What are some mindblowing facts about Countries?

 Facts about countries around the world :

Pic credit : Google

1.The Vatican didn't exist before 1929 as a country: Smallest and least populated country in the world is the Vatican headed by The Pope of the Catholic church. Mussolini, the head of the Italian government, signed the treaty in 1929 which brought to exist as its own sovereign state.

2.Russia shares its border with 14 neighboring countries, which is the highest in the world.

3.Tuvalu won't exist in some decades: Tuvalu is the 4th smallest country in the world in the western pacific in the sinking and will no longer be inhabitant or will clearly extinct in 50–100 years.

4.South Africa has 3 capitals: The South African Government is divided into three sections and therefore, based in three diverse capitals namely Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein.

5.Papua new guinea, the country with 841 languages: With 841 languages this island in Oceania has the highest number of 'living' indigenous languages in the world.

6.South Sudan, newest country: South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war.

7.Greenland, without roads where the sun doesn't set for a couple of months: The largest island, part of the American continent, doesn't have roads or railway systems outside the towns. All travel between towns is done by plane, boat, helicopter, snowmobile or dogsled. Moreover, the sun doesn't set from May 25th to July 25th here.

8.The state of Palestine without borders: The two enclaves constituting the area claimed by the State of Palestine have no geographical border with one another, being separated by Israel.

9.Marshall Island with 1,156 islands and islets: The third smallest country in the world located in the Pacific Ocean has a total of 1,156 island or islets which are mostly submerged in the ocean. Only 24 isles are inhabited.

10.India, the birthplace of 4 major religions: The Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions; namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

What are some mind blowing historical facts that shocked you?

 Japanese women blackened their teeth using iron and vinegar. Blackening of teeth indicated a married status of a woman. Before entering her husband’s house, the wife went around seven relatives who gave her iron-containing paint, and then a procedure called “first blackening” began.

Photo: Ohaguro (ohaguro, 御 歯 黒, 鉄 浆) is a Japanese fashion and practice of blackining teeth.

In the 14-15th centuries ohaguro was generally seen among adults. Though in the 16-17th centuries when daughters of military commanders were around 9 years old, they would blacken their teeth as a marking of their maturity age to prepare for political marriage of convince. The practice of blackening teeth was a practice among wealthy families and concerned only girls entering adulthood, which at that time began about 9 years old.

Later okhaguro spread among the men of the court aristocracy. This Japanese tradition was borrowed from Korea and existed from ancient times until the beginning of the 20th century. .

Samurai despised this style, but among the representatives of the house of Tyra, it was customary to follow such a rite. At some point, blackening teeth became fashionable for both genders, and finally became widespread among non-noble women. The tradition remained until the Edo era, when all married women shaved their eyebrows and painted their teeth.

Different Reasons for Ohaguro:

1. It was also done to preserve the teeth into old age, as it prevents tooth decay similar to the mechanism of modern dental sealants.
2. It was seen as a sign of maturity, beauty, and of civilization.
3. A common belief is that blackened teeth differentiated humans from animals.
4. Teeth blackening is often done in conjunction with traditions of teeth filing and evulsion, as well as other body modification customs like tattoos.
5. It is said that military commanders who were struck in the head on the battlefield and who did not want to be ugly would wear average women's make-up and would blacken their teeth. These faces imitated the Noh masks of women and young boys.
6. Its importance was expressed by such a proverb - "Since black always remains black without changing, so will the relationship between husband and wife." Blackened teeth showed that the wife swore eternal allegiance to her husband.

Photo: An Akha woman from Myanmar with blackened teeth

The European Attitude

Teeth blackening and filing were regarded with fascination and disapproval by early European explorers and colonists. The practice survives in some isolated ethnic groups in Southeast Asia and Oceania, but has mostly disappeared after the introduction of Western beauty standards during the colonial era.

Many Westerners, including Engelbert Kaempfer, Philipp Franz von Siebold, and Rutherford Alcock, who visited Edo-era Japan, described ohaguro as an abhorrent custom which disfigured women. Alcock conjectured that the purpose of it is chastity by making the women intentionally unattractive to prevent potential extra-marital relationship.

However, Japanese social scientist Kyouji Watanabe disagrees with this theory. Based on the fact that Japanese girls were allowed a large degree of both social and sexual liberty until the time of Ohaguro when they assume the responsibility of wife and mother, Watanabe thinks that it is a social ritual by which both society and a girl herself confirm the determination of matured women.[

History

1. The case of ohaguro was recorded in the book "The Tale of Genji" in the 11th century
2. Traces of blackened teeth can be seen in the buried bones and haniwa (250 to 538 CE) from the Kofun period.
3. Shōsōin, a treasure house connected to Tōdai-ji in Nara, holds the teachings brought to Japan by Jianzhen in 753.

During the Edo period in the 18-19th centuries, due to the smell and labor required for the coloring process, tradition gradually began to recede into the past. Although married women, unmarried women over 18, prostitutes and geisha still blackened their teeth. In rural areas, the ceremony was performed only during special celebrations, such as Matsuri (holidays), weddings or funerals.

On February 5, 1870, the Japanese government banned ohaguro and the tradition gradually became obsolete. After the Meiji period, it temporarily spread, but it almost entirely died out in the Taishō period (ending in 1927). In contemporary times, the only places where ohaguro can be seen is in plays, hanamachi (geisha districts), some festivals, and movies.

The word "ohaguro" was a Japanese aristocratic term. There is an alternate reading for ohaguro, 鉄漿 kane (literally 'iron drink'). At the old Imperial palace in Kyoto, it was called fushimizu (五倍子水). Among the civilians, such words as kanetsuke (鉄漿付け), tsukegane (つけがね) and hagurome (歯黒め) were used.

The practice of blackening teeth continues among many minority groups in China, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. It is mainly prevalent in older women, though the practice is still carried on by some younger women. Sometimes artificial teeth are used to achieve blackened teeth. Further west, teeth blackening has been documented as far as Madagascar and medieval Russia

Source:

Zumbroich, Thomas J. (2015). "The missī-stained finger-tip of the fair': A cultural history of teeth and gum blackening in South Asia".

What are some mind-blowing facts about nature?

 Nature is absolutely mind blowing.

This is dancing plant. When you play music near this plant its leaves start random motion and when you stop the music they'll stop moving

You see this dude on right side, its not a rare picture. Kangaroos can put their whole weight on their tail, their tail is superbly strong. They usually do it when they fight with each other to hit their opponent as much as they can, though they cannot balance for a long time.

This is a redback spider, one of the most venomous spider in the world. During mating of these spiders the female kill the male because females are much larger and stronger than males and they can kill them and eat them. Creepy ?

The Giant desert centipede. One of the most dangerous creature for me. They take their skin off and then eat it. It looks very creepy and dangerous watching it.

If you're bored with waterfalls. See this, Kamokuna lava delta in Hawai's Volcanoes National Park.

Racetrack Playa in California. Large rocks in the middle of the flat desert appear to move over the course of an evening, leaving a trail behind them.

What are some of the most mind-blowing facts?

 

1. Tickling

Your body reacts with panic when tickled, as it’s your brains way of telling you there is a bug crawling on you. So that laugh is fear!

2. Our Bones

You probably would believe adults have more bones than a baby, don’t you? When in fact babies have about 300 bones at birth and when they grow older they get fused to form 206 bones as adults.

3. Breathing

Have you ever tried to breathe and swallow at the same time? You can’t.

4. The Human Brain

The human brain only makes up 2% of a person’s body weight, but needs 20% of the body’s oxygen and 15% of the heart’s work.

5. NASA Hubble Space Telescope

The human brain produces as much data in 30 seconds as the NASA Hubble Space telescope has produced in its entire lifetime.

6. Thighs

Have you got solid thighs? You’re damn right you do, as human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

7. Shivering

When you shiver in the cold, your body releases the exercise hormone irisin, which encourages your body to turn fat into heat.

8. Skin Organisms

There are more organisms living on the skin of one human than there are humans living on planet Earth.

9. Bacteria

The average human gut contains 100 trillion bacteria, which make up 1-3% of your body mass.

10. 1 Million Songs

Your brain could fit in approximately 1 million songs, as the storage capacity of a human brain exceeds 4 terabytes.

11. A Parasite Causes Animals To Love Cats

A parasite that usually lives in the intestines of a cat has a special ability. If it spreads into rats or mice it is able to get into the brain and change the behavior of the animal so that it is no longer afraid of cats, making them easy prey. parasite is called Toxiplasma Gondii and is also said to be found in 1/4 of all humans

12. DNA Can Hold Terabytes Of Data

The building blocks of all life is DNA and it is capable of holding a huge amount of data. Microsoft has recently began to use DNA to store information and they believe that a single gram of DNA could actually be capable of storing up to 1 billion terabytes of data. It would also provide other advantages over tradition store mediums as it has a shelf life of thousands of years rather than just a few dozen.

13. The Human Heart Is Pretty Powerful

The human heart is one of the most impressive organs in the entire world. It pumps blood and oxygen around the body continuously, beating at around 100,000 times each day and 35 million times a year. That means that during your life, your heart will likely beat an estimated 2.5 billion times. It is also extremely powerful and can easily squirt blood out of the body up to 10 feet away.

14. Octopuses Are Very Flexible

Octopuses are incredible creatures. They have suckers that are immensely powerful and some are intelligent enough to use tools. The creatures are also very flexible and even an octopus that weighs almost 300 kg can squeeze themselves through a hole that is no bigger than a normal sized coin.

15. Some Organisms Are Effectively Immortal

The quest for immortality is something that many people have attempted to complete, though some creatures have already mastered living forever. Some jellyfish can actually trigger a process that turns them back into a younger version of themselves, something which they can do an indefinite amount of times.

16. Tardigrades Can Survive In Space

Tardigrades are invertebrates that can live in very inhospitable conditions. Able to enter a state of suspended animation where they don’t need to eat or drink. This effectively allows them to survive extreme cold and heat, large radiation doses and even the vacuum of space.

17. Ants Are Incredibly Strong

Ants are one of the strongest creatures to have ever lived. They are capable of lifting objects that are up to 50 times their own weight and can pull things that are 30 times their own weight, meaning they can carry a huge amount of material back to their homes in relative ease. If we could do the same, we’d be able to lift between 2 and 5 tonnes!

18. Certain Mammals Can Detect Magnetic Fields

It is common knowledge that many animals “see” in different ways than humans, with creatures like birds and reptiles able to sense vibrations in the air, see in infrared or even view the world’s magnetic fields. However, some mammals can also see these fields, such as foxes that use them as a judgement of distance so they can pounce on prey.

Thanks for reading,

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Source : Internet 

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What are the mind-blowing facts about Dubai?

 1. The local people, called Emiratis, are just 15% of the total population. Majority of the population is split between India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and European countries

2. The Dubai police fleet includes a Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley. They are the cops who make NFS look realistic.

3. The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, with a 164 floors is in Dubai.

4. Dubai has no address system, no zip codes, no area codes and no postal system. Hence, online shopping is not right way to shop!

5. There are ATMs in Dubai that dispense gold bars.

6. There is a golf course in Dubai that requires 4,000,000 gallons of water a day.

7. The above ground metro station opened in Dubai 2009. It consists of 42 stations and was built in just 18 months. Yes, folks, they built an entire system is less than two years!

8. Dubailand will be twice the size of Disneyworld in Florida and is expected to be the largest tourist destination by 2020. Go Alladin!

9. Big festivals like Dubai shopping festivals, luxury car parade, and an exclusive mustang parade are a showcase of high standard.

10. Do you know what locals prefer to foster as ‘pets’ at home?

11. Everything done here has to be at sky level, even if you are playing tennis!

12. The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping center in the world with over 1,200 stores. Including many major brands such as Gymboree, Pottery Barn, Harley Davidson and a bunch of designers.

13. The once upon a time deserted Dubai, is now a prime hub in the world’s economy.

14. Sales of oil constitute only 6% of Dubai’s economy.The local economy is mainly based on real estate and tourism.

15. A stunning 1,790 sq-mt. of 24-carat gold leaf covers the interior of the Burj Al Arab.

16. In Dubai robots take part in multimillion dollar camel racing tournaments.

17. The Burj Khalifa is so tall that some of its residents need to wait longer to break fast during Ramadan. Residents from the 80th and higher floors see the sun longer than others living in the Burj Khalifa.

18. 40% of physical gold traded in 2013 occurred in Dubai. All together, it weighed more than 354 elephants.

19. The Dubai police has a bagpipe band. Even though it’s a Scottish thing, people just loved it and adopted it.

20. The Burj Khalifa can apparently be seen from around 90 km away.

What are some mind-blowing facts that sound unreal but are actually true?

 Science is insane. Evolution is insane. Not that we didn't believe it before, but conducting research for this article has only confirmed our previous beliefs. There are things going on right under our noses that we can't see. Strange things. It's fascinating, but it's also weird.

Russia's surface area is larger than Pluto's.

You never actually touch anything because atoms exert force on one another and never actually touch.

Earth used to be purple because microbes produced food using Retinal rather than chlorophyll. Retinal absorbs green light and reflects red and violet light back, resulting in the purple color.

There are areas of the Earth that have less gravity than others.

We take more pictures every two minutes than all of humanity did in the nineteenth century.

The molecules in your next glass of water have at least once passed through a dinosaur.