The North Doesn't Have to Be Up on Maps

Is this statement correct or bogus: If someone asked you to show where North is on a map, you'd instinctively point up, right? But would you believe it wasn’t always that way? And are the continents really moving because I don’t feel any shifting under my feet!

Btw, guys, have you ever heard that Iceland is becoming larger each year? Or that the African continent sits in all 4 hemispheres? Or that the Earth's core is home to some expensive substances, including diamonds and gold? Let’s play a little game of “true or false”!

#factsyouneverknew #popularmyths #brightside

SUMMARY:

• If you dive into the Pacific, you'd find a giant that's 3,000 feet taller than Everest. Above sea level, though, Mauna Kea is just 13,800 ft tall. The rest is hidden underwater.
• The deepest place on this planet could easily host Everest and still have room for another decently-sized 7,000-ft-tall mountain!
• The Sargasso Sea is nothing like your regular vacation destination. It has no coasts whatsoever.
• The Pacific Ocean is shrinking by about an inch a year. So, Asia and North America are getting closer every year.
• Africa is the only continent that spans over the northern, southern, eastern, and western hemispheres.
• 71% of the Earth might be covered by water, but it's not the kind you'd drink first thing in the morning. Only 2.5% of that water is fresh, and only 1% is available to drink.
• Hawaii’s volcanoes Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Haleakala all rise above 10,000 ft.
• Antarctica – home to the South Pole – is a massive continent that doesn't have such a natural heater. The average winter temperature there is -76°F, compared to -40°F in the North.
• Old Egyptian maps had South as “up” because that's where they lived. In Medieval times, “North” was actually East on many maps because that's where the Sun rises.
• Over half of all the natural lakes on Earth are in the Great White North. That’s over 30,000 of those natural pools covering 9% of the country’s territory.
• If you ever visit Mammoth Cave National Park, you'll only get a sneak peek of the largest cave system on the planet.