221 Facts About Earth

South America is the fourth largest continent on the Earth. It lies between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It has the world’s largest forest area. This continent looks like a triangle on the world map. Surface area: 17,819,000 km2 Location: Western hemisphere, south of Central America Major countries: Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and […]

North America is the third largest continent on the Earth. It has some of the oldest rocks on the Earth. The Panama Canal, located in Central America, connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. Surface area: 24,256,000 km2 Location: It is located in the Northern and Western hemispheres, between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans Major

Africa is the second largest continent on the Earth. Africa has a diverse range of mineral resources, including some of the world’s largest reserves of fossil fuels, metallic ores and gems and precious metals. Surface area: 30,365,000 km2 Location: Surrounds the equatorial line and the Eastern hemisphere Major countries: Algeria, Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Sudan and

Asia is the largest, most populated and diverse continent on the Earth. It occupies one-third of the land surface of the Earth. Surface area: 44,579,000 km2 Location: Extends in both Northern and Southern hemispheres Major countries: China, Russia, India, Kazakhistan, Korea and Japan Important physical features: ♦ Mount Everest (elevation above sea level 29,035 feet)

Continents are large pieces of land on the Earth that are separated by oceans, seas, rivers and mountains. The formation of continents began in the early Mesozoic era. About 270 million years ago, most of the dry land on the Earth was joined together. It was known as the ‘supercontinent’. The giant ocean surrounding this

The lines where the tectonic plates meet are called the plate boundaries. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent and transform. Divergent boundaries occur when the tectonic plates move apart. The convergent boundaries form when the tectonic plates move towards one another. The transform boundaries form when the tectonic plates move sideways in

The Earth’s surface (the crust) is divided into seven major and several minor tectonic plates. The seven major tectonic plates are– North American Plate, South American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, Antarctic plate, Australian-Indian plate and Pacific plate. Minor plates also play an important role when it comes to the shaping the Earth. Some of

The lithosphere is broken up into many small sections/areas called crustal plates or tectonic plates. These tectonic plates fit into one another like jigsaw puzzle blocks. These plates are in constant motion but the movement is very slow that is about 3 cm per year. The motion of these tectonic plates is responsible for the

The Core: The core is the innermost, deepest, and the hottest layer of the Earth. It is believed that this part of the Earth is made up of two layers: an inner core (dark brown) and an outer core (yellow). The inner core is solid and the outer core is super-heated liquid molten lava. This

The crust is the outermost part of the Earth and is also called the lithosphere. The crust of the Earth is divided into two parts: continental crust and oceanic crust. The land part or continents are formed by the continental crust. The continental crust is made up of rocks that consist of primarily silica (Si)

When studied closely, we find that the Earth has a layered structure. It is made up of three main layers: the crust, the mantle and the core. The crust is the outermost part, the mantle is the middle layer and the core is the centremost layer. As we travel towards the core of the Earth,

The Earth is oblate spheroid (bulging at equators and flattening at poles) in shape. However, in the early days it was thought to be a flat piece of land. A major discovery with respect to the circumference and shape of the Earth was done in 25 BC. A Greek mathematician, named Eratosthenes, calculated the circumference

The Earth is a big ball-shaped moving body, mostly made up of rocks. It is the only planet in the solar system which has life. Life on the Earth became possible because of the availability of oxygen, the moderate temperature, the availability of water and the favourable atmosphere. It is the fifth largest planet of

Cenozoic era is the third major era after Precambrian period. The name Cenozoic was derived from the Greek word meaning ‘recent life’. This era is also called the ‘age of mammals’. Time Period: This era started around 70 million years ago, extending to the present time, in which we live. Features:♦ Flowering plants and insects

The Palaeozoic era was followed by the Mesozoic era. It was ‘the era of reptiles’, when dinosaurs ruled the world. It was the time of geologic and biological transition. It is divided into three major periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Time Period: This era started 225 million years ago and lasted up to 70 million