FUN FACTS

There are so many people in Japan, that there are people called "pushers" who's job is to push passengers onto trains that are crowded to enable the doors to close! For the 1964 Olympic Games held in Japan, the "Bullet Train" service was started to carry visitors between the two main cities, Tokyo and Kyoto (the old capital of Japan), where the events were held. The bullet train travels over 200km per hour! Japanese cherry trees are famous all over the world for their beauty in full bloom. The government has even given them as gifts to other countries. The world's longest tunnel under the sea, the Siekan Tunnel is in Japan. It is nearly 54km long and there is a train that runs through it linking two of the Islands

FUN FACTS
The best violins in the world are made in Italy. Music is another great Italian tradition. One of the most famous composers is Antonio Vivialdi, who composed The Four Seasons.Spend some time listening to Vivaldi, or some opera music. (Just be aware that this may lead to your children trying to sing in the bath!!) In Sicily, you have to take a lift through a cliff to get to the beach, as some of the towns are built on top of high cliffs!

Fact File
What do you know about Italy? Learn all about its land, products and culture.

Official name: Italian Republic Population: 58,126,212 as of July 2009 Capital: Rome Official Language: Italian Size: 116,306 square miles (301,230 square kilometers; slightly larger than Arizona) Climate: Cooler in far north; hot, dry in south Products: Grapes, potatoes, grain, olives; machinery; iron and steel; textiles, ceramics
1. What does the word Duomo, mean? meeting place cathedral market 2. Which product is Italy NOT known for?

oranges grapes olives 3. What independent country lies within Italy? Rome Milan Vatican City 4. What is Venice known for? Its canals Its sunflowers Its fashion 5. In what year did Italians vote to make their nation a democratic republic? 1958 1946 2004 6. How big is Italy? About the size of Arizona About the size of Texas About the size of a large boot 7. Who was the first emperor of the Roman Empire? Michelangelo Julius Caesar Augustus 8. Which of the following places is an Italian island? Sardinia Tuscany Venice

Chaebol Demilitarized Zone Diet Famine Futon Intensive Cultivation Kimchi Kimonos Protectionism Samurai Shamans Shogun Trade Surplus Tsunamis Worth Ethic

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