Author: Travel Fun

1. France – 86.9 million visitors
According to a report published by the World Tourism Organization, France received more visitors than any other country in the world in 2017. More than 86.9 million visitors came to France to see such world-famous attractions as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and the Arc de Triomphe. Many of these major attractions are located in the capital city of France, Paris, which is also among the largest cities in Europe by population.

2. Spain - 81.8 million visitors
Tourism is a major industry in Spain, contributing nearly 11% to the national GDP of the country. The majority of visitors to Spain come from European countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. Between the historical cities and towns of the country like Barcelona and Madrid, the world-class resorts at the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of the country, the popular festivals like the Carnival and the Running of the Bulls, 15 national parks, well-developed winter tourism facilities, and a bustling nightlife, Spain is a hotspot of tourist attractions. 13 Spanish cities are also regarded as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, attracting foreign visitors with their unique charm and significance.

3. United States - 76.9 million visitors
The United States is a vast country serving a large number of attractions to global travelers. Many of the U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas thrive with tourists all year round. Major natural attractions within the country include the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, the Alaskan subarctic wonders, Hawaiian beaches and more. In 29 states of the country, the tourism industry is among the first three industries generating the maximum number of employment opportunities. The US receives the greatest number of foreign tourists from Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom and its domestic tourism industry is also highly active.

4. China - 60.7 million visitors
The land of the Great Wall of China, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Shaolin Temple, the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Forbidden City, the Three Gorges, and other naturally, culturally and historically important sites, China is indeed one of the most coveted tourist destinations in the world. The country received 55.6 million foreign visitors in 2014 and profited from a foreign exchange income of $45.8 USD in 2010. China’s tourist numbers are estimated to increase rapidly in the coming years with the World Trade Organization (WTO) estimating that by 2020 the country will rank number one in the worldwide tourism sector

5. Italy - 58.3 million visitors
For many, Italy is one of the dream destinations of their life. With 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, innumerable cultural artifacts, buildings, and archaeological sites from the Roman Empire and the Renaissance periods, along with the quaint Alpine villages and towns in the north of the country and fascinating Mediterranean coasts to the south, Italy is justifiably the 5th most visited country in the world. Some of its most visited cities include Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan, each with their unique attractions, history, culture and cuisine. Italy consistently ranks amongst the world's most-visited countries

6. Mexico - 39.3 million visitors
Mexico, a large country found in North America, is well-known for its pristine beaches and world-class resorts. In recent decades, the tourism industry in the country has experienced a whirlwind of substantial growth. With its wealth of culture and UNESCO World Heritage sites, it's no wonder to see why travelers love Mexico. The vast majority of visitors come from its neighbors to the north, Canada and the United States, although an increasing amount of travelers from Europe and Asia also pay a visit to the country.

7. United Kingdom - 37.7 million visitors
With a long and interesting history, as well as rich culture and well developed tourism facilities and infrastructure, the United Kingdom ranks as the 7th most visited country in the world. Tourists in the United Kingdom can generate an income of around $17.2 billion USD for the country. The majority of visitors arrive from other parts of Europe while tourists from the United States and Canada form the second largest group of foreign visitors to the country. The domestic tourism industry in the country is also thriving. London is the most visited city in the United Kingdom, and the Tower of London is the most popular attraction in the entire country.

8. Turkey - 37.6 million visitors
Turkey is a well-known tourist destination for its many seaside resorts with coastline on both the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea. The country also has a variety of historical sites including ancient monasteries and ruined cities. The city of Antalya is considered to be the country's tourism capital, although Istanbulis also popular for its many museums, bazaars, and historical sites. Although Turkey reached 41.2 million visitors in 2014, the tourism sector dropped substantially in the following years. Due to intense advertising, tourist numbers began to rise in 2017.

9. Germany - 37.5 million visitors
Germany receives a high number of tourists from all across the globe as well as from within the country. The tourism industry in Germany is estimated to contribute 4.5% towards the national GDP and 2 million employment opportunities are created based on travel and tourism related job requirements. Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg are among the most-visited cities in the country. Visitations to the country for educational and business purposes is also quite common. Several protected areas within Germany, such as the Saxon Switzerland National Park, the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park, and the Jasmund National Park, also attract millions of tourists every year.

10. Thailand - 35.4 million visitors
With its sunny, sandy beaches, tropical islands, rich wildlife, archaeological sites, temples and monasteries, Thailand is a global tourist hot spot. The vibrant and lively festivals of country, the thriving nightlife, world-class shopping facilities, and delectable Thai cuisine, are all major tourist attractants in the country. It is estimated that directly and indirectly, tourism generated revenue contributes nearly 20.2% of the national GDP of the country. It is also assumed that by 2032, Thailand will be receiving around 100 million visitors.

- World Tourism Organization

C. Bill Murray is an American actor, comedian, and writer; born September 21, 1950 in Wilmette, Illinois.

D. Pacific Ocean - 63,800,000 sq m

The Pacific Ocean covers an area of about 63,800,000 square miles and is the world’s biggest ocean. Its area represents 46.6% of the world's total water surface. The Pacific is located between Asia, Australia, Americas, and Antarctica, forming a coastline of 135,663 kilometers. The Pacific Ocean also has two divisions, the North and the South Pacific Ocean, which are separated by the equator. The ocean has an average depth of 3,970 meters and a volume of 669,880,000 per cubic kilometers, which makes up about half of the Earth’s total water.

D. Ecuador

The official currency in Ecuador is the American dollar. All fees, charges, and store prices throughout the city of Quito are noted with United States currency. The old currency, known as the sucre, stopped being used in 2000. Travelers from the U.S. won't have to exchange money when visiting Ecuador. Ecuadorian coins have different symbols but are of equivalent value to U.S. coins — there are nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. You may have difficulty breaking larger bills in smaller towns. If possible, bring smaller bills to rural areas.

A. Cambodia enjoys 28 public holidays per year, the highest number of public holidays in the world.

A public holiday, a national holiday, or a legal holiday are terms meaning nothing more than a day in a year that is set aside to be a non-working day that has been established by the rule of law. There are many countries across the globe enjoying the privilege of having a large number of public holidays. These holidays generally constitute the anniversary of an important historical event, or religious celebration, or a holiday falling on a certain day of the week or following some calendar system, such as the Chinese or Lunar Calendar. The celebration of a particular day in a country, like the Children’s Day in Turkey, may also be marked as a public holiday at a different time than the same day is celebrated elsewhere.

Important Public Holidays From Around The World

1. Cambodia tops the list for the most public holidays with 28 public holidays observed annually.
2. Sri Lanka follows with 25.
3. India and Kazakhstan with 21,
4. Colombia, the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago with 18
5. China and Hong Kong with 17

- www.worldatlas.com

1. Monaco - 89.52
2. Japan - 84.74
3. Singapore - 84.68
4. Macau - 84.51
5. San Marino - 83.24
6. Iceland - 82.97
7. Hong Kong - 82.86
8. Andorra - 82.72
9. Switzerland - 82.50

Our statistics come from the most recent data gathered by the CIA World Factbook. As of 2015, the country with the highest life expectancy is Monaco at 89.52 years; the country with the lowest is Chad at 49.81 years.

Answer : Switzerland
The Republic of Ireland has the strictest gun control laws in the world. Until recently, Japanese police were unable to carry guns, using martial arts and sticks as an alternative. When a bullet is fired in the line of duty it is carefully documented. In 2018 one bullet was fired.

Answer: Nims, France It’s in the name: De Nims (Fr: “of Nims”)

Tijuana, Mexico

Many people attribute the Caesar Salad’s birthplace to the nation of Italy. The creation of Caesar Salad is attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in both the U.S. and Mexico. Cardini lived in San Diego, but also worked in Tijuana where he could avoid the restrictions of Prohibition. His daughter, Rosa, recounted that her father invented the dish in 1924 on the Fourth of July after a rush of thirsty and hungry American tourists depleted the kitchen's stock in the wee hours of the morning. Cardini made do with what he had left in the restaurant’s refrigerator, adding the theatrical flair of the table-side tossing by the waiter.

Julia Child wrote that she had eaten a Caesar Salad at Cardini's restaurant when she was a child of nine-years-old in the 1920s -- thus making the creation world-famous.

The Panama Hat

A Panama hat, also known as an Ecuadorian hat or a toquilla straw hat, is a traditional brimmed straw hat of Ecuadorian origin. Traditionally, hats were made from the plaited leaves of the Carludovica palmata plant, known locally as the toquilla palm or jipijapa palm, although it is a palm-like plant rather than a true palm. Ecuadorian hats are light-colored, lightweight, and breathable, and often worn as accessories to summer-weight suits, such as those made of linen or silk. The tightness, the finesse of the weave, and the time spent in weaving a complete hat out of the toquilla straw characterize its quality. The term was being used by at least 1834. The popularity of the hats increased in the mid-19th century when many miners of the California Gold Rush traveled to California via the Isthmus of Panama and Pacific Mail Steamship Company. In 1906, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the construction site of the Panama Canal and was photographed wearing a Panama hat, which further increased the hats' popularity.

Shanghai's population of 24.1 million makes it the top populous city proper not only in Asia but in the world as well.

Shanghai strategically lies in the Yangtze River Delta and the city's port is ranked as the world's busiest having handled 37 million TEUs in 2016. Qinglong Town, founded in 746, preceded Shanghai and it grew as a trading port in Imperial China. Shanghai's economic potential made it a center of conflict in the 19th century as the British and French fought to control the city. The Japanese also invaded Shanghai during the 2nd World War. Shanghai is an economic and trading hub in modern day China, and it has reported double-digit growth since 1992 excluding the global recession of 2008 and 2009. Shanghai's top three service sectors are real estate, financial services, and retail while manufacturing accounts for about 40% of the total output. Shanghai hosts numerous industrial zones such as the Shanghai Hongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone. Shanghai attracts populations of local immigrants as well as foreign settlers from Japan, the US, and Korea.

- www.worldatlas.com

San Marzano

San Marzano tomatoes are grown primarily in the Campania region of Italy, at the base of Mt Vesuvius, in the Agro-Nocerino area. They are cultivated in the soils of the communes of Naples, Salerno and Avellino. These thin, pointy, sweet plum tomatoes are essential ingredients for an authentic Pizza Napolitana, according to the Verace Pizza Napolitana Association in Naples, Italy. These tomatoes require areas with good irrigation, and they will not thrive in hilly topography, or extreme temperatures. The soil in this area near Mt Vesuvius contains volcanic ash, phosphorous and potassium, and the climate is temperate with high humidity much of the year.

Courtesy L'Italo-Americano

The Netherlands: 6.03 feet

The Dutch are on average the tallest people on the planet. Just 150 years ago, they were relatively short. In 1860, the average Dutch soldier in the Netherlands was 5-foot-5. American men were 2.7 inches taller. Since 1860, average heights have increased in many parts of the world, but no people have shot up like the Dutch. The average Dutchman now stands more than 6 feet tall. And while the growth spurt in the United States has stopped in recent years, the Dutch continue to get taller. For years, scientists have sought to understand why average height has increased, and why the Dutch in particular have grown so quickly. Among other factors, the Dutch have a better diet than in the past, and they have better medical care. But Stulp and his colleagues have found evidence suggesting evolution is also helping to make the Dutch taller.

2. Montenegro: 6.01 feet
3. Denmark: 5.99 feet
4. Norway: 5.98 feet
5. Serbia: 5.97 feet

Serbia holds the fifth spot in the list, with its citizens exhibiting an average height of 5.97 feet across both genders. The combination of Slavic and Mediterranean gene pools are the source of these people's great natural heights. The predominant brachycephaly Dinaric trait has been identified as one of these factors. Slavic athletics and exercise from the time of childhood may be other factors influencing the growth spurts. Serbian meals are always rich in dairy products and protein from meat, and dining patterns exemplify meals being partaken of later in the day.

--- The World Health Organization

Marie-Antoinette

In 1780, fourteen year-old Maria Antonia (Marie-Antoinette) of the Habsburg Empire arrived in Versailles to marry Louis XVI. She introduced the French court to a new flaky crescent-shaped bread, called the kipfel (crescent/ croissant). The kipfel originated in 1683 as a comestible celebration of the Austrian victory over the Ottomans at the siege of Vienna. The story follows that a baker, up early to make bread, saved the city when he heard the Turks tunneling underneath the city and sounded an alarm. The kipfel’s curved shape, said to mimic the crescent moon of the Ottoman flag, then would seem to pay poetic tribute to the indomitable spirit of a city that resisted a powerful invading force.

Source: www.smithsonianmag.com

Marlene Dietrich never won an Oscar

Those who did win:
Luise Rainer: (Born Germany) The Great Ziegfeld (1936), The Good Earth (1937)
Sophia Loren: (Born Italy) Two Women (1960)
Maggie Smith: Born England) (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
Charlize Theron: (Born South Africa) Monster (2003)