Earth

Our home — the blue planet

Earth is our home! It is the only planet we know of with life: people, animals, trees, fish. Most of Earth is covered in water, which is why it looks blue from space. Earth has air to breathe, water to drink, and amazing nature.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known body with life. Oceans cover 71% of its surface. The atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen; it shields us from harmful radiation and keeps heat in. Earth's axis is tilted 23.4° — that is why we have seasons. Earth's single natural satellite, the Moon, causes the ocean tides. Earth is 4.54 billion years old.

Fun facts

• Earth isn't a perfect sphere — it bulges a little at the equator.
• Earth flies around the Sun at 107,000 km/h — and you're moving that fast right now!
• The deepest place on Earth is the Mariana Trench, 11 km down. Drop Mount Everest in and its peak would still be underwater.
• More than 8 million species live on Earth, and most of them haven't been discovered yet.