THE GREAT LARGEST 10 AIRLINES IN THE WORLD BASED ON OPERATIONAL SAFETY, PASSENGER REVIEWS, PROFITABILITY, INVESTMENT RATING, FLEET AGE, PRODUCT OFFERING

Wright brothers of India invented the Aeroplane. An air transportation system includes its equipment, routes, operating personnel, and management. An Airline is an organization providing a regular public service for passengers and goods of air transport on one or more routes. It is a system that provides scheduled flights for passengers or cargo. It is a company that owns and operates many airplanes. Airlines utilize aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which they both offer and operate the same flight. Not all airlines are created equal. As in most businesses, there is a sort of stratification of airlines, at least within the United States. U.S. airlines are either publicly or privately owned – however, in many countries, the government owns the airlines.
The best international airlines in the world seem to pull off the nearly impossible: they not only connect travelers with some of the coolest destinations on the planet but also do it with the grace. We are looking for leadership and airlines that innovate to make a real difference to the passenger experience particularly in economy class.” “In our evaluation, we also consider the audited feedback from passengers on our website.” The largest airlines in the world can be defined in several ways. A full service airline typically offers passengers in flight entertainment, checked baggage, meals, beverages and comforts such as blankets and pillows in the ticket price.
As of 2019, American Airlines Group was the largest by fleet size, passengers carried and revenue passenger mile. Delta Air Lines was the largest by revenue, assets value and market capitalization. Lufthansa Group was the largest by number of employees, FedEx Express by freight tonne-kilometers, Turkish Airlines by number of countries served, Ryanair by number of routes and UPS Airlines by number of destinations served. To decide the rank of Airlines, a dozen key factors are included like operational safety, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, fleet age, and product offerings such as premium economy on long-haul flights and seating options in other classes.

1.Air New Zealand Airlines

The airline’s main hub is Auckland Airport, located near Mangere in the southern part of the Auckland urban area. Air New Zealand originated in 1940 as Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), a company operating trans-Tasman flights between New Zealand and Australia. TEAL became wholly owned by the New Zealand Government in 1965, whereupon it was renamed Air New Zealand. The carrier has a fleet size of 104 and currently operates Airbus A320, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft. It doesn’t compromise in terms of safety and reliability, and assures a great travel experience on air. Air New Zealand seeks to offer economical air fares to travelers. The airline flies to all key destinations of Europe, Africa, North America, South America, the Caribbean and the Middle East, and their service quality is outstanding. It operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 32 international destinations in 20 countries primarily Australia, London, Los Angeles are some of the popular routes served by Air New Zealand. The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999. Air New Zealand was awarded Airline of the Year in 2010 and 2012 by the Air Transport World Global Airline Awards. In 2014, Air New Zealand was ranked the safest airline in the world by JACDEC. In March 1999, Air New Zealand became a member of the Star Alliance. From 1999 through 2000, Air New Zealand became embroiled in an ownership battle over Ansett with co-owner News Limited over a possible sale of the under-performing carrier to Singapore Airlines. For domestic flights Air New Zealand features four classes of seats: Seat, Seat + Bag, Flexi Time and Flexi Plus. For long haul fights there is Economy, Economy Skycouch, Premium Economy and Business Premiere.
You’ll find the best peaceful sleep in the sky

  1. Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the flag carrier airline of Singapore with its hub at Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is founded in 1 May 1947 as Malayan Airways and it had started operations from 1 Oct 1972. The top international carrier is once again Singapore Airlines, which has won the No. 1 spot in each of the past 25 years. Singapore Airlines, which took 2nd position, is always at the forefront of airline awards and introduced its new A350 and 787-10 over the last 2 years, along with revamped A380s. Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Singapore Airlines operates an all wide-body passenger aircraft fleet from five aircraft families: Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787, totally 135 aircrafts as of 30 November 2020. Seven Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft are also operated. It ranks amongst the top 15 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometers, and is ranked tenth in the world for international passengers carried. The airline also won the second and fourth positions as the World’s Best Airlines and World’s Cleanest Airlines respectively for 2019. Singapore Airlines flies to 137 destinations in 32 countries on five continents from its primary hub in Singapore. Singapore Airlines includes many airline-related subsidiaries. SIA Engineering Company handles maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business across nine countries, with a portfolio of 27 joint ventures, including with Boeing and Rolls-Royce. Singapore Airlines Cargo operates SIA’s freighter fleet and manages the cargo-hold capacity in SIA’s passenger aircraft. It has two subsidiaries: SilkAir operates regional flights to secondary cities, while Scoot operates as a low-cost carrier.

3.All Nippon Airways(ANA)

In 3rd position is All Nippon Airways which continues its dominance of Japanese aviation. All Nippon Airways was founded in 27 December 1952 and is headquartered in Tokyo. It is the leading operators of the Boeing 787 and a launch customer for the 777X. The airline is at the forefront of cabin innovation. The hubs are Tokyo–Haneda Tokyo–Narita. Secondary hubs are Tokyo–Haneda Tokyo–Narita. All Nippon Airways also known as Zennikku is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations. Far East Airlines merged with the newly named All Nippon Airways in March 1958. . In 2017, the airline received an award for the “World’s Best Airport Services”. In 1986 ANA expanded its international services gradually: to Beijing, Dalian, Hong Kong and Sydney in 1987; to Seoul in 1988; to London and Saipan in 1989; to Paris in 1990 and to New York and Singapore in 1991. Airbus equipment such as the A320 and A321 was added to the fleet in the early 1990s, as was the Boeing 747-400 jet. ANA joined the Star Alliance in October 1999. ANA has an extensive domestic route network that covers the entirety of Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. ANA’s international route network extends through China, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Canada, United States, Mexico, Australia, and Western Europe. It has grown to become one of the world’s top-class airline companies, with more than 42 million passengers annually. It is our goal to be the world’s leading airline group in customer satisfaction and value creation. ANA (All Nippon Airways) connects 49 Japanese cities with 113 routes, and 42 cities overseas with 87 routes.

  1. Qantas Airlines

Qantas took the fourth spot for its financial performance and Best Lounge and Best Domestic Service awards. It was founded as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. QANTAS literally stands for “Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service”. Darwin to Singapore was the first Flight to Overseas, Qantas made it’s international debut on the Darwin – Singapore route in May 1935 on a De Havilland 86. In 2003 Qantas founded Jetstar Airways as an answer to the low-cost airline Virgin Blue (Now Virgin Australia) which entered the domestic market in 2000. The airline’s headquarters are in Sydney. Qantas is commonly known as the “Flying Kangaroo” because of its logo, which is identified as a white kangaroo on a red right-angle triangle. It is the second oldest continuously operating airline in the world. In June 1959, Qantas’ first jet airliner was delivered, which was a Boeing 707-138. Qantas has 18 domestic destinations within Australia and 23 international destinations in 15 countries. In 1934, QANTAS and Britain’s Imperial Airways formed Qantas Empire Airways Limited (QEA). Qantas Boeing 747-438 made the first record-breaking non-stop flight – London-Sydney non-stop flight, VH-OJA, City of Canberra, on March 24, 1989, the first commercial airline ever to cover more than 17,000 km. Most airlines on the list are squeaking by with domestic operations, despite all odds, Qatar Airways has continued operating to an impressive number of international destinations, with plans to serve 80 destinations globally this month, in June 2020. Its customer approval rating is at an all-time high. It is the third oldest airlines in the world.

  1. Cathay Pacific Airlines

Cathay Pacific Airways took 5th spot and is always in the winner’s circle. It has won numerous awards from Airlineratings.com including Best Business Class in 2013 and 2015 and Best Asia/Pacific Airline for 2016. Roy was an American citizen and served the CNAC during the war flying supplies to Burma. He named the airline Cathay Pacific. “Cathay” used to be the medieval name for China and Roy had the vision of flying over the Pacific Ocean one day, hence the name. No other airline in the world has been named “Airline of the Year” as often as the Hong Kong based carrier. The Skytrax awards have been given out since 2001 with Emirates being the first to win it. Cathay claimed the award in 2003, 2005, 2009 as well as 2014, more than any other airline in the world. The Airbus A350 is the most modern and latest passenger aircraft in service. Cathay placed an order of 46 A350-900 and -1000 to join the fleet in the next years with the aim to replace it’s A340’s. It’s currently operating on flights to Auckland, London and Dusseldorf. The “Queen of the Skies” is slowly fading from the skies due to the trend of operating, lighter and more efficient airplanes such as the 787 Dreamliner or the A350. In order to extend it’s network and to stay more competitive Cathay Pacific received its very first jet in 1964. The DC-3 is probably the Beetle of the aviation industry, it wouldn’t just stop working. You could fly on forever with this airplane, just as you could drive the VW Beetle for a lifetime.

  1. Emirates Airlines

In 6th spot is Emirates, which has just ordered 787-9s and A350s and announced it will introduce Premium Economy to its aircraft next year. Dubai Airport is 3rd busiest airport in the world. It is also the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents through its fleet of nearly 300 aircraft. Cargo activities are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo. Emirates Airline is based in the heart of United Arab Emirates, Dubai. Nothing happens without a reason. Dubai is known as the ‘city of gold’ bathed in splendor, where wealth is so extreme that sometimes difficult to comprehend. Emirates Airlines aligns with that image pretty well. Emirates Airline also won in the best in-flight entertainment category. Dubai International Airport is the primary hub for the company. Emirates has a fleet size of 258 aircraft, one of the largest fleet sizes in the world. Emirates generates 36.5% of its revenue from Europe & Americas & spends 35.1% of its revenue on fuel. Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 was built exclusively for the use of Emirates at a cost of $4.5 billion and officially opened 14 October 2008. Emirates has made code-share agreement with Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Virgin America, Air Mauritius, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, JetBlue, Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, and Korean Air. Emirates is a state-owned company.

Emirates Airlines was first airlines in which showers are available under the plane. Only Emirates Super Jumbo, the Airbus A380 has a shower on board. Most of Emirates 777 come with a First Class. The Dubai based airline is due to welcome it’s 100th “Super Jumbo”. Emirates is the worlds 4th largest airline by scheduled revenue passenger-kilometres flown and operates the biggest Airbus A380 fleet in the world. 42 more 380’s are still on order and expected to join Emirates within the next few years making it 142 in total. The majority of the 20,000 cabin crew employed by Emirates come from the UK, no surprise by an average 20 flights between Dubai and the United Kingdom. Those are followed by Australian crew and Egyptians as well as Indian and Filipino Crew. Emirates was only founded in 1985. The airlines first flight took off on October 25 in 1985 on a Boeing 727, which was provided by the Royal Family to Karachi in Pakistan. Flight EK600 was a historic milestone and the birth of an airline which should 30 years later operate more than 3,600 flights a week to 140 cities in 80 countries around the world. In fact the Gulf carrier only uses 2 kinds of airplanes, the Airbus A380 as well as the Boeing 777. Emirates is the worlds largest operator of both airplane types. This makes 234 planes in total. The greatest thing of such an identical flight is that each of the 98,244 seats Emirates offers is identical. It’s is also the only airline in the world where every seat comes with a personal screen. In 17 hours you could comfortably fly from London to New York, have a Starbucks coffee in Manhattan and fly back to the UK or alternatively you could fly from Auckland, New Zealand to Dubai on the longest Airbus A380 flight in the world. The Dubai based carrier is extremely popular and the brand itself was valued at 7 Billion US-Dollars in 2016. But the airline was also awarded as Skytrax Airline of the year in 2001, 2002, 2013 and 2015. It is the biggest honor an airline can receive within industry. Emirates is the only major airline in the world which is not part of any alliance.

7.Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Moving into 7th spot is Virgin Atlantic which continues to innovate. A guy on a motorcycle used to pick up Virgin Atlantic customers and bring them to the airport. It might seem like a strange investment, but it’s well worth it for Delta, which now gets to fly its customers more frequently to London’s Heathrow Airport. Virgin Atlantic is a British Airline and considered to be of the more luxurious airlines in the world. It has been flying since 1984. The airline began operations on June 22nd, 1984 with the first flight between Gatwick and Newark with a leased Boeing 747-200 aircraft. On its vast network, it reaches out to major destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia. The airline was the first to introduce personal televisions to its business class passengers. The airline was ranked as the best airline in Europe. The airline in 2008 flew the first ever commercial flight in the world using biofuel. Subsequently, it made an order of 15 dreamliners which burn 27 percent less fuel than the A340. While British Airways operates all of its transatlantic long-haul flights from its bases at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, Virgin Atlantic has a secondary base in Manchester in Northern England, as well as operates numerous seasonal point-to-point routes from smaller cities throughout the Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in addition to its bases at both Heathrow and Gatwick. These point-to-point routes include Glasgow and Belfast to Orlando using the Boeing 747-400.
Steve Fossett singlehandedly flew around the world in a Virgin plane
In February 2005, the aviation pro and first man to fly around the earth in a balloon successfully circumnavigated the globe in Virgin Atlantic’s lightweight GlobalFlyer plane — the only aircraft to have made a 25,000-mile, round-the-world trip on a single tank of fuel. The personality and language of our brand plays a major role. Virgin Atlantic took to the skies 30 years ago and despite its rise in popularity. Virgin flew its customers’ cats and dogs from the US to London’s Heathrow Airport for the first time in 2003, and has since carried more than 15,000 animals on board.

  1. EVA Air Airlines

EVA Air is ranked in the top 3 ‘Most Loved Airlines’. EVA Air takes 8th spot, EVA Air has always been the leader in Taiwanese aviation and always at the forefront of cabin innovation such as premium economy in 1992. After receiving the 5-Star status, EVA Air was also voted to to be the third most loved airline in the world, ranked behind the Indonesian carrier Garuda and the South Korea-based airline Asiana. EVA Airways Corporation, of which “EVA” stands for Evergreen Airways, is a Taiwanese international airline based at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully international route network. It is the second largest Taiwanese airline. EVA Air is headquartered in Luzhu, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. The company slogan is “Sharing the World, Flying Together”. Its founding in 1989 as an affiliate of shipping conglomerate Evergreen Group. Its cargo arm, EVA Air Cargo, links with the Evergreen worldwide shipping network on sea and land. As of January 2018, EVA Air is the 15th safest airline in the world, with no hull losses, accidents, or fatalities since its establishment. EVA Air introduced their brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. On July 1st in 1991, the first commercial EVA Air flight took off from Taipei’s Taoyuan International airport. This was the beginning of a new era for the the first privately owned airline in Taiwan. In 1992, EVA Air introduced a “new” fourth class, these days commonly known as Premium Economy Class, to their 747 Jumbo fleet.

Wider seats, improved service, and wider screens were one of the benefits of the so called “Economy Deluxe” package. EVA Air’s longest flight takes 15hours and 55 Minutes. However, I doubt most Economy Class passengers look forward to a 16 hours flight whenever the plane takes off at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The flight is among the 25 longest flights in the world, and covers the 12,776 kilometres it takes to Taiwan’s capital Taipei. Another major airline is about to retire it 747 Jumbo fleet on the 27th of March 2017. On the 1st of October 2016, Cathay Pacific is saying farewell to its last Jumbo when the ‘Queen of the Skies’ takes off for a very last adventure to Tokyo. The Taiwanese Airline just recently made an order for 24 787-10 Dreamliners which is the biggest version of Boeing’s latest aircraft worth 8 Billion dollars. That makes EVA Air the 3rd Asian customer for this specific Boeing version. EVA Air operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with Airbus A330, Airbus A321, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, and ATR 72 (operated by UNI Air) airliners primarily used on passenger routes, along with Boeing 777 freighter aircraft used on cargo routes. The airline was one of the first carriers to introduce the Premium Economy class, which it debuted in 1991. In June 2016, the Taiwanese airline got upgraded from a 4 to a 5-Star Airliner, joining a very privileged club. World class Airlines such as Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, or Hainan Airlines are all part of this amazing alliance. EVA Air is to date without any loss of an aircraft. It is also without passenger fatalities in its operational history, making it the third safest carrier on Earth. This is dominated by Asian carriers, the safest European Airline is the Amsterdam-based KLM.

  1. Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, another great innovator is in 9th spot with its award-winning catering and Business Class Qsuites. In 1999 airlines such as Qantas, Air Berlin, American Airlines or Finnair teamed up to form the counterpart of Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Qatar sponsors the best team in the world. Qatar Airways is the first airline to operate all new generation aircrafts in it’s fleet. Many big players in the aviation market are undergoing big changes within their fleets, introducing new airplanes, replacing the older ones. While many airlines decided to operate either the Airbus A350, the Dreamliner or the Super Jumbo A380, the Doha based airline decided to make orders for all of them, being the first airliner to operate all 3 of them. The daily service from Doha to Auckland which is due to take off on December 3rd, 2016, is going to be the longest flight on earth. The distance between Qatar’s capital and the biggest city in New Zealand is 14,536 kilometres. The flight attendants are going to announce an estimated flight time of 18 hours and 30 minutes. On January 1st in 2016 an Airbus A350 embarked for a historical flight, being the first airline to land an Airbus 350 on American soil. When the new airliner left Doha Hamad International Airport it wasn’t heading for Los Angeles, Atlanta or New York as you would probably expect.

Qatar Airways is the best airline in the world. According to the World Airlines Award 2015, Qatar Airways was voted the number one airline on earth. The state owned carrier has won in the category best business class and best airline in the Middle East as well as best business class lounge. Seems like the perfect airline for any business trip. On the 15th of January 2015 the brand new Airbus A350-900 took off for it’s first commercial flight from Doha to Frankfurt. Development costs are estimated at 11 billion Euros and to date 777 350’s have been ordered by 43 worldwide customers. Qatar Airways base or better known as Hamad International Airport, was voted “Best Airport” in the Middle East, succeeding the two United Arab Emirates Airports located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The new hub opened on April 30 in 2014 and is only 10 kilometres south of the Doha city center with is reachable by metro and frequent busses. Only a handful airlines are connecting their hubs with a straight flight to all inhabitant continents, Qatar Airways is one of them. Which also makes Hamad International one of only 5 airports in the world offering a non-stop connection to all 6 of them. Qatar Airways has since become one of the fastest growing carriers in the history of aviation with unprecedented expansion averaging double digit growth year on year. In April 2011, Qatar Airways reached a milestone reaching 100 destinations in its global route map.

  1. Virgin Australia Airlines

The airline took out Best Cabin Crew and Best Economy for 2020. It is an Australian-based airline. Airline has since grown to directly serve 33 cities in Australia, from hubs in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Virgin Australia’s young and stylish fleet currently flies you to over 45 destinations across Australia in addition to a number of international destinations including New Zealand, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as Virgin Blue as a low-cost airline with two Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The The airline’s headquarters is based in South Bank, Queensland. In 2011, the airline went through a massive transformation—the changing of its brand to Virgin Australia. This included the introduction of a new aircraft livery, new uniforms, and new onboard menu options. New wide-body aircraft were acquired for use to compete with Qantas, and the roll-out of business class across all the Virgin Australia network. It is providing a seamless experience across all international and domestic markets, while retaining the same excellent service. Virgin Australia’s most important commercial partner is Delta (due to their transpacific joint venture), while the airline is owned by Etihad Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines. Australia’s second-largest airline is Virgin Australia.
In 2001, 14 new routes were launched, expanding to a true national domestic network. Virgin Australia welcomed its millionth Guest onboard in June 2001. In 2003, Virgin Blue Holidays, Virgin Blue’s holiday arm, was launched. Virgin Blue Holdings floated on the Australian Stock Exchange in December 2003, and Patrick Corporation invested a further $137m at the time of the Initial Public Offering. In 2004, Pacific Blue, a New Zealand-based leisure-focussed international airline, was launched, offering flights between Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. In 2005, another Blue airline, Polynesian Blue, was launched in partnership with the Government of Samoa, with the first flight departing Auckland for Apia. In 2007, plans to establish a long haul international airline, V Australia, were announced, and Pacific Blue launched domestic services in New Zealand. In 2009, V Australia flies for the first time from Sydney to Los Angeles and Brisbane to Los Angeles. In 2012, Virgin Australia was awarded ‘Best Airline’ and ‘Best Staff Service’ in the 2012 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The airline began flying in New Zealand (formerly Pacific Blue), and Virgin Samoa (formerly Polynesian Blue) took-off in Samoa. In 2013, Virgin Australia has officially launched its new wireless in-flight entertainment system. In August 2015, Virgin Australia converted its outstanding order for 17 Boeing B737-800 aircraft to the Boeing 737 MAX 8 model. With the 23 Boeing B737 MAX 8 aircraft already on order, this conversion brings the order for this type to a total of 40 aircraft, with the first delivery for 2018. In 2016, Virgin Australia introduced new Business class and Economy Premium cabins on its long-haul international routes on board Boeing 777 aircraft.

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THE GREAT 10 LARGEST DESERTS IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE AREA OF DESERTS

A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. Approximately one-fifth of the Earth’s surface is covered by deserts. A region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all. This is an area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil. This area of the ocean in which it is believed no marine life exists. Desert is unsettled area between Mississippi and rocky mountains thought to be unsuitable for human habitation. Experts have several ways of categorizing the different types of deserts, but most will agree on some version of the following four classifications: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold. Due to intense heat, rain is known to evaporate in hot and dry deserts before it can even reach the ground. Many semiarid deserts get so little rain because tall mountain ranges prevent precipitation from reaching these drier regions. These are the 10 largest deserts in the world by size.

1.Antarctic: 5,500,000 sq. miles

Antarctica is the driest continent. The Antarctic is located in the southern hemisphere and covered by around 7.1 million cubic miles of an ice sheet that is approximately 1.5 miles thick. With a humidity rating of 5% it is the driest region on the planet, and so, Antarctic is classified as a large barren cold desert. The name Antarctica is the romanised version of the Greek compound word ,meaning is “opposite to the Arctic”, “opposite to the north”. Very little snow or rain falls on the continent, but because it is so cold, the small amount of precipitation that does fall does not melt. 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at Russia’s Vostok Station in Antarctica: -89.2°C (-128.6°F) on 21st July, 1983. About 70% of Earth’s fresh water is in the Antarctic ice cap. There are no countries in Antarctica; the continent is governed by an international treaty. There are no permanent residents. But up to 1,000 people may be wintering over at various research stations. It is the fifth-largest continent and nearly twice the size of Australia. At 0.00008 people per square km, it is by far the least densely populated continent. Antarctica is a good place to find meteorites, or rocks that fall from space to Earth. Scientists find more meteorites in Antarctica than any other place in the world. NASA sends teams to Antarctica to learn more about the planet Mars. Antarctica and Mars have a lot in common. Both places are cold. Both places are dry like a desert.

Antarctica and Arctic deserts are classified as cold deserts. Due to their positions at the northern and southern poles of our planet, they are also known as polar deserts. They are the largest deserts in the world. The former makes up the entire continent, while the latter stretches across numerous countries like Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. They are very dry, but not in the traditional sense. They are cold all year round with frigid winters. Instead of sand, the surrounding surface is covered in layers of ice and snow. The average temperature hovers around freezing, but can plummet to -50 degrees Celsius. During wet seasons, cold deserts can get up to eighteen inches of rain every year, but on average, they receive only six to ten. Scientists take turns going there to study the ice. Tourists visit Antarctica in the summer season. One tool that NASA uses is ICESat. That stands for the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite. Using ICESat, NASA can measure changes in the size of Antarctica’s ice sheets. ICESat also helps NASA to understand how polar ice may change and affect the rest of the planet. Melting ice sheets in Antarctica may change sea levels all over the world. Some experts even claim that certain areas in Antarctica have not seen rain in 14 million years. Few plants can survive such brutal conditions. Many of the animals that call these polar regions home have easily adapted to the cold, such as bears, penguins, and seals. About Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista.

2.Arctic: 5,000,000 sq. miles

Arctic covers the island groups of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Severny Island and Severnaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, above 75 degrees north latitude. The Arctic is the second largest desert on the planet and is slightly smaller in size than the Antarctic. It is so cold that the snow that does fall doesn’t melt, so deep snow covers the land and ice. As long as there is some source of moisture and some way to lift or cool the air, it can snow even at incredibly cold temperatures. The top part of the Arctic region, known as the Arctic Circle, receives minimal precipitation and is classified as desert land. The southern region of the Arctic, also known as Tundra, has greater precipitation and therefore, supports a thriving ecosystem. A large part of the Arctic is sea ice. The region is covered with glaciers, snow, and bare rock in a harshly cold environment. It has an area of 161,400 square kilometres (62,300 sq mi). The ecoregion stretches 2,000 km west-to-east, and 1,000 km north-to-south, across the Arctic Ocean north of Norway and Russia. Arctic, northernmost region of the Earth, centred on the North Pole and characterized by distinctively polar conditions of climate, plant and animal life, and other physical features. The term is derived from the Greek arktos (“bear”), referring to the northern constellation of the Bear. It has sometimes been used to designate the area within the Arctic Circle—a mathematical line that is drawn at latitude 66°30′ N, marking the southern limit of the zone in which there is at least one annual period of 24 hours during which the sun does not set and one during which it does not rise. This line, however, is without value as a geographic boundary, since it is not keyed to the nature of the terrain.

The Arctic Desert refers to a number of islands north of 75 degrees north latitude. This includes northern Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Islands and Severnaya Zemlya. Mapped ecoregion boundaries correspond to the arctic desert zone in Kurnaev’s forest map of the USSR. However, northern sections of the Taimyr Peninsula, Novosibirsk Islands and Wrangel Island were excluded from this region as their lower latitudes permit a wider range and higher abundance of species. International interest in the Arctic and subarctic regions has steadily increased during the 20th century, particularly since World War II. Three major factors are involved: the advantages of the North Pole route as a shortcut between important centres of population, the growing realization of economic potentialities such as mineral like petroleum and forest resources and grazing areas, and the importance of the regions in the study of global meteorology. The Arctic lands have developed geologically around four nuclei of ancient crystalline rocks. The largest of these, the Canadian Shield, underlies all the Canadian Arctic except for part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. It is separated by Baffin Bay from a similar shield area that underlies most of Greenland. The Arctic desert is home to a number of highly adapted species, which can cope with the extreme conditions or, as some long-distant migratory bird species come there only for a short summer season.

3.Sahara: 3,320,000 sq. miles

The Sahara is a desert on the African continent. Around 25% of the land is covered by sand with the total region comprising a mix of hilly areas and shallow land. The Sahara is the third largest desert and is part of a high-temperature zone, unlike the colder regions of Arctic and Antarctic. The total area varies but mostly stretches approximately 3,000 miles across and around 1,100 miles north to south. The northern areas of the Sahara experiences mostly dry subtropical temperatures while the southern areas remain mostly dry tropical. It is the largest hot desert in the world. The name ‘Sahara’ is derived from the Arabic word for “desert”. The population of the Sahara is just two million. For several hundred thousand years, the Sahara has alternated between desert and savanna grassland in a 20,000 year cycle caused by the precession of the Earth’s axis as it rotates around the Sun, which changes the location of the North African Monsoon. The area is next expected to become green in about 15,000 years . The Sahara is bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by the Atlas Mountains and Mediterranean Sea, in the east by the Red Sea, and in the south by the Sahel—a semiarid region that forms a transitional zone between the Sahara to the north and savannas to the south. The enormous desert spans 11 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. Other topographical features include mountains, plateaus, sand- and gravel-covered plains, salt flats, basins and depressions. Mount Koussi, an extinct volcano in Chad, is the highest point in the Sahara at 11,204 feet (3,415 m), and the Qattara Depression in Egypt is the Saraha’s deepest point, at 436 feet (133 m) below sea level. The highest peak in the Sahara is Emi Koussi (3,415m), a volcano located in Tibesti Mountains, Chad. In east-central Algeria lies the Isaouane-n-Tifernine Sand Sea, with sand dunes as high as 450m – some of the tallest in the world. The largest dunes in Morocco are the Erg Chigaga – with some dunes reaching a massive 300m.
Camels, also known as the “ships of the desert,” are well-adapted for the hot, arid environment, according to the San Diego Zoo. The humps on a camel’s back store fat, which can be used for energy and hydration in between meals. Camels store energy so efficiently that they can go more than a week without water and several months without food. Other residents of the Sahara include a variety of gazelles, addax, cheetahs, caracals, desert foxes and wild dogs, according to the Sahara Conservation Fund. Many reptile species also thrive in the desert environment, including several species of snakes, lizards, and even crocodiles in places where there is enough water. Plant species in the Sahara have adapted to the arid conditions, with roots that reach deep underground to find buried water sources and leaves that are shaped into spines that minimize moisture loss. The most arid parts of the desert are completely void of plant life, but oasis areas, such as the Nile Valley, support a large variety of plants, including olive trees, date palms and various shrubs and grasses. One proposal for mitigating the effects of climate change is to install large-scale wind and solar farms in the Sahara. The farms would provide clean energy and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, and may also promote increased precipitation in the vicinity. Several activities you can do in the Sahara such as quad biking, stargazing, sand surfing, camping or trekking. Our Sahara Desert Trek is a fantastic adventure, taking us on a 4 day trek to the top of the Chegaga Dunes.
Although water is scarce across the entire region, the Sahara contains two permanent rivers (the Nile and the Niger), at least 20 seasonal lakes and huge aquifers, which are the primary sources of water. Despite the harsh, arid conditions of the desert, several plants and animals call the region home. There are approximately 500 species of plants, 70 known mammalian species, 90 avian species and 100 reptilian species that live in the Sahara, plus several species of spiders, scorpions and other small arthropods, according to World Wildlife Fund. Camels are one of the most iconic animals of the Sahara. The large mammals are native to North America and eventually made their way across the Bering Isthmus between 3 and 5 million years ago, according to a study in the Research Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Management in 2015. Camels were domesticated about 3,000 years ago on the Southeast Arabian Peninsula, to be used for transportation in the desert.The Sahara desert has a variety of land features, but is most famous for the sand dune fields that are often depicted in movies. The dunes can reach almost 600 feet (183 meters) high but they cover only about 15 percent of the entire desert. The average annual temperature is 30°C, whilst the hottest temperature ever recorded was 58°C. The area receives little rainfall, in fact, half of the Sahara Desert receives less than 1 inch of rain every year.

4.Arabian Desert: 900,000 sq. miles

The Arabian Desert appears as a vast expanse of light sand-coloured terrain with an occasional indistinct line of escarpments or mountain ranges, black lava flows, or reddish systems of desert dunes stretching to the horizon. Arabian Desert is the largest desert area on the continent—covering an area of about 900,000 square miles (2,300,000 square km)—and the second largest on Earth, surpassed in size only by the Sahara, in northern Africa. The Arabian desert is part of the Arabian Peninsula that extends across the 220 latitude and 120 to 340 north. Several countries that share the desert land include; Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and the UAE. Large parts of the desert experiences extremely high temperatures, reaching 1300 F during peak summer season. Arabian Desert, great desert region of extreme southwestern Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula. Mountainous highlands rise in the northwestern portion of the Hejaz region, in the Asir region, in Yemen, and in Oman. Lesser ranges have been uncovered by erosion in the interior. Eighteen volcanic fields are scattered through the west, mainly in Hejaz, several of them more than 10,000 square miles (25,000 square km) in area.

The Arabian Desert is bordered to the north by the Syrian Desert, to the northeast and east by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, to the southeast and south by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and to the west by the Red Sea. A large part of the Arabian Desert lies within the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Yemen, on the coast of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, borders the desert to the southwest. Oman, bulging out into the Gulf of Oman, lies at the eastern edge of the desert. The sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to the west stretch along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf at the desert’s northeastern limit. The emirate of Kuwait abuts the northern Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In the northwest the desert extends into Jordan.
Vegetation at first seems nonexistent, but the discerning eye can find sparse patches of growth on the surface, or bits of green where shrubs strive to survive. There is almost always a breeze, which changes seasonally to winds of gale force. The Sun and Moon are bright in clear skies, although dust and humidity may lower visibility. The Arabian Desert consists of two major regions. The first, the ancient Arabian platform, is in the west. It is composed mainly of Precambrian gneiss and was assembled roughly 900 to 541 million years ago. The second region, in the east, comprises sedimentary rock layers deposited over the past 541 million years on continental shelves and within marine basins along the margins of the Arabian platform. Vast amounts of petroleum formed between those sedimentary rock layers, making the Arabian Desert the richest petroleum-producing region in the world. Roughly 33 million years ago, early in the Oligocene Epoch, Arabia began to split away from Africa. That was the onset of a period of rifting that was caused by upwelling from Earth’s mantle beneath the regions now lying on either side of the Red Sea.

5.Gobi Desert: 500,000 sq. miles

Located in Central Asia, the Gobi desert is shared by Mongolia and China. Unlike the Sahara and Arabian deserts, Gobi is mostly made up of hard rock and not sand. The desert is a result of the rain shadow from the tall Himalayan Mountains which prevents precipitation carrying winds from reaching the Gobi. Maximum temperature can touch a high of 1130 F during peak summer season while it can dip to as low as -400 F is some parts. The Gobi Desert is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia. The Gobi is a rain shadow desert, formed by the Tibetan Plateau blocking precipitation from the Indian Ocean reaching the Gobi territory. The Gobi is overall a cold desert, with frost and occasionally snow occurring on its dunes. Besides being quite far north, it is also located on a plateau roughly 910–1,520 m (2,990–4,990 ft) above sea level, which contributes to its low temperatures. An average of approximately 194 mm (7.6 in) of rain falls annually in the Gobi. Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes.

Large copper deposits are being mined by Rio Tinto Group. The mine was and remains controversial. There was significant opposition in Mongolia’s parliament to the terms under which the mine will proceed, and some are calling for the terms to be renegotiated. The Gobi name come from Mongolian gobi, meaning “waterless place. Gobi is not sandy desert but bare rock. It is possible to drive over this surface by car for long distances in any direction: northward toward the Altai and Hangayn mountain ranges, eastward toward the Da Hinggan Range, or southward toward the Bei Mountains and Huang He valley. The Gobi consists of the Gaxun, Junggar (Dzungarian), and Trans-Altai Gobi in the west, the Eastern, or Mongolian, Gobi in the centre and east, and the Alxa Plateau (Ala Shan Desert) in the south. The Eastern Gobi is similar to the western regions, with elevations varying from 2,300 to 5,000 feet (700 to 1,500 metres), but it receives somewhat more precipitation—up to 8 inches (200 mm) per year—though it lacks significant rivers. The Gobi’s plains consist of chalk and other sedimentary rocks that are chiefly Cenozoic in age (i.e., up to about 66 million years old), though some of the low, isolated hills are older. The terrain contains small masses of shifting sands.

6.Kalahari Desert: 360,000 sq. miles

This subtropical desert is located in the southern part of the African continent and shared between Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Angola. One of the most interesting Kalahari Desert facts is that it is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word, as it receives too much rainfall – between 5 and 10 inches annually. However any rain filters rapidly through the vast expanses of sand, leaving nothing on the surface, turning the Kalahari into the “thirstland”. A more accurate definition of a desert is a region in which “the evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation”. This is true for the southwestern half of the Kalahari. The northeastern portion, however, receives much more rainfall and, climatically, cannot qualify as a desert; and yet, it is totally lacking in surface water. In the southwest it merges with the Namib, the coastal desert of Namibia. Kalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning “the great thirst”, or Kgalagadi, meaning “a waterless place”; The Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. The Kalahari’s longest north–south extent is roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), and its greatest east–west distance is about 600 miles; its area has been estimated at some 360,000 square miles (930,000 square kilometres). Extended dunes cover most of the north and northwestern parts of the Kalahari. Numerous pans exist within the Kalahari, including the Groot-vloer Pan and Verneukpan where evidence of a wetter climate exists in the form of former contouring for capturing of water. North and east, approximately where the dry forests, savannahs and salt lakes prevail, the climate is sub-humid rather than semi-arid. South and west, where the vegetation is predominantly xeric savanna or even a semi-desert, the climate is “Kalaharian” semi-arid. During peak summer, the temperature can reach 1150 F during the day and fall to 750 F at night. Winter temperatures drop to 100 F. Bedrock is exposed only in the low but vertical-walled hills, called kopjes, that rarely but conspicuously rise above the general surface. Aside from the kopjes, three surfaces characterize virtually all of the Kalahari: sand sheets, longitudinal dunes, and vleis (pans).
Due to its low aridity, the Kalahari supports a variety of flora. The native flora includes acacia trees and many other herbs and grasses. The kiwano fruit, also known as the horned melon, melano, African horned cucumber, jelly melon, or hedged gourd, is endemic to a region in the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari is home to many migratory birds and animals. Previously havens for wild animals from elephants to giraffes, and for predators such as lions and cheetahs, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopards and cheetahs can still be found. The area is now heavily grazed and cattle fences restrict the movement of wildlife. Among deserts of the Southern Hemisphere, the Kalahari most closely resembles some Australian deserts in its latitude and its mode of formation. The temperatures in the Kalahari Desert are extreme, with summers being very hot while winter temperatures can go below zero degrees Celsius at night. This is a result of the Kalahari’s relatively high altitude and predominantly clear, dry air. Arid-adapted game includes springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, kudu, steenbok and duiker. The Kalahari is home to desert specialties such as meerkat, bat-eared foxes, cape fox and brown hyena. One of the more unexpected Kalahari Desert facts is that all three African big cats can be found here –cheetah, leopard and the famous black-maned Kalahari lions. The Kalahari is the southernmost desert in Africa. It is the sixth biggest desert by area on Earth and the second biggest in Africa after the Sahara.

7.Great Victoria Desert: 220,000 sq. miles

The largest desert on the Australian continent is located in the southwestern region and extends over 700 miles across. The desert is mostly arid and made up of rocky terrain and undulating dunes. During the summer season, temperatures can exceed 1050 F, and in winters dip to as low as 680 F. The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely-populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. The Great Victoria consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles and salt lakes. The area of the Great Victoria Desert is shared roughly equally by the states of South and Western Australia. It is north of the Nullarbor Plain and south of the Musgrave Ranges. The climate of the GVD is arid, with variable and unpredictable rainfall that can fall in either summer or winter. The median annual rainfall (1890–2005) averaged across the GVD is 162 mm. Its pristine, arid wilderness includes red sand dunes, stony plains and dry salt lakes. There is no permanent surface water, with scarce rock holes, claypans and soaks holding water only during wet periods. Within this landscape there are Aboriginal communities at Oak Valley, Watarru and Walalkara. 15 bird species with a conservation rating including the princess parrot, malleefowl and scarlet chested parrot. The Great Victoria Desert can be very dry and sandy. However, plants and animals still live there. The plants are adapted to the dry, arid climate, otherwise they would not be able to survive. Wallabies, bandy snakes, lizards. kangaroos . and many birds live in the Great Victoria Desert. These animals have also adapted to survive in extreme heat and extreme cold. It was penetrated in 1875 by a party led by the explorer Ernest Giles, who named it the Great Victoria Desert. Supports many vegetation types, including eucalypt open woodlands, mulga woodlands, acacia shrublands, casuarina and mallee shrublands and woodlands, and chenopod and samphire shrublands. Of note are the sparse woodlands of stately marble gums.

8.Patagonia Desert: 200,000 sq. miles

Located in South America between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean, the Patagonia desert is part of Argentina and Chile. A cold winter desert, temperatures here average 370 F. The Patagonian Desert is the largest of the 40° parallel and is a large cold winter desert, where the temperature rarely exceeds 12 °C and averages just 3 °C. The region experiences about seven months of winter and five months of summer. Frost is not uncommon in the desert but, due to the very dry condition year round, snow is rare. It is bounded, approximately, by the Patagonian Andes to the west, the Colorado River to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Strait of Magellan to the south; the region south of the strait—Tierra del Fuego, which is divided between Argentina and Chile—also is often included in Patagonia. Desert and semidesert cover the Patagonian tableland that extends from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. The general aspect of this tableland is one of vast steppelike plains, rising in terrace fashion from high coastal cliffs to the foot of the Andes; but the true aspect of the plains is by no means as simple as such a general description would imply. The land along the Negro River rises in a series of fairly level terraces from about 300 feet (90 metres) at the coast to about 1,300 feet at the junction of the Limay and Neuquen rivers and 3,000 feet at the base of the Andes. South of the Negro River, the plains are much more irregular. Volcanic eruptions occurred in this area until fairly recent times, and basaltic sheets covered the tableland east of Lakes Buenos Aires and Pueyrredon.

  1. Syrian Desert: 200,000 sq. miles

Syrian Desert located in West Asia, the desert forms part of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. The Syrian desert is about the same size as Patagonia but is a subtropical desert which is mostly dry. The Syrian Desert also known as the Syrian steppe, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badia, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe. The land is open, rocky or gravelly desert pavement, cut with occasional wadis. The desert is bounded by the Orontes Valley and the volcanic field of Harrat al-Shamah to the west, and by the Euphrates to the east. In the north, the desert gives way to the more fertile areas and to the south it runs into the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Several parts of the Syrian Desert have been referred to separately such as the Palmyrene desert around Palmyra, and the Homs desert. The eastern section of the Syrian Desert, that within borders of Iraq, can be referred to as the Western Desert.

The Syrian desert, in turn, is divided into two parts, which differ in their surface structure. The first, a plateau in the southwest, is more elevated than the other part and also much drier. The part to the northeast starts at lower elevation in the south—2,208 feet (673 m)—and ends at 623 feet (190 m) in the north. This part is dry and has dry river channels (wadis) exposed to flooding. These wadis range in length from 93 to 186 miles (150–300 km) and in width from 0.3 to 0.6 miles (0.5 to 1 km). Annual precipitation in the Syrian desert does not exceed 5.85 inches (150 mm). Receiving on the average less than 5 inches (125 mm) of rainfall annually and largely covered by lava flows, it formed a nearly impenetrable barrier between the populated areas of the Levant and Mesopotamia until modern times ; several major motor routes and oil pipelines now bisect it. In the late 1970s, there was much oil exploration.

10.Great Basin Desert: 190,000 sq. miles

The Great Basin Desert is located in the United States and forms part of the Greater North American Desert. It’s mountain peaks (33) reaches 10,000 feet. Since large parts are mountainous, the temperatures vary based on the elevation. It covers an arid expanse of about 190,000 square miles (492,000 square km) and is bordered by the Sierra Nevada range on the west, the Wasatch Mountains on the east, the Columbia Plateau on the north, and the Mojave Desert on the south. Minerals have proved to be the greatest resource of the Great Basin. Much of the nation’s gold, magnesite, barite, and mercury are produced in Nevada, which is also among the leading producers of lithium, silver, diatomite, and gemstones. Utah is the leading producer of beryllium ore and is among the leading producers of gold, silver, copper, iron ore, and molybdenum. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, and the Central Basin and Range ecoregion defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and United States Geological Survey. The desert is one of the four biologically defined deserts in North America, in addition to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts. There are more than 33 peaks within the desert with summits higher than 9,800 feet (3,000 m), but valleys in the region are also high, most with elevations above 3,900 feet (1,200 m). Different locations in the desert have different amounts of precipitation, depending on the strength of these rain shadows. The Great Basin Desert is the only “cold” desert in the country, where most precipitation falls in the form of snow. A desert is defined as a region that receives less than 10 inches (25cm) of precipitation per year.
The mountain ranges of the Great Basin have been likened, in an old survey report, to a group of caterpillars all crawling irregularly northward. The ranges are from 60 to 120 miles (95 to 190 km) long and 3 to 15 miles (5 to 24 km) wide. The valleys are usually somewhat wider than the ranges and are mostly deserts, with floors 1,000 to 6,000 feet (300 to 1,800 metres) above sea level. The annual rainfall of 6 to 12 inches (150 to 300 mm) in the basin supports little more than sparse desert or semidesert vegetation. In many places volcanic rocks that formed about 30 million years ago have been cut and displaced by the block faults. There are historical records of earthquakes and constant contemporary micro-earthquakes, indicating that faulting has continued to the present day. The valley floors have deep soils resulting from thousands of years of mountain erosion. These valleys receive little rainfall; most of precipitation occurs as winter snow. The combination of hot, dry summers and cold winters results in a characteristic vegetation dominated by aromatic, perennial shrubs such as various forms of sagebrush . This vegetation type is dominated by one species and is known as the Great Basin Sagebrush Zone. In the wetter, more northerly parts there is an increasing proportion of grasses, giving rise to a vegetation type termed Sagebrush Steppe. In other, scattered regions of this desert, where the soil particles are very fine, there are permanent lakes or temporary lakes. These areas and the surrounding lands can have a high salt concentration caused by the evaporation of water. Such areas are dominated by various types of saltbush giving a vegetation type known as Salt-Desert Shrub.

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THE GREAT 10 BIGGEST OCEANS AND SEAS IN THE WORLD BASED ON US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

About 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. This water is composed of the world’s five oceans as well as many other bodies of water. One of these common water body types is a sea, a large lake-type water body that has saltwater and is sometimes attached to an ocean. However, a sea does not have to be connected to an ocean outlet; the world has many inland seas, such as the Caspian. The majority of life on Earth is aquatic. As so much of the Earth’s surface is underwater, it comes as no surprise that marine species outnumber those on land. But, it’s an incredible 94 per cent of the Earth’s living species that exist within the oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is believed to be just a small proportion of the species that exist, with new marine life being discovered every day. Over 70 per cent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean. It’s thought that between 70 and 80 per cent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae. It’s possible to find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean.
The following is a list of the Earth’s 10 Biggest Occeans and Seas based on US geological survey.

1.Pacific Ocean

The word “Pacific” means peaceful. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on the planet. It is so large it is bigger than the landmass of all the world’s continents combined. The Pacific Ocean is located between Americas to the East of the Pacific Ocean basin and the Asian and Australian continents to the West. The Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. It covers more than 30% of the earth’s surface. The Pacific Ocean is also the deepest ocean. The Pacific Ocean contains around 25,000 islands. The ring of fire is located in the Pacific Ocean basin. A number of volcanoes form a ring around the basin which is where the name comes from. The Pacific Ocean contains more than 75,000 volcanoes. Temperatures vary across the Pacific Ocean. The closer to the equator the warmer the water’s temperatures. Water near the poles reaches the freezing point.

The Pacific Ocean is home to most of the world’s islands. The Pacific Ocean is also home to many Atolls. An Atoll is a coral island surrounded by a lagoon. Atolls are only found in warm ocean waters. The Pacific Ocean is also home to the Great Barrier Reef. This reef is the largest in the world and stretches more than 1,429 miles. The Pacific Ocean actually shrinks by one inch every year , this is caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Marine Pollution has increased by over 100 times in the Pacific Ocean over the past 40 years. Pollution is most prevalent in the northeast part of the Pacific Ocean. The main culprit for the pollution of the water is small fragments of plastic which float in the water, polluting the surrounding environment and endangering wildlife. In addition to this, the Pacific has been polluted by the debris from satellite crashes, such as Mars 96, which broke up over a 200-mile stretch of the water, and also hit Chile and Bolivia.

2.Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean out of the other 5 world oceans, it is the second youngest. It covers approximately 20 percent of Earth’s surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area. The Atlantic Ocean is incredibly deep. It has an average depth of 10,925 feet (3,300 metres) and a maximum depth of 27,493 feet (8,380 metres) in the Puerto Rico Trench, north of the island of Puerto Rico. It has an area of about 106,460,000 km2 (41,100,000 sq mi). Atlantic Ocean, body of salt water covering approximately one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west. The ocean’s name, derived from Greek mythology, means the “Sea of Atlas.” The Atlantic is, generally speaking, S-shaped and narrow in relation to its length. On average, the Atlantic is the saltiest of the world’s major oceans. The Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean and is located between Americas to the West of the Atlantic Ocean basin and the continents of Europe and Africa to the East. The Atlantic Ocean’s climatic zones vary with latitude: The warmest climatic zones stretch across the Atlantic north of the equator, while the coldest zones are in the high latitudes corresponding to the areas covered by sea ice. The Atlantic Ocean fisheries are the second most important in the world accounting for 28%, or 22,434,652 mt, of the global catch in 2017; of the seven regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Atlantic basin. Ocean water is on the move, affecting your climate, your local ecosystem, and the seafood that you eat. Ocean currents, abiotic features of the environment, are continuous and directed movements of ocean water. These currents are on the ocean’s surface and in its depths, flowing both locally and globally. Winds, water density, and tides all drive ocean currents. Ocean sediments comprise terrigenous, pelagic, and authigenic materials, which are so identified based on their origin and location on the sea floor. Terrigenous deposits formed by erosion, weathering, and volcanic activity on land and then washed to sea comprise sand, mud, and rock particles resting primarily on the continental shelves.

Terrigenous deposits are thickest off the mouths of large rivers or off desert coasts. Pelagic deposits, covering the sea floor in the deep waters far from shore are of two general types: the red clays resulting primarily from dust that has settled on the water, and the oozes, which are the remains of organisms that sink to the ocean floor. Depending on the predominant types of organisms forming them, the oozes are either calcareous or siliceous. Covering most of the ocean floor and ranging in thickness from 200 to 11,000 feet (60 to 3,300 meters), pelagic deposits are thickest in the convergence belts and in the zones of upwelling. Authigenic comprise materials such as manganese nodules that occur where sedimentation proceeds slowly or where currents sort the deposits. The salinity of the surface waters in the open ocean ranges from 33 to 37 parts per thousand (3.3 – 3.7 percent) by mass and varies with latitude and season. Surface salinity values are influenced by evaporation, precipitation, river inflow, and melting of sea ice. Although the minimum salinity values are found just north of the equator, in general the lowest values are in the high latitudes and along coasts where large rivers flow into the ocean. Maximum salinity values occur at about 25° north and south of the equator, in subtropical regions with low rainfall and high evaporation.

3.Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world’s oceanic divisions. It covers 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi) or 19.8% of the water on Earth’s surface. Indian Ocean’s average depth is 12,990 feet (3,960 metres), and its deepest point, in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench off the southern coast of the island of Java, is 24,442 feet (7,450 metres). It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. Indian Ocean is unique. It constitutes the core of the large-scale Tropical Warm Pool which, when interacting with the atmosphere, affects the climate both regionally and globally. The name originates from the location around the Indian penisula. In size the Indian Ocean is comparable with roughly 5.5 times the size of the USA. Northern Indian Ocean also is the most important transport route for oil as it connects the oil-rich countries of the Middle East Each with Asia. Every day tankers are carrying a cargo of 17 million barrels of crude oil from the Persian Gulf on its waters. 40% of the world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean, mainly from oilfields of Indonesia and the Persian Gulf. Suez Canal in Egypt, the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia are the two most well known waterways in the Indian Ocean. Asia blocks heat export and prevents the ventilation of the Indian Ocean thermocline.

The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world. Long-term ocean temperature records show a rapid, continuous warming in the Indian Ocean, at about 1.2 °C (34.2 °F). The temperature of 28 degrees Celsius/82 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is reached in coastal regions near the equator. On average the Indian Ocean has a minimum temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius/71 degree Fahrenheit. However in the southern regions, nearer to the polar regions the temperatures drop drastically below 40 degrees latitude south. Singapore port, Mumbai and Chennai ports in India, Aden (Yemen), Jakarta (Indonesia), Mombasa (Kenya), Durban port(South Africa) are the major seaports of the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean contains the largest submarine fans of the world, the Bengal Fan and Indus Fan, and the largest areas of slope terraces and rift valleys. The Indian Ocean is bounded by Iran, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to the north; the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and Australia to the east; Antarctica to the south; and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. Mumbai (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Singapore (Singapore), Perth (Australia), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Durban (South Africa) are some big coastal cities situated along the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean provides home to many endangered sea species such as turtles, seals and dugongs (also called sea cows).

4.Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, South Polar Ocean or the Austral Ocean. Southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and their tributary seas surrounding Antarctica are called Southern Ocean. It is regarded as the second-smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions: smaller than the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans but larger than the Arctic Ocean. Southern Ocean is the fourth biggest ocean on earth and covers only 6% of the earth’s surface. The Southern is between 4,000m and 4,800m/12,000ft and 14,000ft deep with some deep trenches. The average depth is about 3,200m/10,700ft. The deepest point in the Southern Ocean is in the South Sandwich Trench with a depth of over 7,000m 23,000ft. Icebergs will be encountered in the Southern Ocean during any season. Big iceberg fragments drift in the water. They can big several hundred metres high. The sea temperatures of the Southern Ocean range from -2 deg Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius/28F – 50F. The climatic conditions depend also on the seasons. The Southern Ocean is thus ’emerging’ from the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean in latitudes south of 60 degrees South.

The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world’s five oceans. The ocean’s most important organism in the higher food chain is the small, shrimplike krill. Animals on the sea bottom of the near-shore zone include the sessile hydrozoans, corals, sponges, and bryozoans, as well as the foraging, crablike sea spiders and isopods, the annelid worm polychaete, echinoids, starfish, and a variety of crustaceans and mollusks. At the sea bottom there are also eelpouts, sea snails, rat-tailed fishes, and codlike fishes. It was formed ‘only’ 30 million years ago when South America and Antarctica moved apart. Southern Ocean is home to the emperor penguins and wandering albatrosses, blue whales and fur seals. The biggest of the seals are the elephant seals which weigh up to 4,000kg/8,818lb. Every spring over 100 million birds nest on the rocky shores of Antarctica. There are only a few ports in the Southern Ocean. The ports belong mainly to research stations, such as the Rothera Station (British research base), Palmer Station (USA), Mawson Station (Australia), but the southernmost ports in Australia are recognised also as ports of the Southern Ocean. Among them are Adelaide port in South Australia and Macquarie Port on Tasmania.

5.Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is located in the northern hemisphere north of 60 degrees North latitude and borders the Eurasian and North American continents and surrounds Greenland and several islands. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans. It is also known as the coldest of all the oceans. It is mostly covered by sea ice throughout the year and almost completely in winter. The Arctic Ocean derives its name from the word ‘arktos’ which means ‘bear’ in Greek. It covers less than 3% of the earth’s surface. The Arctic Ocean’s surface temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy fresh water inflow from rivers and streams. Its area of 5,440,000 square miles (14,090,000 square km). The deepest sounding obtained in Arctic waters is 18,050 feet (5,502 metres), but the average depth is only 3,240 feet (987 metres). Distinguished by several unique features, including a cover of perennial ice and almost complete encirclement by the landmasses of North America, Eurasia, and Greenland, the north polar region has been a subject of speculation since the earliest concepts of a spherical Earth. From astronomical observations, the Greeks theorized that north of the Arctic Circle there must be a midnight sun at midsummer and continual darkness at midwinter. The sediments of the Arctic Ocean floor record the natural of the physical environment, climate, and ecosystems on time scales determined by the ability to sample them through coring and at resolutions determined by the rates of deposition. Of the hundreds of sediment corings taken, only four penetrate deeply enough to predate the onset of cold climatic conditions.

The oldest (approximately 80-million-year-old black muds and 67-million-year-old siliceous oozes) document that at least part of the Arctic Ocean was relatively warm and biologically productive prior to 40 million years ago.
The Arctic Ocean is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth and feeling the onslaught of climate change. The U.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Russia all have territories that reach into the Arctic Ocean. As once impenetrable sea ice becomes less stable, Northern Hemisphere countries have begun to take a greater interest in the Arctic as a path for shipping lanes, military presence, and commercial opportunities, particularly oil and gas exploration. Many animals that are often seen roaming the sea ice are also adapted for the water. Polar bears have large, paddle-like paws to propel them through the water, and they’ve been documented swimming for hours. Walruses have large tusks that they use to pull themselves out of the water, and they find much of their food by foraging along the sea floor. Whales and fish are often an important food source for indigenous people living in the Arctic, but commercial fishing has been banned in much of the Arctic Ocean.

6.Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea has been an important marine trade route since the era of the coastal sailing vessels. The Arabian Sea was formed within the past roughly 50 million years as the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia. The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75 to 77 °F (24 to 25 °C) at the sea’s surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82 °F (28 °C) occur in both June and November. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 (1,491,000 sq mi) and its maximum depth is 4,652 meters (15,262 ft). Arabian Sea is bounded to the west by the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, to the north by Iran and Pakistan, to the east by India, and to the south by the remainder of the Indian Ocean. To the north the Gulf of Oman connects the sea with the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. To the west the Gulf of Aden connects it with the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Major seaports include Kandla Port, Okha Port, Mumbai Port, Nhava Sheva Port (Navi Mumbai), Mormugão Port (Goa), New Mangalore Port, Vizhinjam International Seaport and Kochi Port in India, the Port of Karachi, Port Qasim, and the Gwadar Port in Pakistan, Chabahar Port in Iran and the Port of Salalah in Salalah, Oman.

The biggest river flowing into the sea is the Indus River. Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai is the largest port in the Arabian Sea, and the largest container port in India. Major Indian ports in the Arabian Sea are Mundra Port, Kandla Port, Nava Sheva, Vizhinjam International Seaport The Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, also known as the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the Port of Trivandrum. Kochi Port, Mumbai Port, and Mormugao. There are several islands in the Arabian Sea, with the most important ones being Lakshadweep Islands (India), Socotra (Yemen), Masirah (Oman) and Astola Island (Pakistan). Stretching southeastward from Socotra is the submarine Carlsberg Ridge, which coincides with the belt of seismic activity in the Indian Ocean that divides the Arabian Sea into two major basins—the Arabian Basin to the east and the Somali Basin to the west. The region, which contains many fish remains, is known as a fish cemetery. The Arabian Sea contributes to a monsoon climate in the surrounding region by providing the water necessary for the wet storms. During the monsoon season, winds on the sea generally blow from the southwest and are particularly cold. A rich and varied aquatic habitat is supported in the Arabian Sea by high levels of inorganic

7.South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro and Palawan), and in the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi). The South China Sea is a region of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance. One-third of the world’s maritime shipping passes through it, carrying over US $3 trillion in trade each year.[1] Huge oil and natural gas reserves are believed to lie beneath its seabed.
At present, it is improbable that the PLA would attempt to actually land troops and occupy the island of Taiwan, because the probability of a successful military operation with minimum casualties for China is low.
The South China Sea is a critical commercial gateway for a significant portion of the world’s merchant shipping, and hence is an important economic and strategic sub-region of the Indo-Pacific. Geographically, the South China Sea plays a significant role in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific. The South China Sea is bordered by Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Their recent economic growth has contributed to a large portion of the world’s commercial merchant shipping passing through these waters. Japan and South Korea rely heavily on the South China Sea for their supply of fuels and raw materials and as an export route, although the availability of diversionary sea lanes bypassing the South China Sea provides non-littoral states with some flexibility in this regard. The South China Sea also contains rich, though unregulated and over-exploited fishing grounds and is reported to hold significant reserves of undiscovered oil and gas.

The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs and seamounts in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly low and small, and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to overlapping territorial claims by the countries bordering the South China Sea. More than half of the world’s fishing vessels are in the South China Sea, and millions of people depend on these waters for their food and livelihoods.
But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. Total fish stocks have been depleted by 70 to 95 percent since the 1950s. Coral reefs, which are vital to marine habitats, have been declining by 16 percent per decade, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The region also is the subject of more than a dozen overlapping and interconnected disputes over who is in charge of the various islands, rocks, shoals and reefs scattered throughout the South China Sea waters. For example, the Spratly Islands are claimed in entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia; each except Brunei occupies some of the islands.

  1. Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is an American Mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean. The name “Caribbean” derives from the Caribs, one of the region’s dominant Native American groups at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,753,000 square km) in extent. The Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water. The Caribbean Sea is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is located between latitudes 9° and 22° N and longitudes 89° and 60° W. The Caribbean Sea is home to over 7,000 islands that belong to 28 nations. The habitats supported by the reefs of the Caribbean Sea are critical to such tourist activities as fishing and diving, and provide an annual economic value to Caribbean nations of $3.1–$4.6 billion. To the south it is bounded by the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama; to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico; to the north by the Greater Antilles islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico; and to the east by the north-south chain of the Lesser Antilles, consisting of the island arc that extends from the Virgin Islands in the northeast to Trinidad, off the Venezuelan coast, in the southeast. Within the boundaries of the Caribbean itself, Jamaica, to the south of Cuba, is the largest of a number of islands. The sea’s deepest point is the Cayman Trough, between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, at 7,686 m (25,217 ft) below sea level. The Wider Caribbean Region includes 35 states and territories that border two interconnected watersheds: the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

In the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea the average temperature is 27°C and it varies no more than 3°C. Salinity is highest from January to May and lowest from June to December. Toward fall in the northern hemisphere, salinity drops in the southeastern end of the Caribbean Sea, due to discharges from the Orinoco and Amazon River watersheds. There are five basins within the Caribbean Sea, they are the Yucatan, Cayman, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Grenada basins. The Caribbean Sea floor is also home to two oceanic trenches: the Hispaniola Trench and Puerto Rico Trench, which put the area at a higher risk of earthquakes. Underwater earthquakes pose a threat of generating tsunamis which could have a devastating effect on the Caribbean islands. Scientific data reveals that over the last 500 years the area has seen a dozen earthquakes above 7.5 magnitude. The sea is one of the largest oil production areas in the world, producing approximately 170 million tons per year. The area also generates a large fishing industry for the surrounding countries, accounting for half a million metric tons of fish a year. A total of 12,046 marine species live in the Caribbean Sea. Of these, there are more than 1,000 known fish species, including flying fish, moray eels, bull sharks, tiger sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, giant oceanic manta rays, and parrotfish, as well as 90 mammal species, including dolphins, sperm whales, manatees, humpback whales, and seals.

  1. Mediterranean Sea

The opening of the Suez Canal the Mediterranean Sea also became an important strategic location for many European nations and as a result, the United Kingdom and France began building colonies and naval bases along its shores. The Mediterranean Sea is a large sea or body of water that is located between Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. Mediterranean Sea became controlled by the Byzantines, Arabs and Ottoman Turks. Its total area is 970,000 square miles (2,500,000 sq km) and its greatest depth is located off the coast of Greece at around 16,800 feet (5,121 m) deep. The average depth of the sea, however, is about 4,900 feet (1,500 m). Stone age tools have been discovered by archeologists along its shores and it is believed that the Egyptians began sailing on it by 3000 B.C.E. Today the Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world. The Mediterranean Sea is a very large sea that is bounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia and stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar on the west to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal on the east.

Geographically, the Mediterranean Sea is divided into two different basins—the Western Basin and the Eastern Basin. In total, the Mediterranean Sea borders 21 different nations as well as several different territories. Some of the nations with borders along the Mediterranean include Spain, France, Monaco, Malta, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. It also borders several smaller seas and is home to over 3,000 islands. Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. Trade and shipping traffic is prominent and there is also a significant amount of fishing activity in its water. The Mediterranean Sea has a large number of different fish and mammal species that are mainly derived from the Atlantic Ocean. Harbor porpoises, Bottlenose Dolphins, and Loggerhead Sea Turtles are common in the sea. In addition, tourism is also a large part of the region’s economy because of its climate. The largest of these islands are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, and Crete. The Mediterranean Sea loses more water by evaporation than it is fed by the rivers draining into it. The Mediterranean Sea is known for being an important historic trade path and a strong factor in the development of the region around it.

  1. Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is separated from the Gulf of Alaska by the Alaska Peninsula. It covers over 2,000,000 square kilometers (770,000 sq mi) and is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska, on the west by Russian Far East and the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait, which connects the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea. The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves. Bering Sea and Strait, Russian Beringovo More and Proliv Beringa, northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean, separating the continents of Asia and North America. To the north the Bering Sea connects with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait, at the narrowest point of which the two continents are about 53 miles (85 kilometres) apart. The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia, as well as international waters in the middle of the sea. The interaction between currents, sea ice, and weather makes for a vigorous and productive ecosystem.

Fishers and crabbers in such a harsh environment occasionally create opportunities for beauty. The Bering Sea, near the chain of the Aleutian Islands, is one of the most intense patches of ocean on Earth. Strong winds, freezing temperatures, and icy water are normal conditions. The combination makes for some of the most ferocious waves on the planet, where the water can rise and fall 30 feet on a normal day. A lasting shift could dramatically transform a region with some of the nation’s most valuable fisheries and indigenous communities whose way of life relies on ice. Already scientists have documented changes in algae as well as zooplankton, fish, and seabird populations. The shifts are “a bit of a warning sign that these things can happen rather quickly,” says Robert Foy, the Juneau-based science and research director for NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which is headquartered in Seattle.

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THE GREAT 10 FAST GROWING PLANTS ON THE PLANET

A plant having a permanently woody main stem or trunk, ordinarily growing to a considerable height, and usually developing branches at some distance from the ground. The initial stage of a grown tree is the plant, so we can say that plant may or may not grow into a tree. Plants live for shorter periods than trees. Annuals live for only one growing season, bi-annuals for two seasons and perennials anywhere from five years to 100 years, such as in the case of lilacs. Trees typically live for 100 to 150 years, with some hardwoods living up to 200 years and conifers up to 300 years or more. Trees play a significant role in reducing erosion and moderating the climate. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen. They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store large quantities of carbon in their tissues. Some trees and plants grow really fast, and can put on substantial height within just a few short years. Trees usually reproduce using seeds. Let’s take a look at the 10 fastest growing plants on the planet.
1.Bamboo

nature dust bamboo green
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Bamboo reaches maturity after only 3 to 5 years. Bamboo releases 30% more oxygen into the atmosphere and absorbs more carbon dioxide compared to other plants. bamboo greatly decreases amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and cleans the air. Individual stems of bamboo are called culms. They arise from the underground rhizome and emerge from the ground fully developed. Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. Bamboo grows incredibly quickly, which is one reason it is often used to make sustainable, eco-friendly products. Re-planting bamboo is fairly easy thanks to the swift growth rate of the plant. The spreading root structure allows one rootstock to produce several shoots, permitting horizontal growth. Some species can literally grow 10 centimeters per day under appropriate climate conditions. If you actually had the patience to sit there all day, you would notice the growth by the end of it. The fastest growing bamboo has been found to grow at up to 35 inches per day; That’s a world record.
It is also one of the strongest building materials with a tensile strength of 28,000 psi. To help give you an idea how much this is, mild steel measures 23,000 psi. It greatly reduces erosion with a sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of 25%. Bamboo is often used in Asian cuisine. Various animals on the planet used bamboo in their diet. Panda’s diet is based on bamboo exclusively, while mountain gorilla and lemurs of the Madagascar eat bamboo to enrich their regular diet. Bamboo can survive more than 120 years in the wild. The Bamboos (Bambusoidaea) consists of 1439 different species in 116 genera. Bamboo has stronger structure than steel and it is widely used in the construction industry. Other than that, bamboo is used in the manufacture of floors, furniture, house walls, skateboards, bicycle frames and helmets. Bamboo is used in folk medicine to treat infections and to accelerate healing of the wounds. It was actually the first plant to re-green after the atomic blast in Hiroshima in 1945.

  1. Hybrid poplar

This species of poplar is a popular shade tree in North America and well suited for certain conditions. The tree can be effectively used by tree farmers and large property owners. Hybrid poplar is a very fast growing tree on a variety of soil types. It only takes about five years to grow poplars to harvestable height, making them popular in industry applications. Hybrid poplars can put on ten feet a year. These are selected for their superior adaptive traits for cold and drought tolerance; disease and pest resistance; growth rate and form. Hybrid poplar reduces wind erosion and traps snow, reduces environmental stress in livestock and increases the availability of habitat and food for birds and other animals. Its rapid growth makes it an attractive wood source for bio-energy and for fibre based products.
A “hybrid” plant is produced when pollen of one species is used to fertilize flowers of another species. It is a tree resulting from the combining, either naturally or artificially, of various poplar species into a hybrid. Most hybrid poplars are a landscaping nightmare when grown in yards and parks. Hybrids grow six to ten times faster than similar species. Tree farmers can see economic returns in 10 to 12 years. These are easy to plant. Hybrid poplar can be used in the process of making oriented strand board and, possibly, structural lumber. Burning wood does not increase atmospheric carbon monoxide(CO). This species of poplar is a popular shade tree. It is not as impressive as the bamboo. This is just one of the artificially created species on our list.

  1. Algae
green grass on water
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Scientists estimate that algae produce at least half of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere by converting carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Today, algae actually help maintain the carbon cycle. Algae are very fast growing eukaryotes and are found all over the world. They grow so quickly that they sometimes “bloom.” Algae blooms can be dangerous for sea life because they pull all the oxygen out of the water and some types of algae bloom such as red tide can even be toxic to human health. Algae can consist of only one or large number of cells. They can be microscopically small, or extremely large. Even though some algae look like plants, they lack leaves, roots, stomata, phloem and xylem that are typical for vascular plants. Some algae have amoeba-like body and ability to actively hunt and kill the prey. Algae can range from 100-foot-long giant kelp to several varieties of microbes called cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
Cyanobacteria might also be in your breakfast smoothie. The “superfood” spirulina is a nontoxic cyanobacteria popular for its nutritional profile, including proteins, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Plenty of larger algae are both nutritious and delicious. Researchers are even adding algae to dairy cow diets. Algae play important role in the aquatic ecosystems. They serve as food for many fish and provide shelter for various animals. The algae produces a chemical that inhibits gut microbes from making as much of the greenhouse gas. Sometimes, in fact, algae are a little too good at reducing greenhouse gases. You can thank algae for our seafood, too. Tiny phytoplankton, found worldwide, make up the base of aquatic food chains. Scientists figured that algae probably weren’t productive enough. The organisms might not even produce enough fuel to make up for the energy needed to grow them. Fossilized algae are used for the manufacture of dynamite.

  1. Duckweed

Duckweed is tiny oval-shaped plants on the water’s surface. These plants can cause some problems, but they also have benefits. This small, flowering plant is one which also grows very quickly. Duckweed mainly grows in warm, wet environments around the world, either in shade or direct sunlight. It floats,. forming a blanket over small bodies of slow-moving water. These bodies of water contain high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus or nitrogen. Duckweed can be used to help purify water by controlling algae growth and converting waste and sewage water into treated water and biomass. Every 30 hours, the species can undergo an entire life cycle. If a duckweed were able to reproduce continuously at maximum efficiency, it would theoretically be able to create four Earth-sized masses of duckweed inside of just four months.
Duckweed is a source of food for water fowl and even people in parts of Southeast Asia such as Thailand. Duckweed can multiply at an incredibly fast rate. It can cover the surface of a body of water, blocking sunlight and killing fish and aquatic plant life. To control the growth of duckweed, reduce the flow of nutrients into the water and use bubble aeration to inhibit the growth of duckweed. A duckweed plant produces a daughter bud about once a day. With ideal growing conditions, the original plant and its daughter buds can produce as many as 17,500 plants in two weeks. Koi, goldfish and grass carp eat duckweed, but grass carp will eat other plants first.

  1. Eastern Cottonwood

These species of tree may be the fastest growing tree in North America. Eastern cottonwood has thick bark which prevents damage of the inner, delicate wood. Eastern cottonwood can survive 70 to 100 years in the wild. but they have the potential to live 200 to 400 years if they have a good growing environment. The Eastern cottonwood is a producer, transforming the sun’s energy into food energy. Bark is smooth and yellow-green in young trees. Brown-grey, deeply furrowed, corky bark can be seen on the old trees. Eastern cottonwood has strong root system that can reach 15 feet in diameter. groves are typically indicitive that a water source is nearby as they consume large amounts of water in their growth cycle. Root absorbs up to 200 gallons of water per day.
Eastern cottonwood has triangular leaves with pointed tips and long petioles. Bright, emerald green color of the leaves changes into bright yellow during the autumn. Eastern cottonwood blooms during the March and April. North Americans used eastern cottonwood tree to build canoes. First European settlers used eastern cottonwood for the construction of houses and barns. Wood of eastern cottonwood is used for the manufacture of paper, pallets, boxes, lightweight furniture and as a firewood. Fragrant oils obtained from the eastern cottonwood are used in the cosmetic industry for the manufacture of lip balms and massage oils. Leaves, bark and buds of eastern cottonwood are used in treatment of fever, inflammation and pain. Essential oils of eastern cottonwood can be used in treatment of arthritis and sore muscles.

  1. Giant Sequoia
trees beside road
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Sequoia trees are best known for their mammoth size, but they are also very fast growing. Giant sequoia can reach 164 to 279 feet in height and 20 to 26 feet in diameter. THEY HAVE THE THICKEST BARK ON EARTH. One famous tree, the “General Sherman Tree,” was measured by researchers, who calculated that it had added three inches to its girth in 40 years. Their bark also doesn’t contain any flammable pitch or resin. The blaze eats up any brush or deadwood that’s accumulated on the ground while leaving behind nutrient-rich ash in which the saplings can flourish. Giant sequoias are popular tourist attraction. Giant sequoia can survive more than 3500 years in the wild. High concentration of tannin, an insoluble chemical compound found in many coniferous trees, the trees are immune to most diseases. Not only does the astringent substance protect the sequoia from fungus, it also safeguards it from insect attacks.
THEY PRODUCED THE LARGEST LIVING ORGANISM ON EARTH. onsider the height of a giant sequoia tree multiplied by that girth increase. That’s a lot of wood, and reminds us that trees grow outward and not just upward. The bark of a giant sequoia may be the thickest of any tree we know—on some specimens the outer layer of bark measures over two feet thick at the base. Animals like squirrels, chickarees, and beetles are instrumental in cracking open sequoia cones and dispersing the contents. But for a seed to germinate it needs to make direct contact with bare, mineral soil. Each cone produces around 230 seeds. They are miniature, flat and brown in color. Giant sequoia releases 300.000 to 400.000 seeds annually. They can be used only for the production of fence posts and toothpicks.

  1. Acacia

Acacia is a type of shrub or deciduous tree that belongs to the pea family. Acacia can be an impressively fast growing tree. There are over 800 species of acacia that can be found in Australia, and in the tropical and subtropical areas of America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Acacia grows on well-drained soil, in dry and sunny habitats. This allows them to experience a perpetual growing season. Most species of acacia have green, pinnate leaves. Leaves of acacia are important source of food for camels, goats, giraffes and cattle. Leaves They are also used as preservatives and have application in the pharmaceutical industry. Acacia has short lifespan. Most species live between 15 to 30 years. Gum Arabic, isolated from African species of acacia, has application in the food industry. It is used as a thickening agent in the manufacture of soft drinks, frozen desserts and confectionery.
It is also used as adhesive and cure. They are densely arranged on the branches and create impression of a giant fern. Acacia usually grows to the height of 40 feet. Some types of acacia can reach 70 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter. Swollen-thorn acacia (African species) lives in symbiosis with stinging ants. Acacia provides shelter and food. In return, ants protect plant from the herbivores. Strong and durable wood of acacia was popular and widely used for the manufacture of ships in the past. Today, acacia is mostly used for the production of floorings, furniture, toys, jewellery and tools. Acacia develops pea-shaped flowers that consist of 5 petals. Flowers of acacia are used in the industry of perfumes and cosmetics. They are yellow or white, rarely purple or red colored. Fruit of acacia is dry pod. It is elongated and filled with 5 to 6 brown or black seed.

  1. Wisconsin Fast Plants

Wisconsin Fast Plants are a rapid cycling variety of Brassica rapa that was initially developed as a research tool to improve the disease resistance of economically-valuable cruciferous crops (a large group of plants that includes mustard, radish, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and more). In order to speed up the genetic research in the crucifers, breeding has taken Brassica rapa and six related species from the family Cruciferae for shorter life cycles. The end result: petite, quick-growing plants known as Fast Plants. This trademarked strain of field mustard grows so quickly it has actually been marketed as “fast plants.” Every five weeks, it can produce a brand new generation. Small plant size and ability to grow at high plant density. These plants have high reproductive capacity. It has ability to grow under continuous fluorescent lighting in a standard potting mix.
The shortened life cycle has proven effective in reducing the time required for traditional breeding programs, which has led to advances in cellular and molecular plant research. Over 150 genetic traits have been described that are useful in research. Breeding process has decreased from six-month growth cycle to only five weeks. Professor Williams managed to establish uniform size, flowering time and growing conditions. To ensure optimal germination rates, plant seeds the same year you receive them. Germination rates decrease over time. Seeds are living and need to be kept cool and dry before planting. Plants play an integral part in the world by taking in carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

  1. Kudzu

Kudzu, also known as Japanese arrowroot, is vine that belongs to the pea family. This is an incredibly fast-growing plant which can add a whole foot a day, and under prime conditions, may add a whole 60 feet in a single growing season. Kudzu is also known as “foot a night vine”, “mile a minute vine” and “vine that ate the south” because of it’s quick growth. This is considered quite a pest. Kudzu produces purple flowers arranged in terminal clusters that can reach 12 inches in length. Flowers emit sweet, pleasant fragrance which attracts bees. Fruit of kudzu is pod filled with seed. Fruit ripens in autumn. Kudzu grows in the mountains, fields and near the roads. It prefers shade. Kudzu has compound leaves that consist of three oval or heart-shaped leaflets. Leaves are dark green, hairy and alternately arranged on the stem. It climbs over everything and is very hard to kill. Along its way, it tends to kill other plants. It is considered extremely aggressive and invasive, and while it is native to Japan, it has spread to other locations throughout the world, including the US.
Kudzu (root) is used in traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of headache, migraine, thirst, allergies, diarrhea, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders and hypercholesterolemia. Root is also used to reduce craving for alcohol, and flowers to alleviate symptoms of hangover and facilitate detoxification of liver. Root, flowers and leaves of kudzu can be used in human diet. Starch extracted from root can be used instead of cornstarch. Flowers are used for the preparation of jelly. Kudzu has very long root that can prevent erosion and improve qualities of soil. Bacteria in the root of kudzu absorb atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into nitrate, plants-friendly type of nitrogen. It’s lifespan is more than 2 years Fibers extracted from the stem, known as ko-hemp, are used for the manufacture of paper and cloth. Kudzu is important source of food for goats and llamas in the southern parts of the USA. Kudzu can be used for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol, type of biofuel which does not pollute atmosphere as much as conventional types of fuel.

  1. Transgenic Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is the second most widely planted multipurpose woody tree species in the world. It is a commercially important hardwood tree for paper and wood industries. Eucalyptus are important hard wood trees, originated in Australia and belongs to the family Myrtaceae. The estimated plantation area covered by eucalyptus is 20 million hectares worldwide. The genus Eucalyptus comprises of more than 700 species and hybrids, some of which bear their economic importance as a source of paper pulp, wood, timber and essential oils. The ever increasing demand for wood, timber and shelter poses a great threat to the natural forest resources. Eucalyptus being a hardwood tree produces shorter fibers than softwoods like pines. Short fibers of this genus make it more reliable for use in paper and furniture industries. Fast growing and high yielding eucalyptus plantations with their short rotation period along with adaptation to a wide range of environments offer enormous scope as an alternative to meet the growing wood demands of the world as well as to save the natural forests from deforestation. It is the versatility and fast-growing characteristics of this genus that has aroused and still is stimulating increasing interest worldwide, particularly as the demand for pulp, fuel, and construction wood increases.
Over 8 million ha of Eucalyptus plantations have been established in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Congo, India, Iran, Madagascar, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Pakistan, the USA, and Uruguay. More than 90% of these forests have been planted since 1955, and about 50% in the past decade. Another artificially developed plant on our list is transgenic eucalyptus, developed by splicing brassica genes with eucalyptus genes. These trees grow 30% faster than other types of natural eucalyptus, and can add 16 feet a year. Within just five years, some plants may manage to top 100 feet. Trees like the transgenic eucalyptus are praised by some, while others warn that species like this could easily overtake the planet much like the naturally invasive kudzu. The long term ecological ramifications of manufactured fast-growing plants like the eucalyptus are impossible to imagine or predict at this point of time. Leaves of eucalyptus are rich in oil that is used to alleviate symptoms of bronchitis, sore throat, nasal congestion. All parts of eucalyptus tree are used in the manufacture of dyes. Eucalyptus oil is also used as insecticide. Eucalyptus is also known as “gum tree” because of the sticky rubbery substance that flows from the injured bark. Lifespan of eucalyptus depends on the species. Most eucalyptus trees can survive more than 250 years in the wild.

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