Guam is the largest island in the Mariana Archipelago (Micronesia) in the western Pacific Ocean. After the American-Spanish War of 1898 Guam became a possession of the United States of America. The president of this country is therefore the President of the United States. This small state of only 541 km² holds several absolute records: the largest earthquake of the 20th century (1993) - 8.2 on the Richter scale - in which no one died; the lowest atmospheric pressure in the world - 657.9 mm, 102.1 mm less than the normal 760 mm; the only country in the world whose roads and highways are paved with a mixture of crushed coral and oil, because there is no sand on this island.

The Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic, about 500 km off the coast of Argentina and 13,000 km from the UK. Claimed by Argentina since its independence in 1810, they are now British territory and were so named by the first European to land in the archipelago - the English captain John Strong (1690), in honour of the treasurer of the British Navy, Viscount Falkland. It is an archipelago with two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, the latter also hosting the colony's capital, Port Stanley, and a number of around 200 smaller islands, including South Georgia and South Sandwich, which do not belong to the archipelago but are dependent on it. The islands are the gateway to Antarctica, providing control over the natural resources in which the region is extremely rich. With only 3,000 inhabitants, the Falkland Islands are home to about half a million sheep. With 350 sheep per head of population, it goes without saying that wool is the main export product, ensuring the population's well-being.

When we say Egypt, the first thing that comes to mind is the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the oldest of the seven wonders of the world and the only one to have stood the test of time. Another famous Egyptian pyramid is the step pyramid of Djoser, built around 2,600 BC. It is considered to be the oldest pyramid in the world. Egypt's known history begins around 3000 BC. Although the concept of sovereignty was not well defined at the time, Egypt was the first state in the world to officially declare sovereignty, based on the formation of its first dynasty in 3,100 BC. It was subsequently invaded and conquered by a succession of foreign powers (Caananites, Libyans, Nubians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Macedonians and Romans), and following the death of Alexander the Great, his general, Ptolemy I Soter, proclaimed himself the new ruler of Egypt.

Canada is a country that occupies half of the North American continent. Its ten provinces and three territories stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and north to the Arctic Ocean, covering about 10 million km², making it the second largest country in the world. And its border with the United States is the longest land border in the world. But these are not the country's only records. Canada holds 60% of the water in all the world's lakes. About 9% of its territory is covered by its 31,752 freshwater lakes, which total 400 km².

With 3 inhabitants per km², Mongolia is the least populated country in the world. Compare this figure with Mong Kok, a district of Hong Kong, which has the highest population density in the world - 260,000 inhabitants per km². Although it occupies a large area (1,564,116 km²), Mongolia has very little habitable or arable land. It is dominated by steppe, mountains in the north and west and the Gobi Desert in the south. The capital Ulaanbaatar accounts for over 50% of the country's population, and 30% of its inhabitants are nomads.

With an impressive 22,710 tanks in its army, Russia is by far the country with the most such war machines. It is followed by Egypt with 9,487 tanks and China with 9,000. Romania ranks 46th, with just 530 tanks. You may wonder how many tanks the United States has. Well, with 8,725 tanks, it ranks a modest fourth. But let's not jump to conclusions - American tanks are currently the most technologically advanced, while Russian tanks are largely outdated. Or at least that's the official information...

Seems strange, doesn't it? A country as big as Saudi Arabia not having any running water... And yet it's true. All their drinking water comes from seawater desalination plants or natural, underground reservoirs. So they're doing very well in that respect too. And their water towers are real works of art.

The designation of a country's population as "young" or "old" is determined by calculating the segment of that population that is less than 15 years old. Nigeria is currently the clear leader in this respect. Of its 17 million inhabitants, almost half (49%) fall into this category. The country has the highest birth rate in the world: 7.6 children/woman in 2012, up from 7.0 in 2006. According to a United Nations study, if this rate continues, Niger's population will reach 79 million in 2050 and 209 million in 2100. At the other end of the scale is China, whose population is ageing rapidly because of the draconian family planning policy (one-child policy), which was abandoned in 2015. But anyway, by 2030 some 90 million Chinese are expected to retire, making China the oldest country in the world, with more than 400 million people over 60.

In almost every category - culture, economy, climate, religions, races, languages, ethnic groups - India has the greatest diversity. India's population is the second largest in the world (after China) with 1,337,905,918 people... and counting, according to Worldometers, which equates to 17.86% of the world's total population. Unfortunately, however, the average age in India is only 27.

This country is experiencing a population decline of 0.8% per year. After many years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, some 10,000 people have died, at least 2,000 of them civilians. And if this trend continues, Ukraine will lose about 30% of its population by 2050.

The Republic of Malta is an island country, made up of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.  Its total area is 316 km2, and it has a population of about 450,000 inhabitants, making it one of the smallest countries in the world and at the same time one of the most densely populated. Malta's capital is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2 is the smallest capital in the European Union. After a period of economic decline, coupled with a high birth rate, a significant number of Maltese have emigrated to other countries, so there are now more Maltese living abroad than in their own country. At the same time, however, a large number of Europeans (mainly pensioners) from countries with cold climates have bought property in Malta and settled there permanently. Malta benefits from a warm climate, numerous recreational areas and architectural and historical monuments, three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And its seven megalithic temples are among the oldest megalithic structures in the world.

Although the Vatican is officially registered as the smallest country in the world, with no permanent residents, it cannot be considered a country in the true sense of the word, which makes the principality of Monaco rightfully claim this position. At 2 km², Monaco occupies an area smaller than New York's Central Park. At the same time, with a population of around 37,800, it also sets the record for being the most densely populated country in the world. Monaco is a very old state, best known for its status as a holiday destination for celebrities from the worlds of business, film, music and sport. According to a 2014 statistic, around 30% of Monaco's population is made up of millionaires, on a par with Zurich or Geneva.

With a population of 5,887,000 and a population density of 13 inhabitants/km², Papua New Guinea is home to several ethnic minorities: Papuans (majority - 74.8%), Melanesians (15%), Micronesians, Polynesians, Europeans, Chinese. Although English is the country's official language, only 1.5% of the population speaks it. Among the 820 languages spoken in the country are: Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, Yale, Unserdeutsch. In Papua New Guinea, 12% of the world's languages are spoken. But there is also great diversity in terms of religion: Roman Catholics 22%, Lutherans 16%, Neo-Protestants 10%, Anglicans 3.2%, indigenous religions 34%. And yet, they get along just fine...

Although there are a few small countries in the world that do not have an agriculture-based economy (the Vatican, for example), Singapore is the largest urban state of its kind, with no villages. About 23% of the country's land area consists of forest and nature reserves. Urbanisation has cleared much of the main island's southern vegetation, with the only remaining green belt here being Bukit Timah, a nature reserve. Instead, there are a plethora of parks that are maintained with human intervention, as well as the country's famous botanical gardens. As another curiosity, Singapore does not observe daylight saving time and does not change time zones. As the country is very close to the equator, the day length is almost constant throughout the year.

With 50% of its population graduating from high school, Canada sets another record: it is the most educated nation in the world, followed by Israel with 45% and Japan with 44%. Originally made up exclusively of Aboriginal people, Canada was founded as a union of British colonies, some of them converted from former French colonies. As a form of state organisation, Canada has been a British dominion, i.e. a constitutional monarchy, since 1867. In reality, however, the country gained its independence from Britain peacefully, through a gradual process that began with the country's founding and was completed in 1982, when it won the right to amend its own constitution. Canada describes itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation. Both English and French are official languages. Since the 1970s, Canada has been embracing the concept of cultural diversity (multiculturalism), now considered one of the country's main characteristics. By the way, in case you didn't know, there are about 200,000 immigrants of Romanian origin living in Canada today.

With 90% of its territory covered by desert, this north African country is the most arid in the world - in some parts it takes decades for rain to fall. Libya has been a major producer and exporter of oil for about four decades, which has raised the standard of living for its people. Today, Libya is said to have the highest life expectancy in Africa, at 74 years.

Although, according to the Global Peace Index, for several years in a row Iraq has been ranked as the most warlike country in the world, Somalia dethroned it in 2015 to enter this unfortunate top. The civil war with radical Islamists, which began in 1991, is still raging, causing chaos and insecurity to reign in all parts of the country. But Somalia also ranks first in another category, this time much more peaceful: it is the only African country where almost the entire population speaks the same language - Somali. At the other end of the scale is Zimbabwe, which has the most official languages - 16! These are: Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and... hold on, sign language! The status of these languages was legalised in the country's new Constitution, approved by parliament on 9 May 2013.

With an area of 9,653,000 km², Siberia occupies three-quarters of Russia's total land area. Almost all of Siberia (except the south-west) lies within the country, making up about 77% of its national territory. This area is home to about 25% of the world's forests, covering an area larger than the United States, making Russia the world's largest producer of breathable air. Siberia is home to 40 million people (27% of Russia's total population). But with its 3 inhabitants/km², Siberia is the most sparsely populated region on the planet.

Producing a whopping 95% of the world's opium, this industry is the only one thriving in this country, although its natural deposits are far more precious. Afghanistan has the world's largest iron and copper deposits. Its natural gas reserves total around 150 billion cubic metres and its coal deposits are a whopping 400 million tonnes. In 1983, Soviet experts were ecstatic: they had identified one of the world's largest uranium deposits in the Khwaja Rawas mountains north of Kabul. In 2009, the Americans were even more ecstatic: they had just discovered that Afghanistan had similar uranium deposits in Khandahar province. What's more, 80% of the world's lapis lazuli reserves, hidden deep underground in Afghanistan, are still untapped.

When it comes to incarcerating its own population, the United States is the absolute world leader. With 2.2 million people behind bars, this country, which represents 5% of the world's population, has set the absolute record of holding 25% of the world's incarcerated population in its prisons. China, infinitely more modest, comes second, with 1.5% of the world's incarcerated population in prison. In terms of the effectiveness of imprisonment, the United States is also the worst off: around 80% of released prisoners return to the prison system within 5 years, meaning that there is no interest here in rehabilitation and social integration programmes, as in Nordic countries. In Norway, for example, the incarceration rate is 70 per 100,000 people (10 times lower than in the US), with neither the death penalty nor life sentences.
Source: https://frumoasaverde.blogspot.com/