The planet on which we live is full of surprises and surprises. It seems that scientists have long guessed all the secrets, but in fact there are so many that it will not be possible to fully understand the geography and geology of the Earth soon. This article contains interesting facts on geography, many of which will puzzle not only schoolchildren, but also curious adults.
Getting to know the planet
Students begin to study the device of our planet in the 5th grade. At the very beginning of classes, it is important to interest the children in the subject and in an accessible form to talk about the importance of knowledge, about continents, oceans and countries.
For students of grade 5, interesting facts on geography will be data on the most-most famous places on Earth, because children love everything significant and unusual.
Here are some examples of unusual facts:
- In the driest place on the planet, in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, there has been no precipitation for more than two million years. The strongest winds blowing at a speed of 300 km / h do not allow precipitation on the soil.
- There are more lakes in Canada than in total in all countries of the world.
- In China, the most remote place from all the oceans of the planet is located - this is the continental inaccessibility belt. The nearest coast is more than 2500 kilometers.
- The hottest place on the planet is the Loot desert in Iran. The maximum temperature recorded here was 70.7 degrees above zero. This is confirmed by official data from NASA satellites.
North and South Poles
These lands with extreme climate were not discovered until the beginning of the XX century. And still courageous people at the cost of health, and sometimes life, are extracting interesting facts on the geography and biology of these harsh places.
- Many have heard that the poles are very cold. However, few people know that the South Pole is much colder. The average annual temperature here is -58 degrees. And on the warmest day at the South Pole it was -12.3 degrees Celsius. And in the North Pole in summer the temperature rises to 0, and in winter it does not fall below -43 degrees.
- Flocks of small birds, polar terns, each year overcomes 70,000 kilometers, flying from the Arctic to Antarctica.
- In recent years, the ice cover of the Arctic zone has begun to melt intensely. Scientists estimate that if all of Antarctica’s ice melts, the level of the oceans will rise by 61 meters.
Oceans of the planet
There are a lot of interesting facts on the geography of the oceans. For example, it accounts for more than 95% of all water reserves on the planet. But there is very little fresh water - only 4-5%. And the survival of almost all terrestrial species on Earth depends on its quantity.
- More than 70% of all existing animal species live in the waters of the oceans. And still in the depths of the ocean find new species of underwater inhabitants.
- Most animal species live on the Great Barrier Reef.
- Most of the oxygen on the planet is produced by plankton, microscopic organisms living in ocean waters.
- Scientists estimate that over 20 million tons of gold are hidden in the depths of the ocean.
- The average depth of the ocean is 3.8 kilometers. And light penetrates into the water only 100 meters, so most of the surface of our planet is always in complete darkness.
Seas, lakes and rivers
Water covers about 70% of our planet, so it is not surprising that many interesting facts on geography are connected with rivers and reservoirs.
- For example, until recently, the two greatest rivers of the earth, the Amazon and the Nile, have disputed the right to be called the “longest river." However, scientists were able to find out that the Amazon is almost 170 kilometers longer than the Nile.
- But the Nile is the only river in the world that flows from the equator to the zone of temperate latitudes. The reason is still unknown, but all other rivers flow in the opposite direction.
- The highest tides in the world are recorded off the coast of Canada. Sometimes the difference between the ebb and flow of tides exceeds 16 meters. It is higher than a three-story house.
- The largest alpine lake in the world is located in South America, in the Andes. This is Lake Titicaca, lying at an altitude of 3810 meters. By the way, an increased amount of salt is dissolved in the water of the lake.
Continents and islands
Studying the Earth is a fascinating and multifaceted activity, so there are a lot of interesting facts on geography. This is especially true for all parts of the land on which all of humanity lives.
- Islands Tomorrow and Yesterday. The islands of Small and Big Diomedes belong to two different countries - Russia and the United States. The distance between them is only 4 kilometers, but the time difference is 21 hours! The reason is simple - an international date line passes between the islands.
- The territory of Hong Kong occupies 236 islands and one peninsula. Most of them are chosen by admirers of Buddhism and a relaxing holiday. For example, on the island of Lamma there are no houses above three floors, and on Lantau there is the largest Buddha statue in the world. There are so many monasteries and temples that it is called the “Island of Prayers”.
- Few people think, but in Europe there is not a single desert. This is the only part of the world where there are no large sandy spaces at all. But the territory of Egypt more than 90% consists of desert sands.
- The state of Bahamas owns 700 islands, but only 30 of them are inhabited. At the same time, the government was able to conditionally divide the country into 21 districts.
Mountain peaks and volcanoes
One of the main types of relief on Earth are mountain ranges. They rise high above the flat surface, exciting the imagination and inviting the daredevils to try to conquer their peaks.
The formation of the mountains of the Earth took several tens of millions of years, during which time many interesting facts on geography related to peaks and volcanoes appeared.
- The highest mountain on Earth - Everest (or Chomolungma) - enters the mountain system of the Himalayas and rises above sea level by 8848 meters. This is a great height, but not all mountain ranges begin at sea level. So, in Hawaii there is a peak, the foot of which is located deep in the ocean depths. Its surface part is 4200 meters, and about 6 kilometers are under water. In total, the height of Mauna Kea exceeds the height of Everest.
- And the Hawaiian Islands themselves are protruding above the ocean peaks of the world's largest mountain range - the Mid-Atlantic Range. Its length is 40 thousand kilometers, and only the mountains of Iceland are located above sea level.
- In total there are 25 greatest mountain peaks on Earth, the height of which exceeds 7600 meters. All of them are located in Central and South Asia. And 19 are located in the Himalayan mountain range.
- An interesting fact on the geography of Japan can be considered that this country consists of mountains for almost 70%. The territory of the country consists of 6852 islands, most of them are uneven and mountainous, many have volcanoes. Because of this, more than 1,500 earthquakes are recorded daily in the country.
States of our planet
According to official UN data, there are now 195 independent states on Earth. And if unrecognized countries and dependent territories are added to recognized states, their number can reach three hundred.
Therefore, it is not surprising that in the 7th grade geography program a lot of attention is paid to interesting facts about countries . Let's try to find out what is surprising about them:
- Not a single river flows through Saudi Arabia. And this state, located in the desert, is forced to export sand for construction purposes from distant Scotland.
- The small state of Nauru, located on an island in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, is the only one in the world that does not have a recognized capital. By the way, 95% of the inhabitants of this dwarf state are overweight.
- Vast forests in Russia produce the most oxygen.
- The lowest population density is Mongolia. The average number of inhabitants of this country is 4 people per one and a half kilometers of steppe expanses.
- Niger is officially recognized as the state with the youngest population - more than 50% of its inhabitants are under 15 years old.
Unusual information about cities
The cities of our planet are as diverse as its population. In every corner of the planet there is a city or village that is different from the others. Therefore, there are so many interesting facts on geography for the 6th grade, and for older schoolchildren too.
- The widest street in the world, 250 meters from edge to edge, is located in the capital of Brazil (Brasilia). This value is even officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
- Almost in the middle of the sultry Australian desert is the city of Coober Pedy. The surface is so hot that the inhabitants live in underground caves and quarries. Even the church and the cemetery are deep underground. A kind of "cave city" in the civilized 21st century.
- The oldest of the existing cities is Syrian Damascus. At the time when Rome was founded, in 753 BC, the age of Damascus already totaled several millennia.
- An interesting fact on the geography of the United States - in the states there are as many as 9 cities with the name "Paris".
- In one of the driest places on earth, the city of Tegazi in the Sahara desert, some of the walls of the houses are made of rock salt.
The peoples of our planet
The population of the Earth is diverse, different cultural and historical traditions. Of course, many interesting facts on geography, and other sciences, too, are connected with this.
- Most official languages are in Papua New Guinea. Residents use 820 different dialects, which makes up 12% of all the languages of the planet. Although the official language of the country is recognized as English, no more than 2% of the population speaks it.
- Among the people of Korea, it is considered indecent to talk with your hands in your pockets or behind your back.
- Residents of Canada are considered the most educated in the world, more than 50% of the population have at least specialized secondary education. In second place is Israel, and in third is Japan.
- There are more Catholics in the world than all other adherents of Christian denominations combined.
- For students in grade 7, an interesting fact on the geography of Africa will be that on this continent the number of spoken languages exceeds one and a half thousand. It turns out that in Africa they speak every fourth language in the world.