10 biggest things in the world

Bigger isn't always better, but it's hard not to be in awe when confronted with gigantic things. From buildings and animals to natural wonders and machines, exploring the biggest things is sure to change your perspective forever. So, with that in mind, we put together the tallest, longest, and largest objects of their kind on Earth.

• 1. The giant sequoia tree known as "General Sherman" is the world's largest tree

  Giant sequoias, as their name suggests, are incredibly massive. Even the average giant sequoia will grow about 76 meters tall and 5 meters wide.

  However, one instance known as "General Sherman" is even larger. With a height of 83 meters and a diameter at the base of more than 11 meters, this stunning colossus holds the record for the largest living tree.

  However, while General Sherman may be the largest tree, it is not the tallest. This record belongs to the 116.07 meter high Coastal Sequoia known as "Hyperion". For reference, this is taller than a 35-story building, which essentially makes this tree a living skyscraper. Somehow, Hyperion escaped the chainsaw, and the tree is estimated to be 600-800 years old.

• 2. The highest mountain in the world is not Everest, but Mauna Kea

  Ask anyone what the highest mountain in the world is, and they will surely answer that it is mount Everest. But while it undoubtedly holds the record for height, it is not the tallest. Instead, these two records are held by Mauna Kea and Chimborazo, respectively. Although the latter has more to do with technicalities, since the Earth is an imperfect sphere.

  Mauna Kea, a volcanic mountain located in Korea, has a height of over 10,000 meters, which is significantly higher than Everest's 8,848 meters. And in case you're wondering, yes, someone has climbed it from bottom to top, but only relatively recently. A Texas investor and Hawaiian scientist became the first people to fully climb Mauna Kea in 2021 on a journey that began six kilometers in the ocean.

• 3. The entire Disneyland could fit in the world's largest building.

  Created in the mid-1960s to build the legendary 747, the Boeing Everett Facility remains the largest factory in the world. Covering 39.9 hectares and an indoor area of 13,385,378 m3, the facility is so large that you can fit the entire Disneyland theme park inside, leaving free space.

  Inside the Boeing plant in Everett

  Even the doors are massive, the largest being 24.9 meters high and 106.7 meters wide.

• 4. The largest living organism in terms of area is a sample of algae

  You might think of big trees or giant whales when you think of the largest organism. But the record actually belongs to a specimen of the seagrass Posidonia australis (also known as Poseidon's ribbon kelp) in Shark Bay, Australia. The meadows of this plant, grown from a single seed, occupy an area of about 200 km².

  Posidonia australis

  For reference, this is the equivalent of about 28,000 football fields. And if that wasn't impressive enough, the plant is estimated to be around 4,500 years old.

• 5. The two largest flowers in the world smell like rotting meat

  Rafflesia arnoldii

  Sometimes it is not so easy measuring the largest items. And this is definitely the case when it comes to finding out the biggest flower. On the one hand, there is the aptly named monster flower (Rafflesia arnoldii), which can grow up to 100 cm in diameter and holds the record for the largest single flower.

  Amorphophallus titanum

  On the other hand, there is the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum), which is larger but consists of hundreds of tiny buds on a single stem rather than a single flower. These two rare flowers are not just competing for the title of the largest. They both claim to be the stinkiest. Indeed, both plants are known to smell like rotting meat, an adaptation they use to attract flies.

• 6. The largest cave in the world is so big that any other cave will fit in it.

  Son Doong Cave in Vietnam is so big that no other cave system can match it. With a size of over 40 million cubic meters and reaching a height of 500 meters in some places, it could not only easily accommodate any other cave, but you could also fit several skyscrapers inside.

  Despite its enormous size, the cave was not discovered by people until 1990, and it will be another 19 years before people study it properly and realize how big it is.

• 7. The largest statue in the world is four times the size of the Statue of Liberty

  The 93m tall Statue of Liberty is an iconic and impressive structure. But if Lady Liberty were to be placed next to the largest statue in the world, she would barely reach its waist.

  At 182 meters tall, the Statue of Unity is the largest in the world and honors Indian politician and independence fighter Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

• 8. This giraffe-sized reptile had to jump 2.5m to fly

  With a wingspan of 10 to 11 meters, the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus northropi, which existed about 67 million years ago, is the largest flying animal ever to have lived. It is so large that, until recently, scientists could not understand how such a thing could fly.

  Some scientists have suggested that pterosaurs may have run to gain speed like albatrosses, or that they did not fly at all. However, new research shows that this massive animal jumped 2.5 meters into the air with its powerful legs to fly.

• 9. The largest meteorite in the world is a 66-ton giant named Goba

  Discovered by a farmer working in Grotfontein, Namibia, the meteorite known to scientists as Goba is the largest of its kind in the world. And although it has been excavated, it has never been moved from where it was found. The Goba meteorite is a dense metal body measuring 2.7* 2.7* 0.9 meters, 84% iron and 16% nickel with a small amount of cobalt.

  Scientists believe that it fell to earth about 80,000 years ago. However, despite its size, the object did not leave a noticeable crater, possibly because its unique flat shape slowed its speed and impact.

• 10. Danyang-Kunshan viaduct - the longest bridge in the world

  The Danyang-Kunshan Bridge, over 164 km long, is the largest in the world. The bridge, which is worth about $8.5 billion, is part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and takes about two hours to cross. Surprisingly, the bridge was built in just four years by about 10,000 people and can withstand earthquakes, typhoons and even a direct hit by a warship.