Interesting facts about Luxembourg

• Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy left in the world. This means that it is a representative monarchy with a Grand Duke as head of country.
• It has two regions the Oesling in the North and the Gutland in the south.
• All business transactions and official proceedings take place in French
• Luxembourg is home to Europe’s largest TV, radio and production company, the RTL Group of Luxembourg. The RTL Group of Luxembourg runs 34 television and 33 radio stations in 12 countries. This includes Channel five in The United Kingdom and M6 in France.
• Due to its important history in both the Roman and Spanish empires the whole of the city of Luxembourg is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• There are over 155 banks in the country of Luxembourg and it is well known as a tax haven.
• Luxembourg is a founding member of many international and European organizations including the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, Benelux and the Western European Union.
• Luxembourg is considered a secular state but the majority of people identify as Roman Catholic.
• The motto of Luxembourg is “Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn” which translated means “We want to remain what we are”
• The total area of the country of Luxembourg is 998.6 sq mi (2,586.4 km2) and 0% of this area is water. It is one of the smallest countries in the world!
• The highest point in Luxembourg is the Kneiff near Wilwerdange at 1,837 ft (560m).
• The North region of Luxembourg is not very populous. There is only one town in the region with more than 4000 people (Wiltz).
• The city of Luxembourg is located in the center of the Lower half of Luxembourg known as the Gutland.
• In WW1 Luxembourg was invaded and occupied by Germany but maintain it independence and conducted its own government. It was again invaded by Germany in WW2 and was governed by the Nazi army. It was designated as Germanic territory.
• Luxembourg is divided into three districts Diekirch, Grevenmacher, and Luxembourg.
• To graduate from the Luxembourg education system a student must be proficient in all three of the countries official languages.
• Luxembourg has mild winters and cool summers.

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Interesting Facts about Nigeria

• The official name of Nigeria is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
• The motto of Nigeria is “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress.”
• Nigeria is the 7th most populated country in the world.
• Prior to 12 December 1991 Lagos was the capital city of Nigeria.
• Nigeria is a Federal constitutional republic with a President. The current president of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.
• The country was named after the Niger River which runs through west of Nigeria. The Niger River is the 3rd longest river in Africa. Nigeria was first given this name by Flora Shaw in the late 19th century.
• The currency of Nigeria is the Naira.
• The highest point in the country is Chappal Waddi 7,936 ft (2,419 m).
• Nigeria is home to the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. It is also home to a rare species of monkey, the drill monkey, which is only found in Southeast Nigeria and its bordering country of Cameroon.
• Many languages are spoken in Nigeria with over 500 recognized regional languages. The country’s official language is English, though only a small percentage of the population can speak English well.
• The U.S is currently Nigeria’s largest foreign investor. Nigeria supplies about one fifth of the oil required by the United States.
• Nigeria relies heavily on its oil export and is the 12th largest oil producer and 8th largest exporter of petroleum in the world.
• Nigeria was once the world’s leading exporter of agricultural products such as groundnuts, cocoa, and palm oil. 60% of the Nigerian population still work in the agricultural industry.
• By 2100 it is estimated the population of Nigeria will be in the region of 730 million.
• The average life expectancy of people in Nigeria is 47 years of age due to poor health and living conditions.
• The main religions in Nigeria are Islam and Christianity, though there are many who follow traditional belief systems. World religious surveys show that 50.4% are Muslim, 48.2% are Christian and 1.4% follow other religions.
• The Nigerian Film industry is called Nollywood and is the second largest producer of movies in the world. Many of the movies are exported to other African nations and to African immigrants living overseas.
• Soccer is the national sport of Nigeria and the country has its own Premier league. The national team is called the “Super Eagles.” They have made the World Cup Finals 4 times and has won the African Cup of Nations twice. They also won the soccer gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• Boxing is another sport that is highly promoted in Nigeria with two Nigerian boxers, Dick Tiger and Samuel Peter, becoming world champions.

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Who directed Casablanca?
Casablanca was directed by Michael Curtiz, who won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on the film. Curtiz was the close friend of the producer Hal B. Wallis. Wallis originally wanted director William Wyler, but he was unavailable for the filming. Even though he won an Academy Award for his work on the film many experts were critical of his directing. Some of the subsidiary footage, including the opening montage, was directed by Don Siegel.

Did you know?
Michael Curtiz directed more than 150 films during his career, including the popular Christmas film “White Christmas”. He was nominated for 3 other Academy Awards during his career, but didn’t win another one.

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Who Painted The Starry Night?
The Starry Night was painted by the famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It was painted in 1889 after he committed himself to the Saint-Paul asylum. The painting is a representation of the view from his room window at night, but it is believed that he painted it from his memory during the day. It has similarities to another painting by Vincent van Gogh called Starry Night Over the Rhone, which was painted a year earlier.

Did you know?
The painting is widely considered to be the best and most important work completed by Vincent van Gogh. However, van Gogh wasn’t overly happy with the painting and was critical of it, and some of his other recent work, in a letter to his brother.

The song “Vincent,” was written by Don McLean as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is sometimes known by the first line of the song, which is “Starry Starry Night.”

The following video shows the painting being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

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What does the Vice President do?
The Vice President has two primary roles. The first role that the Vice President has is to step into the presidency if the current President is unable to complete his term of office. This occurs only in special cases such as death, resignation, medical impairment or removal of the president.

The second role that the Vice President has is to preside over the U.S Senate. In this role the Vice President has the duties of casting a vote to end a deadlock in the senate and certifying the vote count from the Electoral College. By casting a vote the Vice President can give the majority to a particular political house in the senate allowing bills to pass. The Vice President is given no other responsibilities by the constitution in the senate. They are not permitted to be part of senate debate or address the senate. Vice Presidents are solely responsible for procedural matters within the senate and in modern times they are usually not part of the day to day running of the senate. A President pro tempore (or “president for a time”) is usually elected by the senate to perform any Vice Presidential duties in their absence.

During a presidential election year the Vice President, as the president of the senate, is called on to certify and officiate the counting of the votes done by the Electoral College. The results of these votes are read out on January 6th in the presence of both houses of congress. It is at this time that the new President of the United States is announced to the Congress.

Other informal roles are given to the Vice President based on their relationship with the President. Many presidents seek the advice of their Vice President on various issues. Often Vice Presidents are sent to state and international events when the president has other engagements. Vice Presidents are often the spokesperson on the administration policies and party lines.

Did you know?
Only four US Vice Presidents have announced their own election as President, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H. W. Bush. Most have had to announce the election of their opponent to the position.

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Interesting facts about Madagascar

• Madagascar consumes the largest amount of rice per capita in the world.
• Madagascar is the largest producer and exporter of vanilla. Madagascar also exports essential oils and shrimp and it is well known for its coffee beans.
• The largest recognized religion in Madagascar is Christianity with 45% of the population being Christian. 50% of the population believes a mixture of indigenous spirituality.
• The official name of Madagascar is the Republic of Madagascar. This became the official name in 1993 after previously being the Democratic Republic of Madagascar.
• The Highest Mountain in Madagascar is Maromokotro with a height of 9,436 ft (2,876 m).
• Madagascar has three main types of geography, the highlands, the escarpment and the plains.
• Madagascar has a rainy season from November to April and a dry season from May to October. The east coast sees more rain than the west coast and the highlands are generally cooler and drier than the east coast.
• Madagascar is home to many species of plants and animals that can be found nowhere else on Earth, such as lemurs. Approximately 80% of the fauna and Flora found in Madagascar is unique. Many of these plants and animals are classified as endangered species.
• The national musical instrument of Madagascar is the Zither (valiha).
• Madagascar has a number of traditional sports including Moraingy or lutte malgache, a type of hand-to-hand combat and the wrestling of zebu. Other popular sports include soccer and rugby. There is also a French form of lawn bowls that is widely played.
• Madagascar also has a traditional board game known as Fanorona.
• Madagascar is home to a World Heritage Site known as The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga. The site includes a royal city, scared places and a burial ground.

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What caused the collapse of the Soviet Union
The collapse of the Soviet Union started long before the end on the union. After emerging as one of the two great powers of the world after World War Two, the Soviet Union channeled all its money, research and professional expertise into the arms race. This meant that very little of the Soviet Union’s efforts were spent on domestic development. Some types of technology, such as computers, in the Soviet Union was second rate and people began to buy imported goods rather than those developed in their own country. This created a very unstable economy that stagnated in the 1980’s. Despite this the USSR continued to pour its funds and expertise into military development.

As the economy suffered the people began to become cynical and disbelieving of the government. They grew tired or the government controlled media. They were discouraged from talking about different political points of view and punished for believing anything different then what they were told. Many people were sent to labour camps for speaking out against the government. This further negatively impacted on government support and the Soviet Union began to show significant cracks.

The final blow to the Soviet Union was the last reforms of glasnost (political openness), uskoreniye (speed-up of economic development) and perestroika (political and economic restructuring) instituted by Mikhail Gorbachev. While his intentions were good, the new reforms opened the floodgates and exposed the many problems that lay behind the Soviet Union’s facade. The reforms created an atmosphere of open criticism of the communist regime. The media began to expose the negative side of the Soviet Union and the growing disillusionment with the communist government increased. The loss of the war in Afghanistan and the cover up of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident were brought to light, further damaging the peoples respect and trust in their government. Many began to see that they had been let down by their government and that there had to be a better way. This coupled with a failing economy that could not afford to feed the people, caused many of the communist states to rebel against the central leadership. As new ideas and truths were brought to light many different satellites states of the Soviet Union began to demand autonomy. The central united government of the Soviet Union disintegrated and on 26 December 1991 the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

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Interesting facts about Moldova

• The country of Moldova is named after The Moldova River in Romania which was once part of the region of Moldova.
• Moldova was occupied by Romania and Germany from 1941 to 1944.
• Moldova was part of the USSR from 1924 to 1991. Part of Moldova, Transnistria, is still under Russian military control and has struggled for its independence. It is not officially recognized as a territory by the Moldavian government.
• The current currency in Moldova is the leu. When it was part of the USSR the currency used was the ruble.
• 80% of the population of Moldova lives below the poverty line.
• Moldova has nine counties within its borders; Balti, Cahul, Chisinau, Edinet, Lapusna, Orhei, Soroca, Tighina and Ungheni.
• For more than 100 years the Romanian city Lasi was the capital of Moldova.
• 93.3% of the Moldovan population is Eastern Orthodox Christian.
• Moldova is one of the world’s largest exporters of wine.
• Per capita Moldova consumes the highest amount of alcohol in the world with an astonishing 18.2 liters consumed per adult per year.
• Over 147,000 hectares (360,000 acres) is dedicated to vineyards in the country of Moldova.
• Moldova is Europe’s poorest country with a GPD of US $ 2,100 which is about 4.5 times lower than the international standard.
• The highest point in Moldova is B?l?ne?ti Hill which is 1,411 ft (430m)
• The national sport of Moldova is Trânta which is a type of wrestling, but the most popular sport within the country is football (soccer). The national team has never qualified for the finals of the European Championships or World Cup.
• Moldova has a temperate climate with warm summers and cool winters. The average temperature during summer months is 20 °C (68 °F)and in the coldest month of winter (January) the average temperature is -2.5 °C (27.5 °F).
• Moldova receives most of its annual rainfall in the early months of summer and during the month of October. Thunderstorms and heavy showers of rain are fairly common.

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Interesting Facts about the State of Arkansas

• Arkansas shares borders with 6 other U.S states; Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.
• The Mississippi river defines its eastern border.
• An act of state legislation was passed in 1881 to determine how the name Arkansas was to be pronounced. This makes it illegal to pronounce the state’s name incorrectly whilst in Arkansas.
• Another separate act of legislation was passed in 2007 making the possessive form of the state’s name to be Arkansas’s.
• Arkansas was part of the confederacy during the civil war, but rejoined the United States in 1868.
• In 1957 President Eisenhower had to send state troops into Little Rock, Arkansas to allow African American Students to attend schools and colleges with white students.
• The highest point in Arkansas is Magazine Mountain at 2,753 ft (839 m).
• Arkansas is the only U.S state in which diamonds are mined, but they are not mined commercially.
• Arkansas has a total of 47 hot springs with an average temperature of 143 °F. This is why the state is known as the Hot Water State.
• Voters in Arkansas are only allowed five minutes to cast their votes.
• Many famous people have come from Arkansas including US President Bill Clinton, Billy Bob Thornton, Johnny Cash and football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
• Arkansas has extreme weather due to its position. It can have snow, sleet and ice storms during winter and very hot, humid summers.
• Arkansas is considered to be part of the Bible belt and is mostly protestant.
• The headquarters of Walmart is in Bentonville, Arkansas.
• Arkansas has many lakes and rivers and is home to numerous national parks and state heritage sites.

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What Does A Carburetor Do?
To understand what a carburetor does it is important to understand how a combustion engine works. Gasoline is burned in the car’s engine to create pressure. This pressure is used to create motion in the car’s engine, which then turns the piston in the engine which is connected to the drive shaft. Hundreds of these tiny explosions are happening within your car engine ever minute.

A carburetors job is to make sure that the right amount of gasoline is mixed with the right amount of air, called the air-to-fuel ratio, to make the engine run smoothly. Too much of either substance causes the engine to splutter and backfire. The carburetor is a tube shaped part and an adjustable plate across the tube called the throttle plate is used to regulate how much air can flow through the tube. In a part of the tube there is a narrow section called the venturi. This creates a vacuum in the tube. The vacuum in the tube allows for the fuel to be sucked up through the jet and for the air being sucked through the carburetor to increase in speed. This pushes the aerated gasoline into the engine where it is combusted by the engine.

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