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.

Mongolia

47°55′N 106°53′E

A landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west.

BZ - 25

* Mongolia is a former Communist country.
* They had lots of protests last year over what the opposition claimed was voter fraud.
* People typically have only one name, not a first and last name.

MP - 20

* Has the steepest decline of total fertility in the world at 1.87 children per woman

* The traditional wrestling costume at the Mongolian Olympics includes an open-fronted jacket, tied around the waist with a string. This is said to have come into use after the champion of a wrestling competition many years ago was discovered to be a woman. The jacket was introduced to ensure that only men could compete.
* When you walk on the street and by accident bump into a person, don't be surprised if the other reaches for your hand. Just simply shake the hand or even just touch it to apologize and express that was indeed by accident. The same applies if your legs hit someone else's under the table."

DP - 20

* In 1944 a zud killed 7 million head of livestock (the temperature in a zud can get down to -58 deg F)

* Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire (the largest contiguous empire in history that included China, Korea, the Caucasus and Central Asian counties and a lot of Eastern Europe and the Middle east.
* There are 8,444 members in Mongola.

MoMa - 20

* It has 45 airports, but only 14 of them have paved runways!!
* It has 49,249 km of roads... but only 2,671 km of them are paved... that is less than 5%!
* 97.8% if the population (over the age of 15) can read and write.... That fact amazed me!! for a country thought to be so backward... they have an amazing literacy rate!!

Camels cry?

A few years back I saw a documentary on this country about the nomads and their camels. It wasn't the most entertaining film I'd seen but had some real interesting things to share about this mostly unknown land. and well... about camels.



Like Greenland this country is HUGE, but very few folks live here. Not exactly a paradise. It fascinates me how some countries can be as big as all this, and others smaller than my home town. Though most of this country is covered by arid and unproductive steppes, leaving very little space for arable land. It does have mountains in the north and west and the desert in the south. I've often imagined this place to be barren and unbearable. A frozen wasteland. But as usual I was wrong. Granted in the winter it can get to -20F. It can and will get blazing hot in the summer. Here they are also occasionally subject to a very harsh winter storms called Zud. This type of storms renders the land ungrasable for the livestock and can wipe out entire herds.
Because it is situated on such a high elevation, the weather is always extreme. It averages 250 cloudless days a year, and the southern desert may get no precipitation all year.

Up until just a few (50 or so) years ago the people here were generally nomads, and today over half still are. Living by and for their Livestock. Living in the ger, and moving several times a year. Thriving in the summer and surviving the winter. Though they still roam as their ancestors did 3000 years ago, you still will find the modern world creeping in. You may find a satellite dish, or a microwave oven as part of the camp set up. This area is the land of the horse, any countryman can ride as well as they can walk. They also drink horse milk.. a preferred drink once fermented... ug. Locals of all ages drink, praising its virtues for health and digestion.
Nomadic herds usually include the horse, cow, sheep, goat and camel.



A Ger consists of a wooden frame and is covered with felt. It weighs from 150 to 300 kgs and can be assembled and dismantled in approximately 2 hours. The interior organization of ger is identical everywhere: the door faces the south, the men’s place is in the west part, the north side is the place for honoured guests or old people as well as the place for the family altar, the east side is the women’s territory. The stove occupies the center of the ger.

The main festival for these countrymen is often referred to as a type of Olympics for us foreigners. And they don't mess around. There are only three events, but they bring people from all over the country to participate and spectate. Wrestling, archery and of course horse racing. Women have recently begun participating in the archery and racing, but no wrestling.

Another completely random thing is the ****** rally. Where people from all over the world come to participate. It is all about adventure and see parts of the world you would probably never see otherwise. It starts in England, then travels 10,000 miles to this country. The rules are as follows.
1 - your on your own; if something goes wrong, you have to get yourself out of it
2 - you and your team must raise money to donate to charity (minimum of 1000 pounds)
3 - your vehicle has to be tiny, and has to be less than 10 years old unless they're emergency vehicles or a rather undersized scooter of some kind. (usually the cars are unsuitable for the rough terrain they must cross)

The ultimate road trip, eh? Last year the rally raised over 250K pounds for charity.

Among many traditions is the ancient art of hunting with trained birds of prey. The tradition is believed to originate in Central Asia some 6000 years ago and later on be adopted in Europe and other countries. 13th century historical chronicles relay records of lavish hunting trips in autumn and winter involving thousands of people and horses. Falconers alone numbered more than 5,000. This centurys old traditions is still used today. For hunting purpose they catch and train Golden Eagles, mighty birds of prey common throughout the Central Asia. These huge birds weight up to 6.5 kilograms with wingspan of seven or eight feet.

Random tidbit, when I was in the MTC so was the first misssionary from this country.

Nicaragua

12°9′N 86°16′W

It is the largest country in Central America. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the country, the Caribbean Sea to the east.

MP - 25
*The name is made up of 2 words Nicarao (the Indian tribe that was occupying the shores of Lake Nicaragua when the Spaniards arrived in the 1500's) and Agua (water).
*In 1961, the Lake Nicaragua Shark was synonymized with the widespread Bull shark. It had been presumed that the sharks were trapped within the lake, but this was found to be incorrect in the late 1960s, when it was discovered that they were able to jump along the rapids of the San Juan River (which connects Lake Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea), almost like salmon. As evidence of these movements, bull sharks tagged inside the lake have later been caught in the open ocean (and vice versa), with some taking as little as 7-11 days to complete the journey. (yes, this was copied straight from Wikipedia, but I thought it was cool)
*To sand-surf the Cerro Negro, it takes 1 hour to hike up it and 10 minutes to surf down. Talk about adrenaline rush

BZ - 15
* You can go volcano surfing down the youngest volcano in Central America, born just 120 years ago and erupting at least twenty times since. Price for the experience is considerably cheap - $27.50, which includes one trip down the slope and entrance to the national par

DP - 20
*Their president has almost the same name as I do.
* You can easily go swimming with turtles here and
* It is common to see Mr. Tucan Sam around their forests

oh to dip my toe

A land of volcanoes, jungles, oceans, lakes, and dancing.

A unique opportunity affords me here. I can wake up in the morning and dip my toe in the Atlantic ocean. Then after a small drive I can dive into the Pacific ocean. All in one day. Can't do that in the USofA!

Sports are a big part of this area. Everywhere I go kids are playing baseball. Baseball was HUGE in this country in the 40's, and has remained popular, so much so they took a high ranking in the Olympics in the last 20 years, and has hosted the baseball world championships, of course now soccer rules the place. As much as I support the great sport of baseball, I have to admit my eyes appreciate the candy that the current popular sport affords.

Something our own country has not even been able to do yet, this country was recently ruled by a woman president. GO GIRLS!

A place I must visit, as it is impossible to miss is 'the' lake. Noted as one of the largest in Central/South America, its hard to avoid. Not only that, it has the worlds only freshwater sharks, a dual volcano island, and for you fishers out there, it even has freshwater swordfish. And believe me, these fishies can be ginormous.

For a Utahan especially its near impossible to find specific addresses here, as they do not use numeric address systems, usually they say 'from the bank, 3 blocks north half block east'·

A famous Latin dance comes from here. known as '*** ** ****'. It is also the name given to the month long May Day festival celebrated on the Caribbean coast. Both the festival and dance are a colorful mixture of European culture and Afro-Caribbean traditions

At night is when the real show begins. I can see 86 of the 88 constellations here. Can you find the bear? The hammer?

As an adventurer you know, when I heard someone talking about 'Sand Surfing', I made a bee-line to the volcano. That's right you can surf down the sides of a volcano!

There was once an American President here... Well he thought he was president. He declared himself president and tried to turn it into a slave state for the US. He was kicked out by the locals and a fellow American. Good triumphs over evil!

Palau & Swaziland

Ok, I'm back, let's see if we can get caught up. Oh and welcome to our newcomers!

Palau

7°21′N 134°28′E

An island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles south of Tokyo.

BZ - 20
*The Spanish first explored the islands in 1543.

*The Japanese took control over Palua in World War I and stayed in control until the U.S. drove them out in WWII. That's several decades under Japanese rule.

MP - 10
*Most often, if you want to go from island to island, you have to have a private boat.

DP - 20

*When they are having lunch in Palau (12:00 Noon)- I am having dinner (7:00 - the day before).

*The pope was the first one to give foregin rule over Palau (different pope than the one who gave Brazil to Portugal).

*Palau has 16 states (four of which start with the letter N and none of which I can pronounce).

MM - 15

*Koror is often recognised as the capital of Palau, but it is only to be the capital for a short time longer. By 2010, the capital of Palau will be Melekeok.

*Palau was discovered by accident in 1783 when the shipwrecked crew of Captain Henry Wilson reached the shores of Ulong.

Swaziland

26°19′S 31°8′E

A landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique

MP - 20
*It is the world's last absolute monarchy

*Swaziland is landlocked

BZ - 10
*Here the country that is the size of New Jersey

ER - 5

M0Ma - 10
*The Reed dance is called "Umhlanga" the dance is an annual Swazi tradition.

DP - 20
*The kings dad had over 1,000 gradkids when he died.
*The current king has 14 wifes
*They don't become his wife until they have his children. Before that they are only his brides. I was a little obsessed with how they do their families over there. I got it because of the She-elephant. Imagine this is the only place in the world that has one.

NO SNOW HERE!

This continent has more countries per capita that anywhere else, the trick is to find what makes this country unique.

Like most of the surrounding countries, Big Game viewing is a big tourist attraction here. and birds, there's always birds. What are some animals we havent seen yet? Good thing we came here, it is about time we saw some! Who hasn't wanted to pretend they are on TAR and going big game safariing... is that a word?

The area is a Kingdom and ruled by a King. The kicker is that he is always by tradition reigns along with his mother. The local word literally translated for her possition is She-Elephant. So want to be the She-Elephant. The sucessor to the throne is chosen in relation to the status of his mother. Boring moderization, doesn't anyone wear a crown and royal blue robe anymore?

Traditional healers in the area are regarded as physicians, prophets, priests, herbalists and diviners which places a great responsibility upon them. approximately 80% of the Nation consult them and there are both male and female traditional healers. The "Inyanga" inherits his skills from his grandfather and father. His profession is dominated by men and the "Inyanga" holds a senior place in society. His main function is divination which may be effected by throwing the bones. After several throws when the bones fall into different patterns, the "Inyanga" will scrutinize them and then spell out a clear message. The "Sangoma" is a traditional healer who has been "called" to the profession. Generally practiced by women, the "Sangoma" is consulted to alleviate physical and mental problems, to attend various ceremonies and to act as a counselor. When divining, the "Sangoma" relies traditionally upon spirit possession. Both the "Inyanga" and the "Sangoma" are herbalists and most consult them for varying reasons. A special school is maintained and can be visited, so going there, but I think I'll keep any sicknesses to myself.

When you think old school hunters and gatherers, here is your place. Traditionally the people have been subsistence farmers and herders, but most now mix such activities with work in the growing urban formal economy and in government. Some work in the mines .

A Traditional dance that is the areas best known cultural even is the Reed Dance ceremony, is an annual tradition held in August or September. Tens of thousands of unmarried and childless girls and women travel from their villages to participate in the eight-day event. They gather at the Queen Mother's royal village. I would show a picutre, but it is very 'national geographic' if you know what I mean. The aims of the ceremony is to preserve girls' chastity, provide tribute labour for the Queen mother, produce solidarity by working together. This is actually not an ancient ceremony, but developed quite recently.

Considered one of the smallest countries on this contenent, it has over a million (that's right million) peoples. Sad fact is that almost half of the population has AIDS. One of the highest infection rates in the world. Also over 60% live on less that US $1.25.

Although you are in a remote part of the world, and extreem poverty, don't worry there are several glitzy glam 'villas' for the snooty.