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Which country shares a land border with the most other countries?

China and Russia, with 14

Both China and Russia border 14 countries. Brazil leads South America with 10, and Germany borders 9, more than any other country in western Europe.

Nepal's time zone is offset from UTC by how much?

5 hours 45 minutes

Nepal uses UTC+5:45, one of the few quarter-hour offsets in the world. It is set to the local mean time of Gaurishankar, near Kathmandu, which also keeps it visibly distinct from India's UTC+5:30.

What is happening to Mount Everest's height?

It is slowly rising as India pushes into Asia

The Indian plate drives into Eurasia at roughly 45 mm a year, lifting the Himalaya by about 4 mm annually, partly offset by erosion. Earthquakes can move the summit sharply in either direction.

How many time zone offsets are actually in use around the world?

About 38

Twenty-four is the tidy answer and the wrong one. Half-hour and quarter-hour offsets in India, Nepal, Iran, parts of Australia and elsewhere, plus offsets beyond UTC+12, bring the real count to around 38.

Which country's borders with its neighbours are still not fully agreed after decades of talks?

India and China

The Line of Actual Control is a de facto boundary rather than a settled border, and stretches of it remain disputed. Skirmishes have occurred as recently as 2020-21.

Until 2015, the India-Bangladesh border contained what oddity?

A third-order enclave

Dahala Khagrabari was an Indian plot inside a Bangladeshi enclave, itself inside an Indian enclave, inside Bangladesh. A 2015 land-swap agreement dissolved the whole tangle.

Which country is home to the most species of venomous snake?

Australia

Australia has around 100 venomous species, more than any other country and including most of the world's most toxic. Deaths are rare because antivenom is widely available.

Which country has the most living languages?

Papua New Guinea, with over 800

Papua New Guinea has more than 800 living languages for about 10 million people, roughly a tenth of all the world's languages. Extremely rugged terrain keeps them distinct.