Buzz
Mount Everest isn't the majestic, untouched peak you might imagine. Instead, it's crowded with trekkers, covered in heaps of waste, and occasionally hosts the remains of lost adventurers. And yes, its ice is rapidly disappearing.
Famous locations often come with a specific image in our minds, but it's astonishing how often these places don't match our expectations. Sometimes, we simply fail to capture the full essence of a place, and other times, we miss the mark entirely.
10. Texas Is Not Just A Desert
You might imagine Texas as a desolate wasteland from countless Western films, where cowboys ride through endless dry stretches of red, Martian-like terrain. But any true Texan will tell you that the state is enormous, and its landscape is far more varied than just desert. Texas spans four primary climate zones, not counting transitional areas. East Texas is mostly wooded, resembling the forests of its eastern neighbors. Central Texas is home to expansive prairies and grasslands. West Texas has desert regions, though they're far more diverse than you might expect. Finally, South Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico, features extensive wetlands as well as coastal beaches.
The deserts of Texas aren't the barren, flat sand dunes of the Sahara. Instead, they feature striking mountain ranges, like the Guadalupe Mountains, some peaks reaching thousands of feet high. These mountains are part of the Chihuahuan Desert, which includes the Big Bend National Park, a stunning mix of desert, mountain, canyon, and river landscapes.
9. The Galapagos Islands Are Much More Populated Than You Think
The Galapagos Islands, situated 965 kilometers (600 miles) off the western coast of South America, are famous for inspiring Charles Darwin's work on the theory of evolution. For years, they've symbolized the wonders of wildlife and nature, with iconic creatures like giant tortoises and marine iguanas capturing our imagination. However, you may be surprised to learn that the Galapagos aren't exactly a tropical paradise. The islands are rough volcanic landscapes made of massive black rock formations, and some areas even resemble a desert, with cacti towering like trees.
The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador. After annexing the islands from Spain, Ecuador began settling them. Despite being known as 'Darwin's Paradise,' the islands are now home to a growing population of Ecuadorians. To boost tourism, the Ecuadorian government ensured that wages in the Galapagos would be higher than those on the mainland. Today, the population across the islands is about 30,000 due to a significant influx of people. Puerto Ayora, located on Santa Cruz Island, is the largest town. This population surge, however, has had detrimental effects on the islands’ environment, leading to overfishing and shortages of healthcare, clean water, and education for the residents.
8. Kansas Is Not As Flat As You Think
Kansas is often associated with an overwhelmingly flat landscape. In fact, in 2003, three geographers humorously compared Kansas's flatness to that of a pancake—and Kansas turned out to be flatter. While it's true that certain parts of the state are incredibly flat, with no question about it, the entire state isn’t one-dimensional. From its Missouri border to its Colorado boundary, the elevation drops from 1,200 meters (4,000 ft) to just 200 meters (700 ft). Kansas also boasts striking rock formations like the Monument Rocks and Chalk Badlands, while the Flint Hills, formed from eroded flint rock, add more variation to the scenery.
Interestingly, Kansas isn’t even ranked among the top five flattest states by the American Geographical Society. According to a 2014 article in the Geographical Review, Florida claimed the title as the flattest state, with Kansas coming in seventh, behind Florida, Illinois, North Dakota, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Delaware. So, why is Kansas so strongly linked with flatness? One possible reason is that highways tend to be built through flat terrain, meaning those just passing through the state may miss out on the hilly and rocky areas Kansas has to offer.
7. British Columbia Has a Surprisingly Tropical Side
Canada is America's friendly but cold neighbor to the north. However, not all of Canada is blanketed in snow. The Canadian province of British Columbia, particularly Vancouver Island, has long been promoting a tropical image. With some of the mildest winters in all of Canada, and its closeness to the ocean, British Columbia is perfect for summer activities like sailing.
What plant is most commonly associated with the tropics? Palm trees, which are plentiful in British Columbia. Cities like Oak Bay even host special events to sell palm trees. These aren’t the same palms you’d find in the Caribbean, though. They are a hardier species, native to rainforests in the Himalayas, as well as Chile and Argentina. These palms have thrived in southern British Columbia and are slowly spreading north as they continue to adapt. Fossil evidence shows that these resilient palms were once widespread throughout North America.
That said, British Columbia isn’t exactly Canada’s version of California: Head further inland, and you’ll find plenty of snow for skiing.
6. Hawaii Has a Desert
The Hawaiian Islands are considered one of the world’s top tropical vacation spots. The image of Hawaii as a paradise is so deeply ingrained in our minds that tourism is the state's primary industry, and the government dedicates substantial resources to preserving it. The islands were shaped by palm trees, beaches, sunshine, and powerful volcanic activity. However, similar to other volcanic islands like the Galapagos, Hawaii has a more diverse range of climates than one might expect.
The Hawaiian Islands sit atop a volcanic hot spot. Over time, repeated eruptions built up lava, eventually forming the islands. Every major island in Hawaii is home to at least one volcano. Lava rock isn’t the most welcoming environment for plants and animals, and on the Big Island (Hawaii), a large area of lava surrounding the Kilauea volcano is known as the Ka’u Desert.
Ka’u Desert is a desolate, black landscape—a tangle of dried lava where very few plants can survive. It’s called a desert due to the limited rainfall it receives, as it sits in the rain shadow of Kilauea and is also exposed to high levels of sulfur dioxide from the volcano. This gas leads to acid rain, which hinders plant growth. The porous nature of the lava rock also makes it difficult for many plants to take root. Despite the low rainfall, Ka’u Desert receives enough precipitation to keep it from being classified as a true desert.
5. New South Wales Has Ski Resorts
Australia, known for its heat, has vast areas that are too harsh for human habitation. While snow is rare, a few regions in the country are cold enough for skiing—a tradition that dates back to 1861, brought by Norwegian immigrants. In winter, snowfall is common in the higher elevations of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, but snow is an extreme rarity in other states. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Australia was –23 degrees Celsius (–9 °F) in the Snowy Mountains, located in New South Wales.
In winter, the Snowy Mountains, despite their name, can accumulate enough snow to support a ski and snowboarding industry. Interestingly, the Snowy Mountains aren’t covered in snow throughout the year. For those planning a winter trip, live cameras monitor the snow levels in the area. Since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are reversed, with peak skiing beginning in June.
4. Sochi, Russia Is A Beach Resort
Sochi was perhaps one of the least fitting locations in Russia to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Positioned near a disputed border between Russia and Georgia, the region saw Russia extend its control by 11 kilometers (7 mi) into Georgian territory. Depending on the perspective, this area wasn’t actually part of Georgia, but Abkhazia, a region that Russia has recognized as an independent state. Sochi is also located near the Caucasus Mountains, which are home to some of Russia’s most notorious terrorists. Furthermore, it became evident early in the Games that the city’s infrastructure was not equipped to accommodate the demands placed on it by the Olympic event.
Despite all the controversy, Sochi turned out to be an unlikely host for the Winter Olympics due to its identity as... a beach resort. Indeed, Sochi and its surrounding areas are the warmest in all of Russia, with a subtropical climate. In fact, just a month before the Olympics, the nearby Caucasus Mountains were completely devoid of snow. Long before the event, Russia had already begun stockpiling snow from previous winters and even went so far as to create artificial snow with the help of a Finnish expert.
3. The Sistine Chapel Is Actually Pretty Small
The Sistine Chapel is home to some of the most iconic art of the Renaissance. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the chapel’s ceiling, and his masterpieces, despite his primary career as a sculptor, have become deeply associated with the chapel. Prior to Michelangelo's work, the chapel’s ceiling featured a simple starry sky design.
Given the immense cultural significance of the Sistine Chapel’s artwork, it’s easy to imagine it as an enormous and grandiose structure. But in reality, it’s not a cathedral or a vast church—it’s a chapel. The chapel is relatively compact, measuring about 40 x 13 x 21 meters (132 x 44 x 68 ft). These dimensions were inspired by the estimated size of Solomon’s Temple, which was said to have been destroyed in A.D. 70. In fact, the Vatican collaborated with Villanova University to create a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel, showing that you can view its entire interior from a single spot. The outside of the chapel is far more modest, being a simple brown building attached to the Apostolic Palace, where the Cardinals meet to elect a new Pope.
2. Madagascar Isn’t Largely Rain Forest
When you think of Madagascar, you might picture lemurs and lush tropical rainforests. While that’s part of the story, Madagascar is home to a diverse array of ecosystems. The rainforests, mostly found along the island's east coast, harbor many unique species, including lemurs, which are only found here. Interestingly, the famous ring-tailed lemur, while synonymous with Madagascar, actually resides in the dry forests of the southwest, far from the lush eastern rainforests.
Madagascar also features a fascinating ecosystem known as the spiny forest, or 'spiny desert.' This region is characterized by plants resembling cacti, with small leaves and thorns designed to protect them from harsh conditions. These spiny plants belong to the Didiereaceae family, though they are not actually cacti. Beyond the rainforests of the east and the dry forests in the south and west, Madagascar is home to grasslands and deserts, ecosystems that developed primarily due to human activities such as farming and livestock grazing, which transformed once densely forested areas into open fields or areas filled with introduced cacti.
1. The Great Wall Of China Is Mostly In Ruin
The Great Wall of China is a monumental achievement in human architecture. Originally constructed to defend the Chinese Empire from invading nomads, it stretches for thousands of miles, covering 11 Chinese provinces and extending into North Korea and Mongolia. The entire length of the Wall and its branches is estimated to be 21,196 kilometers (13,170 miles). However, the most photographed and featured sections of the Wall are those near Beijing, which have been restored to attract millions of tourists each year. These areas often give the impression that the Wall remains as powerful and intact as it did in its prime.
In truth, much of the Great Wall is deteriorating. Outside of the restored sections around Beijing, time has taken its toll, with stones crumbling and many parts overtaken by vegetation. Some sections are so dilapidated they are barely recognizable as part of the Wall, and several of these are now closed off to the public. The Great Wall is also not as visible from space as popular belief suggests; while it may be faintly discernible from low Earth orbit, it is not visible from the Moon.
