The Most Outstanding Creations of Man and Nature (Part 6)

Everyone has heard of Dubai and its astonishing construction projects. But the emirate’s most famous and ambitious project is the archipelago of artificial islands, created by human hands in the Persian Gulf.

The artificial island complex is planned to consist of three palms: Jumeirah, Jebel Ali, and Deira. Between the palm-shaped islands are also the artificial archipelagos The World and The Universe, made up of small islands.

This ambitious plan has already been partially realized and can be seen in satellite images taken over Dubai. These are the world-famous man-made Palm Islands (Jumeirah and Jebel Ali) and the World archipelago.

Read more about Dubai’s artificial islands in our article ☛

The average depth of the lake is also very great—744.4 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes.

Lake Baikal holds gigantic reserves of water—23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of all the world’s lake freshwater reserves). By volume of fresh water, Baikal ranks first in the world among lakes.

The surface area of Baikal’s water is 31,722 km² (excluding islands), which is approximately equal to the area of countries like Belgium or the Netherlands. The shoreline length is 2,000 km.

These jellyfish are widespread in all northern seas of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and are found in surface waters near coastlines.

Lion’s mane jellyfish can vary greatly in size: while their body diameter can reach over 2 meters, those found in lower latitudes are much smaller than their far northern counterparts, with body diameters around 50 cm. Larger specimens are typically found farther from the shore than smaller ones.

The lion’s mane jellyfish is named after its spectacular tentacles, which resemble a lion’s mane. While most jellyfish have a round body, the body of the lion’s mane jellyfish is divided into 8 lobes resembling an eight-pointed star, with each lobe containing 70 to 150 tentacles arranged in four fairly distinct rows.

Most of the time, these jellyfish drift in the surface layer of the water, periodically contracting the bell and making strokes with marginal lobes. The tentacles are spread and fully extended, forming a dense catching net under the bell. Cyanea jellyfish are predators. Their long, numerous tentacles are densely covered with stinging cells. When fired, these cells inject a strong venom into the victim’s body, killing small animals and inflicting significant damage on larger ones. Their prey includes various planktonic organisms, including other jellyfish.

The lion’s mane jellyfish is not as dangerous as portrayed in popular literature. Its stings cannot cause human death, although the rash can be painful and the venom’s toxins may trigger allergic reactions.

The body length of a female Goliath birdeater reaches 100.4 mm, and the male — 85 mm. With legs outstretched, the spider reaches 28 cm in size and weighs 175 grams. Its body is dark brown, and its legs are covered with reddish-brown hairs.

This species is found in the tropical forests of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and northern Brazil. It lives in deep burrows lined with webbing at the entrance.

The Goliath birdeater is an edible spider. It is part of the local cuisine in the northeast of South America, where it is prepared by singeing off the hairs and roasting it in banana leaves. Its taste has been described as “shrimp-like.”

It should be noted that the Goliath birdeater is the largest spider in the world by weight and body length, but in terms of leg span, it is surpassed by the Giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima). The leg span of the Giant huntsman spider reaches 30 cm, but it is significantly smaller in body size compared to the Goliath birdeater.

This tiny spider lives only in the western part of Samoa (a small island nation in the southern Pacific Ocean).

The spider was first described by New Zealand zoologist Raymond Robert Forster in 1959.

According to some estimates, there is an even smaller spider species — Patu digua from Colombia. It is believed that adult males of this species reach a body size of only about 0.37 mm — approximately one-fifth the size of a pinhead.

This giant tree was discovered in the summer of 2006 by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood National Park. The tree was found in a remote part of the park purchased in 1978 by the federal government under President Jimmy Carter (the 39th President of the United States).

According to estimates, Hyperion contains 530 cubic meters of wood. The diameter at breast height is nearly 5 meters. American botanists believe the tree is approximately 700–800 years old.

The exact location of Hyperion was deliberately withheld to prevent potential tourist traffic from damaging the ecosystem that has supported this giant tree for centuries.

Researchers believe that further growth of the tree was hindered by woodpeckers that damaged the top of Hyperion’s trunk.

The waterfall is named after pilot Jimmie Angel, who flew over it in 1933.

In 1949, the National Geographic Society of the USA organized an expedition to the falls. As a result of the trip, its height was measured and a book was published. In 1994, UNESCO included Canaima National Park, which encompasses the waterfall, in the World Heritage List.

The waterfall is located in the tropical forests of Venezuela’s Bolívar state, within Canaima National Park. The water plunges from the top of the largest mountain — Auyán-Tepuí (its name means “Devil’s Mountain”). The height is so great that before reaching the ground, the water breaks into tiny droplets and turns into mist. The mist can be felt from several kilometers away. The falling water flows into the Churún River.

Angel Falls is situated in a remote region of Venezuela and can only be reached by air or by river. Tours to the falls are sold as packages and include a flight from Caracas or Ciudad Bolívar to Canaima (a village serving as the gateway to the national park), a subsequent boat trip, meals, and other essentials for visiting the waterfall.

To learn more about Angel Falls and take a virtual journey there, read our article ☛

The Port of Shanghai is located on the East China Sea, at the confluence of the Yangtze, Huangpu, and Qiantang rivers. It connects the northern and southern waters of China, and via the Yangtze River, it is linked to the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui through inland waterways. A developed road system connects the port with all regions of China. Shipping routes have been established to over 300 ports worldwide.

In 2010, the Port of Shanghai surpassed the Port of Singapore to become the busiest container port in the world. Shanghai handled 29.05 million TEU, while Singapore trailed by half a million TEU. In 2019, Shanghai handled 43.3 million TEU.

The Port of Shanghai is a critically important transport hub for the Yangtze River region and a key gateway for foreign trade. It serves the economically developed inland areas of the Yangtze provinces — Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Henan — with their dense population, strong industrial base, and developed agricultural sector.

Disney World includes four theme parks, two water parks, 24 themed hotels, numerous shops, cafés, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

The park opened on October 1, 1971, and initially consisted only of the Magic Kingdom theme park. This park features Cinderella’s Castle, inspired by the fairy tale castle shown in the 1950 movie. In 2019, the park received 20.9 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the world for the thirteenth consecutive year and the most visited in North America for at least the past 20 years.

On October 1, 1982, the Epcot theme park was opened. It covers 123 hectares, more than twice the size of Magic Kingdom. Epcot is dedicated to celebrating human achievements, particularly technological innovation. The park is represented by Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere. In 2019, Epcot welcomed 12.444 million guests, making it the fourth most visited theme park in North America and the seventh worldwide.

On May 1, 1989, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened. The 55-hectare park is dedicated to the imaginary worlds of film, television, music, and theater, inspired by the golden age of Hollywood. In 2018, the park received 11.258 million guests, ranking fifth in North America and ninth globally among theme parks.

On April 22, 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened as a zoological theme park. It is the largest theme park in the world, covering 230 hectares. It is dedicated to the environment and animal conservation — a philosophy once proposed by Walt Disney himself. Unlike other Disney theme parks, Animal Kingdom features both traditional attractions and hundreds of live animal species. The park includes special designs and infrastructure to ensure animal welfare. Its symbol is the Tree of Life, an artificial baobab standing 44 meters tall and 15 meters wide. In 2019, the park welcomed 13.888 million guests, making it the third most visited theme park in North America, sixth globally, and the most visited zoo in the world.