Geography fun facts and oddities: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:59, 14 March 2021

Geography fun facts & oddities

page organization t.b.a.

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"

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

Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon, that drains at high tides

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
exclave = a territory or part of a country that is separated from the main country or territory
examples

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

United States

northernmost state in the continental U.S.: Minnesota
northernmost point in the continental U.S.: Northwest Angle, Minnesota, known as "The 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)

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 == Geography oddities ==
-=== Sink holes ===
+=== Sinkholes ===
+* 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
 [[File:Thor's Well (37588682016).jpg|450px|border|right|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
+[[File:December_Giant_sinkhole_collapse_USGS_1972.jpg|400px|border||right|thumb|More than three acres of forest suddenly disappeared into this "December Giant" sinkhole in Montevallo, Alabama, USA.]]
+* See
+** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole Sinkhole (wiki)]]
 === Enclaves & Exclaves ===