There are many perspectives we can look at when perceiving a country. For instance, we can learn about its history, geography, economy, culture, religion, traditions, and people’s collective behaviour. In that, every country would stand alone despite the many similarities among neighbouring countries.
Today, there are a total of 193 independent countries, all of which are members of the United Nations. How fun would it be to learn one interesting fact about each of them? We do believe such a thing would broaden our view of the world. It was also found to improve cognitive skills and boost personal growth.
But let’s face it. Learning 193 facts, no matter how interesting they are, is still pretty overwhelming. That is why we will split them into several articles, each demonstrating a continent or two. In today’s article, we are discussing the 47 independent states in the world’s largest continent, Asia.
So let’s hop into it.
When it comes to Russia, the list of interesting things is infinite.
But one fascinating fact about this gigantic country is that it has 11 time zones! The east and west borders of the country have a time difference of up to 10 hours. So travelling from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia to Moscow in the west is literally travelling to the future!
And vice versa.
In 2002, China opened the Bailong Elevator, which took three years and 10 million USD to build.
A world record-breaker and an outstanding achievement in itself, the Bailong Elevator is a glass, double-deck elevator. It is 326 metres tall and was built beside a massive cliff in a national park in Zhangjiajie, northwest China.
Taking the elevator to go uphill is an adventure to view the beautiful scenery of the national park. That said, ourists with a single ticket will have to get off at the top! A round-trip is needed to get down, which is double the price.
Japan has an area of 377,915 km². That is only 3.8% of the area of the USA. However, there are 47 local Japanese dialects compared to America’s 30. Some of these 47 dialects are not even understood by the majority of the population.
Those many dialects in Japan are attributed more to the country’s nature than its area.
Japan comprises over 6000 islands. Besides being isolated, each of those islands is characterised by tall mountains. This made travelling between the islands quite difficult, hindering their local dialects’ spread.
Unlike many countries whose national sport is football, India is much more interested in cricket. So it does make sense to invest in that sport, to the point of constructing the world’s highest cricket ground!
Located in Chail to the north of India and at the height of 2,444 metres above sea level is the Chail Cricket Ground. It was established in 1893 by Maharaja Singh, who loved cricket very much.
For so long, the ground used to host tournaments. Currently, though, it is not used for cricket anymore but has become the playground of the city’s military school.
Some countries are islands, like the UK and Australia. Others are made of numerous islands like Indonesia.
Indonesia comprises approximately 17,504 islands. Those islands come in all sizes. Some of them are only tiny islets, while others are super large and have many mountains.
Some people believe that if temperatures continue to increase due to climate change, sea levels will rise, causing many of those indonesian islands to sink.
South Korea has very special beauty standards. So many young people like to align with them by undergoing cosmetic surgeries.
In fact, South Koreans are so obsessed with plastic surgery that the country is known globally as the capital of plastic surgery. The most common plastic surgeries include double eyelid, nose reshaping, and cheekbone reduction.
Facts about North Korea are more eccentric than interesting. That is because this country is pretty secretive and isolated from almost all other countries. Its state regime is also very strict and issues quite bizarre regulations.
For instance, one of those unlike things about North Korea is that the government has lawfully approved only 28 haircuts people can get. In other words, anyone who gets a different haircut from those approved is prone to punishment.
One common stereotype about Asians is that all of them eat with chopsticks. Well, this is true for countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. However, that does not apply to Thailand.
Thai people usually use spoons and forks to eat. But they do not use knives as they serve most food in small sizes. On the other hand, they use chopsticks only when eating noodles.
Trying to find Singapore on the world map is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Singapore is an island state country located to the south of Malaysia. It has an area of 728.6 km². That is even smaller than New York City, whose area is 783.8 km². What is even more interesting is that Singapore is a country of only one city.
In other words, Singapore does not have a capital. That is why it is called a city-state.
It is known that Catholics celebrate Christmas on 25 December. Many countries start preparing for that maybe from the beginning of the month.
Although Filipinos are Catholic, they do Christmas pretty differently. They start celebrating Christmas in September. For over three months, people can hear Christmas songs everywhere. All shops, streets, and malls put up decorations and lights and decorate their trees with beautiful bubbles.
The actual holiday celebrations officially start on 16 December and go on until 25 December.
In many people’s minds, Vietnam is mainly associated with politics, especially after the long war with the United States. But there is more into Vietnam than its political conflicts, for instance, its stunning nature,
Hang Son Doong in Vietnam is in fact the world’s largest cave by volume. It is 38.5 million cubic metres, almost 9 kilometres long, and 150 metres deep. Besides this incredible volume, an underground river flows through the cave. There are also stalactites over 18 metres tall hanging down from the ceiling.
Surprisingly, the Hang Son Doong was only discovered in 1990 by mistake by a local forestman.
The Karakoram Highway is in fact one of the world’s longest and highest paved roads. To some, it is one of the world’s wonders.
Extending 1300 km, the Karakoram Highway is a joint friendship project that connects Pakistan to China. The construction started in 1962. After over 15 years, the project was complete, and the road was opened to the public in 1978.
The Karakoram Highway is considered a big attraction in Pakistan. Many tourists like to drive on the road to enjoy the beautiful mountains, glaciers, rivers, and lakes the road passes by.
While the north and south poles have two seasons only, most countries experience four seasons. But in Bangladesh, there are in fact six seasons!
Thanks to its location in relation to the equator, Bangladesh has summer, monsoon, autumn, late autumn, winter, and spring. Each of which lasts for two months.
The year usually starts in mid-April with summer, when the weather is typically dry and hot. There is a lot of rainfall in the monsoon. In autumn, the weather is a little cool and less humid. Then it gets colder in winter.
The year ends with spring, which lasts from February to April. Beautiful warm breezes and thunderstorms characterise this season.
Often getting mistaken for the capital, Istanbul is the most famous city in Turkey. It is also the country’s biggest tourist attraction.
Besides its remarkable history, Istanbul is distinct for its geography. In fact, this city is located on both sides of the Bosporus Strait, which separates Europe from Asia. In other words, Istanbul is part European, part Asian.
One cool and sadly not-very-famous thing about Iran is its red beach of Hormuz.
Hormuz is an island in the Persian Gulf, only 8 km off mainland Iran. Although small and not very populated, Hormuz is the perfect place for relaxation and enjoying its beautiful nature. There, everything is red, the sand, the rocks, the mountains and even the water.
Like Mars and our blood, this red colour is attributed to the high concentration of iron oxide in the soil.
Every country has its way of celebrating the new year. In Myanmar, things get fun with the Water Festival.
On 1 April, people in Myanmar gather on the streets to celebrate the new year. They do this by splashing water at one another. Besides being fun and all, they consider it a ‘cleansing ritual’ by which they wish each other a happy new year.
Interestingly, people used to just drizzle water at each other in the past. Nowadays, they either pour water at or hit each other with water bags because the weather is so hot!
Modern-day Iraq is home to the oldest writing system in the world.
The Sumerian script in fact was a system that dates back to 3200 BC. It was first invented to document transactions on clay tablets. Then astronomers used it to make geometrical calculations to predict the motion of planets and stars.
This writing system stayed in use for thousands of years until the alphabet replaced it.
Countries may change their flags according to the political changes they undergo. In Afghanistan, things are a little exaggerated as it has changed its flag over 20 times! This gives us a little idea about how unstable the country has been over the past half-century.
The very previous flag was a tricolour of green, red, and black. In the middle, there was a small picture of a temple. This flag was changed under Taliban rule to a white one with shahada written in black.
As eccentric as it may sound, Saudi Arabia is building a linear city.
With construction starting in 2021, Neom City is supposed to be 170 km long, and only 200 metres wide. Mirrored buildings will be on both sides of this width, with a height of 500 metres. They will offer accommodation for a total of nine million people.
A rail system will also be constructed to provide residents with transportation from and anywhere in the city.
A landlocked country does not have any coasts as it is not bordered by any seas or oceans.
As for Uzbekistan, it is a doubly landlocked country. It is not only that it has no coasts whatsoever, but five landlocked countries also surround it. These counties are Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
With a total area of 329,847 square kilometres, Malaysia is divided into two regions by the South Indian Sea. But both of them are bordered by other countries.
The first region is a part of the Malay Peninsula, and it is south of Thailand. This is where Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, is located. The other one is to the northwest of Indonesia.
Interestingly, although its surface area is small, Malaysia’s total highway length is more than Earth‘s circumference.
Learning the flag of every country is fun but confusing, especially that most of them are tricolours. Some flags even have the same colours but with different arrangements.
Nepal is the only country whose flag is easy to learn and recall. The Nepali flag is two differently-sized right triangles. Both triangles are red and their borders are blue. There is a crescent moon on the top triangle and a sun on the lower one.
These sun and moon symbolise that the country will remain as long as the Sun and Moon rise daily.
The world’s first female prime minister was elected in Sri Lanka in the 1960s.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the prime minister of Sri Lanka three times. Her first term lasted from 1960 to 1965. She was then elected again to serve from 1970 to 1977.
Apparently, Bandaranaike had made significant reforms in the country as she was elected as the prime minister for the third time in 1994. She stayed in office until 2000, the year in which she died.
Tea and coffee are the most common national drinks in so many countries. However, that does not apply to Kazakhstan, whose national drink is dairy.
Made by fermenting mare’s milk, kumis is an alcoholic drink with a sour taste and a texture just like yoghurt but lighter. People in Kazakhstan usually consume kumis with food.
Syria’s capital, Damascus, is the oldest capital in the world.
The ancient city of Damascus was founded about 3000 BC and has been inhabited ever since. Thanks to the history it has witnessed and the large number of monuments found there, Damascus was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This ancient city is currently in the city centre of the modern-day, larger Damascus.
While most people worldwide spend large amounts of money on weddings, Cambodians dedicate their fortune to funerals instead.
Even though people might not be earning that much already, they pay as much as several thousand dollars on average per funeral. When someone dies, their family usually takes care of the body, which stays at home for three days. They clean it, dress it, and put it in a coffin.
After that, the coffin is moved to the temple, where it is either buried or cremated.
The Dead Sea in Jordan is 605 square kilometres in area. It is distinct for its elevation and salinity.
First of all, the Dead Sea is 430.5 metres below sea level. This makes it the lowest point on Earth. Secondly, it is 9.7 times saltier than the ocean. This high concentration of salt makes anything float so easily. It is also the reason why no fish can live there.
About 15 kilometres from Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, is the Dar al-Hajar or the Stone House.
Built in the early 20th century, Dar al-Hajar is a huge house constructed on top of a super large rock in a way that looks like it was carved in it. This house was where the ruler of Yemen spent most of his summers. But in the 1960s, it was turned into a museum.
Azerbaijan is famous for its beautiful nature. It also has a large number of volcanoes.
But one of the man-made buildings the country is noted for is the Heydar Aliyev Center. Designed by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, this building is distinct for its architecture that features curves more than sharp angles.
Located in the capital city of Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center has an area of 57,500 square metres. It has a conference hall, a gallery, and a museum.
One can pretty much think of the UAE as the land of superlatives. They have broken many world records with the tallest and most inclined buildings and the largest airport terminal, mall, and aquarium. They also possess a lot of firsts, from the first 7-star hotel to the first zero-carbon city and the first Ferrari-branded theme park.
But another compelling thing about the UAE is that it formed the first artificial intelligence ministry in 2017. The sole mission of such a ministry is to make the country a leader in the field of AI in a 14-year time.
Ice and glaciers are primarily associated with the poles and the surrounding areas like Greenland and Antarctica.
Apart from those, Tajikistan is distinctive for having the longest glacier. With an area of 700 square kilometres and a length of about 77 km, the Fedchenko Glacier is found in the Pamir Mountains. It plays a critical role in providing many countries in Central Asia with fresh water.
Almost all countries drink coffee in cups. Whether their plastic cups, paper cups, or glass cups. In Laos, street stalls offer iced coffee made with condensed milk in plastic bags and straws.
There seem to be so many things the Lebanese people celebrate. That is why they have around 16 public holidays per year. Most of these holidays celebrate religious occasions, either Muslim or Christian.
Kyrgyzstan is home to the world’s longest poem. Yes, that is true.
The Epic of Manas is a 500,000-line poem that dates back millennia. Considered a masterpiece poem that makes up Kyrgyz literature, this poem tells many historical stories and events that took place in the country during the 9th century. It also documents wars between the local people and invaders from other countries.
Though the poem is thought to be very old, it was mostly orally told from one person to another for so long.
Just like many countries are famous for producing certain vegetables and fruits, Turkmenistan is a leading country in melon production, growing around 400 varieties.
Melon is that sweet juicy fruit that makes the perfect summer treat. It is so much regarded in Turkmenistan that they celebrate its national day every year on the second Sunday of August.
Melon has great significance in the local culture. People even organise melon-related competitions.
Oman is a small, safe, almost crime-free country in the Middle East. One interesting, or strange, thing about it, however, is the absence of trains. There is not even a metro system.
The country is relatively small, only 309.501 square kilometres in area. So when people want to travel between cities, only cars and buses are available. That said, the country is planning to build a rail system, parts of which are expected to extend to some neighbouring countries.
No one can mention Palestine without mentioning olives. For Palestinians, they are more than just a vegetable.
Olives have been grown and cultivated in Palestine for centuries. It is said that almost half of the country’s land is used to plant olives. Because olive trees are not affected by drought and are incredibly resistant to harsh weather conditions, they represent the country’s struggle with the Israeli occupation.
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites are exceptional man-made sites that represent creativity and excellence. They also hold huge cultural, international or historical values. Such sites are usually listed by the World Heritage Convention, an organisation related to UNESCO.
Contrary to common belief, some countries worldwide have no UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Despite being very sophisticated and a great travel destination, Kuwait has no World Heritage Sites.
Like Turkey, Georgia is in fact both an Asian and a European country since it lies at the intersection between the two continents.
Georgia’s unique location makes it home to up to 12 diverse climate zones. These range from subtropical to semi-desert. The country also has over 40 different types of soil, which, along with the various climate conditions, allow the cultivation of many plants.
The horse is in fact the national animal of Mongolia. It is so significant that there are more horses than people in the country!
Horse population is estimated to be over four million, while the people population is just 3.3 million. Besides some culturally-special beliefs about them, people ride horses, eat their meat, and drink mares’ milk. They also organise horse racing festivals.
In September 2008, the world’s oldest shoe was in fact found in Armenia.
The Areni-1 shoe was made of leather and dated 5,500 years ago. It was found by a postgraduate student who was on an excavation with some other archaeologists. The shoe was in perfect condition because the place where it was found was cold and dry.
Such conditions protected it from erosion.
Qatar is in fact a tiny little country in the Middle East that is bordered by the Arabian Gulf. Besides hosting the world’s biggest tournament, the World Cup, in 2022, there are many other cool things about it.
One of those things, for instance, is that only 12% of its total population is Qataris. The remaining percentage comprises 99 other nationalities who work and live there.
Bahrain is in fact an island country in the Arabian Gulf. It is the smallest in the Middle East and the third smallest country in Asia.
Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia through the King Fahd Causeway that crosses the Gulf of Bahrain. This is one of the longest bridges in the world, with a length of 25 km.
In the middle of the bridge is a border that defines the Bahrani and the Saudi sides.
Interestingly, women were allowed to drive on the Bahrani side only until 2018.
Also known as East Timor, Timor Leste is a very new country that only turned 20 in 2022.
Timor Leste is one of two parts of the island of Timor. It is located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Australia. For many years, Timor Leste was a part of Indonesia. But in 1999, the people voted for independence, and it was declared in 2002.
The western part of Timor, however, is still in fact an Indonesian province.
Capital cities are crowded, so they need strict regulations.
But for some reason, there are no traffic lights in the capital city of Bhutan. Instead, some policemen direct drivers at the central and most important squares and streets.
The Maldives is in fact a small country in the Indian Ocean and one of the world’s most beautiful tourist attractions.
As a way to address climate change, the president of the Maldives held a meeting with the cabinet officials underwater! They discussed global warming and how countries should help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Brunei is in fact another small lovely country in Asia and one of the richest in Southeast Asia, thanks to its oil and gas production.
One exciting thing about Brunei is its presidential palace, it is in fact one of the largest in the world. It was designed by a Filipino architect and cost 1.5 billion USD to build. The palace has 17 floors, including over 1,700 rooms, 257 restrooms, five swimming pools, and a large garage that can host over 100 cars!
Here we get to the end of today’s adventure, in which we learned a single fact about every Asian country.
We hope you found this article interesting as much as we loved writing it for you. You can still learn a lot by visiting the World Around Us page on our website.
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