SomeFacts | Lands and People

Lands and People

What are counties and states?
If you look at the map of a country, you will see that it is divided ...

Do all peoples have a land they can call their own?
No, the ancient homelands of some peoples are divided up between ...

Where can you see all the flags of the world?
Rows and rows of colorful flags fly outside the headquarters of the ...

Which country fits inside a town?
The world's smallest nation is an area within the city of Rome, in ...

How many independent countries are there?
There are 192 independent countries in the world today. The number ...

How many dependencies are there in the world?
Sixty-five of the world's nations are still ruled by other countries. ...

How long does it take to cross Russia?
It depends how you travel! These days, trains on the famous ...

Which is the biggest country in the world?
The gigantic Russian Federation takes up 6,593,000 square miles of ...

Who are the world’s peoples?
Human beings who share the same history or language make up "a ...

Where are the most crowded places in the world?
Tiny countries and large cities may house many millions of people. ...

What is a continent?
The big masses of land that make up the Earth's surface are called ...

Which country has the most people?
More people live in China than anywhere else in the world. They ...

Is there room for everybody?
Just about! But sometime in the future people may have to live in ...

Have humans changed our planet ?
Over the ages, humans have changed the face of the world we live in. ...

Have people always lived where they do now?
During history many peoples have moved huge distances, or migrated. ...

Why are some lands richer than others?
Some lands have good soil, where crops can grow. Some have oil, which ...

How many people live in the world?
Billions! In 1997 there were about 5,840,000,000 human beings living ...

Who rules the birds?
Traditionally the king or queen of England owns all the swans on the ...

Where might you sing along to “Jana-gana-mana” and “The Marseillaise”?
Both of them are national anthems or songs. The first tune is played ...

Where do judges wear big wigs?
In Great Britain judges wear wigs, which were in fashion 250 years ...

What is a republic?
It's a country that has no king or queen. France is a republic. More ...

Who invented democracy?
The people of ancient Athens, in Greece, started the first democratic ...

What is a head of state?
The most important person in a country is the head of state. This may ...

Which is the world’s oldest parliament?
A parliament is a meeting place where new laws are discussed and ...

Where is the biggest general election?
Over 590 million people are allowed to vote in general elections in ...

How do you recognize kings and queens?
For special ceremonies rulers wear glittering crowns and carry ...

Which is the world’s oldest royal family?
The Japanese royal family has produced a long line of 125 reigning ...

How do we talk through space?
Satellites are machines sent into space to circle the Earth. They can ...

Can we talk without words?
People who are unable to hear or speak can sign with their hands. ...

What was that you whistled?
In some parts of Central America, Turkey, and the Canary Islands, ...

What has made the world shrink?
Of course the planet hasn't really grown smaller, it just seems that ...

Do we all read left to right?
The Arabic language is read right-to-left, and traditional Japanese ...

Could we invent one language for all the world?
It's already been done! A language called Esperanto was invented over ...

Does everybody in one country speak the same language?
Not often. For example, families from all over the world have made ...

What’s in a name?
In Scandinavia there's a village called Å. In New Zealand there's a ...

Should I stay or should I go?
Movements of the head and hands can be a kind of language. Be ...

Why do people live underground?
To stay cool! At Coober Pedy in Australia it is so hot that miners ...

Which people live in caravans?
Many of Europe's Gypsies live in caravans, moving from one campsite ...

What are houses like in the Arctic?
Today the Inuit people of Canada mostly live in modern houses and ...

Where do they build mud huts?
Thatched huts with walls of dried mud can still be seen in parts of ...

Why were skyscrapers invented?
So that more people could fit into a small area of city. High-rise ...

Why build houses with reeds?
It makes sense to use the nearest building material to hand. Tall ...

Where do people live in caves?
The first human beings often took shelter in caves. Even today, some ...

Why do chalets have big roofs?
In the mountains of Switzerland, the wooden houses have broad roofs, ...

Which ladies wear tall lace hats?
The Breton people of northwest Europe are proud of their costume, ...

Do people still wear national costume?
Most people in the world today wear T-shirts and jeans, skirts, or ...

What is batik?
This is a way of making pretty patterns on cloth. Wax is put on the ...

Where is the capital of fashion?
Milan, London, New York, and many other cities stage fantastic ...

What is a junk?
It is a big wooden ship, traditionally built in China. Its big sails ...

Where are the longest trucks?
In the outback, the dusty back country of Australia, the roads are ...

What is a caravan and where might you travel in one?
A caravan is a group of traders who cross the desert by camel. Camels ...

Where are boats used as buses?
In the beautiful Italian city of Venice, there are canals instead of ...

Where is the world’s biggest airport?
Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia is bigger than some countries. It ...

Where was a hot-air balloon first flown?
The place was Paris, the capital of France, and the year was 1783. ...

Where can you catch a train into the sky?
In the Andes mountains of South America. One track in Peru climbs to ...

How do you cross the Arctic snow?
You could always ride on a sled pulled by a team of dogs, as in the ...

Which city is named after a goddess?
Athens, the capital of Greece, shares its name with an ancient ...

Why was London Bridge falling down?
Children today still sing a rhyme that says "London Bridge is falling ...

Which is the highest city?
Lhasa stands 12,086 ft (3,684 meters) above sea level. It is the ...

Who lives at the ends of the Earth?
One of the world's most northerly settlements is Ny-Alesund, in the ...

Where is the Big Apple?
This is a popular nickname for New York City. So go ahead and take a ...

Which is the world’s oldest capital?
Damascus, capital of Syria, has been lived in for about 4,500 years.

Where is the world’s tallest building?
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, look like two gigantic ...

Who built the first cities?
The first cities were built in Southwest Asia. Çatal Hüyük in Turkey ...

Which country has three capitals?
The most important city in a country is called the capital. South ...

Why are landmarks useful in a city?
Each city has eye-catching buildings and monuments, which help you ...

Which famous building looks like a sailboat?
Sydney Opera House is in Australia. Its roofs rise from the blue ...

Where is New Year’s Day always wet?
In Myanmar people celebrate the Buddhist New Year by splashing and ...

Who remembers the fifth of November?
People in Great Britain. The date recalls the capture of Guy Fawkes, ...

Who wears green on St. Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick's Day, on March 17, is the national day of Ireland. It is ...

Who gets to sit in the leader’s chair?
In Turkey, April 23 is Children's Day. A child even gets the chance ...

Who rides to the Feria?
Each April the people of Seville, in Spain, ride on horseback to a ...

Where is the bun festival?
On the Chinese island of Cheung Chau, near Hong Kong, there is a big ...

What is a powwow?
It means "get-together" in Algonkian. The Native American peoples of ...

Who makes pictures from sand?
The Navaho people of the southwestern United States make beautiful ...

Where is Stratford?
Well, there are two Stratfords. Four hundred years ago, ...

Who plays the “pans”?
People in the Caribbean, at carnival time. The "pans" are the steel ...

Who dances a hakka?
In New Zealand young Maori people have kept alive many of their ...

What is kabuki?
Kabuki is an exciting type of drama that became popular in Japan in ...

Where do drums talk?
The tama is nicknamed the "talking drum". Its tightness can be varied ...

Where is the world’s biggest art gallery?
At St. Petersburg in Russia. It is made up of two great buildings, ...

Who sings in Beijing?
Beijing opera is quite a performance! Musicians bang cymbals together ...

Where do they dance like the gods?
Kathakali is a kind of dance drama performed in Kerala, southern ...

Who paints pictures of the dreamtime?
Australia's Aborigines look back to the dreamtime, a magical age when ...

What are Parsis?
The Parsi religion began long ago in ancient Persia, now Iran. Many ...

Which priests cover their mouths?
Some priests of the Jain religion, in India, wear masks over their ...

What is Hanukkah?
This Jewish festival of light lasts eight days. Families light a new ...

What is Shinto?
This is the ancient religion of Japan. At its holy shrines people ...

Who was Confucius?
This is the English name given to the Chinese thinker Kong Fuzi, who ...

What is the Tao?
It is said "dow" and it means "the way". It is the name given to the ...

Which country has the most Muslims?
Indonesia is the largest Islamic country in the world, although some ...

Why is Mount Athos important?
This rocky headland in northerm Greece is holy to Christians of the ...

What is Diwali?
This is the time in the autumn when Hindus celebrate their new year ...

Where do young boys become monks?
In Myanmar a four year-old boy learns about the life of Buddha at a ...

Which city is holy to three faiths?
Jerusalem is a holy place for Jews, Muslims and Christians. Sacred ...

What are the five “K’s”?
Sikh men honor five religious traditions. Kesh is uncut hair, worn in ...

Where in the world are there floating markets?
In Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, traders often sell ...

Why sell stamps on Pitcairn?
Only 50 or so people live on remote Pitcairn Island, in the Pacific ...

Who makes the most money?
The mint that's the place where coins and banknotes are made. The ...

Where is the Silk Road?
This is an ancient trading route stretching all the way from China ...

What are currencies?
A currency is a money system, such as the Japanese yen, the US ...

Who catches smugglers?
If you wish to take some goods from one country to another, you might ...

Where were banknotes invented?
Paper money was first used in China, a thousand years ago.

Who makes the world’s hottest curries?
The people of southern India. A mouthwatering recipe might include ...

Where do you buy milk by the kilo?
In the Russian Arctic it is so cold in winter that milk is sold in ...

Who wrote a poem to his haggis?
Robert Bums, Scotland's greatest poet, who lived in the 1700s. The ...

What is jambalaya?
Rice for a start, then shrimp and peppers, all in an amazing hot ...

What is yerba maté?
It is a bitter but refreshing hot drink, made from the leaves of the ...

What is caviar?
One of the most expensive foods in the world. It is made of eggs from ...

How do you eat with chopsticks?
Chopsticks are popular in China and Japan. Hold one stick between the ...

How much seaweed can you eat?
Various seaweeds are eaten in Japan, and in South Wales seaweed makes ...

Who invented noodles?
Which noodles came first-Italian spaghetti or Chinese chow mein? Some ...

What is the sweetest crop of all?
Sugarcane is grown on many islands in the Caribbean region. In ...

Are there enough fish in the sea?
Modern boats catch so many fish that in many places fish have become ...

Where do fishermen use hoops and scoops?
Giant fishing nets like these can be lowered from the shore into ...

What is a cash crop?
It is any crop that is sold for money. Many small farmers around the ...

How can barren deserts be turned green?
Water can be piped into desert areas so that crops will grow there. ...

Where are the world’s biggest ranches?
The world's biggest sheep and cattle stations are in the Australian ...

Which were the first all-American crops?
Six hundred years ago, nobody in Europe had ever seen potatoes, com ...

Where do farmers grow coconuts?
Coconut fruits are big and green-the bit we buy in shops is just the ...

Who are the Gauchos?
The cowboys of the Pampas, which are the grasslands of Argentina. ...

Who wears feathers to a singsing?
A singsing is a big festival, Papua New Guinea style. Men paint their ...

Who are the true cloggies?
A hundred years ago wooden shoes, or clogs, were wom in many parts of ...

Where do soldiers wear skirts?
Guards of honor in the Greek army are called Evzónes. Their uniform ...

Who invented silk?
The Chinese were the first people to make silk, from the cocoons of ...

Where do Panama hats come from?
Actually, Panama hats were first made in Ecuador, where they were ...