Mount Everest is NOT the tallest mountain in the world
Hawaiian Mauna Kea is actually the highest mountain in the world. While it stands at an altitude of 4,205m, the biggest part of the volcano rests below sea level. Therefore, if measured from its base to the summit, Mauna Kea stands at a total of 10,203m high - that's 1,355m taller than mount everest.
Earth’s atmosphere has borders
The Kármán line, lies at an altitude of 100 km above sea level. While the Earth's atmosphere ends much higher, this very line was recognized by the World Air Sports Federation as the the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space.
The driest place on Earth is located in Antarctica
Most people believe that the driest place on Earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile - the desert hasn't had rainfall for thousands of years. However, it is actually the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica that is the driest place on earth - this desert hasn't had rainfall for nearly 2 million years. Winds here can reach speeds of 320km/h.
Freshwater represents only 3% of all water on Earth
97% of Earth's water is held in its oceans and seas, but, as it's salty water, it's not suitable for drinking. The remaining 3% of total freshwater is held in glaciers and Russia's Lake Baikal.
The world’s oldest temple is about 12,000 years old
Located in southern Turkey, Göbekli Tepe, is the oldest known temple. According to researchers, the carvings on the pillars show that about 11,000 years ago, a comet strike caused a sudden temperature drop on our planet.
The Moon was once part of Earth
Swedish scientists believe that some 4.36 billion years ago, Earth collided with a hypothesized planetary-mass object, Theia, leading to the formation of Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
In 250 million years continents will reunite
335-175 million years ago, Pangea was once a supercontinent split into two different continents, forming Laurasia and Gondwana. Later, the two split apart to form all seven continents. However, scientists believe that the continents will once again group together in 250-300 million years from now, forming a single supercontinent.
A single-celled organism caused the first mass extinction
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest a theory explaining the mass extinction that wiped out almost 90% of all living creatures on Earth. They explain that a bacteria named Methanosarcina suddenly bloomed in the oceans about 252 million years ago. This triggered the only mass extinction of insects known to science.
Most of our planet lies in the dark
The world's oceans occupy 71% of the planet's surface, while the depth of the water exposed to sunlight is no more than 200m. This means that the rest of the water is permanently in the dark. This means that at any time of day, our planet rests in the dark.
Neighboring states can have a 24-hour time difference
American Samoa is only 2,000km away from the Line Islands that form part of the Kiribati. Still, the time difference between these two neighbors is 25 hours.
