My Science School

INS Vikrant is India's largest aircraft carrier and the largest ship that has ever been built in the country. The ship was named after its famous predecessor, the country’s first aircraft carrier, which was pivotal in the success of the 1971 war. The ship was designed and built by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and Cochin Shipyard Limited, which is a Public Sector Shipyard governed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

With 14 decks consisting of 2,300 compartments, which can accommodate 1,500 sea warriors, it has the facilities to meet the food requirements of the people on board. Around 10,000 chapatis or rotis can be prepared in the ship's kitchen, which is called the ship's galley.

The aircraft carrier is 18-storeyed. Built to be larger and more advanced than its predecessor, INS Vikrant is 262-metre-long and has a full displacement of around 45,000 tonnes. INS Vikrant has the capacity to carry 30 aircraft, which include MIG- 29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH- 60R multi-role helicopters, and other indigenously manufactured helicopters.

As per Indian Navy's reports the carrier has the size of two football fields and the hangar holding the aircraft is as large as two Olympic pools.

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Goa is located on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. It is the smallest state in the country by area and has a total area of 3,702 square kilometres, which makes up only 0.11 percentage of the total land area of the country. Panaji is the capital of Goa and Vasco da Gama is its largest city.

Goa shares boundaries with Karnataka and Maharashtra, where the Terekhol River separates Goa from Maharashtra in the North. In the East and the South, the boundaries are defined by the state of Karnataka. The Arabian Sea marks Goa's borders in the West. The state is 594 km away from Mumbai city by road.

Konkani is the official language of Goa, which is spoken by the majority population. Goa is known for its white-sand beaches, active nightlife, places of worship, and World-Heritage-listed architecture. These factors attract many tourists from across the globe to Goa every year. Goa is also renowned for the wealth of flora and fauna it possesses as it lies close to the North Western Ghat rainforests, which is one among the rarest biodiversity hotspots of the world.

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India's largest desert is the Thar Desert, which is also famously known as the Great Indian Desert. Even though most of the Thar Desert is in India, around 15 percentage of its area is in Pakistan. It is the world's 20th- largest desert and is also the world's 9th-largest hot subtropical desert. Of its presence in India, more than 60 per cent is confined to Rajasthan.

Like most other deserts, the Thar Desert also has extreme temperatures. Thar witnesses unpredictable and variable amounts of rain, which falls between 100-500 mm during July and September. This vast desert is also home to rich biodiversity, which includes many large mammals like the blackbuck, blue bull, and the Indian gazelle or chinkara.

The Thar Desert accommodates around 40 per cent of Rajasthan's population, making it one of the richest and most vibrant cultural centres of the state. The people living here do agriculture and animal husbandry for a living and are famous for their passion for folk music and folk poetry. Jodhpur is the largest city in the region and is located in the scrub forest zone at the perimeter of the desert. Bikaner and Jaisalmer are confined completely in the desert and are the largest cities of their kind in the Thar Desert.

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Buland Darwaza, prime monument of Mughal architecture, is the highest gateway in the world. Buland Darwaza was built by the emperor Akbar in memory of his victory over Gujarat. The 15-storey-high gateway is the southern entrance to Fatehpur Sikri, which is a city, located 43 km away from Agra. It was formerly called Fatahabad, derived from the Persian word Fatah meaning victory. The city flourished as Akbar's capital till 1585. During that year, it was abandoned because it was near the Rajputana neighbourhood with limited water resources. Subsequently, the capital was changed to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri became a ghost town.

Standing tall in the courtyard of the mosque, Buland Darwaza is a prominent monument in Fatehpur Sikri. The central face of Buland Darwaza carries an inscription that talks about Akbar's religious tolerance and how broad-minded he was. The eastern archway of Buland Darwaza has a Persian inscription, which is a record of Akbar's conquest of the Deccan in 1601 AD. Along with decorations in carving and inlaying of white and black marble, it has 42 approach steps and is 53.63 metres high and 35 metres wide. It has a consolidated height of about 54 metres from the ground level.

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The largest state in India, Rajasthan, covers a total of 342,239 sq km area, and forms 10.4 per cent of the country's total area. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are closely behind Rajasthan in terms of land area.

Its capital is Jaipur and Rajasthan is home to some of the important cities of the country like Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Udaipur, Ajmer and Bharatpur. Rajasthan also has the Thar Desert.

Although it is the largest state, it is one of the least densely populated states as most of its population still lives in rural settlements. Rajasthan has sites of ruins of the Indus Valley civilisation at Kalibangan and Balathal, making it home to a very prominent archaeological region. The Dilwara Temple, a Jain pilgrimage site at Mount Abu, which is located in the ancient Aravalli mountain range in eastern Rajasthan, is another important destination. Apart from these, the Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, which is a World Heritage Site known for its bird life, is also part of Rajasthan.

The Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur, the Mukundra Hills Reserve in Kota, and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar are the three national tiger reserves in the state.

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The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird on the planet. The males often grow only up to 55 millimetres, weighing about 1.95 grams, whereas the females grow up to 61 millimetres from beak to tail, weighing about 2.6 grams. Bee Hummingbirds are an endemic species that are found in all parts of the main island of Cuba and the many islets and islands that make up the Cuban archipelago.

Visiting more than 1500 flowers in a day, these tiny birds feed on nectar, and sometimes on insects and spiders. In this process, they pick up and transfer pollen to their beak and head. An interesting aspect about them is that they feed on the flowers without landing on them-instead, they hover in the air while feeding and as a result of this constant flapping of wings, they need to eat every few minutes. Up to 15 per cent of their time is spent eating.

The downside of being the world's smallest bird is that they are particularly vulnerable to being attacked by other species that consider them similar to insects due to their size. Because of this, they have to watch out for larger birds, mongooses, bees, wasps, frogs, fish, and even spiders. Just like most other species, human activity has also led to a decrease in their number. They are not yet considered an endangered species, but are classified as "near threatened".

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The world's smallest republic as well as the smallest island nation is Nauru. Located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, this island is about 1,300 km to the northeast of the Solomon Islands. Its closest neighbour is the island of Banaba in Kiribati, which is about 300 km to the east. Nauru does not have an official capital, but its government offices are located in the district of Yaren.

People from Micronesia settled here around 1000 BCE, and Nauru was made a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, the League of Nations authorised Australia, New Zealand, and the Kingdom to jointly administer Nauru. Later, during the Second World War, it was occupied by Japanese troops. After the war came to an end, the country became a part of the United Nations trusteeship and gained its independence in 1968. It became a member of the Pacific Community (PC) in 1969.

Nauru's constitution offers fundamental rights and freedoms for individuals. The country has a government that combines parliamentary and presidential systems. Its parliament has members elected by Nauruan citizens aged 20 and older, and it serves a tenure of three years unless dissolved by a vote of no confidence. This parliament elects the president, who acts as the head of both the state and the government. Nauru accepts aid from Australia and is sometimes called a client state of Australia.

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The Arctic Ocean, which is the smallest of the world's oceans, lies close to the North Pole. Along with its marginal seas the Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara, Barents, Greenland, and Beaufort, the Arctic Ocean has the least-known basins and bodies of water in the world's oceans due to its remoteness, difficult weather, and perennial or seasonal ice cover.

About four million people live in the Arctic region. Many of them are indigenous groups that have thrived in this harsh climate for hundreds of years. They rely mostly on the ocean resources for surviving this harsh climate and generate livelihood through these activities. Fishing, sealing, whaling, and other activities are their livelihood means. The U.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Russia all have territories that reach into the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic Ocean is in the news these days because of its effects on global warming. Rising temperatures in the Arctic are expected to cause large amounts of fresh melt-water to enter the north Atlantic, an event that will possibly disrupt global ocean current patterns. This will lead to drastic changes in the Earth's climate. When the extent of sea ice diminishes and the sea level rises, the effect of storms (such as the Great Arctic Cyclone of 2012) on open water increases. Reduced sea ice also leads to increased human-animal conflicts. It will, for example, cause polar bears to search for new sources of food, forcing them to move into human territories. Since December 2018, the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya has been under a mass invasion of polar bears, and in February 2019, a state of emergency was declared there. Dozens of polar bears were entering homes, public buildings, and inhabited areas in search of food. All this led to the Arctic Ocean being in the news.

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Australia is the smallest continent in the world and includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and portions of Indonesia), the Aru Islands, Ash-more and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other offshore continental islands. The country of Australia is however a single landmass and encompasses most of the continent. The Australian continent is sometimes referred to as an island continent as it is surrounded by oceans.

Papua New Guinea, which is a country within the Australian continent, is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries. It is also mostly rural, as only 18 per cent of its people live in urban areas. It is estimated that West Papua, a province of Indonesia, has over 44 uncontacted tribal groups. Australia, which forms the largest landmass in the continent, is an urbanised region that is also the world's 14th-largest economy with the second-highest human development index globally. Canberra is Australia's capital and is located in the southeast between Sydney and Melbourne, which are the more significant economic and cultural centres of Australia.

Australia's ecosystem is unusual due to its remote location and is home to many animal species that occur nowhere else in the world. This list includes the platypus, kangaroo, echidna, and koala. Australia has 516 national parks, which protect its rare plants and animals.

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If one visits the Vatican, one would be surprised to see that this small country, which is spread across just 110 acres, has its own telephone system, post office, astronomical observatory, radio station, gardens, banking system, and pharmacy. Vatican even has a contingent of Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the personal safety of the Pope since 1506. This marvel of a city is the world's smallest fully independent nation-state.

Situated on the west bank of the River Tiber, Vatican is an enclave in Rome. It is a religious state and is ruled by the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome. The most important people in this country are the Catholic clergy, who have come to serve Vatican from various countries of the world.

Being the smallest country, it has to import all of its supplies including food, water, electricity, and gas. There is no income tax here and there are no restrictions on the import or the export of funds from Vatican. Its unique economy is made possible by the sale of postage publications, stamps, tourist mementos, and collecting fees for admission to museums.

World famous religious and cultural sites form the major attractions of this city. The St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museum are some of them. Celebrated paintings and sculptures can be found in these buildings.

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Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan is located 28 metres below sea level, making it the lowest lying national capital in the world. Baku is also the largest city in the world that is below sea level. The name Baku is supposedly a shorter version of the Persian 'bad kube' ('blown upon by mountain winds'). The city's importance lies in its oil industry and its administrative functions. Baku's urban population was calculated to be about two million people in 2009. About 25 per cent of all inhabitants in Azerbaijan live in Baku's city area. Baku is the one and only metropolis in the country.

Baku's economy is mostly based on petroleum. Presence of oil in the city was known since olden days. The city is also a major cultural and educational centre. It is home to the Baku State University (founded 1919), Khazar University (1991), and Azerbaijan Technical University (1950); there are also many other institutions of higher education, including one specializing in the oil industry.

The city is famous for its harsh winds, which gave it the nick name, the "City of Winds". Baku is the birthplace of Lev Davidovich Landau, who won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physics.

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Located 8 km northwest of Atyrau in Kazakhstan, the ATMA Atyrau Airport is the lowest international commercial airport in the world. It is 22 m below sea level and is the only airport in Atyrau.

In 1994, the company named ATMA got the operational rights of the airport when it was privatised as a build and operate model. In 2007, the company completed the construction of the new terminal building along with a new, longer runway. The terminal has a total area of 2,000 square metres and can serve 600 passengers in an hour. As per data available, it was the 5th busiest airport in Kazakhstan in 2009, where 937,032 passengers passed through the airport.

The airport and its surrounding areas are crucial for Kazakhstan's economy because of the oil exploration sites and platforms on the Caspian Sea that are located nearby. The city is the base town for the oil and construction companies of the region.

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The Mariana Trench is not only the deepest oceanic trench on Earth but also holds the two lowest points on the planet. This crescent- shaped trench is located in the Western Pacific, east of the Mariana Islands near Guam. The region around the trench is known for many unique environments, such as vents bubbling up liquid sulfur and carbon dioxide, active mud volcanoes, and marine life adapted to pressures 1,000 times more than at sea level.

The Challenger Deep, the southern end of the Mariana Trench, is the deepest spot in the ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2010, used sound pulses sent through the ocean and calculated the Challenger Deep to be 10,994 metres deep even though it was considered almost impossible to measure its depth. In 2021, pressure sensors were used to calculate its depth and it was discovered that the deepest spot in Challenger Deep was 10,935 m. The ocean's second-deepest place is also in the Mariana Trench. The Sirena Deep, which lies 200 kilometres to the east of Challenger Deep, is 10,809 metres deep.

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With a height of 182 metres, the Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue. It is located in the Kevadiya colony along the Narmada River in Gujarat. Facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam 100 kilometres southeast of the city of Vadodara, this statue depicts freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. An adherent of Mahatma Gandhi, Patel was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India. He was an eminent leader who united 562 princely states of the pre-independence India to form the single Union of India.

This project was first announced in 2010 but its construction began only in October 2013. The statue was designed by sculptor Ram V. Sutar, and it was built at a total cost of Rs. 2,700 crores. On 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Patel's birth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it.

The Statue of Unity is divided into 5 zones, but only 3 among them are accessible to the general public.

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The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, is located in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. It is a mixed-use skyscraper with 162 floors and a height 828 metres. During its construction, it was known as Burj Dubai, but later it was officially named to honour Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan, the leader of the neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi. The tower was formally opened on 4 January 2010, but the entirety of its interior was not complete by then. Designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it has a number of commercial, residential, and hospitality ventures. Adrian Smith was its architect, while William F. Baker served as structural engineer.

Another interesting aspect of Burj Khalifa is the water fountain outside it. Designed by WET Enterprises, this fountain system cost a total of US$217 million. This massive structure is lit by 6,600 lights and 50 coloured projectors. It is 270 metres long and shoots water to a height of 150 m into the air, which is accompanied by a range of classical and contemporary Arabic and other music. It is the world's largest choreographed fountain.

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