A hamlet is a village without a church and a town is not a city until it has a cathedral.

About one-tenth of the earth's surface is permanently covered with ice.

All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black, unless they belong to a high official.

Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'.

Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

French was the official language of England for over 600 years.

Grand Rapids, Michigan was the first city in the US to put fluoride in their water.

Hawaii is the only US state that grows coffee.

If Monaco's ruling house of Grimaldi should ever be without an heir (male or female), the country will cease to be a sovereign state.

In 1771 the kingdom of Poland was larger in area than any other European country except Russia and had a bigger population than any other European country except France.

It is forbidden for aircraft to fly over the Taj Mahal.

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at New Orleans, Louisiana, is the world's largest bridge. It is almost 24 miles (about 38 kilometers) long.

Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable.

More water flows over Niagara Falls every year than over any other falls on earth.

New Jersey, with 96, is the US state with the greatest number of hazardous waste sites.

St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the US.

The 1st US zoo was built in Philadelphia, PA, in 1876.

The abbreviation 'ORD' for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from the old name 'Orchard Field.'

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.

The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that is flown differently during times of peace or war. A portion of the flag is blue, while the other is red. The blue portion is flown on top in time of peace and the red portion is flown in war time.

The largest US city in area is Juneau, Alaska, which covers 3,108 square miles. Los Angeles covers only 458.2 square miles.

The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica.

The original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del rio Porciuncula, translating into:The Village of our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciuncula River.

The San Diego Zoo in California has the largest collection of animals in the world.

The tallest monument built in the US, the Gateway Arch, in St. Louis, Missouri, is 630 feet tall.

The Vatican's Swiss Guard still wears a uniform designed by Michelangelo in the early 16th century.

The water in the Great Salt Lake of Utah is more than four times as salty as any ocean.

The wettest spot in the world is located on the island of Kauai. Mt. Waialeale consistently records rainfall at the rate of nearly 500 inches per year.