News and Events Articles Did you know: Countries? Did you know? The main goal of these 'Did you know' articles is to alleviate some of the boredom bought about by being stuck at home due to the lockdowns and other government restrictions. This week's article will be about the many countries around the world, there will be 20 facts (From a selection of countries) for you to learn and at the end your knowledge will be tested with a crossword! Try to see how many you can get right. Get your thinking caps on and let us begin: Sialkot, Pakistan, is the largest producer of hand sewn footballs in the world and it is estimated that the region produces around 40-60 million footballs a year. South Africa is three times bigger than Texas, and to put that into perspective Texas is larger than any country in Western Europe. Ukraine had the world's worst nuclear power plant disaster. You may have heard about the disaster in Chernobyl. To this day, the area is an exclusion zone due to the nuclear radiation being still so strong. Did you know in Uzbekistan a handshake is only as an acceptable is only an acceptable greeting (Well no one is shaking hands now due to covid) between two men. Women are greeted by bowing and placing your right hand over your heart. Where would you guess the most volcanoes are in the world? The United States? Japan perhaps? Surprisingly Indonesia has the most volcanoes in the world and the most active. Image of Mount Merapi in Indonesia, recently erupted. You would not want to get stranded on Antarctica! It is the emptiest, coldest, driest, highest and windiest place on the earth. The United States flag has 50 stars to represent its 50 states! But have you noticed it has 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies? More thought out than what you would expect at first glance. The most eco-friendly country in the world is Iceland in terms of their energy sources. 30% of their electricity is of geothermal origin, the remaining 70% is hydro powered. Did you know that Austria is one of the top recyclers in Europe? About 63% of the waste produced is recycled and 70% of its electrical needs are met by means of renewable energy sources. Lake Wolfgang in Austria Before Santa Claus made the move to the North Pole, he was born in Turkey as his less known alias Saint Nicholas. The driest place in the world is located in Chlie. Atacama as it is known has not had any rainfall since the record began. The island of Cyprus has its golden era during the Copper and Bronze ages. During that time, Cyprus was the wealthiest nation. In ancient China, it was a sign of rank to grow the nail on your small finger. It will then be decorated with gold for its protection. Did you know that Germany is closing all of its nuclear power plants around the country? The rate they are going they will be on track to remove all of them by 2022. Scotland is home to the only knighted penguin in the world. His name is Sir Nils Olav and his duties include such tasks as inspecting the Norwegian Guard on visits. He has been knighted since 2008. The Vatican City is home to the largest collection of art in the world. You can get yourself lost in its 9-mile long museums. Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City The world famous game of chess was invented in India. Not to mention housed the first ever university in the world, Takshila. 60% of animated shows are produced in Japan. Its 'Anime' industry has been getting more and more popular internationally. With even big actors like Samuel L.Jackson commenting on how he is a big fan. Did you know that Venice has been sinking into the mud at a rate of 2mm a year. This has been happening for the last 10 years. Egypt has so many gods as there is a deity for most things. The country has well over 1,000 gods. It is popular for each city in Egypt to have its favourite god/goddess. Sun Hieroglyph at Karnak Temple, Egypt (Ra is the Sun God) So there it is, your 20 facts about various countries. I hope you have learned something new and interesting. Now it is time to test your knowledge; Click the button below and download the crossword. Complete it the best you can and let us know how you did in the comments below! Download Crossword Source/Credit for facts: https://thefactfile.org/ Crossword created on: https://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/crossword/ Crossword answers: crossword-answer.pdf