Two conflicting British-drawn borders mean claiming Bir Tawil would force Egypt or Sudan to give up the far more valuable Hala'ib Triangle. A few other unclaimed areas exist.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
Soviet-era irrigation diverted the two rivers that feed the Aral Sea, so inflow fell below evaporation. Climate was not the main driver, according to the sources reviewed.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
The Isthmus of Panama curves eastward as it runs south, so the canal, which crosses it from northwest to southeast, ends at the Pacific about 40 km east of where it starts.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
On 21 August 1986 a huge cloud of carbon dioxide burst from Lake Nyos and suffocated about 1,700 people. Scientists still debate the exact trigger.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
The Mekong rises above the Tonle Sap's level in the monsoon and pushes water up the river into the lake. When the Mekong falls, the lake drains back out.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
Point Nemo is the ocean spot farthest from any land, about 2,688 km away. The astronaut claim is true only when the ISS is passing overhead, and it is less unusual than it sounds.
Starter thread · AI-reviewed against its sources
