Do you know these crazy facts about countries around the world?

There are “approximately” 196 countries in the world as you read these lines. And we don’t mean to question your knowledge about the world and the countries, but we do believe that you will learn something new after reading these interesting and crazy facts about some of the countries.

1 France covers most of the 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.

2 Maldives is most likely to disappear under the waves

With all the talks of global warming and rising sea levels, it is the residents of the Maldives that have the greatest reason to be worried about their future. With an average height of around 1.8 meters above sea level, their nation is the lowest on Earth.

3 Nauru is the country with 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.

4 Falkland Islands, UK, the place where there are 350 sheep per person

With only about 3,000 people, the Falkland Islands are home to approximately half-a million sheep. And yes, they are the biggest wool exporters.

5 Egypt is the oldest sovereign country

This depends on your definition on what a sovereign state means but, if you are going by first acquisition of sovereignty then Egypt would be the first country in the world to achieve sovereignty based upon the formation of the first dynasty in 3100 BC.

6 Canada holds the first place of natural lakes on its territory

With over 3 million lakes, 9% of Canadian territory is actually fresh water and over 60% of all the lakes in the world are found within its borders.

7 Mongolia, the country where you wouldn’t have to worry about meeting your neighbors

At 4 people per square mile Mongolia is the least densely populated country on Earth. Compare this to the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong that has the highest population density in the world with 340,000 people per square mile. But, you at least wouldn’t be bothered by loud neighbors, right?

8 Russia has the largest numbers of tanks

Russia has by far the most tanks of any army in the world (21,000). Unfortunately, for the motherland, most of these outdated machines are tributes to its past, and although outnumbered (16,000).

9 Saudi Arabia is the country with no rivers

For a country as big as Saudi Arabia, there has to be at least some sort of flowing water. But, no, there isn’t! Considering the fact that it is located in the desert, this fact isn’t so weird. Most of their fresh water comes from desalinization plants or underground reservoirs.

10 Niger is the country with the youngest population in the world

Generally the world’s youngest country is determined by calculating the portion of the population that is younger than 15. Currently Niger is the country that holds this distinction, with roughly half of its population having barely reached puberty (49%).

11 India is the most diverse country in the world

This fact goes in almost every category – culturally, economically, climatically, racially, linguistically, ethnically, and religiously; India is indeed the most diverse country of the world.

12 Malta, the country with most of its citizens living abroad

This island country survived some rough economic times coupled with an increased birth rate. That lead Malta to experience significant emigration. It was so significant that there are now more Maltese living abroad than within the country itself. However, with the country’s economy developing significantly, there is now a range of business opportunity in Malta. The country has seen growth and remains an eye-catching destination to travel to or purchase property in. For some help and advice about Malta, you might be interested in looking at these Malta Guides.

13 Singapore is the largest country with no farms

Although there are a number of small nations in the world that show no hint of having an agriculture based economy, (like Vatican City) Singapore is the largest of these urban city-states. Here you won’t find any farm, but considering how rich this country is, they for sure can import whatever they need.