Oceanography lesson: what is the largest sea in the world. The deepest seas in the world The deepest seas in the world

Have you ever wondered where is the deepest sea in the world? What are its features? Who lives there? Not? Would you like to?

Answers to all these questions can be obtained by reading the materials of this article.

Section 1. What is the sea?

Before talking about the deepest sea in the world, we propose to define the concept itself. So, under the sea is meant a part of the oceans, separated by land or elevations of underwater reliefs.

In general, it should be noted that the seas differ from the world ocean in climatic, meteorological and hydrological regimes. This is due to the fact that they, as a rule, are located on the edges of the oceans, and due to the limited connection with the open part of the water expanse, they are characterized by a slowdown in water exchange.

And the definition from the geography textbook says that the sea should be understood as a huge amount of salt water, which is connected to the water shell of the Earth, or a large salt lake, completely isolated from the world's oceans and having no way out.

From each other, the seas, of course, differ in their flora and fauna.

Section 2. Philippine Sea

Now, perhaps, any student will be able to name the deepest sea on Earth. This is the Philippine, which is located between the islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Thanks to warm currents, the water here has an average temperature of 25 o C, and its salinity in some places reaches 35.1%.

The greatest depth is recorded in or in the so-called Mariana Trench. Probably everyone has heard about this point on the map at least once in their life. And the directors of modern cinema often inhabit it with unprecedented monsters, outlandish fish, envelop in mysticism and riddles.

The depth of this gutter is 11,022 m. But these data are approximate. Some scientists insist that in fact the figure can be much higher, it's just that humanity is not yet technically ready to measure such segments.

Meanwhile, the deepest sea in the world has more than seven thousand very picturesque islands with rich flora and fauna.

Among its advantages, one can also single out the unique Pangaskhan waterfalls, lakes, volcanoes, caves and a rich underwater world represented by whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins, huge stingrays, Japanese eels, etc.

Section 3. Coral Sea

If we talk about what is the deepest sea in the Southern Hemisphere, then one cannot fail to mention the Coral. It is located in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of ​​more than 5 million square meters. km. Some depressions discovered by scientists in its abyss reach a depth of 9000 m.

Geographically, it stretches from the coast of Australia to the Solomon Islands, the islands of New Guinea and the New Hebrides, and in the northwest it goes into the Indian Ocean.

The sea water is warm almost all year round. The average monthly temperature ranges from +20 o C to +28 o C.

The name of the Coral Sea is far from accidental. Due to the abundance of coral colonies, reefs, atolls, islands of fossilized coral polyps in it, it got its name.

By the way, do not forget that in this part of the world's oceans there is the largest coral structure on the planet - the Great Barrier Reef. To date, its width is from 60 to 80 km, and it stretches parallel to the coast of Australia at a distance of 30-60 km from the coast of more than 2000 km. Scientists say that this is far from the limit, because every year the reef is only getting bigger.

In addition to various types of corals, sharks and crabs, there are many representatives of the underwater world: sea anemones, stars, cows, hedgehogs, flying fish, trepangs, huge sea turtles, tridacni, poisonous stone fish, sticky fish, pterois, etc.

Section 4. Tasman Sea

Between the shores of the island of New Zealand and Australia, in the South Pacific Ocean, there is another deepest sea in the world - Tasmanovo.

Its area is 3340 sq. km and resembles a diamond shape. In some places, its depth reaches colossal figures of 6000 m. It is even difficult to imagine that this is exactly the distance that an airplane flying, for example, from Moscow to Khabarovsk has to overcome.

The climate in different parts of the sea is significantly different. Why is this happening? The thing is that it geographically lies in different climatic zones.

The water surface of the sea in the north warms up to +27 o C, in the south - only up to +15 o C in summer, and drops to +9 o C in winter. It should be noted that the variety of inhabitants of the Tasman Sea is very similar to the variety of Coral species.

The underwater world consists of corals, sharks, atolls, sperm whales, whales, killer whales, tunas, mackerels and many other sea creatures.

Section 5. Sea Gang

In the west of the Pacific Ocean is the Banda Sea, which is connected by straits to other parts of the oceans.

Its area is 714 thousand km 2. In principle, this sea is considered deep-water with a maximum depth of 7440 m, although the average is 2737 m, that is, almost the same as the deepest sea washing Russia, Beringovo.

Scientists have established that there are 6 basins in Banda, going deeper into the distance above 4000 m. All of them are separated by ridges and rapids.

Another characteristic feature could be called the fact that the sea is located in an area of ​​active volcanic activity, so most of the islands are of volcanic origin.

The Banda Sea has a diverse flora and rich fauna, represented by many fish of different sizes, colors and shapes. Marine living organisms mainly live in the coastal shallow water zone.

Among the representatives of the underwater world there are different types of bottom and reef sharks, stingrays, moray eels, corals, brittle stars, sea anemones, sea snakes, hedgehogs, stars, etc.

Section 6. Caribbean Sea

In the west of the Atlantic Ocean, near the equator, there is the Caribbean Sea with many islands, sandy beaches, clear water, tropical climate, the richest underwater world and picturesque places.

It is unlikely that any of the modern travelers realize that, going here on vacation, they simultaneously get the opportunity to visit one of the deepest seas on the planet.

Sea water practically does not change throughout the year and ranges from +23 o C to +28 o C.

About 500 species of various fish live here, among which moray eels, several rare species of sharks, dolphins, sperm whales, and whales can be noted.

Section 7. Bering Sea - the deepest sea in Russia

The Bering Sea is one of the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems in the world.

It is located between Russia and Alaska and rightfully bears the title of "The Deepest Arctic Sea".

Its area is approximately one thousand km2.

In general, the sea consists of arctic and subarctic waters. Surprisingly, it is very rich in its living organisms. True, of course, those who physiologically can live at such low temperatures.

Experts note that there are all conditions for the existence of more than 450 species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans, whales, dolphins, walruses, seals, polar bears, more than 200 species of birds from all continents and 26 species of marine mammals.

The Bering Sea is one of the most extensive semi-enclosed bodies of water, bounded by the coasts of two continents, which is considered the northern extension of the Pacific Ocean.

What is the deepest sea in the world? After all, on Earth there are a huge variety of different seas. But the deepest sea in the world is the Coral Sea. This is the Pacific Ocean, which is located between the coasts of several countries - New Caledonia, Australia and New Guinea. The total area of ​​the deepest sea on Earth is 4,068 thousand square kilometers. The deepest place in the sea is 9,174 meters, and the average volume of its water is 11,470 thousand cubic kilometers.

The deepest and clearest sea gets its name from the abundance of coral reefs and islands that make navigation difficult. In this sea there are such islands as Tregross, Chesterfield, Willis, Bampton. The most famous reef, which is located in the deepest sea on the planet, is the Great Barrier Reef. This reef is considered the largest reef in the world. It is worth noting that the islands listed above are not inhabited. There is a meteorological station on Willis Island.


The bottom of the deepest sea on earth is heavily dissected. Currents are capable of forming a cyclonic circulation. The temperature of the water of the deepest sea in the south reaches 19 degrees Celsius, and in summer it warms up to 24 degrees. The salinity of the sea is estimated at 34.5-35.5%. There are a large number of sharks and flying fish in the sea. Since 1969, the territory of the deepest sea in the world has belonged to Australia and belongs to Canberra. In 1942, a naval battle took place on this sea between the Japanese and Allied naval forces. This battle prevented the capture of Port Moresby by Japan. The main ports of the sea are: Port Moresby (New Guinea), Cairns (Australia) and Noumea (New Caledonia).

But Russia is washed by as many as 12 seas. But which sea is considered the deepest? The deepest sea in Russia is the Bering Sea. The sea was named after Vitus Bering, who was the first to explore this reservoir. Prior to this, the sea was given such names as Kamchatskoe, Beaver, but still Bering got accustomed. The deepest sea in Russia is located in the northern part of the country and, like the previous deepest sea in the world, belongs to the Pacific Ocean. It is in this sea that a section of the border between Russia and the United States passes.

The deepest sea in Russia is large. Its area is 2,315 thousand square kilometers. But the main feature of the sea is its depth. The deepest place in the sea has a depth of 4,151 meters, while the average depth of the sea is 1,612 meters. It is worth noting that the Bering Sea did not even make it into the top ten deepest seas in the world. It is worth noting that the Black Sea is also included in the list of the deepest seas in the world. The deepest point of the Black Sea reaches 2,000 meters. And the officially registered deepest place in the Black Sea is a depth of 2,211 meters. The deepest depression in the sea is the Yalta depression.

The list of the deepest seas in the world includes the Caspian Sea. The deepest point of the Caspian Sea reaches 1000 meters. The deepest seas of Russia, Wikipedia gives 12 names. Among the deepest seas washing Russia there are the Bering Sea, the Laptev Sea, the Baltic Sea and others.

The most salty sea in the world

The Dead Sea is definitely salty (salinity is 300-350%). It cannot be called only a full-fledged sea entering the world ocean. It's still a lake. As for the salty sea itself, it is not surprising that it is red. Salt concentration here is 41%. A liter of sea water contains 41 grams of salt, in simple terms.

Most of the salt in the Red Sea is at depth, but the closer to the surface, the less salty the water. By the way, with water, as such, the Red Sea has problems. It is located in a region with a continental tropical climate. Therefore, the probability of precipitation here is extremely low during the year. Every year the sea loses about 2000 mm of water, and precipitation restores only 50-100 mm. But the water level does not fall. All because of the Gulf of Aden, connected to the sea by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The largest sea in the world

Surprisingly, the Mediterranean Sea is not at all the largest in the world. Such is the Sargasso Sea, which many have not even heard of. This is because it does not have a coastline, it is a boundless sea. In fact, the Sargasso Sea (named from algae such as Sargassum) is a large piece of still water in the Atlantic Ocean, which is limited on all sides by currents. The exact dimensions of the largest sea in the world are unknown to anyone, but it is assumed that it is 6-7 million square kilometers of water.

The second largest sea on earth is the Philippine Sea. Third place behind the Coral Sea.

The deepest sea in the world

By the way, the Philippine Sea is also the deepest. The maximum depth is 10,540 meters, more than 10 kilometers! This place is called the Challenger Deep. It is located in the famous Mariana Trench on the eastern border of the Philippine Sea.

The second deepest sea is Coral, which is located in Australia, and also washes New Guinea and New Caledonia. The depth is 9140 meters.

In total, there are 90 seas on Earth. At the same time, the largest sea in the world is significantly different from all others. All of them are located inside the continents, and Sargasso is a separate part of the ocean. However, its uniqueness lies not only in this.

The value ranges from 6 to 7,000,000 km2. In second place is the Philippine, its size is 5,276,000 km2. In third position is the sea in the Indian Ocean: Arabian, with an area of ​​4,862,000 km2.

The largest seas of the Pacific Ocean share the fourth and fifth place in the ranking. These are Coral - 4,791,000 km2 and Tasmanovo - 3,336,000 km2. The Wedell reservoir is on the sixth line, its area is 2,920,000 km2. Another representative from the Atlantic Ocean is the Caribbean - 2,754,000 km2, which occupies the seventh position. The area of ​​the Mediterranean, which is on the eighth line of the rating, is 2,500,000 km2.

The largest sea in Russia- Beringovo with an area of ​​2,315,000 km2, Okhotsk completes the rating of ten giants, its area is 1,603,000 km2.

From all that has been said, in response to the question: which of the seas is the largest in area, we can give the corresponding list:

  1. Sargasso;
  2. Philippine;
  3. Arabian;
  4. coral;
  5. Tasmanovo;
  6. Wedell;
  7. Caribbean;
  8. Mediterranean;
  9. Beringovo;
  10. Okhotsk.

Attention! The waters of the Bering reservoir are covered with ice almost all year round!

Depth and location

The Pacific basin is the deepest sea in the world- Filipino. It is here that the largest depression on the planet Earth is located - its depth is 11,035 m. The second place is occupied by the largest sea in the Pacific Ocean - Coral, its depth at the lowest point is 9,174 m. It is recognized as the most beautiful because of the large number of coral reefs.

The largest sea, located in the Indian Ocean, has a depth of 5,800 m. The area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Arabian Sea is larger than the Wedell reservoir, but the latter is more than 1 km deeper, and the largest point is located at a depth of 6,820 m. Interestingly, the depths prevail in the northern parts, southern mostly no more than 500 m.

The depth of the Philippine Sea exceeds the rest by almost 2 times. Conclusion: The Sargasso Sea is the largest, but not the deepest.

The maximum depth of the Tasman Sea, located between Australia and New Zealand, is 5,200 m, this is the so-called Australian Basin. Another body of water in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, is located in a semicircle formed by South and Central America. 7687 m is the maximum depth of this abyss, the average is only 1,200. Because of this, the reservoir is considered shallow. What is the maximum depth of the Mediterranean Sea, washing the coast of more than 10 European countries? Total 5 121 m.

Attention Despite the intercontinental location of the Mediterranean Sea, it belongs to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean, connected to it by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Philippine Sea

Short description

Over 90 seas differing from each other in shape, size, depth, presence or absence of shores. Each of them is individual in its own way: one is the shallowest, the other is deep, the third is the largest, the fourth is the smallest. One of them does not have clear boundaries at all.

Sargasso

The Sargasso Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean is the only coastless, it is located between 23 and 35 parallel north latitude, 62 and 78 meridian west longitude. It is surrounded on all sides by currents, in the west by the Gulf Stream, in the south by the North Trade Wind, in the east by the Canary, and in the north by the North Atlantic.

Clockwise-rotating streams of water separate the largest body of water in the Atlantic Ocean basin, forming a so-called backwater with a surface that is motionless. The temperature in the summer season is 27 - 30 ⁰С, and in winter - 19 - 24. The largest sea in the world has a number of mysterious phenomena, for which no explanation has yet been found:

  • it is always calm here;
  • often there are mirages, simultaneous sunrise and sunset;
  • repeated crashes of small planes are explained by sucking circular movements of air;
  • the beginning and end of the storm is instantaneous;
  • The Sargasso Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean belongs to the zone of active seismic activity;
  • the largest sea in the world negatively affects people: some become lethargic, others panic or experience inexplicable horror.

The Sargasso Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean is a dangerous zone, namely the famous Bermuda Triangle is located here. Its approximate corners are near Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. The site occupies about 1,000,000 km2 of water space, which accounts for most of the missing aircraft and sunken ships.

Attention! There are many versions explaining the strange properties of the Bermuda Triangle, the main of which is the excess content of hydrogen sulfide and methane in sea water.

mediterranean

As mentioned earlier, the greatest depth of the Mediterranean is 5,121 m, for this sea the average depth is only 1521 m. It separates 3: Africa, Europe and Asia. If we count the states whose shores it washes, then the list will contain 21 countries. The area is interesting and attractive for tourists, as many architectural monuments are concentrated on the coast. The Mediterranean basin includes 11 reservoirs, among which 2 wash the shores of Russia:

  • Black;
  • Azov.

Filipino and Arabian

Few people know which sea is the largest in the Indian Ocean in terms of area. This is Philippine, located between the Japanese, Philippine Islands and the island of Taiwan. Favorable climate and high water temperature on the surface, make it the region's leader in whaling and fishing.

The entire area of ​​the Arabian Sea is sheltered from strong winds and cold currents by the Hindustan and Arabian peninsulas. The average water temperature on the beaches is not lower than 20 - 22⁰С, which makes the reservoir a popular tourist destination.

Arabian Sea

Seas of Russia

It is known that the Bering Sea the largest in Russia, its waters are part of the Pacific Ocean, and the features of the geographical position are not inferior to the Mediterranean. Here is the border between Eurasia and North America and 3 climatic zones. It opens from the ice for no more than 3 months. The rest of the time it is covered with a thick layer on which you can drive a car.

The second deepest and largest sea in Russia is the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. It belongs partly to the Russian Federation and Japan. The Kuril Islands, located in it, are still the cause of disputes between countries. Exactly it is considered the coldest among the Far Eastern reservoirs.

Comparing what is the largest and average depth in the Black Sea of ​​the Atlantic basin, the difference will be insignificant: only 2,210 m versus 1,150. Its waters wash the coast of 7 countries called the Black Sea. The waters in the Black Sea are saturated with hydrogen sulfide, so there is no life at a depth of more than 220 m.

Oceans covering 71% of the Earth's surface.

Eternal human interest in everything very, very in the world - big, small, long, high, deep - inexhaustible in the search for new curious facts and unusual records. And if it is not possible to outdo exceptional natural masterpieces, then in the fields of construction and industrial production, people from generation to generation tirelessly strive to establish at least a temporary superiority over competitors in height, size and a number of other parameters. In the material below - the most amazing sights of the world, created by nature and human hands.

The biggest country in the world

According to a 2015 estimate, its population does not exceed 1,000, and almost all are subjects of the Holy See.

The next largest state in terms of territory (other autonomous territories are not taken into account) is Monaco with an area of ​​​​2.02 square meters. km and with a population of approximately 38,800 people, according to a 2014 estimate.

The largest city in the world

The largest city in the world in terms of population and at the same time the largest seaport is Shanghai, China. In this metropolis, according to 2015, 24,152,700 people live.

The largest urban agglomeration is Tokyo-Yokohama, 37,843,000 people. The population of Tokyo alone is 13,617,445 people (as of 2016).

There is no single assessment of cities by area, since the official city limits around the world are formed and indicated in different ways: with or without suburbs. Currently, one of the largest cities in terms of area is Beijing, 16411 sq. km (according to other sources - 16801 sq. km), of which the city proper accounts for approximately 1368 sq. km. km (and this territory is steadily growing every year due to the suburbs), the suburbs - about 15042 square meters. km.

The largest and smallest island in the world

With such a vague definition, the volume of wood was taken as the main criterion for "calculating" the winner. The volume of the trunk of this sequoiadendron at the time of setting the record is 1487 cubic meters, while the mass of the entire tree is estimated at 1900 tons - "General Sherman" is not only the largest, but also the heaviest living organism on Earth at the present time, if you do not take into account the aspen poplar grove - clonal colony Pando (about 6000 tons). And this sequoiadendron, whose age is estimated at 2300-2700 years, continues to grow and adds about 1.5 cm in width every year. The measured height of the tree is 83.8 meters, the trunk circumference at the ground is 31.3 meters, and the maximum trunk diameter is 11.1 meters.

However, in terms of diameter, the giant is inferior to the Mexican Tule Tree in the city of Santa Maria del Tule. According to the measurements of 2005, its diameter at the ground is 11.62 meters, the circumference is 36.2 meters. The exact height of the tree is difficult to measure due to its wide crown; according to approximate measurements - about 35.4 meters. Scientists still argue about its age and the actual number of trunks, but this did not prevent the Tule Tree from being included in the UNESCO list in 2001 as a natural monument of international importance.

The largest animal in the world

The largest animal on the planet is the blue whale (aka blue whale, vomited). The body length of these marine mammals reaches 33 meters, and the weight can exceed 150 tons. Historically, the range of this cetacean species was the entire World Ocean, but now their populations are scattered. All year round, blue whales are found in the equatorial waters of the Indian Ocean, they can be seen from the shores of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Seychelles.

The largest whale ever caught by people is considered to be a female blue whale, caught in 1926 in the waters of the South Shetland Islands. The length of her body from the fork of the tail fin to the end of the snout is 33.27 meters, and her weight is 176.792 tons.

The largest animal on land is the bush elephant (a type of African elephant). As a rule, males weigh an average of 7 tons, females - about 5 tons. With a body length of about 6-7.5 meters, the height of the elephant at the shoulders is close to 3-3.8 meters. The recorded weight of the largest bush elephant was 12.24 tons. The animal was shot in 1974 in the village of Mukusso (Angola). Tourists can see savannah elephants in Africa in national parks and reserves.

The fastest animal in the world

The cheetah is the fastest land mammal. According to various sources, these predators can accelerate in 3 seconds to a speed of 96.6 - 112 km / h. National Geographic magazine named the fastest female cheetah named Sarah (also Sahara): she ran 100 meters in 5.95 seconds. The sprint run of cheetahs for prey lasts no more than 20 seconds and is limited to a distance of 400 meters.

At the same time, among all the animals of the world, cheetahs occupy only 13th place in terms of speed. The championship is for the birds. And the fastest bird and, in general, the fastest representative of the animal kingdom is the peregrine falcon, which in a dive flight develops a speed of 322 km / h, the record noted by the researchers is 389 km / h. However, in horizontal flight, the peregrine falcon is inferior to the Brazilian folded lip (a species of bats and the fastest mammal) with its speed over 160-200 km / h and swifts (species - black, needle-tailed), capable of accelerating to a maximum of 169 km / h.

Among fish, black marlin stands out for its speed: on average, these large oceanic fish are able to cut through the water column at a speed of 85 km / h, the maximum set speed of a representative of the species is 129 km / h.

Of the insects, horseflies fly the fastest - on average 60 km / h, maximum - 90 km / h.

Some representatives of the class of reptiles can reach speeds of up to 35-40 km / h, but no more. These are bearded dragons, green iguanas, and leatherback turtles in the water.

The biggest fish in the world

The largest fish of our time is the whale shark, harmless to humans, living in the warm waters of the tropics. It feeds mainly on plankton, and its average length varies between 10 and 12 meters, although such specimens are extremely rare for fishermen.

The second largest species is the giant shark (giant shark). Like the whale shark, this shark feeds on small organisms - plankton. On average, adults reach 6-8 meters, and only a few sharks grow up to 9-12 meters.

Beluga is the largest freshwater fish, part of the sturgeon family. This species is listed in the Red Book. The largest fish caught in the Caspian Sea and at the mouth of the Volga were over 4 meters long and weighed about 1.5 tons.

The biggest shark in the world

The debate about the size and weight of the largest sharks has been going on for decades. Currently, the existence of exceptional specimens of whale sharks over 20 meters long is allowed. In particular, information credible by researchers includes reports of a shark 20 meters long and weighing 34 tons, caught near Taiwan in 1997, and a shark 17.5 meters long and weighing 15 tons, caught in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the city of Veraval, India.

The last report of a very large whale shark was on February 7, 2012. Then Pakistani fishermen caught an already dead shark near Karachi, 11 to 12 meters long and weighing about 15 tons.

The largest shark that ever existed is considered to be the megalodon, an extinct species, the size of whose representatives can be judged by paleontological finds: the average length is about 15 meters, while megalodons were predators.

The biggest snake in the world

The largest snakes on the planet are representatives of boas and pythons, namely the green anaconda and the reticulated python.

The heaviest snake in the world is the common or green anaconda, and the name "water boa" also applies to it. National Geographic indicates that the largest female anacondas can grow up to 8.8 meters and weigh more than 227 kg. However, at the moment this indicator remains only a theoretical estimate. There have been a lot of reports of giant anacondas by now, but most of them do not have any material evidence and are legends. The largest recorded specimen of an anaconda in captivity was kept at the Pittsburgh Zoo. The snake grew to 6.27 meters, and was weighed at a length of 5.94 meters - 91 kg.

The longest snake, the reticulated python, is native to Asia and grows up to 1.5-6.5 meters in nature. The largest measured representative of the species was 6.95 meters long and weighed 59 kg, but had not eaten for almost 3 months before the measurement. With pythons, as well as with anacondas, a lot of unconfirmed evidence is associated, including about a length of more than 8 meters.

The biggest spider in the world

The largest spider in the world is the goliath tarantula tarantula, in Latin - Theraphosa blondi. The specimen described in the Guinness Book of Records was discovered by members of the expedition of Pablo San Martin in the tropical forests of Venezuela in 1965. The leg span of the Goliath tarantula was 28 cm. In 1998, the same size was recorded in a two-year-old spider grown in captivity, while it weighed 170 grams.

With a leg span of about 25 cm or more, some species of the Sparassidae family grow, their sonorous often used name is giant crab spiders.

The largest spiders in Russia are the South Russian tarantula and several types of crosses. Basically, the sizes of the largest individuals do not exceed 2.5-3 cm.

The biggest dog in the world

The title of the tallest dog in the world with a mention and photographs in the Book of Records belongs to Zeus, a Great Dane (aka Great Dane), a pet of the Durlag family from Otsego, Michigan, USA. The height of Zeus is 111.8 cm, the dog weighs more than 70 kg. If Zeus stands on his hind legs, his "height" will be 224 cm. The record was set on October 4, 2011. At the same time, Zeus is not much taller than the previous record holders - Giant George (109.2 cm) and Titan (107.3 cm), which, by the way, are the same breed - Great Dane.

The English mastiff Zorba was named the heaviest dog back in 1987: a six-year-old dog weighed 142.7 kg. Two years later, when weighed again, he was even heavier: 155.6 kg at a height of 94 cm.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest dog ever lived lived on Earth about 15.3 million years ago, during the Late Miocene. The average weight of this ancient wild dog is estimated at 170 kg.

The biggest cat in the world

The longest living pet cat is the Maine Coon Ludo, pet of Kelsey Gill from Wakefield, UK. The cat was measured for the Guinness Book of Records on October 6, 2015. As expected, measurements were taken three times, and then the average length was calculated - 118.33 cm. At the time of measurement, the pet was 17 months old, it weighed 11 kg. Now several active pages in social networks are devoted to news from his life.

The record of the famous predecessor of Ludo, also a Maine Coon, the cat Stewie, is 123 cm, he was named the domestic cat with the longest tail. He died in 2013 at the age of 8.

Officially, the largest living cat in the world is the liger Hercules (a hybrid of a lion and a tigress). He was born in 2002 at the Institute of Endangered and Rare Species in Miami, at the time of the last measurements at the age of 11, he weighed 418.2 kg, was 3.33 meters long and 125 cm high at the withers. Hercules is mobile and does not suffer from obesity.

The tallest man in the world

The height of the tallest man in history, American Robert Pershing Wadlow, registered in the Guinness Book, is 272 cm. With this height, he weighed 199 kg. The giant was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor and acromegaly, so he grew vigorously from the age of four until his death - at the age of 22 in 1940.

The second largest in the history of observations remains John Rogan, whom the newspapers of his day dubbed the "Negro giant." However, already in adolescence, due to growth, he began to develop ankylosis - immobility of the joints. His exact weight was measured only posthumously, in 1905 at the age of 40, and amounted to 267 cm with a weight of only 79 kg.

The tallest living person is Turkish farmer Sultan Kösen, born in 1982, whose height is 251 cm. Gigantism in his case is also caused by a pituitary tumor, but as a result of treatment, doctors managed to slow down the further growth of the man.

Currently, the history of medicine knows about 17 people who have reached a height of more than 244 cm.

The fastest man in the world

Usain Bolt

Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

The glory of Usain Bolt, the Jamaican runner, has been thundering since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and now the athlete has 9 gold medals from the Olympic Games and 11 from the World Championships. The athlete, nicknamed "Lightning" (Lightning Bolt - literally "Thunderbolt"), set 8 records.

The fastest person reached his first world speed record in 2008 at the age of 22 - 100 meters in 9.72 seconds. In 2009, he improved the 100m to 9.58 seconds. His world record for the 200 meters is 19.19 seconds.

The tallest building in the world

The tallest building and structure ever built by mankind is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, also known as the Dubai Tower.

The grandiose eastern skyscraper, shaped like a futuristic center or a stalagmite, rises 828 meters from the ground, includes 163 floors and a pointed spire directed upwards. The grand opening of the skyscraper, which thundered all over the world, took place in 2010, on January 4, then the ceremony included a light show and fireworks, and was broadcast online.

The Dubai skyscraper was built with a large margin, because the earlier (and also not yet overcome by the third high-rise) record was correlated with the Warsaw radio mast (646.38 meters), which fell in 1991.

The tallest building in Russia and Europe is the Federation Tower (about 374 meters) as part of the Moscow City complex, followed by two more skyscrapers of the same complex - OKO (South Tower, 354 meters) and Mercury City (339 meters). The fourth tallest building in Europe after the Moscow towers remains the pyramidal London skyscraper The Shard (309 meters), which opened to tourists in 2013.

The tacit international competition for the construction of super-skyscrapers continues, and, perhaps, very soon it will be possible to learn about taking a new height.

The tallest tower in the world

Among the TV towers already built, the Tokyo Skytree (634 meters high), towering in the special Sumida area, is in the lead. It is also the second high-rise building in the world after the Burj Khalifa. The tower was completed by February 29, 2012 as part of a program to completely convert Japanese television to digital format, as the height of the Tokyo TV Tower (332.6 meters) was insufficient for this task. Observation decks on the Tokyo Skytree are located on several levels, the highest is at 451 meters.

The Guangzhou TV Tower is 34 meters lower than the Tokyo Sky Tree, but from its highest observation deck you can see the panorama of the metropolis from a height of 488 meters.

In the Western Hemisphere, height superiority remains with the famous CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, built back in 1976. Its height is 553.3 meters, and the observation platform at 447 meters annually receives more than 2 million people. By the way, the Ostankino Tower in Moscow is only 13 meters lower than the Canadian CN Tower, and it has the 4th place in the world.

The longest bridge in the world

The three longest bridges are railway bridges, all of which are located in China.

The maximum length is at the Danyang-Kunshan viaduct (164.8 km), put into operation at the end of June 2011. The bridge is part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, about 9 km of the bridge passes over the water surface. The largest body of water crossed by the Danyang-Kunshan Viaduct is Yangcheng Lake. The other two existing railway bridges among the three record-breaking ones, the Tianjin Viaduct (113.7 km) and the Wei Bridge (79.732 km), are two to three times longer than the largest structures of comparable type in other countries.

The longest marine girder bridge was laid along the route Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau. The second longest beam bridge - Qingdao - is also located in China.

The longest among the ground structures of the bridge type currently remains the Bang Na highway in Bangkok, opened in 2000, 54 km long.

The largest aircraft in the world

Air giants fulfill the dreams of many travelers traveling to new countries and even to other continents.

Passengers who frequently fly internationally have a chance to see the largest production airliner, the Airbus A380, which is operated by several leading airlines. The wing span of the liner is 79.75 meters, length - 72.75 meters, width - 24.08 meters. The capacity of this double-deck passenger aircraft is 853 passengers or 525 passengers in a three-class configuration.

The status of the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world is held by the only copy of the An-225 Mriya, which was put into operation in 1988. The board is used for cargo transportation and has already managed to break over a hundred records, including transporting the heaviest monocargo in the history of aviation weighing 187.6 tons, while the maximum load capacity it reached was much more - 253.8 tons.

The largest ship in the world

The infamous Titanic, which struck the whole world with its size at the beginning of the 20th century, can hardly be compared with the new cruise ships these days. The Titanic, launched in 1912, was 269.1 meters long and 28.19 meters wide. At that time, these figures were record-breaking.

Currently, the Harmony of the Seas, 362 meters long and with a passenger capacity of 5479 / 6500 people, which was put into operation relatively recently, in the summer of 2015, is the leader in the cruise giants' size race. Notably, Harmony of the Seas is the third ship of the Oasis class and is only two meters longer than its predecessors, the 2008 Oasis of the Seas and 2010 Allure of the Seas twins.

The largest floating facility currently under construction is the Korean floating liquefied natural gas plant Prelude FLNG, which has already been launched. The ship-factory with a length of 488 meters resembles other smaller industrial ships in its appearance.

The fastest train in the world

A new world train speed record was achieved relatively recently - in April 2015. A Japanese L0 Series maglev train reached a speed of 603 km/h on the Shinkansen high-speed rail.

Since 2007, the championship among rail trains has been held by the French train TGV POS, which has reached a speed of 574.8 km/h. Now trains of this series serve regular routes in France and Europe, not exceeding the design speed of 320 km/h.

In constant operation, the Shanghai Maglev train maintains the highest speed - 430 km / h, but only on a number of flights (on others - 300 km / h) and at a distance of 30 km.

The largest metro in the world

When comparing the largest subways in the world, it is customary to single out several records: this is the deepest and longest subway, the leading subways in terms of the number of stations and the number of passengers per year.

The longest subway (in terms of the total length of completed lines) is Shanghai, the total length of the underground transport network is 588 km, and this is not the limit - the expansion of the subway is planned in stages for several decades to come.

Most of the stations and routes are in the New York subway. This subway includes 472 stations (or 425 unique interchange nodes) on 36 branches.

The busiest subway (in terms of maximum daily load) is in Beijing, its daily load is on average 9.998 million people, the peak is more than 12.69 million people, the annual figure is 3660 million passengers. At the same time, the consistently expanding network of the Beijing Subway holds the position of the second longest - 574 km.

The next in terms of daily load is the Moscow Metro: at the end of 2015, the traffic volume reached 2384.5 million people per year or 6.533 million per day, the peak load was recorded on December 9, 2014 - 9.5 million people.

The undisputed leader in terms of annual passenger traffic is the Tokyo Metro (3334 million). And Seoul ranks third and behind Beijing - according to the latest official figures, it serves 2,619 million people annually.

The depth record belongs to the Arsenalnaya station of the Kyiv metro: it was laid 105.5 meters underground. Sometimes there are attempts to “calculate” the deepest metro in the world by the average bookmark of all its stations, but the unambiguous champion for this indicator has not yet been precisely determined.

The longest car in the world

Recorded in the Guinness book, the car was assembled according to the project of Jay Orberg, a Hollywood collector, designer and creator of unique cars. It was the 100-foot (about 30.5 meters) limousine that brought Orberg worldwide fame.

The car is put on 26 wheels and inside can hardly resemble the interior of a classic car. It is equipped with a swimming pool with a springboard and a double waterbed; in addition, there are about a dozen beds, satellite TV, a sunbathing area and other amenities. For safe control of this, in fact, an exhibition model, a second driver's cabin is provided.

The fastest car in the world

The land speed record set in 1997 is astonishing: it is the world's first officially confirmed breaking of the sound barrier. In a Thrust SSC car with turbofan engines, Briton Andy Green reached a speed of 1227.985 km / h. Speed ​​measurements were taken in the Black Rock Desert, USA.

The Guinness Book of Records stipulates that a Budweiser Rocket Car race in 1979 at the American Edwards Air Force Base claims to be the first to break the sound barrier, but this experience was not officially sanctioned by the USAF, its results were never counted.

The fastest production car is the Hennessey Venom GT. The acceleration record - up to 300 km / h in 13.63 seconds was set on this car on January 21, 2013. In addition, the car showed the best result in average acceleration to 200 mph, its figure was 14.51 seconds. The maximum speed reached by this car is 435.31 km/h.

Have questions?

Report a typo

Text to be sent to our editors: