EARTH'S EXTREMES

Which Are The 10 Most Dangerous Places On Earth?

Credit: Alain Bonnardeaux

Peril may lurk everywhere, but in certain corners of our planet, the resounding shout "Danger!" echoes at every turn.

While some landscapes fascinate with their beauty, many of them hide different threats, such as aggressive creatures, toxic plants, extreme temperatures, or recurrent calamities.

If you dare, join us on an adventure to explore 10 of the most dangerous natural places in the world; you won't believe these sites are real!

Credit: Alessandra Verre

All sand deserts across the globe represent formidable challenges to adventurers with their vast expanses, scary animals, dark and cold nights, oppressive daytime heat, and lack of water. However, California's Death Valley stands out, presenting an exceptionally hazardous environment.

One of its major threats to humans is its severe temperature; this place has recorded what is considered the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded on the surface of the Earth, an incredible 134 °F! If you are not a summer person, this is probably not the best place for your vacation.

Credit: Tetiana Grypachevska

Also known as the Gates of Hell, the Darvaza gas crater is a burning natural gas field with a diameter of 200–230 feet located in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan. And the nickname of this site is indeed apt.

This huge hole, brimming with methane gas, first burst decades ago and has continued to burn unabated since.

Some brave ones might perceive it as no more than a curiosity, but picture yourself amidst scorching heat, surrounded by myriad sources of fire. Most people would think twice before visiting this hellish place.

Credit: Fernando Santander

If you find yourself overwhelmed or panic-stricken at the mere thought of encountering snakes, then Snake Island in Brazil is probably the last place you'd want to be.

As its name suggests, this island is home to a vast array of snakes varying in size. Thousands of years ago, when the island became isolated from the mainland, these reptiles found themselves confined to this habitat. Over time, their numbers multiplied, leading to a dense population of serpents.

Today, Snake Island remains off-limits to the public, ensuring safety and peace of mind for everyone.

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If you think winter is tough in your hometown, the temperatures experienced by the residents of Oymyakon, Russia will leave you speechless. This Russian village might not be full of terrifying creatures or engulfed in menacing flames, but its temperatures are undeniably dreadful.

Dubbed by many as the coldest town on Earth, Oymyakon boasts an average temperature of -58°F, with recorded lows down to **-96°F!**Frozen eyelashes and clothes stiff as ice are just a glimpse of the remarkable scenes awaiting visitors to this extreme site.

Credit: Gabor Szucs

Nyos is a deep lake located in a volcanic area of the country of Cameroon. But it is not just any lake. Beneath its surface lie some lava deposits that release carbon dioxide into the water, creating dangerous CO2 clouds.

One of the most poignant tragedies associated with this lake occurred 38 years ago. In 1986, disaster struck when a substantial carbon dioxide cloud formed in the area, suffocating over 1,000 people near the lake's vicinity and prompting the evacuation of a nearby town.

Credit: Daniele Levis Pelusi

A large, unbelievably hot desert, with lakes full of poisonous and acid gases: it sounds like we are describing an apocalyptic scenario, but this place is very real and is called the Danakil Desert.

Stretching across regions of Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, the Danakil Desert is characterized by its geothermal activity, which results in extreme temperatures soaring to a staggering 121°F.

Surprisingly, despite its inhospitable nature, many adventurers opt to explore this terrain, always under the guidance of experienced tour guides.

Credit: Joel Arbaje

You've probably heard about the Bermuda Triangle before. Stories abound of airplanes and ships vanishing into the air when encountering this enigmatic area of the ocean, leaving behind no more than unanswered questions.

Also known as the Devil's Triangle, its vertices are marked by Bermuda, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Miami (Florida, USA).

Despite our modern technological prowess, the Bermuda Triangle's allure continues undiminished by the passage of time. Would you have the courage to pilot a plane through its mysterious, dangerous confines?

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The name of the Skeleton Coast says enough, doesn't it? There are two explanations for this ominous title. One is tied to the huge and creepy whale skeletons that used to litter the coastline. The second revolves around the remnants of ancient shipwrecks that have met their demise on this risky coast.

If you decide to visit this site, you'll face inhospitable weather, dark fog, and intense, strong, constant, and treacherous currents.

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Being a National Park, Madidi offers a great opportunity for tourists to explore its beautiful nature. However, amidst its breathtaking landscapes lies some potential hazards for visitors.

From dangerous animals such as pumas to poisonous snakes and plants that are highly toxic to humans, this site in Bolivia is not a place where you can walk around without worries. Here, every step must be taken with caution, and every encounter must be met with respect.

Credit: Raimond Klavins

Annapurna, the tenth-highest peak on our planet, resides within the famed Annapurna mountain range in Nepal.

With its formidable height, towering over 26,000 feet, Annapurna represents a major challenge for those who dare to climb its snowy landscapes.

With a shocking 40% fatality rate, it is considered one of the most dangerous mountains, and the main cause is its unpredictable weather. The combination of strong wind gusts, carrying with them blankets of snow and bone-chilling cold, creates a treacherous environment for even the most seasoned climbers.

GIVE YOUR MOUSE A WELL-DESERVED REST

Computer Shortcuts 101: Time-saving Tips for Your Fingers.

Credit: Sergi Kabrera

Moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back again might not seem like a very time-consuming chore when doing computer work. However, when this action must be repeated constantly, there are simple tricks that help us save time and energy. You don't need to be a hacker to learn these 10 easy keyboard shortcuts that will enhance your computer skills. Discover what all those keys with letters like Ctrl, Fn, and Alt are really for. And, if you stay till the end, we’ll show you a trick that will blow your mind!

Credit: Natalia Y.

Back in Medieval times when monks did it, copying text used to be an extremely time-consuming task. Quite a few centuries had to pass for us to be able to copy whatever amount of text we want, from a single character to a whole book or more.

The trick is simple: highlight the text you want to copy. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the letter C simultaneously. Once you do this, the text is saved and ready to be pasted anywhere you need it.

Credit: Scott Sanker

Pasting text previously copied allows you to move around words, paragraphs, pages, or whatever amount of text you want in no time at all.

Once you have copied -or cut- your text, the next step for pasting it wherever you want it to is really simple. Place the cursor where you want the text to start and click on that exact point. Then press the Ctrl key and the V letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the text will appear in the place where you want it.

Credit: Matt Artz

Maybe you don't want to simply copy text and you want to cut it out entirely. There is a shortcut for this as well and it is as simple as the text copying trick.

To cut text, you must highlight the word, paragraph, or whatever amount of text you want to cut. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the X letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the highlighted text will disappear but worry not, it is saved in the clipboard and ready to be pasted wherever you need it with the pasting trick (remember: Ctrl + V).

Credit: Jim Wilson

Have you ever had second thoughts and wanted to undo something? If only life was as easy as this Windows trick!

Simply press the Ctrl key and the letter Z. Windows will magically take a step back and undo what it has just done. Be it restoring something you deleted by mistake or going back, this simple trick will get the job done.

Credit: Ana Klipper

Suppose you want to close a window on your desktop. Yes, you could take the mouse and reach for the small red X square in the corner of the window. Or, you could save a few seconds and do this instead.

Simply press our old friend, the Ctrl key and the W letter, simultaneously. The window that is at the front of your desktop will close automatically.

Credit: Aaron Burden

Imagine you need to highlight all of the text in a document. What would you do? Start from the top and start painting the whole thing down? Lucky you, there are faster, easier ways to do just that.

Just press the Ctrl key and the A letter, simultaneously. Abracadabra! The whole thing will be painted yellow for you to copy or cut, in no time at all.

Credit: Daniel Maquiling

Maybe you need to open the Start menu to find a program or an app or close the computer. What do you do? You take the arrow and go to the left corner at the bottom, to the Windows icon, right? No!

You can simply press the Ctrl key and the Esc key, simultaneously and the Start menu will unfold beneath your eyes without having to lift your fingers from the keyboard.

Credit: Jan Loyde Cabrera

A shortcut one wishes would exist in real life (much like Ctrl + Z), hitting F5 on your keyboard will produce a wonderful effect: the window that is upfront on your desktop will refresh itself and update to its latest status.

Whether you are expecting a money transfer and looking anxiously at your bank account, are eager to see the latest news online, or don’t want to miss out on something that is about to happen, pressing the F5 key will refresh the upfront window to its latest version.

Credit: Agence Olloweb

While the amount of files that we store in our computers has diminished since cloud storage became more ubiquitous, most of us still use folders to archive pictures, PDF files, text documents, and more. That is why having Windows’ magnifying glass ready at hand is very useful to find stuff in the least possible amount of time.

Yes, we can always go to the Start button and press the magnifying glass. But why do that when we can just press the Windows key and the letter S, to obtain the same result in less time?

Credit: Tadas Sar

Our computers are powerful devices that can handle multiple tasks at once: internet browsers, spreadsheets, dedicated software, open folders, photographs, and more, can all be floating on your desktop. So, what if you need to see or fetch something from the desktop? Are you going to be minimizing every single thing to uncover the surface? Nope! There is a shortcut for that too!

Simply press the Windows key (yes, that one you always wondered what it was for) and the D letter, simultaneously. Magic! The desktop is uncovered and clean for your perusal. Want to go back to what you were doing? Press Windows + D again.