Mind Blowing Facts

In January 2016, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev called a snap election in the face of numerous allegations of human rights abuses. His 27 year long reign has been recently hampered falling oil prices and economic instability. But Kazakhstan has never held a free and fair election, and was one of the last countries to see independence following the fall of the Soviet Union. geographically, Kazakhstan is huge At one million square miles, the country is roughly the size of Western Europe But despite its size, Kazakhstan has a relatively small population of around 18 million, making it the 61st most populated country in the world. The population is also majority Muslim, and is actually the northernmost muslim majority country in the world. The region also has massive oil deposits, making up the majority of its economy. Kazakhstan has a GDP of roughly $218 billion dollars, which is smaller than most US states and European countries. That being said, Kazakhstan...

In February 2016, the United Nation’s Human Rights office announced that WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, was being arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom. Assange was in prison and under house arrest, until his asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 Since then he has been under constant surveillance by British law enforcement. WikiLeaks was founded by Assange around 2006 as a journalistic platform for whistleblowers to share evidence of illegal or corrupt activities. since there is relative danger to mass publishing classified information, WikiLeaks acts as a sort of intermediary for whistleblowers. They are able to leak it to the press, without having anonymous whistleblowers accidentally identified. According to WikiLeaks, they have released more classified intelligence documents than the rest of the world press combined. The organization first received global attention in 2010. WikiLeaks published the video of a US helicopter gunning down multipl...

In 2015, members of Japan to form a new gang, Kobe Yamaguchi years of warfare, assassinations and a terrorized Japanese public At the same time, organized crime is seen as a necessary evil by many Japanese, and their gangs are often revered in popular culture. the Yakuza is not one group, it is an umbrella term for all of Japan crime groups With more than 50 thousand members spread over 21 independently the Yakuza is one of the most powerful mafia well The Yakuza unorganized and largely powerless until the wake of World War Two.  At the time, the US had just bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving Japan and its economy in ruins.  As a result, the government employed strict food rations on its citizens, and basic goods became very valuable in black markets. The Yakuza stepped in to manage those marketplaces, gaining both profits and control over neighborhoods and towns. Some liken this to the way prohibition strengthened the US mafia. Today, Yakuza cartels get most of t...

In February 2016, the US government ordered the tech company, Apple, to create software that could grant unauthorized access into the iPhone. The FBI has said this access would allow them to investigate a suspect in the San Bernardino terror attack But Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has refused, saying that a backdoor to the iPhone could lead to significant privacy concerns for its customers. Apple is the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. In February 2015 it rose to be the first US company worth more than $700 billion dollars, about the same as the GDP of Saudi Arabia Since 1976, Apple has manufactured and sold personal computers, but they are now better known for consumer electronics, including phones, tablets, mp3 players and smartwatches. Apple has sold more than 700 million iPhones worldwide, and stand as the leading smartphone retailer in the US. Apple’s financial success doesn’t come from its quantity of sales, but rather the amount spent on each device. In fact, iPhone...

In February 2016, two Syrian migrants were found frozen to death near the Bulgarian-Turkish border, raising suspicions about Bulgaria’s involvement. Bulgarian authorities have recently come under attack for allegedly extorting and attacking Syrian refugees traveling through the Balkans. the Republic of Bulgaria makes up roughly 43,000 square miles, making it the 105th largest country in the world That’s just slightly larger than the US state of Tennessee, however, within the European Union, Bulgaria is the 11th largest country. Bulgaria’s population of around 7 point 2 million is predominantly made up of ethnic Bulgarians, with about 8% of the population made up of Turks from neighboring Turkey. Like most other Balkan countries, Bulgaria has increased its economic standing since the transition from former soviet socialism to a free-market economy. The Balkans are some of the weakest European economies. Among those countries, excluding Greece and Turkey, Bulgaria ranks third, wit...

In February 2016, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced new reforms to his aggressive economic stimulus plan These included opening up Indonesia’s economy to foreign investment and meeting with Silicon Valley billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The World Bank and Indonesia’s finance minister expect the economy’s overall growth to continue by 5% or more in 2016.  Indonesia is relatively large, both in terms of size and population The country is made up of 17 thousand small islands which together count for roughly 750 thousand square miles. Although the country is fairly spread out, its geography largely works to its advantage. Indonesia is a major trading hub and because it has more coastline than almost any other nation on earth, it’s beaches draw tourists from around the world.  With more than 250 million people, Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world, just below the United States.  It is also the most populous Muslim co...

it is best known for the most famous mountain in the world, Mount Everest, geographically, Nepal is actually fairly small At roughly 57 thousand square miles, the country is about the size of the the US state of Iowa, but with ten times the population, at more than 30 million people. Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. About half of the population is unemployed, and roughly a quarter live below the poverty line. Its GDP of less than $20 billion dollars means that per-capita, the nation is on par with Rwanda. As a developing country, agriculture is the backbone of Nepal’s economy, contributing to the livelihood of nearly 70 percent of the population. For the rest, Nepal relies on tourism and remittances, or people working overseas and sending their income back home. But revenue from both of these industries has plummeted since 2015, when two major earthquakes resulted in more than 30 thousand casualties and an estimated $10 billion dollars in d...

Malaysia has reached out to its neighbors seeking support against China, and its claims on the South China Sea. in terms of its size, Malaysia is somewhat average At nearly 130 thousand square miles,or about the size of the US state of New Mexico, Malaysia is the 67th largest country in the world. Malaysia’s population of nearly 30 million ranks higher than most countries, but pales in comparison to neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines, which together account for more people than that of the United States. Malaysia’s population is growing, and the country has considerable economic potential. With a GDP of just under 340 billion dollars, Malaysia joins the ranks of South Africa and Colombia as a middle-income country. Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak  hopes to boster the country to high-income status by 2020, in-part by reducing its dependence on exports, which account for more than 80 percent of their GDP. Historically, Malaysia relied solely on resource-based exp...

In May 2016, Bolivia’s President, Evo Morales, accused Chile of building an illegal military base near their shared border. Morales insisted that the alleged military expansion was a [quote] “aggression to the life, homeland and to Bolivia," and has threatened to take the issue to the International Court of Justice. over 280 thousand square miles, Chile is just larger than the US state of Texas. The country is home to an estimated 17 point 5 million people, roughly 40 percent of whom live in or around its capital city, Santiago. By comparison, Brazil is about ten times as large and populous But what Chile lacks in size, it makes up for in its dynamic geography. Chile enjoys nearly four thousand miles of coastline, as well as glaciers, fjords, the world’s driest desert and its longest mountain range. At nearly $260 billion dollars, the country’s GDP has steadily grown over the last several decades; however, slowing demand for its largest export, copper, has caused a recent d...

In 2015, a video surfaced of the Islamic State burning a Jordanian pilot alive Since then, Jordan has effectively declared war on the terrorist organization, joining a US-backed anti-ISIS coalition and ramping up airstrikes on ISIS camps in neighboring Syria. Well, Jordan is a relatively small country in the Middle East At nearly 35 thousand square miles, the country is about the size of the US state of Maine. Jordan is also home to just above eight million people, considerably less than its populous neighbors, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Although their ruler, King Abdullah the second, has limited power under the country’s constitutional monarchy, he directly or indirectly controls much of the judicial and executive branches, leaving the country far from democratic. In spite of his sweeping powers, King Abdullah has contributed to Jordan’s relatively stable and well diversified economy. In the early 2000s, Abdullah spearheaded a series of economic reforms, including expanding internat...

Since the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 gained national interest, Wall Street has taken center stage on the political radar. candidates Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton, have rallied against Wall Street’s disproportionate influence in the US and global economy. in common use, “Wall Street” refers to the American banking industry. The term is used because Wall Street in New York City is the location of significant financial markets, including the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange. These two markets are the largest exchanges in the world, and facilitate the trade of more than $27 trillion dollars of company stock. Changes in the global economy are directly reflected in the performance of these stock markets, and vice-versa. But stock market capitalization isn’t necessarily a measurement of power, as that money is actually held by investors and not specifically Wall Street banks. By comparison, US financial institutions hold roughly $15 trillion dollars in assets, ha...

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam have come a long way since the two countries ended their 20 year war in 1975. Formal relations have been reinstated, trade agreements signed, and in May 2016, the US even agreed to lift a decades old embargo on arms trade. geographically, Vietnam is fairly small At 130 thousand square miles, the country is just larger than the US state of New Mexico. despite its size, it boasts a population of more than 90 million, making it the 14th most populous country in the world. As a long-time Communist state, Vietnam has been traditionally closed off to the West. over the last several decades, it has introduced a number of modern economic and social reforms. Since the mid-1980’s, the country has steadily moved away from a centrally-planned system by encouraging private business and free trade. In the 1990’s, it halted requests for compensation for war crimes from the US, and in turn, the US partially lifted its trade embargo, wh...

In 2006, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey launched the social network’s first tweet. In the decade since, Twitter has given way to social movements like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street. The site has been embraced by 2016 presidential candidates, as well as world leaders, celebrities and even the Pope. When Twitter hit the web, the founders set a mandate for brevity. Tweets can not exceed 140 characters, and users can group ideas with hashtags This gave the social network a unique identity, separate from competitors. Twitter quickly became a gateway between companies and consumers. At its peak in 2013, the company was worth more than $30 billion dollars. However due to slowing user growth and revenue loss, its worth has plummeted to about $10 billion. the platform boasts more than 300 million active users, which is roughly equal to the population of the United States. And even after massive layoffs in 2015, the company still employs nearly four thousand people all around...

In May 2016, one of the most famous motor races in the world was held in the tiny country of Monaco. Despite its size, the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the top three highest prestige events in the sport, and has one of the least conventional tracks which runs throughout the actual streets of Monaco. Monaco is bordered on three sides by France, and size it it is about four than 1 square mile of space, and it has a population of less than 40,000. Monaco is arguably the richest country in the world, or at least the country where the richest people live. its GDP is only about 6 billion dollars, that comes down to more than $160,000 per person, the highest per capita GDP on earth. As one of the most premier luxury destinations, one in three residents of Monaco are millionaires. In a country known for high stakes gambling, high speed racing, and no income tax whatsoever, it to Monaco. In 1861, Monaco was established as an independent country in the Franco Treaty. Then in 1918, the tr...

in June 2016 President Barack Obama met with exile tibetan leader the dalai lama against China's protests. china has maintain direct control over much of Tibet for decades despite a long growing independence movement Tibet has its own vibrant culture and wheeled spiritual influence around the world. Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau in Central and East Asia which spans nearly 1 million square miles and is the largest plateau in the world. but despite its name the plateau does not cover all of Tibet. it also includes the north indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. moreover China's claim on Tibet is split between an autonomous region covering the western and central portions. while the eastern part is made up of several Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. 'he's which are still within China in 1951 Tibet was absorbed by China based on an agreement between the 16 year old Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. although many have condemned the agreement includ...

In April 2016, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation met in Istanbul, Turkey for a Summit focused on promoting states is the second largest intergovernmental organization on earth, after the United Nations, and claims to represent the collective voice of the Muslim world. the OIC is made up of 57 member states, 49 of which have Muslim majorities. Though the populations of these states are not inclusive of all Muslims in the world, the OIC does comprise the largest Muslim nations, including Indonesia and Pakistan. The group Arab states, and occupied East Jerusalem. Two years later, in 1969, a famous mosque in Jerusalem was set on fire by an Australian Christian evangelical. in a complaint submitted to the United Nations by a group of 25 Muslim countries, it was alleged that Israel was complicit in the arson, and soon after, these countries formed what was called the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Their goals were centered around creating Muslim solidarity, prot...

Peru is the third largest Latin American country. At nearly half a million square miles, it is slightly smaller than the US state of Alaska. Peru’s population of just over 30 million has more than doubled in the last four decades, and is increasingly concentrated in urban areas. These city-dwellers benefit the most from Peru’s economic prosperity. Peru’s GDP of more than $200 billion dollars has quadrupled since 1999, due mainly to demand for its largest exports, which are copper, gold and petroleum gas. The country’s growth has also been attributed to its expansion of free trade. Over the last decade, Peru has negotiated trade deals with 18 countries, the EU, and the European Free Trade Organization. in recent years, Peru has signed the Trans Pacific Partnership, as well as a trade pact with Chile, Colombia and Mexico called the Pacific Alliance. Peru’s increasingly pro-business government has been credited for the country’s increasing wealth and plummeting poverty rate. muc...

at nearly a hundred fifty thousand square miles or a bit larger than the US state of Montana Norway is the second biggest scandinavian country but with a population of about five million the country has the lowest population density in all of continental Europe. those who do live in Norway tend to be fairly well off the country has the third highest per capita gdp in europe and the fourth highest in the world. Norway being the largest per capita producer of oil outside the Middle East accounting for roughly a quarter of the country's nearly 400 billion dollar gdp. while the global slump and gas prices has taken a huge toll on other oil-dependent economies like Brazil and Venezuela Norway has been less affected this is because over the years the country has stored much of its public money in its sovereign wealth fund which is like an investment account for countries and norway's is reportedly the largest in the world. Norway's economy also benefits from the country'...

In the early 1970’s the United Arab Emirates was an impoverished desert, with little access to food, water, and well-paying jobs. Today, the country looks nothing like it did 45 years ago. Due in no small part to oil, the UAE has completely transformed. The country is now one of the largest economies in the middle east, and its per capita GDP is on par with highly-developed european nations. geographically speaking, the UAE is fairly small At just over 30,000 square miles, the country is roughly the size of the US state of South Carolina. The UAE’s population of just over nine million is also fairly insignificant, however it’s growing fast. Over the last two decades, the population has nearly quadrupled, due to a high birth rate and a rapid influx of expatriate workers, majority of which are from India. Today, non-nationals make up more than 80 percent of the UAE population. An overwhelming majority UAE expatriates are in the country for one reason: jobs. The UAE’s economy is...

In July 2016, the Kingdom of Morocco petitioned to rejoin the African Union, more than three decades after it left the organization over territorial disputes. Morocco is the only country on the continent to ever separate from the block, however, it has managed to stay economically strong and politically stable. Morocco is the only African nation to border both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. At around 172 thousand square miles, the country is roughly the size of California. Over half of Morocco’s over 33 million residents live in urban communities, away from its harsh deserts and mountains. While the country blends Arabic and African cultures, it is religiously homogenous, with 99 percent of its population adhering to Islam. Economically, Morocco has expanded and diversified in the last four decades. In the mid 1980s, the country was severely in debt But through privatization and neoliberal investment policies, Morocco turned it economy around and since 2004, its GDP ...

Hawaii is a string of eight main islands and more than 100 smaller islands. All 137 islands combined amount to roughly 6,400 square miles, meaning they could fit inside the state of New Jersey. About 1 point 4 million people live in Hawaii, but the state’s de facto population is considerably larger. Hawaii is home to about 50,000 troops and sees roughly 8 million visitors each year. the tourism industry is the largest single contributor to Hawaii’s economy, accounting for nearly a quarter of the state’s almost $80 billion dollar GDP. The island also relies heavily on agriculture, and, because of its tropical climate, it is able to produce and export a number of specialty crops, like coffee and macadamia nuts.  Hawaii’s extreme isolation is both a major benefit and a crippling drawback With the nearest landmass more than 2,000 miles away, shipping costs are egregiously high, leaving local producers unable to compete. the controversial Jones Act prohibits foreign container sh...