The coldest temperature recorded on Earth occurred in Antarctica.

There are caves on Earth so deep they have their own weather systems.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is so dry that some weather stations there have never recorded rain.

Mount Everest is not the closest point to space — due to Earth's equatorial bulge, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is actually closest to the stars.

Lake Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world.

The Petronas Towers were once the tallest buildings in the world.

The Amazon River discharges more water into the ocean than the next seven largest rivers combined.

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The shortest commercial flight in the world operates between two Scottish islands — Westray to Papa Westray — lasting about 90 seconds.