Countries and states facts

Countries and states facts: all 164, explained

1. Japan is made up of more than 14,000 islands.

   A 2023 survey by Japan’s mapping authority counted 14,125 islands, more than double the previous official figure. Most people live on the four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.

   Source: Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

2. Japan’s first bullet train started running in 1964.

   The Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka opened just before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was the world’s first high-speed rail line.

   Source: Shinkansen (Wikipedia) · Fact card

3. Japan has more than 100 active volcanoes.

   Japan sits where several tectonic plates meet, on the Pacific "Ring of Fire". It has about a tenth of the world’s active volcanoes, including Mount Fuji.

   Source: List of volcanoes in Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

4. One of the world’s oldest companies was a Japanese temple builder founded in 578.

   Kongō Gumi was founded in the year 578 to build Buddhist temples and was run by the same family for more than 1,400 years. It became part of a larger construction company in 2006 and still operates under that group.

   Source: Kongō Gumi (Wikipedia) · Fact card

5. Italy completely surrounds two other countries.

   Vatican City, the world’s smallest country, sits inside Rome, and San Marino is entirely surrounded by Italian territory in the north.

   Source: Enclave and exclave (Wikipedia) · Fact card

6. The Leaning Tower of Pisa started leaning while it was still being built.

   Construction began in 1173 on soft ground, and the tower began to tilt within a few years. Engineers reduced the lean between 1990 and 2001, and it is now considered stable for at least 200 years.

   Source: Leaning Tower of Pisa (Wikipedia) · Fact card

7. Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than almost any other country.

   Italy and China have competed for years for the most sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Italy’s include the historic centers of Rome, Florence and Venice, and Pompeii.

   Source: List of World Heritage Sites in Italy (Wikipedia) · Fact card

8. Mexico City is sinking.

   Mexico City was built on the bed of Lake Texcoco. Pumping water from underground has made the soft clay compact, and some parts of the city sink by tens of centimetres a year.

   Source: Mexico City (Wikipedia) · Fact card

9. The Aztecs used cacao beans as money.

   Chocolate comes from cacao, first used in Mesoamerica thousands of years ago. The Aztecs valued the beans so highly that they used them as currency and drank cacao as a bitter, spiced drink.

   Source: Cocoa bean (Wikipedia) · Fact card

10. Mexico recognizes 68 national languages.

    Besides Spanish, Mexican law recognizes 63 Indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya and Mixtec, as national languages. Words like chocolate, tomato and avocado come from Nahuatl.

    Source: Languages of Mexico (Wikipedia) · Fact card

11. At Chichén Itzá, a shadow serpent appears on the pyramid at the equinoxes.

    Around the spring and autumn equinoxes, afternoon sunlight on the stepped pyramid El Castillo casts triangular shadows that look like a snake sliding down the staircase toward a carved serpent head at the bottom.

    Source: El Castillo, Chichen Itza (Wikipedia) · Fact card

12. Nepal’s flag isn’t a rectangle.

    Nepal has the only national flag that is not rectangular or square. It is made of two stacked pennants, and its constitution includes detailed instructions for drawing it.

    Source: Flag of Nepal (Wikipedia) · Fact card

13. Iceland has no mosquitoes.

    Iceland is one of the very few places in the world without mosquitoes. Scientists think its repeated freezing and thawing breaks the insects’ life cycle.

    Source: Fauna of Iceland (Wikipedia) · Fact card

14. Finland has about three million saunas for around 5.6 million people.

    Saunas are central to Finnish life, found in homes, apartment blocks, offices and even the parliament building. The word "sauna" itself comes from Finnish.

    Source: Finnish sauna (Wikipedia) · Fact card

15. France is the most visited country in the world.

    France welcomes more international tourists than any other country, around 100 million a year in recent years. Paris and the French Riviera are among the biggest draws.

    Source: Tourism in France (Wikipedia) · Fact card

16. Texas was an independent country for almost ten years.

    After winning independence from Mexico in 1836, the Republic of Texas had its own president, army and currency until it joined the United States in 1845.

    Source: Republic of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

17. Texas is bigger than any country in Europe except Russia.

    Texas covers about 696,000 square kilometres, more than France or Ukraine. It is the second-largest US state after Alaska.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

18. One Texas ranch is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

    King Ranch in South Texas covers about 825,000 acres, larger than Rhode Island. It was founded in 1853 and is one of the largest ranches in the world.

    Source: King Ranch (Wikipedia) · Fact card

19. South Florida is the only place where alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

    American alligators prefer fresh water and American crocodiles prefer salty or brackish water. In the Everglades and Florida Keys their ranges overlap, which happens nowhere else.

    Source: Everglades National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

20. Florida has the longest coastline of any of the lower 48 US states.

    Florida is surrounded by water on three sides, with the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf on the west. Only Alaska has a longer coastline.

    Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

21. Florida’s highest point is lower than any other US state’s.

    Florida’s highest point, Britton Hill, is only about 105 metres above sea level, the lowest high point of any state.

    Source: Britton Hill (Wikipedia) · Fact card

22. Hawaii is the only US state made entirely of islands.

    Hawaii is a chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, more than 3,000 km from the US mainland. It became the 50th state in 1959.

    Source: Hawaii (Wikipedia) · Fact card

23. Measured from its base on the sea floor, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is taller than Mount Everest.

    Mauna Kea rises about 4,200 metres above sea level, but most of it is underwater. Measured from its base on the Pacific floor it is over 10,000 metres tall, compared with Everest’s 8,849 metres above sea level.

    Source: Mauna Kea (Wikipedia) · Fact card

24. Hawaii’s Big Island is still growing.

    Lava from Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has added new land to the island’s coast in recent decades when it flowed into the sea.

    Source: Kīlauea (Wikipedia) · Fact card

25. Alaska has more coastline than all the other US states combined.

    Alaska’s coastline is tens of thousands of kilometres long when bays and islands are included. It is also the largest state by area, more than twice the size of Texas.

    Source: Alaska (Wikipedia) · Fact card

26. The United States bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

    The purchase in 1867 worked out at about two cents an acre. Critics at the time mocked it as "Seward’s Folly", after the secretary of state who arranged it.

    Source: Alaska Purchase (Wikipedia) · Fact card

27. Wyoming let women vote 50 years before the rest of the US.

    Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote in 1869. Nationwide women’s suffrage came with the 19th Amendment in 1920, which is why Wyoming is nicknamed the Equality State.

    Source: Women’s suffrage in Wyoming (Wikipedia) · Fact card

28. The hottest air temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was in Death Valley, California.

    A reading of 56.7 °C (134 °F) was recorded at Furnace Creek in July 1913. Some scientists question it, but it remains the official world record.

    Source: Death Valley (Wikipedia) · Fact card

29. Japan has more than four million vending machines.

    Millions of vending machines sell drinks, snacks and much more across Japan, many of them offering both hot and cold drinks.

    Source: Vending machines in Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

30. Mount Fuji is an active volcano. It last erupted in 1707.

    At 3,776 meters, Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain. Its last eruption, the Hoei eruption, dropped ash on what is now Tokyo.

    Source: Mount Fuji (Wikipedia) · Fact card

31. One of the world’s oldest hotels is in Japan and opened in the year 705.

    Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a hot spring inn in Yamanashi, has been run by the same family for more than 50 generations.

    Source: Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

32. Japan publishes official forecasts for when cherry blossoms will open.

    Each spring, forecasters track the "cherry blossom front" as it moves north from Okinawa to Hokkaido, and people plan hanami picnics around it.

    Source: Hanami (Wikipedia) · Fact card

33. Japanese trains are so punctual that average delays are measured in seconds.

    The average delay on the Tokaido Shinkansen is under a minute, including delays caused by weather and natural disasters.

    Source: Shinkansen (Wikipedia) · Fact card

34. Wild monkeys in Japan bathe in hot springs.

    Japanese macaques at Jigokudani in Nagano soak in hot springs in winter. They live farther north than any other non-human primate.

    Source: Japanese macaque (Wikipedia) · Fact card

35. Greater Tokyo is the most populous metropolitan area in the world.

    The Greater Tokyo Area is home to about 37 million people, more than the population of Canada.

    Source: Greater Tokyo Area (Wikipedia) · Fact card

36. Japan has about 1,500 earthquakes a year, most of them minor.

    Japan sits where several tectonic plates meet. Buildings are designed to sway, and an early warning system sends alerts seconds before strong shaking arrives.

    Source: Earthquakes in Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

37. Six different flags have flown over Texas.

    Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States and the United States have all governed the area, which gave the Six Flags theme park chain its name.

    Source: Six flags over Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

38. The Texas State Capitol is taller than the US Capitol.

    Built in the 1880s from pink granite, the capitol in Austin stands about 92 meters tall, a few meters higher than the US Capitol in Washington.

    Source: Texas State Capitol (Wikipedia) · Fact card

39. Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.

    Up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the bridge in summer, and crowds gather at dusk to watch them fly out.

    Source: Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (Wikipedia) · Fact card

40. Texas runs most of its own electricity grid, separate from the rest of the US.

    The grid run by ERCOT covers most of the state and has only limited connections to the two big national grids.

    Source: Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

41. The State Fair of Texas is greeted by a cowboy statue about 17 meters tall.

    Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the fair in Dallas since 1952. The fair is also where many deep-fried foods made their debut.

    Source: Big Tex (Wikipedia) · Fact card

42. The first word spoken from the Moon was "Houston".

    Neil Armstrong’s first words after landing in 1969 were "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Mission Control was at what is now the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

    Source: Johnson Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

43. Texas has more farms and ranches than any other US state.

    Texas leads the country in the number of farms and in cattle production.

    Source: Agriculture in Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

44. Hawaii is one of the most isolated island groups on Earth.

    The islands lie about 3,800 kilometers from California, the nearest continent, which is why so many plants and animals there are found nowhere else.

    Source: Hawaii (Wikipedia) · Fact card

45. Hawaii’s state fish is the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa.

    The name of this reef triggerfish means roughly "triggerfish with a snout like a pig".

    Source: Rhinecanthus rectangulus (Wikipedia) · Fact card

46. Hawaii does not use daylight saving time.

    Close to the equator, day length changes little through the year, so Hawaii stays on Hawaii Standard Time all year.

    Source: Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (Wikipedia) · Fact card

47. Hawaii has the only royal palace in the United States.

    Iolani Palace in Honolulu was the home of Hawaii’s last monarchs, King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani, before the kingdom was overthrown in 1893.

    Source: ʻIolani Palace (Wikipedia) · Fact card

48. Hawaii became the 50th US state in 1959.

    It was the last state to join the union, a few months after Alaska.

    Source: Hawaii (Wikipedia) · Fact card

49. Hawaii has a green sand beach.

    Papakōlea Beach on the Big Island gets its color from olivine crystals eroded from a nearby volcanic cone.

    Source: Papakōlea Beach (Wikipedia) · Fact card

50. Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth by volume.

    The volcano makes up about half of the Big Island and erupted most recently in 2022.

    Source: Mauna Loa (Wikipedia) · Fact card

51. The summit of Mauna Kea hosts some of the world’s largest telescopes.

    Its height, dry air and dark skies make it one of the best places on Earth for astronomy.

    Source: Mauna Kea Observatories (Wikipedia) · Fact card

52. Modern surfing comes from Hawaii.

    Native Hawaiians rode waves for centuries. Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic swimmer from Honolulu, popularized surfing around the world in the early 1900s.

    Source: Duke Kahanamoku (Wikipedia) · Fact card

53. The name Texas comes from a Caddo word meaning "friends".

    Spanish explorers heard the word táyshaʼ used by the Caddo people and applied it to the region.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

54. Texas is called the Lone Star State.

    The single star on its flag recalls the time it was an independent republic from 1836 to 1845.

    Source: Flag of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

55. "Remember the Alamo" was a battle cry of the Texas Revolution.

    The Alamo in San Antonio fell to Mexican forces in 1836. Weeks later, Texans won independence at the Battle of San Jacinto.

    Source: Battle of the Alamo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

56. Texas has the second-largest population of any US state.

    Only California has more people. Texas passed 30 million residents in the early 2020s.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

57. Three of the ten largest US cities are in Texas.

    Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are all in the top ten by population, and Austin and Fort Worth are not far behind.

    Source: List of United States cities by population (Wikipedia) · Fact card

58. The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.

    Fields of bluebonnets bloom along Texas roads in spring, and planting wildflowers along highways has been state policy for decades.

    Source: Bluebonnet (plant) (Wikipedia) · Fact card

59. Big Bend National Park has some of the darkest night skies in the US.

    The park, on a curve of the Rio Grande, is certified as an International Dark Sky Park.

    Source: Big Bend National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

60. A single oil well in Texas launched the modern oil age in 1901.

    The Spindletop gusher near Beaumont produced more oil than any well before it and turned Texas into an oil giant.

    Source: Spindletop (Wikipedia) · Fact card

61. The nine-banded armadillo is the official small mammal of Texas.

    Armadillos almost always give birth to four identical babies from a single egg.

    Source: Nine-banded armadillo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

62. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas.

    Northern mockingbirds copy the songs of other birds and even mechanical sounds.

    Source: Northern mockingbird (Wikipedia) · Fact card

63. The pecan is the state tree of Texas.

    Texas is one of the largest pecan-producing states, and the pecan is native to the region.

    Source: Pecan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

64. NASA’s astronaut training center is in Houston.

    The Johnson Space Center trains astronauts and runs Mission Control for human spaceflight.

    Source: Johnson Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

65. Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state.

    The county count is far ahead of second-place Georgia, which has 159.

    Source: List of counties in Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

66. Padre Island is the longest barrier island in the world.

    It runs about 180 kilometers along the Texas coast and protects nesting sea turtles.

    Source: Padre Island (Wikipedia) · Fact card

67. The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak.

    It rises to 2,667 meters in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas.

    Source: Guadalupe Peak (Wikipedia) · Fact card

68. Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States.

    Only Alaska is bigger. Texas covers about 7% of the total area of the US.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

69. Japan’s name means "origin of the sun".

    In Japanese the country is Nippon or Nihon, often translated as "land of the rising sun".

    Source: Names of Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

70. Most people in Japan live on four main islands.

    Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku make up most of the land, along with Okinawa and thousands of smaller islands.

    Source: Geography of Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

71. Japan has the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

    Tradition traces the imperial line back over 2,600 years, and Japanese eras are named after each emperor’s reign.

    Source: Imperial House of Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

72. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

    Average life expectancy is around 84 years, and Japan has tens of thousands of people over 100.

    Source: Ageing of Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

73. The Japanese yen is one of the world’s most traded currencies.

    It is often the third most traded currency on foreign exchange markets, after the US dollar and the euro.

    Source: Japanese yen (Wikipedia) · Fact card

74. Japan has thousands of hot spring resorts.

    Volcanic activity heats water across the country, and soaking in an onsen is a traditional way to relax.

    Source: Onsen (Wikipedia) · Fact card

75. The capsule hotel was invented in Japan.

    The first opened in Osaka in 1979, offering small sleeping pods instead of rooms.

    Source: Capsule hotel (Wikipedia) · Fact card

76. The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world.

    At 634 meters, it is the tallest tower (as opposed to building) on Earth, and is used for broadcasting and observation decks.

    Source: Tokyo Skytree (Wikipedia) · Fact card

77. Sumo is Japan’s national sport.

    Professional sumo has six major tournaments a year, and wrestlers live and train in communal stables.

    Source: Sumo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

78. Bowing in Japan has different depths for different situations.

    A slight nod is casual, a deeper bow shows respect, and the deepest bows are for apologies or great thanks.

    Source: Bowing in Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

79. Japan’s manga industry sells hundreds of millions of copies a year.

    Manga is read by all ages, and many anime series begin as manga.

    Source: Manga (Wikipedia) · Fact card

80. Some Tokyo stations have staff who help push passengers onto crowded trains.

    They are called oshiya and work mainly at rush hour on the busiest lines.

    Source: Oshiya (Wikipedia) · Fact card

81. Tipping is not customary in Japan.

    Good service is expected as standard, and leaving money on the table can cause confusion.

    Source: Gratuity (Wikipedia) · Fact card

82. The Shiba Inu is Japan’s oldest and smallest native dog breed.

    Shibas were bred to hunt in the mountains and are now among the most recognizable dogs online.

    Source: Shiba Inu (Wikipedia) · Fact card

83. About two thirds of Japan is covered in forest.

    Mountains cover most of the country, so cities are packed into coastal plains.

    Source: Geography of Japan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

84. Washington, D.C.’s famous cherry trees were a gift from Tokyo.

    Tokyo gave about 3,000 cherry trees to the US capital in 1912, and they still bloom around the Tidal Basin each spring.

    Source: National Cherry Blossom Festival (Wikipedia) · Fact card

85. Hawaii has eight main islands.

    They are Hawaiʻi (the Big Island), Maui, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Niʻihau and Kahoʻolawe.

    Source: Hawaiian Islands (Wikipedia) · Fact card

86. "Aloha" means much more than hello.

    It is used for hello and goodbye and also expresses love, affection and compassion.

    Source: Aloha (Wikipedia) · Fact card

87. Hawaii is the only US state with two official languages.

    English and Hawaiian have both been official since 1978.

    Source: Hawaiian language (Wikipedia) · Fact card

88. Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

    It erupted almost continuously from 1983 to 2018 and has erupted many times since.

    Source: Kīlauea (Wikipedia) · Fact card

89. The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the US into World War II.

    The USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu sits over the sunken battleship.

    Source: Attack on Pearl Harbor (Wikipedia) · Fact card

90. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu.

    He is the only US president born outside the contiguous 48 states.

    Source: Barack Obama (Wikipedia) · Fact card

91. Thousands of humpback whales visit Hawaii every winter.

    They migrate from Alaska to the warm, shallow waters around the islands to breed and give birth.

    Source: Humpback whale (Wikipedia) · Fact card

92. Hawaii’s state bird is a goose, the nēnē.

    The nēnē is found only in Hawaii and was saved from near extinction by captive breeding.

    Source: Nēnē (Wikipedia) · Fact card

93. It snows in Hawaii.

    The summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa often get snow in winter.

    Source: Mauna Kea (Wikipedia) · Fact card

94. Kauaʻi’s Mount Waiʻaleʻale is one of the wettest places on Earth.

    Its summit averages more than 11 meters of rain a year.

    Source: Mount Waiʻaleʻale (Wikipedia) · Fact card

95. Hawaii celebrates Lei Day every May 1.

    Schools and communities hold lei-making contests and festivities, under the slogan "May Day is Lei Day".

    Source: Lei (garland) (Wikipedia) · Fact card

96. The first Hawaiians arrived by canoe, navigating by the stars.

    Polynesian voyagers reached Hawaii around 1,000 years ago, crossing thousands of kilometers of open ocean.

    Source: Polynesian navigation (Wikipedia) · Fact card

97. A traditional Hawaiian canoe sailed around the world without modern instruments.

    The voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa completed a worldwide voyage from 2014 to 2017 using traditional navigation.

    Source: Hōkūleʻa (Wikipedia) · Fact card

98. Hawaii has no native land snakes.

    Bringing snakes into the state is illegal, to protect native birds and wildlife.

    Source: Hawaii (Wikipedia) · Fact card

99. Visitors climb Haleakalā on Maui to watch the sunrise above the clouds.

    The summit is more than 3,000 meters high, and sunrise visits need a reservation.

    Source: Haleakalā (Wikipedia) · Fact card

100. Italy is shaped like a boot.

     The "heel" is Apulia and the "toe" is Calabria, with Sicily at the tip.

     Source: Italy (Wikipedia) · Fact card

101. Italy became a single country only in 1861.

     Before that, the peninsula was split into many states. Rome became the capital in 1871.

     Source: Italian unification (Wikipedia) · Fact card

102. Italy became a republic in 1946.

     Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in a referendum after World War II.

     Source: 1946 Italian institutional referendum (Wikipedia) · Fact card

103. The Vatican City, inside Rome, is the smallest country in the world.

     It covers about 0.44 square kilometers and is home to the Pope.

     Source: Vatican City (Wikipedia) · Fact card

104. San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving republic in the world.

     Tradition dates its founding to the year 301.

     Source: San Marino (Wikipedia) · Fact card

105. Mount Etna in Sicily is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

     It is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus.

     Source: Mount Etna (Wikipedia) · Fact card

106. Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in the year 79.

     Volcanic ash preserved the Roman town so well that visitors can walk its streets today.

     Source: Pompeii (Wikipedia) · Fact card

107. Venice is built on more than 100 small islands.

     Canals separate the islands and hundreds of bridges connect them.

     Source: Venice (Wikipedia) · Fact card

108. There are no cars in central Venice.

     People get around on foot and by boat, including water buses called vaporetti.

     Source: Venice (Wikipedia) · Fact card

109. The Colosseum could hold around 50,000 spectators.

     Completed in the year 80, it hosted gladiator fights and public shows.

     Source: Colosseum (Wikipedia) · Fact card

110. People throw thousands of euros a day into the Trevi Fountain.

     The coins are collected and given to charity.

     Source: Trevi Fountain (Wikipedia) · Fact card

111. The Renaissance began in Italy.

     It started in Florence in the 1300s and 1400s, home to artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

     Source: Renaissance (Wikipedia) · Fact card

112. The Mona Lisa was painted in Italy but hangs in Paris.

     Leonardo da Vinci began it in Florence in the early 1500s and took it to France, where it stayed.

     Source: Mona Lisa (Wikipedia) · Fact card

113. Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati are all Italian.

     The area around Modena and Bologna is sometimes called "Motor Valley".

     Source: Motor Valley (Wikipedia) · Fact card

114. The University of Bologna is the oldest university in continuous operation.

     It was founded in 1088.

     Source: University of Bologna (Wikipedia) · Fact card

115. Standard Italian is based on the dialect of Florence.

     Writers like Dante made Tuscan the model for the national language.

     Source: Italian language (Wikipedia) · Fact card

116. The piano was invented in Italy.

     Bartolomeo Cristofori built the first pianos in Florence around 1700.

     Source: Bartolomeo Cristofori (Wikipedia) · Fact card

117. Rome is nicknamed the Eternal City.

     Legend says it was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus.

     Source: Rome (Wikipedia) · Fact card

118. Italy’s one-euro coin shows Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

     Each euro country chooses its own designs for one side of its coins.

     Source: Italian euro coins (Wikipedia) · Fact card

119. The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     These pale, jagged mountains in northeastern Italy turn pink at sunset.

     Source: Dolomites (Wikipedia) · Fact card

120. Mexico has 31 states plus Mexico City.

     Mexico City became a federal entity on a level with the states in 2016.

     Source: States of Mexico (Wikipedia) · Fact card

121. Mexico has the most Spanish speakers of any country.

     More than 120 million people in Mexico speak Spanish.

     Source: Mexican Spanish (Wikipedia) · Fact card

122. Mexico City sits about 2,240 meters above sea level.

     It is one of the highest major cities in North America.

     Source: Mexico City (Wikipedia) · Fact card

123. Mexico City was built on a lake.

     The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan stood on an island in Lake Texcoco; much of the lake was later drained.

     Source: Tenochtitlan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

124. Day of the Dead is celebrated on 1 and 2 November.

     Families build altars called ofrendas to remember loved ones. UNESCO lists it as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

     Source: Day of the Dead (Wikipedia) · Fact card

125. A volcano appeared in a Mexican farmer’s cornfield in 1943.

     Parícutin grew to more than 300 meters within a year, and scientists watched a volcano being born.

     Source: Parícutin (Wikipedia) · Fact card

126. The asteroid that ended the age of dinosaurs hit Mexico.

     The Chicxulub crater, about 180 kilometers wide, lies buried under the Yucatán Peninsula.

     Source: Chicxulub crater (Wikipedia) · Fact card

127. The Yucatán Peninsula has thousands of cenotes.

     These natural sinkholes are filled with fresh water and were sacred to the Maya.

     Source: Cenote (Wikipedia) · Fact card

128. Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest pyramids in the world.

     The ancient city near Mexico City was once one of the largest in the Americas.

     Source: Teotihuacan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

129. Millions of monarch butterflies spend the winter in Mexico.

     They fly up to about 4,000 kilometers from Canada and the US to fir forests in central Mexico.

     Source: Monarch butterfly (Wikipedia) · Fact card

130. Wild axolotls live only in the Xochimilco area of Mexico City.

     Their numbers have fallen sharply because of pollution and habitat loss.

     Source: Axolotl (Wikipedia) · Fact card

131. Mexico has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the Americas.

     They include ancient cities, colonial towns and natural reserves.

     Source: List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico (Wikipedia) · Fact card

132. Mexico celebrates independence on 16 September, not 5 May.

     Cinco de Mayo marks a battle against the French at Puebla in 1862.

     Source: Cinco de Mayo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

133. A Mexican inventor created an early color television system.

     Guillermo González Camarena patented a color TV system in 1940.

     Source: Guillermo González Camarena (Wikipedia) · Fact card

134. Mariachi music is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

     It began in western Mexico, especially Jalisco.

     Source: Mariachi (Wikipedia) · Fact card

135. Mexico is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries.

     It is home to around 10% of the world’s known species.

     Source: Biodiversity of Mexico (Wikipedia) · Fact card

136. The largest pyramid in the world by volume is in Mexico.

     The Great Pyramid of Cholula is now covered by a hill with a church on top.

     Source: Great Pyramid of Cholula (Wikipedia) · Fact card

137. Frida Kahlo’s Blue House is a museum in Mexico City.

     The artist was born and died in the house in Coyoacán.

     Source: Frida Kahlo Museum (Wikipedia) · Fact card

138. Mexico’s Copper Canyon is larger than the Grand Canyon.

     The system of canyons in Chihuahua is deeper in places and covers a larger area.

     Source: Copper Canyon (Wikipedia) · Fact card

139. Mexico’s flag shows an eagle eating a snake on a cactus.

     It comes from the Aztec legend of where to found their capital.

     Source: Flag of Mexico (Wikipedia) · Fact card

140. Florida is nicknamed the Sunshine State.

     The nickname became official in 1970.

     Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

141. The Everglades is a slow-moving river of grass.

     Water flows south across a wide, shallow wetland toward Florida Bay.

     Source: Everglades (Wikipedia) · Fact card

142. Everglades National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US.

     Source: Everglades National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

143. Manatees gather in Florida’s warm springs in winter.

     Manatees cannot survive long in cold water, so they crowd into springs and near power plants.

     Source: West Indian manatee (Wikipedia) · Fact card

144. Every crewed US launch to the Moon left from Florida.

     The Apollo missions launched from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

     Source: Kennedy Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

145. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the US.

     It was founded by the Spanish in 1565.

     Source: St. Augustine, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

146. Florida’s name comes from Spanish.

     Explorer Juan Ponce de León named it in 1513, around Easter, the "Pascua Florida" or feast of flowers.

     Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

147. A highway of bridges links the Florida Keys.

     The Overseas Highway runs about 180 kilometers to Key West, including the Seven Mile Bridge.

     Source: Overseas Highway (Wikipedia) · Fact card

148. Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous US.

     It is closer to Havana than to Miami.

     Source: Key West (Wikipedia) · Fact card

149. Florida has more lightning than almost anywhere else in the US.

     Central Florida is sometimes called the lightning capital of the country.

     Source: Climate of Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

150. Florida is hit by more hurricanes than any other US state.

     Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November.

     Source: List of Florida hurricanes (Wikipedia) · Fact card

151. Florida has hundreds of freshwater springs.

     Some stay around 22 °C all year and are popular for swimming and tubing.

     Source: Springs of Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

152. Walt Disney World is about the size of San Francisco.

     The resort near Orlando covers roughly 100 square kilometers.

     Source: Walt Disney World (Wikipedia) · Fact card

153. The Florida panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the US.

     Only around 120 to 230 adults are thought to live in the wild.

     Source: Florida panther (Wikipedia) · Fact card

154. Florida’s capital is Tallahassee, not Miami or Orlando.

     It was chosen in 1824 as a point between the old capitals of Pensacola and St. Augustine.

     Source: Tallahassee, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

155. Florida has the third-largest population of any US state.

     Only California and Texas have more people.

     Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

156. Florida has the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US.

     The Florida Reef runs along the Florida Keys.

     Source: Florida Reef (Wikipedia) · Fact card

157. Florida has more sinkholes than any other US state.

     Much of the state sits on limestone that slowly dissolves.

     Source: Sinkhole (Wikipedia) · Fact card

158. The mockingbird is Florida’s state bird.

     It shares the honor with Texas and several other states.

     Source: Northern mockingbird (Wikipedia) · Fact card

159. Miami Beach has one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world.

     Hundreds of pastel buildings from the 1920s to 1940s stand in its historic district.

     Source: Miami Beach Architectural District (Wikipedia) · Fact card

160. A huge fort stands on a remote island off Florida.

     Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the largest brick masonry structures in the Americas.

     Source: Fort Jefferson, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

161. The sabal palm is Florida’s state tree.

     It also appears on the state seal and flag.

     Source: Sabal palmetto (Wikipedia) · Fact card

162. Part of Florida is in a different time zone.

     Most of the western Panhandle is on Central Time, while the rest of the state is on Eastern Time.

     Source: Florida Panhandle (Wikipedia) · Fact card

163. Florida has no state income tax.

     It is one of a handful of US states without one.

     Source: Taxation in Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

164. Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas.

     The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest in the world.

     Source: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Wikipedia) · Fact card