Today we are going to discuss whether it is their remoteness, restrictiveness, or just the plain old fact that no one’s heard of it before, these peculiar countries remain pretty obscure for various reasons.
Facts of the World’s Most Mysterious Countries
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
If this place seems familiar to you, it might be because you’ve seen it in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films.
This Caribbean nation was the chosen shooting location for the popular film franchise.
North Korea
This country is one of the most mysterious because it is highly restrict and so close off from the rest of the world.
Isle of Man
The Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy and even the Northern Lights can easily be seen from this hidden gem that is this British Crown dependency.
Lesotho
The weather varies throughout the whole of Africa.
Lesotho is one of the few countries that experiences snow in the continent.
Eritrea
This northeast African country has no official language.
Ladonia
Did you know that you can easily apply for citizenship of this arcane little country?
Help this little micro nation to grow the application can be found on Ladonia’s website.
Suriname
Not a lot of people have heard of this South American country.
People there don’t speak Spanish or Portuguese.
In fact, they speak Dutch.
São Tomé and Príncipe
In all of Africa, this country is one of the most democratic and stable.
Moldova
Did you know this European country was president-less for three years.
Nauru
The Central Pacific country is the only nation in the world without a capital.
Also, it is shaped like a potato.
Malta
Malta is located between Sicily and the North African coast.
This country is home to the oldest standing stone structures on the planet, dating back to 4000-2500 BC.
Djibouti
If you visit this African country, bring plenty of water bottles with you.
Fresh water is so scarce there that bottle water is accept as a payment method.
Brunei
Nobody pays taxes in Brunei.
The country in southeast Asia, ruled by a sultan, earns their money by selling oil.
Serbia
These curious rock formations might be the most peculiar thing found in this Balkan country.
They are known as Đavolja Varoš, meaning “Devil’s Town.”
Federated States of Micronesia
There is an island in this country called Yap, whose currency consists of the giant stone wheels pictured here, known as Rai stones.
Cook Islands
This nation in the south Pacific was name after British explorer Captain James Cook, who landed on the island in the early 18th century.
Mauritania
Did you know slavery was ban in this country in just 2007?
And even despite the law, it was estimate by the Global Slavery Index in 2016 that 43 thousand people were still enslaved in this Northwestern African country.
Bhutan
If you ever visit this south Asian country, keep your eyes open and look very carefully at the exterior decor of structures around you, and you will notice that houses are cover in phallic symbols.
The drawings supposedly bring good fortune and ward off bad spirits, according to Thrillist.
Swaziland
This tiny country in southern Africa has a law which forbids witches from flying any higher than 150 m on their broomsticks. For real.
Niue
Forget presidents, queens, or other important political figures.
In this island country in the south Pacific Ocean, their coins feature the famous faces of Disney, Pokémon, and ‘Star Wars’ characters.
Republic of Artsakh
A country that is hardly recognize by any other country in the world.
Armenia
Chess is a huge deal in this country.
In fact, it is mandatory teaching for children in primary and secondary school.
Kyrgyzstan
Horseback riding is big deal in this landlocked Asian country.
They play this weird game called Kyz kuu, also known as the “kissing game,” which is similar to horse racing.
If the male participant catches up to his opponent (a female) and steals a kiss, he wins!
Kiribati
This is a country made up of many tiny islands so spread out, it would take a six hour plane ride to go from the first to the last.
But the country’s mainland is sinking so residents are fleeing to New Zealand, according to ABC.
Benin
While you might not be too familiar with this African nation, you have definitely heard of one odd religion that came from here, Voodoo.
Futuna
If you want to feel like you have stepped back in time, Futuna is the place to visit as it has been virtually untouch by the modern world.
It is also pair with another little-known French island collectivity, Wallis.
Tuvalu
This mysterious little country was able to survive and keep afloat thanks to its internet domain.
A company paid US$50 million to this country in the south Pacific for the rights to sell “.tv” to other companies.
Lithuania
Perhaps the weirdest thing about this little-known European country is its creepy Hill of Crosses.
Over 100,000 crosses have been plant by visitors to the area, making for one very eerie pilgrimage site.
Falkland Islands
There are more sheep than people in this British territory.
It has a population of a little more than 3,000 people and approximately half a million sheep, according to Steemit.