World Facts and Geography

India has the largest arable land area in the world, followed by the United States and China.

The European Union introduced the Blue Card in 2009 to attract highly skilled workers from outside the EU, similar to the US Green Card.

Indonesia was a long-standing colony of the Netherlands, known as the Dutch East Indies, until it gained independence after World War II.

Algeria was colonized by France in the 19th century and remained under French rule until its independence in 1962.

Cameroon was a German protectorate from 1884 until World War I, after which it was divided between France and Britain.

Karl Marx, the philosopher and economist, was born in Trier, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, now in modern-day Germany.

The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the national floral emblem of Australia.

Su Song, a Chinese polymath, built a sophisticated water-powered astronomical clock tower in Kaifeng in 1088 AD, which used a mechanical escapement mechanism.

Johannes Gutenberg developed his movable type printing press in Mainz, Germany, around 1454.

Madagascar, historically referred to as the Malagasy Republic, was a colony of France from 1897 until its independence in 1960. It was part of the French colonial empire.

The Penny Black, issued in the United Kingdom in 1840, is recognized as the world's first adhesive postage stamp.

Turkey is a candidate country for EU membership but is not a member. Cyprus, Slovakia, and Ireland are all official member states of the European Union.

Australia formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol in December 2007, shortly after the election of the Rudd government.

India has the largest postal network in the world, with over 150,000 post offices spread across the country.

Germany is not a nuclear-armed state. The United Kingdom, France, and China are all recognized nuclear-weapon states.