When you think of coal, likely the images of production come to mind. In the United States, one may depict the industry as supported by small towns in the Appalachian area, with coal dug and hauled by men who brave mines deep in the earth. Indeed, coal mining is not the cleanest job in the world, but the industry remains one of the most important for as long as the resources are still available.

When converted to gas or liquid state, coal is used to produce a type of fuel for producing heat and electricity. Bituminous coal, a dark and hard substance which is more common in the US, is used to create coke for the production of steel. According to the World Coal Institute, among the global coal reserves we have enough resources to last through the next century.

Quick Facts About the Coal Industry

» Read more: The Global Coal Industry – Fueling the World

Australia is a country with contrasting characteristics. It has a vast area, yet its population is only scanty in comparison. Moreover, it is a modern country with skyscrapers and a comparatively advanced work force, yet it was once a colony of convicts. Moreover, the country is weird in many other ways. Some fun facts about Australia are presented in this article.

• David Warren invented the black box in Australia. He was an aeronautical research scientist.

• Australia has been a pioneer in surfing. Its vast open beaches are instrumental in promoting the sport. The first national surfing championships were held in Australia in 1964 in Sidney.

• The oldest newspaper in Australia is the Sydney Morning Herald. It was first published in 1831.

» Read more: Fun Facts About Australia To Get You Started

Welcome to the Kingdom of Swaziland!

Independence

Did you know- On September 6, 1968, the country – one of the most ethnically homogeneous republics on the Planet– proclaimed its national independence as the Kingdom of Swaziland within the Commonwealth. It thus became the forty-second independent country in Africa. Since that time, it has become one of the few monarchies in the Third World. For almost 70 years, prior to 1968, the United Kingdom had ruled the country as a British High Commission Territory. In fact, Swaziland was one of Britain’s last colonies on the African mainland.

Geography

Did you know- The modern country of Swaziland lies in southern Africa and is completely surrounded by formerly white-ruled South Africa and Mozambique (ex Portuguese colony).It covers about 6,704 square miles ( 17,363 km). The African monarchy–about the size of New Jersey–is the world’s 158th largest nation in area. What is more, it is one of the smallest countries by area among the former British colonies in Africa, along with Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Gambia. This tiny kingdom enjoys a favorable climate. Most of the nation is covered with mountains (up to 4,500 feet), rainforests, and valleys.

Summer Olympics

» Read more: Nations of the World – Fun Facts About Swaziland!

Have you heard about renewable wind power? It is the art of using the power of wind to generate electricity by implementation of windmills or wind turbines. The best part of using renewable resources is that you can generate electricity without polluting the environment unlike other methods of electricity generation like use of coal or petroleum products. However, it is also a bitter truth that windmills cannot be the answer to produce electricity in every part or region of the world but it can help a lot to save the precious natural resources.

We have been studying since childhood about the use and benefits of wind power but most of us are still illiterate when it comes to implementation of this knowledge. For this, there are many websites these days that guides you on step by step procedure on how to construct, install and maintain renewable wind power devices such as windmills or wind turbines. A good website or e-book will describe each and every step by use of pictures, text and video, making the learning process easy.

What is more? In most of the countries you can easily get loans for setting up such renewable wind power projects and also save on your taxes. Many people around the world have set up their small projects on renewable wind power and supply the electricity to various homes or farms. Therefore, if you live in an area with high power of wind, then you can utilize it for your benefit very easily. All you need to do is to learn the skills of using the power of wind by building windmills and wind turbines. Start generating power from wind and contribute in keeping the earth a green planet!

I am not a tourist, just a teacher. Actually, I’m a literature professor, currently employed by a university in Indiana USA and teaching for a Sino-US program at a university down in Ningbo, China. Maybe I will write about Ningbo later, but now I want to write about Anshan. But I don’t want to write this as a teacher of writing*.

Since I spent two years of my life teaching in Anshan, which is in northeast China, I had some experiences which I will never forget. I had never been out of my own country before — never — not even to Mexico or Canada, as much as I admire those two countries. So what did I do my first out — I travel to the opposite of the world to teach at a technological university, even though I am a humanities person? My new colleagues at the Anshan University of Science and Technology couldn’t figure out that one.

At a Christmas dinner thrown for all the laowai (foreigners) in Anshan, the mayor thanked me for coming there to teach for a salary that was comparatively low. I told him that I was there to educate the students, not to train them to pass exams. Preparing for exams and the amassing of points are important to Chinese students. He seemed to agree with that concept – but who knows what he really said, or what he really understood me to say, since our conversation went through a translator, the head of foreign affairs who was in charge of all the foreigners on our campus?

I later learned that the Chinese often don’t say what they really mean or feel anyway. Nor do they always print what you tell them, as I discovered when I was interviewed more than once by local newspaper reporters. They love giving toasts and love listening to glowing speeches — mainly those given by themselves. I once was given an award by the city for contributing to the economic growth, and to receive this I had to give a speech on television. I never quite figured out what I had done to deserve this recognition, since no one came to my classroom to watch me teach. The city big-wigs seemed to like my speech, but who knows what I really said when the translator finished with her version?

» Read more: The Last Time I Saw Anshan – You’re Always A Foreigner In China