My Science School

Named after the former King of Saudi Arabia Fahd ibn Abdulaziz, the King Fahd International Airport of Saudi Arabia is the largest airport in the world in terms of area. The area of the entire airport property is approximately 776 square kilometres, with an airport building of around m². Situated 31 km away from the city, the airport has three terminal buildings.

It was the U.S. airbase during the Gulf War, but now it oversees commercial operations since 28 November 1999 and has been able to provide connections to 43 destinations. Before the King Fahd International Airport came into existence, the primary airport serving the region was the Dhahran International Airport. It was extremely busy then, but now it has been assigned for military use and is now known as the King Abdulaziz Air Base. The Dammam Airports Company, also known as DACO, has been operating and managing the King Fahd International Airport since July 1, 2017.

It is the third largest airport in the kingdom in terms of passenger volume, that is, more than 10 million passengers use King Airport every year.

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Known as the Sundarbans Delta or the Bengal Delta, the delta of the river Ganges is the world's largest river delta. By definition, deltas are wetlands that are formed by the rivers as they empty their water and sediments into oceans, lakes, or other water bodies. The Sundarbans Delta encompasses more than 105,000 square kilometres and covers West Bengal and Bangladesh. This delta is formed when the combined waters of several river systems that include the Brahmaputra and the Ganges rivers, empty into the Bay of Bengal. Because of its rich soil, it is also one of the most fertile regions in the world, and is called the Green Delta. It begins at the Meghna River and stretches till the Hooghly River.

The biodiversity of the Ganges delta is also very vast. It is covered with deciduous forests and mangroves and is home to the famous Bengal Tiger. Sundarbans, which forms a major part of this delta, is the world's largest mangrove forest and has a wide variety of wildlife such as the Indian python, elephants, and crocodiles. One can also find exotic birds like kingfishers, eagles, and woodpeckers here. It is also one of the world's most populated regions, with approximately 130 million inhabitants.

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The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water and is considered as the world's largest lake. Historically, it has been considered a sea due its size and the saline it embodies many features of a lake. It covers 372,000 square kilometres (without including the lagoon of Garabogazkol to the east). It has a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres. It is located at the junction of Europe and Asia and is bordered by the Caucasus Mountains to the west and the steppes of Central Asia to the east. Russia lies to its north-west, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, Turkmenistan to the southeast and Kazakhstan to the northeast.

The Caspian Sea is endorheic, which means it has no natural outlets. According to Natural History Magazine, close to 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, but none of them are in the east. It’s most important tributary is the Volga River in the north, which provides about 80 per cent of the water that flows into the lake. The Caspian Sea is home to a wide range of species.

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Contrary to popular belief, the largest desert in the world is the Antarctic Desert. Located over the South Pole and covering all of the land of Antarctica, this massive ice sheet receives very little rainfall and is considered a desert. The definition of desert is not vast stretches of sand dunes and high temperatures, but a piece of land that receives very less annual precipitation in the form of rain, snow, mist or fog. In the last 30 years of time, the average annual rainfall at the South Pole is just over 10 mm. Although there is more precipitation towards the coast, the continent as a whole has very little precipitation and that is enough to classify the region as a polar desert. Antarctica is also the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, with the highest average elevation among all the continents in the world.

The Russian expedition headed by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev led to the discovery of the Antarctic ice shelves. After this, French, American, and British expeditions led to more exploration in the region. A Norwegian team was first confirmed to have landed in Antarctica in the year 1895. Later, some British explorers became the first to reach the magnetic South Pole in 1909, and the geographic South Pole was first reached in 1911 by some Norwegian explorers.

About 30 countries govern Antarctica and are parties of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty System. According to the treaty, military activity, mining, nuclear explosions, and nuclear waste disposal are all prohibited in the region. India's first expedition to Antarctica landed there on January 9, 1982. India has set up three research stations in Antarctica, the first being 'Dakshin Gangotri' established in 1984. In 1989, it was re-established and is being used as a supply base and transit camp. The second station 'Maitri' was established in 1988 and the third base 'Bharati' was established in 2015. In line with the Antarctic Treaty System, Bharati can be completely disassembled and removed without leaving even a brick behind.

This polar desert is home to several volcanoes as well. Of those, two of them are active. Mount Erebus, which is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica, is the southernmost active volcano of our planet. The second active volcano is located on Deception Island, which is a volcanic caldera in the South Shetland Islands.

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Popular for its vast tundra and immense glaciers, Greenland is the world's largest island, in fact the largest island country. In terms of land area, it is more than three times the size of the U.S. state of Texas. It is an autonomous Danish dependent territory and has its own parliament. Two-thirds of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle, with its northern regions lying just 800 km away from the North Pole. The island enjoys continuous daylight for two months every year. More than 80 per cent of the land is covered by ice. A major impact of global warming is seen in Greenland as the ice cover is melting away faster than ever. This crisis has however increased access to Green- land's mineral resources.

We know that Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but its home-rule government is responsible for most of its domestic affairs. The people of Greenland are primarily Inuit.

When it comes to Greenland, one of the most interesting question is its name- why is it called Greenland when it is mostly covered in ice? The answer lies in history. An exiled Viking named Eric the Red came up with this name as a means to encourage others to follow him and establish new settlements in the region. It must be noted that South Greenland (where Erik the Red settled) is actually green during the summer. Another interesting fact about Greenland is that it has a very limited road transport system due to the rugged terrain, its deep fjords that outline the coastline, the ice sheets, and the very small population. In fact, all roads end at the outskirts of towns.

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Occupying about one-third of the surface of the planet, the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on earth. It lies between the continents of Asia and Australia on the west and is bordered by North America and South America on the east. It covers an area of 161.76 million square kilometres without counting in the South China Sea. It has double the area and more than double the water volume of the next largest water-body, the Atlantic Ocean. It covers more area than the total land surface of the globe.

The Pacific Ocean meets the Arctic Ocean in the Bering Sea in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere, it mixes with the Atlantic Ocean in the Drake Passage between Tierra del Fuego in South America and Graham Land in Antarctica.

One cannot clearly say where the Pacific and Indian oceans become separate, but a line of islands extending eastward from Sumatra, through Java to Timor, extending across the Timor Sea to Cape Londonderry in Australia is usually considered as the points of separation of the two. The deepest point in the Pacific Ocean is in the Mariana Trench. It is located in the western Pacific located around 200 kilometres east of the Mariana Islands to the east of the Philippines.

The Pacific Ocean Basin also contains 75 per cent of the world's volcanoes and forms the Ring of Fire, which is a ring of Pacific Ocean volcanoes around the ocean basin. There is also an interesting story behind the name of this ocean.

It was Ferdinand Magellan, who gave the name Pacific inspired from the Latin word 'pacificus' meaning 'tranquil.' It is said that he felt the ocean to be unusually calm as he entered its waters and this led to the name.

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Spanni panning across 17,098,246 square kilometres, Russia is the largest country in the world by area. Russia alone occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth! It is the only country with 11 time zones due to its vast land area. Russia is also part of two continents- Europe and Asia and has territories on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans). The landscapes that one can see across this country vary from sandy and frozen deserts to tall mountains and giant marshes, but the major part of Russia's landscape is covered by continuous stretches of treeless plains called steppes. Taigas is another type of land area found in Siberia, which are pine forests that occupy about three-quarters of Russia.

Russia had its earliest human settlements when Scandinavians moved south to regions near the upper Volga River in AD 500. These settlers mixed with Slavs from the west, leading to the construction of a fortress, which is now the Ukrainian city of Kiev.

Russian history has many eras. Of them, the evolution of Kiev into an empire that ruled most of European Russia was very important. Kiev was in power for 200 years until it broke up into Ukraine, Belarus and Muscovy. Russia was also ruled by the Tsars for a period in history until the Bolshevik Revolution overthrew them. Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, gave birth to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) from Russia and 11 other countries.

The Soviet Union played a critical role in the victory of the Allied Powers in World War II. It was a superpower and was the major opponent to the United States during the Cold War. This era saw great technological advancements such as the launch of the world's first human-made satellite and the first human into space. However, the U.S.S.R was dissolved on 26 December 1991.

Recently, Russia is in news for its ongoing war with Ukraine.

Asia is the largest continent in the world in terms of land area and is spread across 44.6 million square kilometres. It is also home to 4.6 billion people from the total 7.7 billion population of our planet, making it the most populous continent as well. Apart from these specialities, Asia also has the highest and lowest points on land. Mount Everest, which is 8,848.86 metres above sea level, is the highest point and the Dead Sea depression, which is more than 431 metres below sea level, is the point.

A total of 49 countries form the continent of Asia. India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and many more big and small countries are part of this continent.

Since the beginning, Asia has been home to the majority of the human population and gave birth to the first civilizations of our world. Even the most popular religions of the world such as Hindu- ism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, as well as many others were founded here.

Asia has a great variety of ethnic groups, cultures, environments, geographies, economies, historical connections and government systems. Similarly, it also has many different climates across its landscapes. From equatorial climates and hot deserts in the Middle East to temperate regions in the east and continental climate in the centre, Asia has almost all types of climatic zones. It even has subarctic and polar regions in Siberia.

Asia is home to about 2,300 languages, which include some of the widely spoken languages like Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese.

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Waterfalls are nature's magnificent creations. Nothing warms the cockles of your heart as watching the waters surging and leaping across mountains. From the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall to the chocolate-coloured waterfall, we bring you the most dazzling sights from across the world.

GRAND FALLS- ARIZONA

Grand falls is a waterfall right in the midst of a desert. The Grand Falls in Arizona are taller than the Niagra Falls. The water falling in many tiers across the cliff is a delight to watch. Its muddy cascade has earned it the name Chocolate Falls.

NIAGARA FALLS- USA/CANADA

Surging forth with a thunderous force, these falls make for a resplendent sight. The name means 'thunder of waters', denoting the loud, roaring sound the waters make as they dive A part of the falls is located in Canada, while another is located in the United States. The former is called the 'Horseshoe Falls' courtesy of its curved shape and the latter 'American Falls'.

ANGEL FALLS- VENEZUELA

Dropping from a height of 3,212 feet, the Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world. Pouring out from a flat-topped plateau Auyantepui, the falls are located in Canaima National Park. The falls are about 16 times the height of Niagara Falls. Set against the dense jungle and the green surrounds, the waterfalls are one of the major attractions in Venezuela. Angel Falls is named after Jimmy Angel, an American bush pilot, who crash-landed his four-seater airplane at the Auyantepui.

NOHKALIKAI FALLS, MEGHALAYA, INDIA

Plummeting from a height of 340 m. the Nohkalikai Falls is India's tallest plunge waterfall. Located at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India, the waterfall is all about drama and grandeur. There is also a tragic legend that backs the name of the falls. The waterfalls are apparently named after Likai, a Khasi woman. When translated from the local Khasi language. Nohkalikai means Jump of Ka Likai'.

VICTORIA FALLS - ZIMBABWE

This curtain of waterfalls dropping from a height of 108m into the gorge below makes one of Earth's greatest spectacles. Explorer David Livingstone named the falls after the reigning British monarch Victoria. The local name of the waterfall is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' meaning 'smoke that thunders. It is called so because the sound of the falls can be heard from a long distance.

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Bridges are timeless wonders that reflect the culture of a land. We introduce some of the unique bridges in the world.

Rialto Bridge-Venice, Italy

In the heart of Venice is the centuries-old Rialto Bridge. An engineering marvel designed and built in the 16th century, it is the oldest bridge surviving across the Grand Canal in the city. A peaked Venetian architecture has been given which allows ships to pass beneath the bridge.

Khaju Bridge-Isfahan, Iran

 Built in 1650 during the Safavid dynasty, the Khaju Bridge in Iran is noted for its architecture. The bridge sports 23 arches and also encompasses a dam with locks that regulate water flow.

Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco, California

All cloaked in an orange vermilion colour, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the iconic structures in the world. Spanning the Golden Gate strait, the bridge opened in 1937 was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world then.

Chengyang Bridge China

A bridge constructed without nails, the Chengyang Bridge is a Wind and Rain Bridge. Built in 1912 using cedar and stone, the bridge has five pavilions with covered walkways and the wood is connected by dovetailing.

Double Decker Bridge- Meghalaya, India

Deep in the forests of Meghalaya, these bridges are being made by weaving and folding together the roots of ficus trees. These are the ancient, living bridges that grow stronger with time. A creation of both man and nature, the double-decker root bridge in Nongriat village is an architectural wonder. Many such natural bridges are being made by the villagers.

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The Poison Garden at England's Alnwick Garden is home to around 100 toxic plants. Entry to this space is allowed only through guided tours.

A stroll through a garden is highly refreshing. But do you dare to visit the Poison Garden in England wherein the visitors are explicitly told not to touch, taste or smell the flowers? The sign on the black iron gate says: These plants can kill, and is emblazoned with a skull and crossbones warming.

The deadliest garden was established in 2005 by Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, who decided to have a poison garden instead of a herb garden. She established the garden intending to educate students about the hazards of hazardous and illegal substances specifically the kinds of compounds these plants produce The Poison Garden at the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is home to around 100 toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants. Some of these plants are grown in cages. One of the dangerous plants cultivated here is monkshood, or wolf's bane, which contains aconitine, a neurotoxin, and cardiotoxin. However, this is not the worst one. The ganten also has ricin, better known as castor bean or castor oil plant, which according to Guinness World Records is the world's most poisonous plant. Surprisingly, many poisonous plants grown in the garden are quite common such as rhododendrons whose leaves contain grayanotoxin which will attack a person's nervous system if eaten.

Entry to the garden is allowed only through guided tours. Before the visitors are allowed to enter, they are given a safety briefing, warning them against touching, tasting, or smelling anything.

Despite all precautions, the visitors have fainted occasionally from inhaling the toxic fumes of the poisonous plants, the garden website notes. The staff at the Poison Garden is mandated by law to meticulously monitor, count, and file reports on their plants.

The authorities also have to submit proof that they've destroyed them at the end of every season.

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You might have heard about the longest flight. But what about the shortest flight? It could very well take you longer to read this story than to complete a ride on the world's shortest passenger flight.

Scottish regional airline - Loganair flight LM711 - holds the title of being the world's shortest regular commercial flight connecting two of the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Covering a distance of 1.7 miles in less than two minutes, it is a regular commercial flight connecting two of the Orkney Islands of Scotland.

 According to Guinness World Records, the little aircraft covers a total distance of 1.7 miles, which is almost the same length as the runway at Edinburgh Airport, in about 90 seconds. However, it can take less than 53 seconds on a good day. It is flown by a single pilot and has seating for eight passengers. There are no in-flight facilities so if you need the toilet you have to control the urge.

The flight has been operating since 1967. In 2016, it honoured its millionth flier - Anne Randall, a Royal Bank of Scotland banker.

Every day, the flight makes two to three trips from Westray, an island on the edge of the Orkney archipelago, to a smaller remote island of Papa Westray.

The two-minute flight is the lifeline for residents of the four-square-mile island. Besides, it is also popular with travellers as every year during summer tourists throng the island to discover Papa Westray and experience the plane ride.

For the two-minute ride, you need to reach Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, and take about a quarter-hour-long flight to Westray. The cost of a one-way ticket is around $22. The alternative to the shortest flight is a rocky boat ride that can take around 20 minutes. There are no in-flight facilities in this 90-second flight for eight passengers flown by a single pilot.

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