Top 12 Travel Facts From Around the World
Next time you're on the plane, at a restaurant, or simply meeting someone new, why not impress them with your travel knowledge? Here are our top favourite 'did you know' facts from around the world to give you some inspiration...
- Nepal's, Mount Everest may be the highest point on Earth at around 8850m, but did you know it's growing higher? Every year, the mountain is growing 4mm taller due to shifting tectonic plates in the Earth's surface.
- Contrastingly, Mexico is sinking at an average of 10cm per year... 10 times faster than Venice! If you've ever visited Mexico, you'll notice the cracked and uneven pavements alongside the addition of 23 new steps to reach Mexico's Angel of Independence.
- Rome's Trevi Fountain receives 3,000 Euro each day, which is then collected each night and given to various charities.
- The shortest flight is the world is 2 minutes in duration and travels between Scottish islands; Westray to Papa Westray.
- Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that has no rivers.
- A landlocked country is one that has no border access to the ocean: there are a total of 44 in the world. Central and East Africa hold the record for the most land locked countries at 10, closely followed by Europe at 9.
- A doubly landlocked country is surrounded by landlocked countries. There are only two of these in the world: Uzbekistan and Leichtenstein.
- Next time you take a gondola ride in Venice, have a closer look at the boat. It's handmade out of 8 different types of wood (fir, cherry, elm, oak, mahogany, lime, larch and walnut), with a total of 280 pieces. The left side of the boat is 24cm longer than the right, as this helps the boat to resist the urge to turn left on the first oar stroke.
- A total of 61,000 people are flying over the USA at any time on any day. One third of the world's airports are located in the USA.
- France is the most visited country in the world! Whereas less than 1% of the world's population has visited Antarctica.
- Did you know that Uluru, otherwise known as Ayer's Rock, Australia, is actually grey? Its notable fiery red colour is due to a coating of red oxide. It changes colour depending on the time of the day.
- With nearly 40 million visitors each year, Italy has the most hotel rooms than any other in Europe!
We've shared our favourite travel facts; why not share yours in the comments below?
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