Did you Know?

The Pacific Ocean is three times bigger than Asia, the biggest continent on Earth. It covers nearly one-third of the Earth's surface. Its widest part is about 1,770 km or 11,000 miles. That distance would take you halfway around the world.

The world's first postage stamp was the penny Black, issued in Britain in May, 1840. A one-cent British Guiana (Guyana) stamp of 1856, of which there is only one example, is thought to be worth £500,000.

The word galaxy comes from the Greek word for milk, "gala". The Ancient Greeks thought the Milky Way was formed from spilt milk from the breast of the goddess Hera when she suckled the baby (Hercules).

About 2,500 million people, half the world's population, use wood for cooking and heating.


The first successful submarine was built in the 1620s by a Dutch inventor, Cornelius van Drebbel. It had a wooden frame covered with greased leather and was rowed with the help of 12 oars. The biggest submarines today are Russian nuclear submarines. Larger than passenger liners, they can stay under water for two years without refuelling.