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30 Facts About Other Countries That Will Leave Americans Agog and Slack-Jawed

Sorry, how do we get the waiter’s attention in Myanmar?

30 Facts About Other Countries That Will Leave Americans Agog and Slack-Jawed

April 07, 2024

America might not want to hear this, but it’s just one of 195 countries in the world. Case in point, calling itself “America” is pretty self-centered. From North to South, it’s just one of 35 countries that can label themselves “American.”

Labels aside, we just want Uncle Sam and his cohorts to take a lap around this here wet rock and drop their jaws at the wildly different goings on in the other 194 earthly nations.

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30

Denmark is home to the biggest July 4th celebrations outside the U.S. They're held at Copenhagen's Rebild National Park, which was gifted to the King and country by a group of Danish Americans on the condition that it remained a public space to celebrate American holidays. CRACKED.COM — Source

29

One of the worst things you can call someone in Thailand is a monitor lizard. The Thai word for the animal is considered so offensive that it's banned from TV and radio. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

To get a waiter's attention in Myanmar, you have to make a kissing sound. It's kind of like the sound you'd make to call a cat, and it consists of two or three kisses. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

In China, kids' video game time is strictly limited. On week days, minors can play online games up to 90 minutes per day, but they can't play at all between 10 PM and 8 AM. On weekends, they can play for up to three hours a day. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

In Singapore, you automatically become an organ donor when you turn 21. - You can opt out, but if you do, you're lower priority for organ transplants. CRACKED.COM — Source

25

BHUTAN IS THE ONLY CARBON-NEGATIVE COUNTRY. While most governments struggle to become carbon-neutral, this Himalayan kingdom is the only country that absorbs more carbon emissions than it produces. Its constitution says that forests should cover at least 60% of the territory, making it the greenest nation on Earth. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

China

+3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 DESPITE ITS MASSIVE SIZE, CHINA ONLY USES ONE TIME ZONE. Tea Bering Sex Seo of Okhana KAZAKHITAN Kell blands Company I Sex of Japan TURKMEMETHA CHINA MAN THE NORTH MAD +41 +3 1/2 PACIFIC PROSTAN OCEAN Carr Chine SOLO Sex ARABA SAMPLE +5% PHILIPPINES Philippine Rever - - Bengal South Date Sea Arabian -27 Sea - - Sea - - -5% - CAS - - - - - - - PALMU IN -P% - LIONA The country has room las for five different time zones, but only recognizes Beijing Standard Time, which means that in KIA — Source

23

THE INDIA-PAKISTAN LAND BORDER CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE AT NIGHT. Their boundary in the Thar Desert can be seen from low Earth orbit thanks to the fences and security lights that run for more than 1,200 miles. The phenomenon has been captured by the International Space Station and shared by NASA since 2011. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

60% OF JAILED WOMEN IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ARE DOING TIME FOR BEING WITCHES. Nic Ca And 40% of all criminal cases in the country are sorcery-related, making it the most commonly prosecuted felony. This has no parallel in the rest of the world. GRACKED.COM — Source

21

FINNISH DADS SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEIR KIDS THAN MOMS DO. It's the result of policies that greatly encourage a father's presence, considered crucial for the child's development. Paternity leave can last nine weeks and pays 70% of a job's salary. This turned Finland into the first country where fathers do most of the childcare. CRACKED.COM — Source

20

THE ETHIOPIAN CALENDAR IS SEVEN YEARS BEHIND THE REST OF THE WORLD. It was developed by Orthodox and Coptic churches, based on their own calculations for the date of Jesus's birth. It has 12 months of 30 days and one of five days (six on leap years.) In this system, the year begins on September 11 or 12 of the Gregorian calendar. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

Argentina

In Argentina, there's a literal Welsh village. It was founded in the 19th century by a group of 150 emigrants who wanted a place where they could preserve Welsh identity - and today, Welsh is still spoken there, and traditional Welsh rituals are practiced. CRACKED.COM — Source

18

About 150,000 Sega Master System consoles are sold per year in Brazil. SEGA® Master System TM SEGA MASTER RISTEN Photo - «CHORCE PERA That's a console from the '90s, and it's so popular because modern consoles are hugely expensive thanks to high import fees - but Sega consoles are produced locally and are much cheaper. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

All 40,000 of Chile's firefighters are volunteers. BOMBEROS MUÑOA They even have to pay monthly contributions to their stations, and they largely don't want to be paid - this is a tradition that dates to the founding of the service over 150 years ago. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

South Africa has three capitals. Cape Town Cape Town is the legislative capital, Pretoria is the administrative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judiciary capital. South Africa was born from the unification of four British colonies, and they couldn't agree on a city that would be the single capital. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

The country with the most pyramids is Sudan, not Egypt. Ancient Egypt used to rule over much of what's now Sudan, and Sudan now has over twice as many pyramids as Egypt itself. CRACKED.COM — Source

14

German Waste

in GeRMANY TRASH IS WeIGHeD, AND COSTS AS MUCH AS $2 PeR POUND TO THROW OUT. THE RESULT? people ARe COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING INSTEAD, AND PER-CAPITA WASTE HAS DROPPED 50% since 1994. CRACKED.COM http://www.arc.cat/jornades/jornadaprevencio2010/pon_4.pdf — Source

13

McDonald's in Norway serves fresh-caught salmon sandwiches. McDonald's - - Address They're called McLaks, and you can enjoy them in a classy building that used to be a bank. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Cars are rare in Cuba, and as a result, all government vehicles are required to pick up hitchhikers (space permitting) to ensure they reach their destination safely. Hitchhiking is actually encouraged, and there are designated hitchhiking spots. CRACKED.COM http //globerove.com/cuba/cubahitchhiking-guide/255 — Source

11

DEZZ When In 2013, Nepal introduced a third gender option for IDs of individuals not identifying as male or female. GRACKED.COM — Source

10

In Germany, as many hungry American tourists have discovered to their shock and delight, you can get a beer to accompany your Big Mac. McDonald's CRACKED.COM — Source

9

In the Netherlands. disabled citizens receive a stipend from the government to pay for sex services 12 times a year. Reports show that the program has resulted in reduced rates of depression and sucide among the disabled. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

in stockholm, sweden, you can win cash FOR obeying the speed Limit. The Speed Camera Lottery photographs the license plates of all passing cars. Speeding cars are fined, and those obeying the speed limit are entered into a lottery for a portion of the fines. http //www thestar com/news/world/2010/12/09/ CRACKED.COM speed_camera_lottery_pays_drivers_for_slowing_down.html — Source

7

: as ( AND 1 I - to 0.69 / 1.000 - i 1.00 2 24% - 1.89 1.000 1.89 OF VIA I 1.89 8 CLUB 1.89 8 SIN or 0.89-B AL 10.73 a In Japan, B you don't tip 31. 48 31.49 your servers. Nor, they figure, should you need to. Japan considers itself a service culture, and the Japanese pride themselves on a job well done without any extra gratuitous motivation. Employees are paid well, and tipping is often considered a rude bit of showing off how wealthy you are. GRAGKED.COM There are exceptions, but they're rare. — Source

6

KIRIBATI IS THE ONLY COUNTRY SITUATED WITHIN ALL FOUR HEMISPHERES. This Micronesian nation straddles both the Equator and the 180th Meridian, so its territory is spread across the Southern, Northern, Western, and Eastern hemispheres. This encouraged them to establish a new time zone, UTC+14:00, which means Tomorrow always gets there first. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

FEWER PEOPLE LIVE IN IRELAND TODAY THAN BACK IN THE 19TH CENTURY. The population reached its peak, eight million, in the 1840s, after which famine and mass migration made the country lose almost 40% of its residents in less than 40 years. Today, around five million people live on the island, while regions in Italy and Spain that saw similar losses during those years recovered in less than a century. CRACKED.COM — Source

4

INDIA IS THE LAST COUNTRY WHERE BOTH LIONS AND TIGERS LIVE IN THE WILD. Lions and tigers could be found in Turkey, Iran, and Mesopotamia until the 19th and 20th century, respectively. But their habitat was gradually destroyed and they were hunted for sport until the Indian subcontinent became the last place on Earth where the two largest cats can coexist. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

IN PORTUGAL, IT'S ILLEGAL FOR RESTAURANTS NOT TO OFFER VEGAN MEALS. In 2017, it became the first country where all food services (including schools, hospitals, and prisons) are required by law to provide vegan options in their menus. This started as a petition signed by more than 15,000 people in 2016. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

ONLY 1 IN 8 PEOPLE LIVING IN QATAR HAVE BEEN BORN IN THE COUNTRY. This small country has a population of 1.7 million, but South Asian workers outnumber people who were born there by eight to one-the biggest ratio of migrants to citizens in the world. CRACKED COM — Source

1

IN RUSSIA, BEER WASN'T CLASSIFIED AS AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK UNTIL 2011. Before that year, it was the only country where beer was sold and distributed just like soda and other soft drinks. A 1 БАЛТИК That means it could be bought and consumed by anyone, even in street kiosks and public transit stops. GRACKED.COM — Source

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