Amazing World Facts

Luzon, the largest of the Philippine Islands (40,000 square miles), got its name through a misunderstanding.

When Spanish travelers asked a native, who was sitting in a boat, about the name of the island, he thought they were asking what he was doing and replied “Luzon” (“We are rowing”).

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April Fool’s Day (the first of April) is called Cuckoo Day in Scotland, Fish Day in France, Doll Day in Japan, and Boob Day in Spain.

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Panama hats were not first made in Panama. They were made in Colombia and Ecuador.

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In Germany, during the nineteenth century, all princes had their “Prugelknaben”.

“Prugelknaben” (a German word) was a boy who was brought up with the young prince. Every time people around him thought that the prince misbehaved, the boy was spanked instead.

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A lemon 22 inches around and weighing 4 pounds was grown in California, U.S.A., in 1928.

The population of the Earth increases at the rate of 30 million a year. Every 12 months the increase is enough to populate a country the size of England.

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You can see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from the top of Mount Irazu, which is in Costa Rica.

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Toy balloons sometimes make long journeys. Once a small toy balloon was released in the state of New Jersey, U.S.A., and was later found in Venezuela.