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About Earth's Physical Dimensions
Dimensions
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Superficial area :
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510 000 000 km2
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Land surface :
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149 00 000 km2
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Land surface as % of total area :
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29.2%
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Water surface :
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361 000 000 km2
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Water surface as % of total area :
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70.8%
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Equatorial circumference :
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40 077 km
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Meridional circumference :
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40 009 km
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Equatorial diameter :
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12 756.8 km
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Polar diameter :
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12 713.8 km
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Equatorial radius :
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6 378.4 km
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Polar radius :
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6 356.9 km
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Volume of the Earth :
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1 083 230 x 106 km3
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Mass of the Earth :
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5.9 x 1021 tonnes
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The Figure of Earth
An imaginary sea-level surface is considered and called a geoid. By measuring at different places the angles from plumb lines to a fixed star there have been many determinations of the shape of parts of the geoid which is found to be an oblate spheroid with its axis along the axis of rotation of the earth. Observations from satellites have now given a new method of more accurate determinations of the figure of the earth and its local irregularities.
Earths Surface
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Highest point :
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Mt. Everest - 8 848 m
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Lowest point :
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The Dead Sea - 395 m below sea level
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Greatest ocean depth :
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Mariana Trench - 11 022 m
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Average height of land :
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840 m
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Average depth of seas and oceans :
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3 808 m
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Oceans and Seas Area in 1000 km2
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Pacific Ocean :
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165 721
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Atlantic Ocean :
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81 660
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Indian Ocean :
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73 442
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Arctic Ocean :
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14 351
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Mediterranean Sea :
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2 966
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Bering Sea :
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2 274
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Caribbean Sea :
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1 942
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Gulf of Mexico :
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1 813
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Sea of Okhotsk :
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1 528
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East China Sea :
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1 248
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Hudson Bay :
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1 230
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Sea of Japan :
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1 049
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North Sea :
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575
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Black Sea :
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448
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Red Sea :
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440
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Baltic Sea :
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422
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The Gulf :
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238
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Gulf of St. Lawrence :
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236
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English Channel & Irish Sea :
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179
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Gulf of California :
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161
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The Highest Mountains and Greatest Depths
Mount Everest defied the world's greatest mountaineers for 32 years and claimed the lives of many men and women. Not until 1920 was permission granted by the Dalai Lama to attempt the mountain and the first successful ascent came in 1953. Since then the summit has been reached several times. The world's highest peaks have now been climbed but there are still many as yet unexplored peaks in the Himalayas, some of which may well be over 7 600 m.
The greatest trenches are the Puerto Rico deep (9 200 m). The Tonga (10 822 m) and Mindanao (10 497 m) trenches and the Mariana Trench (11 022 m) in the Pacific. The trenches represent less than 2% of the total area of the sea-bed but are of great interest as lines of structural weakness in the Earth's crust and as areas of frequent earthquakes.
© Copyright 2002, 2003 Seelendran Naidoo
All rights reserved.
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