Sometimes, it might seem like we know everything about Earth. But there is a lot that we still do not know. Much of Earth is not mapped. Much of Earth is unexplored. Much of Earth is untouched.
How many caves are there on Earth? No one knows. Many caves have never been explored by humans.
The deepest cave in the world was located in 1968. It is called the Veryovkina Cave.
The entrance of the cave is in Georgia. It is a jaw-dropping 2,212 metres deep. It was only explored fully in 2019. It took over 50 years to explore.
To get to the bottom and back, it takes cavers a week. On one trip, the cavers almost died. There was heavy rain. There was a sudden flood. They had to climb quickly to escape. They only just survived.
More than 3,500 people have climbed to the top of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. But what about Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan? This 7,570 metre high mountain is the highest unclimbed mountain on Earth.
No one has ever been to the top of Gangkhar Puensum. That is because of the law in Bhutan. The law prohibits climbing mountains over 6000 metres. They think the mountains are sacred.
The law was created in 1994. Some people tried to climb it before then. But they failed.
There are not only new places to discover. There are also new animals. Scientists discover new species all the time. In 2011, during an expedition to the Philippines, scientists found hundreds of brand new animals.
There are some times when it is best to stop exploring. There are some groups of people in the world who do not want to be found. The people of the Sentinelese tribe live on North Sentinel Island in India. They are very reclusive and hostile. They do not like outsiders.
The land of the Sentinelese tribe has never been explored. In 2018, an American tourist made his way to the island. He paid a fisherman to take him. It was illegal. People warned him against it. When he arrived at the island, the islanders killed the tourist.
This was not the first time it had happened. They have attacked others that have tried to visit the island. In the 1800s, a ship hit the reef. It was an accident. 106 people swam to the island for safety. They did not know about the islanders. They thought it was uninhabited. After three days, the islanders killed the intruders.
Technology keeps getting better and better. The better it is, the more we learn. The more we learn, the better we can protect this beautiful planet.