The largest city in Germany is Berlin. With over 3.8 million residents, the capital is nearly twice as large as the runner-up, Hamburg. Germany has a total of four cities that cross the one-million inhabitant mark: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne. While in many countries all the action is centered in the capital, in Germany the roles are distributed. Frankfurt is the financial heart, Hamburg has the port, and Munich has the industry. 1. Berlin (3.8 million residents) The undisputed number one. Since the fall of the Wall, Berlin has grown explosively into one of the hippest metropolises in Europe.…
Author: Patrick
The largest city in the United States is New York City. With over 8.3 million residents, nearly twice as many people live here as in the runner-up, Los Angeles. New York is so densely populated that approximately 1 in every 38 Americans lives in this single city. In America, the rule is: bigger is better. Still, there is a major difference between the old cities on the East Coast (high-rise, packed together) and the cities in the West and South (vastly sprawling, many highways). The dominance of the state of Texas in this list is striking; people are moving south…
The smallest state in America is Rhode Island. With an area of only 3,144 km², it is barely larger than the province of Groningen. It fits more than 500 times inside Alaska. Despite its name, Rhode Island is not an island, though it does have plenty of coastline. In these small states, you can sometimes drive through three different states in a single hour. What they lack in size, they often make up for in population density and history. Here are the 10 “little ones” of the United States. 1. Rhode Island (3,144 km²) Its official nickname is “Little Rhody”…
The smallest bird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird. This flying jewel grows to only 5 or 6 centimeters and weighs less than 2 grams. That is lighter than an average tea bag. They are so small that they often fight with bumblebees over the same flowers. Most birds in this list are hummingbirds, as this family has evolutionarily specialized in being extremely small nectar drinkers. However, we also look at the smallest birds from other continents, such as Europe and Australia, to provide a complete picture. Here are the 10 absolute minis of the animal kingdom. 1. Bee…
The deadliest animal in the world is, by a wide margin, the mosquito. This small insect is responsible for an estimated 700,000 to 1 million deaths per year. They do not kill through physical injury, but by spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. In this list, we look at the number of human victims per year. It is a sobering statistic: the most dangerous animals are usually not predators looking to eat us, but animals defending their territory or spreading parasites. Here are the 10 animals you should statistically be most afraid of. 1. The Mosquito (700,000+…
The largest shark (and also the largest fish) in the world is the Whale Shark. This gentle giant can grow up to 18.8 meters long. That is roughly as long as an articulated city bus. Despite its enormous mouth, it is completely harmless to humans; it calmly filters small crustaceans from the water. Sharks have existed for more than 400 million years, long before dinosaurs roamed the earth. The species in this list range from deep-sea monsters we rarely see to the well-known hunters near the surface. Here are the 10 longest and heaviest sharks swimming in our oceans today.…
According to many, the most painful bone fracture is the femur (thigh bone). The femur is the strongest and longest bone in our body. Breaking it requires a massive amount of force, such as a car accident. The pain is unbearable because the large leg muscles go into spasm after the break, pulling the loose bone fragments over one another. In this list, we aren’t necessarily looking at the most dangerous fractures, but purely at the pain experience during the acute phase and recovery. Here are the 10 bones you would rather keep intact. 1. Thigh Bone (Femur) Breaking your…
According to statistics, the most painful condition in the world is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). On the pain scale, it scores a 42 out of 50, which is higher than childbirth or the amputation of a finger. It is a nerve disorder where the brain continues to send pain signals, even long after the original wound has healed. Some conditions are short but intense (like kidney stones), while others are chronic and debilitating. Remarkably, many of these pains are caused by nerves that short-circuit. Here are the 10 conditions that test the human pain threshold. 1. Complex Regional Pain…
The hottest pepper in the world is officially Pepper X. This green-yellow pepper was bred by Ed Currie (the same man behind the Carolina Reaper) and reaches an average of 2,693,000 SHU. That is hotter than the pepper spray used by the police. Eating it causes hours of paralyzing cramps. The world of chili-heads is constantly in motion. Growers cross-breed plants to achieve increasingly extreme results. Capsaicin, the substance that causes the heat, makes your brain think your mouth is literally on fire. Here are the 10 most powerful peppers you should (not) try. 1. Pepper X (2,693,000 SHU) After…
The fastest roller coaster in the world is Falcon’s Flight in Saudi Arabia. This giant opened at the end of 2025 and reaches a bizarre top speed of 250 km/h. With this, it dethrones the long-time record holder Formula Rossa. The track is also the highest and longest in the world, featuring a free fall of more than 150 meters. Speed is the holy grail for many theme park fans. Where we used to find the 100 km/h limit exciting, modern launch coasters easily exceed double that. Here are the 10 speed monsters that will make your cheeks flap. 1.…