[Printer Friendly Version]   [How to E-mail This Article to A Friend]

AROUND THE WORLD 1: World's Deepest Hole

Cave explorers have found what is believed to be the world's deepest hole. A pit was discovered inside a central Croatian mountain range that has a subterranean vertical drop of almost 1,700 feet. The cave is situated in the Velebit mountain region of Croatia and descends 203 feet before vertically plunging 1,693 feet to the ground. The cave is also extremely wide and is approximately 100 feet at its widest part.

A team of Croatian explorers discovered the hole in the Velebit mountain range, which is part of the Rozanski Hip National Park. This untouched region is known for its rare flora and fauna, and it attracts botanists and hikers every year. In fact, there have been many ongoing scientific expeditions in this area for many years.

Although there are bigger caves in Croatia, which possess two of the world's 20 deepest caves, this most recently discovered cave has the world's deepest vertical drop. Ponds and streams can be found at the bottom of the drop along with large colonies of subterranean leeches. Previously, the Voronya Cave in Georgia was thought to be the world's deepest hole at 5,610 feet.

--Written by Renee Clara

Write your own story telling us what you think about this article!

Read AROUND THE WORLD 2: A Change for Papau New Guinea