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User:Dr. Blofeld/DYK A-Z country challenge

< User:Dr. Blofeld
(Redirected from User:Nvvchar/DYK A-Z country challenge)

Collaboration most often with User:Dr. Blofeld, User:Rosiestep and User:Nvvchar to produce at least one DYK article for every country/entity in the world. Major islands are also included in the challenge, especially if they have a cultural identity which is often different to the mainland.

Country/entity Article names Images Did You Know that...
 Abkhazia Bzyb River, Abrskil Cave, Abrskil and Otap
... that Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev once proposed a major dam on the Bzyb River but then dropped the idea in favor of Inguri instead when he learned it would affect the beach of his favorite resort of Pitsunda?
... that a cave near Otap is named for and linked to a legend involving the Abkhazian hero Abrskil?
 Afghanistan Id Gah Mosque, Samangan Province, Aybak, Samangan and Alishang

... that after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Amir Amanullah announced Afghanistan's independence from Id Gah Mosque in Kabul?
... that the earliest history of Alishang in Afghanistan is traced to the Mughal Emperor Babur, when in the 1520s he hunted wildlife in the mountains there before returning to India?
... that some leading botanists believe that Afghanistan is the birthplace of pomegranate cultivation?
... that Samangan (Aybak), the capital of Samangan Province, lies on the Khulm River?

 Åland Islands Ålands Museum, Åland Maritime Museum, Kastelholm Castle
...that in Mariehamn, the Åland Museum contains a boat made of seal skin dated to the Stone Age whilst Åland Maritime Museum contains a ship named the Pommern, dated to 1903?
... that before becoming king, Gustav I of Sweden enchanced the structure of Kastelholm Castle as he used the location as a hunting ground?
 Albania Tirana County, Rinia Park
... that with 800,347 inhabitants as of 2010, Tirana County is the most populated County of Albania?

... that in the 1990s, Rinia Park became a notorious spot for Tirana's drug dealers and illegal buildings?

 Alderney Mignot Memorial Hospital, Alderney Society Museum, Braye Harbour and St. Anne
... that the Mignot Memorial Hospital in Alderney is not covered by the National Health Service?
... that the artifacts on display at the Alderney Society Museum are as diverse as 1940 census papers, cinerary urns, dulcie cups, and curry powder bottles?
... that a 3,000 ft (910 m) breakwater built by the British to protect its Navy in the 19th century shelters the Braye Harbour?
...that the Luftwaffe command bunker (pictured) and tower, and the German naval tactical headquarters were located in Saint Anne, Alderney during World War II?
Aleutian Islands Umnak and Makushin Volcano
... that the Makushin Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes of Alaska?
... that 3 million square feet of perforated steel plates were assembled in 1942 on Umnak Island, Alaska, to build an aircraft landing strip?
 Algeria Great Mosque of Algiers, Ghardaïa, Fort Santacruz, Ketchaoua Mosque, Zarzaitine, Nadia Labidi
.. that the Great Mosque of Algiers (pictured) is the oldest mosque in Algiers and is said to be the second oldest mosque in Algeria?
...that the name of Ghardaïa in northern-central Algeria has its origins in a female saint named Daïa who lived in a cave (ghār) in the M'zab valley?
... that Ketchaoua Mosque (pictured) in Algiers is a "mosque-turned-cathedral-turned-mosque"?
... that in defying Spanish dominance, locals built a chapel at a higher elevation next to Fort Santa Cruz (pictured) in Oran, Algeria?
... that in 1961, Zarzaitine was considered to be the largest oil field of the eastern Sahara, with primary reserves of 80 million tons?
... that Algerian filmmaker Nadia Labidi is also a politician who served as Minister of Culture from May 2014 to May 2015?
... that Algerian filmmaker Nadia Labidi is also a politician who served as Minister of Culture from May 2014 to May 2015?
 American Samoa Tutuila and Severe Tropical Cyclone Val
that 11 out of 19 species of land snails found on the Samoan island of Tutuila are endemic?
... that a lawsuit brought by William Shernoff against an insurance firm that refused to pay claims for damage from Cyclone Val in American Samoa yielded penalty payments of $86.7 million?
 Andorra Coma Pedrosa and Lake Engolasters
... that of Andorra's 65 mountain peaks over 6,560 feet (2,000 m), the peak of Coma Pedrosa (pictured) is the highest at 9,652 feet (2,942 m)?
... that according to a legend of the Pyrenees, witches performed naked dances near Lake Engolasters (pictured) in Andorra?
 Anguilla Prickly Pear Cays and Wallblake House
... that Wallblake House is reported to be the oldest structure on the island of Anguilla, built in 1787?
.. that in the Caribbean, off Anguilla, the Flirt Rocks are north of the Prickly Pear Cays, while a channel separates the cays from Dog Island?
 Angola Uige Province and Kwango River
... that, according to the United Nations, the 2004–2005 Uíge Province, Angola, outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever was the world's worst epidemic of any kind of hemorrhagic fever?
... that diamond prospecting permits have been awarded covering an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) between Temboc and Kasonga Lunda over the Kwango River (pictured) stretch of about 185 km (115 mi) in Angola?
 Antarctica Lake Untersee and Lake Burton
...that NASA scientists have described Lake Untersee in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica as "one of the most unusual lakes on earth with a pH like strong Clorox"?
... that fish have been sighted in Lake Burton, Antarctica?
 Antigua and Barbuda St. John's Cathedral, St. John's, Betty's Hope
... that funds for the Betty's Hope (wind mill pictured) restoration project were raised by organising a concert called "A Penny Concert"?
... that when St. John's Cathedral (pictured) was built in St. John's, Antigua, it was criticized by ecclesiastical architects for being like "a pagan temple with two dumpy pepper pot towers"?
 Argentina Nahuel Huapi National ParkTierra del Fuego National ParkElvira Rawson de DellepianeCongressional Palace of ArgentinaComodoro Rivadavia Cathedral
... that Nahuel Huapi National Park in Argentina is named after Nahuel Huapi Lake (pictured), with Nahuel and Huapi meaning "tiger" and "island" in the Mapuche language?
... that the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego National Park in Argentina is named after the British ship Beagle (pictured), which sailed with the explorer Charles Darwin in 1833–34?
... that Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane is remembered as the "mother of women's rights in Argentina"?
... that the Congressional Palace of Argentina (pictured) once had a barber store at the basement?
... that the publisher Lonely Planet called the Comodoro Rivadavia Cathedral (pictured) the "ugliest cathedral you'll ever see"?
 Armenia Khor Virap, Ararat Province
... that Khor Virap monastery, where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years by King Tiridates III, is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Armenia?
 Aruba Alto Vista Chapel, Caves of Aruba
... that the present Alto Vista Chapel (pictured) in Aruba, completed in 1952, stands at the location where the original chapel was built in 1750 by Domingo Silvestre, a missionary from Venezuela?
... that in the past, Arubans used the Caves of Aruba (pictured) for performing sacrificial services and holding assemblies, and sometimes also to hide in the caves during enemy attacks?
 Australia Organ Pipes National Park, Wombat State Forest Snowy Mountains
... that the Organ Pipes National Park, which has 400 million year old volcanic formations, features hexagonal basalt columns (pictured) known as the "Organ Pipes"?
... that in Australia, the only initiative to introduce community forestry, within the internationally understood context, is in the Wombat State Forest?
 Austria Wachau, Feistritz an der Gail, Gustava Aigner,9 Getreidegasse
... that the Wachau in Austria (abbey pictured) inspired the name of the Wachovia area in North Carolina?
... that in the Kufenstechen festival held in Feistritz an der Gail, unmarried men ride bareback on Noriker horses (pictured) and break a barrel to splinters with an iron club?
... that Gustava Aigner made the first discovery of graptolites in the northern greywacke zone of the Alps, with her former fellow student, Ida Peltzmann, who named two species for her?
... that Leopold Mozart vacated 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg in 1773 but was in constant touch through letters with his landlord during the Mozart family grand tour between 1763 and 1766?
 Azerbaijan Maiden Tower, Yanar Dag and Cotton production in Azerbaijan
that Baku's Maiden Tower was showcased on many Azerbaijani banknotes for 14 years?
... that after the collapse of American cotton exports in the 1860s, Azerbaijan became a large-scale cotton producer, often planting it rather than food crops?
... that Yanar Dag (pictured) is a natural fire that burns "eternally" on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan?
 Azores Gruta das Torres
... that the Gruta das Torres is a three-dimensional braided lava tube system, the longest in the Azores?
 Bahamas British Colonial Hilton Nassau, Old Fort of Nassau
...that the British Colonial Hilton Nassau is located on the site of the Old Fort of Nassau?
 Bahrain Bahrain Fort and Al-Sakhir Palace
... that UNESCO claims that Qal'at al-Bahrain (pictured) was the capital of the ancient Dilmun civilization?
... that two kilometres from Al-Sakhir Palace in Bahrain is an oil-pumping well disguised as a hoopoe bird?
 Bangladesh Bagergat Khulna and Padma River
... that the Sixty Pillar Mosque located in Bagergat in south Bangladesh is one of the oldest mosques in the country described as "historic mosque representing the Golden Era of Muslim Bengal"?
 Barbados Chamberlain Bridge and Bathsheba
... that the decorative, "humpbacked" Chamberlain Bridge in Barbados, named after British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, replaced an older bridge destroyed by the Great Hurricane of 1898?
 Bavaria Palais Leuchtenberg
... that Palais Leuchtenberg (pictured) in Munich, was built from 1817 to 1821 at a cost of 770,000 guilders, which was almost the annual budget of Bavaria at the time?
 Belarus Vetka, Soz River, Sergei Azarov]
... that Vetka, (church in town pictured) on the Sozh River, in Belarus, is located in an area which was highly radioactive due to the nuclear fallout of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26, 1986?
... that Belarusian chess Grandmaster Sergei Azarov is ranked third in his country?
 Belgium High Fens, Groenendael Priory
... that part of the High Fens reserve in Belgium is closed in spring because of the breeding of the endangered black grouse (pictured)?
... that the Bishop of Cambrai was benefactor of the monastic library at Groenendael Priory?
 Belize Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church and Cayo District
... that members of the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church include Creoles, Garifuna, Maya, and Mestizos?
 Benin Wildlife of Benin, Royal Palaces of Abomey
... that riparian forests contain some ⅓ of the estimated 3000 flora species in Benin?
... that according to folklore, descendants of the royal family of Abomey who built the Royal Palaces of Abomey in Benin are the progeny of Princess Aligbonon of Tado and a panther?
 Bermuda Bermudian cuisine, Spittal Pond Nature Reserve, Paget Marsh Nature Reserve, Hungry Bay Nature Reserve
... that a Bermudan culinary specialty is to serve fish chowder (pictured) with black rum and sherry peppers?
... that Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in Bermuda?
... that the Paget Marsh Nature Reserve in Bermuda has been called the "best surviving example of native cedar (pictured), palmetto, and mangrove forests", yet at one point the island lost 99% of its cedar trees?
... that Hungry Bay Nature Reserve is the most northerly mangrove swamp in the Atlantic Ocean?
 Bhutan Jetsun Pema, Lhuntse District ... that Jetsun Pema is going to marry Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, in October 2011?
 Bolivia Laguna Hedionda, Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve National Museum of Archaeology (Bolivia)
... that the sulphur-rich saline Laguna Hedionda (English: Stinky Lake) in Bolivia is notable for various migratory species of flamingoes (pictured)?
... that the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve contains a "stone tree" (pictured)?
... that the National Archaeology Museum of Bolivia has been described as Bolivia's most prominent museum?
 Bonaire Plaza Resort Bonaire, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino
... that Plaza Resort Bonaire (pictured) is the largest diving resort in the southern Caribbean island of Bonaire?
... that Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino in Bonaire is reputedly the "world's first barefoot casino?
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bileća, Sutjeska National Park, Maglić mountain
... that Sutjeska National Park (Perucica forest pictured) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the adjoining Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, demonstrate transboundary protected area co-operation in the former Yugoslavia?
 Botswana Wildlife of Botswana, Nata Bird Sanctuary
... that 84% of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert (pictured), a flat terrain known as a "thirstland" in the wildlife of Botswana that borders with South Africa, Namibia and Angola?
... that the community-initiated Nata Bird Sanctuary in Botswana opened in 1993 and the same year received the "Tourism for Tomorrow" award for the Southern Hemisphere?
 Brazil Brasília National Park, Rio Grande da Serra, Paranapiacaba
... that Brasília National Park (pictured) is the largest park in the world which is situated in an urbanized area?
... that a disused quarry in Rio Grande da Serra is claimed to be the largest in South America?
that the railway station at Paranapiacaba, Brazil, has a clock tower modelled on Big Ben in London?
 British Antarctic Territory Mount Jackson (Antarctica), Weddell Sea
...that Mount Jackson (pictured) with an elevation of 3,184 metres (10,446 ft) is the highest mountain in the Antarctic Peninsula?
 British Indian Ocean Territory Diego García de Moguer, Geography of the British Indian Ocean TerritoryGough Island
... that Diego García de Moguer was a 16th-century pioneer in exploring the Paraná River, as well as the Sierra de la Plata of the Río de la Plata?
... that Gough Island was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995 for its "marine ecosystems in the cool temperate zone"?
 British Virgin Islands Road Town
Mount Sage National Park
... that Mount Sage National Park, the British Virgin Islands's first national reserve, was acquired in 1964 following a grant provided by Laurance Rockefeller?
 Brunei Ulu Temburong National Park, Bandar Seri Begawan
that Brunei's Ulu Temburong National Park can only be reached by longboat?
 Bulgaria Vacha Reservoir, Tsankov Kamak Hydro Power Plant Bulgarian wedding music
... that Vacha Dam is the tallest dam in Bulgaria?
... that Tsankov Kamak dam (pictured) is the first double-curvature arch dam in cupola shape in Bulgaria?
... that Yunakov has popularized Bulgarian wedding music in the United States where his band presents a "number of dances at breakneck speed, warbling their instruments all the way"?
 Burkina Faso Wildlife of Burkina Faso,Shea nut and butter production in Burkina Faso
... that shea trees, most heavily concentrated in Burkina Faso, are referred to as "women's gold" (woman processing shea nuts pictured) by the locals for their properties?
 Burma Great Tenasserim RiverTanintharyi
... that a new fish species of the loach family was caught for the first time in 1993 in the Great Tenasserim River, located near the Burmese town of Tanintharyi?
 Burundi Wildlife of Burundi, Gitega Province, Rumonge Nature Reserve
... that the Bururi long-fingered frog, believed to be extinct, was rediscovered in 2011 amidst the wildlife of Burundi?
... that the drum sanctuary (pictured) at Gishora in the Gitega Province of Burundi houses one of the king's two personal drums which were played during the "Seeds' ceremony"?}
 Cambodia Samrong Sen,Chinit River, Kbal Spean, Artisans d'Angkor, Banteay Kdei, Phnom Bok,Phnom Sorsia
... that Samrong Sen is a prehistoric archaeological site in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia, consisting of a very large fluviatile shell midden?
... that some of the Chinit River diversion and canal structures of the Khmer Rouge era were built by forced labour and damaged by regime soldiers who were "grenade fishing"?
... that under the supervision of archaeologists, the graduates of Cambodia's Artisans d'Angkor have been able to reproduce some portions of Kbal Spean's (pictured) missing bas-relief carvings?
... that the majority trained with Artisans d'Angkor in Siem Reap are uneducated young Cambodians from rural areas?
... that the Phnom Bok hill temple in Cambodia, with rectangular plan is dedicated to the Trimurti (pictured) images built in Bakheng style (893–927 AD) installed in individual sanctums?
... that the White Elephant Cave (pictured) in Phnom Sorsia mountain, Cambodia, is named after the many stalagmites which have the shape of white elephants?
 Cameroon Wildlife of Cameroon, Protected areas of Cameroon, Waza National Park, Musgum mud huts, coffee production in Cameroon

... that the wildlife of Cameroon (gorilla pictured), considered one of the wettest parts of Africa, records Africa's second highest concentration of biodiversity?
... that many protected areas of Cameroon are still in "pristine" condition, mostly because there is less tourism in Cameroon than other regions of Africa?
...that a 1997 Management Master Plan for the preservation and conservation of the biodiversity of the Waza National Park (pictured) is reported to be the first of its kind in Cameroon?
... that the Musgum mud huts (pictured) in Cameroon are adobe structures in the reverse catenary arch form, which can bear maximum weight with least use of building material?
... that coffee production in Cameroon includes robusta in the coastal areas and arabica in the western highlands?

 Canada Chamcook Lake,Shaare Zedek Synagogue
... that in 1886, 200,000 salmon and salmon trout fry (young trout) were deposited in the Chamcook Lake in New Brunswick?
... that the original Shaare Zedek Synagogue was the oldest synagogue in Winnipeg?
 Cape Verde Wildlife of Cape Verde, Mindelo
... that three million trees, including pine, oak, sweet chestnut, and acacia (pictured), are being planted every year as part of reforestation efforts in Cape Verde?
 Cayman Islands Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, George Town, Cayman Islands

... that the Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel in Cayman Islands comprises two buildings set on either side of the boulevard that runs parallel to the Seven Mile Beach and linked by a catwalk?

 Central African Republic Wildlife of the Central African RepublicBanguiBangui Magnetic AnomalyBangui Agreement
... that richness of the wildlife of the Central African Republic (gorilla pictured) is reflected in its about 3,600 species of plants, 663 birds, 209 mammals, 187 reptiles and 29 amphibians?
... that Bangui (picture of a boat race in the river) was once considered to have "the most remote radio station in Africa"?
... that most of the Central African Republic is covered by the Bangui Magnetic Anomaly (pictured as large red anomaly in central Africa), the result of an igneous intrusion or meteorite impact?
... that the Bangui Agreement was signed in 1997 after a crisis the previous year, which included three mutinies within the Central African Armed Forces?B
 Chad elephant hunting in Chad ... that intense elephant hunting in Chad has decimated the elephant population by an estimated 85 percent over the past 30 years?
 Chechnya Wildlife of Chechnya
Assa River (Sunzha River)
... that Salmo ezenami, a critically endangered species of trout, is endemic to Chechnya's Lake Kezenoyam and is threatened by the invasive European chub?
... that more than seventy percent of the Assa River basin is subject to avalanches?
 Chile Casa del Arte (Concepción, Chile), Wildlife of Chile
... that the Casa del Arte (pictured) of Concepción, Chile, has the largest collection of Chilean art and the second largest collection of paintings in the country?
... that the wildlife of Chile (Andean Condor (pictured) is res nullius?
 China Luoyang Museum
Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
Longmen Grottoes
Peach production in China|
Eggplant production in China
Wang Huiwu
Liu-Wang Liming
Lee Tai-Young
largest producer of garlic
Peanut production in China
... that the Luoyang Museum collection includes Tang Dynasty figurines (pictured) and a Western Han Dynasty house-like kitchen mingqi?
...that the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture (highlighted in red) in Xinjiang (in orange) is the largest prefecture-level division of the People's Republic of China, larger than France, and is quite possibly the largest second-level administrative division in the world?
... that the approximately 1,400 caves of China's Longmen Grottoes contain about 100,000 statues, some of which are only 1 inch (25 mm) high, while the largest Buddha statue (pictured) is 57 feet (17 m) in height?
... that China is the largest peach-producing (peach flowers pictured) country in the world, accounting for about 50% of world production, but is not the world's largest exporter of them?
... that dark eggplant skins were historically used by aristocratic women in China to make black dye, which they often used to stain their teeth?
... that Wang Huiwu has a memorial in Wuzhen, extolling her contribution to the cause of women in 20th century China?
=... that Liu-Wang Liming, a Chinese feminist, was imprisoned after being accused of being a spy of the CIA in 1966?
... that Lee Tai-Young was the first woman to study at Seoul National University?
... that as of 2012, China is the largest producer of garlic in the world, producing 59 million metric tons annually, about 66 percent of total world production?
... that finds of the Neolithic period from the archaeological excavations at Zhejiang and Jiangxi have led to a claim in China that the groundnut is an indigenous crop?
 Christmas Island Pieter Goos, Murray Hill, Christmas Island
that Pieter Goos was the first man to map Christmas Island, which he labelled "Mony" in his 1666 map (pictured) of the East Indies?
 Colombia San Andrés (island), El Quimbo Dam, Palacio de San Carlos (Bogotá) José Acevedo y GómezPalacio Liévano
... that San Andrés islanders practice obeah, a voodoo witchcraft of West Indies?
... that the environmental license granted for the El Quimbo Dam in May 2009 was for the first private sector hydroelectric project to be built in Colombia under a new policy?

... that the Palace of San Carlos in Bogotá was the scene of an assassination attempt on President Simon Bolivar (pictured), who was taking a bath and escaped through a window after his friend tipped him off?
... that José Acevedo y Gómez was one of the group of patriots of Colombia who met on 20 July 1810 and made a proclamation of independence at the Viceroyalty of Mueva Granda?
... that upon completion in 1848, the original Palacio Liévano was the largest building in Bogotá?

 Comoros Domoni ...that Domoni's wedding ceremonies include a type of bullfight?..
 Republic of the Congo Agriculture in the Republic of the Congo, Cassava production in the Republic of the Congo
... that cassava (plants pictured) is a principal crop in the Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo?
... that the Niari Valley is a notable agricultural area in the Republic of the Congo?
 Democratic Republic of Congo Cassava production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Coffee production in Democratic Republic of the Congo
... that cassava (plants pictured) is a principal crop in the Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo?
... that Coffea arabica accounts for one-fifth of the total production of coffee in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
 Cook Islands culture of the Cook Islands
... that the culture of the Cook Islands includes the traditional quilting art form of tivaevae (pictured)?
 Corsica Palais Lantivy
... that construction of Palais Lantivy (pictured) was part of the plan to develop and honour the town where Napoleon Bonaparte was born?
 Costa Rica Shark fin trading in Costa Rica, Lake Cachí,Ujarrás
... that British chef Gordon Ramsay, who was threatened at gunpoint whilst filming in Costa Rica, described the illegal shark fin trading in the country as "a multi-billion dollar industry"?
... that the Lake Cachí dam project (pictured), opened in 1966, is one of Costa Rica's earliest hydroelectric projects?
... that one of the oldest churches in Costa Rica, Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Limpia Concepcion (pictured), built in the 1560s in Ujarrás, has been proposed as a World Heritage Site?}}
 Côte d'Ivoire St. Paul's Cathedral, Abidjan ... that as of 2002, St. Paul's Cathedral, Abidjan was the second largest cathedral in Africa, built at an estimated cost of US $12 million?
... that Ivory Coast is one of the largest producers of robusta in the world?
Crete Ha Gorge
... that Ha Gorge in Crete is about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep and the fissure is said to be one of the largest in the world?
... that various dates have been attributed to the 1630 Crete earthquake, which occurred in the Kythira Strait?
Crimea Church of St John the Baptist, Kerch
... that the candy-striped Church of St John the Baptist, Kerch (pictured) is one of the oldest churches in Eastern Europe?
 Croatia A Hill Above the Clouds ... that A Hill Above the Clouds documents Vesna Krmpotić's journey to a faith embracing aspects of Ancient Egyptian and Indian philosophies, during her futile efforts to save her son from leukemia?
 Cuba Lesbia Soravilla ... that Cuban writer Lesbia Soravilla incorporates Mariblanca Sabas Alomá into her feminist novel?
 Curaçao Piscadera Bay, Caribbean Marine Biological Institute
... that the CARMADI Foundation, an ecological research organization on Piscadera Bay (pictured), is the "largest field station in the Southern Caribbean"?
 Cyprus Limassol District
... that Limassol District contains one of the Painted Churches in the Troödos Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
 Czech Republic Memorial to the Children Victims of the War, Lidice, Podyjí National Park ,
 ... that Marie Uchytilová's Memorial to the Children Victims of the War commemorates the gassing of 82 children from Lidice at Chełmno during World War II?
... that Podyjí National Park contains one of the oldest and most renowned vineyard tracks in the Czech Republic?
 Denmark Wedding dress of Princess Alexandra of Denmark,Maribo Open-Air Museum,KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Mols Bjerge National Park, Lille Vildmose,Skagen Odde
... that the wedding dress of Princess Alexandra of Denmark (pictured) was the first to be filmed of any royal family member?
... that Maribo open-air museum is the third-oldest open-air museum in Denmark?
... that the galleries of the KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg are illuminated by skylights and diffused lighting which manipulate Nordic light?
... that "more than half of all wild Danish plant species" exist at Mols Bjerge National Park?
... that in the early 19th century, the reclamation of Lille Vildmose (pictured) was the impetus needed to establish a peat industry?
... that large parts of Skagen Odde are protected, including Grenen?
 Djibouti Lake Assal (Djibouti), Wildlife of Djibouti
... that Lake Assal in Djibouti is the lowest point in Africa?
... that khat (pictured), which induces a state of euphoria and is endemic to Djibouti, is chewed by 90% of the local men?
 Dominica Roseau Cathedral, Fort Young Hotel, Agostino Brunias, Dominica State College
... that the stone pulpit in the Roseau Cathedral (pictured) in Dominica was carved by prisoners who were kept on Devil's Island?
the Fort Young Hotel (pictured) was originally the major military installation of Dominica, and still retains several cannons?
... that the waistcoat of Haiti's Toussaint Louverture had 18 buttons that were decorated with reproductions of Agostino Brunias's paintings (one pictured)?
... that initial student admission in 2010 for the Dominica State College planned for 900 applicants, was less than 400, and resulted in an extension of enrollment and waiver of the admission fee?
 Dominican Republic Andrés L. Mateo, Coffee production in the Dominican Republic ...that Andrés L. Mateo's novel, La balada de Alfonsina Bairán, is set in a brothel during the Rafael Trujillo regime?
... that coffee was first introduced in the Dominican Republic in 1715 and has been the principal crop of small-scale farmers?
 Easter Island Rapa Nui National Park, Ahu Akivi
... that Rapa Nui National Park is home to dozens of moai statues (pictured) attributed to the Rapa Nui people who inhabited Easter Island around AD 300?
... that in 1960, at Ahu Akivi (pictured) on Easter Island, archeologists took a month to raise the first moai, but less than a week to raise the seventh?
 East Timor Tutuala, Paitchau, Lake Ira Lalaro
... that forested uplands in the Tutuala in East Timor inhabited by the ratu clan groups included walled and open settlements of Lata and also caves (veraka) which housed ancestral figures?
... that Paitchau contains "the best remaining 'primary' forest" in East Timor?
... that Lake Ira Lalaro is the largest lake in East Timor?
 Ecuador Pambamarca, Augusto Nicolás Martínez
... that the Pambamarca Fortress Complex is a large installation of many Inca Pucarás?
... that a college in Ambato, Ecuador, is named for Augusto Nicolás Martínez‍—‌an agronomist, geologist, researcher and educator?
... that a college in Ambato, Ecuador, is named for Augusto Nicolás Martínez‍—‌an agronomist, geologist, researcher and educator?
 Egypt Tomb of Akhethetep, El-Tarif, Fatimid architecture, Al-Mansuriya, Mohamed Nagy Museum
... that Christiane Ziegler excavated the Tomb of Akhethetep (pictured) from 1991–1999?
... that Intef I, Intef II and Intef III were all buried in saff (row) tombs in El-Tarif in Egypt?
... that the Fatimid Caliphs built mosques in the Fatimid architecture style, such as al-Azhar Mosque (pictured), in Mahdia, Al-Mansuriya and Cairo?
... that Nagy's painting Egyptian Revival, which had been displayed in the Paris Salon and honored with a gold medal, is now in the Mohamed Nagy Museum?
... that Egypt's Mohamed Nagy was the recipient of the golden prize of the Salon du Paris for his "Egypt Renaissance"?
 El Salvador Cabañas Department, Sensuntepeque ... that over half the inhabitants of Cabañas Department of El Salvador are impoverished?
... that in March 1871, Sensuntepeque was raided by Salvadorian Liberals with Honduran army backing after Honduras declared war on El Salvador?
 England Jamaica Inn, Alvingham Priory and Sempringham Priory, The Mermaid Inn,Gaulden Manor,Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,Golden Lion pub,Ettington Hall






... that Jamaica Inn (sign pictured) of Bodmin Moor is the setting for Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel of the same name?
... that Alvingham Priory, active until most of its inhabitants died from the Black Death, has a churchyard (pictured) containing the only church in England dedicated to St. Adelwold?
that Sempringham Priory (pictured) was built by Saint Gilbert, the only Englishman who ever founded a monastic order?
... that The Mermaid Inn (pictured) in England has a strong connection with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang which used the inn in the 1740s?
... that Charlotte Higgins compared the depiction of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in Paul Emsley's portrait to a character in The Twilight Saga?
... that the old Tudor house of what is now the Golden Lion pub (pictured) was the oldest house in Fulham before demolition in April 1836?
... that director Robert Wise personally selected Ettington Hall for exterior shots in the 1963 horror film, The Haunting?
 Equatorial Guinea Monte Alen National Park ... that Monte Alén National Park prohibits the hunting of the Goliath frog, the biggest frog in the world?
 Eritrea Kulafah Al Rashidan Great Mosque
... that the Great Mosque of Asmara (pictured) was built in 1938 on the initiative of Benito Mussolini to impress the local Muslim population?
 Estonia Alatskivi Castle,Elbert Tuganov (father of Estonian animation)
... that Alatskivi Castle in Alatskivi, Estonia was designed to be a smaller version of Balmoral Castle?
 Ethiopia Mining in Ethiopia
... that although Ethiopia is rich in mineral and quarry resources (microcline pictured), the mining sector has only contributed about 1% towards the country's GDP with an investment of 14 billion birr?
 Falkland Islands Fishing in the Falkland Islands
... that the Falkland Islands do not have a national fishing license?
 Faroe Islands Kollafjørður, Klaksvík
... that the ship hanging in the church of Kollafjørður, Faroe Islands, was donated by the parents of a 25-year-old son who drowned in Iceland?
 Fiji Sacred Heart Church
... that the spire of the Sacred Heart Church in Fiji has a neon light in the form of a cross, which is used by ships for navigation?
 Finland Pielinen, Lågskär, Lågskär Lighthouse
... that the asteroid 1536 Pielinen is named after Pielinen Lake (pictured) in Finland?
... that Finland's Lågskär island lighthouse (pictured) contained the world's first rotating gas lighting device?
 France Les Menuires, Fort Saint-Nicolas (Marseille), Loire River, Grands Projets of François Mitterrand, Milizac, Adèle Dumilâtre, Art in Paris,Apinac, Bal des Quat'z'Arts
... that the Loire (pictured) is the longest river in France?
... that the Grands Projets of François Mitterrand were commissioned in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution?
... that in the Municipal Coat of Arms of Milizac (pictured) a silver lion adorns one half of the coat of arms and is covered with a golden crown?
... that The Times of London described French ballet dancer Adèle Dumilâtre as "so ethereal ... that she almost looked transparent"?
... that the Bibliothèque de la Sorbonne of Paris contains a collection of about three million volumes?
... that publicly accessible art in Paris includes works such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo?
... that ruins of the Maillezais Cathedral (pictured) in Maillezais, France, were declared a heritage monument in reflection of its Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance forms?
... that in the 1800s, the residents of four hamlets in Apinac (pictured) voted to become part of Estivareilles because of a spiritual connection?
... that soldier, monk, kitchen boy, loafer, and bicyclist costumes were prohibited at the Bal des Quat'z'Arts?
French Guyana Carnival in French Guiana ... that Carnival in French Guiana features, among other things, an act of marital cross-dressing and the burning of an effigy of the devil?
 French Polynesia Vanilla production in French Polynesia
... that while Vanilla tahitensis is found primarily in French Polynesia's Society Islands, it is not a leading export product of that territory?
 Gabon Ngounie River ... that the river name Ngounie is a French rewording of "Ngugni", which was used by Vili language speakers in the mid-1800s?
Galapagos Islands Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Darwin's Arch
... that the national park visitor centre of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the Galápagos Islands has a unique display of a rebuilt ship's hold filled with upturned giant tortoises?
... that Darwin's Arch (pictured) sits like a bridge on an irregularly shaped, rocky, submerged plateau, nicknamed "the theatre"?
 The Gambia Wildlife of Gambia, Combretum glutinosum ‎
... that Combretum glutinosum, found in The Gambia and the Sahel belt, is used to make yellow dye?
 Gambier Islands Maputeoa,St. Michael's Cathedral, Rikitea, Rikitea
... that Maputeoa's tomb lies in a chapel behind St. Michael's Cathedral in Rikitea, Gambier Islands?
 Georgia
 Germany Residenz Ansbach,St. Gumbertus,St. Johannis, Mosconi (restaurant),Maurice Yvain,Güstrow Castle
...that Residenz Ansbach and the churches of St. Gumbertus and St. Johannis are venues for the biennial Bachwoche Ansbach?
... that Mosconi became the first Italian restaurant to receive a Michelin star in the Benelux nations?
... that in the 1930s, Maurice Yvain's operettas were translated and performed in Germany, Hungary and Austria as well as on Broadway where Ta Bouche was presented over a hundred times?
... that Güstrow Castle contains a museum related to the male line of Duchess Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg's family?
 Ghana Agyen Kokobo, Kakum National Park, Larabanga Mosque
... that while serving as the Akwamu Chief, Agyen Kokobo ruled the state with his mother as the queen mother?
... that a canopy walkway connects seven tree tops in Ghana's Kakum National Park?
... that Larabanga Mosque (pictured) is one of the eight ancient mosques in Ghana, and is considered the "Mecca of West Africa"?
 Gibraltar Moorish Baths, Gibraltar ... that 14th-century Moorish Baths are located in the basement of the Gibraltar Museum?
Gran Canaria
 Greece Oia,Archaeological Museum of Komotini,Archaeological Museum of Lamia,Kythira Strait
File:Santorini 07 02 090808.jpg
,
 ... that Oia in Greece is pronounced "EE-ah" and not "OY-ah"?
... that the most notable exhibit in the Archaeological Museum of Komotini is the gilded bust of Septimius Severus (193–211 AD)?
... that the Archaeological Museum of Lamia exhibits Bronze Age artifacts from the Kynos excavations, including gold ornaments (pictured)?
... that the Kythira Strait is one of the most dangerous navigational hazards in the Mediterranean?
 Greenland Fishing industry in Greenland
... that approximately 6,500 out of a national population of an estimated 56,452 people (2010) in Greenland are employed in the fishing industry (fishing vessel pictured)?
 Grenada Grenada National Museum
... that the Grenada National Museum is situated in a building which at various times served as a barracks, prison, hotel, and warehouse?
 Guadeloupe Coffee production in Guadeloupe ... that Guadeloupe's coffee heritage (coffee field pictured) is being promoted through ecotourism?
 Guam culture of Guam
... that the culture of Guam includes Mariana fruit bat in its traditional cuisine?
 Guatemala
 Guernsey
 Guinea Mining industry of Guinea ... that the mining industry of Guinea ranks first in the world in bauxite reserves and sixth in the extraction of high-grade bauxite?
 Guinea-Bissau Bissau, Bafatá Region
 Guyana
 Haiti Wildlife of Haiti
... that in the wildlife of Haiti, the endemic national bird of the country, the Hispaniolan Trogon (Priotelus roseigaster) is near threatened according to the IUCN Red List?
 Hawaii
 Herm
 Honduras Cuisine of Tegucigalpa ... that Tegucigalpa's dining (sample dish pictured) includes traditional Honduran cuisine—a fusion of the African, Spanish and indigenous cuisines?
 Hong Kong Tang Shu-wing ... that Tang Shu-wing has been described as "one of the most talented theatre directors of Hong Kong"?
 Hungary Csóványos
... that the dense forest in the area around Csóványos in Northern Hungary has been described as "almost mystical"?
Ibiza
 Iceland Breiðamerkurjökull and Höfn
... that since the 1890s, a warmer climate has caused Breiðamerkurjökull (pictured), an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of Vatnajökull, to rapidly retreat?
... that Höfn, an Icelandic fishing town, has an entire museum devoted to glaciers?
 India
Main page: User:Dr. Blofeld/DYK A-Z country challenge/India
 Indonesia Pawan River
Lamandau River
Minangkabau marriage
...that the Pawan River and the Lamandau River both flow through Kalimantan in Borneo?
... that customarily, in a Minangkabau marriage (pictured), the bridegroom lives with his sister and visits his wife's house only at night?
 Iran Khalid Nabi Cemetery, Amir Chakhmaq Complex,Zeinodin Caravanserai,Yazd Atash Behram
File:Amir Chakhmaq Complex and Mosque of Yazd night,.JPG
 ... that Khalid Nabi Cemetery in Iran is a notable example of phallic architecture and a major tourist attraction?
... that Yazd's Amir Chakhmaq Complex (pictured) contains a bathhouse, caravanserai, confectionary, mosque, and tekyeh?
... that the recent renovation of the Zeinodin Caravanserai (pictured) in Iran took three years and included the use of 13,000 pumice stones to remove the grime on the interior walls?
... that Yazd Atash Behram of Iran is one of the nine Atash Behrams, the other eight being in India?
 Iraq Tiglath-Pileser III ... that in the war against Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 BCE, Samsi was defeated and was said to have fled the battlefield like a "wild she-ass of the desert"?
 Republic of Ireland
 Isle of Man
 Isle of Wight Arreton Manor,Great Budbridge Manor
... that Arreton Manor on the Isle of Wight can be traced to AD 872 to the time of Alfred the Great and was owned by William the Conqueror, as mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086?
... that fish ponds at the Great Budbridge Manor on the Isle of Wight appear to be medieval?
 Israel
 Italy Amalfi Coast Castello Orsini-Odescalchi,Cortina, Boite, Mount Faloria, Forte Tre Sassi, Aniello Desiderio
... that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes married at the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi (pictured)?
... that Cortina, Italy's premier ski resort, has over 50 cable cars and lifts in the Boite valley?
... that Mount Faloria, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, hosted the men's giant slalom event of the 1956 Winter Olympics?
... that the museum at Forte Tre Sassi displays World War I artifacts collected over a period of 45 years, and reportedly has 20,000 visitors annually?
... that in 2012, John McLaughlin selected Aniello Desiderio to perform at the European premiere of his concerto Thieves and Poets
 Jamaica Coffee production in Jamaica ... that Jamaica exports more than 80 per cent of its production of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee to Japan?
 Japan Tsukabaru Dam
... that, when it was built, the 87-metre (285 ft) high Tsukabaru Dam was the tallest gravity type dam in Japan?
 Jersey
 Jordan Husn Camp ... that Husn Camp was established in Jordan in 1968 as an emergency camp to house 12,500 refugees who were displaced from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War?
 Kazakhstan Akmol .. that during the Stalin era, Akmol in Kazakhstan was notorious for its "Labour Camp for Wives of Traitors of the Motherland"?
 Kenya Elephant hunting in Kenya
... that between 1970 and 1977, Kenya lost more than half of its elephants to hunting?
Kerguelen Islands
 Kiribati
 Kosovo Zočište Monastery
... that the Kosovo Liberation Army destroyed Zočište Monastery in 1999?
 Kuwait
 Kyrgyzstan
 Laos Attapeu
Bokeo
Bolikhamxai
Champasak
Houaphan, Khammouane
Luang Namtha
Luang Prabang
Phongsali
Salavan
Savannakhet
Vientiane Province
Prefecture
... that Attapeu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouane, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Sainyabuli, Salavan, Savannakhet, Sekong, Xiangkhoang and the Vientiane Province and Prefecture form the provinces of Laos (mapped)?
Las Palmas
 Latvia
 Lebanon Lake Qaraoun,Qaraoun
... that an artificial lake near the Lebanese village of Qaraoun has become a seasonal home for about 20,000 migratory birds each year?
 Lesotho Mining industry of Lesotho,Mohale Dam ... that diamond mining in Lesotho contributed about 4% to the country's economic growth in 2011, from almost nothing a decade earlier?
... that the Mohale Dam (pictured) won South Africa's 2005 Fulton Award for "Best Construction Engineering Project and Best Construction Technique"?
 Liberia Mining industry of Liberia ... that although 155,000 carats of diamonds were officially mined in Liberia in 2001, far more were smuggled to neighboring countries illegally?
 Libya El-Kouf National Park,Wildlife of Libya, Atiq Mosque (Awjila), Mining industry of Libya
...that about 90% of the plants found in Libya have been recorded growing in El-Kouf National Park?
... that the wildlife of Libya includes the Mediterranean monk seal (pictured), which is listed as Critically Endangered?
... that about 90% of the plants found in Libya have been recorded growing in El-Kouf National Park?
that the Atiq Mosque (pictured) in Libya is lit and ventilated by openings in its conical domes?
... that although Libya may have one of the world's biggest iron ore deposits in the Wadi ash-Shati', it is not mined because of its remote location?
 Liechtenstein
 Lithuania Anykščiai Church,Anortė Mackelaitė, Baltieji Lakajai,
... that the stained glass windows at Anykščiai Church (pictured), the tallest church in Lithuania, were made by Anortė Mackelaitė?
... that the Būtingė oil terminal is the only way to supply oil to the ORLEN Lietuva refinery in Lithuania as the pipeline was cut off in 2006?
 Luxembourg Mosconi (restaurant)
...that Mosconi became the first Italian restaurant to receive a Michelin star in the Benelux nations?
 Macau
 Republic of Macedonia Ristiḱ Palace
... that the government of Skopje passed a law to preserve the Ristiḱ Palace (pictured) as a "Cultural Heritage" when it was threatened with destruction for illegal infringement?
 Madagascar Zahamena National Park, mining industry of Madagascar
... that the indri (pictured) is one of 13 species of lemur found in Zahamena National Park in Madagascar?
... that the mining industry of Madagascar was struggling in 2013 due to "low metals prices and distrustful companies", attributed to a 2009 coup?
 Madeira
Majorca
 Malawi Shire River, Nyau, Mining industry of Malawi
...that before the Gule Wamkulu dance, Nyau dancers (one pictured) observe a series of secret rituals associated with their semi-secret brotherhood?
... that the mining industry of Malawi is projected by its government to double its contribution to the country's GDP to 20 percent by 2023?
 Malaysia Kangar and Ipoh

 Maldives
 Mali Wildlife of Mali ... that the threat due to deforestation in the wildlife of Mali (pictured) resulted in economic damage of an estimated 5.35 per cent of GDP, in 1997?
... that apart from gold and diamonds, the mining in Mali also includes rock salt, semi-precious stones and phosphates?
 Malta Marsaskala,Lascaris Battery
... that Lascaris Battery, an artillery battery in Malta built in 1854, was Britain's secret headquarters for Mediterranean operations during World War II?
 Marquesas Islands Wood carving in the Marquesas Islands ... that the tiki is a common figure in Marquesan wood carving?
 Marshall Islands
 Martinique
 Mauritania
 Mauritius
Mayotte
 Mexico Balsas River, Mezcala Bridge,Avocado production in Mexico
... that the Balsas River valley (pictured) was possibly one of the earliest maize growing sites in Mexico, dating from around 9,200 years ago?
... that the Mezcala Bridge (pictured) in Mexico suffered a fire and damages to one of its stayed cables in March 2007 due to a traffic accident involving a coconut truck?
... that Mexico is the world's largest producer of limes?
... that Mexico is the world's largest producer of avocados (pictured)?
 Federated States of Micronesia Nomoi
Minorca
 Moldova
 Monaco
 Mongolia mining in Mongolia, copper mining in Mongolia, Windfall tax (Mongolia)
... that the 68-percent windfall tax on copper and gold mining in Mongolia was repealed in 2009?
 Montenegro Aman Sveti Stefan,Piva Monastery
... that a luxury hotel and resort on the islet of Sveti Stefan, Montenegro (pictured) has been described as a "'70s Adriatic playground on a hilly peninsula that's barely connected to the mainland"?
... that Piva Monastery (pictured) contains a psalm from the Crnojevic printing press (1493–1496), which was the first printing press in the Balkans?
 Montserrat
 Morocco Hassan II Mosque,Marrakech,Amanjena, Mining industry of Morocco
File:The tallest minaret of the world (210m) - Hassan II Mosque.jpg
 ... that the minaret (pictured) of Hassan II Mosque, the world's tallest at 210 m (689 ft), is fitted at the top with an electronic laser directing rays towards Mecca?
... that in 2009, when Fatima-Zahra Mansouri was elected mayor of Marrakech, she became only the second woman in Morocco's history to be elected mayor of a Moroccan city?
... that Marrakesh's Amanjena was the venue of David Beckham's 40th birthday celebrations, and a film locale for Sex and the City 2?
... that as of 2011, the mining industry of Morocco was the world's third largest producer of phosphate?
 Mozambique
 Nagorno-Karabakh
 Namibia Dorob National Park, Protected areas of Namibia
... that filming of the Mad Max sequel, Fury Road in 2012 caused significant damage to the habitat of Dorob National Park?
... that the Tsaobis Leopard Park is the only nature reserve among the protected areas of Namibia (pictured) to conserve leopards in particular?
 Nauru
   Nepal wildlife of Nepal
... that in the wildlife of Nepal, Rhododendron is the most widely found national flower of the country and its red flower, known locally as लाली गुराँस Lali Gurans, forms the wreath round the national symbol?
 Netherlands P.E. de Josselin de Jong and J.P.B. de Josselin de Jong ...that P.E. de Josselin de Jong was the nephew of J.P.B. de Josselin de Jong (the founding father of Dutch anthropology) and that both specialized in Indonesian ethnography?
 New Caledonia Kanak, Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, flèche faîtière
... that the ancestors of the Kanak people (male Kanak pictured) are thought to have come to New Caledonia from New Guinea?
... that the Cultural Centre (pictured) in New Caledonia was designed and built to echo the hut dwellings of the indigenous Kanak people
... that the flèche faîtière and the Sun are depicted on the flag (pictured) of New Caledonia?
 New Zealand Pureora Forest ParkLake Alexandrina, New Zealand, Te Matua Ngahere
... that a buried subfossil forest, submerged under pumice after the eruption of Taupo (c. AD 186), was discovered in Pureora Forest Park (pictured), New Zealand, in 1983?
... that there are more male snails than females in the shallow waters of Lake Alexandrina, New Zealand, and that snails are sicker in the lake's shallower rather than deeper water?
... that Te Matua Ngahere is believed to be the second largest living kauri tree, and to have the biggest girth of any kauri in New Zealand?
 Nicaragua
 Niger Termit Massif Reserve,Lake DéboAkokanAkokanSOMAIR
... that the Termit Massif Reserve (landscape pictured) in Niger covers an area of 100,000 square kilometres (39,000 sq mi) and is the largest single protected area in Africa?
... that historical maps and descriptions include nine different names for Lake Débo (pictured) in Niger?
... that Akokan is one of Niger's two "uranium towns" located nearby the COMINAK and SOMAIR uranium mines?
 Nigeria Benue RiverCassava production in Nigeria
... that Nigeria is the world leader in cassava production?
 Niue Niuean mythology, Fao (god), Coconut production in Niue ... that in Niuean mythology, Fao is one of the five principal gods (tupua) of the island?
... that the island of Niue gets its name from the coconuts that grow there?
 Norfolk Island
 Northern Cyprus
 Northern Ireland
 Northern Mariana Islands
 North Korea minedTomb of King Tongmyong
... that while North Korea is abundant in natural resources worth trillions of dollars, most of these often cannot be mined due to the acute shortage of electricity in the country?
... that the Tomb of King Tongmyong (pictured) is one of 63 individual tombs believed to belong to the ancient Goguryeo kingdom of Korea that were given UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004?
 Norway
 Oman Nakhal Fort,Jiddat al-Harasis,Ghafiri,Hinawi

... that in November 2003, Prince Charles visited the restored Nakhal Fort (pictured) during an official visit to Oman?
... that five Arabian oryx from the San Diego Zoo were released into Oman's Jiddat al-Harasis desert after the species had become extinct in the wild?
... that although feuds still persist between the centuries-old Omani tribes, Ghafiri and Hinawi, present-day outbursts are generally limited to football rivalry between opposing teams?
 Pakistan Osama bin Laden's hideout compound, Imtiaz Ali Taj
... that Osama bin Laden's hideout compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is known locally as the Waziristan Haveli mansion?
... that Imtiaz Ali Taj was a 20th-century Urdu dramatist who wrote Anarkali, the romance behind the 1960 Indian feature film Mughal-e-Azam?
 Palau Storyboard (Palau)
 Palestine
 Panama Isla San Telmo, Iglesia de San Felipe, Cristo Negro (Portobelo), Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo .. that the wreck found off the coast of Isla San Telmo was established by Jim Delgrado as one of the first submarines ever built?
... that Iglesia de San Felipe contains a statue of Cristo Negro (Black Christ), which was found on the shores of Portobelo harbor, Panama?
... that the fortifications of Portobelo-San Lorenzo, at one time the "most heavily fortified Spanish coastal control point in the Americas", are a World Heritage in Danger site?
 Papua New Guinea Kulap, Kerevat, Airfield, Goaribari Island
... that Kerevat Airfield on Ataliklikun Bay was never fully operational?
... that, in 1901, missionaries to Goaribari Island were killed and cannibalised?
 Paraguay cuisine of Asunción, Coffee production in Paraguay
... that the cuisine of Asunción is increasingly influenced by Paraguay's growing Asian immigrant population?
... that plantations on the mountains in Alto Paraguay Department close to Asunción proved viable for coffee production in Paraguay?
 Peru Morro Solar, Asana, Asana River,Osmore River, Toquepala Caves, coffee produced in Peru
...that Morro Solar in Peru, the site of the Battle of Chorrillos, is also the location of an astronomical observatory?
... that the Asana archaeological site, occupied over the course of 8,000 years, is located by the Asana River, a tributary of the Osmore River (river valley pictured)?
... that the Toquepala Caves of Peru have ancient rock paintings depicting guanacos (cameloids)?
... that 90% of the Arabica coffee produced in Peru is either typica or caturra?
 Philippines Tasaday
 Pitcairn Islands
 Poland Brzeg Castle
... that Brzeg Castle contains Poland's only "perfectly preserved medieval hunting bow"?
 Portugal
Prince Edward Islands
 Puerto Rico coffee production in Puerto Rico
... that coffee production in Puerto Rico (pictured) peaked during Spanish colonial rule but was drastically reduced after the island was annexed by the United States in 1897?
 Qatar Burj Qatar
 Réunion Enclos Fouqué
 Rhodes
 Romania Mehadia, Râpa Roșie
... that Mehadia, Romania, is located on the site of the ancient Roman colony Ad Mediam, noted for its Hercules baths?
... that the first report on finding the Coţofeni culture at Râpa Roșie (pictured) in Alba County, Romania was made in 1865?
 Russia Chesme Church, Rabotnitsa
... that the coffin of Rasputin rested in Chesme Church (pictured) before his burial at Tsarskoye Selo in 1916?
that Rabotnitsa (1923 cover pictured) was the first socialist women's magazine?
 Rwanda
 Ryukyu Islands
 Saba
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Saint-Barthélemy Nature Reserve of Saint Bartholomew, Île Frégate ... that the Nature Reserve of Saint Bartholomew, which includes Île Frégate, is battling an invasion of lionfish?
 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Mustique
 Samoa
 San Marino Religion in San Marino, Basilica di San Marino, Monte Titano
... that a 1993 parliamentary rule passed in the predominantly Catholic country of San Marino changed the loyalty oath from "Holy Gospel" to "on my honor"?

... that, according to legend, Monte Titano in San Marino was given as a gift to Saint Marinus, a Croatian stonemason fleeing anti-Christian persecution, who established a hermitage there?

 São Tomé and Príncipe
 Sardinia Alghero
 Sark
 Saudi Arabia Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions
... that as many as 6,400 human and animal illustrations, including Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions, have been recorded in Saudi Arabia's southwest Najran area?
 Scotland Pennyghael,Carsaig Arches,Carsaig Bay
... that Damian Lewis and Andrea Riseborough are shooting a film near Pennyghael on the Isle of Mull?
... that the Carsaig Arches are a natural formation to the west of Carsaig Bay on the Isle of Mull?
 Senegal Mining industry of Senegal ... that the gold rush at Diabougou has made it the largest site of informal mining in Senegal?
 Serbia Jewish Historical Museum,First Belgrade Singing Society
... that the Jewish Historical Museum in Belgrade is the only Jewish museum in Serbia?
... that First Belgrade Singing Society is the oldest choir in Serbia?}}
 Seychelles
 Shetland Symbister, Symbister House, Loch of Houll,Benie Hoose,Pettigarths Field Cairns Standing Stones of Yoxie Huxter Fort, Whalsay Parish Church
... that Symbister House (pictured) in Symbister, on the island of Whalsay in Shetland Islands, is reputed to be haunted by a sailor who was murdered by the gardener during a game of cards?
... that prehistoric structures on Whalsay include the Neolithic Benie Hoose, Pettigarths Field Cairns and the Standing Stones of Yoxie, and the Iron Age Huxter Fort
... that Whalsay Parish Church is dedicated to the Holy Rood?
 Sicily
 Sierra Leone Rokel River
... that the Rokel River estuary (pictured), which extends over an area of 2,950 square kilometres (1,140 sq mi), became a Ramsar wetland site of importance in 1999?
 Singapore restaurants in Singapore
... that among the restaurants in Singapore, the burgeoning street food scene (pictured) was introduced by immigrants from India, Malaysia, and China?
 Sint Maarten
 Slovakia
 Slovenia Velenje Castle
... that Slovenia's Velenje Castle, along with two castles in Šalek and Ekenštajn, played a key role in defending the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia?
Society Islands
Socotra
 Solomon Islands Solomon Islands dance,Guadalcanal American Memorial
... that Solomon Islands dance on Tikopia is "almost obsessional behavior"?
... that the Guadalcanal American Memorial was established on 7 August 1992 as a tribute to the Americans and their Allies who lost their lives during the Guadalcanal Campaign?
 Somalia DhambalinSada Mire ... that the Dhambalin archaeological site, discovered in 2007 by Somali archaeologist Sada Mire, has the earliest known rock art pictures of sheep in Somalia?
 Somaliland
 South Africa
 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
 South Korea Songgwangsa,Haesindang Park
... that Songgwangsa (pictured), originally founded in 867, is one of the oldest Zen temples in Korea?
... that Haesindang Park, on the eastern coast of South Korea, is also known as "Penis Park", due to its statues representative of phallic architecture (pictured)?
 South Ossetia
 South Sudan ... that a moratorium on licenses for mining in South Sudan was imposed in 2010?
 Spain Jurassic Museum of Asturias, Sierra del Sueve, Puerto Banús,Bartolomé Sureda,La Moncloa,Buen Retiro,Cristales de La Granja, Bachwoche Ansbach,Palacio de Velázquez,Ricardo Velázquez Bosco,1883 Exposición Nacional de Minería,Daniel Zuloaga,Rosario de Acuña Villanueva de la Iglesia, Belén López (actress), Belén López (flamenco dancer),Ourense Cathedral,Teatro Español,Cristóbal Oudrid,Corral de comedias de Almagro,corral de comedias,Church of San Pedro de Atacama Center
 ... that among the replicas exhibited in the Jurassic Museum of Asturias in Colunga, Spain, are the copulating Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs (pictured)?
... that a rare breed of horses found in the high mountains of Sierra del Sueve in Asturias, Spain, does not trot but moves with an easy gait, leading to its popularity as a "ladies' mount"?
... that Bartolomé Sureda was director of three royal factories, La Moncloa, Buen Retiro (picture of an art piece made in the factory) and Cristales de La Granja?
... that in both 1969 and 2009, Helmuth Rilling conducted the Gächinger Kantorei in Bach's Mass in B minor at the festival Bachwoche Ansbach in St. Gumbertus (pictured)?
... that Madrid's Palacio de Velázquez (tiled palace arch pictured) by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco was built for the 1883 Exposición Nacional de Minería, with tiles by Daniel Zuloaga?
... that Rosario de Acuña Villanueva de la Iglesia (pictured) is cited as the "first woman playwright to have a theater closed down"?
... that one Belén López was nominated for the Newcomer Award for her role in The Distance (2006), while another Belén López was the inspiration of film director Franco Zeffirelli?
... that the Gothic lantern tower of Ourense Cathedral was completed in 1505?
... that Madrid's Teatro Español was built on a site which featured an open air theater in medieval times?
... that Cristóbal Oudrid (pictured), founding father of Spanish musical nationalism, was known for his "many contributions to the zarzuela genre"?
... that the Corral de comedias de Almagro was discovered in 1953 during renovation of the Plaza Mayor (both pictured)?
... that the last courtyard theatre built in Spain was the corral de comedias (pictured) in Almagro, in 1628?
... that the roof of the Church of San Pedro de Atacama features cactus and wood bound with llama leather in the altiplano style?
 Sri Lanka Galle Fort,Amangalla, coffee production in Sri Lanka
... that Amangalla was originally named the "New Oriental Hotel" from 1865 and is located within the premises of the Galle Fort UNESCO World Heritage Site?
... that coffee production in Sri Lanka was devastated by a disease called Emily?
 Sudan Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum, National Museum of Sudan, Mining industry of Sudan, Shanakdakhete
,		 ... that while in Sudan, the late Osama bin Laden lived in a pink stucco and brick house in Khartoum and a one-storey mud house overlooking the Blue Nile in Soba, where he spent many weekends with his family ?
...that the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum contains two Egyptian temples which were originally built by Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III but were relocated because of the flooding caused by Lake Nasser?
... that hundreds of thousands of artisanal miners are involved in gold mining in Sudan?
... that when the polity was centered at Meroë, Shanakdakhete (statue pictured) was the earliest known ruling African queen of ancient Nubia?
 Suriname
Svalbard
 Swaziland
 Sweden Ivetofta,Franciscus Pahr,Burchard Precht, Malören
... that Sophia Brahe donated an altar, pulpit, pews and a baptismal font to the church of Ivetofta (pictured), and planned on being buried there?
... that Franciscus Pahr supervised the rebuilding of Uppsala Castle and designed its garden plan?
... that the 1674 carving by Burchard Precht for Storkyrkan's Royal Pew was to a design by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger?
... that the wooden chapel on Malören in northern Sweden became known as the "cathedral of the islands" due to its tall spire?
  Switzerland InterContinental Geneva
... that the five-star InterContinental Geneva, near the UN European headquarters, was the site of a 1985 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev?
 Syria Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque
... that the Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque in Homs contains the mausoleum of Khalid ibn al-Walid, an ornate dome with interiors which depict over 50 victorious battles that he commanded?
 Tahiti Tautira and
... that Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed in Tautira, Tahiti (pictured) for two months, called it “The Garden of the World” in his letters to his friends?
 Taiwan
 Tajikistan Mining in TajikistanZarafshan Range
... that the Tajikistan Aluminum Company (TALCO) runs one of the largest aluminum manufacturing plants in the world?
... that the name of the Zarafshan Range (pictured) is believed to refer to gold deposits found in the river of the same name that flows through it?
 Tanzania Matengo people, Matengo Highlands, Wildlife of Tanzania, Lake Jipe,Holy Ghost Mission (Bagamoyo),Tanzanian mines
... that the Matengo people are believed to have lived in southern Tanzania's Matengo Highlands since the Iron Age?
... that Tanzania hosts more than 1100 bird species including the Grey Crowned Crane (pictured)?
...that the Jipe tilapia is endemic to Lake Jipe, whose main water sources descend from Mount Kilimanjaro?
... that on the night of 24 February 1874, David Livingstone's corpse was placed in the tower of the Holy Ghost Mission in Bagamoyo, Tanzania?
... that airborne silica exposure in Tanzanian mines is more than three hundred times the limit set by NIOSH in the United States?
Tenerife
 Thailand Coffee production in Thailand ... that under the Thai/United Nations Crop Replacement and Community Development Project, coffee has been experimented with as a replacement crop for opium?
 Togo Mining industry of Togo ... that the mining industry of Togo includes the production of over a million tons of clinker annually?
 Tokelau Constitutional history of Tokelau, Music of Tokelau ... that the Act of 1948 incorporated Tokelau into New Zealand?
...that the music of Tokelau is dominated by communal singing in harmony, with percussive accompaniment including log drums called pate (pictured)?
 Tonga Insular Flying Fox ... that flying bats ("peka" in Tongan language) are considered sacred and are the property of the monarchy. They are protected and allowed to thrive on the islands of Tonga.
 Transnistria
 Trinidad and Tobago
 Tunisia Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Theâtre de l'Étoile du Nord, Mining industry of Tunisia, Alanya Archaeological Museum ‎
, 		... that Avenue Habib Bourguiba is the principal thoroughfare of Tunis?
... that Theâtre de l'Étoile du Nord has been described as "the most boho Tunis is likely to get"?
 Turkey Tahir Aydoğdu, Marmaris, Alanya Archaeological Museum ... that Tahir Aydoğdu and his father Gültekin are both players of the qanun, an instrument of Turkish classical music?
... that only the government of Tunisia is allowed to own mines in that country?
... that in the Alanya Archaeological Museum an important exhibit is a 2nd-century bronze statue of Hercules (pictured), which measures 52 centimetres (20 in) in height?
 Turkmenistan Door to Hell
that the Door to Hell (pictured) has been blazing since 1971?
 Turks and Caicos Islands Grand Turk Lighthouse, Turks and Caicos National Museum
... that the original lens of the Grand Turk Lighthouse, dated to 1852, is on display in the Turks and Caicos National Museum (pictured)?
 Tuvalu Fakanau ... that fakanau, considered by Christian missionaries to be evil dancing, eventually disappeared from Tuvalu?
 Uganda Mining industry of Uganda ... that between 1995 and 1997, revenues from the mining industry of Uganda increased by about 48%?
 Ukraine museums in Kiev
... that there are museums in Kiev on the subjects of the Great Patriotic War, Chernobyl, and aviation?
 United Arab Emirates Grand Mosque, Mussafah
... that non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the Grand Mosque of Dubai, except the minaret from where photography is permitted?
... that in 1996, the Abu Dhabi Seaports Authority announced a Dh2.4 billion development plan of Mussafah and a new port?
 United Kingdom Saint Teilo, Wedding dress of Princess Elizabeth,Coronation gown of Elizabeth II,Jerbourg Point,30 corgis,Caldey Island,Wings Place
center|140px
,
 ... that Penally Abbey in Pembrokeshire is believed to have been founded by Saint Teilo in the 6th century?
... that Norman Hartnell designed both the wedding dress and the coronation gown of Elizabeth II?
... that Clemenstone, a hamlet in south Wales near Wick, was the seat of several high sheriffs of Glamorganshire?
... that Queen Elizabeth II has owned over 30 corgis since she ascended the throne in 1952?
... that Saint Illtyd Church on Caldey Island, established in the 6th century, is reputedly the oldest Celtic church in Wales?
... that Anne of Cleves House in Ditchling has been occupied by Henry Poole MP, the Duke of Wellington and Jamie Theakston, but never by Anne of Cleves?
 United States History of hotel fires in the United States,La Salle Hotel,Wedding dress of Grace Kelly,Tukgahgo Mountain,Ray Marcano
center|140px
 ... that the 1946 fire at the Winecoff Hotel (pictured) in Atlanta, Georgia was the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history?
... that Chicago's La Salle Hotel (pictured) became an ex-officio White House during U.S. President Howard Taft's extended stay in its presidential suite?
... that the wedding dress of Grace Kelly, characterized as "one of the most-beloved of all time", was designed by Helen Rose, a leading costume designer of the era for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
... that Jacqueline Kennedy wore her pink Chanel suit (pictured) at the inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, even though it was stained with her husband's blood?
... that Jacqueline Kennedy disliked her own wedding dress?
... that during sampling in 1991, a geologic formation near Tukgahgo Mountain was informally named "Chilly"?
... that in 2000 Ray Marcano became only the second black president of the Society of Professional Journalists in that organization's 91-year history?
... that the National Diversity Council named Shefali Razdan Duggal to the list of the Most Powerful and Influential Women of 2012 in California?
 Uruguay Parque Batlle and Montevideo, Chuy
Aerial view of a capital city and its port from the bay
Port of Montevideo
 that Parque Batlle (fragment pictured) is considered the "lungs" of the city of Montevideo due to the large variety of trees planted here?
... that the Uruguayan city of Chuy is only separated from the Brazilian city of Chuí by an avenue (pictured) ?
... that one outpost of Uruguay's Fuerte San Miguel (pictured) has a wall and small window that appears like a cave or an animal burrow?
 U.S. Virgin Islands Belvedere, United States Virgin Islands and Sugar production in the United States Virgin Islands
that Belvedere, one of the historical centres of Sugar production in the United States Virgin Islands, contains a villa hotel which has been converted from an old sugar mill?
 Uzbekistan Gurlen, Cotton production in Uzbekistan
... that Gurlen is a major centre for cotton production in Uzbekistan?
 Vanuatu Fishing in Vanuatu
... that according to 2009 figures, approximately 77% of households in Vanuatu are involved in fishing activity?
 Vatican City Vatican Historical Museum, Gregorian Tower, Grotta di Lourdes
... that the Vatican Historical Museum contains a collection of popemobiles (pictured), including decorated carriages, saddles, sedans, wagons and the first cars used by the Popes?
that observations made with the sundial at the Gregorian Tower of Vatican City provided essential confirmation of the need to reform the Julian calendar?
... that the Grotta di Lourdes complex of Vatican City is a replica of the Lourdes Grotto in France?
 Venezuela La Asunción, Caracas Cathedral, Emilio Boggio, Palacio Federal Legislativo, Sierra de Perijá National Park
... that priests of Caracas Cathedral (pictured) believed that the 1812 earthquake which devastated the church and city was divine retribution?
... that the Palacio Municipal de Caracas (pictured) was the focal point for the Constitutional Convention and signing of the Declaration of Independence of Venezuela in the nineteenth century, hence known as the "cradle of independence”?
... that Emilio Boggio is credited as the first Impressionist painter of Venezuela?
... that the Salón Elíptico of the Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas has a golden dome?
... that the Sierra de Perijá National Park in Venezuela is home to the Perijá tapaculo, a bird first described in 2015?
 Vietnam Protected areas of Vietnam, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi,Thầy Temple
... that Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, one of the protected areas of Vietnam, has the largest cave in the world?
... that an 11th-century pagoda was demolished in order to construct Hanoi's St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1886?
... that the 11th century Thầy Temple (pictured) is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam?
 Wales Llangadfan,Dyfnant Forest
... that the church of Llangadfan (pictured), near Dyfnant Forest, was visited by Saint Cadfan who founded a church there before moving to Bardsey Island in 516?
Wallis and Futuna Culture of Wallis and Futuna

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu

Mata-Utu
... that although the native language spoken daily by the islanders (pictured) of Wallis and Futuna is the Uvea language, the official language is French?

... that the cathedral of Mata-Utu bears the royal insignia of Wallis and Futuna, a Maltese cross between its towers?

... that although it is the capital city of Wallis and Futuna, Mata-Utu doesn't have any street names?
 Yemen Ghumdan Palace
Great Mosque of Sana'a
Saleh Mosque
...that some have considered the Ghumdan Palace to be the world's first skyscraper and one of the 30 wonders of the ancient world?"
... that the Sana'a manuscript (pictured) was discovered in the attic of the Great Mosque in 1972?
... that the Saleh Mosque (pictured), built in Sana'a in 2008 at a cost of US$60 million, was considered too expensive in relation to the 42% of Yemeni who live in poverty?
 Zambia Livingstone Museum, Bwana Mkubwa
... that the Livingstone Museum, opened in 1934, is the oldest and largest museum in Zambia?
...that the mining settlement of Bwana Mkubwa received thousands of Polish refugees who arrived in Northern Rhodesia during World War II?
 Zanzibar Wildlife of Zanzibar,Menai Bay Conservation Area
... that the wildlife of Zanzibar included its own species of leopard (mounted specimen pictured) that survived from the ice age but may now be extinct?
... that conservation efforts by residents of the Menai Bay Conservation Area in Zanzibar attracted 200 dolphins (one pictured) to the shores?
 Zimbabwe Balancing Rocks Wildlife of Zimbabwe
... that the popularity of the Balancing Rocks formation grew when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe featured it on certain issues of Zimbabwean banknotes (pictured), including the current series?
... that the wildlife of Zimbabwe (flame lily pictured) is collectively called the "Wildlife Estate", which covers about 12.5% of the total land area of Zimbabwe?
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