5 Strangest Countries in the World

Every country has that thing that makes it distinct, could be the culture, the government, the people, or the topography. While there’s no definition of ‘weird’ in this context, here, we look at five countries that we considered quite strange;

1.North Korea
Not sure any list of weirdest countries in the world will be complete without North Korea. This totalitarian state is a special type of weird. Well here are a list of things that make north korea outstandingly weird;
- Blue jeans are banned in North Korea.
- All TVs and radios are tuned to state channels and people caught listening to foreign broadcasts face harsh punishments.
- They have their own calendar, called “Juche Calendar”.
- They use human waste as fertiliser, and can’t get any from the outside world due to sanctions.
- The 3-generation punishment rule, which means if you commit a crime, your entire bloodline, including your grandparents, parents and children, are sent to prison.
- The government controls who lives in the capital.
- Government approves hairstyles.
- Blackouts every night.
- There’s a ban on music.
- To own a computer, you need permission from the government, and this computer is registered with, and strictly monitored by the government.
- The country is strange and frightening, it’s isolated, people seem depressed. One might wonder where all the funds go to, well, North Korea channels huge money to military and nuclear weapons.

2.Equatorial Guinea
Said to be one of the most corrupt places in the world, Equatorial Guinea is spanish speaking nation in West/Central Africa. Here are some of the weird things about this place;
- Men and women are allowed to be married at age 12.
- Education in the country begins at age 7.
- An adult smokes 33 cigarettes on the average, in a month.
- Even with having the second biggest oil reserve in the continent, the vast majority of their people live in extreme poverty.
- All media are controlled by the president of the country.

3.Bhutan
Things are quite different in Bhutan, in a relatively good way though.
- Instead of measuring their growth by GDP, they use GNH, Gross National Happiness.
- Only 8 pilots are allowed to fly to their ‘Paro Airport’ (known to be the most dangerous airport to land on in the world).
- They have a weird obsession with penises because they believe an erect penis keeps evil spirits, people and gossip away
- There are no traffic lights.
- To visit, you must pay a tax of $250/day per person.
- As a sign of respect and gratitude, refusing food the first time is customary.

4.Tuvalu
The least visited country on earth and located in the middle of the pacific;
- Tuvalu is dependent on rain water as there are no natural rivers or streams.
- They are one of the 22 countries without a military.
- The only restaurant to eat out in is chinese.
- There are no ATMs there, and card payments are not accepted.
- Made up of nine separate islands; six atolls and three reef islands.
- The country’s largest source of generating income is leasing out the domain name “.tv”.

5.Djibouti
Known for its the not so welcoming nature of its people;
- Djibouti, which is the eighth smallest country in Africa has the second saltiest lake in the world; Lac ‘Assal, saltier than the dead sea.
- It is full of foreign military bases and is one of the most expensive countries in africa.
- The Djiboutians are known for chewing “Khat”, an addictive narcotic imported in bulk from Ethiopia and Kenya and gives the user a mild amphetamine-like high.