ASTOUNDING EARTH FACTS

IN THE MOUTH OF THE CATATUMBO RIVER

IN VENEZUELA, A UNIQUE ATMOSPHERIC

PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE EVERLASTING

STORM CAN BE OBSERVED. ORIGINATING FROM

A MASS OF STORM CLOUDS AT A HEIGHT OF MORE

THAN 5 KM (3 MILES), THE STORM OCCURS FOR

UP TO 160 NIGHTS A YEAR, 10 HOURS PER DAY.

WITH ALMOST 56,500 MILES (91,000 KILOMETRES) OR

AROUND 15 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S MORE THAN

372,000 MILES (ALMOST 530,000 KILOMETRES) OF

COASTLINES, CANADA HAS THE LONGEST

COASTLINE OF ANY COUNTRY.

ACCORDING TO SOME ASTROBIOLOGISTS,

EARTH COULD HAVE BEEN PURPLE.

THIS THEORY IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT

LIFE FORMS OF EARLY EARTH WERE RETINAL-BASED

RATHER THAN CHLOROPHYLL-BASED THUS

MAKING EARTH APPEARED PURPLE RATHER

THAN GREEN.

WITH A WEIGHT OF OVER 180 TONS, THE BLUE WHALE

IS THE LARGEST EXISTING ANIMAL AND THE

HEAVIEST ANIMAL THAT HAS EVER LIVED ON EARTH.

FOR EXAMPLE, ARGENTINOSAURUS, ONE OF THE

LARGEST AND HEAVIEST DINOSAURS, IS ESTIMATED

TO WEIGH “JUST” ABOUT 73 TONS.

LOCATED IN A PLATEAU IN SOUTH AMERICA,

THE ATACAMA DESERT HAS THE REPUTATION

OF THE DRIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD.

IN THE CENTRE OF THIS DESERT, THERE ARE

AREAS WHERE RAIN HAS NEVER BEEN RECORDED.

DURING SUMMER MONTHS, IN SOME PLACES

NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE OR SOUTH OF THE

ANTARCTIC CIRCLE, THE SUN IS VISIBLE FOR A

FULL 24 HOURS. THIS BIZARRE PHENOMENON IS

KNOWN AS THE MIDNIGHT SUN OR POLAR DAY.

THERE ARE PLACES WITH LESS GRAVITY THAN

OTHER REGIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN HUDSON BAY

CANADA, THE WEAKER GRAVITY IS DUE TO THE

FACT THAT THERE IS LESS LAND MASS IN THAT

AREA THANKS TO RETREATING GLACIERS AND

SWIRLING MAGMA DEEP IN THE EARTH CORE.