The Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and it is the only known planet to support life
Greenland 🇬🇱 is the largest island on Earth!
If the Sun were the size of a ball, Jupiter would be the size of a golf ball, and the Earth would be as small as a pea.
About 8.7 million species of living organisms live on Earth. And guess how many species of these live in the ocean? About 2.2 million, and the rest live on land!
In the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, there is a place where a number of aircraft and ships have disappeared 😳. Sounds interesting, huh? It was named Bermuda Triangle 🚩.
The Earth has just one natural satellite. It is the Moon.
Our planet was named “blue planet”. Can you guess why? When astronauts first saw Earth from space, they saw mostly water. It is obvious as it covers 70% of the Earth’s surface.
Can you remember the name of the navigator who made the first round-the-world trip 🚢? His name was Magellan!
What’s the world’s biggest magnet 🧲? It’s Earth. Our planet is one giant magnet.
The Earth in Numbers
5 to 6 billion years
Guess how old our planet is? The age of the Earth is 5 to 6 billion years. P.S. The Moon and the Sun are about the same age.
10 to 20
From 10 to 20 volcanoes erupt somewhere on Earth every day.
29 029 feet
Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth, which stands 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) tall.
1,000 miles an hour
The Earth spins so fast that people living at the Equator spin with the Earth at 1000 miles an hour (1600 km/hr).
More interesting facts about Earth
NASA Earth Observatory, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Earth’s atmosphere is the planet’s envelope, which consists of gases (nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, etc.) and dust, ice, water, combustion products, etc.. It contains the air necessary for breathing, protects the planet from meteorites, and affects weather and climate.
Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The cause of waves in the ocean and sea, in addition to to wind and tides, can also be earthquakes, which lead to the formation of a tsunami – a giant wave that has enormous destructive power. The speed of a tsunami is 500-600 miles/h (3 times the speed of the fastest car), but near the coast it decreases by 10 times.
Bosonic dressing, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About 1% of Antarctica’s area is covered by areas that have not seen precipitation for over a million years. These areas are ice-free and are considered the harshest desert climates.
NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O’Connell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The coldest 🧊 temperature, -129 °F (-89 °C), was recorded in Antarctica in 1983. The hottest ☀️ 138 °F (+59 °C), was recorded in the Libyan Desert in 1922.
In spring, the day increases and the night decreases. And around March 20-21, the length of the day and the length of the night become equal. Such a day is called the day of the spring equinox. In winter, the night increases and the day decreases. And on December 20, the winter equinox occurs.
World Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, which, depending on the calendar, falls on March 20 or 21. The purpose of the holiday is to draw the attention of the general public to the fragility of our planet’s ecosystem.
Did you know that a squirrel plants more trees than the average person in a lifetime? How can this be? Squirrels hide acorns and nuts underground and then forget where exactly they hid them.
