The Discover page is an archive of about strange but true trivia about destinations around the world, previously featured in the Discover section on the main page. You can contribute and add or edit future facts to the list here. Previously displayed facts from this year are below. You can find older facts from previous years using the links at the bottom of the page.
February 2025
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- The Madeira Casino (pictured) in Funchal was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and indeed looks a bit like Brasilia Cathedral with a haircut.
- Getting to Ao Manao beach outside Prachuap Khiri Khan, entails travel through a military area.
- Närpes is known as the tomato capital of Finland.
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- The main attraction in Mount Vernon, Virginia is George Washington's estate (pictured) and gardens including his grave.
- The National Museum of Slavery in Luanda is housed in Capa de Casa Grande, which is where they baptized slaves prior to sending them off to the Americas.
- Aurangabad is famous for its historic gates, with 15 of the original 52 still standing.
- Visitors are usually astounded to find that Japanese trains (Shinkansen train pictured) follow the published schedule to the second.
- Taking place each April, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycle race is one of the oldest and most arduous of the pro-cycling spring classics.
- With a population of a little over 3,000, nearly half of those along the southern coastline of Greenland live in Qaqortoq.
- Gilf Kebir National Park (landscape pictured) is one of the largest and most remote national parks in Egypt.
- The Rusty Nail Winery in Sulphur, Oklahoma is named so because it's housed in a former hardware store.
- Travelling slowly can reduce travel costs.
- The Victoria Memorial (pictured) in Prayagraj is not a memorial but a canopy, which once housed the imposing marble statue of Queen Victoria.
- What sets Europe apart in footballing terms from the rest of the world is the sheer quality of the domestic leagues.
- At the Thunderbird Crafts Trading Post near Ipperwash Beach you can buy Native American craft and books where you can learn to make crafts yourself.
- The National Palace of Mafra (pictured) is probably the most striking Baroque monument to be found in Portugal.
- Wild three-toed sloths can be seen anywhere in the Bocas del Toro archipelago if you're lucky.
- Whiskey-making has spread around the world with the Scottish and Irish diasporas.
- There are many sights related to the Second Indochina War around Phonsavan - both memorials and actual remains (border marker for a de-mined area pictured).
- The Grand Mosque of Bur Dubai is quite close to a Hindu temple and one can see followers of both Islam and Hinduism gathering at the same place for prayers.
January 2025
[edit]- High-risk locations for encountering pests include low-income urban neighbourhoods, tropical regions, wetlands, stagnant bodies of water, and high vegetation.
- The Japanese Garden (pictured) in Wrocław is remainder from the World Expo of 1913.
- At Taman Wisata Hutan Kera in Bandar Lampung you can hang out with monkeys and let them raid your belongings if you don't bring food.
- Chiclayo is one of the liveliest cities in northern Peru.
- The Mourne Wall (pictured) crosses 15 summits of the Mourne Mountains.
- The Holy Week processions in Málaga are known to have occurred for at least 500 years, and are among the oldest in Spain.
- Because of its large waves, Playa Hermosa near Jacó is considered one of the best surfing locations in the world but also extremely dangerous.
- The Light Tunnel (pictured) connecting concourses A and B/C at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport puts on a light and sound show for pedestrians.
- As a British base, Horn Island in the Torres Strait saw battle during WWII, and the local The Torres Strait Heritage Museum and Art Gallery features extensive war collections.
- Sandervalia National Museum in Conakry is the national museum of Guinea, with a collection of masks and fetishes and a range of art.
- Home to a range of wild animals, Wanglang National Nature Reserve (landscape pictured) outside Mianyang is regarded as one of the best ecological areas in China.
- Arriving in a new city can be the hardest part of a trip.
- Founded in 1878, Petah Tikva means "opening of hope", and was one of modern Israel's first agricultural settlements at the beginning of the Zionist movement.
- At Hvar, imposing fortifications (pictured) hover above the fluid blend of grey stone and orange cascading roofs.
- Cuba Cheese Museum educates visitors on the history of cheesemaking in western New York state.
- The shrines of Ise are famously dismantled and rebuilt to exacting specifications every 20 years.
- The Botanic Gardens Saint Vincent (pictured) in Kingstown were established in 1765, making them the oldest botanic gardens in the Western Hemisphere and in the tropics.
- The Sigulda Walking Sticks have been popular local souvenirs in Sigulda for hundreds of years.
- It is said that when a child at Manickamangalam Temple in Kalady cried after noticing his milk offering was still there, the goddess Devi drank it out of pity.
- The view of Shirakawa-go from the Shiroyama Viewpoint during the Winter Light-up (pictured) is considered to be one of Japan's most iconic winter views.
- The Dhow Shipyard in Muharraq is one of the few remaining places where dhows are still built by hand.
- Back in the day, Ouarzazate was a crossing point for African traders seeking to reach northern cities in Morocco and Europe.
- Preston bus station (closeup pictured) is a concrete Brutalist creation of 1968, refurbished in 2019.
- Cemue is a local drink of Ngawi, made with coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, coconut flesh, white bread, and peanut.
- Concepción, Paraguay, is distinguished by the beauty of its public buildings and aristocratic residences.
- The 14 Falls (pictured) outside Nairobi is made up of 14 small streams that merge to form the big waterfall at the foot of the Kilima Mbogo Hills.
- At the Comox Air Force Museum and Heritage Air Park you can see the planes that made the RCAF great.
- Tulu does not have a widely used script, though efforts are on to discover or construct one. Most writing in the language is in the Kannada script.
- Casa Botines (pictured) in León is one of the few buildings by Antoni Gaudí outside Barcelona.
- The region around Glen Innes is known as "The Land of The Beardies", after two 19th century livestock workers with long beards.
- Almost half of the plant species in Springbok are found nowhere else in the world.