Weird facts on the world's most mysterious countries - Whether it is their remoteness, restrictiveness, or just the plain old fact that no one's heard of it before, these peculiar countries remain pretty obscure for various reasons. 

Whats more, each has at least one odd factor attributed to them that makes them seem totally weird to the rest of the world.

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - If this place seems familiar to you, it might be because you've seen it in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films. This Caribbean nation was the chosen shooting location for the popular film franchise.

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North Korea - This country is one of the most mysterious because it is highly restricted and so closed off from the rest of the world. For this reason, very few countries have embassies or consular services there. But did you know Sweden does?

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Isle of Man - The Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy and even the Northern Lights (if you're lucky) can easily be seen from this hidden gem that is this British Crown dependency.

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Lesotho - The weather varies throughout the whole of Africa. For instance, Lesotho is one of the few countries that experiences snow in the continent.

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Eritrea - This northeast African country has no official language.

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Ladonia - Did you know that you can easily apply for citizenship of this arcane little country? Help this little micro nation to grow—the application can be found on Ladonia's website.

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Suriname - Not a lot of people have heard of this South American country. People there don't speak Spanish or Portuguese. In fact, they speak Dutch.

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São Tomé and Príncipe - In all of Africa, this country is one of the most democratic and stable. 

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Moldova - Did you know this European country was president-less for three years?!

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Nauru - The Central Pacific country is the only nation in the world without a capital. Also, it is shaped like a potato!

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Malta - Malta is located between Sicily and the North African coast. This country is home to the oldest standing stone structures on the planet, dating back to 4000-2500 BC.

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Djibouti - If you visit this African country, bring plenty of water bottles with you. Fresh water is so scarce there that bottled water is accepted as a payment method.

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Brunei - Nobody pays taxes in Brunei. The country in southeast Asia, ruled by a sultan, earns their money by selling oil.

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Serbia - These curious rock formations might be the most peculiar thing found in this Balkan country. They are known as Đavolja Varoš, meaning "Devil's Town."

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Federated States of Micronesia - There is an island in this country called Yap, whose currency consists of the giant stone wheels pictured here, known as Rai stones.

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Cook Islands - This nation in the south Pacific was named after British explorer Captain James Cook, who landed on the island in the early 18th century.

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Mauritania - Did you know slavery was banned in this country in just 2007? And even despite the law, it was estimated by the Global Slavery Index in 2016 that 43 thousand people were still enslaved in this Northwestern African country.

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Bhutan - If you ever visit this south Asian country, keep your eyes open and look very carefully at the exterior decor of structures around you, and you will notice that houses are covered in phallic symbols. The drawings supposedly bring good fortune and ward off bad spirits, according to Thrillist.

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Swaziland - This tiny country in southern Africa has a law which forbids witches from flying any higher than 150 m on their broomsticks. For real.

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Niue - Forget presidents, queens, or other important political figures. In this island country in the south Pacific Ocean, their coins feature the famous faces of Disney, Pokémon, and 'Star Wars' characters. Crazy!

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Republic of Artsakh - A country that is hardly recognized by any other country in the world.

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Armenia - Chess is a huge deal in this country. In fact, it is mandatory teaching for children in primary and secondary school.

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Kyrgyzstan - Horseback riding is big deal in this landlocked Asian country. They play this weird game called Kyz kuu, also known as the "kissing game," which is similar to horse racing. However, if the male participant catches up to his opponent (a female) and steals a kiss, he wins!

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Kiribati - This is a country made up of many tiny islands so spread out, it would take a six hour plane ride to go from the first to the last. But the country's mainland is sinking so residents are fleeing to New Zealand, according to ABC.

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Benin -

While you might not be too familiar with this African nation, you have definitely heard of one odd religion that came from here: Voodoo.

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Futuna - If you want to feel like you have stepped back in time, Futuna is the place to visit as it has been virtually untouched by the modern world. It is also paired with another little-known French island collectivity, Wallis.

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Tuvalu - This mysterious little country was able to survive and keep afloat thanks to its internet domain. A company paid US$50 million to this country in the south Pacific for the rights to sell ".tv" to other companies.

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Lithuania - Perhaps the weirdest thing about this little-known European country is its creepy Hill of Crosses. Over 100,000 crosses have been planted by visitors to the area, making for one very eerie pilgrimage site.

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Falkland Islands -

There are more sheep than people in this British territory. It has a population of a little more than 3,000 people and approximately half a million sheep, according to Steemit.

See also: Kicking off in Qatar 

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