The World’s Extremes

Published by papaleng
April 3, 2009, Category: Earth Sciences

Take a look at Earth’s amazing Nature extremes and find out what is the longest, highest, hottest, coldest and largest of them all.

Truly planet Earth is a beautiful place to live in where Nature showcases her wonderful and awesome beauty; from green mountains, blue oceans, amazing animals and to the different plants species. One can just appreciate in awe what beauty Nature has to offer. Below is a list of Earth’s extremes that surely makes you ponder, When will I see these beauties?

The World’s Largest Rock Formation

Uluru also known as Ayers Rock is the world’s largest rock formation. This sandstone monolith, located in Australia

, has a height of 348 m (1,142 ft). and around 9.4 km (6 mi) in basal circumference. Ayers Rock appears to change its color as light strikes it at different hours of the day.

The World’s Most Active Volcano

Kilauea is currently listed as the world’s most active volcano. Located in Hawaii, Kilauea is 90% make up of lava.

The World’s Lowest Lake

The Dead Sea  is a salt lake located between Israel and Jordan. Considered the world’s deepest hypersaline lake, it is 1,240 ft deep and 1,385 ft below sea level. Also, it is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. It is located in the Jordan Rift Valley and is 67 kilometers long and 18 kilometers wide at its widest point.

The World’s Largest Coral Reef

The Great Barrier Reef that comprises more than 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands is the world’s largest coral reef system. Located in the Coral Sea, Australia, it stretches to around 2,600 square kilometers over an area about 344,400 square kilometers. In 1981, the reef was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The World’s Largest Cave Passage

Deer Cave holds the record for the largest cave passage in the world. Located in Borneo, it is one of  several caves found in Mulu National Park. Deer Cave is about 2 kilometers in length and over 90 meters high and wide.

The World’s Longest River

The Nile is the world’s longest river, its streams flow through nine countries. One source, The White Nile starts from  Lake Victoria, Uganda and  flows through Sudan and Egypt. The Blue Nile starts in Lake Tana, Ethiopia and flows through Zaire, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzanian and Burundi. The Nile River flows for a distance of 5,584 km (3,470 mi) in eastern Africa. It discharges an average of 65 million liters of water per second.

The World’s Highest Peak

Mount Everest also called Sagamatha is the world’s highest mountain. It is measured at  8,850 m (29,035 ft) in height above sea level. Named in honor of Sir George Everest, it is situated on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, Tibet and China. Some people do believe that it rises about 4 mm every year.

The World’s Highest Water Falls

Angel Falls is the world’s highest waterfall at 979 m (3,212 ft), with a clear drop of 807 m (2,647 ft). It is located in Venezuela. The height of the falls is so great that water is turned into mist by the strong wind before it ever gets near the ground.

The World’s Hottest Place

The Sahara is the largest hot desert on earth. At more than 9 million square kilometers, Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa making it as large as the continent of Europe or the United States. The temperature frequently reaches 55° C (131° F). In 1922,  the temperature reached 57.8° C (136° F) making it the highest temperature measured on Earth. 

The  World’s Coldest Place

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in terms of land area and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. It is also the driest, windiest and coldest continent.  At 14.0 million km², Antarctica is 98 % covered by ice.  A record-89.2° C (-128.6° F) was reached making it the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth.