Enid BIyton is the world's most prolific children's author, with over 450 titles published, as well as short stories, poems, plays and articles.
The busiest intercontinental route is London to New York with around 40 million passengers each year – the same number as those using the busiest local business route between Hong Kong and Taipei (Taiwan).
The oldest train carriages still in service, are N-1 and N-2 on the MANX railways. It is regularly used since 1893 along the 28.5 km stretch between Douglas and Ramsey on the Isle of Man in UK.
The Pan-American Highway with over 9,000 km is the longest road in the world. This is a network of highways, which connects North America to South-America and includes the inter-American highways, which goes from Nuevo Laredo in Mexico to Panama City, a distance of 5390 km.
Nearly half of the world's population lives in urban areas. By 2030, the proportion will be more than 60%. In 1950, New York (USA) was the only city with more than 10 million people. But by 2015, there will be 23 such cities, and 19 of them are in the developing countries.
The world comprises 193 independent countries and about 60 overseas territories or dependencies.
The Royal Dragon Restaurant in Bangkok (Thailand) is the largest restaurant in the world. It has a seating capacity of 5,000 at a time and is served by 600 waiters who move around on roller skates.
In 1988, a series of fires sparked by dry air and lightning reduced to cinders about 320,000 hectares of forest area in the Yellowstone National Park, USA.
The British yacht man, Robin Knov-Johnson was the first man round the world alone, in a yacht. The voyage lasted for 312 days (non-stop navigation) with only wind and waves as company.
Great Britain was the first to issue postal stamps in the world having no name printed on it.
