No matter how long ago or how recently you graduated from college, there are probably many facts about our magnificent planet you don’t know. These alternate geographic facts show that the third rock from the sun is significantly more complicated than you would imagine.
The United States Westernmost and Easternmost states are Alaska
Alaska is really the easternmost state in the union, despite the fact that you would believe otherwise when glancing at a map.
Because it extends so far from the west that it enters the eastern hemisphere, the easternmost point in North America is Semisopochnoi Island, a portion of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
Everest is shorter than Mauna Kea
Even though Mount Everest may be the highest mountain above sea level, Mauna Kea is the highest peak on the planet. Mauna Kea barely rises 13,796 feet over the ocean.
It is more than 3,000 feet taller than Everest when you reach the mountain’s base at the bottom of the Pacific, which is 32,808 feet high.
Not as Near to the Moon as Mount Chimborazo, Mt. Everest
Even though Mt. Everest has the greatest height above sea level, it is not the world’s tallest peak or the mountain closest to space. The honor instead belongs to Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.
Actually, Earth is oval in shape with an inflated center rather than round. Although being just 20,564 feet tall, Ecuador’s Mount. Chimborazo is situated closer to the stars than Mt. Everest, which is 29,035 feet tall due to its equator location.
Five centimeters are added to Iceland each year
With North America’s and Europe’s tectonic plates moving further apart, Iceland is expanding by over 5 cm per year.
The Pacific Ocean is getting smaller
The Pacific Ocean is contracting as North and South America migrate west. Asia and North America are getting smaller by two to three millimeters per year, bringing them closer together.
In some parts of Russia, a good morning is a good night
Among the 24 time zones in the globe, only 11 are in Russia. As a result, a Russian may be eating supper when another is getting up at 7 a.m. on the opposite side of the nation.
Due to its overseas regions, France has 12 more time zones than Russia or any other country globally.
Reno, Nevada, is east of Los Angeles
The City of Angels is 86 miles east of Reno on the map, despite California being west of Nevada. When you consider that Nevada is just about 300 miles from the Pacific Ocean, this is quite perplexing.
Mexico City is in freefall
Mexico City, which was first constructed on a lake in 1325 A.D., is presently sinking by around 3.2 feet annually. In order to build an artificial island, the Aztecs filled in Lake de Texcoco; in 1521, the Europeans built another site above the ruins.
It has decreased by a total of 32 feet over the past 60 years since most residents depend on water drawn from the city’s underground aquifer!
San Francisco and Los Angeles will be adjacent cities
Almost 2 inches of land are “consumed” by the San Andreas fault in California every year. Los Angeles and San Francisco residents might coexist if humans are still around in 15 million years.
Almost 7,100 Islands may be found in the Philippines
Scientists had previously estimated that the Philippines’ archipelago had 7,107 islands, but there are really 7,641 in total.
A few years ago, more land masses were discovered by new mapping research, which led to “The shift serves as a reminder that information, especially scientific knowledge, is a question of faith, according to The Inquirer.
China and Russia Visit 14 Nations Each
On a map, it could appear that Russia can engulf China completely. Nonetheless, 14 nations are bordered by both nations.
Russia borders Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine. This includes the territory of Kaliningrad.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Burma, Mongolia, and Nepal are bordered by China. Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, North Korea, and Vietnam.
One country forms a land border with three other countries
The only three nations that are fully landlocked by another state are Lesotho, San Marino, and Vatican City. San Marino and Vatican City are both in Italy, but Lesotho is wholly contained inside South Africa.
With No Coasts, The Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is located in the Atlantic Ocean and is the only sea in the world without any coastlines.
It lies in the North, has no discernible land shoreline, and is encircled by four ocean currents. Sargassum is the name of the floating seaweed that covers it.
A Supervolcano is Found in Yellowstone National Park
An active “supervolcano”—a designation given to volcanoes that have had at least one eruption discharge more than 240 cubic miles of material—lies underneath Yellowstone National Park (a bit more than twice the volume of Lake Erie, according to National Geographic).
Three extremely massive eruptions, two of which were “super,” have really occurred at the Yellowstone volcano, but thankfully for visitors to the park, the most recent one occurred 640,000 years ago.
Ancient Pyramids Are More Common in Sudan Than in Egypt
Although the Giza Pyramids in Egypt are regarded as one of the world’s seven wonders, Sudan boasts nearly twice as many pyramids.
Egypt only has 138 known pyramids; however, Sudan boasts 200–255 known pyramids that were constructed for the Kushite rulers of Nubia. You may still explore the old and restored Meroe pyramids within the Desert.
Australia is home to the planet’s biggest rock
Mount Augustus is only just one enormous rock, despite its name. The rock, which is more than 2,300 feet tall and situated in the Australian Outback, can be seen for about 100 miles.
The granite rock is approximately double the size of Ayers Rock, the more well-known granite formation in the Outback. It has existed for 1,650 million years.
The world’s oldest continuously inhabited city is Damascus
You would have believed Jerusalem or Athens to be the oldest cities in the world, but Damascus, Syria, has the distinction. It has been continuously inhabited for at least 11,000 years, and in 2008 it was designated as the Arab Capital of Culture.
From the third millennium B.C., Damascus has had more than 125 monuments created, including the Great Mosque of the Umayyads, which was constructed in the eighth century. There are about 1.7 million residents in the city.
All Four Hemispheres Are Covered by Africa
Africa occupies over 12 million square miles, or 6% of the whole area of the globe, and is the only continent in the world to be located in all four hemispheres: north, south, east, and west.
Algeria is the biggest of the 54 nations that make up Africa
More caves than anywhere else on Earth Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave system, which has just been partially explored, spans approximately 400 miles.
According to scientists, the greatest cave system on Earth may have 200 more miles of undiscovered caves. Some of the caves are accessible at Mammoth Cave National Park.
The only major city that is situated on two continents is Istanbul
Istanbul, which spans both Europe and Asia, is divided by the Bosphorus Channel. The more populous European side serves as the economic and historical core, and the Bosporus Bridge connects the two sides.
With 14 million inhabitants, Istanbul is the biggest metropolis in Turkey and the biggest city on two continents. It has a 2,000-year history that includes times when it was the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires.
The Biggest American Cities Are in Alaska
Although New York and Los Angeles may have larger populations than any town in Alaska, Alaska is home to some of the country’s biggest cities in terms of geographical mass.
Although having less than 10,000 persons, Sitka, Alaska, is larger than 2,800 square miles (New York City, as a point of comparison, is just 302 square miles).
The Pacific Ocean Has Earth’s Deepest Spot
The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest location on Earth’s surface, and the Challenger Deep is a shallow depression that marks its deepest point. The dip is roughly 35,814 feet deep.
The Sahara Desert has snow
The Sahara Desert in Northern Africa seldom experiences cold enough to produce snow, with temperatures reaching up to 136 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yet that happens occasionally! The Sahara’s temperature ranges from 86 to 55 degrees on average at night. The Sahara had snowfall in January 2018 for the third time in the last 40 years, following occurrences in 2016 and 1979.
When you fly over the Great Barrier Reef, a heart will be visible
The Great Barrier Reef, which runs 1,429 miles down Australia’s coastline, contains a heart-shaped reef that is clearly seen from above. The heart was discovered in 1975 by a pilot flying overhead.
The reef, which is a portion of Whitsundays’ Hardy Reef, is only 55 feet in diameter. Sadly, boat travel is not permitted since the reef is so well protected.
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