Earth
Earth is the only place in the whole universe where life is known to exist. A home to a million of species, the planet formed 4.54 billion years ago.
Earths surface counts 51.0072m km², where only 29.2% is occupied by land and the rest - by water. The most part of the land (32%) is covered by forests. The length of the equator is 40.075 km. The earth moves round the sun at the speed of 30km/sec (108,000 km/h).
Earths atmosphere consists of 77% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen and 1% of argon. Earth is mostly composed of iron - 32%, and oxygen - 30,1%.
Earth has a population of about 6.5 billion people. There are around 270 administrative units, where 192 countries are UN (United Nations) members.
Wonders of Nature
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Mountain Peaks Mountain peaks are the highest points of mountains. Mountains cover 24% of Earths surface (25% of Europe, 64%of Asia, 36% of North America, 22% of South America, 17% of Australia, 3% of Africa). As much as 10% of Earths population lives in mountains. |
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Biggest Waterfalls A waterfall is usually a body of water resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a nickpoint, or sudden break in elevation. Waterfalls may be high, wide or cascade, where water descends a series of rock steps. |
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Biggest Volcanoes Volcano is a geological formation, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface at the speed of 700 km/h, while the temperature reaches 8,000 degrees. The Ancient Romans called volcanoes Vulcano, after Vulcan, their fire god. |
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Biggest Rivers A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing along a channel or a stream bed between the banks that are usually made through the time. Most rivers are born in mountains. Those which flow toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river are called main rivers. |
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Biggest Lakes A lake is an inland body of surface and underground waters, secluded by land. Lakes do not belong to the world ocean system. Their total surface covers1.8% of the earth, which makes approximately 2.7m km². |
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Biggest Islands An island is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. A grouping of geographically and/or geologically related islands is called an archipelago. There are around 130,000 islands on Earth. |
World Book
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Europe Occupied area: 10m km², population: 733,000,000 people. Vatican is Europes smallest country. |
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Asia Occupied area: 43.4m km², population: app. 4 billion people. Asia has the highest mount on Earth - Everest (8848m). |
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North America Occupied area: 24.2m km², population: 400,000. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. |
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South America Occupied area: 17.8m km², population: 383,000,000. It has the worlds longest exposed mountain range - the Andes. |
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Africa Occupied area: 30.2m km², population: 960,000,000. There is the worlds largest desert - Sahara and the longest river - Nile. |
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Australia and Oceania Occupied area: 7.7m km², population; 21,000,000. The territory is occupied by only one state - the Commonwealth of Australia. |
