“What a wonderful world,” sang Louis Armstrong once upon a time. And we at Bored Panda couldn’t agree more. With 195 countries, there’s no shortage of places to explore. It’s truly amazing how one part of the world is totally different to another. That’s one of the wonders of traveling. You get to explore different languages, cultures, currencies and culinary delights. What you eat in Asia might not be the same as the meal you make in Antarctica. What you wear in Wales won’t necessarily be the same as your outfit in Western Sahara.

If you have a serious case of wanderlust but can’t hop on a plane just yet. Don’t stress. Bored Panda has compiled a list of the coolest charts that show incredible contrasts from places around the world. Keep scrolling to satisfy your worldly curiosities. And read about some of the history of world travel.

#1 Tally Marks From Around The World

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#2 Wall Sockets From Around The World

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#3 What Sound Do Frogs Make In Your Language?

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It’s easy to “travel” the world from the comfort of your home. There’s no shortage of vloggers showing us what each and every country has to offer. And you need just scroll through Instagram to live vicariously through them. There are people racking up impressive lists of places they’ve visited. And some even boast about having been to every, or almost every one.

Today, we can book a plane ticket using just our phones. We can find out about our destination long before we even arrive. We’re likely to know exactly where we are going. How long it’ll take to get there. What some things will cost. And what to pack. But it wasn’t always like that.

#4 Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters

Image credits: Louis Lugas Wicaksono

#5 Different Kinds Of Cheesecake. They Might Look Similar, But They Are Definitely Not The Same

Image credits: TasteAtlas

#6 Share Of World Forests By Country

Image credits: ecoclimax.com

Imagine a time when people thought the world was flat. They risked their lives to explore unknown territories and discover new places. They traveled by ship and on horseback, without the convenience of Google Maps, TripAdvisor, Uber, or even travel agents.

#7 Countries With The Most Expensive Healthcare

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#8 Which Countries Have Capybaras

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#9 Most Popular Sandwiches In The World

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The Age of Exploration began in the 15th century. Also sometimes called the Age Of Discovery. Europeans started venturing out of their comfort zone and into the vast wide world. Fuelled by a drive to find trade routes, spices, knowledge and wealth. While their “discovery” of the Americas and Africa brought back big benefits, it also opened up the door to colonization and slavery.

#10 Real Proportions Of All Land Masses Revealing Actual Areas Of Countries, Territories And Major Islands Without Any Distortions

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#11 The Average Cost Of Insulin By Country

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#12 Guide To Asian Architecture

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Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias led the first European expedition around the southernmost tip of Africa. And helped pave the way for a trade route between Europe and Asia. Dias left Europe with three ships in August 1487. He managed to pass the Cape of Good Hope the following year. And sailed out of the Atlantic Ocean, around Cape Agulhas, and into the Indian Ocean.

#13 Legal Drinking Age In Europe

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#14 Animal World Map

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#15 Breads Of The World

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Following hot on Dias’ heels was Christopher Columbus. He was an Italian explorer. He’s often credited with “discovering” the New World. But those already living there at the time might beg to differ. Columbus was on a mission to find a direct route from Europe to Asia. He made four transatlantic trips in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502.

#16 Where Penguins Are Found Naturally In The World

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#17 Passenger Railway Networks In 2020

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#18 Never Noticed Giraffes Had Different Patterns

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Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first to circumnavigate the globe. It took the crew three years to get back home. But it was so dangerous that only one ship returned. As History.com notes, “only 18 of the fleet’s original crew of 270 returned with the ship. Magellan himself was killed in battle on the voyage, but his ambitious expedition proved that the globe could be circled by sea and that the world was much larger than had previously been imagined.”

#19 North American Cryptids

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#20 What Pedestrians Look Like Across Europe

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#21 A Cool Guide Of Highest Temperatures Ever Recorded

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Nowadays, we don’t need to take three years to make our way around the planet. Charles Lindbergh opened up a whole new world of possibilities when he flew solo across the Atlantic. He left New York on May 20 1927. And arrived in Paris 33,5 hours later. He had traveled more than 3,600miles. By the 1950s, commercial flights were taking passengers around the world.

#22 The World’s Most Popular Religions

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#23 Places Where It’s Hardest To Afford A Home

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#24 Places Named Victoria

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These explorers were just some of the people who paved the way for us to know about and enjoy the differences between countries around the world. Today, we can book a round the world trip using just our mobile devices. It’s convenient, generally safe and a lot faster than it was back in the day. What countries have you already been to? What countries do you still want to go to? Let us know in the comments.