a giant tree that used to sit on a roundabout in the centre of the capital. Sadly, the tree was knocked over by a fierce storm in May 2023. Only part of the trunk remains now
