World Roulette: Fun Facts #5
Last updated: Friday April 11th, 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, 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 41st is...
● Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North-west Africa that has an area of 272,000 km2 and a population of 565k people.
● If it were a country, it would be the 74th in terms of size and 167th in terms of population.
● This country, is entirely covered by deserts, mainly the Sahara desert. Nevertheless, it has some biodiversity in regions like the Dakhla Lagoon.
Western Sahara hosts one of the largest walls in the world
This wall, known as the Berm, is 1600 miles long, 10 feet tall, and made of sand. The Berm runs all the way from Western Sahara’s southern border with Mauritania, to its northern border with Morocco.
Rich in Phosphates
Western Sahara is home to some of the world's largest phosphate deposits, making it an economically significant region for the global fertilizer industry.
The 42nd one is...
● Comoros is the 171st biggest country in the world and the 160th in terms of population with 877k people.
● It's a decent country to live in terms of HDI (152nd) with 0,586 which is considered "medium".
● Comoros is one of the least visited countries in the world with only 28,000 tourists per year.
Coups are very common
Comoros averages one coup every two years. Since the country achieved independence there have been over 20 coups or attempted coups.
Vanilla producers
After Madagascar, Comoros is the second-largest producer of vanilla in the world. A component that's also present on the national dish.
The 43rd one is...
● Brazil is the 5th biggest country in the world and the 7th in terms of population with 212,5 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (89th) with 0,760 which is considered "high".
● There are more Lebanese people in Brazil than in Lebanon
A unique capital
For thirteen years, Rio de Janeiro functioned as the capital of Portugal, making it the only ever European capital outside Europe.
Brazilian passport
The Brazilian passport is the most desired by people who want fake passports, because basically anyone can pass as Brazilian. Brazil has so much diversity that literally anyone can be seen as Brazilian. When the North Korean dictator Kim went to the US to visit Disney, he had a Brazilian passport
The 44th one is...
● Saint Lucia is the 179th biggest country in the world and the 178th in terms of population with 180,000 people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (108th) with 0,725 which is considered "high".
● St. Lucia was the first country to be named after a woman. It's actually one of just two countries in the world (along with Ireland).
More Nobel Prize Laureate’s per capita
The country boasts two winners of the esteemed Nobel prize including Sir Arthur Lewis who received the award for economics and Derek Walcott who won the prize for literature back in 1992.
Only Drive-in volcano
Saint Lucia is home to the world’s only drive-in volcano, the Sulphur Springs in Soufrière. Visitors can drive right up to the volcano’s crater.
The 45th one is...
● Sri Lanka is the 120th biggest country in the world and the 60th in terms of population with 23,1 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (78th) with 0,780 which is considered "high".
● The Sri Lankan national flag is one of the oldest in the world, the oldest related version can even be traced back to 162 BC.
First country to have a female prime minister
In July 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, won the victory in the general election and became the first woman prime minister in the world.
The oldest human-planted tree
The oldest tree planted by the human being rather than by natural seeding is in Anuradhapura, one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. It is a sacred fig or Bo-tree aged 2,300 years old and called Sri Maha Bodhiya. The tree was planted in 288 BC.
The 46th one is...
● Morocco is the 57th biggest country in the world and the 39th in terms of population with 38,9 million people.
● It's a decent country to live in terms of HDI (120th) with 0,698 which is considered "medium".
● Morocco has the second oldest ruling dynasty in the world
Oldest university (almost)
The Kairaouine Mosque was founded in 859 and is home to the University of al-Kairaouine (al-Qarawiyin), the world’s first university. However, it wasn't named a university until 1965. Despite that, it is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world
First Nation to Recognize American Independence
Morocco made a bold diplomatic move on December 20, 1777, becoming the first country worldwide to recognize United States independence. This recognition came merely 18 months after the U.S. Declaration of Independence
The 47th one is...
● Serbia is the 111th biggest country in the world and the 110th in terms of population with 6,70 million people.
● It's a very good country to live in terms of HDI (65th) with 0,805 which is considered "very high".
● Serbia it’s home to Europe’s largest desert: Deliblatska Peščara
Vampires come from Serbia
"Vampire" is the most famous and the only international word from Serbian accepted and used all over the world. Moreover, the first vampire was not Count Dracula, but Petar Blagojević, whose vampirism was written about extensively in the Austrian press in 1725.
A bunch of Roman emperors
Not less than 17 of the great Roman emperors were born on the territory of today’s Serbia. The widely celebrated Roman emperor Constantine the Great, was born in today’s city of Nis.
The 48th one is...
● Italy is the 72nd biggest country in the world and the 25th in terms of population with 59,2 million people.
● It's one of the best countries to live in terms of HDI (30th) with 0,906 which is considered "very high".
● Florence, an Italian city, was the first to have fully paved streets in Europe.
Oldest university in the world
The University of Bologna holds the title as the oldest university still in operation today. Established in 1088, this esteemed institution has maintained a legacy of academic and scientific excellence for centuries.
A volcanic country
There are three active volcanoes in Europe, Italy is home to all of them. The first is Mount Etna, known for its frequent eruptions. Another is Vesuvius, renowned for its devastating eruption in 79 AD that buried the ancient city of Pompeii. The third volcano is Stromboli, located on an island called Stromboli off Sicily's coast.
The 49th one is...
● Mongolia is the 18th biggest country in the world and the 131st in terms of population with 3,50 million people.
● It's a good country to live in terms of HDI (96th) with 0,741 which is considered "high".
● This country is the most sparsely-populated in the world. It even has more horses than people.
The first president served for one day
The first president of Mongolia was Navaandorjiin Jadambaa, who served as the interim president in 1924 and he was replaced by Peljidiin Genden the very next day.
World’s oldest national park
Bogd Khan Uul National Park in Mongolia, was established by the Mongolian government in 1778, predating the establishment of Yellowstone National Park by around a century.
The 50th one is...
● Guatemala is the 105th biggest country in the world and the 70th in terms of population with 18,6 million people.
● It's a decent country to live in terms of HDI (136th) with 0,629 which is considered "medium".
● The official language in Guatemala is Spanish but either way, Guatemala Spanish has over twenty dialects and another 25 languages are spoken in the country
First chocolate bar
In the Maya civilization that once controlled these lands, they worshipped the cacao tree, and it’s widely believed that the first ever chocolate bar was made right in Guatemala.
You may recognize this guy
The founder of Duolingo and CAPTCHA is from Guatemala
Also great blog as always