International Exchange Programs

The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated place of Western civilization on Earth, sitting 3,700 kilometers away from the nearest mainland (US territory) and ranking among the most isolated places in the world overall. That might be why Hawaii boasts the highest life expectancy in the USA at 82 years. In Mississippi, by contrast, life might be okay, but it is significantly shorter at just 75 years.

The tallest mountain on the planet is the Mauna Kea volcano, measured from its base (10,203 meters) rather than sea level (4,205 meters), since the bulk of the volcano lies underwater. Meanwhile, Mount Waialeale is the wettest place on Earth, receiving an average of 11,684 mm of rainfall per year, with a record 16,916 mm in 1992. For comparison, Riga’s annual precipitation averages just under 700 mm.

Nearby sits Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, standing just 36 meters shorter than Mauna Kea. On the night of Sunday, November 27, 2022, the volcano awoke for the first time since 1984, sending lava pouring into the bowl-shaped caldera at its summit. On November 28, lava fountains began erupting along the fissures, with most reaching several meters in height and the highest surging 30 to 60 meters high.

Did you know that the person on the US 100-dollar bill was never president? That is Benjamin Franklin, one of the leaders of the American Revolution and the only Founding Father to sign all three of the foundational historical documents establishing the United States as an independent nation: the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris of 1783.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the name of a hill on the North Island of New Zealand, holding the record for one of the longest place names in the world.

The name translates from Maori as “The summit of the hill, where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as the land-eater, played his nose flute to his loved one.” The word consists of 85 letters and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Locals often simply call the hill Taumata.

Here are a few curious century-old laws that still exist in certain US states. Years have passed, but the laws remain… In Colorado, men are forbidden from kissing sleeping women. In Wisconsin, men are prohibited from shooting guns while women are experiencing an orgasm. In some American states, such as Arizona, Indiana, and New York, visible erections through clothing in public places are considered illegal.

You can get fined or even locked up for it. Meanwhile, in an Oregon city, men are banned from swearing during sex…

Death Valley, the driest and hottest place on Earth, is home to over 15 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 44 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 13 species of fish, and 545 species of plants.

450 years before America was discovered by the Spaniard Christopher Columbus, the 11th-century Central Asian scholar and polymath Abu Rayhan al-Biruni confidently predicted the existence of this continent.

Out of 18 million Australians, over 4 million have moved to Australia over the past half-century.