SIACHEN GLACIER

The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of the point where the line of control between India and Pakistan ends. It is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar regions. It falls from an altitude of 18,875 feet above sea level down to 11,875 feet above sea level at its terminus. The glacier’s region is the highest battleground on Earth, where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984. A cease-fire went into effect in 2003. Even before then, more soldiers were killed every year due to severe weather conditions than enemy fire. India built the world’s highest helipad on the glacier at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet above sea level, to supply its troops. India’s Sonam post is the highest permanently manned post in the world. In 1997, the Indian army established an STD-PCO (subscriber trunk dialing-public call office) to enable soldiers stationed on the glacier to call home. From 1997 until it was replaced by cell service in 2009, it was the world’s highest public telephone booth.

HELIPAD AT SONAM POST ON SIACHEN GLACIER

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA

Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota and county seat of Burleigh County. The city’s population was estimated in 2018 at 73,112. In 1872 European Americans founded a settlement at what was then called Missouri Crossing, so named because the Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the river there on their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804-1806. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city to Bismarck, in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Railroad officials hoped to attract German immigrant settlers to the area and German investment in the railroad. It is the only U.S. capital named for a foreign statesman.

MIDDLE ISLAND, CANADA

Middle Island is a small island, just 46 acres in area. It is the southernmost point of land in Canada. It lies in Lake Erie and forms part of the province of Ontario. The southernmost point of Middle Island is at a latitude of North 41°40’53”, which is at a slightly lower than the southernmost point in Michigan and slightly farther south than downtown Chicago. Twenty-seven U.S. states lie fully or partly north of this point and 13 states are entirely north of this latitude.

MIDDLE ISLAND, CANADA

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THE VULCAN STATUE – BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

The Vulcan statue, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is 56-foot tall statue of the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge. It is the city symbol of Birmingham, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. It was created as Birmingham’s entry for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 World’s Fair). The completed weight of the god Vulcan’s figure alone is 100,000 pounds. When Vulcan’s anvil, block, hammer and spearpoint are added, the statue weighs a total of 120,000 pounds. It stands on a pedestal that is 123-feet tall. The statue has a chest circumference of 22 feet 6 inches and a waist circumference of 18 feet 3 inches. The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the largest metal statue ever made in the United States.

10 MOST POPULOUS COUNTIES - 2019

Out of 3,142 counties and county equivalents, 1,610 (51.2%) gained population between 2018 and 2019. Nine counties (0.3%) experienced no change in population during this time, while the remaining 1,523 (48.5%) lost population. Between 2010 and 2019, 1,459 (46.4%) counties gained population, and 1,683 (53.6%) lost population.

TOP 10 MOST POPULOUS COUNTIES, 2019
Rank	State	County	April 1, 2010 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2018	July 1, 2019
1	California	Los Angeles	9,819,968	10,073,906	10,039,107
2	Illinois	Cook	5,195,026	5,171,960	5,150,233
3	Texas	Harris	4,093,176	4,680,045	4,713,325
4	Arizona	Maricopa	3,817,365	4,402,403	4,485,414
5	California	San Diego	3,095,349	3,333,861	3,338,330
6	California	Orange	3,008,989	3,175,973	3,175,692
7	Florida	Miami-Dade	2,497,993	2,714,854	2,716,940
8	Texas	Dallas	2,367,430	2,629,350	2,635,516
9	New York	Kings	2,504,721	2,578,074	2,559,903
10	California	Riverside	2,445,789	2,445,789	2,470,546

TOP 10 COUNTIES IN NUMERIC GROWTH 2010 T0 2019
Rank	State	County	April 1, 2010 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2018	July 1, 2019
1	Arizona	Maricopa	3,817,365	4,402,403	688,049
2	Texas	Harris	4,093,176	4,680,045	620,149
3	Washington	King	1,931,287	2,228,364	321,495
4	Nevada	Clark	1,951,268	2,226,115	315,447
5	Texas	Tarrant	1,810,664	2,081,446	291,851
6	Texas	Bexar	1,714,781	1,981,187	288,773
7	California	Riverside	2,189,765	2,445,789	280,781
8	Texas	Dallas	2,367,430	2,629,350	268,086
9	Texas	Collin	781,419	1,004,307	263,311
10	Texas	Travis	1,024,444	1,246,572	249,510

TOP 10 COUNTIES IN PERCENTAGE GROWTH 2010 T0 2019
Rank	State	County	April 1, 2010 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2018	July 1, 2019	Percent Growth
1	North Dakota	Williams	22,399	35,469	37,589	67.8
2	Texas	Hays	157,103	222,706	230,191	46.5
3	Utah	Wasatch	23,525	33,067	34,091	44.9
4	Texas	Comal	108,520	148,141	156,209	43.9
5	Texas	Kendall	33,384	45,603	47,431	42.1
6	Florida	Sumter	93,420	128,719	132,420	41.7
7	Iowa	Dallas	66,139	89,953	93,453	41.3
8	Florida	Osceola	268,685	368,456	375,751	39.8
9	Texas	Williamson	422,504	566,463	590,551	39.8
10	Florida	St. Johns	190,038	253,814	264,672	39.3

OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILLINOIS AND OAKBROOK TERRACE TOWER

Oakbrook Terrace is a suburb of Chicago located in DuPage County. The population in 2018 was estimated to be 2,119. Oakbrook Terrace has a total area of 1.278 square miles. Oakbrook Terrace is the smallest town in DuPage County in terms of both area and population. Oakbrook Terrace Tower is an octagonal 31-story office building located in the city of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. It was built in 1987 and is 418-feet tall. Oakbrook Terrace Tower is the tallest building in Illinois outside of the City of Chicago. Oakbrook Terrace was originally named Utopia, a name suggested by a postmaster. The name Oakbrook Terrace was adopted in November 1959.

OAKBROOK TERRACE TOWER

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YURIBEY BRIDGE

The Yuribey Bridge is a 2.4-mile-long railway bridge on the Obskaya-Bovanenkovo Line. It has two main spans of 490 feet. It is the longest bridge above the Arctic Circle.

YURIBEY RIVER BRIDGE, RUSSIA

KARSKAYA STATION

Karskaya station, at the end of the extension of the Obskaya-Bovanenkovo Line, in Russia, is the northernmost railway station in the world.

OBSKAYA-BOVANENKOVO LINE

The Obskaya–Bovanenkovo Line is a railway line in northern Russia, which was built and is owned by Gazprom. The railway is the northernmost railway in the world. It was opened for traffic in 2010 and was built for the gas fields around Bovanenkovo on the Yamal Peninsula. In February 2011, it was extended to the Karskaya station, making it 355 miles long. (Prior to the opening of the Obskaya-Bovanenkovo line, the Kirkenes-Bjørnevatn, a 5.2-mile-long railway in Norway, was the world’s northernmost railway).

Obskaya-Bovanenkovo Railway Line in blue color