Big things from around the world

California's Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. Photo / 123RF

In celebration of this week's issue being the biggest travel magazine in the world, ever, here's a round-up of some of the other biggest things in the world...

1. Hotel

Surprisingly, the world's largest hotel isn't in America or the Middle East ... it's actually in the Genting Highlands, about an hour out of Kuala Lumpur. The First World Hotel has 7351 rooms across two towers and one annex. Second place goes to The Venetian Las Vegas, with 7117 rooms, which actually overtook First World Hotel in 2008 — at the time the Malaysian hotel only had 6118 rooms. It regained its title in 2015 after building a new block.

2. Cruise ship

The title currently sits with Harmony of the Seas, which has a capacity of 5749 passengers, but she will be surpassed in April 2018 with the launch of sister ship Symphony of the Seas. This mega-liner will carry up to 5500 passengers in 2774 cabins. The ship's piece de resistance is the 125sq m family suite — a two-storey, two-bedroom cabin that sleeps up to eight people, withaslide from the kids' bedroom to the lounge, plus a 20sq m wrap-around balcony.

3. Caves

Found in north central Vietnam, the Son Doong Caves have a total measured volume of 38.5 million cubic metres. Some sections are up to 200m high and 150m wide — enough to fit in a whole New York City block. Despite their size, the caves' opening was only discovered in 1990, by a local man. He didn't go inside, walked back to the village, and promptly forgot where to find them again. It wasn't until 2009 that they were rediscovered and the first expedition entered this huge cave system, home to giant stalagmites and stalactites, an underground jungle and its own localised weather system. To go inside, you'll need to book a tour with Oxalis, the only operator licensed to enter.

4. Island

Greenland (Nope, Australia is regarded as a continent, not an island), with a land-mass of 2,166,086sq km and a population of more than 56,000.

5. Skyscraper

At 160 storeys and a total height of 829.8m, Dubai's Burj Khalifa mega-skyscraper is the world's tallest. The building also boasts the world's highest observation deck — its outdoor terrace is 555m above sea level.

6. Tree

Sequoias, which can grow up to 83m tall. The oldest in the world is in California's Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park, Tulare County, and is estimated to be 3500 years old. In comparison, New Zealand's Tane Mahuta, in Northland, is 51.2m tall and is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old.

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