Indonesia: The World's Lungs

Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising thousands of islands.It encompasses 34 provinces. Two provinces were Special Administrative Regions (one for being governed by pre-colonial monarchy and another one for using the Sharia Law), with an estimated population of over 252 million people, making it the world's fourth most populous country.The nation's capital city is Jakarta. Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN. Currency is Indonesian Rupiah (IDR).

Some interesting facts are:

1. The Borobudur temple is located in Indonesia. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple and was earlier one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

2. The equator passes through Sumatra, making it a very popular tourist destination. The climate is hence equatorial with temperatures ranging 20-34 degree Celsius. The line cuts across islands Sumatra, Sulwesiand and Kalimantan along with a few other small Islands in the middle of the country.

3. Indonesia boasts of having the second highest level of Biodiversity. The longest snake ever found was in here of length 10 meters in 1912.

4. The Mudskipper fish which can walk, hop, climb on trees and breathe on land is found here.

5. The Rafflesia Arnoldi, otherwise called the Corps flower with a height of 5ft and a width of 4ft making it the largest flower blooms here and weighs around 7 kilos.

6. The Komodo Island houses the Komodo dragon, which is a kind of a lizard and can grow up to 3 meters long. This is the only country to house dragons.

7. The country is so expansive in its area covered that it has three time zones. It is one of the countries that have not been fully explored or mapped.

Some beautiful places are:

For tourism details visit:
http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/

Philippines: The Pearl of The Orient Seas

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 7,107 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila while its most populous city is Quezon City. Currency is Peso (PHP).

Some Interesting facts are:
1. The islands were dubbed “the Philippines” after King Philip II of Spain.

2. Pope John Paul II offered a mass to about five million Filipinos on Jan. 18, 1995, at Luneta Park in Manila. The event went into the Guinness Book of World Records as the Biggest Papal Crowd at the time.

3. Taal Volcano in Talisay, Batangas, is one of the world’s 17 Decade Volcanoes — volcanoes that need to be looked after given their active state and explosive history. It’s also located in a lake, and has a lake inside it, with an even smaller island in it.

4. The positioning of the Philippine flag’s colors indicate a message. If it is flown with the red stripe on top, the nation is in a state of war. Otherwise, during peacetime, the blue is on top.

5. Manila, the capital city of the country, takes its name from a white flower that grew on mangrove trees, locally known as nilad. ‘May nilad’ can be translated to mean ‘there are nilad there.

6. The Philippines has won at least eight major international beauty pageant titles: two for Miss Universe; five for Miss International; and at least one for Miss World, the current titleholder being Megan Young.

7. The Philippines welcomed its 100-millionth citizen on July 27, 2014, making the country the seventh most populated country in Asia and the 12th in the world.

Some beautiful places are:

For more tourism detail visit:
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/pages/default.aspx

North Korea: People's Republic of Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The capital and largest city is Pyongyang. North Korea shares a land border with China to the north and north-west, along the Amnok (Yalu) and Tumen rivers.

A small section of the Tumen River also forms North Korea's short border with Russia to the northeast. The Korean Demilitarized Zone marks the boundary between North Korea and South Korea. The legitimacy of this border is not accepted by either side, as both states claim to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula. Currency is North Korean Won (KPW).

Some interesting facts are:

1. Pot is not considered an illegal substance in the otherwise strict country.

2. North Korea bases its calendar on Kim II-Sung’s date of birth: 15 April 1912. There upcoming year is 102 not 2015.

3. North Korea has the world's largest stadium.

4. If one person violates a law or is sent to prison camp, it affects their whole family. Grandparents, parents, and children of the violator are sent to work with them.

5. North Korea only has three TV channels, two of which are only available on weekends, while the other is broadcast in the evenings. Because of this, South Korean soap operas are among the most popular items smuggled in.

Some beautiful places are:

For tourism details visit:
http://korea-dpr.com/kfa_travel.html

South Korea: The Kingdom of Goryeo

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and commonly referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from the Kingdom of Goryeo, also spelled as Koryŏ. It shares land borders with North Korea to the north, and oversea borders with Japan to the east and China to the west. Roughly half of the country's 50 million people reside in the metropolitan area surrounding its capital, the Seoul Capital Area, which is the second largest in the world with over 25 million resident. Currency is South Korean Won (KRW).

Some interesting facts are:
1. South Koreans love sweet potato flavoured delicacies to such an extent that there is every possible dish flavoured with sweet potato. To name a few, there are main courses, desserts, chips, latte, bread and salads.

2. When you are born in South Korea, you are considered a year old. This means that you age faster by a year if you are a South Korean compared to a westerner.

3. This country is one that permits drinking in public and the act is considered perfectly legal. People can carry alcoholic containers in public and can take a drink or two.

4. Writing a person’s name in red ink indicates that the person is about to die or is already dead and gone.

5. South Koreans also believe that leaving an electric fan on overnight would kill the person sleeping directly below it. It is called the ‘Fan Death’ concept.

6. The taxis in South Korea are colour coded according to the level of service offered.

(If you hire a grey or white taxi, your tax would be a basic car with a fully qualified but not so experienced driver. Whereas if you hire a black cab, you will get a luxury car with a more experienced driver)

7. All Korean roofs are curved at the ends giving an appearance of a smile.

Some beautiful places are:

For tourism details visit:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto

Australia: The Land of Kangaroos

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighboring countries include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.

For at least 40,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups.

After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories. The population of 23.6 million is highly urbanized and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast. The capital is Canberra and the largest city is Sydney. The currency is Australian Dollar (AUD).

Some interesting facts are:

1. It has the world's 3rd largest ocean territory, spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometers.

2. Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.

3. The wattle was adopted as the national floral emblem in 1912.

4. The world’s oldest fossil, which is about 3.4 billion years old, was found in Australia.

5. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world. It is 5,614 km long, and was originally built to keep dingoes away from fertile land.

6. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano. 

7. Melbourne has been ranked the world’s most livable city for the past three years.

8. A gay bar in Melbourne won the right to ban women from the premises, because they made the men uncomfortable.

9. Australia includes the world’s longest stretch of dead-straight railway track, a 297 mile length.

10. Lake Hillier in Australia is a bright pink color and scientists aren't sure why.

For more facts visit:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/facts-about-australia#.mx8BBe3Any

Some beautiful places are:

For tourism details visit:

 http://www.australia.com/

#LetsNailedTheWorld