5 Incredible Geographical Facts about Earth
Planet Earth is a wondrous, most mysterious place. It hosts all sorts of phenomena ranging from fascinating to downright mind-boggling. Although humans have discovered all sorts of facts about its geography, there are still plenty of secrets about the world that we have yet to uncover.
Here are five geographical facts that you didn’t know about Earth:
Africa is Huge
The world is divided into four hemispheres: north, south, east and west. While other continents are located in at least two hemispheres, Africa is the only continent to cover all four hemispheres, landing on both the Equator and the Prime Meridian.
Antarctica is the World’s Biggest Desert
When one thinks of a big desert, the Sahara Desert easily springs to mind. It covers approximately 8.6 million square kilometres.
However, a desert is defined as an area of land that does not receive more than 25.4 centimetres of rain a year. With this criteria in mind, Antarctica outshines the Sahara: it covers 14.2 million square kilometres, its water is locked in glaciers and ice-sheets, and has scant animal and plant-life, making it the world’s biggest desert by far.
Russia’s Multiple Time Zones
Because of its sheer size – approximately 17.1 million square kilometres – Russia spans 11 time zones. That means while citizens on the one end are starting their day, citizens are about to settle in to sleep on the other end.
Completed Surrounded Countries
Out of the 195 countries in the world, only three are completely surrounded by other single countries: Lesotho, San Marino and Vatican City. Lesotho is landlocked within South Africa, while San Marino and Vatican City are both surrounded by Italy.
Space Mountain
Standing at 8 848 metres, Mount Everest is Earth’s tallest mountain, followed by Mount Chimborazo at 6 268 metres.
However, the latter mountain is located in Ecuador, which is much more elevated thanks to its bulged location on the Equator. In other words, Mount Chimborazo is closer to space than Mount Everest!
