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tectonics
Maps / 11 weeks ago
How the Pacific Ocean outsizes all the continents combined
Imagine placing Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Australia and Antarctica into one huge basin and still having room to sail around. That’s essentially what a recent World in Maps illustration suggests: a silhouette of the Pacific Ocean overlaid with the outlines of entire continents. Covering about 63 million square miles (163 million km²), roughly one‑third of Earth’s surface, the Pacific Ocean is big enough to fit all the world’s landmasses and still leave spare space. It’s not just wide; it stretches about 12,300 miles (19,800 km) from west to east.
Maps / 13 weeks ago
Chile’s extreme length: A country so long it could cover the Atlantic
Chile is so long that, if rotated, it could stretch across the North Atlantic from eastern Canada to Spain. The country runs along the southwest edge of South America between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. According to a 2015 article in Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, Chile’s mainland spans 4,329 km (2,689.92 mi) from north to south, making it “the longest country in the world”.
Environment / 1 year ago
What is our earth made of?
The Earth we live in is far from a solid, uniform mass. Instead, it’s an intricate structure with layers that vary in thickness, composition, and extreme temperatures. From the crust to the core, each layer plays a crucial role in shaping the planet as we know it. California Academy of Sciences reveals more details about our earth.
