International Fun Facts

04.20.2011 By Eric D

The modern number system is of Hindu/Arabic origin, but it originally contained only nine numbers (1-9). The number zero was later invented in India by Aryabhatta at the end of the 5^th Century AD… I’m wondering how they counted to 10?

Japan’s borders were closed off to foreigners for most of its history. As a result, Japan’s society is very homogeneous, composed of 98.5% ethnic Japanese, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, and 0.6% are other.

Switzerland does not have an official national flower, animal or motto (unofficial: One for all, all for one).

The Persians were the first people to make use of a windmill (c. 644 AD).

There are over 5,000 languages in the world. More than 500 languages are recognized in India alone. Most people in India are at least bilingual, but it is not unusual for a person to know 3 or 4 languages. Without a common language like Hindi/Urdu, or English it would be impossible for them to communicate.

Filed Under: International Fun Facts

5 International Fun Facts (IFF)

03.15.2011 By Eric D

If Facebook were a country it would have the 3^rd largest population in the world, with over 500,000,000 active users. Look out China and India!
The almond is the most widely cultivated and extensively used nut in the world. To all you vegans and health food eaters – FYI, many regard almond milk to be healthier than soy milk, and I think it tastes better too!
The State of California has the 8^th largest economy in the world, ranking ahead of Spain and Brazil and just behind Italy.
Europe has no deserts – it is the only continent without any. In case you were wondering: Yes, Antarctica has a desert! Deserts are defined by extremely low levels of precipitation. In fact, the continent of Antarctica is basically one big desert having within its borders some of the driest locations on Earth!
Reykjavik, Iceland is the northern most capital in the world, yet because it is heated by underground hot springs it maintains moderate temperatures during the winter. Nonetheless, it stays consistently cold throughout the year with an average annual temperature in the 40’s (°F). I prefer the average annual temperature of Southern California: 76 °F!

Filed Under: International Fun Facts Tagged With: california, europe, facebook, iceland

5 International Fun Facts (IFF)

03.03.2011 By Eric D

italy pasta Working in global trade, we are exposed to diverse cultures, and as such, we learn many interesting things. We’ve decided to collect some of the more obscure and idiosyncratic facts, traditions and customs, and share them here, in what we’re calling: International Fun Facts – or IFF for short. Hope you enjoy this first batch!

Tomatoes weren’t in Europe until after the discovery of the Americas! That means there were no traditional pizzas and spaghetti with red sauce (marinara). Cooking with tomatoes was not a part of the Italian cuisine until the 1700’s and did not become popular until the 1800’s. Before that, Italy primarily used cream sauces with their pasta.
In Korea, when a name is written in red it indicates that the person is deceased. My advice: Leave your red pens at home when traveling to Korea.
In Venice, Italy a law states that all gondolas must be painted black unless they belong to a high ranking official.
The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that is flown differently to distinguish between times of peace and war. One section of the flag is blue, and the other is red. The blue portion is flown on top in time of peace and the red portion is flown on top in times of war.
During WWII, U.S. military personnel spread the popularity of chewing gum by trading it and giving it as gifts to people in Europe, Africa, Asia and around the world (International Chewing Gum Association).

If you have any international fun facts, we would love to hear from you. Please, share them with us below.

More IFF coming soon!

Filed Under: International Fun Facts Tagged With: asia, europe, italy, philippines