Does one bathe in Bath?

Hot springs in the English town of Bath led to its development as a large Roman bath in ancient times. The remains of the Roman bath are visible today and the city remains a tourist destination.

How cold is Siberia?
On February 6, 1933, the temperature in Oimyakon, Russia plunged to -90° Fahrenheit (-68° Celsius), giving Siberia the world's lowest temperature outside of Antarctica.
During the winter, average temperatures in Siberia range from -10°F (-23°C) to below -50°F (-45°F).

What are the British Isles?
The British Isles consist of the two large islands known as Great Britain and Ireland along with the many small islands nearby. The countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland occupy the British Isles, which are separated by St. George's Channel.

What are the seven hills of Rome?
Rome is known to be built upon seven hills. Rome was said to have been founded when Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, ended up at the foot of the hill Palatine and founded the city. The other six hills are Capitoline (the seat of government), Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine.

What happened to Czechoslovakia?
In 1992 the two internal republics of Czechoslovakia peacefully separated into two countries - the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Czechoslovakia was a country created in 1918 at the end of World War I.

What is balkanization?
Taking it's name from the fragmentary and divisive nature of the Balkans, the term balkanization has come to refer to any region with internal turmoil or divisions. For example, the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union into fifteen countries can be referred to as the "balkanization of the Soviet Union."

What is Benelux?
Benelux stands for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The three countries formed Benelux as an economic alliance in 1940.

What is Kaliningrad?
Russia's smallest oblast (region) is an exclave called Kaliningrad located 200 miles away from the border of Russia proper. The oblast is a wedge-shaped piece of land along the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania.

What is Europe's and Russia's longest river?
The longest river in Russia and Europe is the Volga River, which flows entirely within Russia for 2,290 miles (3,685 km). It's source is in the the Valdai Hills, near the city of Rzhev, to the Caspian Sea in the southern part of Russia. The river is navigable for much of its length and with the addition of dams, has become important for power and irrigation. Canals link it to the River Don as well as to the Baltic and White Seas.

What is Siberia's largest city?
With over 1.4 million people, Novosibirsk is Siberia's largest city. The city is located along the Trans-Siberian Railway and is thus connected with the rest of Russia. It grew quickly during World War Two when the Soviet Union moved factories there from threatened areas in the west.

What is the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)?
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is an alliance of 12 of the 15 former Republics of the Soviet Union (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldava, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan).
The headquarters of the organization is in Minsk, Belarus. The three non-members are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England?
The United Kingdom is a country that consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In fact, the official name of the country is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
Great Britain is the name of the island northwest of France and east of Ireland that consists of three somewhat autonomous regions: England, Wales and Scotland.

Therefore, England is part of Great Britain, which is part of the United Kingdom. The U.K. includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not countries but the United Kingdom is. The remaining portion of the island of Ireland (that which is not the U.K.'s Northern Ireland) is an independent country called the Republic of Ireland (Eire).

What is the Russian Federation?
The official name of Russia is the Russian Federation, which is composed of 21 autonomous republics, 10 autonomous okrugs, 6 krays, 2 federal cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and 1 autonomous oblast (Yevreyskaya).
The Russian Federation was the largest successor state of the Soviet Union and inherited 76% of the U.S.S.R.'s land

What is the European Union?
In 1993, a organization known as the European Community was recharted and reorganized to form the European Union. The Euopean Union has fifteen member countries - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The European Union has a flag, which is a circle of twelve gold stars on a blue background (twelve being a number that represents perfection and completeness.) The EU also has a currency, called the Euro, which is used in eleven countries.

1951 six countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) founded the original predecessor of the European Union, the European Coal and Steel Community.

What is the world's longest subway system?
The London Underground is the world's longest subway system, consisting of 244 miles (391 kilometers) of track.

What is the world's most popular subway system?
Moscow's subway system is the world's most popular, with approximately 3.16 million riders in 1997.

What is the world's smallest country?
The Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's smallest country. Located entirely within the city of Rome, Italy, the Vatican City (also known as the Holy See) is 0.2 square miles (0.44 km2) in area.
Some argue that The Sovereign Military Order Of Malta (SMOM) is actually the world's smallest country, but you can find out why the SMOM is nothing more than an international organization.

What is Yugoslavia?
In 1991 the internal republics comprising the country of Yugoslavia divided up and became five seperate countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).
Serbia and Montenegro claims to be the successor country to the former Yugoslavia so uses the name "Yugoslavia" but it is not recognized as an independent country by many other countries, including the United States.

For more information, please read my article about the Former Yugoslavia

What two cities make up Budapest?
The Hungarian capital of Budapest is actually two cities separated by the Danube River - Buda and Pest. Buda lies on the west bank and Pest lies on the east bank.

What was the first city with over a million people?
Baghdad (Iraq) was the world's first city to contain more than a million people. It was the world's largest city from the years 775-935.
After the middle ages, the millionth city didn't occur until early 19th century London. London was also the first urban area to reach a population of over 5 million.

Babylon also deserves distinction for being the first city to reach 200,000 people, in approximately 612 B.C.E.

What was the U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union?
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union for short) consisted of Russia and surrounding countries that today make up Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The Soviet Union was founded in 1924, seven years after the Russian Revolution overthrew the monarchy of the czar, and was dissolved in late 1991.

The Commonwealth of Independent States was a somewhat unsuccessful an effort by Russia to keep the U.S.S.R. together in an economic alliance.

When was St. Petersburg known as Petrograd and Leningrad?
St. Petersburg, which is Russia's second largest urban area, was founded in 1703 by the czar Peter the Great. In 1914, the German sounding name was changed to Petrograd. Then, after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, the Soviet Union changed the city's name to Leningrad. Leningrad became St. Petersburg again 67 years later when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Where are the Balkan States?
The countries lying on the Balkan Peninsula are often called the Balkan States. These include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). The small portion of Turkey that lies northwest of the Sea of Marmara is also on the Balkan Peninsula.
The Balkan Peninsula lies between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea.

Where are the Baltic States?
Located along the Baltic Sea - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are known as the Baltic States. These three countries were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 but gained their independence again when the Soviet Union fell in 1991.
Sometimes Poland and Finland, which also lie along the Baltic Sea, are considered Baltic States.

Where are the low countries?
The low countries refers to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg due to their low elevation (parts of this region are even below sea level).

Where does the Loch Ness monster live?
The fabled aquatic Loch Ness monster lives in Loch Ness, which is the name of a lake in northwest Scotland. The lake is 23 miles (37 kilometers) long. The monster is also known as "Nessie."

Where is Hadrian's Wall?
Hadrian's Wall is located in northern Great Britain (the main island of the U.K.) and stretched for nearly 75 miles (120 km) from Solwat Firth in the west to the Tyne River near Newcastle in the east.
The wall was built under the direction of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the second century to keep the Caledonians of Scotland out of England. Portions of the wall are still in existence today.

Where is the border between Europe and Asia?
The artificial boundary between the continents of Europe and Asia lies along the Ural Mountains south to the Ural River and the Caspian Sea and the along the Caucasus Mountains to the Black Sea.
Europe and Asia are physically one great landmass commonly called Eurasia.

Where is the world's busiest seaport?
The seaport at Rotterdam, Netherlands is the world's busiest. It handles over 325 million tongs of cargo annually. The world's second busiest seaport is the Port of South Louisiana in New Orleans, followed by Singapore, Kobe (Japan), and Shanghai (China).

Where was the world's worst nuclear disaster?
The meltdown in Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 was the world's worst. The explosion of the plant's nuclear reactor killed at least 32 immediately but thousands more have died since 1986 due to related diseases. Over 100,000 people were evacuated from the region following the blast. Radiation problems continue to plague the region today.

Which countries comprise the region known as Scandinavia?
The region known as Scandinavia includes the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway and Sweden, along with Denmark. Sometimes Finland and Iceland are also considered part of Scandinavia

Which countries lie on the Jutland Peninsula?
Denmark occupies most of the Jutland Peninsula and the pensinsula contains all of the Danish mainland. A small portion of Germany also occupies the peninsula, which extends into the North Sea.

Which countries lie on the Scandinavian Peninsula?
Norway and Sweden comprise the Scandinavian Peninsula, which extends from northern Europe at Finland into the North Sea and Baltic Sea (both parts of the Atlantic Ocean).

Which country borders the most other countries?
China and Russia have the most neighboring countries with 14 neighbors each.
China borders Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

Russia borders Azaerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine. (This list includes the two countries that border Kaliningrad - Poland and Lithuania. Otherwise, Russia has 12 neighbors.)

Brazil borders nine other countries

Which country had the world's first parliament?
Iceland's Althing parliament was created and first met in the year 930, making it the world's first legislative body or parliament.

Which country has the largest area?
Russia is the world's largest country in area with 6.6 million square miles (17 million square kilometers)

Which country is most densely populated?
While the tiny country of Monaco (0.75 square miles or 2 km2) has the world's highest population density of 42,000 per square mile. But, since it's merely the size of a small city it's not fair to consider Monaco or other microstates when tabulating the place with the highest density. Thus, the non-microstate with the highest population density is Bangladesh, with a density of 2,200 people per square mile.

Which country is most reliant on fish exports?
Approximately 75% of Iceland's exports are fish so the country is very reliant on fish and the fish industry. About 12% of the country's workforce is employed in the fish industry.

Which major country relies most upon nuclear power?
France derives about 75% of its energy from nuclear power, making it the world's most nuclear-reliant country.

Which river touches more countries than any other?
The Danube River touches or passes through ten countries, more than any other river. The Danube begins in Germany and encounters Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Which two cultural groups comprise Belgium?
Belgium is a divided country. Flanders is the region in the north and is the home to the Flemings who speak Flemish (similar to Dutch). Walloonia is the region in the south and is the home of the Walloons, who are descendants of the Celts and speak French.
Only about 10% of Belgium's divisive population is bilingual.

Who controls the Rock of Gibraltar?
The Rock of Gibraltar, located on the Gibraltar Peninsula which is at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula (where Spain and Portugal are located), is actually part of a colony controlled by the United Kingdom. The British colony of Gibraltar gives the U.K. some control over the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Spain regularly presses its claim for control of the colony located near the southern tip of its country but the British won't relinquish control.
Interestingly enough, on the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar, there's a autonomous community of Spain called Ceuta at the northern tip of Morocco.

The Rock of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa (a mountain at Ceuta) comprise the fabled "Pillars of Hercules."

Who rules Andorra?
The tiny country of Andorra sites in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. Since 1278, it has been jointly ruled by two people who are not Andorran - the President of France and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell from northeastern Spain. The two countries are also responsible for the defense of the country of approximately 66,000 people.

Why is Macedonia officially known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM)?
An ancient Greek kingdom called Macedonia and Macedon existed from the fourth through second centuries B.C.E. and three regions of Greece today carry the Macedonia name (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Central Macedonia, and Western Macedonia). When the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991 from the Former Yugoslavia, Greece was unhappy about the use of the name Macedonia. Greece blocked trade to Macedonia (which is a neighboring country) from 1991 to 1995, when the two countries signed an agreement of understanding.
Today, Macedonia is officially known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or FYRM for short.

Why is Russia always an hour ahead?
In order to take advantage of their northern location and the limited daylight available during certain parts of the year, Russia's time zones are one hour ahead of their true longitudinal position. Russia also utilizes Daylight Saving Time so during the summer, a given time zone would be two hours ahead of standard time for the zone.

Why was the Prime Meridian established at Greenwich?
In 1675, the Royal Observatory at Greewich, outside of London was created to study the determination of longitude (a vital comonent to oceanic navigation). The United Kingdom and, by association, the United States, used Greenwich as the reference point for longitude.
Thus, by the time of an international conference in 1884 to establish fixed degrees of longitude on the planet, many countries had been using Greenwich as the Prime Meridian for decades so the tradition became internationally accepted.