I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.
This week's country is...
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is located on the continent of Europe, and includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Though often considered to be the same place by many people, Great Britain and the United Kingdom are actually two different things. The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland – but Great Britain doesn’t.
In terms of area, the United Kingdom is smaller than the state of Oregon.
The country is known for being rainy. Therefore it probably isn't surprising that each year it is estimated that over 80,000 umbrellas are lost in London.
No matter where you are in the United Kingdom you’ll never be further than 75 miles from the sea.
The United Kingdom's 7,700 miles of shoreline is the perfect habitat for a variety of seabirds and seals.
The United Kingdom has 394,000 kilometers of paved roads, enough to go around the world up to ten times.
Agriculture is also a large part of the nation's economy. They grow over 60% of their own foods.
The United Kingdom has only 15 National Parks but they cover 8% of the British land.
Stonehedge is older than the Pyramids. Located in the south of England and one of the UK’s most famous tourist attractions – Stonehenge was believed to be created in around 3000BC, meaning it’s older than Egypt’s pyramids.
The busiest airport in UK is the Heathrow Airport in London. In 2017, this airport recorded over 78 million passengers.
The 270 functioning stations of the London Underground boast over 400 escalators and there are another 40 stations that aren’t even used anymore.
Scientists have discovered a unique type of mosquito in the underground of London. This species has evolved independently from other sorts of mosquitos.
Taxi drivers in London undergo a test before they get hired for the job to estimate how well they know the streets of London.
The first speeding ticket was issued in UK. In 1896 a person was caught driving 8 miles per hour in a zone where the maximum limit was 2 mph.
Big Ben in London actually doesn’t refer to the clock. Big Ben is the bell that is located in the clock tower.
Queen Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries on official duties – but astonishingly, she doesn’t need to have a passport. This is because British passports are issued in the name of the Queen.
London has the largest library in the world. The towering British Library in King’s Cross, London, has over 170 million items in its catalogue.
Windsor Palace is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.
Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1953 and in 2015 her excellence became the longest reigning Queen in the world.
Wherever the Queen is residing a royal flag must wave at the top of the building.
Buckingham Palace has its own police station.
The UK loves a good ceremony, and it certainly makes a big deal out of royal weddings. The most recent major event took place in 2011 when Prince William married Catherine Middleton. The day of their wedding was declared a national holiday, which meant an extra day off work.
Tea is by far the most popular drink among Brits. It is estimated that they drink on average 165 million cups of tea every day.
Saltford Manor, the oldest home in the U.K. is about 6,000 years old. It is furnished with furniture made of stone.
There are over 500 pubs in the United Kingdom named The Red Lion.
London has over 170 museums.
There are over half a million vegans living in the United Kingdom.
There’s a law that allows a random citizen to kill a Scott entering the city of York if that person is holding an arrow above his head.
Shakespeare added around 3,000 words to the English language.
The smallest statue in London depicts two mice fighting for a piece of cheese. The story in the background of this tiny sculpture is in fact tragic. During the time when The Monument was getting built, two builders got involved in a fight after accusing each other for eating a sandwich. Both of them died in the fight. It was later determined that a mouse had eaten the sandwich.
The first postage stamp was created in UK. It was designed in May 1840 and it featured the figure of Queen Victoria.
The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling is from the United Kingdom. She is the first billionaire to fall off of Forbes billionaire list because of charitable giving.
Corante was the first British newspaper. Its first ever copy was printed in 1621.
Fordwich is the smallest town in the United Kingdom. It has around 400 residents.
During the 16th century, the king raised a tax for everyone that had a beard.
The first King of England, William the Conqueror made a law that everyone had to be in bed by 8pm.
There are only few trash cans in the whole city of London. They were removed because London had experienced a lot of terrorist attacks in the past and trash cans have been a common dropping point.
The United Kingdom has a limit of 12 minutes of commercials per hour of television.
The sports soccer, rugby, golf, boxing, and cricket were all invented in the United Kingdom.
Smith, Jones, and Williams are the most common names in the United Kingdom.
I decided to let this United Kingdom fact be the inspiration for this week's card... there are more chickens in the country than humans.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Stamp Set: Sparkle N Sprinkle Spring Chickens stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file
Die: MFT Stitched Rounded Rectangle
Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Matte Enamel Dots
Though often considered to be the same place by many people, Great Britain and the United Kingdom are actually two different things. The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland – but Great Britain doesn’t.
In terms of area, the United Kingdom is smaller than the state of Oregon.
The country is known for being rainy. Therefore it probably isn't surprising that each year it is estimated that over 80,000 umbrellas are lost in London.
No matter where you are in the United Kingdom you’ll never be further than 75 miles from the sea.
The United Kingdom's 7,700 miles of shoreline is the perfect habitat for a variety of seabirds and seals.
The United Kingdom has 394,000 kilometers of paved roads, enough to go around the world up to ten times.
Agriculture is also a large part of the nation's economy. They grow over 60% of their own foods.
The United Kingdom has only 15 National Parks but they cover 8% of the British land.
The busiest airport in UK is the Heathrow Airport in London. In 2017, this airport recorded over 78 million passengers.
The 270 functioning stations of the London Underground boast over 400 escalators and there are another 40 stations that aren’t even used anymore.
Scientists have discovered a unique type of mosquito in the underground of London. This species has evolved independently from other sorts of mosquitos.
Taxi drivers in London undergo a test before they get hired for the job to estimate how well they know the streets of London.
The first speeding ticket was issued in UK. In 1896 a person was caught driving 8 miles per hour in a zone where the maximum limit was 2 mph.
Queen Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries on official duties – but astonishingly, she doesn’t need to have a passport. This is because British passports are issued in the name of the Queen.
London has the largest library in the world. The towering British Library in King’s Cross, London, has over 170 million items in its catalogue.
Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1953 and in 2015 her excellence became the longest reigning Queen in the world.
Wherever the Queen is residing a royal flag must wave at the top of the building.
Buckingham Palace has its own police station.
The UK loves a good ceremony, and it certainly makes a big deal out of royal weddings. The most recent major event took place in 2011 when Prince William married Catherine Middleton. The day of their wedding was declared a national holiday, which meant an extra day off work.
Tea is by far the most popular drink among Brits. It is estimated that they drink on average 165 million cups of tea every day.
There are over 500 pubs in the United Kingdom named The Red Lion.
London has over 170 museums.
There are over half a million vegans living in the United Kingdom.
There’s a law that allows a random citizen to kill a Scott entering the city of York if that person is holding an arrow above his head.
Shakespeare added around 3,000 words to the English language.
The smallest statue in London depicts two mice fighting for a piece of cheese. The story in the background of this tiny sculpture is in fact tragic. During the time when The Monument was getting built, two builders got involved in a fight after accusing each other for eating a sandwich. Both of them died in the fight. It was later determined that a mouse had eaten the sandwich.
The first postage stamp was created in UK. It was designed in May 1840 and it featured the figure of Queen Victoria.
The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling is from the United Kingdom. She is the first billionaire to fall off of Forbes billionaire list because of charitable giving.
Corante was the first British newspaper. Its first ever copy was printed in 1621.
Fordwich is the smallest town in the United Kingdom. It has around 400 residents.
During the 16th century, the king raised a tax for everyone that had a beard.
The first King of England, William the Conqueror made a law that everyone had to be in bed by 8pm.
There are only few trash cans in the whole city of London. They were removed because London had experienced a lot of terrorist attacks in the past and trash cans have been a common dropping point.
The United Kingdom has a limit of 12 minutes of commercials per hour of television.
The sports soccer, rugby, golf, boxing, and cricket were all invented in the United Kingdom.
Smith, Jones, and Williams are the most common names in the United Kingdom.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file
Die: MFT Stitched Rounded Rectangle
Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Matte Enamel Dots
3 comments:
What intriguing facts Jeanette - especially about Saltford Manor. Stone furniture would be hard and cold!!
Love your card - that's a real beauty!
Blessings
Maxine
This puts a smile on my face!
I would love to visit the UK some day!!
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