Geography Facts for Kids
Cool facts about our planet
The Amazon River carries more sediment — mud, sand, and silt — to the ocean than any other river in the world. This sediment has built up a shallow shelf off Brazil's coast that extends hundreds of kilometres into the Atlantic.
Scotland has more castles per square kilometre than almost any other country in the world, with over 3,000 castles and castle ruins. Many have stood for hundreds of years and are still standing today.
The Sahara Desert can be scorching hot during the day but freezing cold at night. Because the dry sand and air hold almost no moisture, temperatures can swing by 40 degrees Celsius between day and night.
The world's tallest sea cliffs are on the island of Moloka'i in Hawaii. The Kalaupapa cliffs plunge more than 1,000 metres straight down into the Pacific Ocean.
Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948 and redirected the money saved toward education and health care. Today the country is one of the most environmentally protected and literate nations in the world.
London is at a higher latitude than Moscow, yet London's winters are much milder. This is because the Gulf Stream ocean current carries warm water from the tropics all the way to northwestern Europe.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia is a massive sandstone monolith that stands 348 metres tall, but the part visible above ground is just the tip — most of the rock extends deep underground.
The Rio Grande river forms the entire border between the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico for about 2,000 km. Interestingly, in Mexico, the same river is called the Río Bravo.
Lake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes located entirely within the United States. All four other Great Lakes — Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — are shared with Canada.
The Saharan silver ant is one of the most heat-tolerant animals on Earth, venturing out at midday when surface temperatures exceed 70°C. These ants can only survive above ground for about 10 minutes before overheating.