The Planets - Earth

Updated May 8, 2019 | Infoplease Staff

Earth is not perfectly round; it bulges at the equator and is flatter at the poles. From space the planet looks blue with white swirls, created by water and clouds.

• Size: Four planets in our solar system are larger and four are smaller than Earth
• Diameter: 7,926.2 miles (12,756 km)
• Surface: Earth is made up of water (70%), air, and solid ground. It appears to be the only planet with water
• Atmosphere: Nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), other gases
• Rotation of its axis: 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds
• Rotation around the Sun: 365.2 days


• Satellites: 1
• Mean Distance from Sun: 92.9 million miles (149.6 million km)
• Rings: 0

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