Earth Facts
 

  • Human Population of the Earth: 6,660,000,000 (6.66 billion) as of April 2008
     
  • World Population Growth: 1.14% - 2006 estimate (this means at the current rate of growth, the earth's population will double in 61.4 years)
     
  • Countries of the World: 195
     
  • Earth's Circumference at the Equator: 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km)
     
  • Earth's Circumference Between the North and South Poles: 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km)
     
  • Earth's Diameter at the Equator: 7,926.28 miles (12,756.1 km)
     
  • Earth's Diameter at the Poles: 7,899.80 miles (12,713.5 km)
     
  • Average Distance from the Earth to the Sun: 93,020,000 miles (149,669,180 km)
     
  • Average Distance from the Earth to the Moon: 238,857 miles (384,403.1 km)
     
  • Highest Elevation on Earth - Mt. Everest, Asia: 29,035 feet (8850 m)
     
  • Tallest Mountain on Earth from Base to Peak - Mauna Kea, Hawaii: 33,480 feet (rising to 13,796 feet above sea level) (10204 m; 4205 m)
     
  • Point Farthest From the Center of the Earth - The peak of the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador at 20,561 feet (6267 m) is farthest from the center of the earth due to its location near the equator and the oblateness of the Earth.
     
  • Lowest Elevation on Land - Dead Sea: 1369 feet below sea level (417.27 m)
       
  • The Deepest Canyon: Cotahuasi Canyon of Peru is 3354 meters deep, over twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. In fact, the Grand Canyon is not the deepest canyon in the United States. That distinction belongs to Hells Canyon, at 2436 meters.
     
  • Deepest Point in the Ocean - Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, Western Pacific Ocean: 35,840 feet (10924 m)
     
  • Highest Temperature Recorded: 135.8 oF - Al Aziziyah, Libya, September 13, 1922 (57.7 oC)
     
  • Lowest Temperature Recorded: −128.5 oF - Vostok, Antarctica, July 21, 1983 (−89.2 oC)
     
  • Water vs. Land: 70.8% Water, 29.2% Land
     
  • The largest non-polar desert is the Sahara Desert of northern Africa. The Sahara has a surface area of 3.5 million square miles.
     
  • Age of the Earth: 4.5 to 4.6 billion years
     
  • Atmosphere Content: 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water
     
  • Rotation on Axis: 23 hours and 56 minutes and 04.09053 seconds. But, it takes an additional four minutes for the earth to revolve to the same position as the day before relative to the sun (i.e. 24 hours).
     
  • Revolution around Sun: 365.2425 days
     
  • Chemical Composition of the Earth: 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon, 12.7% Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9% Sulfur, and 0.05% Titanium
     
  • What is a Meteor? and What are Meteorites? and Asteroid Impact Sites Map
     
  • Distinctive Geography of the Earth

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