Discover

The Discover page is about strange but true trivia about destinations around the world. You can contribute and add or edit future facts to the list. Previously displayed facts:

May 2013

• The world's largest known lava column (pictured) can be seen in the Manjanggul lava tube cave on Jeju.
• Last weekend every May, Umeå hosts an unofficial brännboll (the Swedish variant of baseball) world cup where anyone can join in with a team.
• Many blocks in Montreal Downtown are connected by underground pedestrian tunnels, arcades and malls totalling about 30 kilometers in length.

• A special souvenir from Dar es Salaam are Tinga Tinga paintings (pictured), named after the painter who created the style.
• Xian is the eastern end of the famous Silk road.
• Liverpool is home to Europe's oldest Chinatown.

• The Letchworth Gorge (pictured) is so spectacular that 19th-century trains would stop and let passengers off just to take in the view from the rail bridge, 234 feet up.
• Ushuaia is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.
• In Arkhangelsk you can watch old beautiful wooden houses and walk on wooden sidewalks crunching under your feet.

• Faikava (pictured) is a ceremony where Kava, a drink made from the root of the pepper plant, is enjoyed. It became popular on Fiji during the fall of cannibalism, and originated as a way to resolve conflict and facilitate peaceful negotiations between villages.
• In Málaga fans of Picasso can visit his birthplace and the Picasso museum.

April 2013

• Several gambler's bookstores specializing in books about gambling? Only in Las Vegas!

• Łódź (pictured) is sometimes called the Polish Manchester.
• Funchal, the main city on Madeira has its name from the abundance of fennel (Portuguese:funcho) found on the island.
• Jamaica is the third most populous anglophone country in the Americas.

• Founded in 1878, Hotel Imperial (pictured) in Mount Victoria is the oldest hotel in Australia.
• Bitola still bears the marks of its turn-of-the-century importance as a center for diplomacy and is nicknamed "city of consuls".
• Legend has it that the idol of Krishna in Udupi turned around to face Kanakadasa, a devotee who was worshiping him from a window outside as he was denied entry because of his caste.

• A Spanish expedition, led by Juan Ponce de León, landed on the east coast of Florida on April 7, 1513 becoming the first Europeans to step foot on what is now the continental United States. The state is celebrating with a year of events, themed as "Viva Florida 500".
• Fez has the best-preserved medina (old city) in the Arab world (pictured).
• Contrary to widespread belief, Cuban revolutionary and counter-culture idol Che Guevara is not actually of Cuban descent, but of Argentinian. He was born in Argentina's third largest city Rosario in 1928.

March 2013

• Tipping is not the custom in South Korea and can even be considered an insult.

• Windsor Castle (pictured) is the largest royal home in the world. It is also the oldest still in use as a royal residence.
• Natchitoches is the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase and has strong French and Spanish roots, still visible in its preserved architecture.
• The locals of Central Spain describe their continental climate as "nine months of winter and three months of hell".

• Buffalo City Hall (pictured) is widely considered one of the world's finest examples of Art Deco architecture.
• At the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage visitors can learn about native Alaskan culture and see artifacts and dance performances.
• In the area of Luanda in the area where the slaves were held prior to being taken off to the Americas stands now the National Museum of Slavery.

• Tuk-tuks and their bigger cousins jumbos (pictured) are ubiquitous in Vientiane.
• About 20 percent of the Netherlands was reclaimed from the sea, lakes, marshes and swamps. An English saying goes: "God created the Earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands".

February 2013

• Ko Chang means Elephant Island in Thai, even though elephants are not indigenous to the island. The island got its name from the elephant shape of its headland.

• The district Akihabara (pictured) in Tokyo is known as "Electric Town" or "Gamer's Mecca" as the area has thousands of shops selling every technological gadget you can imagine.
• One of the roads from Oslo to Bergen goes through the world's longest road tunnel, Lærdalstunneln.
• Fairmont is the home of the original Pepperoni Roll.

• Tanzania houses the highest peak (Kilimanjaro, pictured), the lowest point, and a portion of the largest lake on the African continent.
• Don't be fooled! Even though Holambra is known for its Dutch windmills, flowers, dance performances, cuisine and crafts, it really is in Brazil.
• Thambili, a drink made from King Coconut juice is sold at the side of streets all over Sri Lanka and is very refreshing.

• Angel Falls (pictured) in Canaima National Park is the highest waterfall in the world.

January 2013

• In Blarney Castle you can kiss the famous Blarney stone which supposedly gives the gift of eloquence.
• The giant aquarium of the Duman entertainment complex in Astana is located over 3000 km away from the nearest ocean, but contains more than 2000 sea inhabitants.

• Western Australia (pictured) is the largest state of Australia, occupying a third of the continent.
• The name of the German spa city Baden-Baden translates to "Baths-Baths".
• Khajuraho is famous for its Hindu and Jain temples with erotic rock carvings.
• Once called the Garden of Amsterdam, most tourists come to Hilversum for a relaxing day off from the hectic city.

• In Kakum National Park you take a look at the rainforest from above, from a canopy (pictured) 40 meters over ground.
• Freedom Square in Brno is shaped as a big reversed "A".
• At N Seoul tower in Seoul you can visit the Teddy Bear Museum which illustrates Korean culture with the characters being teddy bears.

Old discoveries

• 2012
• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007