The world’s a big place. Its circumference is 24,901 miles and its diameter is 7,926 miles. There are over 190 countries and over 6000 languages spoken. In this article, we are going to explore the Earth’s size, as well as give you a list of interesting pieces of information about it, including the largest objects in the world [and the smallest]. It’s important to study Earth because it’s our home and it’s the only place in our solar system where human life can be sustained.
The Moon
If you’re struggling to get an idea of how large Earth is, then consider this: The Moon is about one-quarter the size of Earth. The Earth’s diameter is 7,926 miles while the Moon’s is 2,159. In addition, the moon weighs 80 times less than Earth does. Another interesting fact [although unrelated], is that the gravity between the Moon and Earth causes Earth’s tides. Earth and the Moon are tidally bound to one another. This means that the Moon is extremely significant to Earth, not just because of the tides, but also because it is an ever-shining lantern that enables us to see at night!
Mount Everest
The size of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is a great way to put Earth’s size into perspective. Mount Everest [which is located in Nepal and Tibet] reaches over 29,000 feet at its summit. It is the highest point above the global mean sea level, which is the ocean’s average level. However, it is not the farthest point from Earth’s center. That title instead goes to Mount Chimborazo. If you’re interested in measuring objects and comparing them to these two enormous mountains, then visit HeightComparison.com for a measuring tool. Currently, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa, which measures a mammoth 828 m.
70% Water
Another interesting fact is that despite Earth’s huge size, 70% of it is made up of water! This means that only 30% of Earth is made up of land, which includes continents and islands. These continents and islands themselves hold huge bodies of water, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. An astonishing fact is that over 75% of the world’s oceans and bodies of water remain unexplored. This means that deep below the ocean’s surface, there could be remnants of empires, civilizations, and cities unknown to man.
Challenger Deep
Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth. Challenger Deep is the lowest. Challenger Deep is the deepest area of seabed in Earth’s hydrosphere. Its depth is a staggering 10,902 to 10,929 m. This has been measured by deep-diving submersibles, remotely operated. It has also been measured by sonar. Down in Challenger Deep, thousands of new species were discovered. This increased human knowledge of what exists in the ocean. It also opened up lots of questions about what could exist in other unexplored areas of the ocean. Challenger Deep is located in the Mariana Trench, which is the world’s deepest ocean trench.
Waistline
Another interesting fact about Earth is that it has a waistline. At Earth’s equator, the globe’s circumference is precisely 24,901 miles. Over the last few decades, research has found that Earth’s waistline is bulging. Researchers have discovered that Earth’s gravity field has bulged more in the middle, which means that it’s highly probable the Earth’s waistline is also bulging. Scientists have attributed this increase in size to global warming. As melting ice from Antarctica and Greenland turns into water, water is pulled toward the Equator, increasing the Earth’s size. This increase in water counteracts Earth’s natural slimming process.
Continents
There are seven continents on Earth. These are Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, Africa, and Australia. Out of all of them, Asia is the largest. Asia is approximately 44,614,000 square kilometers. Asia includes countries like India [which is one of the world’s largest countries] and Japan. The world’s second-largest continent is unsurprisingly Africa, which boasts a diverse array of cultures, customs, peoples, languages, and religions. Some parts of Africa are wet and forested, while others are dry and arid. The world’s third-largest continent is North America, which is over 24 million km.
Languages
The diversity of languages spoken on Earth stands as a testament to its immense size. As we mentioned in this article’s introduction, there are over 6000 languages spoken on Earth. These languages are spoken by the world’s 7.8 [and growing] residents. The number of languages spoken is absolutely astonishing.
If you’re interested in science and facts about the world, then hopefully this article should have told you something new that you didn’t know before. Earth is an incredible place, as this article clearly demonstrates.