Tag Archives: countries

Top 10 avocado producing countries (2015)

Updated May 2, 2017 in food & drinks
food & drinks

One of the healthiest fruits is often used as a dip for tortillas. Avocados frequently end up as guacamole. Avocados are rich in potassium, Vitamins B, E and K. Due to a combination of specific aliphatic acetogenins, avocado is even under preliminary research for potential anti-cancer activity. The Aztecs considered the avocado as an aphrodisiac; the word ‘avocado’ comes from a Nahuatl Indian (Aztec) word “ahuácatl” meaning testicle tree.
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Top 10 happiest countries in the world (2017 update)

Updated May 1, 2017 in history & culture
history & culture

What’s happiness? Most people are happy when they’re in love, don’t have financial issues, feel safe and are able to fulfill their wishes regarding work or study. The problem is that personal happiness is subjective. Some people earn millions of dollars and still commit suicide. Others have the perfect job, but aren’t able to find the love of their life. And it’s even more complicated when you try to understand the concept of happiness on a cultural level. What is it that makes a society a happy one?

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Top 10 countries by beer production

Updated October 25, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

Without any doubt, the number one alcoholic beverage in the world is beer. Ancient civilizations already appreciated the beverage, and more specific, its effects. Medieval monks knew everything about beer production. Today, beer is consumed and produced in almost any country in the world. So which are the top 10 beer producing countries by volume?

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Top 10 cocoa producing countries

Updated August 22, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

Few people will think of chocolate when they hear Theobroma Cacao. Yet, this is the tree that produces seeds for the production of one of the most popular flavours in the world: chocolate. The cocoa tree grows within 20° south and 20° north of the equator. So what are the most important cocoa producing countries?

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Top 10 countries by cheese consumption

Updated June 24, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

There are hundreds of types of cheese in a wide range of flavors, textures and forms. Many countries have their own cheese traditions. Sometimes the process of producing cheese is even protected by local laws. The French Roquefort cheese marked the beginning of this type of agricultural legislation. The French indeed love their cheeses and are amongst the highest when it comes to cheese consumption.

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Top 10 countries by coal production

Updated May 30, 2013 in people & business
people & business

Coal is the world’s largest source of energy for the production of electricity. It’s also relatively cheap. It accounts for 40% of the generation of electricity in the United States. Coal is also the largest source of carbon dioxide release. Many (growing) economies rely on the countries that produce coal. So here’s a top 10 countries by coal production!

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Top 10 potato producing countries

Updated May 22, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

Fish and chips, French fries with a hamburger, hash browns, gnocchi and even alcoholic beverages such as vodka all have one thing in common: the potato. It is estimated that the average world citizen consumes about 33 kilograms of it on an annual basis. So what are the most important potato producing countries?

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Top 10 least densely populated countries

Updated May 17, 2013 in nature & geography
nature & geography

If you don’t like crowds, then you might like to take a look at this list of least densely populated countries. If you consider emigrating to one of those countries you’ve got to be prepared to live your life in harsh conditions. Be it a steamy jungle, a dry desert or a freezing cold ice plain. The good thing is that your next door neighbors live miles away.

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Top 10 countries by coffee consumption

Updated April 2, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. It is estimated that 68% of the American coffee drinkers have a cup within the first hour of waking up. The caffeine in coffee acts as a stimulant drug. In some countries people need a lot of coffee to start the day. The coffee consumption there is the highest in the world.

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Easter Special – Top 10 egg consumption by country

Updated March 29, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

It’s almost Easter. Since its origins Easter is a time of celebrating and feasting in the Christian world. Many countries around the world have their own Easter customs, such as the lighting of great bonfires (Cyprus, Greece, Germany) or even spanking or whipping (Czech Republic). One of the most notable traditions however has to do with eggs, like decorating eggs or egg hunting. Easter obviously boosts egg consumption worldwide.

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Top 10 countries by English proficiency

Updated March 26, 2013 in people & business
people & business

English is the lingua franca of the modern era. It is by far the language spoken by most people with an estimated 1.8 billion users worldwide. It is the official language of the United Nations and many other international organizations. Moreover, English is the standard for aeronautical and maritime communications. English proficiency therefore is a key component of economic well-being.

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Top 10 most corrupt countries

Updated March 1, 2013 in people & business
people & business

Corruption is of all ages. During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church sold indulgences, which was a highly profitable way of making money for the church and perhaps one of the most controversial corrupt practices at the time. In modern times corruption comes in many forms on almost any level of power. In the most corrupt countries corruption can be systemic, political or small scaled.

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Top 10 countries with the highest suicide rate

Updated February 18, 2013 in people & business
people & business

Mindy McCready, a country star from Arkansas, was found dead on her porch in an apparent suicide. It wasn’t the first suicide attempt for the troubled star. Suicide is often committed out of despair; many factors contribute to the final act, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, several mental disorders, financial or relational problems. Out of every 100,000 people in the United States, 12 commit suicide.

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Top 10 largest countries without armed forces

Updated February 11, 2013 in Top 10 Trivia lists
Top 10 Trivia lists

The defense budget in the United States is approximately 4.7% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or a staggering 711 billion dollars annually. The total amount that is spent on military budget worldwide is 1,738 billion dollars (or $250 per year per capita worldwide!). War or preventing wars is big business. With these numbers it’s hard to believe that there are countries without armed forces. How do they protect themselves from foreign oppressors?

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Top 10 countries by atheist population

Updated February 10, 2013 in history & culture
history & culture

Many people in western society will go to church on sunday to listen to the sermon. They strongly believe in god. The United States are among the top 5 of most religious countries. But there are many countries where religion isn’t as widespread as in the US. In these countries there are many atheists, agnostics or non-believers in god.

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Top 10 safest countries to drive your car

Updated January 28, 2013 in people & business
people & business

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) every year more than 1,2 million people die in a road accident. In absolute numbers India is topping the list with an estimated 134,000 fatalities per year. The most important causes for these high rates are to find in poor drivers skills, road design, vehicle design and speed. Behaviour also contributes to the car fatality rate.

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Top 10 countries by cigarette production

Updated January 18, 2013 in people & business
people & business

Tobacco is grown in 124 countries, occupying around 3.8 million hectares of agricultural area. The revenues of the tobacco industry worldwide is estimated to reach 500 billion dollars annually. Cigarette companies produce nearly 6 trillion cigarettes per year. If all cigarettes are lined up the distance they would cover is about 300 million miles, or three times the distance from here to the sun. Holy smoke! But which countries are producing the most cigarettes? Here’s a top 10 countries by cigarette production!

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Top 10 horse meat producing countries

Updated January 16, 2013 in food & drinks
food & drinks

The United Kingdom is facing its first scandal of 2013. Beefburgers that were sold in Tesco, Aldi and Lidl contained horse DNA. Obviously, food safety regulations and mass production don’t seem to work really well together. Horse meat isn’t a part of British cuisine anymore. Many countries however do have a tradition of horse meat consumption. Maybe Tesco can send the burgers to the countries in our next list, where horses are slaughtered after they’ve been working on the fields and sold by specialized butchers. A bit of seasoning and little baking and dinner is served! Check the top 10 horse meat producing countries!

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Top 10 countries by public debt

Updated December 14, 2012 in people & business
people & business

In October, Italy’s public debt rose over 2 trillion euros. Public debt is also known as national debt and it is the sum of all debts of a government. Governments therefore borrow by issuing securities and bonds. However, if the debt as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) is regarded as risky, the less likely that investors will invest in these government bonds. So which countries have a huge public debt as a percentage of the GDP? Check out our next list of countries by public debt!

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Top 10 garlic producing countries

Updated December 5, 2012 in food & drinks
food & drinks

Garlic or Allium Sativum. This little bulb is a fundamental component of many culinary traditions and a major cause of bad breath. Its pungent taste mellows if cooked and adds flavour to meat, salades, fish and many more dishes. Garlic is easy to grow and there are several subspecies, some of which even have a protected geographical status. Moreover, garlic not only has culinary purposes, but is also said to be beneficial to health issues. Best known in Mediterranean dishes, so one would expect Spain, Italy or France as biggest producers of garlic. Our next list of garlic producing countries shows something else.

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Top 10 spam sending countries

Updated October 18, 2012 in science & technology
science & technology

It’s big business that everybody hates. Email spam is one of the biggest annoyances on the internet and spam remains a hot political issue. It is estimated that in 2011 a total of about 7 trillion spam messages were sent. But where does it come from? Sophos, an US based security company, monthly publishes its ‘dirty dozen’. We present a top 10 of spam sending countries!

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Top 10 countries by internet users

Updated August 7, 2012 in science & technology
science & technology

Internet. You’re looking at it. Over the last twenty years internet has become one of the most common means of communication, at least in the developed world. And although the USA was the first nation to adopt internet on a fair scale for personal use, it doesn’t appear in the next top 10 list of countries by internet users. On the contrary, USA is ranked 27th, somewhere between Estonia and the Faeroe Islands. Check out the amount of internet users per 100 in the next list!
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