9 Odd Towns & Villages

1. The Village With a Population of Just One Person, USA

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Monowi's peak years were in the 1930s, when it had a population of 150. Like many other small communities in the Great Plains, it lost its younger residents to cities that were experiencing growth and offering better jobs. During the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2; only one married couple, Rudy and Elsie Eiler, lived there. Mr. Eiler died in 2004, leaving his wife as the only remaining resident. In this capacity, she acts as Mayor, granting herself a liquor license and paying taxes to herself. She is required to produce a municipal road plan every year in order to secure state funding for the village's four street lights.

9 Interesting Ethnic Enclaves From Around the World

Ethnic enclaves are portions of a city or state that are predominately made up of one ethnic group. The residents of these enclaves often seem to live separately from the surrounding community. Yet, they are still a part of the surrounding societies.

1. Largest Japantown in the World - Liberdade, Brasil

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Liberdade is the name of a district in the subprefecture in São Paulo, Brazil. It is home to the largest Japanese community (more than 60.000 peoples) outside of Japan in the world and has been growing since the 1950s. Liberdade is São Paulo's own equivalent of Japantown in the USA. Significant populations of Chinese and Koreans also live in the district of Liberdade.

8 Smallest National Capitals in the World

The world's smallest national capitals are all either in small island nations or in European microstates. You've probably heard about larger villages than these capital cities... 

8. Valletta, Malta

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Population:  5.666 inhabitants (census 2011)

Valletta, Malta’s capital and a World Heritage site, is nothing short of an open-air museum. It is a living experience of Baroque architecture, a monument donated by the Knights of St John nearly five centuries ago.  This town is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 5.666. Valleta is strategically located on a rocky promontory between two deep harbors. Dockyards line the harbors and employ more workers than any other industry. Tourism is also an important industry.

10 Largest Cities Within the Arctic Circle

There are 10 cities with a population of around 30,000 or more which are north of the Arctic Circle (latitude 66° 33′ 44″N) and therefore have at least one day per year when the sun never rises. All of these cities are in Russia (mostly the northwest) or Norway. In contrast, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle in North America is Barrow, Alaska, with only around 4,000 people. While the cities below are quite cold, most still have a milder climate than anyplace north of the Arctic Circle in North America.

10. Kirovsk, Russia

Kirovsk at night  -  photo source

11 Leaning Towers From Around the World

A leaning tower is a tower which, either intentionally, due to errors in design, construction or to subsequent external influence, does not stand perpendicular to the ground. This list is about these unusual buildings.

As a start, here is an infographic a structural engineer can get behind: leaning towers. The Economist provides this nice visualization of several famous cases. For example, Big Ben is leaning north-west by 0.26 degrees, or 17 inches and Germany’s Leaning Tower of Suurhusen is at an angle of 5.19 degrees. We will enumerate several more cases... Read on to learn more about each leaning tower.

Snowiest Places in Africa

1. Lesotho - Africa's Coldest Country

Malealea Village, Lesotho  photo source

This country covers 30,355 sq km (11,720 sq mi). It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point of 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) is thus the highest in the world. Lesotho is the coldest country in Africa. Lesotho’s June temperatures hover around 0 Celsius and regular heavy snowfall is common in the higher mountain ranges. 

18 Breathtaking Photos of Natural Forces

An undersea volcano erupts off the coast of Tonga, sending plumes of steam, ash and smoke up to 100 meters into the air, on March 18, 2009, off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga. (photo source - Dana Stephenson/Getty Images)

Unique & Bizarre Lakes From Around the World

1. Lakes of Varying Colors - Kelimutu Lakes, Indonesia

Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai and Tiwu Ata Polo   photo source

Kelimutu is a volcano, close to the town of Moni in central Flores Island of Indonesia containing three summit crater lakes of varying colors. The first lake is named Tiwu Ata Mbupu (lake of people spirits), the second is named Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (lake of young people spirits), and the third is Tiwu Ata Polo (lake of fortune tellers spirits).