The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, hidden in the western Pacific Ocean near the Philippines and Japan. At its lowest point, Challenger Deep, it drops nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) — so deep that if Mount Everest were placed inside, its peak would still be underwater.

Down there, the pressure is over 1,000 times stronger than at sea level, and sunlight never reaches the bottom. Yet life survives. Scientists have discovered glowing fish, ghostly shrimp-like creatures, and special snailfish built to withstand crushing pressure.

In 1960, explorers first reached the bottom. In 2012, filmmaker James Cameron made a solo dive into the darkness — a journey to one of the least explored places on our planet.

Even more shocking? Scientists have found plastic waste at the trench’s deepest point — proving that no place on Earth is truly untouched.