Famous Deserts Of The World

A desert is a type of region or terrain on, Earth's surface which receives very less rainfall compared to other regions. Deserts are extremely dry regions with very little water around. In such extreme climates there is very little plant and animal life.
Deserts are also classified as a type of ecosystem having its own plant and animal habitat. Deserts are one of the largest ecosystems of the world. Due to harsh climate in deserts, only some of the most unusual plants and animals can survive in such regions which are unique their respective desert areas.
Each continent has its own vast desert region covering a large area of the continent it is in. However each of these deserts have their own geology and climatic conditions unique from other.

People having fun with the Arabian Desert Safari.

Arabian Desert

The name ‘Arabian Desert’ refers to a great desert region that covers almost all of the Arabian Peninsula.
This desert is of subtropical type. It is stretched on the area of 2,300,000 square kilometers. The people living in this region are commonly Arabs with Arabic as their primary language.
On east it touches border of Oman, on northeast Persian Gulf, on north Syria, on south east Arabian Sea, on south Gulf of Aden, on northwest Jordan and red sea comes on west. Most of the part of this desert lies in kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The Saharan Desert

Sahara Desert

Sahara is considered as the world’s largest desert. This desert belongs to the subtropical type of deserts and lies in northern Africa. Sahara measures about 800-1200 miles from south to north and about 3000 miles from west to east.
On north end of the desert lies the Atlas Mountains and Mediterranean Sea, on east end Red Sea, on south end a zone of ancient immobile sand dunes and on west it is the Atlantic ocean.
The area of this desert is about 3,500,000 square miles. This desert is as big as whole continent of Europe or United States and covers almost all of northern Africa. 

The Great Basin Desert

Great Basin Desert

Great basin is cold winter type desert of North America. This desert is spread over the area of 190,000 square miles.
It is bordered by Colombian plateau on the north, Sierra Nevada range on west, the Mojave Desert on south and Wasatch Mountains on east. This is the largest subdivision of basin and range province and it consists of the northern half of the province.
The desert in most noted for the drainage system. It has an internal drainage system; its precipitation is closed in the region and does not allow it to merge in sea. The Great Salt Lake also lies in this desert.

Famous Plateaus In The World

• Famous Plateaus
  Plateaus are in general referred to as the flat top mountains but by definition a plateau is defined as a large flat piece of land raised approximately more than 15000 feet above its surroundings.

The Gobi Desert

Gobi Desert

Desert covers northern and northwestern part of China and western part of Mongolia. This region is fully deserted at many places while on other parts, it is semi deserted.
Gobi desert has a notable part in history as it was a part of the Mongolian Empire. It also has many important cities along with Silk Road. The Himalayas stops clouds above Gobi which cause rainfall, that’s why it is known as rain shadow desert.
Its area forms an arc of about 500,002 square miles and is largest in Asia and third largest, after Sahara and Arabian Desert, in all deserts of the world. Gobi is not all sandy region; it includes bare mountains as well.

Famous Mountains Of The World

• Famous Mountains
  Nature is full of beauty, there are countless things around the world which remind us about the beauty of the world we live in.
• Famous Skiing Mountains
  When ever a skier thinks of getting a ski holiday booked for himself its the time and indication that winters are here.

The Karakum Desert

Karakum Desert

Karakum desert is also known as Garagum in Turkmen and Karakumy in Russian.
This desert is in central Asia and covers about 70% area of Turkmenistan. As far as population is concern, this area has a population rate of one person per 2.5 square miles.
Rainfall in this region is as low as once in decade. It has Caspian sea, on its east side and on west there is an ancient valley of Uzboy river.
In south, it runs along the Kopet-Deg Mountain and in north side of the desert it is Amu Darya. Dryness of desert made the climate of whole region dry and hot. This is a cold winter type desert.

The Thar Desert

Thar Desert

Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert is on the border of India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it covers the area of Sindh and Lower Punjab where it adjoins the Cholistan Desert.
In India, this desert covers the state of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat. It has an area of 77000 squares of miles and stands on ninth rank in all world deserts.
This desert is a result of dryness cause by prevailing monsoon winds and insufficient amount of rain to keep the land moist.

Famous National Parks

• Famous National Parks
  Nature has blessed us with so many beautiful things and breathtaking sites. The whole Earth is filled with such diverse animal and plant life that till now, man hasnt completely figured out.

The Kalahari Desert

Kalahari Desert

Kalahari Desert covers parts of Namibia, South Africa and a big part of Botswana. Kalahari is undulating plain surface which is almost featureless.
This desert is about 3000 feet above the sea level. Geographically speaking the area has some portions of desert and plateau, lies in south of Africa.
The desert has an area of approximately 970,000 square miles spread over Botswana; Namibia which also touches some parts of Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Inhabitants of Kalahari deserts are mostly hunter-gatherer called Bushmen. Bushmen have lived in the Kalahari for more than 20000 years.

The History of Everest

The discovery of Everest, the highest mountain in the world, was the crowning achievement of labors by geographers, surveyors, and explorers. It was as demanding and complicated an achievement as the mountaineering and logistical skills of those who eventually climbed it. Both endeavors faced formidable obstacles – physical, psychological, political, and technical – that often appeared insurmountable. The early exploration of Everest involved the development of measuring, mapping, and surveying techniques, which were employed by many of the great 19th-century explorers to map the earth's lesser-known regions, the terrae incognitae. The culmination of these skills occurred in William Lambton's Great Trigonometrical Survey of the Indian sub-continent. In the 1830s, this was under the control of the Surveyor-General of India, Sir George Everest, after whom the mountain was named. This scientific endeavor provided an accurate geographical framework for a map of India, which in turn unraveled the mysteries of the Himalayas and established Mount Everest as the highest mountain in the world

Amazon rainforest

The Amazon rainforest (PortuguThe Amazon rainforest (Portuguese: Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia; Spanish: Selva Amazónica, Amazonía or usually Amazonia; French: Forêt amazonienne; Dutch: Amazoneregenwoud), also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations contain "Amazonas" in their names. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.ese: Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia; Spanish: Selva Amazónica, Amazonía or usually Amazonia; French: Forêt amazonienne; Dutch: Amazoneregenwoud), also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations contain "Amazonas" in their names. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.

Sydney Bridge and Sydney Opera House

Situated on the E coast, in the region of New South Wales, Sydney is Australia's oldest, largest and most diverse city. Located in the centre of Sydney is the dazzling Sydney Harbour with its iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The city has no shortage of lazy bays and legendary surf beaches but Sydney is an adventure playground on the grandest scale with no shortage of activities. There's the Bondi surf, sailing under the Harbour Bridge on a yacht, jogging along the Coogee cliff tops or rampaging through Centennial Park on horseback. Everybody seems to enjoy the outdoors with swarming beaches, buzzing street cafés and the harbour is always blooming with a variety of sails. Sydney's location gives it a temperate, sunny climate with average maximum temperatures range from 17 degrees Celsius in winter (June-August) to 27 degrees Celsius in summer (December-February).

Sydney's population is approaching five million, but it is easy to leave the frenetic urban pace behind with just a simple ferry ride to the North Shore for a bush walk, enjoy a stroll along the harbour beaches or take any one of a number of daytrips to explore the 'real' Australia on the doorstep.

Sydney is a dynamic city and visitors love its verve and vibrancy, its beautiful harbour and myriad waterways. From sailboats and ferry rides to fine dining at a harbourside restaurant or outdoor cafe, the soul of Sydney is the harbour. The city is also a wonderful base for touring the New South Wales countryside and beyond the city there are friendly country towns, national parks filled with extraordinary flora and fauna, and beautiful beaches up and down the coast.

Great Barrier Reef Travel Guide

The Great Barrier Reef is one of great vacation destinations of the world and arguably the best loved scuba diving and snorkeling experience on the planet. Not only is it so popular for its expanse and natural splendour, but it also hugs the coast of one of the world's friendliest places: sunny, tropical Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is divided into an 'inner' and 'outer' reef and covers an area of around 1,200 miles, made up of countless reefs, coral cays and islands.

Must Visit Cape Townin in South Africa

Cape Town is the most popular international tourist destination in South Africa due to its good climate, natural setting, and relatively well-developed infrastructure.
The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notably Table Mountain, which forms a large part of the Table Mountain National Park and is the back end of the City Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the Table Mountain Cableway. Cape Point is recognised as the dramatic headland at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Many tourists also drive along Chapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that links Noordhoek with Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up Signal Hill for closer views of the City Bowl and Table Mountain.Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of Cape Dutch style buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany and France, is most visible in Constantia, the old government buildings in the Central Business District, and along Long Street. The Artscape Theatre Centre is the main performing arts venue in Cape Town.Capetown is located on the extreme south west tip of South Africa, (it is 875 mls SW of Johannesburg, 1,050 mls SW of Durban and 475 mls W of Port Elizabeth. International airport is 12 mls E). It is to the north coast of the "hook" of the Cape of Good Hope, with the Atlantic to the west and False Bay, almost the start of the Indian Ocean, to the East.

Kangaroo Island

Captain Matthew Flinders, and his hungry crew members, discovered Kangaroo Island on 2 March 1802. They found no inhabitants but were compensated for this by the discovery of what they needed most of all - fresh food! In his journal Flinders recorded, 'the whole ship's company was employed this afternoon in the skinning and cleaning of kangaroos. After four months' privation they stewed half a hundredweight of heads, forequarters and tails down into soup for dinner, on this and the succeeding days, and as much steak given, moreover to both officers and men as they could consume by day and night. In gratitude for so seasonable a supply, I named this south land KANGAROO ISLAND'. The human history of the island, which started many thousands of years ago, is rich and colourful. At the same time it is also full of suffering, endurance, privation, success, failure, courage and bravery. Its Aboriginal occupation ended about five thousand years ago and was not renewed until the early 1800's when escaped convicts, from New South Wales and Tasmania, whalers and sealers kidnapped Aboriginal women from the mainland and forced them to live with them on the island. Map of Kangaroo Island No sooner had Flinders left the island or it was visited, circumnavigated and mapped, by the French Captain Nicholas Baudin who named it L'Isle Decres. Kangaroo Island only just escaped being a French colony!! A year later a group of American sealers, under command of Captain Pemberton, arrived aboard the brig Union and established themselves at what is now known as American River. They stayed for four months to build their new ship and kill as many seals, for their skins, as possible. The sailors sawed timber from the local pine trees near Pelican Lagoon and carried out the first ship building enterprise in South Australia. The first official settler at American River was Frank Potts. This boat builder arrived in 1842 but eventually returned to the mainland and established vineyards at Langhorne Creek. When the Americans left in their 35 ton schooner Independence, Kangaroo Island remained a favourite hunting ground for this commodity and between 1806 and 1836 it was not only occupied by whalers and sealers for short periods but also permanently by runaway convicts, ship deserters, farmers and other settlers. Among some of the earliest settlers were William Walker, who arrived in 1819 and George Bates who settled on the island in 1824. The first birth recorded on the island was that of Mary Seymour in 1833. Here parents were Nathaniel Walles Thomas and Betty, a full blooded Tasmanian Aborigine. These pre-colonial settlers made their living by hunting, fishing, skin and salt trading and even growing some vegetables. A report of 1819 described the islanders as 'complete savages, living in bark huts, clothed in kangaroo skins and smelling like foxes'. A similar report was written by Major Lockyer in 1827. He wrote, 'The lawless manner in which these sealing gangs are ranging about requires some immediate measures to control them. From what I have learnt and witnessed, they are a complete set of pirates going from island to island along the southern coast, making occasional descents on the mainland and carrying off by force females. The great scene of villainy is at Kangaroo Island, where, to use the terms of one of them, a great number of graves are to be seen, and where some desperate characters are, many of them runaways from Sydney and Van Dieman's Land'. For many years the island's white beaches were stained with the blood of tens of thousands of whales, seals, kangaroos, wallabies and possums. For a few years there was a whaling station at Point Tinline. Both the seals and kangaroos were almost hunted to extinction. During Captain George Sutherland's short stay on the island in 1819, more than 4500 seals and 1500 kangaroos were killed for their skins or meat. As late as the 1950s seals were killed for shark bait. The Kangaroo Island Emu was wiped out by the 1830s. In his report to the South Australian Company Sutherland wrote, 'This large island containing the finest pastures, with timber suited for ship and house building, will afford secure protection'. It was probably, among the whaling and sealing prospects, a contributory factor in the settlement of the island by the company. When Colonel William Light arrived on the brig Rapid in August 1836, Dr John Woodforde recorded in his diary 'There must have been a great mortality among the kangaroos on this Isle since Flinder's time or he must have mistaken the wallaby for them as we have not seen one and the sealers say there are none'. One of the island's most famous and colourful charactors was Henry Wallen, better known as 'The Governor'. He settled near Cygnet River in 1816 and was the first farmer in South Australia to raise a crop. With the arrival of Captain Morgan on the barque Duke of York on 27 July 1836 at Kingscote, Wallen's governorship came to an end. It was replaced by Samuel Stephens, manager of the South Australian Company. Woodforde reported that Wallen had a farm about thirteen kilometres up the river which 'does him great credit as he has several acres of flourishing wheat and most of the English vegetables. He has also two native wives'. The South Australian Company had its money printed before arriving on Kangaroo Island. When the Duke of York anchored at Nepean Bay, on 27 July 1836, the Beare family of six were among its migrants. Thomas Hudson Beare, born at Winchester England on 30 December 1792, his wife Lucy and children. Within hours of arrival, their daughter Lucy Beare gave birth to a girl. Sadly she died after only two days. When Lucy had another daughter a year later, the daughter survived but Lucy died. Thomas Beare who died on 6 November 1862 at Aldinga is buried at Myponga. His wife Lucy, who died on 15 September 1887 was interred at the North Road Cemetery. The first settlement at Reeves Point lasted for nearly four years when it was abandoned by the South Australian Company in favour of Adelaide. However Kingscote survived, as did one of the Mulberry trees planted in 1836 in the Company's garden. The first school in South Australia was established on Kangoroo Island by Captain Bromley who lived on the island until 19 May 1839. During this time he instructed some twenty children under a tree until he had built a hut for them. When appointed Protector of Aborigines he moved to the mainland. Among Kangaroo Island's earliest industries, apart from the whaling and sealing, were shipbuilding, salt harvesting, quarrying and the production of eucalyptus oil. The first of many shipwrecks, after official occupation of the island, was at Hog Bay Reef where the locally built William sank in 1847. The first lighthouse in South Australia, at Cape Willoughby, started operating in 1852. This was followed in 1858 by one at Cape Borda, 155 metres above sea level and manually operated until 1989. Supplies for this lighthouse and its keepers were landed at Harvey's Return. The Lighthouse at Cape Du Couedic was not started until 1909. The materials for the building, and later the goods for the keepers, were supplied from nearby Weirs Cove. At first they were carried 90 metres up the cliffs until 1907 when a flying fox was used. Since the sinking of the William, more than fifty shipwrecks have been recorded around the island. The largest was the 5,800 ton Portland Maru in 1935. It began taking water near Cape Du Couedic before finally sinking at Cape Torrens. Communications with the main land, which had been a problem, were vastly improved when a start was made to connect the island with Normanville via submarine cable. The project was started on 25 December 1875 and completed in just six days. Later an overland line was constructed connecting Kingscote with the Cape Borda Lighthouse on the western end of Kangaroo Island. The system from Cape Borda to Adelaide was opened on 13 August 1876. Several of the original early settlers are buried at Reeves Point and Penneshaw, which was known as Hog Bay until 1884

50 facts about seas

50 key facts about seas and oceans

1. Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface.
2. More than 90 percent of the planet’s living biomass is found in the oceans.
3. Eighty percent of all pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities.
4. Forty percent of the world’s population lives within 60 km of a coast.
5. Three-quarters of the world’s mega cities are by the sea.
6. By 2010, 80 percent of people will live within 100 km of the coast.
7. Death and disease caused by polluted coastal waters cost the global economy US$12.8 billion a year. The annual economic impact of hepatitis from tainted seafood alone is US$7.2 billion.
8. Plastic waste kills up to one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and countless fish each year.
9. Sea creatures killed by plastic decompose, the plastic does not. Plastic remains in the ecosystem to kill again and again.
10. Harmful algal blooms, caused by an excess of nutrients -- mainly nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers -- have created nearly 150 coastal deoxygenated “dead zones” worldwide, ranging from 1 to 70,000 sq km.
11. An estimated 21 million barrels of oil run into the oceans each year from street runoff, effluent from factories, and from ships flushing their tanks.
12. Over the past decade, an average of 600,000 barrels of oil a year have been accidentally spilled from ships, the equivalent of 12 disasters the size of the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige in 2002.
13. Oil tankers transport 60 percent (approximately 2,000 million tons) of oil consumed in the world.
14. More than 90 percent of goods traded between countries are transported by sea.
15. Each year 10 billion tons of ballast water is transferred around the globe and released into foreign waters.
16. Ballast water often contains species -- such as the zebra mussel and comb jellyfish -- that can colonize their new environment to the detriment of native species and local economies.
17. Pollution, exotic species and alteration of coastal habitats are a growing threat to important marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs.
18. Tropical coral reefs border the shores of 109 countries, the majority of which are among the world’s least developed. Significant reef degradation has occurred in 93 countries.
19. Although coral reefs comprise less than 0.5 percent of the ocean floor, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of marine species are directly or indirectly dependent on them.
20. There are about 4,000 coral reef fish species worldwide, accounting for approximately a quarter of all marine fish species.
21. The Great Barrier Reef, measuring 2,000 km in length, is the largest living structure on Earth. It can be seen from the Moon.
22. Reefs protect human populations along coastlines from wave and storm damage by serving as buffers between oceans and near-shore communities.
23. Nearly 60 percent of the world’s remaining reefs are at significant risk of being lost in the next three decades.
24. The major causes of coral reef decline are coastal development, sedimentation, destructive fishing practices, pollution, tourism and global warming.
25. Climate change threatens to destroy the majority of the world’s coral reefs, as well as wreak havoc on the fragile economies of Small Island Developing States.
26. Average sea level has risen between 10 cm and 25 cm in the past 100 years. If all the world’s ice melted, the oceans would rise by 66 meters.
27. Sixty percent of the Pacific shoreline and 35 percent of the Atlantic shoreline are receding at a rate of one meter a year.
28. The phenomenon of coral bleaching is a major threat to coral health. In 1998 some 75 percent of the world’s reefs were affected by coral bleaching. Sixteen percent died. 

29. The Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) calls for a global marine assessment by 2004 and the development of a global network of marine protected areas by 2012.
30. Less than one half of a percent of marine habitats are protected -- compared with 11.5 percent of global land area.
31. The High Seas -- areas of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction -- cover almost 50 percent of the Earth’s surface. They are the least protected part of the world.
32. Although there are some treaties that protect ocean-going species such as whales, as well as some fisheries agreements, there are no protected areas in the High Seas.
33. Studies show that protecting critical marine habitats -- such as warm- and cold-water coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves -- can dramatically increase fish size and quantity, benefiting both artisanal and commercial fisheries.
34. Ninety percent of the world’s fishermen and women operate at the small-scale local level, accounting for over half the global fish catch.
35. Ninety-five percent of world fish catch (80 million tons) is from near-shore waters.
36. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for their primary source of food. In 20 years, this number could double to seven billion.
37. Artisanal fishing communities, which harvest half the world’s fish catch, are seeing their livelihoods increasingly threatened by illegal, unregulated or subsidized commercial fleets.
38. More than 70 percent of the world’s marine fisheries are now fished up to or beyond their sustainable limit.
39. Populations of commercially attractive large fish, such as tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin, have declined by as much as 90 percent in the past century.
40. Governments at WSSD agreed, on an urgent basis and where possible by 2015, to maintain or restore depleted fish stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield.
41. The WSSD Plan of Implementation calls for the elimination of destructive fishing practices and subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
42. Government subsidies -- estimated at US$15 billion to US$20 billion a year -- account for nearly 20 percent of revenues to the fishing industry worldwide, promoting excess fishing capacity and encouraging over-fishing.
43. Destructive fishing practices are killing hundreds of thousands of marine species each year and helping to destroy important undersea habitats.
44. Each year, illegal longline fishing, which involves lines up to 80 miles long, with thousands of baited hooks, kills over 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses.
45. As many as 100 million sharks are killed each year for their meat and fins, which are used for shark-fin soup. Hunters typically catch the sharks, defin them while alive and throw them back into the ocean where they either drown or bleed to death.
46. Global by-catch -- unintended destruction caused by the use of non-selective fishing gear, such as trawl nets, longlines and gillnets -- amounts to 20 million tons a year.
47. The annual global by-catch mortality of small whales, dolphins and porpoises alone is estimated to be more than 300,000 individuals.
48. Fishing for wild shrimp represents 2 percent of global seafood but one-third of total by-catch. The ratio of by-catch from shrimp fishing ranges from 5:1 in temperate zones to 10:1 and more in the tropics.
49. Shrimp farming, too, is highly destructive. It causes chemical and fertilizer pollution of water and has been largely responsible for the destruction of nearly a quarter of the world’s mangroves.
50. Mangroves provide nurseries for 85 percent of commercial fish species in the tropics.

Space Facts

• The Sun is over 300000 times larger than earth. More Sun facts
• Halley’s Comet was last seen in the inner Solar System in 1986, it will be visible again from Earth sometime in 2061 (get your camera ready). More comet facts.

• Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with a surface temperature of over 450 degrees celcius.
  
• Many scientists believe that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs around 65 million years ago. More asteroid facts.
  
• The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago. More Solar System facts.

• The Moon appears to have more craters and scars than Earth because it has a lot less natural activity going on, the Earth is constantly reforming its surface through earthquakes, erosion, rain, wind and plants growing on the surface, while the moon has very little weather to alter its appearance. More Moon facts.

• Saturn isn't the only ringed planet, other gas giants such as Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, they are just less obvious.

• Footprints and tyre tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

• In 2006, astronomers changed the definition of a planet. This means that Pluto is now referred to as a dwarf planet. Learn more dwarf planet facts.

• Because of lower gravity, a person who weighs 100kg on earth would only weigh 38kg on the surface of Mars.

• The only planet that rotates on its side like a barrel is Uranus. The only planet that spins backwards relative to the others is Venus.
  
• Some of the fastest meteoroids can travel through the solar system at a speed of around 42 kilometres per second (26 miles per second). Check out more meteoroid facts or learn the difference between comets, asteroids and meteoroids.

• The first man made object sent into space was in 1957 when the Russian satellite named Sputnik was launched.
  

• Jupiter's 4 biggest moons are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto and Io. More Solar Syste
• The Sun is over 300000 times larger than earth. More Sun facts.
  
• Halley’s Comet was last seen in the inner Solar System in 1986, it will be visible again from Earth sometime in 2061 (get your camera ready). More comet facts.

• Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with a surface temperature of over 450 degrees celcius.
  
• Many scientists believe that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs around 65 million years ago. More asteroid facts.
  
• The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago. More Solar System facts.

• The Moon appears to have more craters and scars than Earth because it has a lot less natural activity going on, the Earth is constantly reforming its surface through earthquakes, erosion, rain, wind and plants growing on the surface, while the moon has very little weather to alter its appearance. More Moon facts.

• Saturn isn't the only ringed planet, other gas giants such as Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, they are just less obvious.

• Footprints and tyre tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

• In 2006, astronomers changed the definition of a planet. This means that Pluto is now referred to as a dwarf planet. Learn more dwarf planet facts.

• Because of lower gravity, a person who weighs 100kg on earth would only weigh 38kg on the surface of Mars.

• The only planet that rotates on its side like a barrel is Uranus. The only planet that spins backwards relative to the others is Venus.
  
• Some of the fastest meteoroids can travel through the solar system at a speed of around 42 kilometres per second (26 miles per second). Check out more meteoroid facts or learn the difference between comets, asteroids and meteoroids.

• The first man made object sent into space was in 1957 when the Russian satellite named Sputnik was launched.
  

• Jupiter's 4 biggest moons are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto and Io. More Solar System moon facts.

• It is because of the Sun & Moons gravity that we have high & low tides.
  
• For a list of important space definitions take a look at our glossary of easy space and astronomy definitions for kids.

•  moon facts.

• It is because of the Sun & Moons gravity that we have high & low tides.
  
• For a list of important space definitions take a look at our glossary of easy space and astronomy definitions for kids.

50 THINGS EVERYONE

50 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

(or 50 Completely Useless Facts!)

The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms  like fried bacon.

Of all the words in the English language, the word 'set' has the most definitions!

What is called a "French kiss" in the English speaking world is known as an "English kiss" in France.

"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

"Rhythm" is the longest English word without a vowel.
In 1386, a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
You can't kill yourself by holding your breath
There is a city called Rome on every continent.
It's against the law to have a pet dog in Iceland!
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!

Horatio Nelson, one of England's most illustrious admirals was throughout his life, never able to find a cure for his sea-sickness.

The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London

Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people
Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, everytime you breathe!
The elephant is the only mammal  that can't jump!
One quarter of the bones in your body, are in your feet!
Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different!
The first known transfusion of blood was performed as early as 1667, when Jean-Baptiste, transfused two pints of blood from a sheep to a young man
Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin!
The present population of 5 billion plus people of the world is predicted to become 15 billion by 2080.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only ONE testicle.

Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."

Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren’t added to it.
On average a hedgehog's  heart beats 300 times a minute.
More people are killed each year from bees than from snakes.

The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.

More people are allergic to cow's milk than any other food.
Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.
The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!

The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.

Earth is the only planet not named after a god.
It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a church in Nebraska, USA.
You're born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.

Some worms will eat themselves if they can't find any food!
Dolphins sleep with one eye open!
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is 9000 years old!

The longest recorded flight  of a chicken is 13 seconds

Queen Elizabeth I regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not

Slugs have 4 noses.
Owls are the only birds who can see the colour blue.

A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 69 years!
A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!

The average person laughs 10 times a day!

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Scope of Astrology

The terrain of astrology and astrologers remains a bit shrouded in
mystery. Astrologers often fathom and tell about an individual to an
uncanny extent and some do well in quizzes etc. and even in live
cases. However, there is never a guarantee, never that near 100%
success that would seem to indicate that a 'technique' is involved.
Technique is always transferable to others. For basic astrology, yes
that is the case and there is definitely a technical aspect to
astrology. That is the absolute essential matriculation that no one
can get away with, slogging through! No short cuts, there, I am
afraid!

But then everyone seems to kind of part company and goes their own
slightly different ways. That is when sometimes 'claims' start
floating without demonstration. A veil of secrecy somehow falls on
some and cliques and silos form. Some silos grow but then begin to
form sub-silos and so on. The demonstrated performance of astrology
or astrologer, does not shine forth, though!

Astrology and astrologer it seems never matures! More often than not,
before the astrologer can mature into perfection, they find another
door that leads them to spiritual realities. This is fine, because I
have heard reputable astrologers state that that is the natural
course of things.

Someone please tell me that I am wrong and they have actually
experienced in their personal experience an astrologer, who was not a
divinator or spiritual yogi who just happened to be using astrology
as a launching pad. One who could really pick a chart and actually
see the nativity and his or her fate as it was written by the Scribe
Himself (or Herself or Itself...).

Astrology spans from the material to the immaterial and beyond. It is
claimed to capture in its essence the entire universe and more, and
all the realities that there are, some known others unknown. Past
liftimes and future lifetimes.

Even Einstein, it seems was a 'determinist'. He believed in
everything being fated! I had been reading a very interesting book
written by a quantum physicist, Kaku. The book is Parallel Worlds.
Brilliant guys these quantum physicists! Big E is quoted therein.

It deals with the possibilities of parallel universes and many other
subtle things that astrologers would really enjoy I think! There are
hints there to think about for us about karma and destiny and a model
that can be utilized to possibly explain or at least entertain why
this entire reality can be based on pure determinism and everything
being fated and yet make sense! This is one thing I have always
resisted against because if everything is fated, what is the point of
astrology and remedies and muhurtas and so on. But there could be
another much BIGGER framework which may actually make it all work!
And it also accommodates the extremely humble "I am nimitta matra,
Sai sabda khiyaal rakhdaa" point of view!

It also touches upon how Newtonian Reality and Quantum reality can
coexist and just be a manifestation of probability!