14 fascinating facts about our planet that you might not know about

Everyone knows that our planet is a strange and unknown place. There are so many plants, animals, and people that a person can travel around the world for most of his life, and still not even know a third. Therefore, you can only see some strange places in the world on the Internet without spending hundreds of thousands of rubles, time and health. So, here is the top of the 14 most-most places.

1. The hottest place in the world

According to research, the hottest place in the world is Al-Aziziya, a city in the North African state of Libya. In this territory, the highest temperature was recorded - in the shade +57.7 degrees Celsius. This is the record holder for the past 90 years.

2. The coldest place in the world

Obviously, after information about the hottest place in the world, you now need to find out about the coldest. This award once went to the Russian Vostok station, located in Antarctica. She was awarded the title of the coldest place on July 21, 1983, but since then one territory has been able to break her record.

In the village of Oymyakon (Russia), a temperature of -50 degrees can last for weeks. On the thermometers of the inhabitants, a temperature of -71.2 Celsius was recorded. Would you like to visit this place?

3. The sides of the magnetic poles are shifted

Most people think that the North Pole will always be in the North, and the same goes for the South Pole.But this is a mistaken judgment. Scientists have found that every 450 thousand years (that is, almost half a million years), the poles change sides, and the north side moves south.

4. Hawaii has the highest mountain

Many claim that the highest point on our planet is Everest (or Chomolungma), which is located in the Himalayas (India). In fact, the highest mountain in the world is Mauna Kea, which is located in Hawaii in the United States.

The thing is that the height of Everest (8848 m) is measured above sea level. While the absolute height of Mauna Kea is as much as 10203 m. Previously, this mountain was a powerful and active volcano at all (about 500 thousand years ago). But now the volcano is considered extinct.

Translated from the Hawaiian Mauna Kea - this is White Mountain. Its top is covered with a hat of snow. The uniqueness of this mountain lies in the fact that almost to its peak you can safely drive by car.

5. The largest meteorite in the world

Over the centuries, thousands of small and large meteorites have hit the Earth. One of them even destroyed the dinosaurs. Most meteorites collapse upon impact, but this did not happen with Oboe, the largest meteorite in the world. You can find him at the place of his fall - southwest Africa, Namibia.

6. The deepest part of the ocean

Our land is filled with mountain peaks, canyons and oceans. But also do not forget about the mountains located at the bottom of the ocean. The deepest part of the ocean is more than 10,000 meters below sea level. Not far from the coast of Japan - in the Mariana Trench. It is located 340 km southwest of the island of Guam.

This deepest point of the oceans was conquered only in 1960. Its scientists are also called the fourth pole of the Earth.

7. The driest place in the world

The continuation of the list of the most extreme places in the world is the driest territory. This award goes to the McMurdo Dry Valleys. They are located in Antarctica, consist of three oasis valleys. They are specially protected territories since 1959.

Winds in this place reach as much as 320 km / h. However, this is the highest wind speed on the planet. And it is they that cause the evaporation of moisture. In the valleys for 8 million years there has been no snow, no ice, no rain.

The place should not be too bad, as most people prefer dry air to heavy, humid air.

8. The most ancient fossils

Fossils are a very important part of our world. One reason is that we use them for fuel if they are in liquid form, but another reason is that we can learn a lot about the evolution of our planet. For example, Australia's oldest fossil is about 3.45 billion years old.

9. Our sky is only 61,155 meters high

Looking at the sky, many people have questions like “How high is it?” It’s true - the stars that you see are in light years from us, but the sky itself (our atmosphere) is only 61.1 km away.

By the way, there are five different layers in the Earth’s atmosphere. For example, passenger aircraft fly at altitudes from 9000 to 12000.

10. The lowest point on Earth

Most cities near the sea or ocean are at sea level. This means that they are at a height of about 0 meters. However, there is one quite popular sea because of its peculiarity (the density of water is so high that it keeps a person on the surface), which is an exception to this rule - the Dead Sea.

The sea is bordered by Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Cities on the coast of this sea are 430 meters below sea level. Located in the Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean.

11. The oldest religious building in the world

In the world, as far as we know, there are many religions, as well as their followers. Many were popular in the past, but either died out over time or remained famous only in small communities.

One of the oldest religious buildings is Gebekli Tepe, a temple complex located in Turkey. This is the oldest large megalithic structure.

12.The world is full of mysterious life.

You probably can’t even imagine how many different species of animals and plants live on the planet. However, mankind now knows only about a part of living creatures existing in the world. The reason is that many animals live in the depths of the ocean. Or there are too few of them.

13. The smallest living mammal

Mammals are a very interesting species, as they are very different - from small mammals such as rats, medium-sized animals such as humans, and huge whales. The smallest mammals are the bat. It can reach a size of 1.1-1.3 inches.

14. There are two different types of auroras

Almost everyone heard about the auroras, but not everyone can see them, since they appear only in places close to the poles.

That is why many people do not know that in fact there are two different types of auroras - the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights.