3. When you go to a country where they still use coins and you're just confused

How many coins will somebody count now

2. When your friends tell you they'll be around in three-quarter of an hour

Is that 50 minutes or 12 minutes. I'm so much confused

1. When you ask for directions and someone starts telling you in Kilometers

Is this one feeling fine?


https://kraks.co/list/12364

"Wait for your bride on Sunday"
So, s/he it is getting married to a man.

Goodluck.

internationalman:

That's why USA comes to mind

The study is based on 5 criteria:

Electoral process and pluralism – whether elections are free and fair
Functioning of government – the existence of check and balance
Political participation – whether citizens are included in politics
Political culture – whether citizens support their government
Civil liberties – whether people enjoy freedom of expression

Superpower United States was already downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in 2016. For the second consecutive year, the 2017 Democracy Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) shows that not only the U.S. has retained its position as a flawed democracy; the country is in danger of sliding further.

According to EIU, “flawed democracies” have free and fair elections (with possibly some issues such as infringements on media freedom) and respect basic civil liberties. However, there are governance problems and low levels of political participation. Prior to the plunge in the 2016 and 2017 index, the U.S. scored 8.05 in the 2015 Democracy Index.

These democratic countries are the nations that value free speech, that have a vibrant press, don’t allow mean-spirited defamation lawsuits, and give all people access to as much education and voting opportunity as they’ll ever need

Is there any hope for Nigeria to be among the most democratic countries in the world soon?

1. Norway (Score: 9.87 / 10)



Is Norway the perfect country? It’s beautiful, wealthy, happy, and full of people so attractive that mingling with them is like getting an instant insight into the life of Joseph Merrick. Only Norwegians are also too nice to point out what a sallow, portly America/Brit/German/Australian you clearly are. See what we mean? Awesome place. Throw in one of the world’s best democracies and it’s easy to wonder why we aren’t all moving to Norway (answer: because it has one of the tightest immigration systems on the planet).

Norway’s commitment to democracy comes in many forms, but it’s plain to see in all walks of life. For example, voter registration is automatic in Norway, which is useful as difficult registration requirements are exactly why you’ll always hear people accusing certain US states of disenfranchisement. There’s also an incredibly high rate of political participation, meaning people would rather go out and vote than spend the afternoon splayed out on the sofa, their cheese-stained frame bloated by a diet of junk food and voter apathy.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 9.64
Political participation: 10.00
Political culture: 10.00
Civil liberties: 9.71

2. Iceland (Score: 9.58 / 10)



On paper, Iceland shouldn’t work as a country. It’s a sparsely inhabited lump of frozen rock about the size of England that seemingly only exists to periodically ignite in gigantic volcanic eruptions. It spent most of its life as a small fishing outpost, before becoming a casino banking mecca and then imploding in the 2008 crash. There are so few people that the entire population is smaller than the city of Anaheim, California. And yet, Iceland not only works, it works so well that only one other nation on Earth is more democratic than it.

Like many Nordic nations, Iceland has a long-standing commitment to equality and treating other human beings as human beings, rather than annoying lumps of flesh who consistently vote the wrong way. Women are represented well in politics, most of the citizenry are switched on and engaged with their democracy, and freedoms are guaranteed by law. In fact, the only place where Iceland really falls down is in its post-2008 habit of getting through governments faster than most of us change our pants (everyone only changes their pants twice a year, right?). Both the Panama Papers scandal and a secret deal to pardon a pedophile have caused Prime Ministers to fall or governments collapse in the last 22 months.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 9.29
Political participation: 8.89
Political culture: 10.00
Civil liberties: 9.71

3. Sweden (Score: 9.39 / 10)



OK, from here on out it’s all Scandinavia. Big surprise. And our final Nordic dominance of this list begins with Sweden, a country that gave us Volvo, Ikea, and ultra-violent thrillers starring feminist heroes. Yep, Europe’s conscience is exactly as committed to upholding democratic principles as you’d expect (i.e. very). Incredibly, this actually represents a slide from its previous position. Back in 2006, Sweden was #1 in the entire world. Gee guys, what happened? You start excluding women from the Ikea canteens or something?

Interestingly, despite its democratic credentials, Sweden is home to one of the most openly corrupt instances of botched investigation in history. Prime Minister Olof Palme was gunned down exiting a theater one freezing night in 1986, and the culprit was never found. An enduring conspiracy theory has it that the police – who were slow to respond and bungled the investigation – were involved. Hmm. That’d knock Sweden down a few pegs on these rankings, if it was ever proven.

Electoral process and pluralism: 9.58
Functioning of government: 9.64
Political participation: 8.33
Political culture: 10.00
Civil liberties: 9.41

4. New Zealand (Score: 9.26 / 10)



New Zealand is what would happen if you took Canada, squashed it down to a fraction of its size, dragged it halfway across the world, and dumped it next to Australia. Oh, and took away hockey and replaced it with rugby. And swapped maple syrup for a monstrosity known as Vegemite. OK, the simile sucks on several levels, but hey! At least it works where democracy is concerned. New Zealand is so committed to freedom, it makes even Denmark look like a prison.

Indeed, New Zealand actually tops most rankings of freest countries in the world, with its long history of tolerance for gay people, giving women the vote before literally anyone else, and not oppressing their native population even while everyone else was indulging in some baby snatching and forced removal. On more practical matters of democracy, Middle Earth’s real-life twin scores highly, too. Government generally functions, minorities are represented, the leader is female (Jacinda Ardern), and the scenery is beautiful. Yeah, we know that last one has absolutely nothing to do with democracy, but give us a break, huh? We’re too busy drowning in jealousy and Vegemite to worry about little mistakes like that.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 9.29
Political participation: 8.89
Political culture: 8.13
Civil liberties: 10.00

5. Denmark (Score: 9.22 / 10)



Whenever there’s a list written for the internet about good countries doing good things, you can be sure that Denmark will feature on there prominently. The home of Hans Christian Andersen, Copenhagen, and Carlsberg is one of the world’s happiest countries, one of its most-livable, one of the nations with the best welfare states, and a world leader in green energy. Oh, and it just happens to have a thriving democracy. But then you probably already expected that, didn’t you?

Freedom of the individual is a core component of Danish law and society, and everything in the country reflects this. In some ways, Danes interpret this in a slightly different way from Americans or Brits, with an ultra-generous welfare state. Yet, on an individual level, the core concepts are identical. The country also scores ridiculously highly on gender balance in the workplace and in political life, and features so much transparency in government that visitors to Copenhagen risk walking smack into the parliament building, like birds hitting a window. Only less painful, because it’s clearly a metaphor.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 9.29
Political participation: 8.33
Political culture: 9.38
Civil liberties: 9.12

6. Ireland (Score: 9.15 / 10)



Across the choppy Atlantic seas, the Emerald Isle is a place with a history as famous and as storied as any number of significantly larger countries. But is it really known as a beacon of democracy? Well, it certainly should be. Freedom of speech is enshrined in the Irish constitution, with only a small number of limitations where it might incite violence, or can be linked to stuff like the exploitation of children. That’s not quite as airtight as the guarantees in the American constitution, but it’s still fairly robust. Polls tend to show that the Irish reject even the slightest reduction in this freedom, no matter the cause.


It wasn’t always this way. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, there were restrictions on what you could say on the radio or TV, if it related to the conflict or was deemed to promote terrorism. Thankfully, these controls were relaxed as the conflict wound down, rather than staying in place eternally.

Electoral process and pluralism: 9.58
Functioning of government: 7.86
Political participation: 8.33
Political culture: 10.00
Civil liberties: 10.00

7. Canada (Score: 9.15 / 10)



You all knew Canada would be rearing its cold, ice-encrusted head on here somewhere, didn’t you? An attempt to imagine what America might be like if it was entirely filled with characters from Fargo, Canada has always had a reputation as a nice place where nothing much happens except snow and hockey. But behind the scenes, Canada is far from the friendly, boring place it’s always depicted as. As this ranking shows, there’s a well-oiled machine at the heart of government, ensuring freedoms are protected at all costs.

The Economist report highlights how Canada commits to freedom of expression, religion, and tolerance. The country led the charge on gay rights in North America, for example, and the rights of the French-speaking minority in Quebec are fiercely protected in law (despite the province’s repeated attempts to split off over the decades, but that’s an aside for another time). There are also solid rules governing the rights of minorities, which is good, as Canada kinda spent a lot of the first half of the 20th Century acting like those guys didn’t exist, and stealing their babies. Wow. That’s, uh, darker than we expected.

Electoral process and pluralism: 9.58
Functioning of government: 9.64
Political participation: 7.78
Political culture: 8.75
Civil liberties: 10.00

8. Australia (Score: 9.09 / 10)



For most of us living several thousand kilometers away, Australia isn’t somewhere we associate with world beating democracy. We’re far too busy associating it with drop bears and killer jellyfish and spiders so big they could cover your entire face. But for those who live there (and have managed to find a way to block the aforementioned face-sized spiders from their minds), the truth is as plain as day. The continent Down Under is one of the most democratic places to live in the world.

Australia has a founding myth as a free and open society, where everyone can have a “fair go,” and it certainly shows. The EIU gives the antipodean nation a perfect 10.0 on civil liberties, even after a decade in which anti-terrorism laws had some locals worried about surveillance. While Australia’s ranking could yet slip in the future, for now Canberra is laughing all the way to the major functioning democracy bank. Not that Australia is perfect. The country gets through so many Prime Ministers that it’s amazing the government continues to function at all. But what do Aussies care? They’re too busy enjoying the sea and sun in a desperate attempt to forget the lurking face spiders to worry about little details like that.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 8.93
Political participation: 7.78
Political culture: 8.75
Civil liberties: 10.00

9. Finland (Score: 9.03 / 10)



Given its proximity to and history with Russia, you might expect Finland to suffer similar sorts of democratic failings as other Russian neighbors (the three Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia – don’t make the top 20; Ukraine and Belarus probably don’t make the top 100). Well, you’d be wrong, and probably not for the first time either. Despite being part of the Russian Empire up to the end of WWI, Finland has far more in common with its Nordic neighbors. Specifically, Finland conducts democracy like a freedom-lovin’ boss.

There are so many ways Finland leads the pack that it’s impossible to separate them all. First off, the country has historic, world-beating levels of female participation in politics, with some 60% of ministers being women. Then there’s Helsinki’s commitment to getting ordinary people involved in the daily business of government, like those times they held actual cabinet meetings in front of an audience of 600 people – and did it outside the capital, where real Finns could witness it. Freedom of the press is also so enshrined in law that the nation is ranked higher than the US for freedom of speech. Not bad for a cold country of under 5.5 million people.

Electoral process and pluralism: 10.00
Functioning of government: 8.93
Political participation: 7.78
Political culture: 8.75
Civil liberties: 9.71

10. Switzerland (Score: 9.03 / 10)



Landlocked Switzerland is an ongoing, highly interesting experiment in what happens when you take the concept of democracy and pump it so full of steroids it becomes a gigantic, unstoppable beast. This is a nation that doesn’t just conduct regular referendums, it conducts endless polls on nearly every aspect of life within its 26 cantons. Anyone can call a referendum on anything, you just need to be a Swiss citizen, and collect 100,000 signatures in 18 months. Then the whole country votes and lives by the results, even in cases that are patently ridiculous.

Amazing as this sounds – almost gets rid of the need for political parties, doesn’t it? – the system has its drawbacks. Because voters needed to approve giving women the franchise, for example, Swiss women were held back from voting until 1971. In one canton, the motion didn’t pass referendum until 1991. Other absurd votes have included giving all Swiss free money (rejected) and giving all Swiss six weeks paid holiday a year (also rejected). Man, who are the people saying no to free money and extra holidays?


Electoral process and pluralism: 9.58
Functioning of government: 9.29
Political participation: 7.78
Political culture: 9.38
Civil liberties: 9.12

Did you know there are only 19 true democracies on the planet? According to the Economist’s Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) yearly ranking, fewer than 10 percent of all the countries in the world are “full democracies.” That means you’re statistically likely to be reading this from a place which didn’t make the hallowed top 20.

These democratic countries are the nations that value free speech, that have a vibrant press, don’t allow mean-spirited defamation lawsuits, and give all people access to as much education and voting opportunity as they’ll ever need.

The study is based on 5 criteria:

Electoral process and pluralism – whether elections are free and fair
Functioning of government – the existence of check and balance
Political participation – whether citizens are included in politics
Political culture – whether citizens support their government
Civil liberties – whether people enjoy freedom of expression

http://www.toptenz.net/democratic-countries-world.php
http://www.financetwitter.com/2018/02/here-are-the-worlds-top-twenty-best-democracy-countries-but-united-states-is-not-one-of-them.html

CAPSLOCKED:
NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THESE GUYS.. I'M SURE THEY'LL BE MORE THAN 10 IF WE RESEARCH MORE.
WE LEARN EVERYDAY.

Yea, sure.

@Explorers, this Naija legend needs special recognition too

This guy is really funny. An arrested vandal who was nabbed by police operatives today in Lagos showed his "real" face when he was asked to pose for the camera while being paraded in front of journalists. According to reports, the hoodlum was high on weed when he was arrested while on operation with his tools ...

Legend!

Oritzy:
ahh Baba oo mo loyal sir sorry for that. So interested in this

Lol

Oritzy:
.

Wehdone sir

Sovereign Military Order of Malta



And so we come to the Knights of Malta. The Knights are unlike any other hidden nation, for a number of reasons. The first is that they’re actually not that unrecognized. About 100 countries have diplomatic relations with them, only a fraction less than recognize Kosovo (and about 80 more than currently recognize Taiwan). The second is that they don’t have any territory to call their own. After being kicked out of Malta by Napoleon in 1798, the Knights have simply rented an apartment block and a Villa in Rome.

Despite lacking a homeland, the Knights have never lost their official recognition as an independent country. They have their own passports, operate under their own laws, and claim over 13,500 citizens.

The only person they’re really answerable to is the Pope, who recently flexed his muscles for the first time in decades by demanding the resignation of the Knights’ leader over condom distribution charity work (it’s a long story). The reason for this deference is that the Knights are a Catholic order who, back when they genuinely held territory, swore eternal obedience to God’s representative on Earth. Today, the ‘country’ functions as little more than a vessel for Catholic charity work, albeit one with as much recognition as any number of genuine states.

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic



In April 2016, fighting flared up again on the edges of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Azerbaijan. Artillery fire, helicopter gunships and snipers killed around 50 people in four days, as a long-dormant war threatened to reignite. Although Moscow managed to secure a ceasefire, the sudden escalation showed a gloomy truth about this unrecognized micronation. If things stay as they are, the region will never, ever be at peace.

Nagorno-Karabakh was an Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed. Nagorno-Karabakh had long ago voted to secede, so the region’s leaders took their chance. Azerbaijan disagreed and sent in the tanks. The shocking violence that followed saw 30,000 killed, a campaign of ethnic cleaning, and hundreds of thousands turned into refugees. By the time the dust settled, Baku was no longer in control of the region, and a new republic of barely over 4,000 square kilometers had been born.

Today, Nagorno-Karabakh is home to around 150,000, all crammed into a tiny area of inhospitable mountain not much bigger than Cornwall. Not a single other nation recognizes the republic, not even Armenia.

Freetown Christiania



Freetown Christiania is unique on our list. Not only is it a self-proclaimed nation, it is the only one half-recognized by the state it seceded from. A sprawling anarchist commune set up in some abandoned army barracks in Copenhagen, Christiania declared independence in 1971. For a while, Denmark gamely tried to evict the squatters. Then, at some point in the late ’70s, the government essentially said ‘ah, nuts to this,’ and declared the area a ‘social experiment’ beyond government control. The rest, as they say, is dope-addled history.

Christiania today is very different from the rest of Denmark. There are no cars allowed, no guns, and no private property. Buying and selling hash is completely legal (it’s illegal in Denmark), and the main street is today home to the biggest pot market on the planet. About the only concession to normal life is a ‘no hard drugs’ rule, brought in after a heroin epidemic nearly devastated the commune.

So why does the Danish government put up with all this? Part of it may be to do with tourist dollars. Despite wanting to cut ties with Denmark, Christiania is today Copenhagen’s 2nd biggest tourist attraction, bringing the city over a million visitors annually.

Puntland



Remember Somaliland way? The unrecognized nation wasn’t the only one to break away from Somalia when everything went south. The small, ocean-facing region of Puntland declared independence, too (‘small’ here is relative. At 212,500 square kilometers, Puntland is nearly the size of the UK). Only, while Somaliland hummed towards something like stability, Puntland took a completely different direction. One involving land wars, terrorism, and an economy mostly based on piracy.

While Puntland resisted the total descent into chaos Somalia experienced, its venture into nationhood wasn’t exactly a success. A disinterested central government allowed warlords to flourish on the coast, on the basis that they were better off attacking foreign ships than Puntland officials. ISIS have since taken root in the autonomous state, meaning it’s about as safe to visit as sticking your private parts into a whirring fan.

Interestingly, Puntland has only declared independence so long as the Somali civil war continues. If peace is finally declared, the autonomous region wants to join back together with the larger Somali state.

Seborga



Italy is already home to two internationally-recognized micronations: the 61 square kilometer city state of San Marino, and Vatican City, a nation so small it could fit inside the Pentagon five times over. According to some legal experts, there might be another. Seborga is a tiny hilltop town that covers an area the size of Central Park in NYC. It has only 400 residents, yet maintains consuls in several nations. Oh, and it may just be one of the oldest nation states in Europe.

Seborga was founded in 954 AD as a principality in the colossal Holy Roman Empire. When the Empire collapsed in 1806, nearly all of the 300 or so states that comprised it were dismantled or absorbed into bigger neighbors. Same deal with Seborga, which became part of Sardinia, and later a unified Italy. Or did it? When the Italian Unification treaty was signed in the 19th century, Seborga’s name was accidentally left off the document. Legally, it may therefore still be an independent state (albeit accidentally).

No one has ever actually brought this claim to court, so the matter is unsettled. Nonetheless, Seborga’s residents continue to claim independence from Italy.

Abkhazia



You’re gonna be hearing a lot about war in this article. This section on Abkhazia is no exception. A medieval kingdom that was united with Georgia in 1008 AD, Abkhazia elected to return to its 11th century boundaries after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with the government of Georgia, who sent tanks in to keep their new nation together. What followed was a campaign of ethnic cleansing that killed thousands and left Abkhazia beyond Tibilsi’s control.

Independence wasn’t formally declared until 1999, but Abkhazia has essentially been separate since 1993. It has its own military, government, national bank, passports, boundaries, and the recognition of four UN member states. However, that independence has come at a price: total reliance on Russia. Since ’99, Abkhazia has been pulled ever-closer into Moscow’s orbit, essentially becoming a Russian exclave. Citizens can acquire Russian passports, crossing the border is a piece of cake, and jobs are reliant on Russian industry.

Interestingly, Abkhazia isn’t the only hidden country within Georgia’s tiny 70,000 square kilometers (slightly smaller than Scotland). The Rhode Island-sized enclave of South Ossetia in the north also claims independence.