South America: fun and strange facts

This country is home to the world's only marine lizards.

At 93%, this is the world's most afforested country by percentage of land use.

The world's longest hot dog (203m) was made in this landlocked nation.

President Maduro claimed that the late Hugo Chavez communicated with him in the form of a live bird.

The biggest-ever earthquake was in this country, which is home to a cat species called the kodkod.

This country's capital banned salt from restaurants. Its 2010-15 president lived in a small, ramshackle house.

A cruiser from this large nation fired on dolphins in WW1, mistaking them for a German submarine.

This was the first country to get rid of McDonald's. It makes the mind-altering product coca beer instead.

A former French, Dutch, then British colony, this is the world's fastest-growing economy.

The police force of this nation was the first ever to use fingerprinting; the world's highest volcano is also here, on the Chilean border.

It is thought that Portuguese took its word for "turkey" from this Andean country's name.