martymas Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 hi all here are a few facts about our world and our peopleAlaska More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska.Amazon The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply.The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean The volume of water in the Amazon River is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States.Antarctica Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica. This ice also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world.As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches.Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.Brazil Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.Canada Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning "Big Village."Chicago Next to Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.Detroit Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, carries the designation M-1, named so because it was the first paved road anywhere.Damascus Syria Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.IstanbulTurkey Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.Los Angeles Los Angeles's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.New York City The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.Ohio There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is manmade.Pitcairn Island The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia, at just 75 sq. miles. (4.53 sq. km.)Rome The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C.There is a city called Rome on every continent.Siberia Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.S.M.O.M.The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is Sahara Desert In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Ti dikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years.Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for two million years.Spain Spain literally means 'the land of rabbits.' St. Paul, Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota, was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant who set up the first business there.Roads Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A.: 1%, in Canada: 75% Texas The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas. It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.United States The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one-mile in every five must be straight.These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or ot her emergencies.Waterfalls The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet (979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hitest Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Cool. Interesting stuff, Marty:-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
garmanma Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Interesting stuff. Why didn't I find it interesting back in History and Geography classes I'll never know. Must of been the raging hormones. Born and raised in Ohio and I never knew that one. Looked at the map and Damn, you're rightMark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blim Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 VERY interesting stuff, Marty and thanks! Emailing that to the kids! (who would WANT to own Antartica? )Ohhh! From the Geographically Impared, Lake Erie borders Ohio! There ya go. Found one. OK, it's not IN Ohio but thats a mere technicality for the Geographically Impared Had no idea Malta was so small. I knew a former US Ambassador to Malta, seems a waste of taxpayers money for such a small country, but he was one of the nicest, down-to-earth people I ever met, so I guess he deserved a good job!Liz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martymas Posted April 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 isnt it funny how we veiw life as we grow older in a different lightmark is correct wwhen he says we are to full of other things than to look at the world around usi agree when we are young raging hormones are in many of our thoughts and makes us blind to naturemarty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
garmanma Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 VERY interesting stuff, Marty and thanks! Emailing that to the kids! (who would WANT to own Antartica? )Ohhh! From the Geographically Impared, Lake Erie borders Ohio! There ya go. Found one. OK, it's not IN Ohio but thats a mere technicality for the Geographically Impared Had no idea Malta was so small. I knew a former US Ambassador to Malta, seems a waste of taxpayers money for such a small country, but he was one of the nicest, down-to-earth people I ever met, so I guess he deserved a good job!LizI was going to say Lake Erie but it's only on one side. I think you could consider my back yard as a lake in springtime though. My neighbor's gets so bad we pump it out.Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bozodog Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Good stuff! I loved history and geography. I don't think they taught that. Heh, now-a-days, just what DO they teach? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDoors Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 There is a city called Rome on every continent. Rome, Antarctica? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 There is a city called Rome on every continent. Rome, Antarctica?http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/...antarctica.htmlThe volume of the ice sheet over Antarctica is now about the same as that of the ice over North America during the last Ice Age. Apart from the inland ice there is sea ice, and ice shelves in relatively shallow bays. The Ross and the Filchner-Rome ice shelves are each the size of France. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jcl Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 (edited) The volume of the ice sheet over Antarctica is now about the same as that of the ice over North America during the last Ice Age. Apart from the inland ice there is sea ice, and ice shelves in relatively shallow bays. The Ross and the Filchner-Rome ice shelves are each the size of France.That's an error: it's the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Edited April 16, 2007 by jcl Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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