Did you know that Lake Nicaragua, in Nicaragua, is home to the only freshwater sharks in the whole world? Or that the English Channel grows by 30 centimetres every year?
Sometimes in this job we come across a fascinating random fact when we’re researching a blog post that I just want to share, but I can’t justify an entire blog post based around one fact. Either it’d be too short or the rest would be filler, which is no good.
But now I’ve got a whole collection of facts, I can bring you a whole post full of these intriguing nuggets of information, all of which have some relation to destinations around the world that you may be able to visit on a cruise. Got to keep it relevant, haven’t I?
So for example in Verona, the place where the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet was set, around a thousand letters still arrive on Valentine’s Day addressed to Juliet, which is amazing considering this happens every year despite the play being written over four hundred years ago.
Do you know how the Red Sea got its name? It’s because of the algae in the ocean – when these creatures die, they turn a deep red and tint the normally-blue waters, giving a beautiful effect.
Meanwhile if you visit Monaco, keep an eye out for Rolls Royce cars – there’s a very good chance you’ll see one as the country has the highest per-capita ownership rate. One person in every 65 owns a Rolls Royce, so you’re likely to see plenty.
And speaking of Monaco, did you know the country is half the size of Central Park in New York City? Actually that’s not true, but it used to be. Since then, due to land reclamation, it’s roughly two-thirds the size of the park, but that’s still pretty incredible.
Iceland is known for being a hive of volcanic activity and in particular for the breath-taking hot springs. But were you aware that around 90% of the buildings in Iceland are heated by harnessing these natural springs? That’s a stunning statistic and one that I’m particularly jealous of considering my own heating bills.
If you’ve got Niagara Falls on your bucket list, you might want to pay them a visit since it’s estimated that in 22,000 years they simply won’t exist. The falls themselves have actually moved seven miles in the last 10,000 years due to erosion.
If you have a phobia about volcanoes then maybe a cruise around Australasia is right for you – it’s the only continent in the world that doesn’t have an active volcano. But while you’re in Australia you might notice the currency feels a bit strange, because most of the notes are made out of plastic.
Here are some quick fire facts to round this off:
The full original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula.
The height of the Eiffel Tower varies by up to six inches at any one time, due to the temperature of the metals.
The woman in the Statue of Liberty is called the Mother of Exiles. Her mouth is three feet wide.
If you take the perimeter of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and divide it by double the height of the structure, you will reach Pi to around fifteen digits. That shows the incredible mathematical accuracy of the landmark.
Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice.
Do you have any wonderful facts about the world? Let me know in the comments!
By Ian Lewis
Google
Comments: no replies