5 things about your country

Howdy.

Tell me 5 things that no one knows about your country (state), other than the people that live there...

I'll start with my country, Iceland.

1. Iceland as a fetish for a chocolate named Prince Polo. It's a polish choclate and I don't think that the polish people eat it. There is even an Icelandic song about this chocolate.
Few years ago when the factory changed the candy wrapper the icelandic public was furious, and there was send an complain letter to the factory on behalf of the Icelandic public, to ask them to change it back because we though that the chocolate tasted diffirent in that wrapper. (there was a serious thinking, of changeing it back)

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2. When you order a hotdog in iceland, you should always ask for "One with all".
Thats hotdog with, mustard, ketchup, fried onions, raw onions and a "remúlaði" (not sure what it's called in english). We have only 1 kind of hotdog in iceland

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3. We have 13 santaclauses and they begin to come on the 12th of desember and the last on comes 24th of desember.
All kids puts there shoes in the window and they'll get 13 gift (from 12-13th of desember). there names are.

Stekkjastaur - Enclosure Post
Giljagaur - Crevice Imp
Stúfur - Itty Bitty
Þvörusleikir - Pot Scraper Licker
Pottasleikir - Pot Licker
Askasleikir - Bowl Licker
Hurðaskellir - Door Slammer
Skyrgámur - Skyr Gobbler
(Skyr, an Icelandic yoghurt)
Bjúgnakrækir - Sausage Snatcher
Gluggagægir - Window Peeper
Gáttaþefur - Doorway Sniffer
Ketkrókur - Meat Hooker
Kertasníkir - Candle Beggar

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4. We have the guinnes world record of most expensive firework display in the world (and beat it almost every year). On the 31 of desember, everyone over 16 can buy a firework (you don't need a license on that day) and Icelandic families buys fireworks for around 25-50.000 isKr. (around 400 - 800 dollars).
We shoot all the fireworks simuntaniously at the first minutes of the new year.

Pictures :
http://www.photos.is/albums/album04/hs004386.jpg
http://www.photos.is/gallery/album04/hs004387
http://www.photos.is/gallery/album04/hs004389
http://www.scantours.com/images/newyeariceland.gif
http://www.iceland-kankobunka.jp/images/firework1.jpg

I recomend it, great experience.

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5.
Cops in Iceland are not allowed to have firearms and there are only around 10-15 cops that are in some kind of a special force that is allowed to have guns (they have newer in there history fire a shot).

P.S. Only 8 people went to prison for more than a day, last year

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Bonus fact.

Icelanders are only 398 thousand and there are only around 170 thousand people in the capital area.

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Now it's your turn, tell me some strange fact about you'r place

that 5th fact is just incredible .
almost unbelievable.

1. Canada has the worst bureaucratic institutions in the entire world (speaking from experience, not statistic)

2. We have more automobiles per capita than any other country in the world (not a good thing, but sadly we have to drive pretty far to get places sometimes).

3. We have the 2nd. largest amount of proven oil reserves in the entire world behind Saudi Arabia.

4. The paint roller was invented here. (whoohoo...)

5. We produce wine and some of it is pretty damn good.

I guess the one thing I could tell other countries about America is that compared to other countries, tattooing is pretty damn popular and well accepted here. Most people here under the age of 35 have one or more tattoos. So many people here have them that even women who have prominent ones that are not covered by everyday clothing are not looked at as unusual. I am not sure tattooing has caught on in other countries the way it has here. I see pics of Euro topless beaches and non one seems to have any tattoos.

Oh, and there are only a quarter million people living in the entire Texas northern panhandle.

1. Most Americans support our troops but don't trust our government at any level

2. The vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas but the minority (thanks to the ACLU) have negated this fact. The "Happy Holidays" is the only socially acceptable greeting. What a crock!

3. Population grown: In 1790: 3,893,374 - In 2000: 281,423,231

4. Cost of the Manhattan Project (through August 1945): $20,000,000,000
Peak number of nuclear warheads and bombs in the stockpile/year: 32,193/1966
Number of U.S. nuclear bombs lost in accidents and never recovered: 11
Estimated 1998 spending on all U.S. nuclear weapons and weapons-related programs: $35,100,000,000

5. Of those who committed murder in 2004 in the US, 90.3 percent were identified as male; 91.7 percent of the male offenders were over 18 years of age. A racial breakdown of murder offenders for whom race was known showed that 49.8 percent were black, 47.8 percent were white, and 2.4 percent were persons of other races.

i wanna get in on this

i live in Pennsylvania in the USA.

Fact one, the city of Pittsburgh was the capital of the steel industry around the turn of the last century.

Fact two, the famous, cracked, Liberty Bell is in Philidalphia Pennsylvania. People know that though

Fact three, famous architech Frank Lloyd Wright built the beautiful Fallingwater House in this state. It's somewhere in the mountains southeast of Pittsburgh.

Fact four, The Gettysburg Address was dilivered in Gettysburg Pennsylvania on the 19th of November in 1863.

Fact Five, Northern Pennsylvania boarders Lake Erie, part of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie is the most shallow lake of the 5 Great Lakes.


I took a shot at it, enjoy the facts.

Im Welsh

1) We dont like the english

2) We like people who dont like the english

3) We have Charlotte Church and Catherine Zeta Jones

4) We have one of the oldest languagues in the world

5) We still dont like the english!

No offence intended to anyone.

About Denmark:

1) Our language is very hard to pronounce, if you are trying to learn it.
2) Our majesty is named Margrethe the 2nd and the whole royal family likes driving fast
3) Salami is the national food.

4) The capital is Copenhagen.
5) The are 5,4 millions inhabitans, and last year we bought 486 million beers

1. There is plenty more food from Mexico than "tacos"...and the tacos you have tasted probably are NOTHING like what we eat here...believe you me.

2. Money can buy anything here. Mexico has one of the biggest corruption problems in the world, thats why nobody trusts the police. It is common here that when you see a cop, you are afraid, not relieved.

3. We have the biggest Carls Jr. in the world here. The biggest in area and the one that sells the most # of hamburgers a year.

Ps. This is also the city where most Coke is consumed per capita in the world, and where most cesarean sections are performed each year proportional to the total population.

4. My city, Monterrey, has the richest district in all of Latin America in money earned per capita.

5. Mexico has one of the biggest ignored and untalked racial problems in the world. Skin color ranges from pure white (hispanic/european descent) passing through brown (native/indigenous background) to black (from african slaves brought during the spanish conquest). In percentage, white people are the richest and we are unfairly chosen over others because of the racial factor.

Albania

1. My country had 50 years of dictature and it was the most terrbile dictature in europe and it was equal to the one of Sadam Hysein in Asia

2 The last Egyptian faraon dinasty had an Albanian faraon

3 We have a language that is different from all the others that comes from our ancestors Illyrians that are also ancestors of Pellazg who are the first tribes that came to live in europe

4 We are a country that has never done a war for religion despite of the fact that we are myslim ortodocs and catholic

5 We are the only country that in the period of the otoman perandory we have defeated them for 25 years
and our national heroe Scanderbeg is known as an international heroe for his braveness and not allowing the otomans to arrive in Venecia even Italy

For the non-Americans:

1. The US has a very diverse climate and terrain. From deserts to mountains to plains, I would guess just about all typical types of terrain can be found here somewhere.

2. Up north, they are called yankees. Good people with more 'normal' accents. Down south here we have the rednecks, or good old boys. We talk kinda funny. The civil war was a battle between the two, and we continue to this day making fun of each other.

3. Drive at 16. Drink at 21. Vote at 18. Smoke at 18.

4. We have 2 main polital parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. They fight alot. We have a president and a vice president. If the president dies, the vice president takes over. Not sure who gets it if both die. ?

5. Our cars suck lately.

Some more about Canada:
1 - We have the most fresh water per capita then in any other country. Most Canadians however are still stupid enough to purchase bottled water
2 - We have the largest coast line in the world that covers three oceans, and it is unprotected. (See bureaucratic comment in previous Canadian post)
3 - Although our military is small and we do not have the latest and best toys for our soldiers to play with, we do have some of the best trained personnel on the planet. E.g. US and other countries send their elite snipers to train with us.
4 - Canadians who are informed about world issues often watch CNN for laughs the way we used to watch SCTV for fun on Sundays before it went off the air.
5 - Many Canadians have suffered through some very stupid politicians; however we are very grateful that G.W.Bush (and his father) were not born in Canada.

Some of the facts above are unverified, except for #5

a lil bit about england (my thoughts not what everbody thinks)

1. We don't like the welsh!!
2. We always have to clean up for the americans after they mess up yet another war!!! time and time again!!
3. we are a small little country that used to rule the world, before the americans came along!!
4. We have the most famous royal family in the world (almost as famous as david beckham)
5. when it comes to sports we invented them all and anyone who is better than us or who cheats we hate. eg: football, hate argentina!!! cricket, hate the aussies!!! rugby, hate the aussies!!! golf, hate the americans!!! you get the picture.... i could go on forever!!

these are pretty straight forward facts, england is an amzing place to live and there are so many great facts about our nation....i just can't be assed to find them out!!

dude this is a great idea for a thread and its really good reading about other peoples countrys. thanks for the posts

hmm, i`m bavarian..

1. we drink a lot beer and eat schweinebraten mit knödel
2. we have mountains
3. we dont like the rest of germany
4.we are typical very stubborn and like to fight
5.we have a lot tourists that comes here every year to proof those stereotypes

Quote:

Originally posted by storrmin

Im Welsh

1) We dont like the english

2) We like people who dont like the english

3) We have Charlotte Church and Catherine Zeta Jones

you forgot



and

My country is New Zealand
1) It's maori name is Aotearoa which means land of the long white cloud
2) Rugby is our sport we seem to be the best in the world except for the Rugby World Cup year.
3) We have a rivalry with Aussie, We dont like them, cept for when we are overseas and there are no kiwis about, they are the next best thing to a kiwi.
4) We dont have sex with sheep
5) We generally are all alcoholics, we make some good beer, and our red wines are boomin especially our pinot noir

# bonus fact we are a creative bunch - one guy even tried to rob a bank over the phone

My country is South Africa

1) We do not like to play New Zealand in rugby
2) We are a Rainbow nation
3) Our ex president was a convict (bet that USA)
4) We invented the first helicopter that flights’ upside down
5) We have 7 official languages

Bonus Fact

We have the murder capital of the world (Johannesburg)

Quote:

Originally posted by sic-boy

My country is New Zealand
1) It's maori name is Aotearoa which means land of the long white cloud
2) Rugby is our sport we seem to be the best in the world except for the Rugby World Cup year.
3) We have a rivalry with Aussie, We dont like them, cept for when we are overseas and there are no kiwis about, they are the next best thing to a kiwi.
4) We dont have sex with sheep
5) We generally are all alcoholics, we make some good beer, and our red wines are boomin especially our pinot noir

# bonus fact we are a creative bunch - one guy even tried to rob a bank over the phone

allright, im an aussie and these are more opinions than facts..

1. We DO have a rivlary with the kiwis, we love to beat them in sports (although it hasnt happened lately)
we almost enjoy beating them in sports as much as we do the english (which also hasnt happend lately)

2. We DONT drink fosters or think steve irwin or croc dundee represent aussies....theyre dickheads

3. We love beer, in good or in bad times (look at what happened on sunday the 11th) and there is never a
bad time for a beer..or too early time for one.

4. We love to make fun of everyone, regardless country, race or religion, we dont mean it as an insult.
we just enjoy taking the piss out of people..all in good fun

5. We dont hate the poms or the kiwis, we just enjoy the banter, and the rivalry...in honesty, them 2 are
the ones we most get along with and have most in common internationally.


i might add some more if mongols and the others dont..

1) we export beer to the rest of you.
2) we make fun out of the Belgium people, like the English do about the Scottish people.
3) we are supposed to speak every language in the world, when tourists come up to us and ask in their own language all kind of things and get completely surprised when we say that we don't speak Swahili.
4) we have good football players
5) we have 4 seasons in 1 day.


Edit:

For those who don't know, I'm from Holland.

i am from austria

1) we are NOT australia and we arent german either

2) we got really good skiers

3) we got much mountains

4) schwarzenegger is from austria

5) Hitler was born in austria, but everyone thinks hes from germany

Beethoven is from germany, but everyone thinks he is from austria :P

More on New Zealand (hey, sic-boy, what are you doing in the Neutral Zone?!?)

1: We were the first modern nation to give women the vote
2: We have the world's steepest street
3: We have this delusion that we can play cricket, which the Aussies usually shatter for us pretty convincingly.
4: You can't drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to get to Auckland (I've had some Americans ask me if I've ever done that).
5: We have the biggest national inferiority complex in the world.

And I agree with Latino (wow, there's a first!! ); the Kiwi/Aussie thing is mostly friendly banter - I love Oz and it's one of the few places outside NZ where I'd be happy living (especially Melbourne).