Fascinating world facts for every traveller

Have you ever wondered what really are the biggest, smallest, most diverse and rainiest places on Earth? Our world is an endlessly fascinating place, especially for those of us with a thirst for travel and exploration. We’ve gathered together some of the most interesting world facts.

Where is the world's smallest country in size and population?
Where is the world's largest country in size?
Which country has the highest population?
Which country has the most cultural diversity
What is the most visited country in the world?
Which countries have the most rain during the year?
Which countries are the least rainy?
Which countries have the most islands?
Which countries have the most airports?
Which countries have the most beaches/coastline?
What country is the sunniest?

Where is the world's smallest country in size and population?

The smallest country in the world is the Vatican City, home of the Pope. This tiny city-state itself lies within a city, located as it is in the centre of Rome. At just under 0.5 square km, it’s comparable in size to a small village or town centre. It also has the world’s smallest population, with just 800 long-term residents and only around 450 of which are Vatican City citizens. Despite its tiny credentials, the Vatican City welcomes five million visitors a year. Highlights include the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.

Where is the world's largest country in size?

At 17,000 square km, Russia is by far the biggest country on Earth. From the European Baltic Sea at its most westerly point, where it neighbours Estonia and Finland, this long country wraps around the Northern Hemisphere, hugging the Arctic Circle to its Siberian north and bordering multiple countries along the south. This includes Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. At its most eastern point, it is just a few miles from Alaska. It’s one of the only countries in the world with a foot in two continents, Asia and Europe.

Which country has the highest population?

Winner of the most populated country goes to China home to over 1.4 billion people, a number that continues to grow. Seemingly homogeneous to outsiders, China is actually a hugely diverse country with distinct cultural groups and diverse cuisine, landscapes and even climates. In second place is India, with just under 1.4 billion residents.

Which country has the most cultural diversity?

The most culturally diverse country on Earth is the unlikely Benin in Western Africa, according to data from the Global Diversity Index. However some of the most culturally diverse cities are found in North America, including Toronto, home to 200 cultures, followed by New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Europe, it’s London, Paris and Amsterdam that top the diversity charts. Sydney, Singapore and Sao Paulo are all hugely diverse cities too.

What is the most visited country in the world?

According to UNWTO World Tourism, the beautiful European country of France wins the accolade of most annual visitors as of 2018, France has a population of 67 million but welcomes over 89 million visitors each year. What is it about France? Could it be the stunning countryside, the cultural cities, the rich history, or is it just a matter of cheese and wine? Coming in a close second is Spain, with just over 80 million annual visitors.

Which countries have the most rain during the year?

Despite the rainy reputation of Northern Europe, it is countries that lie close to the equator that receive the highest amount of rainfall. With over 3000mm each year, Colombia is the rainiest country on Earth, followed by Sao Tome and Principe and Papua New Guinea. Even the most intrepid travellers tend to visit equatorial countries outside of the rainy season however.

Which countries are the least rainy?

It’ll come as no surprise that the least rainy countries are found in countries with large deserts, especially those in the Middle East and North Africa, with Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia all proud to be amongst the driest.

Which countries have the most islands?

You might be surprised to read that it’s Sweden that comes out top for the highest number of islands. With 267,570 islands, even the country’s capital, Stockholm, is built upon an archipelago of 14 islands. It’s worth noting, however, that the majority of these islands are inhabited. Coming top for inhabited islands is Indonesia, where people live on 6000 of the country’s 17,508 islands.

Which countries have the most airports?

United States comes in first place with an unbelievable 13,500+ airports. If you add private airfields to that number you are looking at over 19,000 airports. In second place is Brazil, with far less (but still a huge amount), at just over 4,000 airports.

Which countries have the most beaches/coastline?

Canada wins the award for the biggest coastline, thanks in part to the Arctic Archipelago and the shape of the country’s northern shoreline. Canada boasts 202,080 km of coastline, but as we know, most of that isn’t what we’d call beach-worthy. For beaches, you’ll want to head to Indonesia, where much of the country's 99,083 km of coastline is made up of beautiful sandy beaches. This probably has something to do with those 6000 islands we mentioned earlier.

What country is the sunniest?

What many of us really want to know is, where can we go for guaranteed sun? The places with the largest number of sunshine hours are found in the USA and Egypt. In the US the sunniest places are found in Arizona and Nevada, both perfect destinations for year-round sun.