Kiribati

1°28′N 173°2′E

An island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, (1,351,000 square miles) straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.

Auld Lang Syne and a Sunrise

As I sit here at 11:59 New Years eve and watch the clock tick down, I will be one of the first humans to see the New Year arrive.

Then I can sit here a little longer and be one of the first humans to see the sun rise. HAPPY NEW YEAR! … oh you’ll get there in a couple of hours :0)

Here is actually a group of islands, atolls and slices of coral. In fact a few have all ready even been washed over with the rising sea. Here they straddle the equator and boarder the IDL.

Nuclear tests were conducted in the region by the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. During these tests islanders were not evacuated. Subsequently British, New Zealand and Fijian servicemen as well as local islanders have claimed to have suffered from exposure to the radiation from these blasts.

Although beautiful, this country is very poor. Very few natural resources make it hard to bring in economy. Tourism provides 1/5th of the income. It is also one of the least developed places around.

As with most oceanic countries, Dance is a big part for the locals. The uniqueness of their dancing when compared with other forms of Pacific island dance is its emphasis on the outstretched arms of the dancer and the sudden birdlike movement of the head. The Frigate bird on the flag refers to this bird-like style of dancing. Most dances are in the standing or sitting position with movement limited and staggered. Smiling whilst dancing is generally considered vulgar within the context of dancing. This is due to its origin of not being solely as a form of entertainment but as a form of storytelling and a display of the skill, beauty and endurance of the dancer.

Finland

60°10′N 024°56′E

A Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. The capital city is Helsinki.

MP - 25

* There are 307 residents for each doctor. (so don't get sick)

* The food is generally simple, fresh and healthy. Fish, meat, berries and ground vegetables are typical ingredients whereas spices are not common due to their historical unavailability. (I should move there - I need simple fresh and healthy).
* Nokia is a Finish company (and I've had a number of their phones)

BZ - 20

* Finnish is an Finno-Ugric language. Estonian is a close relative, as are some languages spoken by ethnic tribes in Russia's north.
* The language has sixteen grammatical cases (ways to change the ending on a noun to mark its grammatical meaning in a sentence). Finnish is such a hard language to learn that missionaries in the MTC stay for 3 weeks longer than the average 9 weeks.
* Finland had a separate war with the Soviet Union during the early years of WWII. It was called the Winter War. I actually met a veteran of this war -- he told me about how the Finnish soldiers would wear all white, ski in to a location, fire on the Russians, and then ski away. The Soviets called these ski patrols "white death".
* I've been to the capital, Helsinki. The cab drivers wore business suits and drove Audi's and BMW's.
* There's a relatively new temple in Helsinki that most Russian church members visit because the Ukraine temple hasn't been finished yet.

MS - 15
* Santa's office Joulupukin Kammari
* " fzzzzzzzzz fzzzzzzz " the sound a finnish mosquito makes.

DP - 20

* The flag of Finland also called Siniristilippu ("Blue Cross Flag"), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. It features a blue Nordic cross on a white background. The blue coloring is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, with white for the snow that covers the land in winter.
* Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999.
* Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2007, 1801 patents were filed in Finland.

To the North Pole I'd like to go, Over fields of ice and snow

When people speak of going to paradise, you often picture palm trees, gentle surf, pristine beaches, and lots and lots of sun. I agree this is nice stuff. But I must put that this isn’t the only kind of paradise. For I am indeed in paradise. First and foremost, SANTA LIVES HERE! That’s right, Santa’s village is right here in town, what a perfect time to be here. There’s elves, reindeer, and oh so much snow. You can meet Santa, take a reindeer drive, cross the Arctic Circle, snowmobile, ski, sled, glacier hiking, ice skating, snowshoeing, see the northern lights, go on ice breaking cruises, make snow angles.. the works.

But best of all are the saunas and the hot tubs. They are everywhere… no wonder Santa’s so jolly. There are 1.8 million saunas in here, of which approximately 500 are traditional smoke saunas.

But don’t get the impression its winter year round, I plan to come back in the summer. Biking, kayaking, fishing, golfing, hiking again the works. Through some of the most beautiful countryside imaginable.

Have you ever seen a white reindeer?

That’s the adventurous part of me taken care of, but how can we forget the history here. The buildings, the villages, the Vikings! You can hardly get away from Viking culture once you step foot here. I was a Viking once… at Ricks :0)

I could do a whole entry on Vikings alone, but were here to talk about the country. And what a country. Did you know 75% is covered in forests and 10% is water? (over 180,000 lakes!) Another large country with just a sliver of folks living here (compared to others) There are about as many islands are there are lakes. Take that Thousand Island Ontario!

Although most people here are now Christian, this country was one of the last in the region to accept Christianity.Although a quite modern country, there are still some strong traditions.

Poor Donald Duck fell prey to this when he was banned form the country, cuz he didn’t wear any pants.

More popular than just folk, the Mosquitoes dominate here. In fact they play host to the world Mosquito Swatting Championships. Try swatting as many mosquitoes as you can, in 5 minutes. Can you swat 20 or 30?

Hmmmm

Uruguay

34°53′S 56°10′W

Uruguay's only land border is with Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to the north. To the west lies the Uruguay River, to the southwest lies the estuary of Río de la Plata, with Argentina only a short commute across the banks of either of these bodies of water, while to the southeast lies the South Atlantic Ocean. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, being larger than only Suriname.


MS - 15
* Colonia del Sacremento is an old smugglers port...

MoMa - 15
* Mate is widely drunk on the streets, but can hardly be ordered in restaurants.
* For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "estancias" in serene and peaceful environments, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer an unique opportunity to reconnect with nature.


BZ - 15
* Excellent public education at no cost up through university.
* Uruguay's first contact with the Church occurred at the 1940 South American basketball championship game held in Montevideo. One of Argentina's star players, Rolf Larson, served as a missionary for the Church in Argentina, and brought publicity to the Church as a team member.

DP - 20
* José Enrique Rodó, is considered Uruguay’s most significant literary figure. His book Ariel (1900), which stresses the importance of upholding spiritual over materialistic values, as well as resisting cultural dominance by Europe and the United States, continues to influence young writers.
* Sixty-six percent of Uruguayans are Roman Catholics. Most Uruguayans baptize their children and marry in churches but less than half attend church on a regular basis.
*A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins or deltas; the Río de la Plata, the Uruguay River, the Laguna Merín and the Río Negro. The major internal river is the Río Negro ('black river').
* And for kicks - My dear brother in-law spent just under 2 years marching around this country.

MP - 20
* You will find mayo tainted with lemon as a main staple of their diet that comes in gallon size bags from the local "almacen"(store).
* Although the government boasts high literacy rates and modernism, raw sewage still runs between stick built homes with tin roofs and dirt floors in many parts of the interior.
* When you walk through the door during the Christmas/New Year season, don't be surprised if you find a whole pig or lamb laid open on the kitchen table. And don't be surprised if it's still there a week later (they just snack on it all week-yummy)

MM - 5


~Duplicate Answers~
* "Uruguay" is a Guaraní word which can be translated as "river of painted birds"

You know how I like to jump from one extreem to another. Sionara Korea and your crazy busy and cramped cities. It was fun while it lasted, but now.... we go to a country that to me feels like saying Ahhhh. Most folks here are of European discent (which is actually rare for this area). And these x-europeans are healty and sturdy. One of the lowest infant mortality rates, life expectancy is high. Climate conditions here are temperate, which means always nice. Literacy here is high, very high compared to its neighbors, and the locals proudly rate as the least corrupt country in this area. The political and labor conditions of the country are among the freest on the continent.

Agriculture accounts for over 2/3rds of the total exports here, but they also build fun things like food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals and beverages.

Two things they love here... Meat & Soccor. I have to agree those two things are good things.

In fact they hosted the very first ..... wait that will totally give it away, never mind. The stadium here is still world renouned.

Besides Meat (when I say meat I mean gigantic steaks), pasta is part of the national dish. All those Italian immigrants.

And now we get to the beaches. Of coures there are beaches, just under half of the border is coastline, and the beaches there are pristine, large and expensive beach resorts dot most of the coastline. And we all know what you can do at fabulous beaches. But on top of super beaches there are sand dunes, and unique little villiages, some only accessable by jumping in a 4x4 through the dunes. or walking, but really wouldn't you rather 4x4? Did you know that these dunes are refered to as mobile sand dunes, that is, that the sand is blown by the wind and moves around the sandy places so the dunes actually change their position. This is a unique phenomenon, but regrettably, during the military dictatorship iit was decided to plant trees in a massive quantity, and this has produced severe damage because the wind is not allowed to blow freely and carry the sand, so it is thought that the dunes could disappear in the future..

For a unique experience have a stay at a Estancia with the Gauchos. Horseriding, authentic BBQ, and so much more.

South Korea

37°35′N 127°0′E

A country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest metropolitan city in the world.

Well it seems for the first time I threw everyone for a loop, Q was the only one to guess right on the first try. Way to go!

BZ - 25

* They have a different word for saying "hello" in person vs. "hello" over the phone.

* Service in the military is compulsory for all young men.
* Besides octopus, red beans are a favorite food in Korea -- even in sweet dishes, like desserts. Red bean ice cream anyone? (USU Aggie Ice Cream actually sells this flavor in Korean outlets.)

MP - 20

* Merry Christmas in Korean is "sun tan chuk ha" and Christmas pageants and caroling are probably the two biggest traditions for the holiday.

* Most young adults go out and party on Christmas and spend New Years with their family.
* Santa wears blue instead of red.

MoMa - 5

DP - 20
* Despite lacking natural resources and having the smallest territory among the G-20 major economies, the South Korean economy is the fourth largest in Asia and 15th largest in the world * South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilder
* Just under half of South Koreans profess no religious beliefs. Those who do are mostly Christian or Buddhist

Smarty Pants

You guys make it seem like I just make it too easy. Tell me you at least struggle with some of the clues… I’ve been toying with the idea of just giving you one clue a day.. but that would make for so much more work for me – lol.

Ok, This week I find myself worlds away from the remote island of Bouvet. From zero population to millions on top of millions. It’s crowded here, so crowed in fact people are scrambling to get out. Not happily they claim one of the highest emigrations rates in the world. But me thinks crowding is not the main reason they go. There is some crazy stuff going on here.

But, those who do stay, have much to be proud of, and much to brag about. There must be something in the water here because it feels like EVERYONE is a genius. In fact they are known world wide for their estimated national IQ, leading everyone in Mathematics, Science, etc. Leading us all in IT, crazy internet skills, car making, shipbuilding, steel producing, construction, cloning, and yes even robots. It’s like this country has gone Sci-Fi.


Ok, you foodies out there, want to try some crazy gross local culture? Here they eat… Squid… LIVE! That’s right the things still squrimin. And yes it’s actually a popular dish here.

Gaming is very popular here, as in America, but probably a little more so, their most popular game has over 14 million players that’s twice as much as World of Warcraft. In fact the most sought after car here is no, not a BMW, but a ‘solid pro’ a virtual car.

I am as ever impressed with the landscape. From coastline to forest to volcano to the mountains, and believe me there are some amazing mountains. The beauty is everywhere you look, but as we mentioned before there are a few peoples here and they have made their influence known. The capitol is one of the top 5 largest metropolitan cities in the WORLD. That’s big time folks. And with all the smarty pants running around you can’t help but be dazzled by the high tech and modern city.

But history and tradition are very revered here as well, your age not your IQ usually determines how wise you are. So the eldest in the household usually makes all the decisions. Out of respect you always remove your shoes when entering a house. When the first night of the new year comes everybody hides their shoes. This is because there is a belief that a ghost will come down and try on everyone’s shoes. If the ghost finds a pair it likes it will take it. It is thought that the owner of the shoes will then have bad luck for the whole year.
This is also a place where marshal arts is prevalent, and one of the more popular arts even originated here.

Considered one of the oldest continuous civilizations, it has over 5,000 years of history. That is one long essay in history class. There is actually evidence that this land has been inhabited for over 500,000 years… wasn’t that around the time of dinosaurs? As modern as the citizens are today they still carry some of the old habits. When selecting a place to build a home, they use geomancy. They believe that certain areas contain good or evil forces, and the negative and positive forces must be made to balance before you can live there

Seriously I have only scratched the surface of the information and facts and things to do here.
So I’ve just shared some stuff I found interesting. Let’s see what else you can find out. Give me something I don’t all ready know!

Bouvet Island

54°26′S 3°24′E

Well, I think some of you were scrapin the barrel for points here, but effort well given. What a crazy little place, eh?

MM - 20
* An island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
* the code and domain name is "BV Bouvet Island


BZ - 15
* The nearest land is Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, over 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) away to the south.
* The mean temperature is minus 1.5ºC (35 F).

MW - 5

MS - 20
* The Island has a high of 35 F tomorrow.
* It is .3 times the size of Washington DC.
* It along with two other countries are the only countries in the world with no internet hosts

Everything is not as it seems...

ok, I've been saving this one up for a while. It's sort of a trick country. But awesome none the less. I actually haven't gone here. But I've admired it from afar. It is actually very hard to visit. It is one of the most remote islands in the world, has no boat docks and the government frowns on 'visitors'. The entire island is a nature preserve. Wiki Travel is almost blank for visiting here. If you are lucky enough to be one of the scientists who get to come here, you take a boat to the area, then a helicopter to the actual island.

Less than 100 sq miles in (way less) this small volcanic island covered in glaciers, well most of the island is glaciers. The sheer cliffs on the coast rise up to 500 meters.


The catch with this country is that it is uninhabited. That's right no one lives here. Then how is it a country you ask. I have no idea. There are some crazy technicalities in regards to 'country status' , but according to wiki it is a Dependant Territory.


Because of the harsh climate the flora and fauna mostly absent as well. Moss is the local 'agriculture' and mostly seabirds, seals and penguins rule the place.




Something quite random for this place is that though no one lives here it actually has its own country code top level domain. What is that? you ask.. look it up.


The island was supposedly discovered by a French commander in the 1700's. But apparently he didn't fix the location accurately, which caused a lot of confusion. James Cook himself tried to find it but when he got to the location nothing was there and he assumed the french guy was charting icebergs.



Lots of other explorers have sighted or claimed to land on the island. But the first extended stay was not until the 1920's. They stayed for about a month, and made the claim for their country.




There are lots of mysteries surrounding this place. A ship was found in the 60's including supplies, but the passengers were never found or heard from. Then in the late 70's a satellite recorded a flash of light in the vicinity of this island. Some think it was a nuclear bomb explosion, some a meteor crashing, or maybe aliens... the flash is famous now, but no one has been able to resolve what it was. In the 90's they built field stations, 15 years later no one can find the building on the satellite images. Maybe an avalanche or glacier swept it away.. maybe.
But there is still an unmanned weather station.


Even Hollywood wants in on the action here. Aliens vs Predators was set here.


I dare you to find more info on this one!

Qatar

25°18′N 51°31′E

is an Arab emirate in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south; otherwise the Persian Gulf surrounds the state. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the relatively-nearby island nation of Bahrain.

MM - 25
*Qatar--rhymes with guitar--sort of. It is pronounced CUH-ter.
*Qatar was a very poor country until oil was discovered. This is because only 2% of the land is farmable.
*The controversial TV station, Al Jazeera, is broadcast from Qatar. I played last week--late in the week but at the time it wouldn't post.

BZ - 15
*Education has become very important. This November they will host the "1st World Innovation Summit for Education."
*There are no foreign ministries allowed to preach there; however, in 2008 they allowed the Catholic church to hold their first mass ever there.

DP - 20

* Sunni Muslims constitute 98% percent of Muslim population
*2.45 children born/woman (2009 est.) - had to put that in comparison to last week.
*Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% You would think they were all Arabs

MW - 15
*has it's own international airline
*before they discovered oil, the economy focused on fishing and pearl hunting

MW & BZ both put that they have the 3rd largest gas reserve in the world. way to go :)

Guitar?

We go from a large country with wide open spaces, to a teeny tiny one, that is jam packed with folks. In fact Mongolia is over 600k square miles with around 2 million folks. Here I am squeezed into a place under 5k sq miles, and has about 1.5 million folks. Sheesh!

Not an island state, but close. There is plenty of oceanfront property, but at the same time lots and lots of dessert, so all the peoples are crammed into the cities. But don't let the dessert fool you this is a rich country. There's Black Gold in them thar hills.

Though it is crowded the city prides itself on its pristine environment. Swimming and water sports are very popular, as the weather is perfect almost every day. Once the sun sets, though the fun does not stop. I enjoy a moonlight stroll along the Corniche, or view the skyline from the bay on a traditional dhow. Also I take time to go star-gazing in the clear night sky. This busy and industrious little place, has many opportunities to unwind and enjoy the beauty.

Once near extinction this beautiful cousin to the antelope, now live and breed in protected herds here. They can graze on the sparse vegetation found in the dessert and use their antlers for weapons against their enemy. This graceful white animal is believed to be the basis of the legend of the unicorn.

Beautiful mosques are located throughout the country for daily prayers, and the locals are guided by the Muslim teachings and values. Primarily a Bedouin culture, the traditions are based on poetry and song, while amazing art is created through weaving. Using tools made from both wood and gazelle horn, weavers work with sheep, goat, and camel wool to create beautiful rugs, tents, and cushions.

Not unlike the last place we went Falconry is very popular here as a hunting technique and as a sport. These birds of prey were used originally by Bedouins to hunt game, providing an important addition to their diets. During the off-season, owners and falcons continue with training exercises. Its incredible eyesight allows the falcon to lock onto its prey; it can fly at speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour and dives at twice that rate. An important bond is created between owners and falcons, and the birds are treated with great care and respect.

Speaking of sports, these people are sports nuts. They host sporting events as much as possible and just hosted the Asian Olympics. Horse Racing, Diving, Golfing, Auto Racing, Football (soccer), Boating, Sailing, other water sports, Deep Sea Fishing, Tennis, Squash, Bowling, Shooting, just to name a few. They have targeted themselves as one of the world's leading sports destinations and continues to expand existing infrastructure and build new facilities to accommodate this growing market niche.

Don't for get the history. They go back, way back. There are many forts and other ancient sites to be seen. They could build em then, and they can definitely build em now! Mosques and Skyscrapers sit side by side in down town. Here is a place where the East meets West. Every modern comfort you could ask for, while still steep in tradition. The men and women still wear traditional clothing including the head coverings.

I hope that when you look for your three trivia answers you really try to get an impression of what these places we visit are like. I get so excited doing this research I just want to tell everyone everything I learn. But I all ready make it easy enough for you :0)

Enjoy, I hope you find the beauty here that I did.