Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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This is a long post, but I did this more for myself.I thought it’d be nice to know and share a little bit about each country that I will be going to. I listed 5 facts for each country.

Guatemala:

  1. Guatemala became independent in 1821

  2. Blue denim comes from this country!

  3. First ever chocolate bar was invented in Guatemala during the Mayan times

  4. The quetzal is currency of Guatemala, named after the national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird’s tail feathers were used as currency.

  5. The name “Guatemala” comes from the Nehuatl word Cuauhtemallan (place of many trees). Guatemala still has the largest protected tree reserves in all of Central America.

Nicaragua

  1. Holds Central America’s largest lake, provides water supply for much of Nicaragua and is the country’s largest tourist attraction.

  2. The Ruins of Leon Viejo is the oldest city in all of Central America, it is over 1500 years old and was founded by the early Spanish settlers.

  3. Almost 3 quarters of the Nicaraguan people live on only $2 per day and nearly half live in poverty.

  4. Has the lowest crime rate of any Central American and is considered to be its safest country in which to travel.

  5. “Nicaragua” was given by the Spanish colonists – “Nicarao” who is the chief of the native Indian tribe and agua which means water.

     

    Panama

  1. Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic.

  2. The Panama Canal generates 1/3 of Panama’s entire economy.

  3. Panama celebrates two independence days, first from Spain in 1821 and second from Colombia 82 years later in 1903.

  4. Panama has more than 976 bird species, which is more than the US and Canada combined.

  5. More than 12,000 people died in the construction of the Panama Railroad.

     

    Malaysia

  1. Malaysia has 40,934 miles of highway, more than Earth’s circumference of 24,901 miles.

  2. The Japanese invaded Malaysia on December 6, 1941, the same day they bombed Pearl Harbor.

  3. The Petronas Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and still regarded as the worlds tallest ‘twin’ buildings.

  4. The currency of Malaysia is called the Ringgit. The word Ringgit means “jagged” in Malay, which refers to the jagged edges of Spanish silver dollars.

  5. There is a total of 28 national parks in Malaysia.

Indonesia

  1. Of its 17,508 islands, only 6,000 are inhabited by people.
  2. Indonesia exports 3,000 tons of frogs’ legs to France each year.
  3. Every day, the country experiences three vibrations and at least on earthquake.
  4. Indonesia is ethnically diverse, with around 300 native ethnic groups and over 740 different languages/dialects
  5. Approximately 250 million people living in Indonesia, it is the world’s fourth most populous nation.

 

Philippines

  1. The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence after WWII in 1946.
  2. The IDEA school for the deaf was established in 1985 by a Dennis Drake who is from Montana!
  3. The world’s largest pearl was discover in 1934, known as “Pearl of Lao Tzu” or “Pearl of Allah” which weights 14 pounds. It has a value of US$40 million. Believed to be 600 years old
  4. The Philippines is the only majority Christian nation in Asia.
  5. Jellyfish Lake is the Philippines contains more than 13million jellyfish.

 

Lesotho

  1. The Mountain Kingdom, nearly 2/3 of the country consists of mountains.
  2. Lesotho is home to the highest ski resort in Africa.
  3. Lesotho gained independence from the UK in 1966.
  4. The average life expectancy is 49 years.
  5. The people of Lesotho are known as Basotho.

 

Swaziland

  1. It is the smallest country in Africa.
  2. The mountains in Swaziland’s Malolotja Native Reserve are among the oldest in the world at 3.6 billion years.
  3. 7 in 10 people in Swaziland live in abject poverty, and the country suffers from widespread malnutrition.
  4. Swaziland widows traditionally shave their heads as a sign of mourning.
  5. Swaziland had the highest prevalence of AIDS in the world.

 

South Africa

  1. Has three capital cities, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
  2. South Africa is home to the highest commercial bungi jump in the world at 710 feet.
  3. Extremely rich in mining and minerals and considered the world’s leader with nearly 90% of all platinum metals on earth and around 41% of all the world’s Gold
  4. South Africa is now the only country in the world to have hosted the Soccer, Cricket and Rugby World Cup.
  5. The first human heart transplant was performed in Cape Town hospital in 1967.

China

  1. China has the largest population in the world with over 1.3 billion people.
  2. The Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon, a complete cycle of the Chinese calendar takes 60 years.
  3. Toilet paper was invented in China in the late 1300s. It was for emperors only.
  4. Ping-pong is one of the most popular games in China.
  5. The great wall of china is 5,500.3 miles.

 

Mongolia

  1. On September 17, 2011, 6,002 wrestlers participated in the Mongolian National Wrestling Match, known as the largest wrestling competition in the world.
  2. Mongolia is one of the highest countries in the world with an elevation of 5,184 feet
  3. Known as the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, Mongolia enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine a year.
  4. Mongolians are the world’s best horsemen, horses outrank humans by 13 horse per human.
  5. The Bactrian camel is Mongolia’s native camel, it has two humps.

 

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