Ugghh, another Monday right? I know that feeling well, especially today. It’s cold and dreary here in Austin, and I would much rather just crawl right back in bed and let the day pass me by. But where would that get me… or you for that matter? We’ve got to live every day as if it were your last, especially with a world as big and with as much to see as ours. There is so much out there to experience and learn. And if there is one thing the world has taught me thus far, it is that you are never to old to continue to learn something new every day.

Based upon that, I have some arcane travel facts and stats that not only should you find amusing, but also on some level stimulating. And as always, if you know of anything I have missed, feel free to add it below.

Thanks and enjoy your Monday!

• In Nova Scotia, Canada, it is against the law to water your yard while its raining.
• Monaco, in Europe, is one of smallest sovereign nations in world but also has the highest population density of any country on Earth — by a lot. Nearly 17,000/sqkm, almost 4x as much as their closest competition, Gibraltar.
• The entire country of England, with over 50 million residents, is a wee bit smaller than the state of Louisiana.
• Antarctica is the only continent that does not have land areas below sea level.
• The total amount American Airlines saved back in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class: $40,000.
• Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is the longest name any place in the US and one of the longest in world.
• The United States National Anthem is the only anthem in the world that doesn’t have the name of the country in it.
• In ancient China doctors were only paid if the patient stayed healthy; sometimes, their if patients health worsened, the doctor actually had to pay them. (Talk about one practice that should be revived!)
• 71% of Europeans have a passport, 33% of Americans, and 1.5% of Chinese citizens.
• There’s 1,860 steps to the top of the Empire State Building.
• Chances that an American lives within 50 miles of where they grew up: 1 in 2. (Hmmmm, maybe this one is more of an anti-travel fact…)
• Europe is the only continent without a desert.
• The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.
• In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained.
• Less than 1/1000th of 1% of the world’s population has ever made it to Antarctica. Have you? You better leave a comment, I want to hear all about it!
• In Australia, a hurricane is called a willy-willy.
• Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
• There are 17 steps to the apartment of Sherlock Holmes.
• There is a city called Rome on every continent.
• In Australia there are five times as many sheep as people, but in New Zealand there are 10x as many!
• We don’t know if there’s a Heaven on earth, but there is a Hell — it’s a town in Norway.
• Reykjavik, Iceland is warmer than Chicago, Illinois in the winter.
• In Tokyo they sell toupees for dogs, but in San Francisco they have a doggie retirement home for your aging dog.
• The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
• “Chinese” fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung.
• In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals.
• The state of Florida is bigger than England.
• Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it’s known as Tennessee.
• Windmills always turn counter-clockwise… Except for the windmills in Ireland. (No one I’ve found can give a positive answer as to why, although it is a well-documented fact)
• The Eiffel Tower has 1792 steps. And 2.5 million rivets.
• The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters.
• One weekday in 1965 Sweden changed from driving on left-hand side of road to the right. Traffic was stopped at 5pm while people all switched sides. Why 5pm and not say midnight, or with the start of a new day? So when people woke up and were headed for work in the morning they would not forget and accidentally drive on the wrong side of the road and cause an accident.
• 15% of Americans have been on a cruise ship at least once. Have you? What was your favorite? Be social, tell us about it below!
• About 10 million people in the world go on a cruise vacation every year.
• The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
• Large cruise ships generate over 200,000 gallons of sewage and 8 tons of solid waste every week.
• The McDonalds at Toronto’s SkyDome was the first McD’s in the world to sell hot dogs. Now others do, including McD’s in Tokyo. Still other locations sell spaghetti, we’ve even found a couple in the Philippines that deliver! Do you have any juicy McDonald’s nuggets? Share them with us below!
• There are only two places on earth where men outlive women: southern Asia and Iran.
• The Tokyo Zoo closes down for two months every year to give the animals a little break from the people. How nice of them.
• Maldives is a 99% Muslim country. There it is actually illegal for tourists to have more than one bible with them, due to the fear that extras can given to local people.
• In Alberta, Canada, it is illegal to set fire to the wooden leg of a wooden-legged man.
• The United Kingdom’s flag is called the Union Flag, but it is called the Union Jack when it is flown from the jack mast of a ship.
• Asia is the largest continent by landmass. The land area of Asia is actually larger than the land area of the moon. (And within our lifetime Richard Branson will have us visiting there!)
• The three best-known western names in China are Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.
• The three best-known brands around the world around: McDonald’s, Marlboro, & Coca-Cola (but everyone knows what now).
• In Vermont It is illegal to deny the existence of God. You can however “debate” it without breaking any laws.
• Just when you thought it was Newport, the most popular town name in Britain is Newtown, which occurs over 150 times.
• According to state law in Illinois, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is “American.”

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About The Author

Derek Freal is a cultural enthusiast and perpetual wanderer, as well as the founder of the HoliDaze travel community. He loves going locations where he does not speak a word of the local language and must communicate with hand gestures, as well as places where he is forced to squat awkwardly to poo (supposedly its healthier and more efficient). If you tell him he cannot go somewhere, well I guarantee that will be the next spot he visits. For more view Derek's bio or stalk him on the social sites below....

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