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China is known for counterfeiting and fakes. While it maybe illegal, at the same time one can't but marvel at the ingenuity of the fakes. Most of the time you can't tell the difference: an entire Disneyland re-created, Apple stores that stock original Apple products; KFC, McDonalds and many other brands have fallen prey to Chinese fakes. We present a few of the brands that have been slighted.

Apple


The iconic consumer electronics company was not flattered when it found out that its signature Apple store's design was copied and its logo emblazoned all over it.

Disney


China not only created an entire Disney theme park, but it also copied all of Disney's favorite characters like Micky Mouse and Donald Duck!

IKEA


China has an IKEA store that's bigger that many football fields, its also a nation that home to make stores that fake the IKEA look, feel and products.

KFC


China can't get enough of KFC, consuming vast quantities of fried chicken and burgers, not all of them sold is the real deal though!

McDonalds


Just like KFC and Pizza Hut, McDonalds faces stiff competition from Chinese companies, that copy very last detail of the fast food giant.

Nike


China makes the bulk of Nike's shoes and accessories, no wonder than it also is the largest market for fake Nike products.

Nokia


China is one of Nokia's biggest markets, but its also the place where you will encounter the most number of fake Nokia phones.

Pizza Hut


One of the biggest fast food markets in the world, China is also home to many companies which replicate the menu and branding of fast food giants like Pizza Hut.

Starbucks


The American coffee giant has to deal with many companies in China that have copied its look, feel, branding and variety of coffees served.

Walmart


There are many Walmart clones in China replicating the American company's big retail philosophy.

Source: Yahoo

This list looks at some of the most unusual and interesting roads and still exist today. Most are modern.

Steepest Street
New Zealand
Steepest street in the world


Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand boasts the steepest street. New Zealand has many cities built on or around mountainous and hilly areas, and Dunedin is no exception. This street (and many others in New Zealand) were designed by British town planners who had never been to the country. They simply overlaid a grid pattern on the map and had no idea that they had made impossible or ridiculous design choices. The slope on Baldwin street has a 35% grade. The road is so steep that at the top it is made of concrete because the usual road surfacing material used in New Zealand (asphalt) would slide down the street in hot weather.

Savoy Court
England
Only street in Britain where you must drive on the right


As most of our readers will know, the British drive on the left (unlike Europe and the United States). But there is one exception to this rule: Savoy Court is the only street in Britain where cars must legally drive on the right. Apparently this dates back to the old Hackney Cabs – by driving on the right, the driver was able to open the backdoor without leaving the cab, allowing the passengers to alight on the sidewalk. This is allowed by a special act of parliament.

The Magic Roundabout
England
World’s worst roundabout


Anyone who has been on the Internet for a while will recognize the Magic Roundabout – it has appeared in virtually every “funny picture” list you can find. The roundabout is a real roundabout in Swindon, England. It was built in 1972 and it includes 5 other smaller roundabouts. To make matters worse, you must travel anti-clockwise (the reverse of the normal situation on British roundabouts) when you enter the smaller central roundabout. The Swindon Junction has been voted the worst junction in Great Britain.

Lombard Street
United States
World’s crookedest street


Lombard Street in San Francisco is famous for its bizarre hair-pin turns. There are eight of the turns (called switchbacks) and the street is known as the “crookedest street in the world”. The turns were added because the street would have been too steep for most vehicles (though it would still be less steep than the street in item 1). The twisting section of Lombard Street is now one way – in order to make it safer and there is a parking ban in place.

9 de Julio Avenue
Argentina
World’s widest street


9 de Julio Avenue (meaning 9th of July Avenue – in honor of Argentina’s independence day) is the widest street in the world. It has six lanes in each direction and it spans an entire city block. There is a single building that sits on the Avenue (the former Ministry of Communications building) but there are many famous landmarks along the side – such as the old French Embassy, a statue of Don Quixote, and the famous obelisk (visible in the picture above) and Plaza de la República.

Road To Giza
Egypt
World’s oldest paved road


The Road to Giza is the world’s oldest known paved road. The road is over 4,600 years old and is six and a half feet wide. It covered a distance of seven and a half miles – connecting the quarries to the Southwest of Cairo, to the quay on Lake Moeris which connected to the Nile. The road was used to transport the enormous blocks of basalt to Giza where they were used for building (especially for paving).

Parliament Street
England
World’s narrowest street


Parliament Street is in Exeter, England. It is the narrowest street in the world, measuring less than 0.64m (25″) at its narrowest point. It was originally called Small Street (for reasons that are obvious) but was renamed when parliament passed an act of law that expanded the representation of the people in the house of commons. The street dates from the 1300s and it is 50 meters long.

Pan-American Highway
The Americas World’s longest road


The Pan-American Highway is the longest motoring road in the world. It has replaced Yonge Street (in Toronto Canada) as the longest road since changes were made to the configuration of Highway 11 and Yonge Street in the 1990s. The Pan-American highway links the mainland nations of the Americas and is an amazing 48,000 kilometers (29,800 miles) long. The highway passes through 15 nations, including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and El Salvador.

Ebenezer Place
Scotland
World’s Shortest street


Ebenezer Place is the shortest street in the world, measuring just 2.06 meters (6.8 ft). There is just one house on the street, number 1 Ebenezer Place which was built in 1883. The building is a hotel (Mackays) and the owner was instructed to paint a street name on its shortest side. It was officially declared a street in 1887.

Often a result of sculptors being too creative, these strange monuments still carry a message with them or are linked to particular events.

Around the world, monuments are built to pay tribute to an extraordinary life or to commemorate a special event. While many of these monuments are straightforward and easy to understand, some of them are rather strange.

Love Land
Jeju island, South Korea


Jeju Island is a popular honeymoon destination for the newlyweds in Korea and nearby countries. In the Island there’s a special theme park, the “Love Land”, which, coming from a county where public display of affection are frowned upon makes it even stranger for someone to come up with such concept. In this park everything is sex oriented, with emphasis on the statues scattered around it. From giant vaginas and penises, to every kind of sexual position and kinkiness only found in the naughtiest pages of the Kama sutra this is certainly a unique theme park. Just don’t go visit it with your parents.

The Child Eater of Bern
Bern, Switzerland


Bern Switzerland is the home of the Kindlifresser, although there is nothing kind about it. The Child Eater has stood ominously since 1546 and there is no record of why it was built. There are a few theories of what this monolith represents as it stuffs a half eaten baby into its mouth to the terror of the three crying babies slung over its shoulder, waiting to sate the monster’s appetite.

The first and most probable theory is that the older brother of Duke Berchtold went mad with jealousy over his little brother’s rule, which should have been his. He rounded up the children of Bern and ate them. (Not recorded in Bern history achieves) Another theory is that it was intended as a warning to the Jewish community.

The monster wears a hat that closely resembles the Judenhut the Jews were forced to wear upon their heads then to set them apart. Finally, the idol may be that of Kronos, the Greek God that ate his male offspring to prevent them from taking his Throne. Either way, this scary monument has been scaring the children and adults for almost 500 years.

Floralis Generica
Buenos Aires, Argentina


Designed, paid for, and given to the people of Buenos Aries by Argentine Architect Eduardo Catalano, this huge flower actually opens every morning to an incredibly enormous 105 feet (34 meters) wide. When it closes at sunset every evening, it is 175 feet (58 meters) tall.

It stands in a pool of water just a few feet away from the Natural Museum of Fine Arts and operates by four pistons that open and close the giant and beautiful flower every day. The motion of the flower mimics the actual motion of a real flower and is incredible to see. The statue weighs an amazing 18 tons. The petals are made of reflective aluminum and you can see the surrounding city in them.

The flower opens and closes every day except for May 25, September 21, December 24, and December 31, on which nights it stays open to grace the night with its beauty.

Carhenge
Alliance, Nebraska, USA


Everyone has heard of Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument of mystery in Wiltshire County, England. Well now, there is also a Carhenge. This monument, built in 1987 by experimental artist Jim Reinders and 30 family members in Alliance, Nebraska, is an exact replica except for the fact they he used old cars, a pickup truck, a 62′ caddy, and an ambulance. The structure is accurately proportionate to the real Stonehenge.

The American’s answer to the English Monument, he came up with the idea after his beloved Father’s death in 1962 and is a way to pay tribute to him. The township of Alliance was at first opposed to the idea but are now grateful as they enjoy the tourist dollars.

Saint on a Dead Horse
Prague, Czech Republic


I am relatively sure that when Saint Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen he did not see a dead horse. So why is the Bohemian Saint riding one at the Lucerna Palace in Prague? Your guess is as good as anyone’s is but sculptor David Cerny certainly captured the Czech Republic’s imagination. They loved it so much they made it a permanent fixture. The monument stands just a few yards from the original statue.

Hand of the Desert
Atacam Desert, Chile


In the Atacam Desert in Chile, just 75 km from the town of Antofagasta, the desert landscape stretches for miles in every direction seemingly unchanged except for a human hand that seems to rise out of the sand as you approach. The closer you get, the higher this giant hand seems to reach until you get close enough to realize that a giant human is not breaking through from the earth’s core. The statue aptly named Hand of the Deset, way out in the middle of nowhere is the work of Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrazabal. Infatuated with the form of the human hand as it breaks through the ground, he also has another statue rising from the water in Punta del Este at Brava Beach called Monument to the Drowned.

The Traffic Light Tree
London, UK


If you are not sure exactly when you need to go, do not depend on this traffic light to tell you. If you are passing through the Heron Quays Roundabout located in Canary Wharf, London, this monumental traffic light tree is sure to catch your attention. The lights flash in random sequence and if you are not prepared, you are heading for trouble.

Peter Vivantin erected this tribute to the never-ending rhythm of the domestic, financial, and commercial activities but most folks think it is just plain confusing. Still, it is something to see. Just don’t let it drive you crazy!

Totem
Leuven, Belgium



Have you ever seen a bug collection with flies and beetles skewered with pins? You have never seen one like this. It, the pin, rises 23 meters above the courtyard of the Historic University Library in Leuven in Belgium. The work of Belgium artist Jan Fabre, of Royal Palace ceiling fame, (also bugs) is supposed to represent the exact beauty and perfect working mechanism that a insect’s body and a timepiece have in common. It this case, a green beetle is skewered on the giant pin.

Victoria’s Way Park
Wicklow, Ireland


The Ferryman of Victoria’s Way has always been a fascinating subject. This character of Greek mythology ferries the souls from the living to Hades in a boat that crosses from life to death is as ominous as he is necessary. The park has many such weird and vivid sculptors from India that now populate Victoria’s Way Park in County Wicklow, Ireland. The half-sunken statue represents to many the disconnected human as he struggles to gain consciousness.

They say that the ferryman will never reach the other side while others believe that the statue is actually just rising from the murky depths on his way to ferry more souls. There is even a version that says you must have a coin to give the ferryman or you are destined to walk between worlds forever. Either way, the Ferryman is just one of the many strange statues that inhabit the Victoria’s Way Park, the starving Buddha is also a major head turner.

If you visited these places, you would definitely be convinced that they belong to another planet. But what we fail to notice is that there are numerous places on Earth that defy our notion of the typical Earthly landscape.

Lena’s Stone Pillars
Siberia


This completely alien-like place of beauty may as well be on another planet. There is only one way to get to it and that involves a first leg flight from Moscow that is so long you could actually fly the same distance in the opposite direction to reach New York. Then you have to take a boat. The entire trip takes three to four days to complete but if you are into seeing things that the majority of the world’s population will never lay eyes on outside of a photograph, then it is well worth it. With no competing airlines, you can imagine the price they charge to get you there.

From the air, Lena’s Stone Pillars, also called Lena’s stone forest, is so breathtaking as to leave you speechless. It literally looks like the rocks decided that they wanted to be trees and stood up next to the forest by the river. It is a truly amazing sight. The stone forest lines part of the bank of the River Lena, the largest river in Northern Siberia. It is considered to be a vital area for fossils and evidence of early man.

Wave Rock
Arizona, USA


The wave can only be described as a hallucination set in stone. If this is not the exact replica of some alien landscape, I will eat my hat. The lines and curves formed from 190 million of years of wind blown sand and rushing water over sandstone turned to rock will make you dizzy and you have to make a real effort not to fall flat on your face.

You actually have to play the lottery to get a ticket to see it and only twenty people are allowed to walk on its delicate surface per day. Even the photographs, which will never do the place justice, will make you dizzy if you stare at them. Being in the Wave Rocks of Arizona is like walking in a dizzy dream.

The funny part is that most Americans do not know about them or do not care. The majority of the visitors are European.

Fly Ranch Geyser
Nevada, USA


What do you get when accidentally dig a well on top of a geothermal water pocket? Fly Ranch Geyser looks like a colorful mini-mountain from a space movie because it sits in the middle of a Nevada Ranch. The ranch is dreary and colorless as you drive down route 447 until suddenly, one third of a mile off the road this weird, eerily formed rock juts from the landscape spewing water in tree directions for dozens of feet. The amazing colors from the water minerals are what get your attention because you have been driving in Nevada, which is not a very colorful trip.

The owner of the ranch is not interested in tourism and keeps a fence with a locked gate there to keep visitors from gathering. No Trespassing signs are posted but people are just as likely to jump the fence for a closer look, as not. The well was dug 1916 for irrigation purposes but sometime in the 60′s, the natural geothermal reservoir found a weak spot and 200 degree water carrying Sulphureus minerals began spewing forth, making the well a man made geyser. Now a little over five feet high and twelve feet across, it appear to be something from another planet.

The water created a marshy area with plant life and looks so out of place that you just cannot miss it from the road.

Socotra Island
Yemen


Socotra is located in Muhafazat Hadramawt, Yemen, which actually sounds alien-like, is a very weird and alien looking island. Part of an archipelago or chain of islands, this one makes every effort to impress. The trees on the island look like big ugly umbrella stands or as if gravity has forgotten how to work correctly. One of the reasons it looks so alien is that a full third of its plant life cannot be found anywhere else on the entire planet.

Socotra Island Yemen 1 10 Amazing Alien Like Places on Our World That Are From Another Planet

Two oddities make this island standout. First, it is considered the most isolated landform that is not of volcanic origin on earth. The second is that it is an island surrounded by water with a climate that is classified as a desert. It is part of a three island group but the two sister islands are uninhabitable by man. Seagulls thrive on the sisters. It is almost as if three pieces of an alien planet fell from space and landed there off the horn of Africa.

To make the point more poignant, the umbrella looking trees seep blood red sap and are called, you guessed it, the dragon’s blood tree.

The Devil Postpile
California, USA


Mammoth Mountain in Madera County California is the home of Devil Postpile National Monument. Like an alien landscape, this columnar basalt cliff appears out of place from the rest of what used to be part of the Yosemite National Park lands.

This strange formation was made by a lava flow that pooled to 400 feet and slowly seeped out. Then, amazingly, a glacier slowly moved through and polished the columns. The strange, alien-like structure was almost destroyed twice. Once during blasting for gold in the 1800s and then when a hydroelectric plant was scheduled to be built there. Walter L. Huber persuaded President Taft to declare the Devil’s Postpile a National Monument in 1911 and saved it for us.

If you cannot make the trip to California, several of the Devil’s Postpile stones grace the entrance of the US Geological Survey Headquarters in Reston, Virginia.

Pamukkale Water Terraces
Denizli, Turkey


Hierapolis, Turkey is a renewed ancient city that was built from the ground up to accommodate Romans seeking the healing waters of the Cotton Castle, the name given to this weird and wonderful rock formation and ancient ruins. Looking at it, you would think you were deep in the Antarctic. So blindingly white are the rocks.

The Romans used the city and spa as a healing place. The world almost lost this rare wonder to neglect but fortunately, the cascading pools of white were restored to health by the locals. The water cascades down and forms bright white formations and pools that are only found in a couple of places on our planet, one of which has been destroyed by earthquake. Hot springs rich in calcium form and continue to feed the oyster shaped pools. It truly looks like something from another planet.

Blood Falls
McMurdo, Antarctica


McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica is one of the most isolated and harshest places in the world. Nothing can survive in this place of subzero temperatures and icy winds, or so we thought. Then we noticed the blood red liquid draining from Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney. It is almost as if some giant wounded the glacier with a spear and it is bleeding from the wound. Upon closer examination, scientific explorers made one of the most startling discoveries of our time.

In a lifeless and alien-like place that is so harsh, nothing can survive we found primordial life. That “blood” that seeps from the wounded glacier is the stuff that life is made of. Somewhere else on our planet, millions of years ago, the very first life form crawled out of this same kind of primordial pool.

So how does the basic, building block foundation of life survive for so long in conditions so contrary to it? How could it survive in conditions so bad that we would never think to look for it? We still do not have a definite answer. What we do have is a new question. If a basic form of life can form and survive in this hostile place, could it also be present on another planet? I do not know, but i know an interesting and beautiful place when i see one.

What scientists found is startling in that there is a living microbial ecosystem in a place where there is no oxygen. These microbes have devised a way to survive through manipulation of iron and sulfur compounds. While this should be impossible, scientist are considering the possibility of the first known form of life that can “carbonize” iron. These tiny microbes are “Fixing” the carbon dioxide that iron produces. The term “Fixing” means that they can convert carbon dioxide to organic molecules to be consumed, making them the most efficient CO2 fixers on the planet. The possibilities that arise from studying this process are as far reaching as anything ever discovered before. This is especially true if we could find a way to duplicate it.

Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan
Bozdagh, Azerbaijan


From the air, the mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan look like a giant witch’s cauldron, bubbling away on some cursed alien landscape. These mini-volcanoes, some as high as 650 feet above the ground, turn the coast of the Caspian Sea into a very dangerous place. A full 300 of the earth’s 700 mud volcanoes can be found here, ejecting millions of cubic meters of hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere. They also throw mud hundreds of feet through the air. If the planet earth could fart, this is the place it would happen.

In 2001, witnesses saw flames eject more than 50 feet and the mud volcano was still belching fire three days later. Despite the danger, people of the region claim that the mud has healing properties prompting health seekers around the world to make the trek to this alien-like place to bath in the mud.

To make the off planet experience even more vivid, there is a natural rock formation right in the midst of these volcanic mud monsters that makes music. When you strike the rock, it makes sounds like a tambourine. Music and a mud bath… sounds like a spa! They should hire a masseuse and charge money!

Canõ Cristales
Colombia


Deep in the jungles of Colombia runs an ordinary river with no distinguishable characteristics to call its own. In fact, you could cross this river several hundred times a year and never know it from any of the other rivers in the vast jungles near Macarena. However, if you did not know better and were to stumble upon this river during the brief period between the rainy and dry seasons, you would literally stop, your mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Your first thought would be that you were dreaming and you would pinch yourself. Realizing consciousness, your next thought would be to your sanity. If you were old enough, you would briefly worry about all the drugs you experimented with in the 60′s. Then you would look about frantically for tall blue people riding monster bird-like creatures with the absolute certainty that you stumbled upon the real Avatar tribe.

The explosion of color from the flowering moss that covers the rocks in this one place on earth is so amazing that it has earned this river names like, The Rainbow River, The River that Ran Away from Paradise, The Most Beautiful River in the World, and The River of Five Colors, which is weird because the literally hundreds of shades of each of these five colors is astonishing.

This natural phenomenon of algae does not occur anywhere else in the world in this combination and the conditions are only right for that very brief period of time when the water level is just right and the moss gets the perfect amount of sunlight. This unique, alien like place is only obtainable via horse or donkey and has only recently become a tourist attraction.

This river, including waterfalls is truly a one of a kind experience that everyone should be lucky enough to see at least once in their lifetime.

Jellyfish Lake
Eil Malk Island, Republic of Palau


Diving into the waters in Jellyfish Lake is like drifting through space with strange alien beings. The Jellyfish explosion that this lake experiences is alien-like and dangerous, not because of the stingers that these killer fish have; they are too small to be felt by humans, it is dangerous because of a layer of poisonous hydrogen sulfide 15 feet below the surface.

Off the coast of Koror in Palau, Jellyfish Lake is one of 70 saltwater lakes that were once connected with the Pacific Ocean. The lake is 12,000 years old and contains a species of Jellyfish named the Golden Jellyfish. For reasons we may not fully understand, the jellyfish migrate across the lake once every single day. There is no scuba diving allowed but snorkelers report that the beauty of this migration is unbelievable.

There is a mystery, however, attached to the jellyfish as they died completely off in the lake in 1998 with a zero population. In 2000, the mysteriously reappeared and science has no explanation.

It doesn't matter if the following nations have a constitution or a king, they all have construction or manufacturing as a large part of their industry base. Of course, some nice, big oil deposits don't hurt either.

Qatar


Qatar has been ranked as the world's richest country per capita in a new list compiled by US-based Forbes magazine. Blessed with the third-largest natural gas reserves in the world, the Arab Gulf emirate of 1.7 million people is benefitting from a rebound in oil prices. Adjusted for purchasing power (PPP), Qatar has an estimated gross domestic product per capita of $88,222.

Luxembourg


In second place on the list is Luxembourg, with a per capita GDP on a purchasing-power parity (PPP) basis of $81,466.

Singapore


Technology, manufacturing and finance hub Singapore is ranked third on the list. The country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $56,694 (estimated from 2009).

Norway


To rank the world’s wealthiest countries, Forbes looked at GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power for 182 nations. At No.4, with a GDP (PPP) per capita of $51,959 (estimated from 2009) is Norway.

Brunei


Oil-rich Brunei (ranked at No.5) has a GDP (PPP) per capita of $48,333. Forbes used International Monetary Fund data from 2010, the most recent available, while GDP figures for some countries were projections.

UAE


UAE oil reserves are ranked as the world's sixth-largest[ and it possesses one of the most developed economies in West Asia. The country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $47,439 (estimated from 2009).

US


With a GDP (PPP) per capita of $46,860, US is ranked at No.7 on the Forbes list. According to Forbes, the PPP-adjusted GDP—preferred by economists when making international comparisons—takes into account the relative cost of living and inflation rates, rather than just exchange rates, which may distort real differences in worth.

Hong Kong


Hong Kong is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong has a GDP (PPP) per capita of $45,944.

Switzerland


Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product [GDP (PPP) per capita: $41,950]. It also has one of the world's largest account balances as a percentage of GDP.

Netherlands


The Netherlands was one of the world’s first countries to have an elected parliament. And the benefits of democracy seem to be reaching its citizens. Its GDP (PPP) per capita is $40,973.

Australia


A highly developed country, Australia is one of the world's largest economies. Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. [GDP (PPP) per capita: $39,764].

Austria


Also known for its high standard of living, Austria is ranked at No 12 with GDP (PPP) per capita of $39,761.

Ireland


Ireland: GDP (PPP) per capita: $39,492

Canada


Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade. The country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $39,171.

Kuwait


Kuwait (No.15) has the world's fifth largest oil reserves and its petroleum products now account for around 95% of export revenues, and approximately 80% of government income. Ranked at No.15, the country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $38,775 (estimated from 2009).