Pins — Bite-Sized Travel Facts

Did you know the Amazon River is so powerful it pushes fresh water more than 100 miles into the salty Atlantic? It carries roughly a fifth of all the river water on Earth and that more than the next seven biggest rivers combined. And for its entire length, not a single bridge crosses its main channel.

Did you know the spot on Earth closest to outer space is a volcano in Ecuador, not Mount Everest? Because the planet bulges at the equator, the summit of Chimborazo sits farther from Earth's center than Everest's peak — by more than a mile. Everest is still the tallest above sea level, but Chimborazo wins the race to the stars.

Did you know Victoria Falls is the largest curtain of falling water in the world? Over a mile wide and plunging about 355 feet, its spray rises so high locals named it Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders." The brave can even sit at the very edge in the natural Devil's Pool when the river runs low.

Did you know the rainiest inhabited spot on the planet is an Indian village that gets nearly 40 feet of rain a year? Mawsynram, in the hills of Meghalaya, averages about 467 inches as monsoon clouds slam into the slopes. Locals build grass "knups" — full-body umbrellas — and even soundproof classrooms against the downpour.

Did you know the tiniest mammal on Earth is a bat you could balance on your fingertip? Thailand's bumblebee bat weighs less than a penny and is barely over an inch long. It roosts in limestone caves near the River Kwai and was only discovered by scientists in the 1970s.

Did you know Canada holds more lakes than every other country on Earth put together? There are more than 2 million of them, cradling roughly a fifth of all the fresh water on the planet. So many are unnamed that mapmakers simply gave up trying to label them all.

Did you know the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth — big enough to see from space? It stretches over 1,400 miles off Australia's coast and is built by billions of tiny coral animals. Larger than Italy, it's the only living thing on the planet astronauts can spot with the naked eye.

Did you know Botswana has a giant river that empties into a desert instead of the ocean? The Okavango pours inland and fans out across the Kalahari, forming a lush wetland that draws elephants, lions and hippos right into the sands. When the floodwaters arrive each year, the desert briefly becomes one of Africa's richest oases.

Did you know Costa Rica has had no army since 1948? After a brief civil war, it abolished its military and redirected the budget toward education, healthcare and conservation. The result is one of Latin America's most stable democracies — and a country where roughly a quarter of the land is protected nature. Pura vida, indeed.

Did you know the Philippines has a navigable river running underground for over 5 miles or 8 kilometers? The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River on Palawan winds through a cathedral-like cave system before emptying straight into the sea. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Did you know the Namib is thought to be the world's oldest desert, arid for something like 55 million years? Its apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei are among the tallest anywhere, and nearby Deadvlei holds a ghostly stand of camel thorn trees that died about 700 years ago — too dry to rot, they simply turned black in the sun.

Did you know the Dead Sea shoreline is the lowest dry land on Earth, about 1,443 feet or 430 meters below sea level? The water is nearly ten times saltier than the ocean - so dense you float like a cork without trying. Swimming is genuinely awkward; the classic move is to lie back and read a newspaper.