”05 curious facts from places around the world”

”05 curious facts from places around the world”

While we may be unable to embark on adventures and explore the world in person at this moment, we can certainly enjoy the anticipation of planning our next journey for when travel becomes safe once again.

1. Mongolia has the world’s sparsest population

Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world. There are only 4.3 people per square mile. There are 13 horses to every human in Mongolia and sheep outnumber the human population by 35 to 1

2. Granada, Spain is known as Europe’s ‘capital of caves’

The Sacromonte and Guadix caves in Granada are home to communities that still enjoy the ancient Spanish cave-dwelling way of life, dating back to the 15th century. Nestled in a rocky formation here are 2,000 underground houses, discreetly carved into the stone

3. Oymyakon, Russia, is the coldest inhabited place on Earth

The valley of Oymyakon in Yakutia – or The Pole of Cold – is located in northeast Russia. Here, temperatures can reach -70℃ – it’s so cold, even alcohol freezes. With few modern conveniences available, this seemingly uninhabitable village is home to 500 Siberian people with traditional occupations such as reindeer herding, hunting and fishing. Tourism is also becoming popular among those who can brave the harsh conditions.

4. China has built a replica of Paris

 

Sitting on the outskirts of Hangzhou, China, is what locals call ‘Little Paris’. This luxury real estate development is an architectural and engineering feat complete with an Eiffel Tower replica (although one-third of the size of the real thing, it’s still the second largest copy after the one at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in the USA)

 

5. A Turkish village still uses ‘bird language’ in everyday life

The Turkish village of Kuşköy practises a rare, whistling language known as ‘bird language’. Despite its name, this language is not used to communicate to birds but rather to villagers scattered along Kuşköy’s steep mountainous terrain. The messages can be as intricate as human language and the high-pitched sounds are a genius way to communicate over long distances. This centuries-old custom has also landed itself on the UNESCO 2017 list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, so we may be lucky enough to hear the whistles bounce over the tree canopy in person someday

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