20 amazing facts about Europe that you surely don't know



Europe is made up of 50 countries, each with its own language, culture and history. In this way the Old Continent is placed as a wide and diverse territory, which hides peculiar and curious data. We have compiled 10 amazing facts from Europe that you might not know.

As its name indicates, the Old Continent has a lot of history behind it. European science, art, culture extend beyond its borders and its territory welcomes some of the most tourist countries in the world.

It could be said that in general we know a lot about Europe. But the truth is that this territory is a vast and diverse space that also hides a good number of peculiar and curious facts and data that you may not know. Continue with Go Facts Ten 


Europe has the town with the Amazing longest name in the world


It is in Wales and the name in question is, nothing more and nothing, less than Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Try saying it, it's really complicated, right? Such is the way the town's website even includes a section to tell us how to pronounce it.

Although to make things easier the town appears marked as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and is known by the locals as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair. PG According to its history, collected on its own website , before acquiring this huge name, it was known as Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, which in Welsh comes to say something like 'The church of Mary by the pond near the White Hazels'.

It was not until 1850 with the development of the railway that the name change took place. The people sought to become a benchmark that made travelers stop in it and thus help its development. It was then that in a local committee one of the members proposed the change of denomination. As has the bright idea to be attributed to a shoemaker in the region of Menai Bridge. Already at that time that man came up with a great marketing plan that remains to this day.


In Hungary never toast with beer

Offering at celebrations or social gatherings is a very common custom in many countries. In general in all of them it is not well seen to bump the glasses with non-alcoholic drinks. But in Hungary it is also not toast with beers.
It is said that the motive dates back to 1848. At that time Hungary was trying unsuccessfully to become independent from the Austrian Empire. Every time they got a victory it was common to find the Austrians toasting with beer. The nationalist sentiment makes that in Hungary, toasting with beer still reminds of these past times and is not well received.

There are areas in Europe where the human being has not entered

These are the primary forests, virgin and wild forest extensions where ecological processes still follow a natural dynamic. It is hard to believe that man has never set foot inside, but as such, these primary forests are characterized by not showing signs of human activity in them.

This was commented in a press release, the ecologist of the University of Humboldt, Francesco Maria Sabatini, lead author of the research responsible for developing the first maps on the primary forests of Europe. A study that revealed, by the way, positive data, to discover that these forested regions are more frequent in the old continent than previously thought. The research was able to detect more than 13,759 kilometers in 34 European countries, a finding that was published in the Diversity & Distributions magazine in May 2018.

These "virtually intact" forests are as expected in remote areas and are fragmented into small patches. The most prominent area is in the mountainous systems and especially on the Scandinavian border.

In Switzerland, the law states that certain pets are entitled to regular contact with other animals of their kind

Swiss law pays special attention to pets, ensuring the dignity of animals present in the homes of the country. And it does so to such an extent that it includes the importance that certain types of pets should have continued contact with other "partners" of their species.

This rule applies in the case of pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits, or parakeets, which are classified as "social animals.” Hence, the rule contemplates that having them isolated can be harmful to these species, as stated by the Federal Veterinary Office of the country. The minimum size that a cage should have to accommodate these animals is also regulated by law.

Iceland has no army

Iceland due to its cold weather lacks ants or mosquitoes. But in addition to these striking absences, it is surprising that he also lacks an army. And more being a member of NATO. Therefore, it is positioned as the only country in this organization that does not have a regular army.
Instead, the Coast Guard along with other services such as those provided by the National Security Units and Special Forces of the National Commissioner are responsible for carrying out the defense of the country.

In Norway, one of the royals is a penguin

In 2016, Sir Nils Olav II was knighted by the King of Norway Harald V in a ceremony that attracted the interest of thousands of people. During the celebration, the appointed knight reviewed fifty soldiers of the guard and contemplated his own statue. And all this would not be a very amazing fact, if it weren't for Sir Nils Olav II is actually a penguin.

The story of how this animal became a knight goes back to 1961.  At that time, the King's Guard of Norway was in Edinburgh to carry out an exhibition. It was then that Nils Egelien, a lieutenant in the Norwegian army, became interested in the penguins that housed the city's zoo. Years later, the guard returned to Edimbugo and ended up adopting one of the zoo's specimens.

The penguin was named Nils, in honor of Lieutenant Egelien, and Olav, by King Olav V of Norway and received the rank of corporal. At that time the guard also decided that every time they visited Edinburgh the animal would rise. And he did, until his death.

In 2016, his son, Nils Olav II, heir to his titles was knighted. After acquiring the rank of chief colonel, it was the Norwegian king himself who decided to invest the penguin with this title, thus making him a member of Norwegian royalty.


The largest island in the world is European territory

The largest island in the world (after Australia which, being a country is not considered in this classification) is Greenland, which although it is an autonomous region and located in North America, belongs to the kingdom of Denmark.

Despite this, the independence sentiment is strong in Greenlanders and this was demonstrated in 2008 when up to 75% of the population of the island voted in favor of a statute that recognizes the right to self-determination. But at the moment it still belongs to Denmark.

As for its size, the largest island in the world has an extension of exactly 2,130,800 square kilometers, of which 85% of them are covered with ice.

Among other curiosities of this region, as the journalist Paco Nadal in El País recounts, in Greenland there is no right to own land, nor can roads be found that connect two inhabited nuclei . For this it is necessary to travel by sled, plane or boat.

Big Ben is actually the name of the bell of the popular British parliament clock

When we talk about Big Ben we all mention the tower that houses the popular clock next to the Westmister Bridge. But the truth is that it is a wrong name.
The tower itself is called Elizabeth Tower, name it received in 2012. Although before the change it was not called Big Ben, but Clock Tower. Actually Big Ben makes mention of the London clock bell.
In Switzerland a festival takes place that is only celebrated 5 times each century

La Fête des Vignerons is a wine festival that takes place in the city of Vevy in Switzerland and is celebrated only once per generation, that is, approximately every 20 years. So every century there are only 5 editions of the festival.
The party dates back to the eighteenth century and makes the town during those days a feast dedicated to wine and food in the area. For the party a building with capacity for 20,000 people will be built to host the main show and during those days the streets will be full of stalls and terraces to taste the typical products of the region.
By the way, if you're interested you're in luck, the next edition is precisely in 2019, between July 18 and August 11.

In Europe there are more than 200 languages spoken

In Europe, more than 200 languages are spoken, where the EU collects 24 official languages and about 60 regional or minority languages can be counted.
These languages belong to different families, of which the Indo-German group is the most popular. This is branched, as the linguist Wolfgang Schulze recalls, in the Germanic, Celtic, Romance, Baltic, Slavic, Albanian, Greek and Armenian languages. The second large group corresponds to the Hungarian-Finnish, to which the Finnish and Hungarian belong.
Due to this diversity, the Council of Europe approved in 2001 the commemoration of the European Day of Languages, which is celebrated on September 26 since then.

The monarchs of England own all the swans of the Thames

Participants in the Swan Upping event in which the swan population is counted in the Thames. Wikimedia Commons
All swans of the kingdom belong to Elizabeth II. But it is not that the monarch has a special devotion to these birds and has decided to acquire them all. This is a decree of the country, whereby the monarch of England can claim the ownership of all the swans of the Thames.
This has been the case since the twelfth century, when these animals were seen as status symbols.  In addition some theories relate this norm to the fact that at that time the aristocrats had the habit of enjoying the meat of this bird in certain Christmas celebrations. The purpose of this law could then have been to secure the swans of the country for their royalty.
Since then this norm has remained unchanged and has given rise to the ritual known as Swan Upping. On this holiday, which is celebrated the third week of July, a group of men commanded by the Queen's official swan marker (Swan Marker to Her Majesty the Queen) navigates the Thames to mark and count the swans that inhabit it .


Shell is the largest company in Europe

According to the latest Global 2000 classification, prepared by Forbes on the largest companies in the world, Royal Dutch Shell is positioned as the most important European company worldwide.
Located in position 9 of the global classification, the energy company based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, was created in 1911. It currently has 81,000 employees and a final balance that in 2017 reached almost 16,000 million dollars.

The youngest sovereign state in the world could be in Europe

This is Liberland, a plot of 7 square kilometers located between Croatia and Serbia that for years was not occupied. Unclaimed by any state, in April 2015 Jedlička and Jana Markovicova proclaimed the Free Republic of Liberland there.
According to his laws, the President is elected by the Preparatory Committee of the Free Republic of Liberland with a simple majority of votes. It has a Constitution and a currency, the Liberland Merit and on its website it is possible to apply for a residence and a passport. Of course, these documents do not believe that they can go very far given their low validity, since this microstate lacks recognition from governments or international organizations.

Therefore, it cannot be recognized as the youngest nation, since it does not go beyond being a curious fact of the European territory  without much validity. Officially, the youngest sovereign state is currently South Sudan that proclaimed its independence in 2005 and was recognized by referendum in 2011.