Yet More Interesting Facts About A Few Countries Quiz

Answer: From a burp of the creator

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. Most of its adherents are to be found in India, where nearly one billion people follow its practice. It is also a major religion in Nepal, Bali and Bangladesh. Kamadhenu, often portrayed as the cow of plenty, reputedly has the ability to give its owner anything that is desired.

There are varying accounts of her birth, including one found in the Mahabharata ("Adi Parva" book) that she emerged from the churning ocean of the cosmos. However the "Anushasana Parva" book states she was born from the belch of the creator Daksha.

Answer: Centenarians

From March 2007, Dominica was noted as having three times the worldwide average (in developed countries) of this group of people. The School of Medicine at Ross University started research on the results of these findings to establish what causes contributed to this longevity. Dominica has several unique plants that are consumed by its people, which could be one of the causes. Who knows?

Answer: Oak and linden trees

As well as once being considered sacred and prized for their medicinal qualities, these two trees are looked on as the national trees of Latvia. In modern Latvia they are still used for medical purposes, with infusions made from the bark of the oak and the linden blossoms. How amazing is Mother Nature? In Latvia's folklore and sacred tales, the linden tree was considered female while the oak was the feller. Even today, with the reverence in which these two trees are held, you will often see in the midst of cleared fields for agriculture that there is a lone linden or oak tree left untouched.

Answer: Bread and salt

Oh well, why not? It's as good as anything else I suppose, but I'd prefer bread and jam myself. Bearing in mind its cold climate, Belarusian cuisine is fairly basic, consisting of nourishing, slowly-cooked meals or vegetable-laden stews. Typical drinks are vodka made from Russian wheat, or kvass, which is a soft drink made from rye or brown bread.

Answer: Less than seven percent

That's mind-boggling. Historian David N Cook has gone on record as stating that Peru's native population was reduced from nine million in the 1520s to less than 600,000 by 1620. The main cause of this was the diseases that the conquering Spaniards brought with them, against which the native population had no natural immunity. It's almost impossible to comprehend, isn't it?

Answer: Crossbow

The Crossbow Corps was once the most important part of this small nation's army, but its modern use is purely ceremonial to reflect its historical roots which go right back to 1295. Its makeup comprises eighty volunteers who wear medieval uniforms and give demonstrations of crossbow shooting at various festivals. Bearing in mind the tiny size of San Marino, its army is one of the smallest forces in the world.

This country's military is also known for its strikingly colorful dress uniforms.

Answer: Serbian

His name was Ognjeslave Kostovic Stepanovic. I bet you're thankful I didn't ask you to spell it. He created a product called arbonite, which is a form of plywood and is noted as one of the world's first plastics. He took out a patent on it in the USA in 1906.

In the 1880s, some twenty years before Ferdinand von Zepplin invented his famous airships, Stepanovic was already designing and trying to manufacture this early method of flight, but, alas, his machine was destroyed in a fire and never tested on a maiden flight.

His other designs included a gasoline engine for aircraft, and, remarkably so, as far back as 1879, this little genius of a man also demonstrated flying models of helicopters, and other aircraft including an amazing ornithopter.

This is an aircraft that flies with flapping wings that imitate the movement of birds. Astonishing. Mind you, I'm content to admire that idea from the safety and solidity of terra firma.

Answer: Noah

The native name for Armenia is Hayk. Traditionally, this is said to be derived from the legendary patriarch of that country, who was Noah's great-great-grandson. Wait - before you laugh in derision - Hayk is said to have established his kingdom in the Ararat area of the country, which is where the Bible records that Noah's ark came to rest. Mount Ararat was always a historical part of Armenia, and though it is now a geographical part of Turkey - a country for which Armenia has no fondness bearing in mind the terrible history between the two nations - Mount Ararat is still considered an Armenian possession, so much so that it continues to be used as their national emblem.

Answer: Hungary

Lake Heviz is 47,500 square metres in size. The flow of water is strong in this enormous lake and is replenished each day, leading to thriving health industries being set up in the area. Its waters are said to have curative properties and their chemical composition is said to be slightly radioactive. Goodness, I think I'll stick to a rubber ducky in my bathtub instead.

Answer: Kiribati

Kiribati is found in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Both the equator and the international date line run through this country, successfully making the nation located in all four of the globe's hemispheres. How confusing for its residents. Because the country realigned the International Date Line in 1995 to allow all businesses to be located within the same business week, Kiribati became the first country to welcome in the new millennium. Sadly, this isn't going to do it much good in the long run, because it's also the first country expected to sink below sea level as a result of global climate changes. Fingers crossed this doesn't happen.

Otherwise, not only will Kiribati be the only country located in the world's four hemispheres at the same time, but it will also be the first country where all its residents go to work in submarines.