A Unique Fact About Every Nation (Part One)

Note: This article will be written in two parts. This part covers all countries from A to M.

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan's national game is called Buzkashi: in which players attempt to catch a goat while riding a horse.

Albania

In an attempt to reduce human trafficking to Italy and Greece, speedboats are banned in Albania.

Algeria

Only 12 percent of its land is inhabited. Over 90 percent of the country is covered by the Sahara desert.

American Samoa

American Samoa houses the greatest marine biodiversity of any site in the United States, with over 250 species of coral and 930 species of fish.

Andorra

Andorra has no airports. Visitors must travel by bus from either France or Spain.

Angola

The San people of Angola are the oldest Indigneous group in Southern Africa. They have existed since before the Bantu Expansions of 2000 to 1000 BCE.

Antigua & Barbuda

The Arawaks were the first well-documented group of Antiguans, settling on the island around 1200 CE.

Argentina

The national drink of Argentina is a caffeine-infused herbal drink called Yerba Mate.

Anguilla

Due to its small size, citizens of Anguilla have no street address. Instead, all mail goes to the local post office.

Armenia

First mentioned in 520 BCE, Armenia is one of six ancient countries. Its capital, Yerevan, was founded in 782 BCE: almost thirty years before the founding of Rome.

Aruba

The caves of Aruba are filled with over three hundred pictographs dating back to prehistoric ages.

Australia

In 1967, then-prime minister of Australia, Harold Holt, disappeared while swimming in a sea near Portsea, Victoria. Despite extensive search efforts, his body was never found.

Austria

In 1991, German tourists discovered the mummified body of a man believed to have lived between 3350 and 3105 BCE. Now known as Ötzi the Iceman, the mummy was discovered in the Ötztal Alps in western Austria.

Azerbaijan

In 1918, following its independence from Russia, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic became the first Democratic Republic in the Muslim world, as well as the first Muslim nation to grant women the right to vote.

Bahamas

An uninhabited island in the Bahamas known as Pig Beach is populated by approximately fifty to sixty feral pigs. They are fed by tourists and residents of neighbouring islands.

Bahrain

Bahrain does not tax personal income. Bahraini employees contribute 7% to social insurance programs, while employers contribute 12%.

Bangladesh

In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic shopping bags.

Barbados

The largest festival in Barbados is Crop Over: a summer celebration that honours the sugar cane harvest.

Belarus

Sometimes referred to as "Europe's Last Dictatorship", Belarus has been under rule of president Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. It is also the only European country to still practice capital punishment.

Belgium

Belgium holds the record for the longest time without a government. This lasted for 451 days in 2010 and 2011.

Belize

Belize is the only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean. It's also the only Central American country whose official language is not Spanish.

Benin

Prior to 1975, Benin was known as Dahomey: a self-governing colony within the African colonies of France. Following a coup d'état in 1972, Dahomey became the People's Republic of Benin.

Bermuda

With no rivers or freshwater lakes on the island, citizens of Bermuda get their drinking water from rain water collected in tanks.

Bhutan

Due to the country's cultural identity and philosophy, Bhutan has no traffic lights. Instead, police officers at major intersections direct the flow of traffic.

Bolivia

Once part of the Incan Empire, Bolivia is home to the largest Indigenous population in Latin America. It has at least thirty six official languages.

Bonaire

In the seventeenth century, Dutch colonizers brought donkeys to Bonaire to transport goods. Years later, these donkeys were replaced by modern vehicles. Today, hundreds of wild donkeys still roam the island.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cave engravings found in Badanj Cave depict one of the oldest known pieces of art, estimated to date back to 12,000 or 13,000 BCE.

Botswana

Botswana is Africa's largest producer of diamonds. It is the country with the second-largest diamond production, second only to Russia.

Brazil

Brazil is home to one of the largest prison populations globally. In 2012, the Ministry of Justice introduced a program called "Remission for Reading", which allows prisoners to reduce their sentences by reading and reviewing books.

Brunei

In Brunei, it's illegal to celebrate Christmas in public. Despite this, many people still observe the holiday in their own homes.

Bulgaria

Established in 681 CE, Bulgaria is the only European country that has never changed its name.

Burkina Faso

Historically known as The Republic of Upper Volta, Burkina Faso was renamed in 1984 by president Thomas Sankara: a Marxist revolutionary who played a big role in making Burkina Faso independent from the Kingdom of France.

Burundi

In 2014, the Burundian president banned group jogging, claiming it gave citizens the opportunity to plan anti-government activities.

Cabo Verde

In the twentieth century, Cape Verde was affected by such extreme droughts that around 200,000 people died. As a result, there was such extensive emmigration that today, there are more Cape Verdeans living outside of the country than inside it.

Cambodia

During the reign of Khmer king Jayavarman VII, ox carts were the most popular mode of transportation. Today, ox cart racing is one of the most popular cultural sports in Cambodia, and a traditional part of Khmer new year celebrations.

Cameroon

In August 1986, a limnic eruption from Cameroon's Lake Nyos caused the deaths of 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages.

Canada

Canada is home to sixty percent of the world's total lakes.

Canary Islands

With an area of 269 km squared and a population of approximately 12,000, El Hierro is the smallest and most southern of the Canary Islands. It is the first island in the world to use 100% renewable energy.

Cayman Islands

Caymanite is a type of limestone rock found only on the Cayman Islands. It comes in an array of colours formed from minerals: such as orange, brown, yellow, red, and blue.

Central African Republic

According to National Geographic, the Central African Republic is the country least affected by light pollution.

Chad

The Wodaabe tribe of Chad and Niger take part in an annual festival known as Gerewol, in which men perform dance by way of impressing young women and girls.

Chile

Chile is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica. Its most southern point is Puerto Williams, the capital of Antártica Chilena Province. There is approximately 960 - 1,000 kilometres from here to Antarctica.

China

Standard Chinese is the world's oldest language, dating back to the Shang Dynasty of 1250 to 1192 BCE.

Colombia

The legend of El Dorado was inspired by a Pre-Colombian Indigenous group called the Muisca. Each time a leader of the Muisca was chosen, he would cover his body with golden dust and transport offerings along Lake Guatavita, to a goddess who was believed to inhabit the waters.

Comoros

Comoros is known for the ylang ylang flower, which is used to make fragrances and perfumes. Chanel's eau De Parfum No. 5 contains scents from ylang ylang flowers imported from Comoros.

Cook Islands

Cook Islands' law states that no building can be taller than a coconut tree. This is because buildings are meant to blend into the natural environment, rather than overpower it.

Costa Rica

Nicoya, Costa Rica, has one of the world's highest life expectancies and lowest mortality rates among seniors. It's one of only five Blue Zones in the world.

Côte D’Ivoire

Côte D’Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans, exporting almost four billion dollars worth in 2019.

Croatia

The sea organ is an experimental musical instrument in Zadar, a city located in the Adriatic Sea on the western coast of Croatia. It creates music by using sound waves and tubes underneath large underwater stairs.

Cuba

Due to a US trade embargo, coca cola cannot be legally bought or sold in Cuba.

Curacao

Curaçao is the closest Caribbean island to the South American coast. It's located approximately sixty five kilometres from the northern coast of Venezuela, and is only about a thirty minute flight.

Cyprus

Commandaria, the world's oldest manufactered wine, originated in Cyrpus and was first documented by Hesiod in 800 BCE.

Czech Republic

Easter fertility rites in the Czech Republic involve spanking women with willow whips and splashing men with cold water.

DR Congo

With a population of more than seventeen million, Kinshasa is the world's largest French speaking city. It's located only seven kilometers from the Congo's capital city of Brazzaville, making them the world's closest capital cities.

Denmark

Bluetooth technology was named after Danish king Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, who ruled from approximately 956 to 986 CE. It was analogized that Bluetooth technology could unite devices in the same way that Harald united tribes of Denmark. The Bluetooth logo consists of the Scandinavian runes of Harald's initials.

Djibouti

Djibouti City is one of the hottest places on earth: reaching an average summer temperature of 40 degrees, and an average winter temperature of 25 degrees.

Dominica

With nine active volcanoes, Dominica has the world's highest concentration of volcanoes. As a result, many of its beaches possess black sand.

Dominican Republic

Larimar is a rare blue gemstome found only in the Barahona region of Dominican Republic. It ranges in colour from light blue-green to dark indigo and purple.

Ecuador

In 2008, Ecuador became the first country to grant constitutional rights to nature. This grants things in nature the right to live and die naturally without the interference of humans.

Egypt

Evidence suggests that the tradition of exchanging wedding rings began in Ancient Egypt. The circle shape represented eternity, and it was believed by Ancient Egyptians that the left hand ring finger contained a vein which connected directly to the heart.

El Salvador

The US dollar is the official currency of El Salvador; however, in 2021, Bitcoin became legal tender in El Salvador, making it the first country in the world to accept cryptocurrency as legal currency.

England

In the eleventh century, England was invaded by an army led by the duke of Normandy, ruler of North-Western France. As a result of the conquering of England by Normandy, old French was the offical language for centuries afterwards.

Equatorial Guinea

The Fang people are a Bantu ethnic group that makes up approximately 85% of Equitorial Guinea's total population. They create artwork from wood, iron, and soaptstone. They are most famously known for their wooden heads artwork.

Eritrea

Although national elections have been organized in Eritrea, none have ever been held. Since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has been under the leadership of the dictator Isaias Afwerki.

Estonia

Estona is hailed as the world's most technologically advanced nation. Online voting was introduced in 2005, and all government services are available online.

Eswatini

Eswatini is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. At the time of the king's coronation in 1986, he was the world's youngest ruling monarch. He has sixteen current wives and is believed to have at least twenty children.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia has six publically recognized holidays and nine religious holidays. It follows a solar calendar that contains twelve months of thirty days followed by a thirteenth month of five or six days. Ethiopian new year is called Kudus Yohannes, and occurs on 11 or 12 September.

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands consist of eighteen major islands and more than twenty subsea tunnels. The two largest islands, Streymoy and Eysturoy, are connected via a subsea tunnel called Eysturoyartunnilin. This tunnel is over eleven kilometres long and approximately 614 feet below sea level. It also contains the world's first undersea roundabout.

Fiji

Taveuni is the third-largest island of Fiji, and is the product of v0lcanic activity. It crosses the International Date Line at the 180th meridian, so that the northeast part of the island is located at 179 degrees west, and the southwest part of the island is located at 179 degrees east.

Finland

Saunas (sow-nahs) originated in Finland, where they began as embankments in the ground. Stones were heated to a very high temperature, and water tossed on them to produce steam. In old Finnish tradition, a "sauna elf" called Saunatonttu lives in the sauna.

France

In 2016, France introduced a law making it illegal for supermarkets larger than four hundred sqaure metres to throw away or destroy unsold food. Instead, unsold food must be donated to charities or food banks. Supermarkets found throwing out food could face a fine of up to 75,000 euros ($123,000 CAD).

French Polynesia

Residents of Tahiti have large mailboxes outside their houses, where fresh loaves of bread are delivered twice a day.

Gabon

Gabon is home to approximately eighty percent of Africa's gorilla population and sixty to seventy percent of Africa's forest elephants.

Gambia

Since 1966, Gambians have voted in presidential elections by dropping marbles into small drums containing photos of the candidates.

Georgia

Vardzia is a cave monastery in southern Georgia, believed to have been constructed during the twelfth century. Caves stretch across Erusheti Mountain for five hundred metres (1640 feet). It contains, among other rooms, 500 caves, 407 rooms, 12 chapels, a cemetery, a reception chamber, a meeting room, and a forge.

Germany

Germany is home to 20,000 - 25,000 castles. Burghausen Castle, located in Upper Bavaria, is confirmed by the Guiness Book of World Records to be the largest castle complex in the world. It was constructed in the mid 1200s to be used as residence for the dukes of Lower Bavaria.

Ghana

The Kingdom of Dagbon is the oldest kingdom of Ghana. It was founded in the fifteenth century by Naa Gbewaa and his descendants, who today are the Dagomba people of northern Ghana.

Greece

In the 5th century BCE, people of Athens developed a system where ordinary citizens could participate in political decisions - thus paving the way for modern democracy.

Greenland

The kayak was created thousands of years ago by the Inuit people of Greenland, who constructed them from animal skins stretched over a wooden frame. The word kayak originates from the Inuit word qajaq.

Grenada

The national dish of Grenada is Oil Down: a stew made of breadfruit, herbs, and chicken or other smoked meat, and cooked in coconut milk.

Guam

Guam's most popular landmark is Two Lover's Point - a seaside cliff in the village of Tamuning which overlooks the Philippine Sea. At approximately 370 feet tall, it comes from a folk story about two lovers, forbidden by society to be together, who jumped from the top of the cliff to their deaths to avoid being apart.

Guatemala

Baile de la Conquista or Dance of the Conquest is a traditional Guatemalan folklore dance. It re-enacts the invasion of the K'iche' kingdom by Pedro de Alvarado in 1524. The dance references Tecun Uman, who was ruler of the K'iche' kingdom when it was invaded by the Spanish. Tecun Uman was slain by Pedro de Alvarado, and was declared Guatemala's national hero in 1960.

Guinea

The Fula, or Fulani people, are the largest ethnic group in Guinea, making up approximately 34% of the population. They are traditionally nomadic people who construct dome-shaped homes made of grass, wood, and millet stalk pillars.

Guinea-Bissau

The primary musical instrument in Guinea-Bissau is the cabasa or agbe: a percussion instrument made of looped steelballs that wrap around a wooden cylinder.

Guyana

Kaieteur Falls is the world's largest single-drop waterfall. Located on the Potaro River in central Guyana, the waterfall is 740 feet tall: more than four and a half feet taller than Niagara Falls.

Haiti

Haitian Carnival is the largest festival of the year, taking place over several weeks and leading up to Mardi Gras. It became a public celebration in 1804 in Haiti's capital city, Port Au Prince. Carnival season begins in January, and the carnival itself takes place in February.

Honduras

For more than a century, an annual phenomenon has occurred when hundreds of live, freshwater fish are found on the ground in the villages of Yoro, Honduras, after a big storm. The Festival de Lluvia de Pece, or the rain of fish festival, has taken place annually since 1998.

Hong Kong

According to the United Nations, Hong Kong's life expectancy of 85.5 is the highest in the world.

Hungary

By law, babies born in Hungary can have only one or two given names. Names can be chosen from a list of government-approved names, and must be approved if they are not on the list.

Iceland

There's a traditional Icelandic method of baking bread known as "hverabrauð". It involves burying dough in the ground near hot springs or geothermal areas to bake using natural heat.

India

In Hinduism, a bindi is a small coloured dot worn by women in the centre of the forehead. The area between the eyebrows is said to be the sixth chakra, or energy centre in the body. The bindi also represents the third eye, which in Buddhism and Hindusim is said to provide perception beyond ordinary sight.

Indonesia

Consisting of at least one hundred million people, the Javanese are the largest ethnic group in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. They are the original creators of batik: a type of resist dyeing that involves drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption.

Iran

Iran is the only nation that allows organs to be bought and sold; however, this practice is limited to the country to prevent transplant tourism. In Iran's legal organ market, the cost of a single kidney ranges from $28,000 to $45,000. The trade is controlled by non-profit organizations to ensure compatibility, health, and compensation.

Iraq

Sumer is the oldest known civilization, located in southern Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq. They emerged during the sixth and fifth milleniums, between approximately 5500 and 1800 BCE.

Ireland

Halloween originates from the festival of Samhain, first observed in around 200 BCE by the Celtic people of Ireland.

Isle of Man

Isle of Man is associated with a figure in Gaelic mythology known as Manannán mac Lir. In Manx mythology, Manannán ruled the island and protected it from invaders. The name of the island is said to have been taken from him.

Italy

Most scholars agree that modern banking began in Renaissance Italy, particularly the areas of Florence, Genoa, and Venice. The world's oldest bank, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, was founded in Tuscany in 1472.

Jamaica

Rastafari is an Afrocentric religion that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s. Rastafari adherents believe in a single god who partially resides in all humans, and leads to righteousness. Rastafari places a key importance on former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, who is regarded as the "second coming of Jesus."

Japan

The world's deepest underwater mailbox is located off the coast of Susami Bay, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It's approximately 10 metres (32 feet) deep. Mail is printed on waterproof cards, after which people dive into the sea to access the mailbox.

Jersey

During World War II, the Channel Islands were the only British nation to be occupied by Germany. Hohlgangsanlage 8, or Ho8, was a partially constructed series of tunnels in St. Lawrence, intended to offer protection to German occupiers. Today, Ho8 is an underground museum dedicated to the history of the occupation.

Jordan

The Jordan Trail is a 650 kilometre hiking trail that goes from Aqaba in southern Jordan to Umm Qais in northern Jordan. The trail passes through fifty two villages and towns, and takes about forty days to complete.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's capital city holds the world record as the capital city with the most name changes. Astana has been renamed five times since it was founded in 1830: it was originally Akmoly. In 1832, it became Akmolinsk. In 1961, it was renamed again to Tselinograd. In 1991, it was renamed to Akmola. In 2019, to honour the resignation of president Nursultan Nazarbayev, the city was renamed Nur-Sultan. As of 2022, the city's official name is Astana.

Kenya

Umoja Uaso is a village in Kenya where men are forbidden. Located in Samburu County, the village was founded in 1990 by Rebecca Lolosoli as a sanctuary for women fleeing violence, forced marriage, or gential mutilation.

Kiribati

Kiribati is the only country in the world that is located in every hemisphere.

Kosovo

Kosovo is the world's second youngest country, followed only by South Sudan. It gained independence from Serbia in 2008, an act that the government of Serbia claimed violated the constitution. Kosovo is recognized as an independent nation by 56% of United Nations states, and 81% of European Union states.

Kuwait

The Kuwait dinar is the highest valued currency in the world. One dinar is equivalent to 3.25 USD or 4.6 CAD.

Kyrgyzstan

The Epic of Manas is a Kyrgyz epic poem of approximately 553,000 lines. Written in the eighteenth century, the epic is separated into three parts, and details Kyrgyz warrier Manas, his descendants, and their interactions with neighbouring Turkic and Mongolic people. The Epic of Manas is the longest poem ever written and remains one of Kyrgyzstan's most important pieces of historical art.

Laos

The government of Laos recognizes forty seven distinct ethnicities within the country. Approximately half the population is ethnic Lao. The national dress of the country is called xout lao.

Latvia

Located in Liepāja, Karosta Prison is Europe's only military prison that's open to tourists. It was constructed between 1890 and 1906 under the instruction of the Tsar of Russia. Since then, it's been converted to a hotel and museum, where tourists can spend nights in prison cells and learn about the building's history.

Lebanon

Tyrian purple dye, made from the mucous secretions of sea snails, was first used as early as 1200 BCE, by the ancient Phoenicians of modern-day Tyre, Lebanon.

Lesotho

Lesothosaurus was an omnivorous dinosaur believed to have existed during the Early Jurassic era, approximately two hundred one million years ago. It was named in 1978 by Peter Galton, after fossils of the Lesothosaurus were discovered in the Upper Elliot Formation in Lesotho.

Liberia

The American Colonization Society was founded in 1816 by Robert Finley and several other white men, with the purpose of relocating formerly enslaved people to Africa. The society believed that freed Black people would struggle to integrate into American society, and would face better chances for freedom in Africa. In the nineteenth century, the American Colonization Society, along with several other American colonization societies, organized the emigration of formerly enslaved people to settlements that would later become the Colony of Liberia.

Libya

The Amazonian Guard, or the Revolutionary Nuns, was an all-woman team of bodyguards hired to protect Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Between 1980 and 2011, more than four hundred women were trained as guards: all unmarried women of around twenty, personally chosen by Gaddafi himself, required to take chastity oaths and train in martial arts. After Gaddafi's assassination in 2011, several of his former guards came forward with accounts of rape, abuse, and blackmail.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein was the last European nation to grant women the right to vote. This only happened in 1984.

Lithuania

Lithuania was the last European country to practice Paganism, becoming Christianized in 1837: centuries after the rest of Europe. Romuva is a neo-Pagan religion derived from traditional Lithuanian mythology. It involves polytheism, ancestor worship, and Baltic folklore, music, and art.

Luxembourg

As of 2023, Luxembourg's minimum wage is the highest in the world: €15.63 per hour, which is equivalent to $25 CAD or $18 USD.

Madagascar

Gondwana, or Gondwanaland, was a supercontinent that existed approximately two hundred million years ago, the more southern of the two landmasses that made up Pangaea. When Gondwana broke apart approximately one hundred million years ago, the island that would later become Madagascar split away from the African subcontinent and joined the Indian subcontinent, where it remained for around another ninety millions years. This means that, although it's geographically African, Madagascar was originally part of Asia.

Malawi

In 1991, a hominid jawbone was discovered near Uraha Hill in northern Malawi. The jawbone - which paleontologists named Ur 501 - was given an estimated age of 2.5 million years, making it the oldest known human fossil from the Homo genus.

Malaysia

Caning is used as a form of corporal punishment in Malaysia. It can be separated into four categories: judicial, school, domestic, and sharia or syariah. The caning of schoolgirls has been illegal since 1957; however, it still occurs frequently as punishment for tardiness, poor grades, failing to answer a question correctly, or forgetting school equipment at home. In 2007, in response to an increase of misbehaviour by female students, itwas recommended by the council of education that caning be legalized.

Maldives

According to the 2008 Constitution of Maldives, all citizens of the island must adhere to Sunni Islam, the country's official religion. Non-Muslim citizens are forbidden from publicly practicing their faith, and all government regulations are based on Islamic law. As of 2014, the abandonment of the Islam faith is punishable by death.

Mali

Founded by Sundiata Kieta, the Mali Empire was a West African empire that lasted from 1226 to 1610 CE. It began as a small Mandinka kingdom near the Manding region of the Niger River, but became the largest and wealthiest empire in Western Africa by the early 1300s.

Mansa Musa, the great-nephew of Sundiata, was the ninth ruler of the Mali Empire: reigning between 1312 and 1337. He is known for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, during which he gifted gold to cities, pilgrims, rulers, and poor people he passed.

Malta

The Megalithic Temples of Malta are prehistoric limestone temples built between approximately 3600 and 2500 BCE, and recognized as some of the world's oldest religious sites. The temples consist of Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Ta' Ħaġrat, Skorba, and Tarxien. Maltese folklore describes giants as the builders of the temples; the name Ġgantija means "giant's tower".

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands consist of two major island chains: Ratak to the east, and Ralik to the west. Marshallese people are of Micronesian origin, mostly Polynesian or Melanesian.

Mauritania

In 1981 - nearly 120 years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Mauritania made slavery illegal: the last country in the world to do so. Despite this, it wasn't until 2007 that Mauritania actually began criminalizing the act of owning another person. In 2015, a new law was passed which labelled slavery a crime against humanity, and doubled the prison sentence of offenders to twenty years.

Mauritius

Mauritius is the only known habitat of the dodo bird, who existed on the island long before humans. When the first settlers arrived in 1598, they hunted the dodo for meat, and the animals they brought ate the dodo's eggs and chicks. This lead to their rapid extinction by 1693.

Mexico

The Chicxulub crater is an impact crater in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It's around two hundred kilometres wide and thirty kilometres deep. Chicxulub crater was formed over sixty six million years ago by an asteroid approximately ten kilometres in diameter, and it was discovered by two geophysicists in the 1970s. It's widely believed by scientists that the impact of this crater was the primary cause of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event and the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia are located in the the Northwestern Pacific Ocean: about 2,000 kilometres north of Papua New Guinea and 4,000 kilometres east of the Philippines. It consists of four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. These states are represented with four white stars on the flag of Micronesia.

Moldova

Mărțișor is a Romanian and Moldovan tradition celebrated at the beginning of spring in May. It involves a small object made from intertwined red and white string, hanging from a tassel. Attached to the strings could be items like charms, silver coins, or cross pendants. The tradition involves wearing the object at the beginning of spring, and afterwards, tying it from a tree branch or placing it on a fence as a gift for migratory birds.

Monaco

With more than 38,000 people and a total area of two square kilometres, Monaco is the world's most densely populated country. Two of its eleven administrative wards were built on reclaimed land: Fontvieille in the south and Le Portier in the east. Land reclamation in Monaco is done by building land in the sea out of concrete blocks.

Mongolia

In 1957, the government of Mongolia established the Order of Maternal Glory: metals and cash payments meant to incentivize people to have more children, and in turn, increase the country's fertility rates. The order is divided into two classes:

- First Order of Glorious Motherhood, as well as 200,000 tögrögs, is awarded to women who have six or more children.

- Second Order of Glorious Motherhood, as well as 100,000 tögrögs, is awarded to women who have four or more children.

Montenegro

Originating in the Western Balkins, Crnogorsko oro is the traditional dance of the Montenegrins. Its name comes from the word orao, meaning eagle: a reference to the dance resembling the movements of an eagle.

Morocco

The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, is famous for being the world's oldest university. It was founded in the ninth century by Fatima al-Fihriya, and began as a mosque, later becoming one of the leading spiritual centres of the Islamic Golden Age. In 1963, it was incorporated into Morocco's state university system.

Mozambique

The Makonde people are an ethnic group of Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Mapiko is a ceremonial dance that originated in northern Mozambique, for which the Makonde people wear hand-crafted masks called lipico. These masks are also worn during rites of passage, such as the circumcision of boys as an initiation of adulthood.

Myanmar

A distinctive part of Burmese culture is the application of thanaka: a paste made from the ground bark of either Murraya or Limonia acidissima. Thanaka has been used in Myanmar for more than two thousand years. It's worn on the face, most commonly in circular designs on the cheeks or nose. It is believed to remove acne, promote smooth skin, and protect from sunburn.