BACK TO THE USA ON MACSWAYROUND!
FACTOIDS: • One third of all the gold ever mined – about 1.1. billion ounces – is stored in government vaults throughout the world. Most of the USA Nation’s gold is stored underground at Fort Knox, Kentucky. • In volume of total wood – the Giant Sequoia stands alone as the largest living tree on Earth. • Sequoia trees do not die of ‘old age’. They also have chemicals in their wood and bark which provides resistance to insects and fungi. They have very thick bark (up to 30cms thick) which insulates them from most fire. The main cause of Sequoia deaths is toppling and as they have a shallow root system soil moisture, root damage and strong winds can lead to toppling. • In the Sequoia National Park stands the mighty tree named ‘General Sherman’ – and this tree is believed to be the largest tree (by volume), in the world. It is estimated to be 2,200 years old and ‘The General’ stands at a very proud 275 foot tall (still working in imperial measure in the USA). The trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and at the ground has a circumference of nearly 103 feet. (31 metres!) Its largest branch is almost 7 feet in diameter and every year the General Sherman grows enough new wood to make a 60 foot tree of usual proportions! • Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are 865,257 acres – a land of big trees, deep canyons, tall peaks and flowing rivers...... • In 1868, a young Scotsman named John Muir arrived in San Francisco and asked for directions to ‘anyway that’s wild’. He was pointed to the Sierra Nevada and here his life long relationship and protection of Yosemite began. The spirit of Yosemite has been protected for future generations and as a lasting legacy to John Muir. • The Sierra Nevada mountain range is 400 miles long and up to 80 miles wide, at the widest points. • President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in the late 1800’s and he also signed a bill that set aside the Mariposa Grove and the scenic Yosemite Valley, in 1864. • Deteriorating buildings and high operational costs, ended the Alcatraz’s days as a federal prison. The last inmates left the island on March 21st 1963, and the prison officially closed its doors a few months later. • Since 1972, Alcatraz has been under the protection of the National Parks Service and they have worked to reach modern safety standards, throughout the island. • California Sea Lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking! Sea lions have external ear flaps, seals do not! • Sea lions may bite if provoked and can live up to 20-30 years in the wild.
Friday, 24 July 2009 17:23:11 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)      Comments [0]  USA