3 Facts About Every Country in Europe (Part 2)

Iceland is a great Nordic Country to visit. Despite this, the country hasn't a single railway line going across the island, so if you visit the country, be prepared to walk through to freezing temperatures! Iceland is also the most Eco-Friendly country in the world in terms of its energy sources. Although this fact is true, only 1% of Iceland's land is actually covered with trees!

Although Ireland's land area is easily defined, a tiny part of its land is actually located on the western side of Great Britain, in Wales! The small enclave only has a population of just a few hundred people and only has 21 village buildings in it! Ireland is also one of the richest countries in Western Europe with a Nominal GDP per Capita of a whopping $78,660!

Here is another country you've all been waiting for, Italy. Italy is a very cultural country and its identity is well known. Firstly, Italy's well-known city, Florence, is actually where the Renaissance all began, way back in approximately 1300. Italy's capital, Rome, was also the first-ever city to reach a population of 1 million people, back in 133 AD!

Despite being heavily disputed about whether it is a country or not, Kosovo is a great place. It is the smallest country on the Balkan Peninsula and believe it or not, nearly 2% of the countries population is actually of Egyptian origin! Also, very weirdly, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, and the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, are both actually considered "Heroes of Kosovo" although they have both never been there!

Latvia is one of the three Baltic States in Eastern Europe, and in my opinion, the best of the three. The country is a Wifi Paradise with one of the fastest internet connections in the world and its capital, Riga, has over 800 free connection points! Riga International Airport was also the busiest airport in the Baltic States, before the Covid-19 pandemic, with an estimated 7.8 Million passengers in 2019.

Liechtenstein is one of the 6 Microstates in Europe. However, despite being home to thousands of people, Liechtenstein hasn't a single airport within its borders so people wishing to get to Switzerland or Austria, must either take a helicopter or manually traverse the rocky Alpine Mountains in the freezing climate! Liechtenstein also has one of the world's lowest crime rates in the world.

Lithuania is another one of the three Baltic States. The first fact does not count! The country was also the first country to break away from the USSR when it began to collapse in 1990. Also, despite being a pure European Country and far away from Asian culture, its language, Lithuanian, is actually the closest to ancient Sanskrit out of all of the languages spoken today!

Luxembourg is the only remaining country that is a Grand Duchy. Because of this, the country's culture, lifestyle, and ceremonies have a distinct identity in the world. Luxembourg's population also are very likely to have a car as an estimated 647 cars are purchased per 1,000 people! You may think that the country's people are each very rich and this is very true as Luxembourg has the highest Nominal GDP per Capita anywhere in the world with an impressive $114,000!

North Macedonia is another fascinating country. Firstly, it is was the last country to join NATO, having joined the alliance very recently in 2020! (Hello people from the future and sorry if I am saying that 2020 was a recent year)! The Country's capital, Skopje, is also very interesting as the city is believed to be over 1,500 years old making it one of the oldest cities in the world. You may be thinking that there must be written evidence dating back from the time the city was founded but that is simply just not the case. Weirdly, for many years, the people of North Macedonia were not able to write their language until the mid-20th-Century as the language did not have a standardized written form!

Malta, in ancient Greek, means "The Island of Honey" and is a great Mediterranean Island Nation. However, despite the country's tiny land area, Malta actually home to 365 churches within its borders, one for each day of a year! Also, during the Second World War, the country was the George Cross by King George VI of the United Kingdom for its bravery. You can actually find a picture of the same awarded George Cross on the top left of Malta's flag today!

Moldova is a big producer of wine and beer. Because of this, you may think that the country must need a huge place to store its over 700,000 wine bottles made every year and you are correct! Milestii Mici in Moldova is the world’s largest wine cellar that stores over 2 million wine bottles in just a basement space of just a few square kilometers! Moldova is also one of only three National Flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides; the others are Paraguay and Saudi Arabia.

Monaco is a very densely populated country. And I mean very densely populated. So densely populated in fact that the country has a density of 26,337 people per square kilometer making it by far the most densely populated country in the world! Monaco is also home to one of the world's first marine habitats making it ahead of most other countries in terms of development. Monaco is the only country in the world with a Human Development Index of above one!

Montenegro is a very young country having received independence from Serbia quite recently in 2006. However, this doesn't stop the amazing country to attract many tourists. Montenegro is actually named after the dark mountain forests that cover 60% of the land. Speaking of mountains, Montenegro is also home to the second-longest canyon in the world named "The Tara River Canyon" at a massive 78 Kilometers in length and 1,300 metres at its deepest!

And finally, another country you've all been waiting for to finish part 2, the Netherlands. Firstly, the Netherlands is the second biggest exporter of beer remaining behind Mexico. However, despite this, the country is actually the healthiest country in the world for a diet with the average citizen eating less than 10 grams of meat a day! Sadly, however, the Netherlands' capital, Amsterdam, is actually sinking due to the current rising sea levels and will cease to exist sometime around 2050 if the rising sea levels continue.

Finally, that brings us to the end of part 2, and part 3 will be out very shortly. But first, I'd like to thank everyone for the big support I have had over the past weeks and I hope you learned something new from this blog. Thank you all so much for reading and Goodbye! :)