KNOWING OUR WORLD

World Facts & Trivia

Where the Name Fits the
Place—or Does it?
Is Greenland Green?
No. Much of Greenland is
covered with a thick blanket
of ice. The Viking explorers
called it Greenland in order
to lure settlers!
Is the Dead Sea dead?
Yes. There is no life in this sea between
Israel and Jordan.
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It is dead endEvaluate
for the
Jordan River. With no place to go, the
water evaporates and leaves heavy
deposits of minerals, which makes the sea
uninhabitable and much saltier than the
oceans.
Is it chilly in Chile?
Yes and No. The southern
region of Chile is cold and humid,
with snow covered mountains and
glaciers. The northern region is
warm and dry. The middle region
is warm and balmy, much like the
Mediterranean.
Is the Red Sea red?
Yes. Red algae
frequently appear in this sea,
coloring it red. The Red Sea
is in the Middle East
between Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula.
Is Iceland icy?
Not Very. Natural hot springs warm
theDesign
buildings
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and pools of this island. The
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harbors never free because of the warm

waters of the gulf stream, which flows
around the island. The only ice is in
Iceland’s high central area, which is
covered with snow.
Is the Yellow River yellow?

Yes. The Yellow River (or

Huang Ho) is a 3,000 mile-
long river in China. It carries
tons of yellow silt (soil),
which gives the river its
color.
Are there spices in the Spice Islands?
Yes. The Spice islands, in Indonesia,
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are now called the Moluccas. They are
rich in spices such as nutmeg and cloves.
How they were called in
the past?
 Abyssinia,
an ancient African
Kingdom, became

Ethiopia.
 Angora,
the home of Angora
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goats became

Ankara.
 Bohemia
A European Kingdom. After World War I, the
Czech people of Bohemia and Moravia
joined the Slovaks of Slovakia to form the
country of Czechoslovakia. In 1993 it was
divided into

Czech Republic &

Slovakia.
 Burma,
a country in Asia. In
1989, the military
government renamed it

Myanmar.
 Ceylon,
Became a republic in 1972. Its
Design name
Plan was change to,Evaluate

Sri Lanka which means,

“splendid thing”

.
 Constantinople
Was named after the Roman emperor
Constantine. Then the Turks
captured the City, they renamed it

Istanbul
Kampuchea,
is now

Cambodia
 Mesopotamia,
The fertile plain between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers, is now
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Iraq
As well as smaller parts of Syria, Turkey,
and Iran.”

.
 Saigon
The capital of South Vietnam, became

Ho Chi Minh City

when the communists took over the
country. Ho Chi Minh was a
communist leader.
Which family they
belong?
Balkans
The Balkans refers to the
southeastern-most peninsula of
Europe. It includes all or most of
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and
Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia),
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania,
Macedonia, Bulgaria and European
Turkey. Southeast Romania and
northern Greece are also part of the
Balkans.
Central America
Central America refers to
the seven countries of North
America between Mexico and
South America: Belize, Costa
Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua and
Panama.
Latin America
Latin America refers to all
countries south of the United
States-the nations of Central
and South America and
Mexico.
The Middle East
These countries of western
Asia, northern Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula are related
geographically:
Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq,
Israel, Jordan, Qatar,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey,
the United Arab Emirates
and Yemen.
NATO Countries
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), formed in
1949, has one goal: to protect
democratic systems of government.
Today the member countries are:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
Polynesia
Polynesia, “many islands,”
is a collective term for the
islands of the east-central
Pacific Ocean, which
include Cook, Easter,
Pitcairn, Samoa, Tahiti, and
Tuvalu, as well as the
Hawaiian islands.
Southeast Asia
The countries that make up
Southeast Asia are:
Brunei, Indonesia,
Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar (formerly called
Burma), Vietnam,
Singapore, Thailand, the
Philippines, and East
Timor.
Scandinavia
This family has many ties:
geographical, cultural,
political, and historical.
These countries occupy a
region of northern Europe:
Denmark, Norway, and
Sweden. Sometimes
Finland, Iceland, and the
Faeroe Islands are
included.
United Arab Emirates
This group of seven kingdoms
was created in 1971 on the
Persian Gulf coast of the
Arabian Peninsula. They are
ruled by sheiks. In the Muslim
world, an emir is a ruler or
prince; an emirate is his state.
The kingdoms are: Abu Dhabi,
Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-
Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-
Qaiwain.
United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Island
These countries are ruled by
the British royal family and
Parliament: England, Northern
Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Great Britain includes
England, Scotland, and Wales.
The British Isles include Great
Britain, Northern Ireland, the
Republic of Ireland, the Isle of
Man, and the Channel Islands.
European Union
Formed in 1993, the EU is an economic and
political confederation of European nations
that are responsible for a common foreign and
security policy and for cooperation on justice
and home affairs. Twenty-seven countries -
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany (originally West Germany), Great
Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden - are
full members of the organizations of the EU.