Rugby World Cup 2011 Participating Countries

New Zealand

Interesting facts about NZ NZ is found in the south of the Pacific Ocean NZ has 3 official languages: namely English, Maori and sign language It has a current population of 4.3million people It is famous for: rugby, pavlovas, pineapple lumps and L&P

France

Interesting facts France has an estimated population of 64.5 million The most popular sports in France are football (soccer), rugby league and rugby union France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. Nearly 82 million people travelled to France for their holidays in French people cheek kiss to greet each others between family and friends, even between men. French was the official language of England for over 300 years.It is still the official language of 30 countries worldwide.

Tonga

Interesting facts There are approximately 108,000 Tongans living in the kingdom of Tonga They speak Tongan and English Tonga is located about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Canada

Interesting Facts Canada is the second largest country, in size, in the world. Did you know that Winnie the Pooh is Canadian? Montreal has more snow than any other city in the world. Canadians eat more macaroni and cheese than any other country in the world.

Japan

Interesting Facts Situated in Asia, Japan is immediate neighbour to China, Russia and Korea. Consisting of many islands, the four main and prominent ones are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Japan is the 60th largest country in the world The flag has a red circle against a white background. This red circle symbolizes the rising sun. Being extremely earthquake prone Japan has an average of 1500 earthquakes every year. The number of volcanoes in Japan is approximately 200. Most of the Japanese have rice for/with their breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Argentina

Interesting Facts The eighth largest country in the world. Buenos Aires is the capital city Argentina’s money is called Peso Their main language is Spanish The puma is the second largest cat in the Americaspuma The Tango originated in Buenos Aires 90% of the population is Roman Catholic

England

Interesting Facts The first public zoo opened in London in The English gulp down more tea than anyone else on Earth Over 12,000 accidents happen per year when English people put on socks, pantyhose or other type of stockings There are over 300 languages spoken by people in the country of England

Scotland

Interesting facts Scotland is made up of 790 islands Scotland contains Britain's tallest mountain -- Ben Nevis Edinburgh is the capital city Scotland has many myths and one is the selkie. This is a creature in the shape of a seal that can turn into a beautiful woman. Scotland’s most famous myth is the Loch Ness monster

Georgia

Interesting Facts The capital city of Georgia is Tbilisi. The official language of the country is Georgian. The currency of Georgia is Lari. Wine making is an ancient tradition in Georgia. 4,600,825 people in the country

Romania

Interesting Facts The population is 90% Romanian and 7% Hungarian. Romanian speciality dishes include grilled meatballs, meat wrapped in cabbage leaves, pork stew with garlic and onions and doughnuts made with cream and cheese. Capital city: Bucharest Language: Romanian Population: 21.5 million

Australia

Interesting Facts When the British began to settle Australia in the late 1700s, their main motivation for doing so was to establish a land to send their prisoners to Males are "blokes" and females are "sheilas." Australia has no official language, but most Australians speak English. The majority of the people in Australia live in the large coastal cities because over ninety percent of Australia is actually dry and flat Australia is the smallest continent in the world.

Ireland

Interesting Facts Dublin, Ireland’s largest city, Nicknamed the “Emerald Isle” due to its lush greenery, Irish names ending with “Mac” or “O” mean “son of…” or “grandson of…” respectively

Italy

Interesting Facts Pizza was "invented" in Naples around 1860s The famous children's story, Pinocchio, was written by an Italian. The piano hails from Italy. With over 5 million people, Rome is Italy's largest Italy. Italy has a population of over 58 million. The colours of the Italian flag represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).

Russia

Interesting Facts Russia is the largest country in the world Russia is the coldest country in the world The lowest temperature ever recorded in the world was −71.2°C in Russia There are more than 141 million people in Russia today. This makes Russia the 9th largest country in the world. Around one in every five diamonds mined in the world today comes from Russia.

USA

Interesting Facts 50 states The world’s highest roller coaster is found in Ohio.

South Africa

Interesting Facts South Africa's Population is 45million South Africa has 11 official languages South Africa is 5 times the size of Japan The first human heart transplant in the world was performed in South Africa in 1967 South Africa has the highest commercial bungi jump in the world (710 feet).

Wales

Interesting Facts Population: 2,918,700 (2002) Capital City: Cardiff Official Language: English and (Welsh) Sir George Everest - famous traveller and explorer, The highest peak in the world is named after him. Roald Dahl (1916–1990), author

Fiji

Interesting Facts Fiji has a population of approximately 870,000 people Fijian and English are widely spoken, along with various Indian and other Pacific island languages.

Samoa

Interesting facts Apia is the capital of Samoa. Samoa have a population of 180,000 Coconuts, bananas, taro, yams

Namibia

Interesting Facts Population: 2,100,000 people live in Namibia (2009) Capital: Windhoek, which means “windy corner” in Afrikaans Nickname: Namibia, the Land of the Brave Language: English, Afrikaans, German Religion: over 80% Christians Namibia is the second least densely populated country on earth