Originally, potatoes were a main part of the Andean food culture, where the crop was domesticated approximately 7,000 years ago. The Spanish introduced the potato in Europe in the 16th century. It is suggested that the potato played an significant role in the growth of population between 1700 and 1900. Today, the world production of potatoes is around 324 million tonnes. Its culinary uses are versatile and depend on the variety. They can be boiled, roasted, mashed, peeled or skin-on. In many food cultures the potato plays an important role. But what are the largest producers of potatoes? Which are the largest potato producing countries in tonnes? Here’s a quick top 10 potato producing countries!

Top 10 potato producing countries

1. The Netherlands – 7.33 million tonnes
2. France – 8.02 million tonnes
3. Poland – 8.20 million tonnes
4. Bangladesh – 8.37 million tonnes
5. Germany – 11.80 million tonnes
6. United States – 19.36 million tonnes
7. Ukraine – 24.25 million tonnes
8. Russia – 32.68 million tonnes
9. India – 42.34 million tonnes
10. China – 88.35 million tonnes

FAOSTAT 2011

It’s just a matter of liking the club’s Facebook page or following the Twitter account to support your favorite club. The club in return gets more exposure and the possibilities to keep their fans updated about the results, programs, transfer news and, probably most important, their merchandizing. So in terms of popularity on social media, which soccer clubs are the most popular? Here’s a top 10 most popular soccer clubs on social media!

Top 10 most popular soccer clubs on social media

1. Bayern Munchen – 7.441.404 fans: 340.863 followers on Twitter, 7.100.541 likes on Facebook
2. Fenerbahce – 8.551.959 fans: 2.034.228 followers on Twitter, 6.517.731 likes on Facebook
3. Galatasaray – 10.962.149 fans: 2.678.268 followers on Twitter, 8.283.881 likes on Facebook
4. Liverpool FC – 13.762.645 fans: 1.687.336 followers on Twitter, 12.075.309 likes on Facebook
5. Arsenal – 16.356.047 fans: 2.380.790 followers on Twitter, 13.975.257 likes on Facebook
6. AC Milan – 16.651590 fans: 1.101.111 followers on Twitter, 15.550.479 likes on Facebook
7. Chelsea FC – 19.217.640 fans: 2.163.122 followers on Twitter, 17.054.518 likes on Facebook
8. Manchester United – 33.770.221 fans: 233.327 followers on Twitter*, 33.536.884 likes on Facebook
9. Real Madrid – 45.977.338 fans: 7.754.699 followers on Twitter, 38.222.639 likes on Facebook
10. FC Barcelona – 51.505.296 fans: 8.969.771 followers on Twitter, 42.535.525 likes on Facebook

* Twitter account of the Manchester United press office

Compiled: May 21, 2013
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With the current standard of technology in some sense our world has become a small planet. It’s not an absolute necessity to have physical contact to satisfy your basic needs. So if you’re happy to do a lot of groceries once a month in the nearest village approximately 200 miles away and then go back to your den to spend a month in relative isolation, then the countries in our next list are just the right thing for you. Make sure however that you don’t have to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbors. Here’s a top 10 least densely populated countries, measured by number of inhabitants per square kilometer!

Top 10 least densely populated countries

1. Botswana: 3.66 (2.127.825 / 581.730 sq km)
2. Canada: 3.46 (34.568.211 / 9.984.670 sq km)
3. Suriname: 3.46 (566.846 / 163.820 sq km)
4. Guyana (British): 3.44 (739.903 / 214.969 sq km)
5. Libya: 3.41 (6.002.347 / 1.759.540 sq km)
6. Mauritania: 3.34 (3.437.610 / 1.030.700 sq km)
7. Iceland: 3.06 (315.281 / 103.000 sq km)
8. Australia: 2.88 (22.262.501 / 7.741.220 sq km)
9. Namibia: 2.64 (2.182.852 / 824.292 sq km)
10. Mongolia: 2.06 (3.226.516 / 1.564.116 sq km)

CIA Factbook

Many industries are only effective if their operations take place on a large scale, requiring strict safety regulations. But sometimes safety is a trade off when it comes to making profit. Either a project must be finished within a deadline, or when strict (safety) rules conflict with cost efficiency. Industrial disasters take place in many industries, most notably the (petro)chemical, defense and the energy industry. The last notorious industrial disaster took place only a month ago in Bangladesh, when a clothing factory collapsed, causing many fatalities. It entered the top 10 industrial disasters easily. But what are the deadliest industrial disasters by death toll? When and where did they take place? Here’s a top 10 deadliest industrial disasters.

Top 10 deadliest industrial disasters

1. September 21, 1921: Oppau Explosion, Germany – 500 to 600 fatalities
2. November 19, 1984: San Juanico Disaster, Mexico – 500 to 600 fatalities
3. April 16, 1947: Texas City Disaster, United States – 578 fatalities
4. March 10, 1906: Courrières Mine Disaster, France – 1,099 fatalities
5. April 24, 2013: Savar Building Collapse, Bangladesh – 1,126 fatalities
6. April 26, 1942: Benxihu Colliery Disaster, China – 1,549 fatalities
7. October 9, 1963: Vajont Dam Disaster, Italy – 1,900 to 2,500 fatalities
8. December 6, 1917: Halifax Explosion, Canada – around 2,000 fatalities
9. December 3, 1984: The Bhopal Disaster, India – 4,000 to 20,000 fatalities
10. August, 1975: The Banqiao Dam Disaster, China – 100,000 fatalities

Source

Nuclear energy is a relative clean and safe method of obtaining energy in terms of carbon footprint. The problems however occur when things go wrong. Chernobyl and the surrounding land is a huge zone of alienation. The level of radiation is still too high to comfortably enjoy the woods and fields, although it is possible to organize day trips to the exclusion zone of Chernobyl.

As long as there is enough uranium it’s possible to obtain energy from nuclear power, despite the risks. So which are the largest nuclear power stations to date, where do they operate and what’s their capacity in Megawatts (MW). Here’s a top 10 list largest nuclear power stations!

Top 10 largest nuclear power stations

1. Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant, Japan – 4,268 MW
2. Ōi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan – 4,494 MW
3. Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant, France – 5,200 MW
4. Paluel Nuclear Power Plant, France – 5,320 MW
5. Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant, France – 5,460 MW
6. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine – 5,700 MW
7. Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant, South Korea – 5,873 MW
8. Yeonggwang Nuclear Power Station, South Korea – 5,875 MW
9. Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, Canada – 6,234 MW
10. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, Japan – 7,965 MW

Source

The places in our next list are amongst the wettest in the world. It is here that nature is very generous when it comes to rain. And we don’t mean a lousy 800 millimeters a year, which is the normal quantity of annual rainfall in many European countries. Whatever house you will build in these intriguing spots, wet you will be. Where are the wettest places in the world and what’s the annual rainfall on average, measured in inches and millimeters? Here’s a top 10 world rainiest places! Don’t forget your umbrella!

Top 10 world’s rainiest places

1. Tavoy, Myanmar – 214.6 inches (5451 mm)
2. Kikori, Papua New Guinea – 232.9 inches (5916 mm)
3. Henderson Lake, British Columbia (Canada) – 256.0 inches (6502 mm)
4. Andagoya, Colombia – 281.0 inches (7137 mm)
5. Bellenden Der Range, Australia – 340.0 inches (8636 mm)
6. Quibdo, Colombia – 353.9 inches (8989 mm)
7. Debundscha, Cameroon – 404.6 inches (10276 mm)
8. Waialeale, Hawaii (USA) – 451.0 inches (11455 mm)
9. Mawsynram, India – 467.4 inches (11871 mm)
10. Cherrapunji, India – 498.0 inches (12649 mm)

Source

The largest facility is the Three Gorges Dam in China with a capacity of 20,300 megawatts (MW). The Itaipu Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay delivers 14,000 MW. The most common generating methods include the building of dams, tidal power and run-of-the-river. Increasingly popular, especially in remote places, is the use of pico hydro. Small generators deleiver 5 KW to the max. This is sufficient for a small household.

Around 150 countries in the world are using hydropower as an energy source, but which country produces the most? Which has the highest hydropower capacity in gigawatts (GW)? Check this top 10 countries using hydropower!

Top 10 countries using hydropower

1. Venezuela – 14.622 GW
2. Sweden – 16.209 GW
3. Japan – 27.229 GW
4. Norway – 27.528 GW
5. India – 33.600 GW
6. Russia – 45.000 GW
7. Brazil – 69.080 GW
8. United States – 79.511 GW
9. Canada – 88.974 GW
10. China – 196.790 GW

Source

Classic cycle races are one-day-races run over a long distance. Although the stage is never exactly the same, the distance the cyclists have to race is more or less the same. Some of the classics take place on cobbled roads, others are more the specialty of climbers or sprinters. Famous winners of these one-day-races include the Belgian heroes Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck and Italian super star Fausto Coppi. Modern champions are Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) and Tom Boonen (Belgium). The following list is all about these heroic cycle races. In order to rank them we just follow the number of editions the race has taken place. Which is the oldest cycle classic? What’s the character of the race and where and when does the race take place? The riders are on the way to Liège. We’re drinking a beer, while watching them pass by. Here’s a top 10 classic cycle races!

Top 10 classic cycle races

1. Amstel Gold Race, spring classic, climbers, first race in 1966 – 48 editions
2. Omloop het Nieuwsblad (FKA Omloop het Volk), spring classic, cobbled, first race in 1945 – 68 editions
3. Gent – Wevelgem, spring classic, cobbled, first race in 1934 – 75 editions
4. La Flèche Wallonne, spring classic, climbers, first race in 1937 – 77 editions
5. Ronde van Vlaanderen (Flanders’ finest), spring classic, cobbled, first race in 1913 – 97 editions
6. Liège–Bastogne–Liège (La Doyenne), spring classic, climbers, first race in 1892 – 99 editions
7. Milan – San Remo (La Primavera), spring classic, sprinters, first race in 1907 – 104 editions
8. Giro di Lombardia (Race of the Falling Leaves), autumn classic, climbers, first race in 1905 – 106 editions
9. Paris – Tours, autumn classic, sprinters, first race in 1896 – 106 editions
10. Paris–Roubaix (The Hell of the North), spring classic, cobbled, first race in 1896 – 111 editions

compiled from many sources

Spirits are distilled beverages. The alcoholic content of the most spirits is about 40%. In the United States the term hard liquor is commonly used to distinguish distilled beverages from undistilled oneses. Examples of distilled beverages are vodka, whisky, brandy (cognac), tequila and rum. The cost of production is relatively low especially when large volumes are produced. That’s why branding is a key element when it comes to spirits. The most brands that are mentioned in the following list are global brands and can be bought in almost any restaurant, night club or bar in the world. So in terms of brand value in dollars, which spirit brands are performing excellent? Here’s a top 10 most valuable spirit brands!

Top 10 most valuable spirit brands

1. Ricard – $ 952 million
2. Absolut Vodka – $ 1,235 million
3. Jack Daniel’s – $ 1,246 million
4. Baileys – $ 1,269 million
5. Wuliangye – $ 1,308 million
6. Chivas Regal – $ 1,551 million
7. Smirnoff – $ 1,718 million
8. Hennesy – $ 1,917 million
9. Bacardi – $ 2,009 million
10. Johnnie Walker – $ 2,432 million

Ranking the Brands 2012

In the 5th century tea was consumed as a remedy due to the medicinal benefits. Recent studies suggest that tea helps prevent several cancers and it lowers the risk of osteoporosis. Moreover, components of green tea are believed to help losing weight. The global tea industry is worth 3.5 billion dollars annually. The most notable tea brands include Lipton, Pickwick, UK’s Rington’s Tea and Twinings and many more. The Oregon based Yogi Tea Company is the rising star of the tea companies. But which are the tea producing countries in volume? How many tea do they produce on in tonnes an annual basis? Here’s a top 10 tea producing countries!

Top 10 tea producing countries

1. Japan – 95,012 tonnes
2. Argentina – 96,572 tonnes
3. Indonesia – 142,400 tonnes
4. Iran – 162,517 tonnes
5. Vietnam – 206,600 tonnes
6. Turkey – 221,600 tonnes
7. Sri Lanka – 327,500 tonnes
8. Kenya – 377,912 tonnes
9. India- 966,733 tonnes
10. China – 1,640,310 tonnes

FAOSTAT 2011

Curious about Yogi tea? Try it yourself