Editorial policy
How entries are researched, written, checked and corrected.
Our standard
Every entry on this site is written by a person for people. We do not publish bulk-generated text, we do not spin articles from other websites, and we do not pad entries to hit a word count. An entry is as long as it needs to be, which is usually two sentences.
The three content types
Fun facts
Fun facts are statements of verifiable information. Each one is checked against at least one authoritative public source before publication. Preferred sources are, in rough order: official government and statistical agencies, UNESCO and comparable international bodies, national park and heritage authorities, peer-reviewed research and university publications, major museums, and established reference encyclopaedias.
Where a figure is genuinely disputed, changes over time, or depends on how something is measured, we flag that in the entry rather than picking the most impressive number. Mountain heights, lake areas, island counts and population figures are all examples where sources legitimately disagree.
Quotes
Quotes are reproduced as short excerpts with attribution to the person credited. Where a quote is widely circulated but the attribution is uncertain, we write "Attributed to" rather than asserting authorship. Proverbs and traditional sayings are labelled by culture or language of origin rather than given a false individual author.
Travel stories
Stories are short narrative pieces written to capture the texture of travel: the missed connection, the unexpected kindness, the local rule you only learn by breaking it. They are reading material rather than verified reportage, and they are not presented as news, reviews or factual claims about named businesses.
What we will not publish
- Content copied or lightly reworded from another website.
- Bulk automated text published without human review.
- Sponsored material disguised as editorial.
- Facts we cannot trace to a credible source.
- Content that mocks, stereotypes or demeans the people who live in the places we write about.
Advertising and independence
The site is funded by advertising served through Google AdSense. Advertisers have no influence over editorial content, no advance sight of it and no right of veto. Ad units are visually distinct from entries and are never disguised as content. We do not place affiliate links inside entries.
Corrections
We would rather be corrected than be wrong. If you spot an error, send the entry number and, if you can, a source through the contact page. Confirmed factual errors are corrected promptly. Substantive changes to the meaning of an entry are noted rather than made silently.
Reviews and updates
The library is reviewed on a rolling basis. Entries that describe changing situations - retreating glaciers, shifting borders, shrinking lakes, revised measurements - are the first to be revisited.
Use of AI tools
We may use software tools to help with spelling, grammar and formatting, in the same way any writer uses a spellchecker. Editorial decisions, research, verification and the final text are the responsibility of a human editor, and no entry is published without human review.