Welcome to planet Earth! A place of endless discovery with myriad cultures, languages and sites to explore. It’s a big wide world out there, so before you plan your next adventure, check out these facts and have a read of our travel articles for inspiration for your next voyage!
  • Roughly 6,500 languages are spoken across the globe. Mandarin Chinese is the world’s most spoken native language followed by Spanish and English. Around 20% of the Earth’s population speak English (but the majority don’t speak it as their first language).
  • By most standards, there are 7 continents in the world: Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe and Oceania. There are 5 ocean basins: Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern.
  • According to the UN, there are officially 193 countries in the world plus 2 observer states, Palestine and the Vatican.
  • Russia is the largest country in the world at 6.6 million square miles (17.1 million square kilometres). Based on landmass, Vatican City is the smallest one, measuring just 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometres). The world’s most populated city is Tokyo.
  • There are approximately 41,788 airports across the globe, each with its own unique airport code. The United States has the highest density of airports in the world.
  • The 3 most visited countries in the world are France, Spain and the United States (in that order). France has more than 89 million visitors per year!
Discover some fascinating facts about countries around the globe to inspire your next trip abroad.
Adventure awaits!