Geography Facts for Kids
Cool facts about our planet
Mount Fuji in Japan is a nearly perfectly shaped stratovolcano, which is why it has been celebrated in Japanese art for centuries. It is the country's highest peak at 3,776 metres and is still classified as active.
North and South America are connected by a tiny strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama, which is less than 80 km wide at its narrowest point. This land bridge formed about 3 million years ago.
India has more post offices than any other country in the world, with over 150,000 locations. There is even a floating post office on Dal Lake in Kashmir, operating from a houseboat.
In the United Kingdom, no point on land is more than about 113 km (70 miles) from the sea. This means the UK has a remarkably mild, wet climate influenced by the ocean on all sides.
Europe's Danube River flows through or borders more countries than any other river in the world, passing through 10 nations on its 2,860 km journey from Germany to the Black Sea.
Niagara Falls is slowly moving upstream. The powerful water erodes the rock at the base of the falls, causing the lip to slowly recede southward at a rate of about 30 cm per year.
La Paz in Bolivia is the world's highest seat of government at 3,640 metres above sea level. Visitors from lower altitudes often feel dizzy and short of breath when they first arrive because of the thin air.
The Canary Islands, belonging to Spain, were not named after the canary bird. They were named after large dogs — from the Latin 'Canariae Insulae,' meaning 'Island of Dogs.' The birds were later named after the islands.
Earth is not a perfect sphere — it bulges slightly at the equator because of the centrifugal force of its spin. This means the equator is about 43 km farther from Earth's centre than the poles are.
Iceland heats about 90% of its homes using geothermal energy from the volcanic activity beneath the island. This makes it one of the greenest energy countries in the world.