Largest Desert: Great Basin The Great Basin covers an area of roughly 190,000 square miles, mostly in Nevada. This desert region is actually a series of basins, sprinkled with sagebrush, and mountain ranges. Increased precipitation at higher elevations supports numerous plant and animal species. | Longest Span: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, is named after Giovanni de Verrazano, a European explorer who sailed into the area in 1524. Two towers, each 693 feet tall, stand 4,260 feet apart; the bridge's total length is 13,700 feet. | Windiest Place: Mount Washington The summit of Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, holds the official record for the maximum wind gust ever recorded on land - not associated with a tornado or hurricane. On April 12, 1934, an anemometer recorded a wind gust of 231 mph. |
Largest Canyon: Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long. At its widest point, it is more than 15 miles across, at its deepest, it reaches down more than a mile. The Grand Canyon is one of the "Seven Natural Wonders of the World." | Largest Frog: American Bullfrog American bullfrogs can reach more than six inches in length; males weigh up to one pound and their calls can be heard from a quarter mile away. Adults are predatory and will consume snakes, birds, fish, insects, and even other frogs. | Tallest Dam: Oroville Dam The Oroville Dam, on the Feather River in northern California, stands 770 feet tall and is 6,290 feet long at its crest. Construction of the dam, located in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento, was completed in 1967. |
Fastest Bird: Peregrine Falcon When diving after prey, the peregrine falcon is the world's fastest bird, reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour or more. Its horizontal cruising speed is considerably slower. Other birds, such as pigeons and ducks, are the falcon's usual prey. | Largest Delta: Mississippi River Delta The Mississippi River delta, where the mouth of the river meets the Gulf of Mexico, covers approximately 11,000 square miles, roughly a quarter of the state of Louisiana. The delta gradually changes form as sediment deposited by the river builds up. | Tallest Geyser: Steamboat Steamboat, a popular attraction in Yellowstone National Park, is the world's tallest active geyser. At unscheduled intervals, it sends rockets of water soaring as high as 300 feet or more, though minor eruptions of 10 to 40 feet are more common. |