Quick answer: Some of the most interesting facts about the world: Australia is wider than the Moon, Russia spans 11 time zones, Africa is the only continent in all four hemispheres, Canada has more lakes than any other country, and the Eiffel Tower grows taller in summer. Below are 25 world facts about geography, countries, nature and history, each with a short explanation.
The world is full of facts that sound made up but are completely true. We’ve grouped these by theme and added the reason behind each one, because knowing why something is true is what makes it stick. Want more? Try our facts about humans or facts about North America.
Interesting facts about the world: geography
- Australia is wider than the Moon. Mainland Australia stretches about 4,000 km from east to west, while the Moon’s diameter is about 3,474 km.
- Africa is the only continent in all four hemispheres. Both the equator and the prime meridian cross it.
- Mount Everest isn’t the farthest point from Earth’s center. Because Earth bulges at the equator, the summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador is farther from the center, even though Everest is higher above sea level.
- Russia covers 11 time zones. When it’s evening in Kaliningrad, it’s already the next morning on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
- Canada has more lakes than any other country. By some estimates it holds more than half of all the world’s lakes.
- Istanbul is on two continents. The Bosphorus Strait divides the city between Europe and Asia.
- Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers. It is one of the largest countries in the world without a river that flows all year.
Facts about countries and people
- More than half of all people live in Asia. The world’s population passed 8 billion in 2022, and roughly 6 in 10 people live in Asia.
- Vatican City is the world’s smallest country. It covers about 0.44 square kilometers, smaller than many city parks.
- Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. The mythical creature has been a symbol of Scotland since at least the 1400s.
- In Switzerland, it’s illegal to keep just one guinea pig. Animal welfare rules say social animals like guinea pigs must have company.
- Kiribati sees the new year first. Its Line Islands sit in the UTC+14 time zone, the earliest on Earth.
- The most remote inhabited island is Tristan da Cunha. Its few hundred residents live about 2,400 km from the nearest mainland, in the South Atlantic.
Nature facts
- Oceans cover about 71% of Earth’s surface. Yet only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped in high detail (see mysteries of the deep sea).
- Lake Baikal holds about a fifth of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water. The Russian lake is also the deepest on Earth, at about 1,640 m.
- Some parts of the Atacama Desert have almost never recorded rain. The Chilean desert is the driest non-polar place on Earth.
- A shrimp’s heart is in its head. Its vital organs, including the heart, sit in the front section of its body, behind the eyes.
- Avocados are fruits, and technically berries. They grow from a flower and contain a seed, which makes them fruit botanically.
- Point Nemo is the loneliest spot in the ocean. This point in the South Pacific is so far from land that astronauts on the International Space Station, about 400 km up, are often the closest people.
Science and history facts
- The Eiffel Tower grows in summer. Its iron expands in the heat, making it up to about 15 cm taller on hot days.
- The ice pop was invented by an 11-year-old. According to the popular story, Frank Epperson left a cup of soda with a stirring stick outside on a cold night in 1905. He later patented it as the Popsicle.
- Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid. The pyramid was finished around 2560 BC; Cleopatra died in 30 BC.
- Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. Teaching at Oxford began by around 1096, while the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325.
- Everyday earphones can affect your ears. Studies have linked frequent earphone use with more bacteria in the ear canal, so clean them regularly and avoid sharing them.
- There are more trees on Earth than stars in the Milky Way. A 2015 study estimated about 3 trillion trees, compared with roughly 100 to 400 billion stars in our galaxy.
World facts at a glance
| Category | Record | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest country | Vatican City | About 0.44 kmΒ² |
| Most time zones (one country, mainland) | Russia | 11 |
| Deepest lake | Lake Baikal | About 1,640 m |
| Driest non-polar desert | Atacama | Some stations have never recorded rain |
| First to see the new year | Kiribati | UTC+14 |
| World population | Earth | Over 8 billion |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most interesting fact about the world?
It’s subjective, but popular favorites include Australia being wider than the Moon and Cleopatra living closer in time to the Moon landing than to the Great Pyramid’s construction.
Is Australia really wider than the Moon?
Yes. Australia is about 4,000 km wide from east to west, while the Moon is about 3,474 km across.
Why is Scotland’s national animal a unicorn?
In Celtic mythology the unicorn symbolized purity, power and independence. It appeared on Scotland’s royal coat of arms from the 1400s.
Which country has the most lakes?
Canada, with hundreds of thousands of lakes larger than about 0.1 kmΒ², more than any other country.
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- Fascinating facts about everyday life
Sources
- CIA World Factbook. cia.gov/the-world-factbook
- United Nations: World Population Prospects 2024.
- Crowther, T. W. et al. (2015). “Mapping tree density at a global scale.” Nature.
- Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office: Animal Welfare Ordinance guidance on social animals.
- Seabed 2030 Project progress reports.