While more individuals use English as a second language, Mandarin Chinese is spoken natively by approximately three times as many people. English is studied as a second language by almost two billion people, yet only 350 million speak it natively.

We still only know about a small percentage of the marine species that live in our oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species, there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is thought to be only a small proportion of the species that exist, as new marine life is discovered on a daily basis.

During International War I, Europe was at war, and world powers like Britain were organizing their armies. By 1917, one renowned British admiral of the Royal Navy had retired and wrote to Winston Churchill to express his thoughts on the day's headlines, some of which were so thrilling that he wrote, "O.M.G. (Oh! My! God!)." How could he have realized that the acronym he created would go on to become one of the world's most-used phrases?

The average delay of Japanese trains is 18 seconds. What makes them so punctual? Drivers are trained in ultra-realistic simulators and drive one train line only – many don’t even need a speedometer to know how fast they’re going. Competition is also fierce between rail companies, so lagging behind won’t do – they work hard to keep hold of Japan’s huge numbers of train commuters, whatever it takes (even if it means building fancy department stores in the stations…).

In the 1860s, the famed political cartoonist Thomas Nast began painting drawings of Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly as part of an advertising campaign. In a couple of his illustrations, he mentioned that Santa's postal address was the North Pole—a location that had already caught the world's interest as they watched several explorers attempt to reach the icy site. What about the actual St. Nicholas? He was born in modern-day Turkey.

Uzbekistan is the world's 56th biggest sovereign state, with an area of around 172,700 square miles, and is almost the same size in geographical area as Spain or the state of California in the United States. The length of the nation from east to west is 885 miles, while the length from south to north is 580 miles.

The city's official name, like one of its nicknames, has an intriguing backstory. In the 1920s, a 'Big Apple' was a prize awarded at a horse racing event. Many musicians and journalists began referring to New York as "the ultimate" prize or "the best" because the term meant "the ultimate" prize or "the best." In 1971, the New York Tourism Board adopted The Big Apple as an official nickname in an attempt to boost tourism following some negative press.

To begin, rinse your piala (small tea bowl) with a drop of hot tea, then return a bowlful to the kettle three times before the tea is regarded safe to drink. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind afternoon tea! Traditional local desserts are frequently provided alongside.

Kraft Foods once polled hundreds of Oreo eaters (see out these cookie butter Oreos!). They discovered that biters are more laid-back and self-assured, whereas dunkers are more active and daring. Twisters, on the other hand, are delicate and fashionable.

This one is a bit debatable, as some fans argue that it isn't canon. This is due to the fact that Sonic's entire name was never revealed. Archie Comics, which publishes two separate Sonic comics, published a comic in which Sonic's middle name is Maurice but his first name is never revealed. Sonic's first name is really Ogilvie, according to one of the Archie Comics authors. Fans disagree, claiming that Archie Comics' Sonic isn't actual canon, and that only the video games and Japanese comics are.

Among those accompanying the Queen on her journeys is usually the Queen's medical practitioner. The doctor is accountable for knowing where all local hospitals are in the cities that they visit. She also has to transport a large medical bag with a mobile defibrillator and emergency medication. Aside from that, the doctor possesses Queen Elizabeth's own blood bag, which will be used for a transfusion if necessary.

The Terracotta Army is part of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, the world's largest ancient imperial tomb complex. There are approximately 8,000 different life-size statues that have been discovered. It is the most significant discovery of its kind. The statues stand between 175 and 190 cm tall. Everybody has different gestures and facial expressions, and some even have different colors. It reveals a lot about the Qin Empire's military, technology, arts, culture, and military.

Mesopotamia, along with the Nile Valley Civilization in Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization in the Indian subcontinent, and the Yellow River in China, was one of the four riverine civilizations where writing was invented. Around 3400 BC, the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia invented the cuneiform script. Cuneiform is a Latin word that means "wedge-shaped." Sumerian writing evolved from pictograms to become a full-fledged writing system capable of producing works of literature as well as prayers and laws. Despite not being the oldest example of writing, cuneiform script is regarded as a significant milestone in human history.

North Sentinel Island is home to one of the world's most isolated human populations. The Sentinelese, estimated to number around 300 people, have rejected all contact with the modern world and fired their arrows at anyone who comes within range. They are thought to have descended directly from the first human populations to emerge from Africa, and they have most likely lived in the Andaman Islands for up to 60,000 years.

Being the first president of the United States apparently wasn't enough for George Washington throughout his lifetime. Following his presidency, Washington established a whiskey distillery. Washington's distillery was the largest in the country by 1799, producing 11,000 gallons of unaged whiskey. However, after the president's death, the company was no longer in operation.

Have you ever thought how many languages are there in the world. There are 2,700 languages, however most widely read spoken languages are English, Chinese, Spanish and Hindi. Chinese is the most spoken language with over 50,000 characters. Interesting, right??

There are several theories as to how the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" came to be. One example is that when houses had thatched roofs, pets and other small animals (squirrels, groundhogs, and so on) would nestle into the straw for warmth. When it rained, however, the straw became slick and the animals slid out, giving the impression that it was literally raining cats and dogs.

The renowned "Bloody Mary" drink was conceived at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. According to legend, this renowned drink was created for the famed author Ernest Hemingway! Hemingway asked for a drink that didn't smell like alcohol, so he had vodka blended with tomato juice.

Francesco Illy, the founder of the Italian coffee roasting company, was actually born in TimiÈ™oara, Romania. He later moved to Vienna, and then the Italian city of Trieste. He didn’t make a 2006 list of the 100 Greatest Romanians, however, which was topped by Stephen the Great and featured the likes of Nadia Comăneci and Gheorghe Hagi.

As of July 2019, Spain had 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the third-highest number in the world. These include old cities, massive churches, and other structures. Only Italy and China have more UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with each having 55.

According to scientists, all of the pyramids were erected between the 26th and 23rd centuries BC. Mammoths first arose approximately 1.6 million years ago and were extinct in the 10th century BC. This indicates that when Cheops was ecstatic about a new pyramid named after him, enormous beasts were terrorizing our forefather's thousands of kilometers distant.

Former French President Jacques Chirac referred to the Terracotta Army as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" in September 1987. He stated: "There were seven wonders of the world, and the discovery of the Terracotta Army could be considered the eighth. No one can claim to have visited Egypt without seeing the pyramids, and no one can claim to have visited China without seeing these terracotta figures."

The country is home to more than 135 different ethnicities. If you look into the geographical facts of Myanmar, you can see that several groups live in different regions. Each has its own culture and traditions. You can find some with a special one-legged rowing technique at Inle Lake and others wear heavy rings to stretch their necks. The main ethnic group, the Bamar, makes up about 70% of the population.

Myanmar is a cultural melting pot of ethnicities. This can make it perfect for a cultural travel experience and gives you the chance to meet and interact with lots of different people.