-->

• Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the largest of the inner planets in the solar system in both diameter and mass. The only planet in the Universe on which life is known to exist, Earth is home to millions of species, including at least one sentient life form, Homo sapiens sapiens.

  At the center of the Earth is a solid iron core, surrounded by magnetic liquid and a thick layer of mantle.

• Fast Facts

  1. Also Known As: Gaea, The World, The Big Blue Marble, Terra
  2. Age: 4.54 BYA (approximate) Geography: Earth Facts
  3. Mean Diameter: 7,926 MilesHypertextbook: Earth's Diameter
  4. Mean Circumference: 24,880.616 miles Geography: Earth Facts
  5. Surface Land Area: 92,547,025.4 square miles Geography: Earth Facts
  6. Surface Water Area: 224,394,021 square miles Geography: Earth Facts
  7. Mass: 6.59182164 ²¹ tons Geography: Earth Facts
  8. Escape Velocity: 6.95065816 miles per second Geography: Earth Facts
  9. 1. Nitrogen
     : 78.08% Geography: Earth Facts
  10. 1. Oxygen
      : 20.95% Geography: Earth Facts
  11. 1. Argon
      : 0.93% Geography: Earth Facts
  12. 1. Carbon Dioxide
      : 0.038 Geography: Earth Facts
  13. 1. Trace elements and compounds
  14. Mean Distance from the sun: 93 million miles Geography: Earth Facts
  15. Orbital Period: 365.256366 days Geography: Earth Facts
  16. Orbital Eccentricity: 0.016710219 Geography: Earth Facts
  17. Axial Inclination: 23.439281° Geography: Earth Facts

• An Abundance of Liquid Water

  About 71% of Earth's surface is covered in liquid water, mostly in the form of oceans. These seas not only help drive the atmosphere, they lubricate the crust of the planet, enabling the motion of tectonic plates. The movement of the plates constantly recycles the mineral and biological material available on the planet and in turn, shapes climate and makes ecosystems possible.

• Guardian Moon

  Earth has one natural satellite, the moon, also known as Luna. This large satellite is believed to have been created from accreted orbital ejecta from the collision with Earth of a small planetoid early in the history of the solar system. The moon's gravity has attracted asteroids, comets, and meteors to its surface than may have otherwise struck Earth.

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  NASA | Climate Change | Geology | Geography | Solar System | Chandler Wobble | The Moon | Astronauts | Space | Geophysics | Earth Day Games | Earth Day Lesson Plans | Earth Day Ecards | Earth Day MySpace Comments | Earth Day Trivia | Earth Day History

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page