Edmund Hillary and the Three Poles Challenge

We all know of Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand as one of the first two to climb the world’s highest summit, Mt Everest. He also had another feather on his cap: He was the first person to have reached the three extremes – Mt Everest, the North Pole and the South Pole. Thus, the Three Poles Challenge was born.

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Population explosion in Asia

Asia, the largest continent on Earth, has a total land area of 44,579,000 square kilometers. It constitutes 30 per cent of the total available land area. The continent tops the list even in terms of population. More than 4.1 billion people reside in Asia, which is 60 per cent of the entire global population, with a population density of 87 persons per square kilometer.

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The deepest lake in the world

Lake Baikal, situated in the south-east Siberia in Russia, is the deepest lake in the world. Known as the Galapagos of Russia, it is one of the richest and diverse repositories of flora and fauna. The depth of Lake Baikal is 1700 metre, making it the deepest lake in the world.

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From where was Alaska procured?

Alaska, the largest state in the United States by area, was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million. It has a tidal shoreline of 54270 km. It is not divided into counties, but into 16 boroughs.

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Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to the USA

When the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev planned to spend thirteen days in the United States in 1959, he made two special requests. One was to see the Disneyland, and the other was to meet the Hollywood actor John Wayne. Sadly, he was barred from visiting Disneyland on account of the cold war. However, he did meet John Wayne and admired his movies. Later he sent Wayne a giant crate full of Russian Vodka for Christmas.

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