The largest country in Africa is Algeria. With an area of nearly 2.4 million square kilometers, this country in the north of the continent is over 50 times the size of the Netherlands. Since the split of Sudan in 2011, Algeria has been the undisputed number one, although nearly 90% of the country consists of desert. Africa is a gigantic continent; it is three times the size of Europe. The countries on this list are therefore massive. For comparison: the smallest country in this top 10 is still twice the size of France. The list is dominated by countries located…
Author: Patrick
The smallest dog breed in the world is undisputed: the Chihuahua. These Mexican dogs often weigh between 1.5 and 3 kilograms. The current record holder in the Guinness Book of World Records is “Pearl,” a Chihuahua who is only 9.14 centimeters tall. That is shorter than a standard television remote. These dogs were bred as the ultimate companion animals. They fit easily into an apartment (or handbag) and often live much longer than large dog breeds; ages of 15 to 18 years are not uncommon. Make no mistake: many of these breeds were originally rat catchers, so they are often…
The largest dog breed in the world depends on how you measure. In terms of height, the Great Dane wins; the dog Zeus was the tallest dog ever at 1.11 meters at the shoulder. In terms of weight, the English Mastiff is the champion. A male named Aicama Zorba weighed a staggering 156 kilograms, which is heavier than many professional rugby players. Large dogs often have a reputation for being dangerous, but in reality, many of these breeds are known as gentle giants. They are often calmer than small yappers, although you do have to watch out for their wagging…
The largest city in Belgium (in terms of inhabitants within the municipality) is Antwerp. With over 530,000 residents, the port city is significantly larger than the runner-up, Ghent. People often think Brussels is the largest; although the capital region counts more than a million inhabitants, the municipality of ‘City of Brussels’ has only about 190,000. Belgium is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. The cities are so close to each other that you can often travel from one major city to another within half an hour. This list is a mix of Flemish trading cities and Walloon…
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.…
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.…