The Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor and support life. About 29.2% of Earth's surface is land consisting of continents and islands. The remaining 70.8% is covered with water, mostly by oceans, seas, gulfs, and other salt-water bodies, but also by lakes, rivers, and other freshwater, which together constitute the hydrosphere.

Interesting Facts about Earth

• At the equator, the circumference of the globe is 24,901 miles (40,075 kilometers)
• Age of earth = 4.5 billion years
• The fiery award for Earth’s hottest spot goes to El Azizia, Libya, where temperature records from weather stations reveal it hit 136 degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 degrees Celsius) on Sept. 13, 1922, according to NASA Earth Observatory.
• The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth came from Russia's Vostok Station, where records show the air plunged to a bone-chilling minus 128.6 degrees F (minus 89.2 degrees C) on July 21,1983, according to the USGS.
• Spelunkers ahoy! The largest confirmed stalagmite in the world can be found in Cuba in the Cuevo San Martin Infierno. This behemoth rises 220 feet (67.2 meters) tall
• One mysterious gravitational anomaly is in the Hudson Bay of Canada (shown above). This area has lower gravity than other regions.
• The summit of Mount Everest is higher above sea level than the summit of any other mountain, extending some 8,848.86 meters high. However, when measured from its true base to summit, Mauna Kea takes the prize, measuring a length of about 56,000 feet (17,170 m), according to the USGS.
• On May 8, 1978, climbers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first to summit Everest without the aid of oxygen.
• Coral reefs support the most species per unit area of any of the planet's ecosystems, rivaling rain forests.
• The deepest point on the ocean floor is 35,813 feet (10,916 meters) below sea level in the Mariana Trench. The lowest point on Earth not covered by ocean is 8,382 feet (2,555) meters below sea level that spot is in the Bentley Sub glacial Trench in Antarctica, buried under lots and lots of ice.
• The lowest point on land, is the Dead Sea between Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. The surface of this super-salty lake is 1,388 feet (423 m) below sea level.
• Some 300 million years ago, there was just one continent, a massive supercontinent called Pangaea. And thus there was just one giant sea, called Panthalassa.
• Many researchers think some large object crashed into Earth long ago, and the resulting debris coalesced to form our moon. It is unclear though if that colliding object was a planet, asteroid or comet, with some scientists thinking a Mars-size hypothetical world named Theia was the instigator.
• Immense mountain range began to form between 40 million and 50 million years ago, when India and Eurasia, driven by plate movement, collided. The tectonic crash led to the jagged Himalayan peaks.
• Earth's most active erupter title goes to the Stromboli Volcano, off the west coast of southern Italy, which has been erupting nearly continuously for over 2,000 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its spectacular incandescent explosions have earned it the moniker "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean."
• The largest volcanic eruption recorded by humans occurred in April 1815, the peak of the explosion of Mount Tambora.
• The General Sherman giant sequoia is the largest known stem tree by volume on the planet.
• A little cuddlier: the Kitti's hog-nosed bat is the world's smallest mammal.
• Manila in the Philippines is the most densely populated city in the world.
• Greenland is the least population density of any on Earth.
• The driest spot on Earth is the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru. In the center of this desert, there are places where rain has never been recorded.
• The first person to successfully traverse the desert of Antarctica to reach the South Pole was Norwegian Roald Amundsen.
• Space scientists have found evidence of Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars, including an alien planet called Kepler 22-b circling in the habitable zone of a star much like ours.
• Number of Continents:-7
• Number of Oceans:- 5
• Most populous Island:- Java
• Largest desert of USA:- Sonora desert
• Arabian country not having desert Lebanon
• Highest active volcano:- Guallatiri
• Largest active volcano:- Mauna Loa.
• Smallest bird of world:- Humming bird.
• Stone eating bird:- Ostrich.
• Emblem of peace:- Pigeon
• Emblem of Justice:- Duck.
• Iceland does not have snakes.
• Fastest bird:- Swift bird.
• Longest flight bird:- Arctic Term
• Largest nest bird:- Baldeagle
• Longest day and shortest night June 21
• Shortest day and longest night Dec 22
• Dates when days and nights are equal:- Mar, 21, Sept 23.
• The mean velocity of the Earth in its orbit (around the Sun) is 107,218 km/h.
• The most abundant elements of the Earth are
  • Iron (about 32.5%),
  • Oxygen (29.8%),
  • Silicon (15.6%), and
  • Magnesium (13.9%)
• The Earth’s rotation on its axis causes day and night.
• The Earth’s revolution (in its orbit around the Sun) causes change in seasons.

Continental Drift

• This theory describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time. Today the theory of continental drift has been replaced by the science of plate tectonics.

Pangiea

• Wegener was convinced that all the Eart continents were once part of an enormous, single landmass called Pangara Pangaes enisted about 240 milion year ago. By about 200 million years ago. This super continent began breaking up. Over million years, Panyea seperaed into pieces that moved away from one another

Eurasia

• Largest continents area on Earth comprising of Europe and Asia.
• Spans from the British Isles and the Iberiar Peninsumlas in the west to the Japanese Cachipelago in the east.
• Covers around 55000,000 sq.km (36.2%) of the Earths total land area.
• Landmass contains well over 5 billion people, equating to approximately 70% of the human population.
• Eurasia is connected to africa at the Suez Canal.

Longitude, Latitude and Hemisphere

• Lines of latitude and longitude are used to locate places on Earth.
• Time zone: a geographic region within which the same standard time is used
• Cartography: the science of map making
• Equator: imaginary line that circles the earth dividing it into the North and South Hemispheres
• Cardinal directions N, S, E, W
• Primary Inter Cardinal Dir.: NE, SE, NW, SW
• Secondary Inter Cardinal Dir.: NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW
• DEGREES: 0=N, 90=E, 180=S, 270=W
• There are four hemispheres = Northern and Southern hemisphere divided by equator and Eastern and Western Hemisphere divided by prime meridian. The region of Northern Hemisphere id called “Range of Temperature”.
• The Tropic of Cancer and Prime Meridian intersect in a Country Algeria. Similarly, The Equator and Prime Meridian intersect in Gulf of Guinea in Atlantic Ocean. Gulf of Guinea is also called Null Island.

Latitude

• Latitude is defined as a measurement of distance in degrees north and south of the equator.
• The word latitude is derived from the Latin word, “latus”, meaning “wide.”
• There are 90 degrees of latitude from the equator to each of the poles, north and south.
• Latitude lines are parallel, that is they are the same distance apart.
• These lines are sometimes referred to as parallels.
• The equator is the longest of all lines of latitude. It divides the earth in half and is measured as 0° (Zero degrees). The Equator’s covers a distance on the Earth’s surface approximately 24,901 miles long. The sun is perpendicular to the Equator twice a year in March and September. This event is called the Equinox. Days and Night are equal in this date. Areas on the Earth’s surface that fall on the Equator’s path are characterized by almost constant lengths of day and night.
• The Equator passes through the land of 11 countries of the world. Also, the equator traverses the territories of two island nations but does not make a landfall in either. The 11 countries traversed by the equator include São Tomé and Príncipe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.
• Some notable aquatic features through which the Equator passes include the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Victoria, the Indian Ocean, the Karimata Strait, the Makassar Strait, the Gulf of Tomini, Molucca Sea, Halmahera Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.
• The countries on the equator generally have a tropical rainforest or equatorial climate. The average temperature of the equatorial countries is around 30 °C during the day. Average annual rainfall is quite high at around 2,500 to 3,500 mm per year.
• The highest point on the equator is located on the Volcán Cayambe’s southern slopes at an elevation of 4,690 meters in Ecuador. This is the only place on the equator where snow can be found on the ground.
• Using Newton 's law of gravity, we find that the force of earth's gravity on your body at the equator is 9.798 m/s2times the mass of your body.
• Equatorial region Is called Hunter’s Paradise.
• Congo River (Zaire river) intersects Equator twice.
• Positions on latitude lines above the equator are called “north” and are in the northern hemisphere.
• Positions on latitude lines below the equator are called “south” and are in the southern hemisphere.
• Lines of latitude are to the equator.
• There are degrees of latitude north and south of the equator.
• Another name for latitude lines is Parallels.
• Equator = 0° latitude
• North Pole = 90°N latitude
• South Pole = 90°S latitude
• 1 Degree = 111 km (68.8 miles)
• Minute (60) = 1.85 km
• Second (60) = 31 meters
• Number of Latitudes including Equator= 181
• Number of Latitude lines including Equator = 179
• Tropic of Cancer = 22 ½ degree Northern Hemisphere
• Tropic of Capricorn = 22 ½ degree Southern Hemisphere
• Arctic Circle = 66 ½ degree Northern Hemisphere
• Antarctic Circle = 66 ½ degree Southern Hemisphere
• Moving east of the Prime Meridian, the Tropic of Cancer passes through the following Countries: Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE (Abu Dhabi), Oman, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Bahamas, Western Sahara (area claimed by Morocco; Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic), Mauritania
• Mali The Tropic of Cancer passes through the following Oceans and Seas: Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Taiwan Strait, Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean. The summer solstice happens every year between June 20 and June 22 when the sun reaches its highest elevation in the Northern Hemisphere, making it the longest day of the year with a stretch of sunlight that lasts for 17 hours. Mahi river of India cuts the Tropic Of Cancer twice.
• The Tropic of Capricorn, also called the Southern Tropic, is an imaginary line (a latitude circle) which indicates the southernmost point where the Sun is directly overhead at noon. This occurs during the solstice on December 21. The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five crucial latitudinal circles marked on the globe. It is 23°26’13.3″ south of the Equator. It passes through these countries or overseas territories: Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Australia, French Polynesia. The winter solstice was on December 21 and is the "shortest" day of the year and marks the start of the winter period. This is because the tilt of the Earth’s axis is least aligned with the sun, providing us with the least daylight of the year. Limpopo River of Africa Cuts Tropic of Capricorn Twice.
• The dry winds blowing from 30 degrees to 35-degree latitude in Northern and southern Hemisphere are called Trade winds.
• The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges, or highs. It is a high-pressure area at the divergence of trade winds and the westerlies.
• The "doldrums" is a popular nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters. They are 0-degree altitude to 5-degree latitude Northern and southern Hemisphere.
• The trade winds are winds that reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator. The winds help ships travel west, and they can also steer storms such as hurricanes, too. They blow from 30 degrees to 35-degree latitude in Northern and southern Hemisphere.
• The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees’ latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and trend towards the poles and steer extratropical cyclones in this general manner.
• The land within the Arctic Circle is divided among 8 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland) and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey)

Longitude

• Longitude is defined as measurement of distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian. Longitude lines connect the pole with the pole.
• The word longitude is derived from the Latin word, “longus”, meaning “length.”
• The Prime Meridian, as do all other lines of longitude, pass through the north and south pole.
• They make the earth look like a peeled orange.
• The Prime meridian divides the earth in half too. It is also 0°. It passes through the community of Greenwich, England.
• There are 180 lines of longitude on each side of the prime meridian. But on the opposite side, the primer meridian is not zero degrees but 180°.It is called the International Date Line.
• Travel west – add one day to your calendar (you would lose a day)
• Travel east - subtract one day from your calendar (gain a day)
• Jet Lag – the tired feeling you experience when crossing 3 or more time zones.
• Longitude lines to the left of the prime meridian give locations west, in the western hemisphere.
• Longitude lines to the right of the primer meridian give locations east, in the eastern hemisphere.
• 1 Degree = 111 km at equator, but decreases as you move towards the poles.
• Using Newton 's law of gravity, we find that the force of earth's gravity on your body at the poles is 9.863 m/s2times the mass of your body.
• Time Zones - Twenty-four (about 15° each)
• There are eight nations located on the Prime Meridian: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Spain, Togo, and the United Kingdom.
• There are four nations located on the International Date Line: Samao Island, Togo, Kiribati, Tokelau.
• Time is faster in East of pole and slower in the West of Pole.
• First person to reach North Pole = Robert E. Peary, USA (1909 AD)
• First person to reach South Pole = Roald Amundsen
• Bhuwan Singh Biswakarma was actually felicitated by the Royal Palace as the first Nepali to reach Antarctica after going there as part of an Indian Army research team in 1986. Biswakarma still has a penguin egg that he brought back from there as a souvenir.

Nepal Time difference from other Country of the World

• There are 11 time zones in Russia.
• There are 6 time zones in USA.

Atmosphere and Wind System

• Atmosphere consists of following gases:
  • Nitrogen: 78.0841
  • Oxygen: 20.9483
  • Argon: 0.9340
  • CO2, Neon, Helium, Krypton, Xenon, Hydrogen, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone
• Trade wind:- NE-E in North.
• Werterlies/Uariablewind
• Polar wind:
• Limnetic eruption: lack of CO2 in lake
• The structure of the atmosphere is classified into the following layers −
  • Troposphere: 0 to 12 km
  • Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km
  • Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km
  • Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km
  • Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km

Wind System

• Air in motion is known as wind. Wind plays a significant role in determining the weather system of a given region.
• Because of the rotation of the Earth, wind deflects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere. The phenomena first reported by Coriolis and hence it is known as Coriolis Force.
• Anemometer is used to measure the wind speed.
• To read the wind direction, weather vanes are used; however, at the airport, windsocks are used (indicated the wind direction).
• Jet streams are narrow and meandered strip of fast blowing air currents found in the upper altitude
• El Niño, also known as El Niño Southern Oscillation (or ENSO), refers to the cycle of warm and cold temperatures, as measured by sea surface temperature, of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean. However, the cool phase of ENSO is known as "La Niña."
• Cyclone is a large-scale air mass that keeps rotating around a strong center of low pressure. It rotates counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. In the northeastern Pacific oceans and the Atlantic Ocean, the tropical cyclone is known as “Hurricane.”
• Anticyclone is a large-scale wind system that circulates around a central region of high atmospheric pressure. It rotates clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

Layers of the Earth

Most of the geologist believes that as the Earth cooled, the heavier and the denser material sank into the centre, and the lighter ones rose towards the top. Due to this, the outermost layer is made of the lightest materials such as rocks and granites and the innermost layer consists of nickel and iron.

Earth comprises three separate layers.

Further classified as outer core (fluid layer) and inner core (solid layer)

Crust

• The crust is the outer layer where we live.
• The crust is the thinnest of the four layers on Earth, and is only 1 percent of the whole Earth. The crust’s thickness ranges in measurement from only 5 to 70 km thick, depending on location. It’s a solid rock layer divided into two types:
• Continental crust covers the land and,
• Oceanic crust covers water
• The crust is the most widely studied and understood.
• The Earth’s crust is also broken up into various pieces, known as tectonic plates, which fit together in a puzzle-like manner to form what is collectively called the crust. These plates, which are large chunks of the crust, are free-floating in/on the liquid lower level known as the mantle. Tectonic plates exist in both oceanic and continental areas, and traverse country and continental borders. There are seven major plates: the Pacific, North American, Eurasian, African, Antarctic, Indo-Australian, and South American and 10 minor plates: Somali, Nazca, Phillipine Sea, Arabian, Caribbean, Cocos, Caroline, Scotia, Burma, and the New Hebrides plate.
• The thickness of Continental Crust ranges from 30 km to 50 km. It is largely composed by granites, which density (i.e. 2.7) is lesser than the Oceanic Crust.
• The thickness of Oceanic Crust ranges from 5 km to 10 km and it is composed primarily of basalt, diabase, and gabbro. The density of Oceanic Crust is 3.0.
• The most abundant element of Crust is Oxygen (46.6%) followed by Silicon (27.7%) and Aluminum (8.1%). The Crust is also known as ‘Sial’ (i.e. Silicon and Aluminum).

Mantle

• The boundary between the Crust and the Mantle is known as the “Mohorovičić Discontinuity.”
• Mantle is the widest section of the Earth. Its thickness is approximately 2,900 km.
• The mental shares about 83% of the earths volume and about 65% of the earths mass. The density of Mental is about 3.4 g/cm^3.
• Upper Layer of Mentle is known an ‘Asthenosphere’. Crust and upper part of Mentle collectively known as Lithosphere.
• The mantle is mainly made up of semi-molten rock known as magma. The rock is hard in the upper part of the mantle, but lower down the rock is softer and begins to melt.
• The mantle is located directly under the Sima. The mantle consists of very hot and dense rock. This layer of rock flows like asphalt under heavy weight. This flow is because of the greatest temperature differences from the bottom to the top of the mantle.
• The reason behind the plates of the Earth move is the movement of the mantle. Its temperature varies between 1600 oF at the upper part to 4000 oF near the bottom.

Core

• The Core is mostly composed of iron and nickel; therefore, it is also known as ‘Nife’ (i.e. Nickel and Ferrous).
• The Core shares about 16% of Earth’s total volume and 30% of the mass.
• The thickness of the Core is about 3,400 km from the Mantle (likewise, the total depth from the Surface of the Earth is 6,300 km).
• Core is categorized as outer core (which is in molten state) and inner core (which is in solid state).
• Density of the inner core is about 13 g/cm3.

The Outer Core

• The outer core of the Earth is similar to a very hot ball of metals, whose temperature is around 4000 oF to 90000F. It is so hot that the metals inside are all in the liquid state.
• The outer core is located around 1800 miles under the crust and approximately 1400 miles thick.
• It is composed of metals such as iron and nickel. The outer core surrounds the inner core.
• The inner core has pressures and temperatures so high that the metals are squeezed together and not able to move like a liquid, but are forced to vibrate instead of solid.
• It is this field which allows for life to be sustained here, as the field helps form a protective layer around the Earth’s atmosphere, blocking harmful solar winds.

The Inner Core

• It is the centre and the hottest layer of the Earth.
• The inner core is solid and made up of iron and nickel with temperature up to 5,500oC.
• Due to its immense heat energy, the inner core is more like the engine room of the Earth.

Continents, Countries and Others Land Masses

Continents

• A continent is one of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven regions are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
• Population wise : Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctica
• One country has managed to create a situation in which it offsets more CO2 emissions than it produces. That country is Bhutan, a small, landlocked kingdom in Southern Asia. Bhutan has been able to achieve carbon negativity by using a new measurement of sustainable development based on happiness, which is heavily dependent on protecting the environment that people live in. Bhutan is the World's Only Carbon-Negative Country.
• The Gaza Strip is a narrow strip of territory in the southwestern part of what used to be the British Mandate of Palestine. Today, many countries recognize it as being part of the so-called State of Palestine, but Palestine’s borders are yet to be determined, pending a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• As its name implies, the West Bank is a territory situated on the western bank of the Jordan River. Many countries recognize it as being part of the so-called State of Palestine, but Palestine’s borders are yet to be determined, pending a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For both Israelis and Palestinians, the West Bank forms the heart of the Biblical Holy Land. It contains several important religious sites that are holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The West Bank is also home to most of the Palestinian population, and the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The West Bank has a total land area of 6,220 sq. km. This includes part of the holy city of Jerusalem, known as East Jerusalem. It is bordered by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the east, and by Israel in all other directions. The name “West Bank” was a term first used by the Jordanians when they annexed the territory in 1949, following the first Arab-Israeli war.
• An Arab country is a country in which most of the population is of Arab origin and/or speaks the Arabic language. There are 19 Arab countries spread throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa (excluding Western Sahara). Egypt is the most populous Arab country, while Bahrain is the least populous. Most of the people in the Arab countries practice Islam as their religion. Some ethnic and religious minority populations can be found throughout the Arab world.
• The 19 Arab Countries are:
  • Algeria
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Oman
  • Palestine
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen

• The United Arab Republic (UAR) was a short-lived union between the two Arab states of Egypt and Syria. The idea that the Arabs should be united into one nation arose following the end of World War I. It gained traction towards the end of World War II, and reached its peak of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. The UAR was proclaimed in 1958, but lasted only three years, owing in large part to the marginalization of Syria by Egypt. This marginalization eventually led to Syria’s secession from the UAR, causing it to collapse.
• India and Pakistan have fought over the region of Kashmir since they both gained independence in 1947. China is a minor party to the Kashmir dispute, as it took over a small part of it from India in the brief Indo-Chinese war of 1962. An insurgency in Kashmir against Indian rule began in 1987. Today, Kashmir is effectively partitioned between India, Pakistan, and China. Its total land area is about 222,236 sq. km.
• The area of Pantanal, Brazil, is the largest tropical wetland on Earth. During the wettest part of the year, when the area experiences the most precipitation, the Pantanal wetland and basin can be as much as 80% submerged in water. The Pantal is home to 9,000 invertebrate species, 159 mammal species, 53 types of amphibians, 480 reptile species, 400 fish species and some 1000 different types of birds.
• Western Asia has a population of approximately 283 million people. There are 18 countries in Western Asia. The Arabs and Turks are the two largest ethnic groups in Western Asia. Turkey is the most populous country in Western Asia, while Cyprus is the least populous.
• Greenland is the largest island in the world. Greenland is a dependency of Denmark, but has its own government which manages the island's internal affairs. Most of Greenland is covered by a vast ice sheet. The Inuit are the original inhabitants of Greenland. Since Greenland is a possession of Denmark, it is politically linked to Europe, but is geographically part of North America.
• The Arabian Peninsula is located in Western Asia, also known as the Middle East. The Arabian Peninsula is the original territory of the Arab peoples. Islam's first and second holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, are located on the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is the largest and most populous country on the Arabian Peninsula. Bahrain is the smallest and least populous. The peninsula consists of 7 countries, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait.
• The Sinai Peninsula is a land bridge that connects the Middle Eastern part of Asia with North Africa. When people think about the Sinai, the first thing that often comes to mind is the Biblical story of Exodus, when
• the ancient Israelites, who had just been freed from bondage in Egypt, journey to Mt. Sinai, where Moses receives the Ten Commandments from God.
• The word, “Balkans” is a Turkish term that literally means, “Chain of wooded mountains.” Originally, the term referred to the Balkan mountain range in Bulgaria, but was eventually used to denote the entire Balkan Peninsula. There are 11 countries that have all or part of their territory on the Balkan Peninsula.
• The Mediterranean Sea is a body of water situated between parts of the 3 continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The name "Mediterranean" comes from the Latin term, mediterraneus, meaning middle of the earth.
• The Mediterranean region was home to great ancient civilizations including Rome, Greece, and Egypt. The Mediterranean Sea encompasses 2.54 million sq. km. There are 16 countries with Mediterranean coastlines.
• European Mediterranean Countries

Spain France Monaco Italy Greece Malta (island country)

• African Mediterranean Countries

Egypt Libya Tunisia Algeria Morocco

Asia with its Geographical Map

• Location ; Latitude = 10 Degree South to 85 degree North and Longitude =25 degree East to 180 East.
• This continent is spreaded to 1700 Western hemisphere overcoming eastern hemisphere.
• Ural range separates Asia and Europe
• Area= 43999000sq km. i.e. 29.45%
• Asian Mediterranean Countries

Syria Lebanon Israel Cyprus(island country)

• Transcontinental Mediterranean Country: Turkey
• Malta and Cyprus are two islands countries located in the Mediterranean Sea.

• The Nordic Countries are a group of countries in northern Europe. There are 5 Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are constitutional monarchies and parliamentary democracies. Finland and Iceland are democratic republics. Iceland's parliament, the Althing, is the oldest parliament in the world. Sweden is the largest and most populous of the Nordic countries. Iceland is the least populous. Denmark is the smallest.
• Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe. It consists of 3 countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The term "Nordic Countries" includes the countries of Scandinavia, as well as Finland and Iceland. All 3 Scandinavian countries are constitutional monarchies and parliamentary democracies.
• Oceania is a region in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of 4 subregions, Australia and New Zealand, Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Approximately 43 million people live in Oceania. Oceania contains 14 independent countries and 8 dependencies. Most of the countries of Oceania consist of many tiny islands. Nearly three quarters of Oceania's people live in the countries of Australia and New Zealand. Polynesia is the easternmost subregion of Oceania. The name Polynesia is a Greek word literally meaning “many islands”.
• China shares an international border with 16 neighbors, more than any other country in the world. Bordering Countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam. Besides these 14 countries, China also shares a 3-kilometer-long border with Macau, a Portuguese territory until 1999, as well as a 30-kilometer-long border with the former British territory of Hong Kong. Today, Hong Kong and Macau are autonomous, Special Administrative Regions of China. With land borders totaling 22,117 kilometers, the country has the longest system of land borders in the world.
• With a series of borders running 20,241 kilometers in total, Russia has the second longest set of land borders among the world’s countries. The country shares its borders with 14 separate, neighboring, sovereign countries. Bordering Countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Ukraine.
• Nearly landlocked in the center of Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) borders ten countries over 6,667 miles. Ecuador and Chile are the only countries on the South American continent that don't share a border with Brazil.
• The word lagoon comes from the italian term ‘laguna” which means lake or pond. They are usually shallow bodies of water which are protected from their joining larger bodies of water, similar to a bay or inlet. Venice is one of the most famous lagoons in the world, but many don't known it is a lagoon at all There three types pf natural lagoons: coastal, atoll and river-mouth (often also coastal). The water in a lagoon is almost always brackish, meaning partly salt water and partly fresh water - this is especially true of coastal lagoons.
• Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.7%of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.5% of the total land area) and with approximately 3.879 billion people it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.
• The word "Asia" first originated from the Ancient Greek word Ασία, and used in 440 BC.
• Population Density: 87 km² (225 mi²) Largest City (by metro population): Tokyo, Japan, 34,607,069
• Largest Country (by population): People's Republic of China, 1,357,022,986 Smallest Country (by population): Maldives, 306,000
• Asia is also known as Continental of extreme or continental of Diversities
• Russia and Turkey tend to be cut into regions. Russia is generally split along the Ural Mountains, with its western half called “European Russia” and its East as simply “Russia.” The land between Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, and its direct borders with Bulgaria and Greece is at times referred to as a part of Europe called “Thrace,” while the rest of its territory is called “Anatolia” and is part of Asia.
• Largest Country: Russia, including European Russia, at 17,075,200 sq km, (6,592,768 sq miles)
• Highest Point: Mt. Everest in Nepal at 29,029ft (8,848m) Lowest Point: Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan at -1.388 ft (-423m) below sea level.
• Geographic Center: Located in China at approximately 43° 40´ N 87° 19´ E.
• Horizontal Width: (as the crow flies)From Ankara, Turkey east to Tokyo, Japan: 5,515 miles (8.876 km)
• Vertical Length: (as the crow flies)From Vorkuta, Russia, south to Jakarta, Indonesia:5,465 miles (8,795 km)
• Asia is the largest of the world’s continents, covering approximately 30 percent of the Earth’s land area. It is also the world’s most populous continent, with roughly 60 percent of the total population.
• Asia can be divided into five major physical regions: mountain systems; plateaus; plains, steppes, and deserts; freshwater environments; and saltwater environments.
• The Himalaya Mountains extend for about 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles), separating the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia. The Indian subcontinent, once connected to Africa, collided with the Eurasian continent about 50 million to 55 million years ago, forming the Himalayas. The Indian subcontinent is still crashing northward into Asia, and the Himalayas are growing about 5 centimetres (2 inches) every year. The Himalayas cover more than 612,000 square kilometres (236,000 square miles), passing through the northern states of India and making up most of the terrain of Nepal and Bhutan.
• The Tien Shan mountain system stretches for about 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles), straddling the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. The name Tien Shan means “Celestial Mountains” in Chinese. The two highest peaks in the Tien Shan are Victory Peak, which stands at 7,439 meters (24,406 feet), and Khan Tängiri Peak, which stands at 6,995 meters (22,949 feet).
• The Ural Mountains run for approximately 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) in an indirect north-south line from Russia to Kazakhstan. The Ural Mountains are some of the world’s oldest, at 250 million to 300 million years old. The highest peak is Mount Narodnaya at 1,895 meters (6,217 feet).
• Asia is home to many plateaus, areas of relatively level high ground. The highest mountain peak is Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,410 feet). The plateau also has two large deserts, the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut.
• The Tibetan Plateau is usually considered the largest and highest area ever to exist in the history of Earth. Known as the “Rooftop of the World,”
• The West Siberian Plain, located in central Russia, is considered one of the world’s largest areas of continuous flatland. the plain contains some of the world’s largest swamps and flood plains
• Central Asia is dominated by a steppe landscape, a large area of flat, unfrosted grassland.
• The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea, covers an area larger than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The desert is known as the Empty Quarter because it is virtually inhospitable to humans except for Bedouin tribes that live on its edges.
• Lake Baikal, located in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a depth of 1,620 meters (5,315 feet). The lake contains 20 percent of the worlds unfrozen freshwater, making it the largest reservoir on Earth. It is also the world’s oldest lake, at 25 million years old.
• The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world (behind the Amazon of South America and the Nile of Africa). Reaching 6,300 kilometres (3,915 miles) in length, the Yangtze moves east from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to the river’s mouth on the East China Sea. The Yangtze is considered the lifeblood of China.
• The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers begin in the highlands of eastern Turkey and flow through Syria and Iraq, joining in the city of Qurna, Iraq, before emptying into the Persian Gulf. The land between the two rivers, known as Mesopotamia, was the centre of the earliest civilizations, including Sumer and the Akkadian Empire.
• The seabed beneath the Persian Gulf contains an estimated 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves.
• The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square kilometres (839,000 square miles) and bordering Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and Brahmaputra, empty into the bay. The briny wetlands formed by the Ganges-Brahmaputra on the Bay of Bengal is the largest delta in the world.
• Botanists nickname China the “Mother of Gardens.” China is home to the dawn redwood, the only redwood tree found outside North America.
• Lake Baikal’s age and isolation make it a unique biological site. Aquatic life has been able to evolve for millions of years relatively undisturbed, producing a rich variety of flora and fauna. The lake is known as the “Galápagos of Russia” because of its importance to the study of evolutionary science. It has 1,340 species of animals and 570 species of plants.
• The Bay of Bengal, on the Indian Ocean, is one of the world’s largest tropical marine ecosystems.
• West Asia is at times called the “Cradle of Civilization,” as it was here that Neolithic humans first began its transition from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle, inventing the wheel and basic agriculture in order to do so. The West Asia was also home to the first known human civilizations, such as Ancient Sumer and the ancient Assyrian, Babylonian, and Akkadian empires. Meanwhile, the Indus Valley Civilization (or Harappan Civilization) was the first known civilization formed in South Asia, and in East Asia the Xia Dynasty would be the first recorded account of Ancient China.
• The largest countries of Asia include Russia (6.6 million square miles or 17.1 million square kilometers), China (3.7 million square miles or 9.6 million square kilometers), India (1.3 million square miles or 3.3 million square kilometers), and Kazakhstan (1.05 million square miles or 2.7 million square kilometers).
• Asia’s smallest countries are Maldives (120 square miles or 300 square kilometers), Singapore (278 square miles or 719 square kilometers), Bahrain (295 square miles or 765 square kilometers), and Brunei (2,226 square miles or 5,765 square kilometers). If Hong Kong and Macau are recognized as separate countries,then Macau (12.1 square miles or 31.3 square kilometers) is the smallest country in Asia and Hong Kong (1,064 square miles or 2,755 square kilometers) is the fourth-smallest.

Europe with its Geographical Map

• Europe is the second-smallest continent. The name Europe, or Europa, is believed to be of Greek origin, as it is the name of a princess in Greek mythology. The name Europe may also come from combining the Greek roots eur- (wide) and -op (seeing) to form the phrase “wide-gazing.”
• Location =Latitude :39 degree to 71 Degree North and Longitude : 65 Degree East to 20 Degree West.
• Area= 10498000sq km. .
• 7% area= 9.94% Population E-W = 6400km
• World largest Ice cave Israel senwelt cave (Austria)
• Europe is often described as a “peninsula of peninsulas.” (A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides i.e. bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas to the south.)
• Europe has a long history of human development and is considered the birthplace of Western Civilization.
• Europe is the western peninsula of the giant "supercontinent" of Eurasia. Europe is divided from Asia by a series of watersheds, including the Ural River and the Caspian and Black Seas
• The name "Europe" comes from Greek mythology. The continent was actually named after Europa, a Phoenician princess that Zeus abducted after he assumed the form of an impressive white bull.
• The Vatican is Europe's smallest country
• Germany is Europe's largest country by population
• The Vatican is Europe's smallest country by population
• Europe's highest point is Mt. Elbrus in Russia
• Europe's lowest point is the Caspian Sea bordering Russia
• If European Russian is excluded, the highest and lowest stats shown below apply to continental western Europe
• Europe's highest point is Mt. Blanc in France and Italy
• Europe's lowest point is Lemmefjord in Denmark
• Continent Size: 9,938,000 sq km, 3,837,081 sq miles The only continent smaller in area is Australia/Oceania
• Percent of Earth's Land: 6.8%
• Highest Point: Mt Elbrus in Russia, 18,506 ft (5,642m)
• Lowest Point: Caspian Sea, Russia (-92 ft) (-28m)
• Geographic Center: The geographic center of Europe is difficult to determine because of the continent's ambiguous borders. However, the most accepted answer is 54° 54' N 25° 19' E in the town of Vilnius, Lithuania.
• Horizontal Width: 1,339 miles (2,154 km) from London, England, east to Kiev, Ukraine
• Vertical Length: 2,076 miles (3,341 km) from Iraklio, Crete, north to Lulea, Sweden
• The Urals are 1,640 miles (2,640 km) in length and extend from the northern-edge of the Russian Federation down through Kazakhstan. They form a natural border between Asia and Europe.The highest point is Mt. Narodnaya at 6,214 ft. (1,894 m).
• Scandinavian Shield is an ancient area of rocky earth peppered with granite rock that was literally ground down by receding glacial ice sheets. It's a rolling area of land covered with thousands of lakes (mostly small), linked by rivers.
• Pyrenees mountains form the natural border between France and Spain and extend for about 270 miles from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea. The highest point is Pico de Aneto at 11,168 ft. (3,404 m)
• Stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, these volcanic mountains have many peaks above 15,000 ft. (4,572 m).The highest point (and the highest point in Europe) is located here; Mt. Elbrus at 18,506 ft. (5,642 m).
• Balkan Mountains extend from Yugoslavia across Bulgaria. Additional ranges run through Albania, Greece and Macedonia.Its most famous mountain is Mt. Olympus, the highest and most awe-inspiring peak in all of Greece. In ancient times it was the mythical home of Zeus, and was declared the first national park in Greece in 1939. It stands at 9,568 ft. (2,918 m).
• Alps is Located in south-central Europe, they extend for almost 700 miles from the coastline of southern France (near Monaco) into Switzerland, northern Italy and Austria, then southeast through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina as the (Dinaric Alps). Ending in Albania on the rugged coastline of the Adriatic Sea. The highest point is Mont Blanc at 15,771 ft. (4,807 m).
• Largest European Countries: (By Land Area)
  • Ukraine: 603,700 sq km
  • France: 547,030 sq km
  • Spain: 504,782 sq km
  • Sweden: 449,964 sq km
  • Germany: 357,021 sq km
  • Finland: 338,445 sq km
  • Norway: 323,802 sq km
  • Poland: 312,685 sq km
  • Italy: 301.220 sq km
  • UK: 244,820 sq km

Africa with its Geographical Map

• Africa is sometimes nicknamed the "Mother Continent" due to its being the oldest inhabited continent on Earth. Humans and human ancestors have lived in Africa for more than 5 million years.
• Location = Latitude : 37 Degree North to 35 degree South and Longitude = 20 degree West to 50 degree East
• The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra "land of the Africa" for the northern part of the continent. Afri may possibly also refer to a tribe that inhabited North Africa.
• Continent Size: 30,221,532 sq km, 11,668,599 sq miles The only continent larger in area is Asia
• Percent of Earth's Land: 12.7%
• Algeria is Africa's largest country
• The Seychelles are Africa's smallest country
• Nigeria is Africa's largest country by population
• The Seychelles are Africa's smallest country by population
• Africa's highest point is Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
• Africa's lowest point is Lake Assal in Djibouti
• Highest Point: Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,341 ft (5,895m)
• Lowest Point: Lake Assal, Djibouti (-512 ft) (-156 m)
• Geographic Center: The geographic center of Africa is located within Lobeke National Park in far southeastern Cameroon at 2° 37' N 16° 06' E.
• Horizontal Width: 4,355 miles (7,009 km) from Dakar, Senegal, east to Mogadishu, Somalia
• Vertical Length: 4,504 miles (7,248 km) from Cape Town, South Africa north to Tripoli, Libya
• The Nile is a north-flowing river considered the longest river in the world at 6,650 km (4,130 mi) long. It is shared by and benefits eleven countries. The White Nile and Blue Nile are its major tributaries. The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, flowing north from Tanzania to South Sudan. The Blue Nile is the source of most of the water and both rivers join near Khartoum, Sudan The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
• It's the world's hottest desert, the third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic, and almost as large as China. Covering almost one-third of the continent, the Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world at approximately 3,500,000 sq. miles (9,065,000 sq. km) in total size.
• Largest African Countries: (By Land Area)
  • Algeria: 2,381,741 sq km
  • Congo, DRC: 2,344,858 sq km
  • Sudan: 1,861,484 sq km
  • Libya: 1,759,540 sq km
  • Chad: 1,284,000 sq km
  • Niger: 1,267,000 sq km
  • Angola: 1,246,700 sq km
  • Mali: 1,240,192 sq km
  • South Africa: 1,221.037 sq km
  • Ethiopia: 1,104,300 sq km
• Largest lake Victoria lake.
• Equator have heavy rainfall similarly Sahara and Kalahari have zero rainfall.

North America with its Geographical Map

• North America is one of three continents (along with South America and Oceania) that make up the "New World." The continents were new to 15th-century European explorers, but old to the indigenous people living there.
• Area:- 24320000 Sq. Km.; which is 16.9% of the World.
• Location = Latitude ; 10°North to 80°North and Longitude: 20°West to 160°West
• 100°W cuts it about two half
• Christopher Columbus found in 1492. This Continent is also known as 'New world'
• Named from Amerigo bespoke.
• Touched almost parts with sea/ocean. This Continent is also called Dark continent.
• Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided in half almost equally by the Equator.
• Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the Savana, the Swahili Coast, the rain forest, the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa. Some of these regions cover large bands of the continent, such as the Sahara and Sahel, while others are isolated areas, such as the Ethiopian Highlands and the Great Lakes.
• The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert, covering 8.5 million square kilometres (3.3 million square miles), about the size of the South American country of Brazil. Defining Africa's northern bulge, the Sahara makes up 25 percent of the continent. Regs are plains of sand and gravel that make up 70 percent of the Sahara. The gravel can be black, red, or white. Regs are the remains of prehistoric seabeds and riverbeds, but are now nearly waterless.
• Hamadas are elevated plateaus of rock and stone that reach heights of 3,353 meters (11,000 feet). They include the Atlas Mountains, which stretch from south-western Morocco to north-eastern Tunisia; the Tibetan Mountains of southern Libya and northern Chad; and the Ahaggar Mountains in southern Algeria.
• An oasis is a hub of water in the desert, often in the form of springs, wells, or irrigation systems. About 75 percent of the Sahara’s population lives in oases.
• The Sahel is a narrow band of semi-arid land that forms a transition zone between the Sahara to the north and the savannas to the south. It is made up of flat, barren plains that stretch roughly 5,400 kilometres (3,300 miles) across Africa, from Senegal to Sudan.
• The Ethiopian Highlands began to rise 75 million years ago, as magma from Earths mantle uplifted a broad dome of ancient rock. This dome was later split as Africa's continental crust pulled apart, creating the Great Rift Valley system. Today, this valley cuts through the Ethiopian Highlands from the southwest to the northeast. The Ethiopian Highlands are home to 80 percent of Africa’s tallest mountains.
• Savana’s, or grasslands, cover almost half of Africa, more than 13 million square kilometres (5 million square miles).
• The Swahili Coast stretches about 1,610 kilometres (1,000 miles) along the Indian Ocean, from Somalia to Mozambique. The nearby coral reefs and barrier islands protect the coast from severe weather.
• The Great Lakes are located in nine countries that surround the Great Rift Valley. As the African continent separated from Saudi Arabia, large, deep cracks were created in the Earths surface. These cracks were later filled with water. This geologic process created some of the largest and deepest lakes in the world. There are seven major African Great Lakes: Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu, Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, and Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, is the southern source of the Nile River, the longest river in the world.
• 7.79% of population.
• Largest lake: Superior.
• North America, the third-largest continent, extends from the tiny Aleutian Islands in the northwest to the Isthmus of Panama in the south.
• North America can be divided into five physical regions: the mountainous west, the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the varied eastern region, and the Caribbean. Mexico and Central America’s western coast are connected to the mountainous west, while its lowlands and coastal plains extend into the eastern region.
• The Rocky Mountains are part of a system of parallel mountain ranges known as the Cordilleras. The Cordilleras extend from Canada all the way to the Isthmus of Panama.
• The Great Plains lie in the middle of the continent. Deep, rich soil blankets large areas of the plains in Canada and the United States. Grain grown in this region, called the “Breadbasket of North America,” feeds a large part of the world. The Great Plains are also home to rich deposits of oil and natural gas.
• The grassland or prairie regions of the Great Plains make up the largest biome in North America. Native animal species include bison, prairie dogs, and grasshoppers.
• The Mississippi River, at 3,730 kilometres (2,320 miles) long, is one of the longest river systems in the world and drains all or parts of 31 U.S. states.
• North America’s varied landscape features many natural wonders. It has deep canyons, such as Copper Canyon in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Denali, the continent’s highest peak, stands at 6,194 meters (20,320 feet) within Denali National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. Yellowstone National Park, in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, has some of the world’s most active geysers. Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the greatest tidal range in the world. The Great Lakes form the planet’s largest area of freshwater.
• Highest Point: Mt McKinley in Alaska, 20,322ft (6,194m)
• Lowest Point: Death Valley in California, -282 ft (-86m) below sea level
• Center: The United States Geographical Survey states that the geographic center of North America is "6 miles west of Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota" at approximately 48° 10´ N 100° 10´ W.
• Horizontal Width: From San Francisco, California, east to New York City, NY: 2,582 miles (4,156 km)
• Vertical Length: From Barrow, Alaska, directly southeast to Panama City, Panama: 5,347 miles (8,605 km)
• Two of North America's most interesting geographical features are the Great Plains and the Mississippi River System. The Great Plains of North America slope east from the Rockies and extend to the edge of the Canadian Shield and the western edges of the Appalachians. Mississippi River System is the major river of North America and the United States at (2,339 miles) (3,765 km) in length. It flows from northwestern Minnesota south to the Gulf of Mexico, just below the city of New Orleans. It is a significant transportation artery and when combined with its major tributaries (the Missouri and Ohio rivers) it becomes the third largest river system in the world at (3,877 miles) (6,236 km) in length.
• Churchill river of central Canada rises in northwestern Saskatchewan, then flows east into Manitoba, and on into Hudson Bay. It passes through numerous lakes and is known for the rapids along its path.
• Beginning in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado, it moves southwest, ending in the Gulf of California. It's (1,450 miles) (2,333 km) in length and over the centuries formed numerous canyons along its winding path. The most famous of these is the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona.
• Brazos, the Texas River begins in the northern part of the state in Stonewall County, and flows southeast into Brazoria County and the Gulf of Mexico.
• Columbia is a wide, fast-flowing river which begins in the Canadian Rockies of southeast British Columbia, Canada, flowing south through the State of Washington, then forming the natural border between Washington and Oregon. It ends in the Pacific Ocean.
• Significant Appalachian Ranges Include:
• The Cumberland Mts. in Tennessee
• The Blue Ridge Mts. in Virginia
• The Alleghenies in Pennsylvania
• The Catskills Mts. in New York
• The Green Mts. in Vermont
• The White Mts. of New Hampshire
• The highest point is Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 ft (2,037 m)
• Major mountain ranges include...
  • Absaroka
  • Bear River
  • Beaverhead
  • Big Belt
  • Big Horn
  • Bitterroots
  • Canadian
  • Clearwater
  • Columbia
  • Front
  • Guadalupe
  • Laramie Lemhi
  • Lewis
  • Lost River
  • Medicine Bow
  • Monashee
  • Owyhee
  • Purcell
  • Sacramento
  • Salmon River
  • San Andres
  • Sangre de Cristo
  • Sawatch
  • Shoshone
  • Steens
  • Stillwater
  • Swan
  • Tetons
  • Unita
  • Wallowa
  • Wasatch Wind River
  • Wyoming
  • Zuni
• The highest point in the Rockies is Mt. Elbert, located 10 miles southwest of Leadville, Colorado. It stands at 14,433 ft (4,399 meters). Sierra Nevada mountain range of eastern California is about 400 miles in length. The highest point is Mt. Whitney at 14,494 ft. (4,418 meters).

South America with its Geographical Map

• South America is a continent of extremes. It is home to the world's largest river (the Amazon) as well as the world's driest place (the Atacama Desert).
• Location = Latitude = 12°North to 56°South and Longitude = 35°West to 80°West
• Area 17798500 sq. km. 11.7%
• World's longest mountain range:- Andes (15000 mile)
• 5.38% of total population
• Largest country Brazil (area/population)
• West most country of world = Chili (Punta arinas)
• Largest lake= Mara Taiwe lake.
• South America, the fourth-largest continent, extends from the Gulf of Darién in the northwest to the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in the south.
• South America can be divided into three physical regions: mountains and highlands, river basins, and coastal plains.
• South America’s primary mountain system, the Andes, is also the world’s longest. The range covers about 8,850 kilometres (5,500 miles)
• The highest peak in the Andes, Aconcagua, stands at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) and straddles the Argentina-Chile border. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain outside Asia.
• The largest herb in the world, Puya raimondii, is known as the Queen of the Andes. A Puya raimondii can live for 100 years and can grow to more than 9 meters (30 feet) tall.
• The Amazon River basin has an area of almost 7 million square kilometres (2.7 million square miles), making it the largest watershed in the world.
• The Llanos is the perfect habitat for many bird species, including the scarlet ibis, bellbird, and umbrellabird. Important river species include the piranha, electric eel, and the Orinoco crocodile, which can reach a length of more than 6 meters (20 feet).
• It was the approval of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 that led European explorers to South America. The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed with the intention of allocating land in South America to both Spain and Portugal. With this treaty, all of the land west of the Cape Verde Islands was to go to Spain.
• South America is a multilingual continent. By total population, the most popular languages are Portuguese and Spanish. Portuguese is mostly spoken in Brazil, which is the most populated country on the continent. Spanish is spoken by the second-highest number of people in South America, and is the majority language in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia.
• Five South American countries - namely Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela - are recognized as "megadiverse". A megadiverse country is a country who is home to the majority of the world's extant species, and has a significant number of endemic species.
• The Gulf of Venezuela is currently claimed by both Colombia and Venezuela. The gulf is an important link between both the Caribbean Sea and Lake Maracaibo, the latter of which contains a large amount of crude oil in its basin.
• South America is home to a range of climate classifications, from equatorial to tundra. In the north of the continent, near Colombia and Venezuela, weather conditions are generally wet and humid.
• Chile's Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is the largest island in South America. The second largest of all South American islands is the island of Marajó, which is found in Brazil. Bananal Island, also in Brazil, is the third largest island in South America.
• Brazil is the largest country in South America, containing 8,515,799 square kilometres. Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 squared kilometers. Brazil borders nearly every country in South America, excluding only Ecuador and Chile. The land area of Brazil represents 47.3% of South America's total land area. Suriname is the smallest country in South America. The country covers a total of 163,820 square kilometres.
• The Andean Mountains, or Andes, stretch for nearly 7,000 km across the continent, from the top to the bottom. The mountain range passes through Venezuela, Ecuador, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. The tallest peak in the Andes is Aconcagua in Argentina, which measures 6,960.8 meters. It is the tallest mountain found outside of Asia.
• The Amazon River, which flows from west to east across the north-central portion of South America, is the world's largest river in terms of discharge volume. By some definitions, the Amazon River is also the longest river in the world - while the Nile River is generally considered to be the world's longest, some studies suggest an alternative source for the Amazon River, which would actually make it the world's longest. The Amazon Basin (Amazonia) is covered by the largest tropical rain forest in the world, and running through its heart is the Amazon River and its more than 1,000 tributaries, seven of them more than 1,000 miles in length.

Antarctica

• Antarctica is the only continent with no permanent human habitation. There are, however, permanent human settlements, where scientists and support staff live for part of the year on a rotating basis. There are no countries in Antarctica, although seven nations claim different parts of it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina.

• 66° - 90°S
• Western length: 7442km, East west breadth=5321km
• 9/10 of the world ice is in this region.
• Area: 13000000 sq. km (8.9%)
• Highest Mountain: Vensen mesif (5776m); Lowest Point Bentley Subglacial Trench, -2,555 m)
• The islands of the Antarctic region are: South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands, all claimed by the United Kingdom; Peter I Island and Bouvet Island, claimed by Norway; Heard and McDonald islands, claimed by Australia; and Scott Island and the Balleny Islands, claimed by New Zealand.
• Mount Erebus, located on Antarctica’s Ross Island, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth.
• The waters surrounding Antarctica are a key part of the “ocean conveyor belt,” a global system in which water circulates around the globe based on density and on currents. The cold waters surrounding Antarctica, known as the Antarctic Bottom Water, are so dense that they push against the ocean floor.
• Lichens, mosses, and terrestrial algae are among the few species of vegetation that grow in Antarctica.
• McMurdo Station is a U.S. research centre on the southern tip of Ross Island, a territory claimed by New Zealand. McMurdo is the largest station in Antarctica, capable of supporting 1,250 residents. Most of these residents are not scientists, but work to support station operations, construction, maintenance, and daily life. McMurdo has more than 80 buildings and operates like a small city. It has world-class laboratory and research facilities but also a firehouse, dormitories, stores, and the continent’s only ATM.
  Base Esperanza, Argentina’s largest Antarctic facility, is located in Hope Bay on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The station is known for a number of Antarctica “firsts.” It is the birthplace of Emilio Marcos Palma, the first person to be born in Antarctica. Base Esperanza also houses the first Catholic chapel (1976) and first school (1978) built on the continent.
• Highest Elevation Vinson Massif (4,892 meters/16,050 feet).
• Largest Watershed Antarctic Ice Sheet (14 million square kilometres/5.4 million square miles).

Australia and Oceania with its Geographical Map

• Oceania is a region made up of thousands of islands throughout the South Pacific Ocean. Australia is the largest landmass on the continent of Australia.
• Location = Latitude: 10°South to 40°South and Longitude:144°East to 180°East
• Iceland continent Area=7686850Sq. Km. 5.9%
• In 1990; 6 countries combined to make common wealth of Australia.
• Captain cook found Australia.
• New South Weals is known as oldest civilization of Australia.
• Important volcanic mountains in Melanesia include Mount Tomanivi, Fiji; Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea; and Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.
• Many of the most familiar animal’s native to Australia and Oceania are marsupials, including the koala, kangaroo, and wallaby. Marsupials are mammals that carry their newborn young in a pouch.
• The region is composed of three marine realms: Temperate Australasia, Central Indo-Pacific, and Eastern Indo-Pacific.
• Largest Watershed Murray-Darling river system (1 million square kilometres/409,835 square miles).
• Highest Elevation Mount Kosciuszko, Australia (2,228 meters/7,310 feet).
• Largest Urban Area Sydney, Australia (4 million people).
• The name "Oceania" (Océanie) was coined in 1812 by geographer Conrad Malte-Brun. It is from a French word derived from the Greek word (ōkeanós), or ocean.
• Hawaii is politically a part of North America, but geographically not part of any continent.
• Population: 35,670,000, 6th most populous continent.
• Population Density: 4.2; without Australia's mainland, 16.1
• Largest Countries (by size): Australia (7,686,850 sq km), Papua New Guinea (468,840), New Zealand (268,680 sq km)
• Largest Countries (by pop.): Australia (22,028,000), Papua New Guinea (5,172,033), New Zealand (4,108,037)
• Smallest Countries (by size): Nauru (21 sq km), Tuvalu (26 sq km), Marshall Islands (73,600 sq km)
• Smallest Countries (by pop.): Tuvalu (11,046), Nauru(12,329), Palau (19,409)
• Continent Size: 8,112,000 sq km, 3,132,059 sq miles. Note: While some others do, our Oceania size (shown above) does not factor in the Malay Archipelago, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, East Malaysia and East Timor. Also, Hawaii is not included as it geographically belongs to no continent.
• Percent of Earth's Land: 5.3%
• Highest Point: Mt. Wilheim, Papua New Guinea, 18,506 ft (5,642m)
• Lowest Point: Lake Eyre, Australia (-52 ft) (-16m)
• Horizontal Length: 5,889 miles (9,478 km) from Perth, Australia, east to Papeete, Tahiti
• Vertical Length: 3,910 miles (6.292 km) from Auckland, New Zealand northwest to Guam

More about Continents (Highest and Lowest Points, Largest and Smallest countries and many more)

Caribbean:

• • Referred to as the West Indies.
  • Includes more than 7,000 islands, of which 13 are independent countries.
  • Geographically includes the Caribbean Sea, islands southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, east of Central America and Mexico, and north of South America.
  • Some cays, islands, islets, and inhabited reefs are part of countries bordering the region.
  • The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are culturally, geographically, and politically associated with the Greater Antilles and other Caribbean islands but are not considered part of the Caribbean.

• Middle East:

  • Geographical and cultural region primarily in western Asia, with parts in northern Africa and southeastern Europe.
  • Western border is the Mediterranean Sea, with Israel, Lebanon, and Syria on the east, and Greece and Italy on the west in Europe.
  • Egypt borders the Mediterranean and is sometimes considered part of the Middle East.
  • Turkey and Cyprus connect Europe to Asia and are alternately considered European or Middle Eastern.

• Central America:

  • A part of North America and a tropical isthmus that connects North and South America.
  • Consists of 7 countries and many small offshore islands.

• Arctic:

  • Region north of the Arctic Circle, including the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Baffin Island, smaller northern islands, and far northern parts of Europe, Russia, Alaska, and Canada.
  • The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line at 66º, 30’N latitude, marking the southernmost part of the Arctic.
  • Climate is very cold, with much of the area covered in ice.
  • Inhabited by Eskimos (Inuits), Saami, and Russians.

Top ten largest countries (Geographical Area)

Top Ten Smallest Countries (Geographical Area)

Top Ten Countries by Population

Famous Landmarks of the World (Including Seven Wonders & Important facts about some more Landmarks)

7 Wonders of the Ancient World:

Seven wonders of The World

The campaign to select the New 7 Wonders of the World was initiated in the year 2000. It was introduced by an organization based in Zurich, Switzerland, named the New 7 Wonders Foundation (N7W). They are also known as the 7 Wonders of the Modern World.

1. The Great Wall of China

• The oldest section of the Great Wall of China was built around 2,000 years back.
• The structure was added to the list of the Great National and Historical Sites of the World in 1987 by UNESCO.
• During the construction of the wall, over a million labors lost their lives. It was, therefore, also known as the world’s longest cemetery.
• The wheelbarrow, invented by the Chinese, played an important part in the construction of the wall.
• Defensive moats surrounded certain sections of the wall to keep invaders away.
• The Great Wall’s highest point is in Beijing where it is constructed at the Heita Mountain rising 1,534 meters high.
• It is one of the most visited structures in the world.
• The most popular section of the Great Wall of China is at Badaling. It has been visited by more than three-hundred Heads of State as well as other important people from different parts of the world.
• Although the wall can be seen from space, astronauts cannot see it with the naked eye.
• The raw materials used during the early construction of the structure included compacted earth, stone and wood. A major rebuilding project was carried out in the fourteenth century during the Ming Dynasty. The wall was strengthened with stone and bricks.

2. Taj Mahal

• The construction of Taj Mahal began in 1631. It took twenty-two years for the complete building to come into existence in 1653.
• The architect who designed the beautiful Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
• Twenty-thousand workers were employed to carry out the construction job.
• Over a thousand elephants were used as a means of transport for the construction material during the building project.
• The marble used in the construction of Taj Mahal was brought from different parts of the country including Rajasthan and Punjab. In addition, different types of marble were also imported from China, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Tibet.
• The building appears in different shades depending upon the time of the day. According to local belief, these changing colors depict a woman’s changing moods.
• The largest dome of the building is called the “onion dome”. It is thirty-five meters in height.

3. Chichen Itza, Mexico

• The actual name “Chichen Itza” means “At the mouth of the well of the Itza.” The itza are believed to have been an ethnic-lineage group.
• It was an incredibly powerful economic power in the Maya world, establishing trade routes as far as South America; even though some believe their trade routes even went beyond the American Continent.
• Chichen Itza is an ancient Maya city. Archaeologists believe that this ancient Mayan city may have had the most diverse population in the ancient Maya because it displays a great variety of architectural styles with that reflects the diverse population from different cultures that inhabited this ancient city. It is one of the most visited touristic sites in Mexico with over a million tourists every year.
• Each of the pyramid’s four sides has 91 steps. If you include the temple platform located top as the final “step” you will get a total of 365 steps which are equal to the number of days of the Haab’ year. (The Haab’ was the Maya version of the 365-day calendar known to many of the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica.)
• The temple of the warriors is another amazing construction. The Temple of the Warriors complex includes a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns that depict the Maya warriors.
• Chichen Itza has a platform dedicated to the planet Venus located north of El Castillo.

4. Colosseum, Rome

• The Colosseum was built between 72 A.D and 80 A.D under the Emperor Vespasian, in the heart of Ancient Rome.
• Made from stone and concrete, this magnificent monument was built with the man power of tens of thousands of slaves.
• The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater (meaning “theatre in the round”) in the world! Oval in shape, it measures 189m long, 156m wide and 50m high (about the height of a 12 storey building). This ancient sporting arena could easily fit a modern day football pitch inside!
• This brilliant building had 80 entrances and could seat approximately 50,000 spectators who would come to watch sporting events and games. These events included gladiatorial combats, wild animal hunts and, believe it or not, ship naval battles!
• The first games ever to be held were in 80 A.D, under Emperor Titus (the son of Vespasian), and they ran for 100 days straight. Games continued to be held for centuries to come – gladiatorial games until the fifth century and animal hunts until the 6th century.
• To protect the spectators from the blistering sun and heat of Ancient Rome, there was the velarium – an awning that could be pulled over the top of the seating area to provide shade.

5. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

• One of the most famous landmarks of the country Brazil – Christ the Redeemer– is located in Rio.
• In total, the statue stands at 124 ft. The arms of Christ the Redeemer spans 92 ft wide.
• French sculptor Paul Landowski sketched the statue.
• Lee Thompson is the first person to take a selfie on top of the head of the statue.
• One of the world’s largest libraries, Biblioteca Nacional is situated in Rio. It contains a collection comprising of over nine million items.
• There are various other attractions for visitors, including the diversity of flora and fauna, historical significance and pristine tropical forests. Owing to this reason, Rio de Janeiro is also known as “the Marvelous City”.

6. Machu Picchu, Peru

• Discovered only about a hundred years ago, Machu Picchu is the mystical remains of the Inca civilization and is also referred to as “Lost City of the Incas”.
• It is situated on a ridge at a height of 2,430 meters between the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.
• Hiram Bingham – an American historian – was the first individual to discover and unveil the mystical Machu Picchu to the world.
• The path taken by tourists to reach the site is known as the Inca Trail. It is a trek which takes tourists to the Inca remains after three days.
• Machu Picchu was built by the ninth Inca emperor, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. According to historians, it served as a Royal real estate for the emperor and other nobles.
• Among the remains of ancient structures are several religious buildings, including the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Three Windows.
• The Machu Picchu site was deserted by its ancient inhabitants about a hundred years after its construction. Archeologists and historians suggest the reason to be an invasion by the Spanish or small pox epidemic which wiped out the Inca civilization

7. Petra, Jordan

• Petra was founded in the year 312 BC as the capital of the Nabatean Empire. This makes it over 2300 years old, and one of the oldest cities in the world.
• The name Petra actually means ‘rocks’. ­ It is thought to come from the Greek word ‘Petros’, meaning rock, and was named by Greek visitors for its distinctive carved sandstone.
• The Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, is arguably one of the most famous ancient sites in the world, known for its fascinating set of 63 carved tombs and mausoleums. However, one of the most interesting facts about Petra is that it is one of the largest royal tomb complexes in the world, with approximately 1,000 individual tombs identified to date.
• Petra’s beautiful sandstone is an incredible colour, earning it the nickname ‘the Rose City’. One of the most magical times to visit is around sunset when the last rays of the sun cast an incredible pink hue on the rocks.

New Seven Wonders of Nature

Seven Wonders of Underwater World

Important facts about some more Landmarks

Leaning Tower of Pisa

• Italian Name: Torre Pendente di Pisa
• Location: City of Pisa, Italy.
• Accommodation: Find Hotels in Pisa
• Construction Year: started in 1173, finished in 1399
• The original completed height of the Tower of Pisa is 60 meters. Actually the tower’s height is 56.67m on the highest side and 55,86m on the lowest side.Actual Height: 56.67m =highest side; 55,86m = lowest side
• There are 251 steps from the bottom to the top of the Pisa tower.
• Weight: 14,500 tonnes(aprox)
• The leaning Tower of Pisa is a medieval architecture, in Romanesque style.
• It is considered that the architects and engineers who designed the leaning Tower of Pisa are: Bonanno Pisano, Gherardo di Gherardo, Giovanni Pisano, Giovanni di Simone

Panjin Red Beach

• One of the most incredibly beautiful natural landmarks in Asia is the Panjin Red Beach in China. It is located in the delta region of the Liaohe River
• The red sea weed found on the Panjin Beach grows best in saline alkali soil.
• The weed turns bright red during autumn and makes the beach appear covered in red carpet.
• The beach is situated in the world’s biggest wetland and reed marsh.

Chocolate Hills

• The hills are located on the Bohol Island in Philippines.
• The Chocolate Hills are actually limestone hills.
• According to the most common theories, the formation of the hills took place through coral deposits over along time period.
• According to legend, the hills were formed as a result of a rock throwing competition between two giants.

Angkor Wat

• Angkor Wat is an ancient religious monument located in Cambodia. It was constructed in the twelfth century and is a relic of one of the oldest civilizations of the world.
• This Hindu Temple is the world’s largest religious monument.
• Angkor Wat contributes to about fifty percent tourism in Cambodia.
• The temple’s orientation is towards the west. According to Hindu belief, this direction is associated with death.
• The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu.
• The awe-inspiring temple complex was first discovered in 1860 by a French explorer.
• Prior to its discovery, the local Cambodians followed the general belief that the building was constructed by gods.
• The literal meaning of Angkor Wat is the City of Temples.
• Vegetable compounds were used to join together the bricks of the temple during its construction.
• It served the same purpose as the Egyptian pyramids since it was built to preserve the ashes of the dead King.

The Statue of Liberty

• The colossal Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States of America in 1986 by France. It stands on the Liberty Island located in the New York Harbor. The monument weighs 225 tons and measures 93 meters in height. It is the statue of a female which depicts the Roman goddess of freedom – Roberta.
• As its actual full name, the magnificent statue is known as Liberty Enlightening the World.
• The name of the French artist who designed this legendary monument was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.
• Inscribed on the tablet which the robbed female figure holds is the date of America’s Declaration of Independence – 4th of July 1776.
• There are stairs to let visitors climb up the statue and explore its magnificence. In order to reach to the top of the woman’s crown, tourists have to climb up 354 stairs.
• The crown of the statue contains windows which are twenty-five in number.
• It is the third most visited place in the world after the Eiffel Tower and the London Eye.

The Grand Canyon

• Located in the state of Arizona, the spectacular Grand Canyon is counted among the seven natural wonders of the world.
• The Grand Canyon stretches to a length of 446 kilometers.
• The Colorado River running through the region has been causing erosion of the steep sides of the Grand Canyon for millions of years.

The Empire State Building

• The building was designed by William Lamb and consists of 103 floors.
• It was the world’s first building having a hundred floors.
• Standing in Manhattan, New York City is an enormous skyscraper known as the Empire State Building.

The Golden Gate Bridge

• Another one of the most famous landmarks is the Golden Gate Bridge in North America. It is a suspension bridge which spans the Golden Gate Strait – a channel connecting the San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. The bridge is 2,737 meters long with a height of 227 meters.
• Joseph Stratus, Charles Ellis and Irving Morrow were the main designers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Gateway Arch

• Located in ST. Louis, the Gateway Arch is another one of the most famous landmarks in North America.
• It is a stylish monument which rises to a height of 630 feet, surpassing the skyline of the city.
• The monument is located at the banks of River Mississippi in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

Fort Delaware

• Fort Delaware was built on the island of Delaware River in the 19th century to protect the harbors of Philadelphia and Wilmington
• During the American civil war, it was also used as a prison for the prisoners of war by the union

Angel Falls

• Water falls from a height of 979 meters with a plunge of about eight hundred meters.
• The final destination of the waterfall is the Auyan-tepui Mountain located in the Canaima National Park in the Bolivar State.

Galapagos Islands

• The Galapagos Islands consist of an archipelago of nineteen main islands situated at a distance of a thousand kilometers from the continent in the Pacific Ocean.
• The biological marine reserve formed by the islands is referred to as a “living museum” as well as a “showcase of evolution”.
• Collectively, the islands, islets and rocks forming the Galapagos archipelago are 127 in number.
• The world’s last giant Pinta tortoise – named, Lonesome George – was found on the Galapagos before it passed away in 2012.
• Three major ocean currents merge at the Archipelagos and bring a huge variety of marine life.
• Among other tourist attractions on the Galapagos are lava tunnels situated on Santa Cruz. These tunnels lead to an insight into the formation of the mystical islands.
• Located on the Isabela Island is the Alcedo Volcano which can be climbed by the tourists. This is where the world’s largest population density of tortoise is found.

Cano Cristales

• Cano Cristales is known as the most beautiful river in the world. Also referred to as the Liquid Rainbow, Cano Cristales is the River of Five Colors.
• It is located in the Meta Province in Columbia.
• The river originates from Serrania de la Macarena and flows for a hundred kilometers before emptying into the Guyabero River.
• The most prominent color of the river is red which is caused by the growth of an endemic species of plants known as Macarenia clavigera.

Rome, Italy

• The Colosseum had been the site of the most thrilling form of ancient Roman amusement – gladiator fights. It could hold as many as fifty thousand spectators at a time.
• Another of the most famous Roman tourist attractions is the Trevi Fountain. It was built in the eighteenth century and sits amid hotels and shopping outlets today. As Roman lore has it, throwing two coins in the fountain fulfills one wish of falling in love with a gorgeous Roman.
• The circular Pantheon is an old pagan temple. It is the burial site of the famed Raphael – the artist – as well as two renowned Italian kings. The building is located in Piazza Della Rotunda where tourists can warm up with some coffee or indulge in a slice of Italian pizza.
• Another significant historic site in Rome is the Forum. The remains of the complex consist of government houses, ancient Roman monuments as well as shrines.

London

• One of the biggest and most well-developed cities of Europe, London, offers a plethora of attractions to tourists.
• The famous Tower of London is one of the most significant historical landmarks of the city.
• With a more beautiful exterior than the Tower of London, the Buckingham Palace always holds the onlookers in awe. It is the home of Queen Elizabeth II in London. Except for the private quarters of the Queen, the rest of the palace is open for visits by tourists.
• The Westminster Abbey is a beautiful church built during the medieval times. It is very important to the royal family since sixteen royal weddings and forty coronations took place here.
• Another popular landmark of the city is the Tower Bridge. The stone and steel bridge lets tourists enjoy a beautiful view of the city.
• The giant Ferris Wheel, known as the London Eye, gives a unique panoramic view of the city to tourists.

Land Locked Countries

A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 5 partially recognized landlocked states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country.

Landlocked by a single country

• Three countries are landlocked by a single country (enclaved countries):
• Lesotho, a state surrounded by South Africa.
• San Marino, a state surrounded by Italy.
• Vatican City, a state surrounded by Italy.
• Landlocked by two countries

Seven landlocked countries are surrounded by only two mutually bordering neighbours (semi-enclaved countries):

• Andorra (between France and Spain)
• Bhutan (between China and India)
• Eswatini (between Mozambique and South Africa)
• Liechtenstein (one of the "doubly landlocked" countries, between Austria and Switzerland)
• Moldova (between Romania and Ukraine)
• Mongolia (between China and Russia)
• Nepal (between China and India)
• To this group could be added three landlocked territories which are de facto states with no or limited international recognition.
• South Ossetia (between Georgia and Russia)
• Transnistria (between Moldova and Ukraine)
• West Bank (between Israel and Jordan)

A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded only by landlocked countries (requiring the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline).There are two such countries:

• Liechtenstein in Western Europe, surrounded by Austria and Switzerland.
• Uzbekistan in Central Asia, surrounded by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
• To this group could be added one doubly landlocked territory which is a de facto state with limited international recognition:
• Artsakh (also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) in the Caucasus, entirely surrounded by Azerbaijan except for a narrow land corridor to Armenia that is under the control of Russian peacekeepers.

List of landlocked countries and partially recognized landlocked states