[bbc.com]

Most people have perhaps not even heard about one ot the weirdest countries on the face of our planet. I guess all countries have some remarkable oddities: The Vatican has statistically 2 popes per km2 or 3 per square mile and despite its claim to be a major peace broker the country is the most armed country (on a per capita basis) on earth: roughly a quarter of the population is in the armed forces. Andorra has 2 princes, both usually absent, at its head: one being a bishop and the other being the French president. San Marino is governed by two captains. Liechtenstein is the private property of the family that gave the country its name.
But in my opinion Mount Athos deserves the first prize of quirkiness. Strictly speaking it is a country within a country within the European Union. This country does not allow female visitors, a bit like Australian pubs until the 70s. However, the monkish zeal to shield the brave monks from noxious female influences does not stop there. The top monks do not even tolerate female animals, thus no cheese is made locally.
Yet even with the massive support of their god, a bloke with a long white beard floating on a cloud with a silver lining, the female rodents refused to concede defeat and kept reproducing... So the monks allowed female cats to remain. Moral: even the most austere monks need a bit of pussy.