Ireland Fun Facts

                                    See, how beautiful Ireland is!
 
Ireland, an island located to the northwest of Europe, is one of the largest islands in the world. Ireland is one such glorious place that has a rich history and culture along with picturesque beauty and lush green scenery. Ireland has made a large contribution in literature and the very traditional folk music combined with the beautiful steps of the Irish dance all reflect the rich culture of Ireland. Here we go with some fun facts of Ireland!

Interesting Facts about Ireland

1. Ireland is known as the Emerald Island, thanks to its lush greenery.
2. Many castles in Ireland have 'murder hole' in the roof close to the entrance of the castle. This hole was used to dump daggers or hot liquids on enemies.
3. Not a single snake is found in Ireland. On the other hand, the only reptile found is the lizard.
4. The country is home to only three amphibians: the frog, newt and the toad.
5. The Irish Police force, are unarmed, but the detectives always carry firearms.
6. Ireland is also very popular as the home of pop music with Westlife, Celtic Woman, Horslips, Boyzone, Thin Lizzy, Clannad, Boomtown Rats, The Corrs, The Cranberries, Ronan Keating, Gilbert O'Sullivan, etc. as some of the world famous bands.
7. The Blarney Stone, which according to the legend, when kissed, gives the person ability of eloquence. Every year, millions of visitors visit and kiss this legendary stone.
8. Ireland possesses the second longest place name in Europe. The Irish village is called Muckanaghederdauhaulia, meaning 'pig-marsh between two seas'.
9. Titanic, the Unsinkable ship, which sunk in its maiden voyage, was made in Ireland.

Ireland Fun Facts - People

1. The Gaelic is the commonly spoken language in Ireland, next to Irish and English.
2. The Irish believe that on Judgment day, Jesus Christ will be the judge of all people, but St. Patrick will be the judge of the Irish.
3. James Hoban, an Irish, designed the White House in Washington.
4. In Ireland, the number of cell phones is actually more than the number of people. 
5. Irish people greet each other with the expression, "How are you? or "How ye keeping?". By this expression, they mean to be polite and expect a brief "Can't complain now, thanks." in reply. They are not looking for the details of one's medical history.
6. Most of the Irish family names start with 'Mac' or 'O'...", which literally means 'son of ...' and 'grandson of ...' respectively in Gaelic.
7. The Irish census revealed that the most popular boy's name in Ireland is Sean and the most popular girl's name is Emma. 
8. Over 5% of the Irish population are Polish. Moreover, today there are more Polish speakers as compared to the native Irish speakers in the country. There exists around 34 million US residents with Irish ancestry. This is why it's popularly said 'There are more Americans of Irish descent in America than there are Irishmen in Ireland'.
9. Irish people are also known for their sense of humor with respect to death, religion and relationships.
10. The Irish people are hardworking, very honest and known for their friendliness, hospitality, sense of fun and wonderful humour.
    

Cultural Facts

1. In Ireland, men never lifted a finger in the house to help and were never expected to. If a man washed the dishes, he would be called an “auld woman” by other men. 
2. “Nollaig na mBan” or “Little Women’s Christmas” is an old custom that’s still celebrated by women all over Ireland. It happens on January 6th, when women can get a break for a day to go out to relax with each other while men will take over of the housework.
3. According to the Irish birthday traditions, people hold the birthday child upside down and bump the head slightly on the floor. The bumps correspond to the age of the child. It is believed that this tradition brings good luck.
4. The Celtic knot is one of the most famous Irish symbols that stands for continuity of life. Apart from this, the harp, the Shamrock, and the Irish wolfhound are some other famous symbols that belong typically to Ireland.
5. The most identifiable breakfast tradition on the Emerald Isle is the Full Irish Breakfast. It's a huge platter of food consisting of rashers, bangers, black pudding, white pudding, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes and Irish beans. It's usually served with a regional bread such as Irish brown bread or soda bread.
6. Irish wedding gift’s that are traditionally given include items like salt and pepper shakers and tall toasting glasses (flutes) which are considered lucky gifts to receive or a porcelain bell which is given to remind the couple of the bells that rang when they married.
7. Irish people prepare much for Easter Sunday by doing “spring cleaning”. This is usually done before the blessing by the local priest in a religious ceremony which exists hundreds of years ago.
8. The Irish are known for their love for music and dance. The beauty of the Irish dance is such that it can mesmerize even those who have no particular interest in dance, an example of Irish dance is Riverdance.
9. Ireland boasts the finest writers of all times. Some famous Irish sayings reveal the nature and ethos of the Irish people and would possibly help you see the lighter side of life!

"May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.  "

The Spanish Culture

Spain is known for its great diversity and cultural heritage. Due to its ideal geographical location, the culture in Spain is greatly influenced by people of all cultures, ranging from the Greeks and Romans to the Muslims, North Africans and Phoenicians. The language spoken by Spaniards i.e. Spanish (Espanol) is known by different names as follows: Castillan, Catalan, Galician, Basque and Aranese.

Spanish Customs and Traditions
Fiestas: The different festivals/fiestas which continue almost 365 days of the year in this country are the highlights of Spanish culture. The 'Tomato Festival' (la Tomatina) is one such popular fiesta. This festival (la Tomatino) is celebrated every year in Bunyol; it takes place in the last week of August. The la Tomatino is kind of a 'tomato battle' played both by locals and tourists. Highlights of festivals celebrated in Spain are the fireworks, dances and music. People wear traditional attire during these festivals.

                                                      la Tomatino

Siesta: The siesta is one of the most famous aspects of Spanish life - that dead period in late afternoon when everything shuts down in Spain, in theory so people can go to sleep. Spain is a hot country, especially mid-afternoon, and the traditional reason for the siesta is for the workers in the fields to shelter from the heat. They would then feel refreshed after their sleep and would work until quite late in the evening, longer than they would have been able to without the siesta. The Spanish take the siesta very seriously, even going so far as to have a Sleeping Competition in its honor. 

Flamenco: In Spain, Flamenco is not just a dance form. It is actually an art form that consists of singing, dancing, guitar, hand-claps, etc. This passionate form of dance first originated in Andalusia and was originally considered to be a gypsy dance. It is a flamboyant dance that is accompanied by the soulful tunes of the guitar and a song (cante), which is the soul of the whole art of doing the dancing the Flamenco. At its best, it is one of the true classical cultural contributions that Spain has to offer.

                                                          Flamenco

After the customs and traditions, let's take a look at some interesting fun facts about Spain and Spanish!

1. In Spain, there are more than 8000 kms of beaches. That explains why the beaches are what attracts a lot of tourists from all around the world to this country.
2. Most of the rain that happens in Spain is in the mountainous regions. The plains hardly receive any rain fall.
3. Soccer in Spain is an important part of life of the people in Spain. It is said that Spanish children learn to walk and play soccer simultaneously. 
4. Spaniards often start the evening with el paseo, a leisurely stroll through the main streets or along the paseo maritimo in the coastal resorts. 
5. In this country, people eat a very late lunch - between 2 pm to 4pm. Dinner is mostly had after ten in the night. Most Spaniards prefer to have breakfast in eateries or small hotels rather than having it at home.
6. The Spanish tradition of tapas is a good way to sample the local food. Tapas are small dishes of snacks which are served anytime especially in small bars. They cover all types of food from seafood to vegetables. Many Spanish make an evening of hopping from bar to bar trying different tapas.
7. The diet in Spain is reported to be one of the most healthy diets in the world. The combination of olives, fresh fruit, seafood and fresh vegetables can help sustain a healthy and long life. 
8. The tap water in Madrid, capital city of Spain is so clean that it can be drunk as it is, without filtering.
9. Spain is famous for its aromatic wines and the drinking age in the country is 18. 
10. Spanish men tend to maintain eye contact with females for longer, although this does not mean anything.
11. The teens date in groups till they turn eighteen. Only after that they go out as a couple.
12. When the Spaniards talk to each other, they stand very close and touch each other every now and then on the shoulder while talking.
13. Spanish people are known to be fun-loving, music lovers, sports crazy, and the country is host to a number of the most-visited tourist spots in the world.
14. Spanish New Year tradition is to eat 12 grapes at midnight, one grape for each stroke of the clock, indicating a sign of good luck. 
15. The Spanish celebrate Christmas till the 6 January! They believe that on this day the three kings had visited baby Jesus and presented him with gifts. 

Japan Fun Facts

Japan is referred to as "Land of the rising sun". Situated in Asia, Japan is immediate neighbour to China, Russia and Korea. Here, we will see some interesting facts about Japan!

Interesting Facts about Japan

1. Japan is called "Nippon" by the people of Japan, meaning the land of the rising sun. This is symbolized by red dot in the middle of their National flag.
2. Japan is an archipelago of more than 3000 islands, with the four main islands Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkiado comprising 97% of its total land area.
3. Japan is the most vulnerable nation to earthquakes amongst all the regions of the world. Each year about 1500 earthquakes are recorded in Japan.
4. The climate in Japan is cool temperate towards the north and tropical in the south.
5. It has the highest life expectancy in the world and its literacy rate is almost 100%.
6. The crime rate in Japan is amongst the lowest in the world.
7. Japan has a high rate of smokers, with almost 60% of the population indulging in smoking. 
8. Japan is world's largest producer of automobiles and many of the Japanese car brands like Nissan, Honda, Toyota are household names in US.
9. Japanese food is considered the most nutritious and healthy food in the world.

Japan Fun Facts - Lifestyle

1. Japanese are very hardworking by nature. They are amongst the most hardworking people in the world.
2. The children are taught to respect their parents and superiors and Japanese lay more emphasis on the achievement of society's good rather than the achievement of the individual.
3. The Japanese language has a word for 'death from overwork'. It's Karoshi.
4. The Japanese language incorporates four different forms of writing, namely Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana and Romaji.
5. The kids in Japan love McDonalds as much as much as American kids and McDonalds in Japanese dialect sounds like Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do. 
6. English happens to be the only foreign language taught in Japanese schools.
7. Many people in Japan are accustomed to eating raw horse meat.
8. Fruits are forbiddingly expensive in Japan. You could end up paying up to $2 for a single apple or peach.
9. A vending machine for a variety of daily requirements is installed at practically every corner in Japanese cities, where you can easily get beer, cigarettes, newspapers, cold drinks and even crabs! 
10. While smoking is allowed practically anywhere in Japan, you are not allowed to smoke in local trains. Long distance trains have got designated smoking zones.
11. The Japanese culture is essentially entertainment loving. It has the largest density of cafes, massage parlors, gaming centers, restaurants and clubs in one square kilometer area, more than anywhere on the Earth.

Cultural Facts 

1. Rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with tea for lunches and dinners is a common Japanese diet habit.
2. In Japan, it is considered impolite to eat until the host offers the food.
3. Japanese people 'slurp' their food, which is considered as a sign of tasty food. The louder, the better. It may disappoint your host if you don't do it in Japan.
4. While eating in Japan never put in your chopstick upright into the bowl. In the past, this was the way to offer food to the dead.
5. There is a tradition in Japan, that shoes worn outside are not to be worn inside the house. Slippers are to be used instead. At the same time, the slippers are not to be worn on the tatami (mat).
6. The Japanese will shop daily for their meat, fish and vegetable requirements, as they like all their food fresh and unpreserved. This is one of the prime reasons that small and medium sized refrigerators are sold the most in Japan.
7. Japanese do not submerge themselves into the bath tub and then lather. They soap outside the tub and rinse it off. Only then do they submerge themselves neck deep into the hot water to refresh and relax.
   
8. Japanese men shave their heads as a mark of apology and women cut their hair after breaking up with their boyfriends.
9. The Japanese have many etiquette for almost all walks of life. Japanese aren't too comfortable with physical contact with each other and people greet each other by bowing instead of handshaking.
10. In Japan, it is considered inappropriate behavior to blow your nose in public or tear gift wrappings, but one can urinate along the walls of a building.
11. Japanese firms serve alcohol to the employees in the evening after 6 pm.
12. In Japanese villages, there is no need to send invitations for a wedding or a funeral. They are considered community events and the entire village will help in preparing the food, and taking care of all the required arrangements.
13. Japanese are extremely courteous and friendly people. If you require something, they will go out of their way and try to help you.

Thai Taboos

There is an English proverb "In Rome you must do like the Romans do". For the Farang in Thailand it is by no means necessary to fully adapt to Thai customs and traditions, but he should strive to know the main rules of taboo, to be observed when dealing with Thais. The Thai culture is shaped by Buddhism, who as the national religion presents a connecting element of all Thais. But to understand the everyday culture, it is also important to take into account the great importance of animism in the daily activities of the Thais

The Farang may strive as much as possible to observe the multitude of small and large taboos, but nevertheless a mistake will always happen due to his general misunderstanding of how things are in Thai culture. When entering a house or even a temple one will put the feet on the threshold, not incline the head when walking past a sitting person, not greet a monk with a respectful Wai, place a Buddha statue lower than the head of the largest Farang coming along, at the Hua Lamphon Railway Station in Bangkok remain seated and not stand up when the national anthem at 8 am and 6 clock sounds from the loudspeakers, become loud when one has the impression to be seen as stupid, and many other things.  One sometimes thinks that simply to be a Farang is already a violation of that what the normal Thai holds for decent.

Despite all efforts, a Farang in Thailand will act contrary to rule or to violate a taboo. But Thais are relatively tolerant against small violations of taboo by the unknowing Farang, and will ignore it with a smile. A smile helps to survive any problematic or unsafe situation, as well as the frequently used formula "may pen rai" (it does not matter). One should strive nevertheless as much as it is possible to observe the politeness forms usual for Thais. These comprise the following things:

As a basic principle one should respect the religion of other people, and in Thailand respect must be paid to all Lord Buddha images and to the royal family who in Thailand enjoys almost religious devotion. That one must behave decently when visiting a temple and should not go to the Temple in shorts or transparent blouses.  One can safely go into any temple and take photographs of everything, with the exception of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Prah-Kheo, the Thai National Sanctuary. The Thais will not be disrupted in their worship and their prayers, at least as long as one does not show any sort of disrespect to a Buddha statue, no one should ever climb on a statue to get a photo as a souvenir.  One should be very cautious not to take photographs of strange people because many Thais believe that with every photo the rightful owner will be deprived of a small piece of his soul. If visiting a temple, one should crouch on the ground opposite of the Buddha statue, but always so that ones feet are directed away of Buddha. The Thais sit with their feet bend to the rear under their bottom, a position which an overweight Farang cannot keep up long time

A monk may absolutely have no physical contact with women. Under no circumstances can a woman touch him; that would bring him serious trouble. This is true even for school boys, donning for a short time, sometimes just one day the, or even just one week the saffron yellow robe in order to make "tam boon"(merit) for a deceased family member. When the grandmother of my wife died, 2 of her grandchildren, just 11 years and 12 years old, went for two weeks as "Nen" in the temple, to pray for the soul of their grandmother. Every afternoon, their mother went to the monastery and brought each of them one a bottle of cocoa, so that their boys would not be starved in the afternoon, because the monks are not allowed to take solid food.  She could not place the bottles in the hands of her children, but had to place them to a yellow cloth on the ground before them.

It is also considered unbecoming for laymen to touch a strange person of the opposite gender, even if it is only a friendly gesture as touching the arm. It is also unethical to exchange signs of affection in public, even if it is just a kiss as among spouses. You will often see two young girls or two boys walking hand in hand on the street, but for people of different sex it is considered unseemly to maintain hands in public.

In the head of humans resides their soul. It should therefore not be touched, even if it is the head of a small child. This rule goes so far as to avoid passing things over the head of people - this might be very aggravating in some situations. One gives and takes something with the right hand, while touching with the left hand the right forearm, as wanting to support it. When walking close to sitting people, one should bend the head to indicate that one feels not higher than the others. With persons to whom one shows respect, one will even bent the knees a little bit, or bow the upperparts of the body.

The feet should be used with caution. They are the lowest part of the body, and it is impolite to point with your foot towards something. In public one should even avoid to move things with the feet. When coming from shopping with both arms full, it was difficult for me to open the door, and one piece fell to the ground. As I had no free hand, I pointed with my foot on the fallen part and asked my wife to pick it up. I was then surprised to get only a shake of the head. The disregard of feet appears however particularly funny to the Farang, in a country where the national sport consist of two fighters in the ring are trying to knock out another with their feet.

Even the ignorant tourists would know that before entering into a temple one takes of their shoes. But it is also important to take the shoes off each time before going into a house. This is not only in order not to soil the floor, but because it is an insult to the residents, to enter a house with shoes. Thais usually have no chairs, everybody sits on the floor, and even the food is usually served on the floor. For this reason, great importance is attached to the cleanliness of the soil, and it is a gross discourtesy of the Farang to walk with street shoes into the house. In our village, even every customer takes of his sandals before entering a small supermarket.

Thais have an instinctive aversion to speak about unpleasant things or developments. If I sometimes  want to discuss what to do if something negative or even an accident would occur, I always get the answer "puht yah” (don’t speak about that). I do not know whether this reluctance to speak about unpleasant things is due to the superstition, that by talking about such things the misfortune will be self-fulfilling, or simply to avoid unpleasant thoughts, according to the motto: "if I shut my eyes, than the evil will go away". Probably both are the case.

Minor errors or misshapes will be put aside with a "mai pen rai" (it doesn’t matter). For this one can find the roots in Buddhism. What happens must happen; we can not do anything about it. Why should we then agonize about this? It is fate, karma, probably the reasons had been founded in a previous life. This cannot be corrected, but we will try to do everything in this life properly, so that the next time such a mishap will not happen again.

Something that a Farang must also avoid is too getting loud or to yell when he gets in trouble. For a Thai yelling is aggressive and offensive. To strongly assert one’s rights, will often prevent any possibility to obtain this right, especially when dealing with policemen.

Static of Mongolian

 
Country name:  Mongolia  (Local short form: Mongol Ulus, formerly known as Mongolian Peoples Republic and until 1924 was called Outer Mongolia).
 
Capital:  Ulaanbaatar (means Red Hero), population 904,000 people (2006). Situated on the Tuul River. From 1639-1706 was known as Urga or Da Khuree.
 
Size:  604,826 square miles (1,566,00 square km)
 
Area comparison:  Four times the size of U.K., Three times the size of France, or about the size of western Europe. Mongolia is the world’s largest landlocked nation and is the 18th largest country in the world.
 
Location:  Northern Asia, situated between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
 
Population:  2.8 million (2006) More than half the population is under age 30.
 
Population Density:  4.7 persons per square mile (1.7 persons per square km) Approximately 65% of Mongolians live in urban centers, 35% are pastoral nomads.
 
Languages:  Khalkh Mongolian (90%), Turkic,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Russian. Cyrillic script is used in writing.
 
Literacy Rate:  98.4%
 
Religions:  Mahayana Tibetan Buddhism (96%), Shamanism,
 
Government:  Parliamentary Democracy
 
Mongolia has 21 Aimags (provinces) which are divided into 343 Sums (districts) and smaller sub-districts known as Baags.  
 
Climate:   Extreme Continental (large daily and seasonal temperature changes)
Summer averages +68F degrees. Winter averages 13F degrees. Winter season runs from October till April. Annually Mongolia has more than 260 sunny days on average.
 
Average Elevation: More than 5,180 feet (1,580 meters) Average altitude in Mongolia is one mile above sea level.
 
Major Rivers & Lakes: The Orkhon River is the longest river in Mongolia at 698 miles (1124 km). Lake Hovsgol Nuur is Mongolia’s largest lake and holds 2% of the world’s freshwater supply.
 
Terrain:  Desert steppe, Desert plains, Grassy steppe terrain is found in most parts of Eastern Mongolia, Mountainous zone covers 5% of Mongolia’s territory, Mountain forest, Taiga forest region in the north is 5% of Mongolia’s total landmass.
 
The Gobi Desert is the world’s northernmost desert and has a mostly gravel surface with low-lying rocky hills. One of the earth’s great deserts it ranges through most of southern Mongolia and comprises 17% of Mongolia’s total landmass. Annually desertification in the Gobi Desert area is increasing due to overgrazing primarily.
 
Mountain Ranges: Altai Nuruu Mountains ranging northwest to southeast, Khentii Nuruu Mountains in the northeast and Khangai Nuruu Mountains in Central Mongolia.
 
Highest peak:  Khuiten Peak14,350 feet (4374 meters)  in the Altai Tavanbogd Uuul range.
 
Currency:  Tögrög (Tughruk), U.S. $1 = Tg1165  (January, 2007)
 
Main Exports: Copper, Textiles, Cashmere and cashmere products, Fluorspar, Wool, Livestock and livestock products.
 
Public Holidays: New Years Day - January 1st, Tsagaan Tsar (Lunar New Year) Usually early February depending on phases of the moon, International Woman’s Day March 8th, Mothers and Children’s Day - June 1st, Naadam (National Games) July 11th - 13th, Independence Day November 26th.

Thailand

Facts and Statistics
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Capital: Bangkok
Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Population: 64,865,523
Ethnic Make-up: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions: Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)
Government: constitutional monarchy

Languages in Thailand
The Thai language is comprised of 44 consonants, 32 vowels and five tones in Thai pronunciation, along with a script that has Indian origins. The Thai language, belonging to the Tai family, is the main language in Thailand although there are several regional dialects as well.  Other languages spoken in Thailand are Chinese, Lao, Malay and Mon-Khmer, while English use is becoming more prevalent in government and commerce. English is also being taught as a second language in secondary school and universities, which enables the English speaking visitor in Thailand to have little trouble conversing.