🏆 World Records
30 Thinkapedia articles — short, clear answers written for kids, each with a quick quiz.
Kids ask: What is the biggest animal?What is the tallest mountain?What is the longest river?
🌏Largest Continent: AsiaAsia is the biggest continent — about 17 million square miles, nearly a third of Earth’s land.🦘Smallest Continent: AustraliaAustralia is the smallest continent. It is so small that it is also a single country!🌊Largest Ocean: The PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the biggest and deepest ocean. It is larger than all the land on Earth put together.🧊Smallest Ocean: The ArcticThe Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ocean. It surrounds the North Pole and is covered by sea ice for much of the year.🏔️Tallest Mountain: Mount EverestMount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level: 29,032 feet — about 5.5 miles high.🏞️Longest River: The NileThe Nile in Africa is usually called the longest river in the world — about 4,130 miles long.🗺️Largest Country: RussiaRussia is the biggest country, about 6.6 million square miles — almost twice the size of the United States.⛪Smallest Country: Vatican CityVatican City is the smallest country in the world — only about 121 acres, smaller than many city parks.👥Country with the Most People: IndiaIndia has the most people of any country — more than 1.4 billion. It passed China in 2023.🪐Largest Planet: JupiterJupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system — more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it.☿️Smallest Planet: MercuryMercury is the smallest planet and the closest to the Sun. It is only a little bigger than Earth’s Moon.☀️Closest Planet to the Sun: MercuryMercury is the planet closest to the Sun, about 36 million miles away on average.🔵Farthest Planet: NeptuneNeptune is the farthest planet from the Sun — about 2.8 billion miles away.🔥Hottest Planet: VenusVenus is the hottest planet — about 870°F — even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.🐋Largest Animal: The Blue WhaleThe blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived — up to about 100 feet long and 200 tons.🐘Largest Land Animal: The African ElephantThe African bush elephant is the biggest animal on land. Big males can weigh about 13,000 pounds.🐆Fastest Land Animal: The CheetahThe cheetah is the fastest land animal. It can sprint about 65–70 miles per hour — as fast as a car on the highway.🦒Tallest Animal: The GiraffeThe giraffe is the tallest animal. A grown giraffe can be about 18 feet tall.🪶Largest Bird: The OstrichThe ostrich is the biggest bird — up to about 9 feet tall and more than 250 pounds. It can’t fly, but it can run about 43 mph.🐦Smallest Bird: The Bee HummingbirdThe bee hummingbird of Cuba is the smallest bird — about 2 inches long and lighter than a penny.🏝️Largest Lake: The Caspian SeaEven though it is called a sea, the Caspian Sea is the biggest lake in the world, because it is surrounded by land on all sides.🏔️Largest Island: GreenlandGreenland is the world’s biggest island — about 836,000 square miles, mostly covered by a thick sheet of ice.🐧Largest Desert: AntarcticaSurprise! The biggest desert is Antarctica. A desert is a place with very little rain or snow — not necessarily a hot place.🐪Largest Hot Desert: The SaharaThe Sahara in North Africa is the biggest hot desert — about 3.5 million square miles, almost as big as the United States.🌲Tallest Tree: The Coast RedwoodCoast redwoods in California are the tallest trees on Earth. The tallest, named Hyperion, is about 380 feet tall.💦Tallest Waterfall: Angel FallsAngel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world — 3,212 feet, with a free fall of about 2,650 feet.🖐️Largest Organ: Your SkinYour skin is the biggest organ of your body. On a grown-up it covers about 20 square feet.🦴Longest Bone: The FemurThe femur, or thigh bone, is the longest and strongest bone in your body.🧂Lowest Place on Land: The Dead SeaThe shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest place on dry land — about 1,410 feet below sea level.🌑Deepest Place in the Ocean: The Mariana TrenchThe Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest place on Earth — about 36,000 feet deep at a spot called Challenger Deep.