Tag Archives: Landform

Preikstolen

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Preikstolen

Preikstolen is a high, high cliff.

  • Preikstolen is a flat plateau 25 x 25 m (82 x 82 feet) cliff that is situated 604 meters (1982 feet) above the Lysefjord, ‘light fjord’, in Ryfylke, Norway.
  • Preikstolen is also known as ‘Prekestolen’ in Norwegian and ‘Pulpit Rock’ or ‘Preacher’s Rock’ in English.
  • Preikstolen is the one of the most famous and most visited destinations in Norway.
  • It takes 1 to 3 hours to hike the 3.8 km (2.4 mile) walking distance to Preikstolen from the car park, one way.
  • In 2012, Preikstolen had 150,000 to 200,000 visitors, and this has led to a new path being constructed which should be completed by early 2014.

Preikstolen, Pulpit's Rock, Cliff Hanger, Rock, Grey, Overhang, Water, River, Norway, Ten Random Facts, Landform

Preikstolen
Image courtesy of L.C. Nøttaasen/Flickr
  • Preikstolen is not often visited in winter and spring as the hiking trail becomes frozen and can be dangerously slippery, so the most common time to visit is from April to October.
  • Although Preikstolen is so high up, there have been no accidents, and there has been no safety barrier constructed around the rock so as not to interrupt the amazing views of the surrounding areas and the beauty of the cliff.
  • Although Preikstolen could be regarded as a suicide destination, there have only been a few reported suicides and attempts, although it is believed that many have suicided there even though there has been no media coverage on it so as not to encourage others.
  • There is a large crack between Preikstolen and the mountain, which suggests that one day Preikstolen will fall away, although no-one can see this happening in their lifetime and is deemed safe at this stage.
  • Preikstolen was originally named ‘Hyvlatånnå’, meaning ‘planed tooth’.
Bibliography:
Preikstolen, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preikestolen>
Pulpit Rock – Preikstolen, 2013, Norway, < http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Product/?pid=31157>


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Mount Everest

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Mount Everest

A very, very, very, very large mountain.

  • Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and its highest peak is 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) above sea level.
  • Mount Everest is located in the Himalayas and Everest’s peak is on the border of Nepal and China.
  • Mount Everest was named by Andrew Waugh, a Surveyor General of India, and the Royal Geographic Society, after Sir George Everest, Waugh’s predecessor, who actually opposed the idea.
  • The traditional name of Mount Everest is ‘Qomolangma’, sometimes spelled ‘Chomolungma’, in Tibetan, meaning ‘Holy Mother’, and ‘Zhumulangma’ or ‘Shengmu Feng’ in Chinese.
  • The first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, and they were part of the 9th British expedition.

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Mount Everest
Image courtesy of Bartmani/Flickr
  • On Mount Everest , the small black jumping spider, Euophrys omnisuperstes and a type of moss has been found at heights of 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) and 6,480 meters (21,260 feet) respectively.
  • Five thousand kilograms of rubbish has been removed from Mount Everest, on expeditions organised by climber Apa Sherpa.
  • There is very low oxygen at heights of 8000 meters (26,000 feet) or higher which makes it necessary for most climbers to use oxygen masks.
  • By the end of 2010, there were 5104 climbs of Mount Everest by 3142 people, and over 75% of these were in the last ten years (2001-2010).
  • In 1996, 15 people died whilst climbing Mount Everest; the most in one year, and 8 of those died in one day.
Bibliography:
Mount Everest, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest>

Alps

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Alps

Just a bunch of mountains.

  • The Alps is a range of mountains that form a crescent shape in Europe, that covers a distance of 1,200 km (750 miles).
  • The Alps can be found in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.
  • The Alps is the home of many glaciers.
  • There are 13,000 species of vegetation and 30,000 species of wildlife, many of which are native to the Alps.
  • A mummified man was found in the Alps at the Austrian/Italian border in 1991, said to be 5,000 years old.
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Alps
Image courtesy of Michal Marcol/ Free Digital Photos
  • Fourteen million people live in the Alps region, and the area attracts approximately 120 million visitors every year.
  • In the Alps there are 82 official summits that are at least 4,000 m (13,123 ft) high, and the  highest peak is Mont Blanc which is 4,810 meters (15, 780 feet) high and is on the French and Italian border.
  • The Alps have been the source of many minerals and crystals, which has included copper, gold, iron, cinnabar, quartz and amethyst.
  • It is suggested that between 40,000 to 80,000 men died in World War I due to avalanches on the Alps.
  • The Alps provide water that those in the region drink; use for irrigation purposes; and create hydroelectric power in over 500 power plants, that can produce up to 2900 kilowatts of electricity per hour.
Bibliography:
Alps, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps>

Kilimanjaro National Park

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Kilimanjaro National Park

Game park, forest park, national park.

  • Kilimanjaro National Park is located in Tanzania, Africa, near the equator.
  • Kilimanjaro National Park contains the famous volcano, Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world’s largest volcanos which is also the tallest African mountain.
  • Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of over 750 square km (290 square miles).
  • In 1910, Kilimanjaro National Park was declared a game reserve by the German and in 1921, the park was declared a forest reserve.
  • Many animals are found in the vicinity of Kilimanjaro National Park , and the Kilimanjaro tree hyrax (a small nocturnal mammal) and Abott’s duiker (small antelope) are exclusive to the park’s region.
Mount Killimanjaro National Park, Grassland, Moore, Scenary, Landscape, Savanna, Arusha, Africa, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Hotel DephilKilimanjaro National Park
Image courtesy of Hotel Dephil/Flickr
  • Part of the setting of the popular children’s film, “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”, is of Kilimanjaro National Park.
  • Kilimanjaro National Park was opened to the public in 1973 and declared a World Heritage site in 1987.
  • Approximately 52,000 people visit Kilimanjaro National Park every year.
  • In Kilimanjaro National Park there is the opportunity to view wildlife, hike or bush walk, and climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and to fish for trout in the park.
  • The African Chagga people live in Kilimanjaro National Park.
Bibliography:
Kilimanjaro National Park n.d., UNESC, <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/403>

Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls

Pretty but dangerous.

  • The Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls and sits on the border of the US state of New York, and Ontario, Canada.
  • The Niagara Falls are very wide and at their highest point are 51 meters (167 feet) in height.  They are most significant due to the enormous volume of water that falls over the edge, on average approximately 110,000 m3 (4 million cubic feet) per minute.
  • The Niagara Falls produces large amounts of  hydroelectricity power for the surrounding cities.
  • The Niagara Falls erodes easily, and is estimated in 50,000 years there will be no falls at all.
  • The name ‘Niagara Falls’ is from the American-Indian tribe the Mohawks.

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Niagara Falls
Image courtesy of George Stojkovic/ Free Digital Photos
  • Fifteen people have intentionally gone over the falls; some jumped, some were protected by barrels; some died, some survived with injuries.
  • The first person to go over the Niagara Falls was a 63 year old school teacher from Michigan, Annie Edison Taylor, in October, 24, 1901, in a barrel.
  • A number of people have tight-roped over Niagara Falls, the first was Jean François ‘Blondin’ Gravelet.  Tight-roping and going over the falls is now banned and is illegal.
  • Niagara Falls as been featured in many movies, including ‘Superman II’.
  • In 2009, it was estimated 28 million people visited the Niagara Falls that year.
Bibliography:
Niagara Falls 31 December 2012 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls>

Grand Canyon

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Grand Canyon

Big, large and rocky!

  • The Grand Canyon is located in the state of Arizona, in the United States of America and has some of the cleanest air in the US.
  • The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world and has been most notably carved by the flow of the Colorado River.
  • The Grand Canyon is 466 km (277 miles) in length, up to 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) deep, and in places up to 29 km (18 miles) in width.
  • The Grand Canyon was first discovered by Europeans in September, 1540.
  • The former United States president, Theodore Roosevelt, started the Grand Canyon National Park, which protects the wonder.

Grand Canyon, Top Side view, rocks, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts

Grand Canyon
Image courtesy of Paul Martin Eldridge/Free Digital Photos
  • In the periods of 2003-2011, mining in the Grand Canyon was requested due to the large amount of uranium underground.
  • Temperatures at the Grand Canyon can reach up to 38°C (100°F) and can go as low as -18°C (0°F).
  • 1,737 species of plants and 34 mammals have been spotted or seen at the Grand Canyon.
  • On average, 5 million visitors visit the Grand Canyon every year.
  • Since the 1870s, 600 deaths have occurred at the Grand Canyon.  242 of those deaths were results of plane and helicopter crashes.
Bibliography:
Grand Canyon 8 December 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon>
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