Earth Facts For Kids | The Blue Planet

Earth is also known as ‘Blue Planet’ because it looks like a blue ball from outer space. This blue color is due to the waters of the oceans which cover more than 70 percent of the planet. Earth is the only planet in our solar system to support natural life and has water on it. Our planet also comes into contact with other celestial bodies of space particularly the Moon and the Sun. So let’s have a look at this wonderful planet in Earth facts for kids.

Earth Facts For Kids

Introduction

Mass: 5.98 × 10²⁴ kg

Density: 5.5 g/cm³

Shape: Oblate Spheroid

Color: Blue

Distance from the Sun: 150 million km (1 Astronomical Unit)

Number of Moons:  One

Basic Earth Facts For Kids

Physical Structure

1. According to physical properties, Earth is divided into three layers.
2. The outermost layer is called the Crust.
3. A gluey substance under the crust is called the Mantle.
4. The innermost part of the Earth is solid and is known as the Core.
5. The two most abundant elements present in the Earth are Iron and Oxygen.
6. Earth consists of three types of rocks: Igneous rocks, Sedimentary rocks and Metamorphic rocks.
7. The land area of the Earth is about 30 percent and it is divided into 7 continents. These are Asia, Africa, North America, Antarctica, Europe, South America and Australia.
8. The line which divides the North Pole of the Earth from the South Pole is called Equator.
9. Earth is divided into two hemispheres: the Northern hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere.
10. Northern hemisphere extends from the equator to the North Pole and southern hemisphere extends from the equator to the South Pole.
11. Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the Earth. It is located under the Pacific Ocean.
12. 70 percent of the Earth is made up of water. Out of this, 97.5 percent water is salty water which means it is not fit for drinking and only 2.5 percent water is drinkable.

Want to read more? Just have a look at:

Layers of The Earth For Kids

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is an air that acts like a jacket over the surface of the Earth. It consists of a number of gases that allow us and other species to live on this planet.

1. The total height of the Earth’s atmosphere is about 60,000 km.
2. At the sea level, it becomes thicker and its thickness decreases with the increase in altitude.
3. The two most abundant gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are Nitrogen and Oxygen.
4. Atmosphere of the Earth consists of 78 percent Nitrogen and 21 percent Oxygen.
5. Atmosphere consists of three gases that are vital for our survival. These are carbon dioxide, ozone and water vapor.
6. The atmosphere of the Earth is made up of 4 layers. The names of these layers are the Troposphere, the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere and the Thermosphere.

Unique Earth Facts For Kids

1. Earth lies at the third position from the Sun after Mercury and Venus.
2. It is the 5^th biggest planet.
3. Earth is one of the 4 terrestrial planets of our solar system. Terrestrial planets are made up of rocks.
4. Earth is the biggest of all rocky planets (terrestrial planets).
5. It has the maximum density than any other rocky planet.
6. It has the maximum surface gravity than any other rocky planet.
7. It has the strongest magnetic field than any other rocky planet.
8. The speed of rotation of Earth is faster than any other rocky planet.

Age and Natural Life

1. The age of the Earth is about 4.54 billion years old.
2. The natural life on our planet began 1 billion years before.
3. It is believed that the Earth will hold up the natural life for about 2.3 billion years (byr).
4. It is believed that after animal life will be destroyed from the Earth, the water from the surface will also evaporate after the next billion years.

General Facts

1. The Moon has been orbiting our planet from the last 4.53 billion years (byr).
2. The contact between the Moon and the Earth is very important for reducing the speed at which our planet revolves around its own axis and also speeds up the ocean currents.
3. The rotating speed of our planet is slowing up with the passage of time.
4. The farthest place from the center of the Earth is in Ecuador known as Chimborazo.
5. The entire solar system is located inside the giant Milky Way (galaxy) and the distance of our planet from the central point of the galaxy is almost 28,000 light years.
6. At the height of about one hundred kilometers above the Earth’s surface, there is a line dividing our planet’s atmosphere from the outer space. This borderline is known as Kármán line.

More Earth Facts For Kids

1. The Latin word of the Earth is ‘Terra’.
2. Yuri Gagarin was the first man to fly around the Earth on April 12, 1961. He was a Russian pilot.
3. Earth spins around its own axis from east to west. That is the reason why Sun rises always in the east.
4. It spins around its own axis within just about 24 hours. That is the reason why Earth’s one day has 24 hours.
5. Earth revolves around the Sun in just over 365 days. That is the reason why our one year has 365 days.
6. Earth revolves around the Sun in a circular path.
7. Almost forty seven percent of the crust of our planet is made up of oxygen.
8. The star which is nearest to the Earth is the Red Dwarf known as Proxima Centauri. It is just 4.2 light years from our planet. The other stellar systems are located at about 17 light years.
9. The Earth rotates almost twenty seven times quicker with respect to the Moon.

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