13 Countries You Didn't Know Peace Corps Volunteers Have Served

As of January 2015, Peace Corps Volunteers serve in more than 65 countries around the world. But did you know that Volunteers have also served in Hungary? What about the Republic of Korea or even the Marshall Islands? Here are 13 countries that you might not have known Peace Corps Volunteers have served.

Brazil

Peace Corps

Brazil has a $2.24 trillion GDP (per capita) and is ranked 79 (high) on the UN's Human Development Index. While Portuguese is the official state language, there are more than 150 other distinct languages spoken throughout the country.

Did you know: Brazil is not only the largest South American country, but it also shares a border with every South American country other than Ecuador and Chile.

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1981

Total number of Volunteers who served: 4,150

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment and Health

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Peace Corps

Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans. Although French is the country's official language, it is estimated that there are more than 60 other languages spoken throughout Côte d'Ivoire, which, by the way, is just a bit larger (in total land area) than New Mexico.

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1981; 1990-2003

Total number of Volunteers who served: 1,533

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture, Community Development, Education, Environment and Health

Hungary

Peace Corps

Hungary, or "Magyarország" in Hungarian, attracts more than 10 million tourists a year. Must be because it is home to the largest thermal water cave system and the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), as well as the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton) and the largest natural grasslands in Europe (the Hortobágy National Park).

Dates Volunteers served: 1990-1997

Total number of Volunteers who served: 354

Sectors Volunteers served in: Education and Environment

India

Peace Corps

India, being the largest democracy in the world -- a population of more than 1.2 billion -- has the largest voter turn-out in the world with the prime minister's election happening every five years.

Did you know: While India has no officially sanctioned national language, Hindi and English are the two recognized official languages.

Dates Volunteers served: 1961-1976

Total number of Volunteers: 4,325

Sectors Volunteers served in: Food production through dairy and fisheries extensions and family planning education

Malaysia

Peace Corps

Malaysia is ranked 62 (high) on the UN's Human Development Index. It is also a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as a founding member of the East Asia Summit.

Fun fact: The Malaysian Rafflesia arnoldii, part of the Rafflesia genus of the Carrion Flower, is the largest single bloom flower of the world. But beware, it smells like rotting meat.

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1983

Total number of Volunteers who served: 4,067

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education and Health.

Marshall Islands

Jamie Fouss/Peace Corps

The Marshall Islands is sometimes confused as a territory of the United States, but it is actually an associated state, with the United States providing defense, funding grants and access to U.S. social services for citizens.

Fun fact: The official currency of the Marshall Islands is the U.S. dollar.

Dates Volunteers served: 1966-1996

Number of Volunteers who served: 149

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education and Health

Oman

Peace Corps

Oman's northern peninsula is strategically situated along the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world's petroleum, and about 35% of the petroleum traded by sea, passes through the strait.

Did you know: Oman receives an average of 3.9 inches (100 mm) of rain each year.

Dates Volunteers served: 1973-1983

Number of Volunteers who served: 160

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture, Education and Health

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Peace Corps

In 2013, Peace Corps announced a new collaboration with Republic of Korea on Volunteer service and global development. The Korea International Cooperation Agency's "World Friends Korea" is similar to the Peace Corps in that volunteers become “a friend for those in need around the world.”

Trivia facts: South Korea is ranked 15 (very high) on the UN's Human Development Index, has a GDP per capita (PPP) of $1.79 trillion and, in terms of average wage, has Asia's highest income and the world's tenth highest income. South Korea is also home to companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia.

Dates Volunteers served: 1966-1981

Number of Volunteers who served: 2,068

Sectors Volunteers served in: Community Economic Development, Education and Health

Slovakia (Slovak Republic)

Peace Corps

History lesson: Until 1992, Slovakia (Slovak Republic, as it was known in 1990 when Volunteers arrived) was part of the larger Czechoslovak Republic (colloquially known as Czechoslovakia) until the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic agreed to separate. In 1993, the two states, the Czech Republic and the now newly renamed Slovakia, became fully independent.

Did you know: Slovakia is now ranked 37 (high) on the UN's Human Development Index.

Dates Volunteers served: 1990-2002

Number of Volunteers who served: 329

Sectors Volunteers served in: Community Economic Development, Education and Environment

Somalia

Peace Corps

Despite being in the desert, Somalia is in close proximity to the equator. This combination means that it is hot and humid but with sporadic rainfall. The average yearly humidity in Florida ranges from the high-80% to low-90%; in Somalia, the average yearly humidity ranges from high-70% to mid-80%.

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1970

Number of Volunteers who served: 357

Sectors Volunteers served in: Education and Health

Sri Lanka

Peace Corps

Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in South Asia, dating back to the Donoughmore Constitution, drafted in 1931. It is also the only South Asian country ranked high (73) on the UN's Human Development Index.

Fun fact: Sri Lanka is a founding member of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1964; 1967-1970; 1983-1998

Number of Volunteers who served: 372

Sectors Volunteers served in: Economic Development, Education and Environment

Turkey

Peace Corps

Turkey was one of the founding members of: *drum roll*

-United Nations (1945)

-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (1961)

-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (1969)

-Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (1973)

-Economic Cooperation Organization (1985)

-Black Sea Economic Cooperation (1992)

-Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (1997)

-The G-20 major economies.

Did you know: Constantinople, the capital of the vast Ottoman Empire, is today's modern-day Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey.

Dates Volunteers served: 1962-1971

Number of Volunteers who served: 1,460

Sectors Volunteers served in: Agriculture and Education

Zimbabwe

Peace Corps

Zimbabwe, which shares a border with Zambia, also shares the recognition of being home to Victoria Falls, the largest -- based on a width of 5,604 feet and height of 354 feet -- waterfall in the world.

Fun fact: Zimbabwe has 16 official languages.

Dates Volunteers served: 1991-2001

Number of Volunteers who served: 366

Sectors Volunteers served in: Education and Environment