Suez canal

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez, and separates the African continent from Asia. Wikipedia

It is the longest canal in the world without locks.

The accidents are almost nil compared with other waterways. 

 

 

After 10 years of construction, it was officially opened on November 17, 1869. 

 

The canal allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance by about 7,000 kilometres (3780 nautical miles).


For the average ship steaming at 18 knots (18 nautical miles per hour), that's 210 hours or just over 8 days. So the Suez Canal literally saves over an entire week off of the transit from Europe to Asia.

Greenland

The sun never sets from May 25th to July 25th.

July is the only month when the temperature gets above the freezing point.

Transport between cities in Greenland is by air and boat as there are no connecting roads due to the many fjords





Greenland is the world’s largest island also 12th largest country ( 2,166,086 sq km ) with Population 55,984 (1 January 2015) (212th). 85% of Greenland is covered in ice.

Panama

Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic.

At its narrowest distance, only 80 kilometers is the land in Panama, which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean.



The Panama Canal  is a 48-mile (77 km) ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. 

There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres (85 ft) above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 metres (110 ft) wide. A third, wider lane of locks is currently under construction and is due to open in 2016.

Norway

Norway is one of the wealthiest countries also the most peaceful country, according to the Global Peace Index.


Food stores cannot be open on Sundays. If you need groceries then, you have to get them at the local gas station, which are allowed to sell food on Sundays.

Food prices are so high in Norway that many people travel to Sweden to buy their groceries.

If you own a TV in Norway, you have to pay an annual fee of $300 USD.

Norway along with Sweden and Denmark make up Scandinavia.

Bhutan

The word “Bhutan” translates to “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”

One-third of Bhutan’s population is under the age of 14; its median age is 22.3 years.
 

Healthcare and education is free in Bhutan for both residents and visitors, despite it’s poverty.

Bhutan is the only country to outlaw tobacco (effective 2004).

The first foreign tourists were allowed into Bhutan in 1974.
 

The tiny country is 70% covered in forest and is one of the leading countries in environmental conservation.
In fact, it’s in the country’s constitution to keep 60% of its land forested.


Thimpu is one of just two capital cities in Asia that does not have a single traffic light. (The other is Pyongyang, North Korea.).  Instead they use men in white gloves.

Bhutan is the only country in the world that absorbs more CO2 than it gives out. It is also the only country whose largest export is renewable energy, which is hydroelectric power.

Dzongkha is the official language.

The national sports of Bhutan are archery and darts.

 

Rather than using the GDP as an economic index, Bhutan measures its overall “health” through the four pillars: sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural preservation, and good governance, which together form the Gross National Happiness or GNH.

All citizens officially become one year older on New Year’s Day. This way, no one forgets anyone’s birthday!
 
In Bhutan, wearing seat-belts in a car is considered dangerous.

Residents fear belts will trap them in their vehicles if their cars fall off one of the country’s plentiful 20,000-plus mountains.

Bulgaria

Bulgarians shake their heads to mean yes and nod for no.

The head nod up and down means “no”, and the head nod from side to side means “yes”.

Nautical mile

1 Nautical mile =  1.852 Kilometers