Geography fun facts and oddities: Difference between revisions
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* sinkholes may also be caused by a drainage of water, such as a water table decline | * sinkholes may also be caused by a drainage of water, such as a water table decline | ||
* sinkholes are most common where limestone, sandstone, salt beds, or gypsum are prevalent | * sinkholes are most common where limestone, sandstone, salt beds, or gypsum are prevalent | ||
[[File:Thor's Well (37588682016).jpg|350px|border|right|thumb|Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon]] | [[File:Thor's Well (37588682016).jpg|350px|border|right|250px|thumb|Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon]] | ||
* Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon, that drains at high tides | * Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon, that drains at high tides | ||
[[File:December_Giant_sinkhole_collapse_USGS_1972.jpg|350px|border||right|thumb|More than three acres of forest suddenly disappeared into this "December Giant" sinkhole in Montevallo, Alabama, USA.]] | [[File:December_Giant_sinkhole_collapse_USGS_1972.jpg|350px|border||right|thumb|More than three acres of forest suddenly disappeared into this "December Giant" sinkhole in Montevallo, Alabama, USA.]] |
Revision as of 00:11, 15 March 2021
Geography fun facts & oddities
page organization t.b.a.
- just a collection of facts and oddities for how
Geography fun facts[edit | edit source]
- Pitcaren Islands in Polynesia, are the least populated political entity in the world (67 residents)
- Vatican City, for example, has 825 residents
- Rio de la Plata is the widest river in the world (max width: 140 mi)
- the Rio de la Plata is considered a river, estuary, gulf or "marginal sea"
- it is fed by the Uruguay and Parana rivers at Punta Gorda ("fat point"
Geography oddities[edit | edit source]
Rocks[edit | edit source]
- Three Sisters or Three Sisters Islands (Washington, DC)
- three rocky islands in the Potomac River in Washington, DC
- click EXPAND for legends behind the name of the rocks:
- three Native American sisters who died crossing the river there while trying to rescue their brothers who had been kidnapped by another tribe
- three Native American sisters who were banished to the islands after refusing the husbands selected for them by their father; the sisters cursed the spot, which is said to make an eerie sound whenever the River is about to take a life
- a 1925 novel included a story about three nuns who drowned at the spot
See: [Three Sisters (wiki)]
- Independence Rock (Wyoming)
- a 130 ft high granite rock in Wyoming that sticks up out of the prairie
- located at the southeast end of the Granite Mountains
- served as a landmark for 19th century western settlers, some of whom carved their names on the rock and some of which are still visible
Earthquakes[edit | edit source]
Sinkholes[edit | edit source]
- sinkholes are holes or caves in the ground caused by erosion or a collapse of a lower, below-ground surface, usually because of water drainage
- sinkholes may also be caused by a drainage of water, such as a water table decline
- sinkholes are most common where limestone, sandstone, salt beds, or gypsum are prevalent
- Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon, that drains at high tides
- Golly Hole in Shelby County is considered the largest sinkhole in the US.
- it is 325 ft long, 300 ft wide, and 120 ft deep
- source: [What is the largest sinkhole in the United States? (usgs.gov)]
- See
Enclaves & Exclaves[edit | edit source]
- see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave_and_exclave
- enclave = a country or territory that is entirely surrounded by another country or territory
- "enclave" is derived from the Latin inclavare for "to close with a key," meaning one property that is entirely surrounded by another proprerty
- nation state enclaves:
- click on EXPAND to see list of nation state enclaves:
- Vatican City (within Italy)
- San Marino (within Italy)
- Losotho (within South Africa)
- semi-enclave states are surrounded by another states by land but also have a water border, such as:
- Monaco (surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea)
- The Gambia (surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean)
- Brunei (surrounded by the Malaysian state, Sarawak, and the South China Sea)
- several other enclave states exist politically independent but are not recognized officially as independent nations
- exclave = a territory or part of a country that is separated from the main country or territory
- examples
Geographic extremes[edit | edit source]
Largest & smallest nations, Highest & lowest populations[edit | edit source]
Africa
- Algeria is the largest country in Africa
- The Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa
- The Gambia is a semi-enclave surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean
- Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa, including islands
- Nigeria has the highest population in Africa
- Ethiopia as the 2nd highest population
- Djibouti has the lowest population in mainland Africa
- Seychelles has the lowest population in Africa among independent nations (territories excluded) and including island states
- Saint Helena the lowest population in Africa, including island states and semi-independent territories
- Seychelles has the second lowest population in Africa, including island states and territories
Asia
Australia
- Australia is the largest and the smallest country in Australia
- Australia is the only country to entirely occupy a continent
Directional extremes (north, south, east, west)[edit | edit source]
United States
- northernmost state in the continental U.S.: Minnesota
- northernmost point in the continental U.S.: Northwest Angle, Minnesota, known as "The Angle"
- Click EXPAND to read more about the Northwest Angle:
- when negotiating the US-Canadian border following the American Revolution (Treaty of Paris, 1783), negotiators used an inaccurate map of the border of present-day Minnesota and Canada, and thereby included the northwest portion of the Lake of the Woods as the border, while it actually lies within Canadian territory
- thus The Angle is one of six "practical exclaves" of the U.S., as it is only accessible by land via Canada
- in 2010, it's population was 119
- see: Northwest Angle (wiki)