Nations of the World

Colombia is often synonymous with the mythical city, El Dorado. It could also easily be called the Land of Coffee, in fact it includes a vast area of mountainous ranges called exactly that. This landscape has been declared the “Coffee Cultural Landscape” by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. It is third in terms of highest coffee production in the world. There is so much more tha...

China is full of iconic features: The Great Wall, Pandas, Mahjong, Karaoke, Peking Man, Hong Kong, Shar-peis, Dragons, and Dynasties. It’s also the birthplace of paper, the compass, fireworks, gunpowder, printing, the seismoscope, the kite, tea, and much more. Learn how this country functions with the largest population in the world. ·      00:26 –  Intro  ·...

China is full of iconic features: The Great Wall, Pandas, Mahjong, Karaoke, Peking Man, Hong Kong, Shar-peis, Dragons, and Dynasties. It’s also the birthplace of paper, the compass, fireworks, gunpowder, printing, the seismoscope, the kite, tea, and much more. Learn how this country functions with the largest population in the world. ·      00:00 –  Intro  ·...

If you like Geoglyphs, or figures drawn in the landscape, the largest prehistoric human-like geoglyph, known as the Atacama Giant, is found in Chile. This country also has the oldest known site of human habitation in the Americas dating to as early as 16,500 BC. It is known as the country with the highest recorded number of UFO sightings and the government has launched a committee to study these s...

Chad is home to 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites. One is the Lakes of Ounianga, consisting of 18 lakes featuring different colors of water due to the chemical composition. These are found in the Sahara Desert and are supplied by so-called underground fossil water. The second is the Ennedi Massif with some of the most beautiful and unusual rock formations in the world. These are large stone arches and...

Central African Republic is a nation in turmoil with armed militia and government-backed troops inflicting crimes on each other and on the citizens. It is the world’s second poorest country although it is rich in natural resources including diamonds, gold, oil, arable land, and timber. It’s also the world’s hungriest country. Life expectancy is the lowest in the world at 52.8 years. It is the focu...

Cape Verde is an island nation which was created by rising magma from the ocean. There is still an active volcano on one of the islands, and several other places where the ground is very warm or even hot. There are nearby underground volcanoes that have not yet reached the water’s surface and will likely add to these islands in the future. True to its volcanic nature, the smell of sulfur can be de...

Being the 2nd largest country in the world, there are many things Canada has the most of or the largest of - such as having the most lakes in the world, having the highest tides and the place with the strongest current, having the most northern settlement, the largest wheat field, and the longest street. But it’s more famous for ice hockey, moose, maple syrup, and bears, especially grizzly and pol...

Being the 2nd largest country in the world, there are many things Canada has the most of or the largest of - such as having the most lakes in the world, having the highest tides and the place with the strongest current, having the most northern settlement, the largest wheat field, and the longest street. But it’s more famous for ice hockey, moose, maple syrup, and bears, especially grizzly and pol...

Cameroon has had a history of attacks by the Islamist terrorist group known as Boko Haram, who was responsible for the death of at least 1,000 in 2015. The country has one of the most diverse ecosystems in Africa. It has been confirmed by scientists that HIV originated here in wild chimpanzees. Some of its people practice spider divination, where the spider is deemed capable of answering questions...

Cambodia has the largest religious structure ever built within its borders and was built to the Hindu god Vishnu. It’s home to many interesting and unique animal species including the first (and currently the only) species of terrestrial mollusk known to be bioluminescent. It’s also where the Aspara dance originated – a dance which is such a symbolic feature of the culture that it was inscribed on...

Burundi has the world’s longest lake as its western border. And along that lake many have seen Gustave, a crocodile who is credited with eating hundreds of people over the course of his life which is estimated at being 60-100 years. The country has seen 2 mass genocides in its history. The people here enjoy banana beer, which is an important part of social gatherings. It’s generally placed in a la...

It is one of Africa’s largest producers of cotton, known as ‘white gold,’ by the local farmers. It has the largest elephant population in West Africa. The people are often called “the cowboys of West Africa” because of their love for horse riding. The white stallion is the country’s national symbol and indigenous people consider the horse to be a best friend, a wife, a colleague, and a car. ...

Bulgaria, full of ancient history, is home to the oldest European city, founded in 6000 BCE. Its culture includes folk songs often accompanied by bagpipes. This is such a significant cultural heritage that one such song was included in the infamous Voyager Golden Record, which journeyed into space onboard the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Its population (6.8 million today) is on a decline since its...

Brunei has luxurious rainforests teeming with colorful flora and fauna. It also has a history of great oil production and natural gas reserves. The kingdom is tax-free, a subsidized society, and its people enjoy one of the highest per capita incomes on earth. The same family has ruled over the country for 6 centuries. The ruler, or sultan, has astounding wealth, living in a 172-room palace. He has...

Brazil is the largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) nation in the world and the only one in the Americas. Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside of Japan. Brazil has more animal and plant species than any other country in the world and is at the top among the 18 megadiverse countries. It hosts between 15 and 20 percent of the world’s biological diversity. It contains about two-th...

Brazil is the largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) nation in the world and the only one in the Americas. Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside of Japan. Brazil has more animal and plant species than any other country in the world and is at the top among the 18 megadiverse countries. It hosts between 15 and 20 percent of the world’s biological diversity. It contains about two-th...

Botswana was, in 2016, named by Lonely Planet, as the top destination for tourists. It is likely because about 40% of its land is reserved under government protection, as natural areas in the form of sanctuaries, reserves, wildlife management areas, and national parks. One special area is the Kalahari Desert, with a delta that supports many species of large mammals including rhinoceros, cheet...

In 1984, Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the Olympics, in the city of Sarajevo, making it the first ever Winter Olympic Games held in a socialist state and a Slavic language-speaking country. It was also the first Olympics to take place in the Balkans. The Sarajevo Sahat Tower is a historic timepiece which is said to be the only clock in the world that keeps lunar time. According to the World Touris...

Bolivia is a country with 36 indigenous peoples and 37 official languages. It has the world’s largest salt flat. Besides supplying salt, it contains several other minerals of use. It is so large that after it rains the standing water becomes the earth’s largest mirror making it ideal for calibrating the altimeters for earth’s satellites. Nearby you will find the Hotel de Salad, built entirely from...

Check out Nations of the World Podcast 1-Year Milestones. Learn the motivation behind producing Nations of the World Podcast. Also in this episode, listen to a personal experience on hosting a Ukrainian family from Mariupol.  ·      00:00 –  Intro  ·      00:26 –  Why Produce Nations of the World Podcast? ·  ...

Ukraine is known as the “Breadbasket of Europe” because of its extremely fertile soil, a black soil, called Chernozem. It has the deepest metro station in the world at 105.5 meters (346 feet). The largest airplane ever built was built here. It is a country responsible for many inventions and first successes such as hard disk drives, performing the first heart mitral valve surgery, the movable fram...

Ukraine is known as the “Breadbasket of Europe” because of its extremely fertile soil, a black soil, called Chernozem. It has the deepest metro station in the world at 105.5 meters (346 feet). The largest airplane ever built was built here. It is a country responsible for many inventions and first successes such as hard disk drives, performing the first heart mitral valve surgery, the movable fram...

Bhutan is a country that is very serious about the environment. In fact, it’s the first country to become carbon-negative, and one of 3 countries who can claim that title. Unlike most countries who measure their success via GDP, this country has a measure known as GNH - Gross National Happiness. This is based on 4 different indicators: sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultura...

Bermuda is group of limestone islands made from the protruding parts of a flat, extinct submarine volcano. It is a popular tourist destination known for its pink sand beaches, its abundance of golf courses, having more per square mile than any other country, and for the more than 300 shipwrecks just off its shores, which makes for intriguing underwater scuba diving adventures. It lies in the regio...