Interesting Facts 73

Mexico City is sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches a year because it’s built on top of an underground reservoir. Wells are drawing out more and more water for the city’s growing population of more than 15 million people.

The longest railway in the world is the Trans-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad, built 1891-1916, a network of railways connecting European Russia with Russian Far East provinces. It is 9,288.2 kilometres (5,787 miles) long and spans 8 time zones.

The world’s tallest mountains, the Himalayas, are also the fastest growing. Their growth – about half an inch a year – is caused by the pressure exerted by two of Earth’s continental plates (the Eurasian plate and the Indo-Australian plate) pushing against one another.