The average height of the continents. Large masses of the earth's crust, rising above the level of the oceans, are called

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the era geographical discoveries on Earth is almost over. All the tropical islands were marked on the map, tireless explorers traveled along and across Africa and South America.

Only two points remained unconquered by people - the North and South Pole a, which were difficult to reach because of the barrenness that surrounded them. icy desert. But in 1908-09, two American expeditions (F. Cook and R. Peary) took place to the North Pole. After them, the only worthy goal was the South Pole, located on the territory of the mainland covered with eternal ice - Antarctica.

History of Antarctic exploration

Many researchers sought to visit the southernmost point of the globe. The beginning was laid by the famous Amerigo Vespucci, whose ships in 1501 reached the fiftieth latitudes, but were forced to turn because of the ice. More successful was the attempt of J. Cook, who reached 72 degrees south latitude in 1772-75. He, too, was forced to turn back before reaching the Pole, due to mighty ice and icebergs that threatened to crush the fragile wooden ship.

The honor of discovering Antarctica belongs to the Russian sailors F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev. In 1820, two sailing sloops came close to the shore and recorded the presence of a previously unknown mainland. After 20 years, the expedition of J.K. Rossa circled Antarctica and plotted its coastline on a map, but still did not land on land.

The first person to set foot on the southernmost continent was the Australian explorer G. Buhl in 1895. Since that time, reaching the South Pole has become a matter of time and preparedness of the expedition.

Conquest of the South Pole

The first attempt to reach the South Pole took place in 1909 and was unsuccessful. The English explorer E. Shackleton did not reach him for about a hundred miles and was forced to turn back, as he ran out of food. In the polar spring of 1911, two expeditions went to the South Pole at once - an English one led by R. Scott and a Norwegian one led by R. Amundsen.

Over the next few months eternal ice Antarctica witnessed the grandiose triumph of one of them and the no less grandiose tragedy of the other.

The tragic fate of R. Scott's expedition

British naval officer Robert Scott was an experienced polar explorer. A few years earlier, he had already landed on the coast of Antarctica and spent about three months here, walking through the icy desert for about a thousand miles. This time he was determined to reach the Pole and plant the British flag at that point. His expedition was well prepared: Manchurian horses, accustomed to the cold, were chosen as the main draft force, there were also several dog teams and even a technical novelty - a motor sled.

R. Scott's expedition had to travel about 800 miles to reach the South Pole. It was a terrible route, full of ice hummocks and deep cracks. The air temperature almost all the time did not exceed 40 degrees below zero, a snowstorm was a frequent occurrence, during which visibility did not exceed 10-15 meters.

On the way to the Pole, all the horses died from frostbite, then the snowmobile broke down. Before reaching the final point of about 150 km, the expedition split up: only five people went further, harnessed to sleds loaded with luggage, the rest turned back.

Having overcome unthinkable difficulties, the five explorers reached the South Pole - and then Scott and his companions suffered a terrifying disappointment. At the southernmost point of the planet there was already a tent, on top of which fluttered the flag of Norway. The British were late - Amundsen was ahead of them by a whole month.

Return trip they were not destined to overcome. One of the English explorers died of an illness, the second got frostbite on his hands and chose to leave himself, lost in the ice, so as not to become a burden for the others. The three remaining, including R. Scott himself, were frozen in the snow, only eleven miles short of the last of the intermediate food depots they left on their way to the Pole. A year later, their bodies were discovered by a rescue expedition sent after them.

Roald Amundsen - discoverer of the South Pole

The dream of the Norwegian traveler Roald Amundsen for many years was North Pole. The expeditions of Cook and Peary were rather dubious in terms of effectiveness - neither one nor the other could reliably confirm that they had reached the northernmost point of the planet.

Amundsen prepared for the expedition for a long time, picking up the necessary equipment and supplies. He immediately decided that in the northern latitudes there is nothing better than dog teams in terms of endurance and speed of movement. Having already set sail, he learned about Scott's expedition, which set off to conquer the South Pole, and decided to also go south.

Amundsen's expedition chose to land on the mainland good place, which was a hundred miles closer to the pole than the starting point of Scott's expedition. Four dog teams, consisting of 52 huskies, dragged sleds with everything necessary. In addition to Amundsen, four other Norwegians participated in the expedition, each of whom was an experienced cartographer and traveler.

The entire trip there and back took 99 days. Not a single explorer died, everyone safely reached the South Pole in December 1911 and returned home, covering themselves with the glory of the discoverers of the southernmost point of the planet Earth.

A continent is a large landmass surrounded by seas and oceans. In tectonics, continents are characterized as sections of the lithosphere with a continental structure.

Mainland, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

In geography, another term is often used, denoting the mainland - the continent. But the concepts of "mainland" and "continent" are not synonymous. AT different countries accepted various points view of the number of continents, called continental models.

There are several such models:

In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is customary to consider that continents 7 - Europe and Asia, they consider separately;
In Hispanics European countries, as well as in the countries of South America, they imply a division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe a model with 5 continents was adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except for Antarctica;
in Russia and the countries of Eurasia adjacent to it, they traditionally designate 4 - continents united into large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different views continental models on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

- the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
(30.3 million sq. km)
(24.4 million sq. km)
(17.8 million sq. km)
(14.1 million sq. km)
(7.7 million sq. km)

All of them are separated by the waters of the seas and oceans. Four continents have a land border: Eurasia and Africa are separated by the Isthmus of Suez, North and South America - the Isthmus of Panama.

Continents

The difference is that the continents do not have a land border. Therefore, in this case, we can talk about 4 continents ( one of the continental models of the world), also in descending order by size:

AfroEurasia
America

Parts of the world

The terms "mainland" and "continent" have scientific significance, but the term "part of the world" divides the land on a historical and cultural basis. There are 6 parts of the world, only unlike the continents, Eurasia differs by Europe and Asia, but North and South America are defined together as one part of the world America:

Europe
Asia
America(both North and South), or New World
Australia and Oceania

Speaking of parts of the world, they mean the islands adjacent to them.

The difference between the mainland and the island

The definition of the mainland and the island is the same - a part of the land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the most small mainland, Australia, is much larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent of Pangea)

2. Education. All continents have a tiled origin. According to scientists, there was once a single continent - Pangea. Then, as a result of the split, 2 continents appeared - Gondwana and Laurasia, which later split into 6 more parts. The theory is confirmed both by geological surveys and by the shape of the continents. Many of them can be put together like a puzzle.

Islands are formed in many ways. There are those that, like the continents, are located on the ruins of ancient lithospheric plates. Others are formed from volcanic lava. Still others - as a result of the activity of polyps (coral islands).

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even Antarctica, which is harsh in terms of climatic conditions. Many islands are still uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

- the largest continent, occupying 1/3 of the land. Two parts of the world are located here at once: Europe and Asia. The border between them runs along the line Ural mountains, the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the straits connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

This is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans. The coastline is indented, it forms a large number of bays, peninsulas, islands. The mainland itself is located immediately on six tectonic platforms, and therefore the relief of Eurasia is incredibly diverse.

Here are the most extensive plains, the highest mountains (the Himalayas with Mount Everest), the deepest lake (Baikal). This is the only continent where everything is presented at once climatic zones(and, accordingly, all natural areas) - from the Arctic with its permafrost to the equatorial with its sultry deserts and jungles.

¾ of the world's population lives on the mainland, 108 states are located here, of which 94 have the status of independent.

- the hottest continent on Earth. It is located on an ancient platform, so most of the area is occupied by plains, mountains are formed along the edges of the mainland. Africa has the most long river in the world - the Nile and the most extensive desert - the Sahara. Climate types presented on the mainland: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

Washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The result of the movement tectonic plates became severely cut coastline mainland, with huge amount bays, straits, coves and islands. The largest island is in the north (Greenland).

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

All climatic zones are represented here, except for the equatorial one, which determines the diversity natural areas. Most rivers and lakes are located in the northern part. largest river- Mississippi.

Indigenous people- Indians and Eskimos. Currently, 23 states are located here, of which only three (Canada, the United States and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

It is washed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Along the west coast stretches the world's longest mountain system - the Andes, or South American Cordillera. The rest of the mainland is occupied by plateaus, plains and lowlands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator zone. Here is the largest and most abundant river in the world - the Amazon.

The indigenous people are the Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the territory of the mainland.

- the only continent on the territory of which there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most The mainland is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous people are Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.

- the southernmost continent, completely covered with ice. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1600 m, the largest is 4000 m. If the ice in Antarctica melted, the level of the world's oceans would immediately rise by 60 meters!

Most of the mainland is occupied by an icy desert, life is glimmering only on the coasts. Antarctica is also the coldest continent. In winter, temperatures can drop below -80 ºC (record -89.2 ºC), in summer - up to -20 ºC.

The natural features of the continents and oceans are largely determined by their topography. continents - important factor formation, as well as the resettlement of man and his economic activity. Their depth depends on them, and consequently, the volume of water, the presence of islands and much more.

Planetary landforms

Planetary, that is, the largest, landforms are the protrusions of the continents and the depressions of the oceans. They form giant "steps" with a height difference of 4 km. Their presence is explained by the different structure earth's crust. The continents are elevated because they consist of a powerful but relatively light continental crust. The depressions of the oceans are lowered because they are underlain by heavy rocks thinner oceanic crust. Blocks of continental and oceanic crust maintain balance relative to each other due to the special plastic layer of the mantle located under. Sections of the lithosphere with the earth's crust of different density "float" in it like giant icebergs.

The heights of the continents and the depths of the oceans

Average height different continents, as well as the average depth of the bottom of the oceans, are not the same. The highest mainland -, the most deep ocean - .

However, indicators of average heights and depths do not give full view about the contrasting and varied relief of the continents and the ocean floor.

The main features of the relief of the continents

Under the influence internal forces Mountains form on the continents. They rise above the surrounding plains.

The ratio of mountains and plains in the relief of the southern and northern continents is not the same. 80% area southern continents occupy the plains, and only 20% are mountain structures, which are located on the outskirts of the continents. The least contrasting, which is dominated by high plains and there are no large mountain systems, nor the vast lowlands.

On the northern continents much more mountain structures, they have two mountain belts. In addition, their relief is more complex and varied. There are huge areas high mountains interspersed with vast low-lying plains.

The main features of the topography of the ocean floor

At the bottom of all oceans are presented identical shapes relief: flooded margins of the continents, including the shelf and the continental slope; deep-sea trenches and island arcs bordering them (they are absent only in); oceanic bed, consisting of deep-water plains (hollows) and underwater mountain ranges; mid-ocean ridges. However, the ratio between the bottom in all oceans is different.

Name of the mainland	Area, million km2	Percentage of the planet's land area,%	Population, billion people (approx)	Percentage of the world's population, %	Population density, person/km2
Total	148,86	100	7,18	100	-
	54,76	36,79	5	71,07	90,34
	30,22	20,30	1,1	15,33	30,51
	24,25	16,29	0,565	7,87	22,9
	17,84	11,98	0,387	5,39	21,4
	14,10	9,47	0	0	0
	7,69	5,17	0,024	0,33	2,8

Continental records:

1. Most big mainland by area - Eurasia.

2. The smallest continent is Australia.

3. The most populated continent is Eurasia.

4. The most deserted continent is Antarctica.

5. The hottest continent is Africa.

6. The coldest continent is Antarctica.

7. The mainland, on which there is only 1 country - Australia.

8. The mainland, which is washed by 4 oceans - Eurasia.

11. The mainland, which consists of two parts of the world at once - Eurasia.

12. The continent having all climatic zones and natural zones - Eurasia.

13. The mainland, which is located in all hemispheres at once - Africa.

14. The wettest continent is South America.

15. The driest continent is Australia.

16. The mainland, which is crossed by all meridians - Antarctica.

17. The windiest continent is Antarctica.

18. The lowest continent is Australia.

19. The highest continent in terms of land height is Eurasia.

20. The highest continent, taking into account the ice dome, is Antarctica.

If you liked this material, share it with your friends on social networks. Thank you!

relating to planet earth...

continents

The largest continent of the Earth is Eurasia, its area is 50.6 million km 2.

The smallest continent on Earth is Australia. Its area is 7.6 million km2, which is 7 times less than the area of Eurasia.

The most north point land is located on the Eurasian continent. This is Cape Chelyuskin (77°43").

The southernmost point is the South Pole in Antarctica.

The biggest average height mainland above sea level - in Antarctica with ice shelves - 2040 m.

The average land height above sea level is 875 m.

The average depth of the world ocean is 3800 m.

The highest land height above ocean level is the city of Chomolungma (Everest) - 8848 m.

The greatest depth of the world's oceans is the Mariana Trench - 11,022 m.

The highest air temperature was observed in the Tripoli region ( North Africa): +58°С; in Death Valley (USA, California): +56.7 0 C.

The lowest air temperature was observed in Antarctica at Vostok station: -89.2°С; in the Oymyakon area: -71°C.

The lowest average annual precipitation falls in the areas of Dakhla (Egypt) - 1 mm; Iquica (Chile) - 3 mm.

The highest average annual precipitation falls in the regions of Cherrapunji (India) - 10,854 mm; Debunja (Cameroon) - 9655 mm.

The largest island on Earth is Greenland - 2176 thousand km 2.

The longest river is the Nile (with Kagera) - 6671 km.

The most high point Lands - the peak of Chomolungma, or Everest, - 8848 m above sea level and the lowest - the coast of the Dead Sea, which lies 408 m below sea level; located on the Eurasian continent.

The coldest continent on Earth is Antarctica. Here at earth's surface the lowest temperature was observed.

The hottest continent is Africa. In Africa, the largest daily temperature fluctuations are recorded - more than 50 ° C in the Sahara region.

The largest annual amplitude of temperature fluctuations is in Eurasia. Here, in Oymyakon, the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere is located. Frosts in winter sometimes reach -70°C, average January temperature: -50°C, average July temperature: + 18.8°C. Nowhere in the world is there such a warm summer at such a latitude.

The largest lowland of the Earth - the Amazonian (area over 5 million km2) - is located in South America.

The highest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls on the Churun River (Guinea Plateau, Venezuela). Its height is more than twenty times the Niagara Falls. It is a foamy-white water column over a kilometer high, which falls into the abyss. Not reaching about 300 m of the bottom of the abyss, this stream turns into water dust, which settles on stones in continuous rain.

The highest volcano - Lullaillaco (in South America) - 6723 m above sea level.

The largest lake is the Caspian; its area is 371 thousand km2.

The deepest lake is Baikal; its depth is 1620 m.

The largest and most abundant river on Earth is the Amazon. On the area of its basin, the whole mainland of Australia could be accommodated. It collects as much water from this basin as 28 rivers such as the Volga can collect. Its amazing feature - high water throughout the year - is explained by the fact that the rainy season near the basin of the left and right tributaries occurs alternately, since they are located respectively in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

The largest and highest plateau - the Tibetan (an area of about 2 million km2, an average height of 4000 m above sea level) - is located in Eurasia.

The wettest place on Earth is Cherrapunji: annual precipitation is about 12 thousand mm; a village in Northeast India, located on the Shillong Plateau (at an altitude of 1300 m above sea level).

One of the deepest canyons in the world is the Grand Canyon of Colorado in the USA, its length is 320 km, depth is 1800 m, width is from 8 to 25 km.

Mammoth Cave on the Cumberland Plateau in the USA - unique natural object. the largest karst cave in the world. This is a complex five-tier system of cavities up to 300 m deep, with a total length of 240 km. In the explored part of the cave there are rivers, waterfalls, lakes and even "seas", many stalactites and stalagmites.

The record holder among geysers is the Giant Geyser in Yellowstone. national park USA. The height of the column of boiling water that this geyser throws out reaches 91 m!

Lake Chad is unique in Africa. During the history of its existence, it has changed its shape and size many times. Although this lake is endorheic, it is fresh, as there is an underground runoff that feeds the groundwater of the surrounding area.

At the equator, day is always equal to night, and the Sun is at its zenith twice a year - on the day of the spring and on the day of the autumn equinox.

The North Pole is the only point in the Northern Hemisphere that does not participate in the daily rotation of the Earth around its axis. Any point on the surface of the Earth is always located in relation to it only in a southerly direction.

The longest day - the polar one - lasts from the spring to the autumn equinox, when the Sun does not fall below the horizon, i.e. in summer period time. AT southern hemisphere polar day occurs when winter sets in in the northern hemisphere.

The longest night - the polar one - lasts six months at the North Pole, replacing the polar day.

The Valley of Geysers, located in the valley of the Geysernaya River in Kamchatka, holds the record for the number of large and small geysers. There are over a hundred of them! The water temperature in the geysers is from +94 to +99 °С, the duration of the water eruption is from 1 to 20 minutes. The largest geyser is the Giant, the height of its fountain reaches 50 m, the steam column above it rises above 400 m. From the endless eruptions, the entire valley is covered in steam. This unique valley was discovered in 1941 by geologist T. I. Ustinova.

Wet equatorial forests differ from other natural areas in that here every day combines spring, summer and autumn, as leaves or flowers bloom on some trees, fruits grow and ripen on others, and others shed their leaves. These regions of the Earth are characterized by an almost complete absence of seasonal rhythms. natural processes, constantly high temperatures and precipitation.

Sequoias are the record holder among trees in terms of size and age. This is the tallest giant tree on Earth, reaching a height of one hundred meters or more, and a diameter of 6-10 m. Sequoias live up to 2 thousand years, and sometimes up to 4 thousand. The birthplace of these trees is North America.

Unique pump tree - eucalyptus. Planted in swampy areas, they contribute to their rapid drainage. Thanks to valuable wood and the ability to grow rapidly, eucalyptus trees are bred in almost all countries of the subtropical and tropical belts. Eucalyptus is native to Australia. There are over 500 species of eucalyptus trees in Australia and Tasmania.

The Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia is the largest structure built on Earth by living things. The Great Barrier Reef is a huge strip that stretches for 2000 km, reaching a width of 150 km.

On the the globe more than 2900 coal deposits and basins are known. "Champion" in terms of coal resources - the Tunguska basin - 2.2 trillion. tons, followed by Lensky - 1.6 trillion. tons. The reserves of the five giant basins exceed 0.5 trillion. tons (Kuznetsk, Kansk-Achinsk, Taimyr, Appalachian, Alta-Amazona).

The thickest coal seam (450 m) is located at the Canadian Hat Creek deposit, the second place is the Latros Valley basin in Australia (330 m), and the third is Ekibastuz in Kazakhstan (200 m). Scientists have found that plant material is compacted 20 times when it passes into fossil coal. This means that a nine-kilometer layer of plant remains was needed to form the coal seam at Hat Creek.

Approximately 500 kg of coke is obtained from 1 ton of coal, which ensures the smelting of 1 ton of pig iron.

OCEANS

The largest and deepest ocean on our planet is the Pacific. The reserves of all its water are 1340 million km3. Its area with the seas is 178.7 million km2. The average depth is about 4 thousand m, the maximum is 11,022 m (Marian Trench). In the Pacific Ocean, the largest number of islands - about 10 thousand. The islands form the only island "part of the world" - Oceania. Pacific Ocean- one of the most violent. It received its “peaceful” name thanks to Magellan, who crossed it during circumnavigation. During the period of navigation on the ocean, Magellan did not get into a single storm. That's why he called him "Quiet".

The smallest and shallowest ocean is the Arctic Ocean. Its area is 14.75 million km2, i.e., only 4% of the surface of the World Ocean. The average depth is 1225 m, which is 3 times less than the depths of other oceans. The greatest depth in the Arctic basin is 5527 m, which is much less than in other oceans. The Arctic Ocean is also the most inaccessible ocean. He's covered multi-year ice, the thickness of which reaches 4.5 m. The ice is in constant drift. The North passes through the ocean sea route connecting the European and Far Eastern ports of our country. It is 2 times shorter than the route that goes around Eurasia through the Suez Canal.

Depth record holders.

The depth of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Guam, measured by the Soviet expedition on the research vessel Vityaz, is 11,022 m. The second place in depth is occupied by the Tonga Trench (10,882). This is the deepest ocean in the Southern Hemisphere. This is followed by Philippine (10,265 m), Kermadec (10,047 m). The depths of the Pacific depressions cannot compete with the depths of the rest of the oceans. For example, the greatest known depth Atlantic Ocean- 8742 m, Indian - 7729 m, and the Arctic - only 5527 m.

The most powerful warm sea current- Gulfstream. It flows from the coast of Florida to the island of Newfoundland, where it passes into the North Atlantic Current, which largely affects the climate of Europe. Its width is from 75 to 200 km, thickness - 700-800 m, speed - from 6-10 to 3-4 km/h, temperature - from +24 °С (in February) to +28 °С (in August) . The capacity when entering the ocean is 25 million m3 / s, and separate sections 3 times more.

The largest and deepest sea on the planet is the Philippine Sea. Its area is 5.7 million km2, the greatest depth is 10,265 m in the Philippine Trench.

The largest sea washing the shores of Russia is the Bering Sea. Its area is 2.3 million km2, the greatest depth reaches 5500 m.

The smallest sea is Marmara. Its area is about 12 thousand km2. It is 3 times less Sea of Azov. Its width is 80 km, length is 280 km. The greatest depth reaches 1273 m.

The shallowest sea is the Sea of Azov. Its average depth is 8 m, and the greatest is 15 m. The area of the sea is 39 thousand km2, which is 11 times less than the Black Sea.

The freshest sea is the Baltic Sea. It is 4-5 times fresher than the oceans. This is explained by the large influx fresh water, because 250 rivers flow into the Baltic. 1 liter of Baltic water contains from 2 to 8 g of salts.

The warmest and most salty sea is the Red Sea. The average water temperature in February is +18°C in the north and up to +26.5°C in the south. In summer, the water warms up to +32 ° С, at a depth - up to +22 ° С. At the bottom, “lakes” of warm water with a temperature of +62 °C were found, which is associated with deep thermal waters emerging from faults.

The coldest seas with a water temperature of -1.5 - -1.8 ° C in winter are the East Siberian and Beaufort in the North Arctic Ocean and the Ross and Wedell Seas off the coast of Antarctica.

The longest strait is Mozambique. Its length is about 1760 km, width - from 422 to 925 km. It separates Madagascar from Africa.

The widest and deepest is the Drake Passage, which separates South America from Antarctica. Its width is 1120 km, and the maximum depth is 5249 m.

The narrowest intercontinental strait is the Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Width - from 750 to 3700 m, length about 30 km.

The longest artificial sea canal - Suez - 161 km long. Passes through the channel geographical boundary between Asia and Africa. During the year, the channel passes 20 thousand ships. The canal shortens the route from Europe to India by 3,000 miles, and to China by 3,600 miles. It was built from 1858 to 1869.

The highest storm wave with a height of 34 m was observed in 1933 from the American ship Ramapo. On Vancouver Island, a 27 m high wave swept away an oil rig.

The highest tidal wave in the Bay of Fundy - from 16 to 18 m |

The very first tidal power plant (TPP) began operating in 1966 in the Rane Bay (France). It has 24 turbines operating in the tides.

In our country, the first TPP was built in 1968 near the city of Murmansk in the Kislaya Bay of the Barents Sea.

The highest seismic wave - a tsunami - was registered on March 27, 1964 off the southwestern coast of Alaska during one of strongest earthquakes. The wave height is 66 m, the speed is from 700 to 1000 km/h. Tsunamis mostly originate on the Pacific coast about once a year. in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean over the past millennium, they have been observed only a few times.

The largest icebergs are found in Antarctica. In 1956, an iceberg 350 km long and 40 km wide was seen.

The highest icebergs have been observed in the Northern Hemisphere, where they reach a height of 300 m or more. The largest number icebergs (about 1600) were recorded in 1972 in the Atlantic. The average number of floating ice mountains in the North Atlantic reaches just over 200.

Icebergs can be extremely dangerous for navigation. Biggest disaster occurred on the night of April 15, 1912, when the British superliner Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic during its first transatlantic voyage. As a result of the strongest blow, a huge hole was formed, giant ship broke into two parts and sank a few hours later. The sunken Titanic was considered unsinkable. It had a double bottom and 16 watertight compartments. About 1500 people died. A little over 700 people were saved.

Icebergs are a source of fresh water. Their first transportation to the shores of Kuwait has already been carried out.

The Sargasso Sea is a sea without shores. Its boundaries are currents, covering a huge oval ring of sea space with an area of 6-7 million km2, devoid of any noticeable and stable movement of waters. surface water the seas have about 60 species of flora and fauna; among them are huge accumulations of algae, which form islands, roads and entire fields on its surface. Their presence is due to the name of the sea, and its unusual greenish color, because of which navigators, when they first found themselves in this region of the ocean, mistakenly took it for land.

When did the oceans get their names?

The names "Atlantic", "Pacific" and "Indian" for the three main oceans were finally adopted only in 1845. In the past, the North Atlantic was called by the northern ocean, and the South Atlantic - the Southern Ocean. The Pacific Ocean was once called the Western Ocean.

The Southern, or Antarctic, Ocean is often referred to as the waters surrounding Antarctica. Its northern boundary is considered to be 55 ° S. sh.

The volume of the World Ocean, according to different estimates, ranges from 1320 to 1380 million km3. If the surface of the Earth were completely flat, the ocean would cover it with a layer about 2700 m thick.

How many seas are there in the world?
The International Geographical Bureau has 54 seas in the World Ocean. Some seas are inside other seas, for example, in the Mediterranean - seven inland seas.

Oceans cover approximately 71% of the earth's surface. In the Northern Hemisphere, they occupy about 61%, and in the Southern - 81% of the surface.

The Pacific Ocean is almost equal in area to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans combined.

Ocean age.
Some scientists believe that the oceans are as ancient as the Earth itself, that the ocean basins were partially filled with water at least 4 billion years ago. When the Earth cooled and water vapor condensed, the oceanic basins were filled with water only by 5-10%. Probably, the basins were filled with water gradually, as the continents formed, when water was released from the depths of the Earth in the form of hot springs, and due to volcanic activity. Last glaciation caused a massive drop in sea levels. The level is currently rising. Sea levels have risen by 11 cm over the past century.

oceans
ocean name	Area, thousand km	Maximum depth, m
Quiet Atlantic Indian Arctic	178 684 91 655 76 174 14 756	11 022 8 742 7 729 5 527

Peaks
Vertex	mountain system	Height above level seas in m
Chomolungma Chogori Kanchenjunga Lhotse Makalu Cho Oyu Dhaulagiri Nangaparbat Ulugmuztag Tirichmir Gongashan coolangry Peak Communism Pobeda Peak Nyenchen Thangla Basudan-Ula Damavend Bol. Ararat Zerdkuh Beluga whale Kachkar Demirkazyn	Himalayas Karakorum Himalayas Himalayas Himalayas Himalayas Tibet Himalayas Kunlun Hindu Kush ridge Daxuehian Himalayas Pamir Tien Shan ridge Nyenchen Thangla ridge Tangla Elburz mountains Armenian Highlands Zagros Altai East Pontic Mountains Central Taurus	8 872,5 8 611 8 585 8 516 8 481 8 189 8 221 8 126 7 723 7 690 7 590 7 554 7 495 7 439 7 088 6 096 5 604 5 165 4 548 4 506 3 937 3 726

AT recent times peaks began to be called the third pole of the world. This comparison with the pole is not accidental. Oddly enough, the highest point on the planet - the mountain peak Chomolungma, or Everest, located in the Himalayas, was conquered only in 1953. For comparison, it can be noted that the first person visited the Sulfur Pole in 1909, and the South Pole in 1911. At the same time, the history of conquering the peaks is no less interesting and dramatic than the history of conquering the poles.

For a long time it was believed that the top ten highest mountains include the peaks of the Himalayas (Everest, Dhaulagiri, Nangaparbat, Kula-Kangari), Karakorum (Chogori), Hindu Kush (Tirichmir), Dasyueshan (Gungashan), Pamir (Communism Peak) and Tien Shan ( Pobeda Peak).

However, it has recently become clear that these data are inaccurate. Surveys of mountain ranges and re-measurements of peaks were carried out.

As a result, only in the Himalayas were discovered peaks whose height exceeds 8000 m. But these mountains are still little studied, there is practically no data.

But the heights of these mountains are being specified. For example, recently the Italian geologist A. Desio, using modern radio equipment, carried out more thorough measurements of Everest and found out that its height is not 8848, but 8872.5 m, i.e. the mountain is 25 m higher than previously thought.