The Arctic actually
doesn't have the
coldest spot in the
Northern
Hemisphere. That
belongs to a far east
region of Russia
which can get 10
degrees colder than
the coldest region of
the Arctic.
Unlike Antarctica,
the Arctic actually
has human
habitation. Norilsk,
Russia is the most
northern city in the
world, and has an
average temperature
of 20 degrees below
0.
On average, the
temperature on the
Earth’s surface has
increased by 0.6°C
(1°F) over the last two
centuries.
The Arctic fox digs
deep burrows in the
side of the cliff to
inhabit. These are
also known to live in
a den or a cave. Such
foxes also bury
themselves into the
snow for protection.
About thirty
countries, mostly
located in the
African
continent, have 75 %
of their geographical
span in deserts!
Harsh life conditions
and extreme
temperatures have
evolved certain
creatures to
completely adapt to
desert life. The
kangaroo rat, for
instance, can survive
without having access
to any source of water
- it gets all the
moisture it needs from
its food source which
comprises of desert
grass seeds and
mesquite beans!
The Sahara is the
world's largest hot
desert, covering the
maximum surface
area among all other
hot deserts!
Antarctica is the
world's largest cold
desert!
The sand that we see
on desert surfaces is
not all that
constitutes of their
topography. Most
deserts have rough,
gravelly bases under
the sandy surfaces.
Sahara desert is a
good example as it is
30% sand and 70%
gravel!
On average, North
Americans use wood
and paper products
equivalent to one
100-foot tall tree each
year.
In 60 years of
growing, an average
tree accumulates
5,250 pounds of
organic material
through the
miraculous use of
sun, soil, water and
air.
A tree exhales 6,000
pounds of oxygen in
its life, or about 120
pounds per year,
assuming a 50-year
life.
A single rainforest
reserve in Peru is
home to more
species of birds than
are found in the
entire United States.
If managed properly,
the rainforest can
provide the world's
need for these
natural resources on
a perpetual basis.
Experts agree that by
leaving the
rainforests intact and
harvesting it's many
nuts, fruits, oil-
producing
plants, and
medicinal plants, the
rainforest has more
economic value than
if they were cut down
to make grazing land
for cattle or for
timber.
The Amazon
Rainforest covers
over a billion acres,
encompassing areas
in Brazil, Venezuela,
Colombia and the
Eastern Andean
region of Ecuador
and Peru. If
Amazonia were a
country, it would be
the ninth largest in
the world.
Most medicine men
and shamans
remaining in the
Rainforests today are
70 years old or more.
Each time a
rainforest medicine
man dies, it is as if a
library has burned
down.
The longest
continuous
mountain chain
known to exist in the
Universe resides in
the ocean at more
than 40,000 miles
long
The Antarctic ice
sheet that forms and
melts over the ocean
each year is nearly
twice the size of the
United States
Water pressure at the
deepest point in the
ocean is more than 8
tons per square inch,
the equivalent of one
person trying to hold
50 jumbo jets.
The Great Barrier
Reef, measuring 1,243
miles, is the largest
living structure on
Earth. It can be seen
from the Moon.