Pins — Bite-Sized Travel Facts

Did you know the Maldives is the lowest, flattest country in the world - averaging only about 5 feet above sea level? Its highest natural point barely tops 8 feet. With nearly 1,200 coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, the nation once held a cabinet meeting underwater to spotlight rising seas.

Did you know Samoa once skipped an entire day? To line up its calendar with trading partners Australia and New Zealand, the islands jumped straight from December 29 to December 31 in 2011, hopping across the International Date Line overnight. For everyone there, December 30 that year simply never existed.

Did you know Alaska is simultaneously the westernmost and easternmost US state? Its Aleutian Islands stretch so far they cross the 180° meridian - the line where west technically becomes east - putting a few islands in the Eastern Hemisphere. Alaska is also, less surprisingly, the northernmost state. Three records in one.

Did you know Fiji is one of the first places on Earth to greet each new day? Sitting right beside the International Date Line, its islands tick over into tomorrow while most of the world is still in yesterday. New Year arrives in Fiji hours before almost anywhere else.

Did you know Indonesia is the world's largest island nation, with around 17,000 islands? Only about 6,000 are inhabited. The country stretches so far east-to-west that it spans three time zones — Bali alone is just one small, famous piece of the puzzle.

Did you know Venice is spread across about 118 small islands? They're stitched together by some 400 bridges over a maze of canals, with no cars anywhere — boats do everything from deliveries to ambulances. The whole city rests on millions of wooden piles sunk into the lagoon mud.