The Atacama Desert in South America is considered to be the driest place on our planet. Stretching over 100,000 square kilometers, it barely gets a sprinkle of rain each year, less than 1 mm.
It’s so parched because it’s tucked in a rain shadow behind the Andes mountains, surrounded by the chilly Humboldt Current, and it doesn’t get any moisture from the winds. However, this arid wonderland is home to some pretty impressive plants and critters that have figured out how to thrive despite the extreme dryness.
Nicknamed the "third pole," the Tibetan Plateau is Earth's secret freshwater treasure trove. With more than 46,000 glaciers, it is a giant reservoir of water that extends far beyond the North and South Poles.
The Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow Rivers, which provide millions of people in China and Southeast Asia with clean water, rely on this frigid behemoth for their survival.
Earth’s inner core is like a giant ball of fire buried deep beneath our feet, with temperatures sizzling between 5,000 and 7,000 degrees Celsius (that’s 9,000 to 13,000 degrees Fahrenheit!). That is considerably hotter than the surface of the sun. So, while we might be enjoying a sunny day, down below, Earth is cooking up something even hotter.
These tidbits remind us of the incredible complexities and marvels of our planet and everything it holds. Which one of these posts caught your eye? Don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
