*Our planet* is filled with many wonderful geographical and geological *anomalies and mysteries*. So many so, that we may never truly unlock all of the secrets that nature has tucked away. This is a list of 15 of the more unusual or outright bizarre facts relating to geography, geology, and the earth.
*1. Shortest Place Name* <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4X2iCJjFCi8/Tfo-YeT3YxI/AAAAAAAAA4U/skl9HCAJwDY/s1600/a_i_Lofoten.jpg> *photo source* <http://tripsmithy.com/destination/a/> The* Shortest place name is "Å"* it is located in both *Sweden* and *Norway*. In Scandinavian languages, "Å" means *"river"*. The image above is one of the newly replaces road signs for the area – they are frequently stolen for their novelty value. *2. Largest City in the World (surface area)* <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPpkdZ2PMNg/TfqSrXcwr7I/AAAAAAAAA4c/qsXIe4SAnPg/s1600/705px-China_Inner_Mongolia_Hulunbuir.svg.png> China with Inner Mongolia highlighted in orange and Hulunbuir city highlighted in red *source <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:China_Inner_Mongolia_Hulunbuir.svg>* The largest city in the world – based on surface area, is* Hulunbuir*, Inner Mongolia (China) which is* 263 953 km sq *(*102 000 sq mi*). *3. Countries Completely Surrounded by One Other Country* <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_WP0kg5j5k/TfqjQWjPA4I/AAAAAAAAA4s/Zc3BOOWtIQY/s1600/Lesotho+Pony+Trek.jpg> Lesotho photo source <http://www.theguide.org.za/lesotho.htm> *Lesotho, Vatican City*, and *San Marino* are the only countries completely surrounded by one other country. Lesotho is completely surrounded by *South Africa*, and Vatican City, and San Marino are both completely surrounded by *Italy*. *4. The Second Longest Geographical Name* <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V0z3pv1tLgA/TfqXIgtPzHI/AAAAAAAAA4k/RgNG6EcsekA/s1600/longest+place+name+in+the+world.jpg> *photo source*<http://sixfaces.blogspot.com/2007/08/one-of-longest-place-names-in-world.html> The *second longest geographical name* that is accepted in the world is “*Taumatawhakatangihangak oauauotamateaturipukaka pikimaungahoronukupokaiwhe nua kitanatahu*” (*85 letters*) which is a hill in *New Zealand* – it is a maori phrase which translates to “place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played his flute to his loved one”. It was the longest until recently (though the Guinness Book of Records still regards it as the longest); it has most likely now been supplanted by *Krung thep maha nakorn amorn ratana kosinmahintar ayutthay amaha dilok phop noppa ratrajathani burirom udom rajaniwesmahasat harn amorn phimarn avatarn sathit sakkattiya visanukamprasit* in *Thailand* (*163 letters*). *5. The Coldest and Warmest Sea* <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2PgQYLBuGM/TfqbPybQRoI/AAAAAAAAA4o/mzSE3BXi3wc/s1600/02_in_Lions_Mouth_Persian_Gulf_Nov_76.jpg> Persian Gulf * photo source <http://www.hmsbacchante.co.uk/gallery_page_5.htm>* The *White Sea*, in *Russia*, has the lowest temperature, only *-2* degrees centigrade. The*Persian Gulf* is the warmest sea. In the summer its temperature reaches* 35.6* degrees centigrade. *6. World’s Oldest Constitutional Republic* <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D55WpguS4pw/TfqU-2ybGgI/AAAAAAAAA4g/DBDhACPM1MU/s1600/marino-europe.jpg> San Marino *photo source* <http://sanmarino.europe-countries.com/> *San Marino* claims to be the world’s oldest constitutional republic – it was founded in* 301* by a *Christian stonemason* fleeing persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Its constitution of*1600* is the oldest written constitution in the world. San Marino is pictured above. *7. The Deepest Hole Ever Drilled by Man* <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTHR27w7gvs/Tkg8qTeHV-I/AAAAAAAABJ0/KJcl998aZ_M/s1600/3544274268_df66d0a9c1.jpg> *photo source <http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockorockorocko/3544274268/>* The deepest hole ever drilled by man is the *Kola Superdeep Borehole*, in *Russia*. It reached a depth of *12,261 meters* (about 40,226 feet or *7.62 miles*). It was drilled for scientific research and gave up some unexpected discoveries, one of which was a huge deposit of hydrogen – so massive that the mud coming from the hole was “boiling” with it. *8. Farthest Point From Earth's Center & Lowest Place on Earth Crust* <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMJvk7Ob8sg/TfqxOkrEZjI/AAAAAAAAA40/O3ZJ_oE_pl4/s1600/4242785343_f7e1256420_z.jpg> Mt. Chimborazo * photo source <http://www.flickr.com/photos/alemancheno/4242785343/>* Due to the bulge of the earth at the equator, the peak of *Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo*(*20,700 feet* or *6,310 meters*) is the point farthest from the center of the earth so the mountain claims the title of being the "*highest point on earth*" although *Mt. Everest* is still the highest point above sea level. Mt. Chimborazo is an extinct volcano and is about one degree south of the equator. The* Mariana Trench* is the deepest part of the world's oceans, and the *lowest elevation* of the surface of the Earth's crust. It is currently estimated to be up to *10,971 m* (*35,994 ft*) deep. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Mariana Islands. *9. Longest Mountain Chain on Earth* <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i8I8g4RwtKw/TfsaQJdS6cI/AAAAAAAAA48/wqW6XXJa4wM/s1600/20050530_daily2_b.jpg> *source* <http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20050530_log_transcript.html> The* Mid-Atlantic Ridge* is the Longest mountain chain on earth (at *40 000 kilometers *or* 25 000 miles *). It is located along the middle of the Atlantic. *Iceland* is the only part of this chain that is above water. The *Andes* form the longest exposed mountain range at* 7 000 kilometers *(*4 350 miles*). *10. Vowel-Only Geographic Locations* <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqrH-XbVak4/TftDsKLhQSI/AAAAAAAAA5c/5eejTqRatck/s1600/Mount+Circeo+%2528Lazio%2529.jpg> Mt. Circeo *photo source <http://www.italy-pictures.net/mount-circeo>* *Mount Circeo *on *Cape Circaeum* on the western coast of Italy was once called *Aeaea* (*5 vowels* in a row with no consonants). It was believed in mythology to be the home of the witch Circe. Two other vowel-only geographic locations are the town of *Aiea* in *Hawaii*, and*Eiao* – one of the *Marquise Islands*. *11. The Most Northern, Eastern and Western State in All of America* <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTmX0B4RL3M/TfsoJLY_q6I/AAAAAAAAA5E/khVj4R8Yih4/s1600/alaska.jpg> *source* <http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/alaska/> *Alaska* is the most Northern, Eastern and Western state in all of America. It is the only state that enters the *“Eastern Hemisphere”* making it also the most eastern lying and western lying state. *12. Sea Without Coasts* <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aC77tRpKL5Q/Tfsrosf5wzI/AAAAAAAAA5M/h-Zkr1L-Sqk/s1600/weedline-wonders3.jpg> *source*<http://floridasportfishing.com/magazine/baitfish-profiles/weedline-wonders.html> __._,_.___ __,_._,The naming of the Sargasso Sea after the Sargassum<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargassum> seaweed traces back to the early 15th century Portuguese<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal> exploration of the Azore Islands <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azore_Islands> where the seaweed was often present in the waters around the islands.[2]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea#cite_note-2> The Sargasso Sea was first crossed by the expedition of Christopher Columbus<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus> in 1492, who was amazed by the masses of seaweed he encountered.[3]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea#cite_note-3> [4] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea#cite_note-4> However, the sea may have been known to earlier mariners<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor>, as a poem by the late 4th century AD author, Rufus Festus Avienus<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avienus>, describes a portion of the Atlantic as being covered with seaweed, citing a now-lost account by the 5th-century BC Carthaginian<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage> explorer Himilco the Navigator<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himilco_the_Navigator> . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
