13 myths about the world, that we believe in since high school

There are many "facts" that we have a child take for granted, and we do not have even thought to question, and whether it really is.

Publish myths and facts about our planet, which will help to look at our wonderful world in a new way and once again wonder how much of it just extraordinary.

Myth: Mount Everest - the highest mountain on the planet.

Fact: Technically, the highest mountain - Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Her height - 10203 m, but most of the mountain is hidden under the water.

Mauna Kea

Myth: The Wall - the only man-made object that is visible from space with the naked eye.

Fact: Not visible. For this Wall of China is too narrow - only 6 meters wide.

Myth: The largest desert in the world - Sahara.

Fact: The largest desert - Antarctica. Its area - nearly 870,000 square kilometers, and precipitation in some areas was about two million years.

Myth: The famous Big Ben in London - the same clock tower.

Fact: Big Ben - the bell in the tower, which beats time. The tower is called St. Stephen.

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Myth: weightless clouds.

Fact: Cloud consist of tiny water droplets, the total weight is up to 500 tons.

Myth: Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

Fact: Beats. For example, in the spire of the Empire State Building Lightning strikes an average of 25 times a year.

Myth: The highest waterfall in the world - Angel Falls in Venezuela.

Fact: The highest waterfall is located on the bottom of the Denmark Strait, under the water, and has no name. Its height - 3505 m. Yes, there are waterfalls in oceans, rivers and lakes, but they are difficult to photograph.

However, one Russian photographer still managed to capture the underwater river.

Myth: Water conducts electricity.

Fact: The current holding is not the water itself, and dissolved minerals in it. Distilled water does not conduct electricity.

Myth: The diamond can not be destroyed.

Fact: "Light" hammer blow will make one large diamond is much smaller.

Myth: All trees extract water by the roots.

Fact: In the African pustnye Namib growing Welwitschia amazing, leaves that feed on water the root.

Myth: The United Kingdom - the rainiest country in Europe.

Fact: 500 mm of precipitation falls annually in Rome in London - 760, in Milan - 1000, and in Genoa - 1100. But in Italy it rains mostly in the fall and winter, and in the UK - evenly throughout the year.

Myth: The Nile - the longest river in the world.

Fact: Amazon longer than the Nile to 400 kilometers, its length - 7,100 km.

Myth: Most salt lake on earth - the Dead Sea.

Fact: Most salty lake - Don Juan in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The water in it is so salty that it does not freeze despite the temperature of -50 degrees Celsius.