Located 1,400 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is a landlocked salt lake that straddles the border of Israel and Jordan in southwestern Asia. It is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth. The Dead Sea is also one of the saltiest lakes in the world, and tourists flock here to float in its buoyant waters.

Maine, the state farthest to the northeast, shares a border with only one other state: New Hampshire. To the north, it borders New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada, and to the east, it borders the Atlantic Ocean. Maine also has the International Bridge, which makes for a convenient mode of travel for visitors on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are fairly close in length, but the Missouri River is about 140 miles longer. The Missouri begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows through 10 states before it empties into the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. The river plays a huge role in agriculture and power for nearby populations, and it supports a varied and expansive ecosystem.

An archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands. Indonesia is made up of five major islands — Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea — plus over 17,500 smaller ones. Less than half of these islands are inhabited, and the archipelago is also home to about 100 active volcanoes. Several of Indonesia’s islands are also popular tourist attractions, including Bali, Ubud, and Kuta.

Greenland encompasses a total area of 836,330 square miles, making it the largest non-continental island anywhere on Earth. Greenland — which belongs to the country of Denmark — is about three times the size of Texas. Up next on the list is New Guinea, an island located in the Pacific that totals 317,150 square miles of area.

Scandinavia is the northernmost region in Europe, containing the countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Sweden and Norway specifically make up the Scandinavian Peninsula. There are several geographic and economic arguments for including Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands within the larger region of Scandinavia, but though those countries are traditionally just known as Nordic countries.

The United Kingdom is composed of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Though London is the capital of the United Kingdom as a whole — plus the country of England specifically — each of the other countries have their own unique capital city. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.

Vatican City is home to only 1,000 residents, including the Pope, but it's not just small in population. This landlocked country entirely surrounded by Italy is the world’s smallest country by area, covering less than one square mile. The Vatican is the global headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and the microstate has its own post office, banking system, radio station, and other important signs of nationhood.

The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt around the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. Many of Oceania’s islands, especially in Melanesia (a subregion), were formed because of it. Known as volcanic islands, they are characterized by their steep peaks and ridges that stretch to the coastline.

Around 71% of the Earth is covered by water, with 96.5% of that being found within the world’s oceans. Those oceans, plus Earth’s seas and bays, contain an estimated 321 million cubic miles of water. About 5.8 million cubic miles of water are contained within the world’s ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow.

Located in northern Africa, the Sahara covers over 3.5 million square miles of area, making it the largest hot desert in the world. It trails only Antarctica and the Arctic in terms of total area for any type of desert. Average Saharan temperatures reach around 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with 136 degrees being the highest local temperature ever recorded.

Africa is home to 54 countries, the largest of which is Algeria, which spans a range of 919,595 square miles. The continent with the next highest number of countries is Asia, containing 49 countries that are recognized by the United Nations. However, depending on territorial recognition, that number can range between 45 and 53 countries.

An isthmus refers to a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses, separating two large bodies of water in the process. The Isthmus of Panama, which unites North and South America, is the site of one of the world’s most famous trade routes, the Panama Canal, which allows passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Covering an area of 570,641 square miles, Alaska is the largest of the United States by area. In the contiguous U.S., Texas is the largest state, spanning 261,914 square miles. On the flip side, Rhode Island is the smallest state, covering a mere 1,034 square miles.

Deltas were named for their triangular shape, making them easy to spot. They form where a river meets the ocean when currents deposit sediment near standing water. You can sometimes find deltas in lakes, and if a river distributes itself in a specific way, it can create a series of deltas, like at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Peninsulas are land masses entirely surrounded by water on three sides, connecting with the mainland on just one side. Peninsulas aren’t defined by their size, as they can be small or large. For instance, most of the state of Florida is a peninsula, while other global peninsulas include Iberia in Europe, Korea in Asia, and Baja California in North America.

No mountain looms higher above sea level than Mount Everest — located in Nepal and Tibet — which reaches heights of 29,092 feet. In terms of a mountain with the largest distance from its base to its peak, however, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea spans 33,500 feet from its base deep below the Pacific all the way to its highest point at 13,083 feet above sea level.

Earth is divided into seven continental landmasses: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. All told, these seven continents cover 57 million square miles of land, with Asia being the largest and Australia the smallest. Europe and Asia also combine to form an even larger mass of land known as Eurasia, with Russia spanning both continents.

The equator sits halfway between the North and South Poles at zero degrees latitude, dividing the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The equator spans a distance of 24,901 miles, completely circumnavigating the planet. Interestingly, the Earth’s diameter is actually slightly larger at its equator (7,296 miles) than at the poles (7,900 miles).

The Pacific Ocean is not only the world’s largest ocean by area, but also its deepest ocean. The Pacific covers approximately 63 million square miles, large enough to contain over half of Earth’s free-flowing water. It is also the oldest extant ocean basin on the planet, with some older rocks dating to around 200 million years old.