Amazing facts about geography and nature. As a rule, gold and silver are extracted from the ground. But a huge amount of these precious metals is contained in sea water: gold in the world’s oceans is 15 million tons, silver-36 million tons. About 80 thousand pairs of Nike sports shoes were left overboard during transportation on a ship from South Korea to Seattle (USA). A year later, the shoes washed up on the Western shores of the United States. This case provided useful information to scientists about the sea currents in the area.
The tallest tree in the world is the Sequoia. Sometimes these trees grow up to 100-120 meters – about the height of a 25-storey building. Sequoia “General Sherman” is not among the record holders, but it has a very thick trunk. Its diameter at the base is 11 meters. The wood of this tree could be used to build 80 five-room houses.
Oceans and seas cover about three-quarters of the earth’s surface. However, most animals and plants that live on Earth cannot drink this water.
The highest air temperature measured on Earth was 58 degrees Celsius. It was registered in Libya in 1922. Of course, this temperature is not in the sun, but in the shade, and still you feel like in a hot bath. At this temperature, you can fry eggs on a stone in the open air.
The Himalayas are not only the highest mountain range in the world – they are also the fastest growing mountains. Under the pressure of two continental plates, the Himalayas grow by about a centimeter each year. The longer you have to wait for some peak to grow even a little, the higher the record height will then be, which will be conquered by the next team of climbers.
If you do not have a thermometer outside your window, you can determine the temperature in the spring by watching the crocuses. These flowers are real natural thermometers. They respond to a change in temperature by 0, 5 degrees Celsius, opening or closing depending on whether the temperature rises or falls outside.
The largest flower on Earth is rafflesia, which grows in the tropics. Its diameter is about one meter, weight – up to 11 kilograms, thickness of fleshy petals-about two centimeters. The girl who will be presented with this specific flower as a gift, you will not envy: it gives off a terrible stench. In this way, the rafflesia attracts flies, which carry out pollination.
Before 1978, hurricanes and typhoons were given only female names, and now there are also male hurricanes. Feminists could not accept the fact that these destructive phenomena of nature are associated, at least in name, exclusively with women.
Accidentally touching the nettle, you will feel a burning sensation, and blisters will appear on the skin. Be patient, it’s all very useful. Formic acid, which causes irritation, is an excellent remedy for rheumatism. Nettle also contains a lot of vitamin C and makes a delicious soup. In England, there is even a beer that is brewed on the basis of nettle. Since ancient times, nettle fibers have been used to produce fabrics. Knickers made from this fabric do not cause itching.
There are living things on Earth that are big fans of heat. So, some microorganisms come to life and begin to multiply only at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius. This is the boiling point of water. If you put your finger in this water, you will get a serious burn.
The highest (and still active) volcano in Europe is Etna in Italy. Its name comes from the Greek word “aitho”, which means ” burn»
The amount of oil that is spent in the world for different purposes every year doubles every 10 years. Even if our entire planet consisted entirely of oil, at the current rate of growth in its consumption, all reserves would be exhausted in 400 years.
Water is the only natural substance that can exist in natural conditions in three States: solid (ice), liquid (water) and gaseous (steam). it has a lot of amazing properties. Unlike most other substances that shrink when cooled, water expands when it freezes and turns into ice. And since the density of ice is slightly less than the density of water, it does not sink in it. To warm water, you need to spend more energy than for any other liquid. When you read all this, you want to say that water is a magical substance.
During a hurricane, the wind speed reaches 360 kilometers per hour, but in its very core there is a complete calm. Hurricanes sometimes last for a week. The speed of a tornado is even higher – up to 800 kilometers per hour, but it can end in a few minutes. At this speed, a thin branch can pierce through a thick tree.
To predict the weather, observe nature. So if the scales of a fir cone close or if swallows fly low above the Ground, be sure: it will rain soon.
The raffia palm has the longest leaves in the world: 20 meters – the length of the leaf itself and 4 meters – the length of the stalk. In total, this is 24 meters – almost the same length of the swimming pool track (25 meters). And bamboo shoots grow the fastest, in some species they stretch 91 centimeters per day. It seems that this growth is not only visible, but also audible, although the bamboo grows completely silently.
If all the ice in Antarctica melts one day, the water level in the oceans will rise by 60 meters, and a quarter of the earth’s land will be under water.
There are 600 predatory (carnivorous) plants worldwide that feed mainly on insects. And some carnivorous plants devour frogs, birds, and even small monkeys.
About 100 years ago, a fish rain fell in Yugoslavia. Probably, a tornado swept over some lake or sea, which sucked in the water along with the animals, and then it fell to the ground.
The area of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is almost 10 times that of France. This region is home to more plant and animal species than the rest of the world combined. To date, 15 thousand species of animals have been registered in the Amazon basin, eight thousand of which were discovered there. This region is home to 40% of all freshwater fish and 25% of the world’s known birds.
A drop of water, turned into steam, makes a journey of thousands of kilometers in the atmosphere, until it falls to the ground in the form of a raindrop, a snowflake or a grain of hail. If all the water in the atmosphere was spilled on the earth at once, the globe would disappear under a three-centimeter layer of water.
Have you ever seen red snow? If so, you are very lucky, because this is rarely the case. Snow is given a red color by special algae that live in some regions. Under the microscope, you can see that the snow consists of beautiful hexagonal crystals, absolutely identical in shape.
The word “ocean” comes from the Greek “okeanos”, which means “river”. The fact is that the ancient Greeks were sure that the world is surrounded by a huge river.
In 1883, a huge volcanic eruption occurred on the Indonesian island of Krakatau. Such a huge amount of ash was thrown into the atmosphere that the Sun at sunset all over the planet seemed greenish, and the moon turned a bluish hue. These phenomena continued for about two years.
Lightning cuts through the sky at a speed of more than 160,000 kilometers per second, creating a voltage of more than 100 million volts. The temperature inside the lightning can be five times the temperature on the surface of the Sun.
Millions of trees all over the world are actually planted by squirrels. These animals hide nuts and acorns in the soil – as a food supply for the winter. But sometimes they don’t have time to eat them or forget where they hid them.
Orchids grow from microscopic seeds. You need to collect 30 thousand of these seeds so that their weight is equal to the weight of one grain of wheat.
Every day the Earth is attacked by aliens from outer space. These are meteors and comets, which, fortunately, usually do not exceed the size of a pinhead. But about once a century, a space alien is very solid and can destroy an entire city. And once in 50 million years, it can be a real giant asteroid, which, when it collides with the Earth, will destroy all life on it.
In 1848, Niagara falls stopped for 30 hours: the stream was blocked by a huge block of ice. Only after the ice had melted did the water rush off the ledge again with a deafening roar.
Life on Earth exists only thanks to the energy of the Sun. If the amount of this energy was reduced by only 10%, the Earth would quickly be covered with a layer of ice more than a kilometer thick. But if the solar energy was supplied to the Earth by 30% more, the planet would turn into a scorched desert.
Approximately two-thirds of the fresh water on our planet is carried by the Amazon river with its tributaries (South America). The waters of the Amazon, once in the Atlantic ocean, greatly dilute the salty sea water, and even a few hundred kilometers from the coast it can be drunk – it is almost fresh.
In ancient times, the Japanese believed that thunder, as well as thunderstorms, is produced by God, releasing it from the navel of children. That’s why kids who were at home in it during a thunderstorm covered their navel with their hands.