While the state of Minnesota is known for its 10,000 lakes, the country of Finland contains 187,888 lakes.

1. While the state of Minnesota is known for its 10,000 lakes, the country of Finland contains 187,888 lakes.

2. Although officially Atheist, China relaxed religious restrictions considerably in 1982 when it amended its constitution. The three main traditional Chinese religions are Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

3. Istanbul is the only city that resides on two continents; Europe and Asia.

4. The world's largest island is Greenland (2,131,600 km²). It is almost three times as large as the world's second-largest island, New Guinea (790,000 km²).

5. Monaco has the densest population in the world with an average of 42,861 individuals per square mile.

6. Libya is the only country with a single-colored flag.

7. Antarctica is the only landmass in the world that is not owned by any one specific country.

8. French was the official language of England for over 600 years.

9. Japan leads the world in car production, almost 50% more than Germany and the USA.

10. The world's smallest independent state is the Vatican City, with a population of about 1,000 - and a zero birthrate.

11. Victor Hugo's Les Miserables contains one of the longest sentences in the French language - 823 words without a period

12. Antarctica comprises 90% of the world's ice cover. If melted, this would represent approximately 70% of the earth's fresh water.

13. Netherland’s administrative capital The Hague is home to the The International Court of Justice, and The International Criminal Court.

14. Japan, a country slightly smaller than California with a population of over 125,000,000, experiences about 1,500 seismic occurrences each year.

15. The only nation whose name begins with an "A", but doesn't end in an "A" is Afghanistan.

16. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

17. Chewing gum is outlawed in Singapore because it is a means of "tainting an environment free of dirt."

18. Africa's first republic, Liberia was founded in 1822 as a result of the efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle freed American slaves in West Africa.

19. China’s Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) is the third-longest river in the world at 2,432 mi.

20. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

21. All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black, unless they belong to a high official.

22. Tiny Liechtenstein, with a size of just 62 square miles, is an hereditary constitutional monarchy.

23. Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'.

24. The Vatican's Swiss Guard still wears a uniform designed by Michelangelo in the early 16th century.

25. Europe has no deserts - it is the only continent without one.

26. Peru was once part of the great Incan empire and later the major vice-royalty of Spanish South America. It was conquered in 1531–1533 by Francisco Pizarro. On July 28, 1821, Peru proclaimed its independence, but the Spanish were not finally defeated until 1824.

27. It is forbidden for aircraft to fly over the Taj Mahal.

28. Luxemburg has the highest per capita GDP at $55,100; Somalia, East Timor and Sierre Leone have the lowest at $500.

29. The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica.

30. Hinduism has grown to become the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam. It claims about 762 million followers - 13% of the world's population. It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

31. Fortune cookies were invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodle maker.

32. What is now Pakistan was in prehistoric times the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2500–1700 B.C.). A series of invaders—Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, and others—controlled the region for the next several thousand years. Islam, the dominant religion, was introduced in 711.

33. The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.

34. The world's largest alphabet is Cambodian, with 74 letters.