The Philippines is an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean.

The Banaue Rice Terraces, a national cultural treasure, are a UNESCO Heritage site and were built over 2000 years ago! They are considered by the Philippines to be the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Filipino (Tagalog) and English are the two official languages in the Philippines. There are up to 183 spoken languages in the Philippines. This includes Taglish, a mix of Tagalog and English.

The mighty Carabao or Kalabaw in Tagalog (Bubalus mindorensis) is endemic to the Philippines and a national symbol representing Filipinos’ hard work and perseverance. This water buffalo is considered to be a Filipino farmer’s best friend!

The Chocolate Hills of Bohol are not made out of chocolate! During the dry season, the grass that covers the limestone hills turns brown and makes them look like they are covered in melted chocolate.

The three golden stars on the national Flag of the Philippines refer to the country’s three main islands: Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas.

This Island Country is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it a home to hundreds of active and inactive volcanoes.

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and is known as the “Pearl of the Orient Sea."

Christmas is celebrated during the “ber” months of September, October, November, and December making it the most anticipated and the longest celebrated season in the Philippines.

Filipino cuisine has a wide range of mouth-watering dishes like Pancit, a popular noodle dish used for celebrations, and Adobo, the unofficial national chicken dish.

Israel is a small country in the Middle East, located in the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

The Dead Sea between Israel and Jordan is also known as the Salt Sea. White crystals of salt cover the shore and the water is so salty you automatically float!

Hebrew is the national language of Israel and is written from right to left, rather than left to right as in English.

The Hebrew alphabet is often called the “alefbet" and consists of 22 letters, all consonants. Each letter has its own sound and numerical value.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and is one of the oldest cities in the world.

The Malham Salt Cave is known as the world’s longest salt cave system in the world, located in Mount Sodom.

The Negev desert comprises more than half the land mass of Israel. Many desert plants, animals, reptiles, and birds flourish there.

Archeologists recently discovered the world’s oldest woven basket, in the Judean Desert.

In Israel, a meal is not complete without a salad-not even breakfast.

Folk dancing is highly popular in Israel, especially the traditional folk dance called the Hora.

Germans refer to their country as Deutschland, which comes from an old High German word meaning "of the people."

The capital of Germany is the city state of Berlin.

From Bach to Wagner, Germany's wealth of composers have defined the course of western music.

Germany's famous nature reserve, The Black Forest, gets its name from its canopy of evergreens.

Germany shares borders with nine countries-Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The Grimm brothers, from Germany, wrote the famous tales, Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.

There are over 20,000 castles in Germany. Most of them are at least 100 years old.

The first book ever printed was in Germany in the 1400's by Johannes Guttenberg.

The most popular sport activities in German schools are: soccer, basketball,volleyball, dancing, and ballet.

Oktoberfest in Germany is the largest folk festival in the world.

There are over 400 zoos in Germany, the most in the world!

The national icon is the Beaver.

The capital city of Canada is Ottawa.

The 2 main languages spoken in Canada are English and French.

Canada is the second largest country in the world by total area (Russia is the largest).

The name Canada comes from the word ‘kanata’ which means ‘settlement’ or ‘village’ in the language of the indigenous St Lawrence Iroquoians.

The maple leaf is a Canadian symbol and features prominently on the national flag.

Canada has over 30000 lakes.

First Nations peoples make up about four percent of the population.

The national tree is the Sugar Maple.

Canada features the longest coastline in the world, stretching 202,080 kilometres (125,570 miles).