Amazing Facts About Earth

Every aspect of the planet, right from its formation to the present moment, has some or the other amazing thing about it. Most of the times, we don't realize this fact, but when we do we are left with no option but to get bewildered, amazed, baffled, and what not. It's not surprising because there are so many fascinating things about the planet that even if we try, we won't be able to list out all of them. We have tried to do it and what we got was a compilation of some of the most amazing facts about Earth which left us spellbound!

Amazing Facts About Planet Earth
The Earth has evolved over thousands of years to become what it is today. Whilst undergoing this dramatic change, the planet experienced several phenomenas, which in turn left a strong impact on the planet - today we call them 'natural wonders'. These are, no doubt, the most amazing facts of the world which do make us feel proud of the planet which we call our home. Read more on how was the Earth created.

• The hottest temperature ever measured on the planet, 136 degrees Fahrenheit, was measured at El Azizia, Libya, on September 13, 1922.
• The highest, or should we say the biggest, waterfall in the world is Angel Falls of Venezuela, dropping from a height of a whopping 3,212 feet.
• You can escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, if you move at a speed of 6.95 miles per second. At this speed, it would just take 20 seconds to travel from New York to Philadelphia.
• If the entire water in the ocean in evaporated, and the salt produced from this spread evenly over the whole planet, the planet would lie beneath a 500 ft layer of salt.
• The longest mountain range in the world is the Andes Mountain Range, spread over a distance of 4,525 miles in South America.
• Lake Baikal, in the former USSR, is the deepest lake in the world with a depth of 5,371 feet.
• The honor of being the largest canyon system on planet Earth goes to the Grand Canyon, with its main branch itself running over a distance on 277 miles across the United States.
• The deepest canyon in the world is the Hell's Canyon. Located at the Oregon-Idaho border, Hell's Canyon has a depth of approximately 8000 ft.

These were only a few among the several amazing facts about Earth. Read more on planet Earth facts.

Amazing Facts About Oceans
The above mentioned amazing facts about Earth had some fascinating facts about oceans, but they don't just end there. The study of this gigantic water body is known as oceanography. Here are some more ocean facts which are, no doubt, awe inspiring.

• Approximately 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, but unfortunately 97 percent of this water is saline water present in various oceans of the world, and hence of no use.
Overall, the ocean bodies on the planet contain about 328 million cubic miles/1.34 billion cu. km of water.
• The largest ocean on the planet is the Pacific Ocean, which spans over an area of 64 million square miles, i.e. approximately 1/3 of the Earth's surface.
• The deepest part of the planet, the Mariana Trench has a depth of a whopping 36,198 ft or 6.9 miles, and lies in the Pacific Ocean.
• The most interesting part: Sea water contains almost all the elements present on the planet, including gold. In fact if all this gold is extracted, every individual will have about 9 lbs of gold each.

The most dominant components of the planet, oceans play a vital role in maintaining a favorable environment for us humans. But lately, human induced global warming is letting this monstrous water body loose, and this is bound to create havoc on the planet. Read more on oceanography facts.

Amazing Facts About Antarctica
The coldest, the driest, and the windiest among all the continents, Antarctica is in itself one of the most amazing facts about Earth. But it doesn't end there, there are some more astounding facts about Antarctica.

• One of the most dry places on the planet, Antarctica receives precipitation in the form of rain or snowfall only about once or twice a year.
• The coldest temperature to be ever recorded on planet Earth, -129 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded at Vostok, Antarctica in 1983.
• Technically speaking, Antarctica is the largest desert on the Earth, and not the Sahara.
• The 1.6 mile thick ice sheet covering the continent of Antarctica, constituting around 90 percent of the total fresh water, is the largest store of fresh water on the planet.
• It is the only continent on the planet which has no country or government, even though many countries claim their right over this cold desert.

Owing to this extreme climate, there is no chance of human settlement on this continent. Read more on facts about Antarctica.

Amazing Facts About Volcanoes
If we take into consideration all the volcanoes which have erupted at least once in the past 10,000 years, there are around 1500 active volcanoes on the planet. Let's have a look at some more fascinating volcano facts.

• Approximately 80 percent of the Earth's surface is of volcanic origin, i.e. caused by some volcanic activity.
• Although there are some volcanoes which take thousands of years to form, there are some volcanoes which have formed within the span of a night as well.
• The 'Ring of Fire' is a group of several volcanoes which encircle the Pacific Ocean.
• With a height of 4,169 meters from its base beneath the sea surface, the largest volcano in the world is Mauna Lao, located in Hawaii.
• The credit of being the tallest volcano in the world goes to Mauna Kea, with a height of 4,207 meters, in Hawaii.

Interestingly enough, around 20 percent of the total number of volcanoes on Earth are found on the ocean floors. When these volcanoes erupt they tend to trigger various natural calamities, including earthquakes and tsunamis. Read more on the names of active volcanoes around the world and active volcanoes in United States.

If these amazing facts about Earth were fascinating, you may also like to read

• Interesting Facts about Mars
• Interesting Facts about Neptune
• Interesting Facts About Planet Uranus

These were some of the most amazing facts about Earth. It feels good to know that the planet which we inhabit is so astounding. The amazing facts of the world mentioned in this article can be termed as the 'tip of the iceberg', with many fascinating things awaiting to be revealed. There are numerous wonderful things about the planet, some of which are known to us, some of us which will be known to us, may be in the near future, may be tomorrow, or maybe not at all!