What is the longest river on Earth?
The Nile and the Amazon compete for the title depending on where you measure from; the Nile is conventionally cited at about 6,650 km.
Just know.
12 facts — science, space, the body, the world. No fluff.What is the largest desert?
Antarctica — a desert is defined by low precipitation, not heat. The Sahara is the largest hot desert.
Where is the deepest point on Earth?
Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench — about 10.9 km down. Everest would fit inside with over 2 km of water above it.
What is the most spoken language?
English counts the most total speakers (about 1.5 billion, mostly as a second language); Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers.
What is the most populous country?
India, which passed China in 2023 with over 1.4 billion people. The world passed 8 billion total in November 2022.
What is the tallest mountain?
Everest is highest above sea level (8,849 m), but Mauna Kea is taller base-to-peak (over 10 km, mostly underwater), and Chimborazo is farthest from Earth's centre.
How many countries are in Africa?
54 — the most of any continent. Nigeria alone holds about one in six Africans.
What is the equator?
The line equidistant from the poles where Earth's radius is largest — about 40,075 km around. Seasons barely exist on it; days are 12 hours year-round.
Do continents really move?
Yes — a few centimetres per year as plates of the lithosphere slide on the mantle. Africa and South America are drifting apart, widening the Atlantic.
What is the largest country?
Russia, spanning about 17.1 million km² — 11 time zones. The smallest is Vatican City at 0.49 km².
How does GPS know where you are?
Your phone listens to signals from at least four satellites, compares arrival times, and triangulates. GPS satellites themselves need Einstein's relativity corrections to stay accurate.
How much of Earth's water is drinkable?
Only about 2.5% is fresh, and most of that is locked in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of fresh water is easily reachable surface water.