Belarus has two official languages, Belarusian and Russian. However, most communication takes place in Russian, while Belarusian is primarily an academic language taught at school. In some border areas, however, people speak Trasyanka, a blend of Belarusian and Russian, with influences from the languages of neighbouring countries.
Australia is home to the world’s largest Greek population outside Greece. Melbourne has a large Greek Precinct, as well as a Hellenic Museum and a Foundation for Hellenic Culture.
Watermelon is an extremely popular snack in Azerbaijan, where it is usually eaten in combination with cottage cheese.
Many Indonesians travel by motorcycle; in fact, motorcycles make up more than 82% of the vehicles registered in the country and navigating Indonesia’s city streets as a pedestrian can be quite a challenge because of all the motorcycle traffic.
Romania is a former member state of the USSR, but Romanians do not speak Russian or a Slavic language, but Romanian, which is a Romance language closely related to Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Mining for gemstones is a growing industry in Greenland, where beautiful stones such as rubies and sapphires are to be found. One day, mining for gemstones may become the biggest industry in the still underdeveloped country.
The Hungarian language has two words for the colour red. Although they refer to the same shade, they are used in different contexts. Different conventions apply, depending on whether one is speaking about blood, wine, roses, and so on. In some cases only one of the two words will do, but in others they are interchangeable.
Chess, one of the most popular games in the world, was probably invented in India in about the sixth century AD. Chess is still widely played in the country.
In Vietnam, a popular breakfast is an egg in which the bird embryo is partly developed. The eggs are boiled and eaten from the shell.
Estonia has one of the largest proportions of women in the world, partly because women typically outlive men by as much as ten years. There are only about 84 men to every 100 women in Estonia.