history of the world

THE EARTH Estimated Weight (mass) (5,940,000,000,000,000,000,000 metric tons) Estimated Age 4.6 billion years Current Population 7,000,000,001 Surface Area (510,066,000 sq km) Land Area (148,647,000 sq km) 29.1% Ocean Area (335,258,000 sq km) Total Water Area (361,419,000 sq km) 70.9% Type of Water (97% salt), (3% fresh) Circumference at the equator (40,066 km) Circumference at the poles (39, 992 km) Diameter at the equator (12,753 km) Diameter at the poles (12,710 km) Radius at the equator (6,376 km) Radius at the poles (6,355 km) Orbit Speeds The earth orbits the Sun at (66,700 mph), (107,320 km per hour) Sun Orbit The earth orbits the Sun every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds To convert km (kilometers) to miles, multiply kilometers by: 0.621371 To convert sq km (kilometers) to sq miles, multiply kilometers by: 0.386102 ASTRONOMY Excellent information on comets, planets and the earth at astronomyexpert.co.uk here! <SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/adj/N3707.126385.TRAVELADNETWORK1/B6293494.2;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;click=http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3c17/7/0/%2a/l%3B252794023%3B0-0%3B2%3B61559811%3B4307-300/250%3B46494658/46511426/1%3Bu%3D%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/2/4d/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3f;ord=6189319?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3c17/7/0/%2a/l%3B252794023%3B0-0%3B2%3B61559811%3B4307-300/250%3B46494658/46511426/1%3Bu%3D%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/2/4d/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/jump/N3707.126385.TRAVELADNETWORK1/B6293494.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=6189319?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/ad/N3707.126385.TRAVELADNETWORK1/B6293494.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=6189319?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Advertisement"></A> </NOSCRIPT> OCEANS OF THE WORLD (by size) Pacific (155,557,000 sq km) Atlantic (76,762,000 sq km) Indian (68,556,000 sq km) Southern (20,327,000 sq km) Arctic (14,056,000 sq km) Note the Southern Ocean was approved in 2000 by the International Hydrographic Organization. It is now the fourth largest ocean. OCEANS' GREATEST DEPTHS Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean 35,827 ft Puerto Rico Trench, Atlantic Ocean 30,246 ft Java Trench, Indian Ocean 24,460 ft Arctic Basin, Arctic Ocean 18,456 ft DEEPEST OCEANS & SEAS Pacific Ocean (35,827 ft) (10,924 meters) Atlantic Ocean (30,246 ft) (9,219 meters) Indian Ocean (24,460 ft) (7,455 meters) Caribbean Sea (22,788 ft) (6,946 meters) Arctic Ocean (18,456 ft) (5,625 meters) South China Sea (16,456 ft) (5,016 meters) Bering Sea (15,659 ft) (4,773 meters) Mediterranean Sea (15,197 ft) (4,632 meters) Gulf of Mexico (12,425 ft) (3,787 meters) Japan Sea (12,276 ft) (3,742 meters) Note that official depths for the Southern Ocean are still not available at this time. MAJOR BODIES OF WATER find one here MAJOR SEAS (by size) locator map here South China (2,974,600 sq km) Caribbean (2,515,900 sq km) Mediterranean (2,510,000 sq km) Bering (2,261,100 sq km) Gulf of Mexico (1,507,600 sq km) Arabian Sea (1,498,320 sq km) Sea of Okhotsk (1,392,100 sq km) Sea of Japan (East Sea) (1,012,900 sq km) Hudson Bay (730,100 sq km) East China (664,600 sq km) Andaman (564,900 sq km) Black (507,900 sq km) Red (453,000 sq km) MAJOR ISLANDS (by size) locator map here Australia, (7,617.930 sq km) is widely considered part of a continental landmass, not officially an island. But without doubt it is the largest island on the planet, and when combined with Oceania, the smallest continent on Earth. Greenland (2,175,600 sq km) New Guinea (792,500 sq km) Borneo (725,500 sq km) Madagascar (587,000 sq km) Baffin (507,500 sq km) Sumatra (427,300 sq km) Honshu (227,400 sq km) Great Britain (218,100 sq km) Victoria (217,300 sq km) Ellesmere (196,200 sq km) Celebes (178,650 sq km) New Zealand (south) (151,000 sq km) Java (126,700 sq km) New Zealand (north) (114,000 sq km) Newfoundland (108,900 sq km) ISLANDS: Additional details and facts here MAJOR RIVERS (By Length) Nile, Africa (6,825 km) Amazon, South America (6,437 km) Chang Jiang (Yangtze), Asia (6,380 km) Mississippi, North America (5,971 km) Yenisey-Angara, Asia (5,536 km) Huang (Yellow), Asia (5,464 km) Ob-Irtysh, Asia (5,410 km) Amur, Asia (4,416 km) Lena, Asia (4,400 km) Congo, Africa (4,370 km) Mackenzie-Peace, North America (4,241 km) Mekong, Asia (4,184 km) Niger, Africa (4,171 km) And be the first to see our latest maps, geography facts, travel news, contest clues, photos, videos and much more. MAJOR LAKES (By Size) Caspian Sea, Asia-Europe (371,000 sq km) Superior, North America (82,100 sq km) Victoria, Africa (69,500 sq km) Huron, North America (59,600 sq km) Michigan, North America (57,800 sq km) Tanganyika, Africa (32,900 sq km) Baikal, Asia (31,500 sq km) Great Bear, North America (31,300 sq km) Aral Sea, Asia (30,700 sq km) Malawi, Africa (28,900 sq km) Great Slave, Canada (28,568 sq km) Erie, North America (25,667 sq km) Winnipeg, Canada (24,387 sq km) Ontario, North America (19,529 sq km) Balkhash, Kazakhstan (18,300 sq km) DEEPEST LAKES (By Greatest Depth) Baikal, Russian Fed. (5,315 ft) Tanganyika, Africa (4,800 ft) Caspian Sea, Asia-Europe (3,363 ft) Malawi or Nyasa, Africa (2,317 ft) Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan (2,303 ft) WATER TERMINOLOGY Complete lists of Terms and Definitions

CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD CONTINENTS (by size) #1 Asia - (44,579,000 sq km) #2 Africa - (30,065,000 sq km) #3 North America - (24,256,000 sq km) #4 South America - (17,819,000 sq km) #5 Antarctica - (13,209,000 sq km) #6 Europe - (9,938,000 sq km) #7 Australia/Oceania - (7,687,000 sq km) CONTINENTS (by population) 2006 est. #1 Asia - (3,879,000,000) #2 Africa - (877,500,000) #3 Europe - (727,000,000) #4 North America - (501,500,000) #5 South America - (379,500,000) #6 Australia/Oceania - (32,000,000) #7 Antarctica - (0) CONTINENTS (by the number of countries) #1 Africa - (54) #3 Europe - (46) #2 Asia - (44) #4 North America - (23) #5 Oceania - (14) #6 South America - (12) COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD Countries of the World (a complete list) Countries of the World (by continent) CURRENCY Currencies of the World (a complete list) Currency Conversion (any country) LARGEST COUNTRIES (by land mass) locator map here Russia 17,075,400 sq km, (6,592,846 sq miles) Canada 9,330,970 sq km, (3,602,707 sq miles) China 9,326,410 sq km, (3,600,947 sq miles) USA 9.166,600 sq km, (3,539,242 sq miles) Brazil 8,456,510 sq km, (3,265,075 sq miles) Australia 7,617,930 sq km, (2,941,283 sq miles) India 2,973,190 sq km, (1,147,949 sq miles) Argentina 2,736,690 sq km, (1,056,636 sq miles) Kazakhstan 2,717,300 sq km, (1,049,150 sq miles) Sudan 2,376,000 sq km, (917,374 sq miles) And be the first to see our latest maps, geography facts, travel news, contest clues, photos, videos and much more. SMALLEST COUNTRIES (by land mass) Vatican City 0.44 sq km, (0.17 sq miles) Monaco 1.95 sq km, (0.75 sq miles) Nauru 21.2 sq km, (8.2 sq miles) Tuvalu 26 sq km, (10 sq miles) San Marino 61 sq km, (24 sq miles) Liechtenstein 160 sq km, (62 sq miles) Marshall Islands 181 sq km, (70 sq miles) Seychelles 270 sq km, (104 sq miles) Maldives 300 sq km, (116 sq miles) St. Kitts and Nevis 360 sq km, (139 sq miles) OLDEST COUNTRIES San Marino (301 AD) France (486 AD) Bulgaria (632 AD) Denmark (950 AD) Portugal (1143 AD) Andorra (1278 AD) Switzerland (1291 AD) YOUNGEST COUNTRIES South Sudan (July, 2011) Montenegro (July, 2006) Serbia (July, 2006) East Timor (2002) Palau (1994) Czech Republic (1993) Eritrea (1993) Slovakia (1993) Bosnia/Hertzegovina (1992) RICHEST COUNTRIES (GNP in USA Dollars) Luxembourg ($45,360) Switzerland ($44,355) Japan ($41,010) Liechtenstein ($40,000) Norway ($34,515) POOREST COUNTRIES (GNP in USA Dollars) Mozambique ($80) Somalia ($100) Eritrea ($100) Ethiopia ($100) Congo, DNC ($100) COUNTRIES WITH MOST LAND BORDERS (The Most Neighboring Countries) China (14) Russian Federation (14) Brazil (10) Congo, Germany and Sudan (9) Austria, France, Tanzania, Turkey and Zambia (8) DEPENDENCIES AND TERRITORIES Numerous areas of the world (most often islands) are under the economic and military protection of another country. These dependencies and territories are usually small and remote. Some still aspire to gain independence, while others would be unable to survive as an independent country based on global positioning and economic conditions. Dependencies and Territories of the World (a complete list) Mt Everest, Nepal Travel the World through Poster Art! TOP 10 TALLEST MOUNTAINS Mount Everest 8850m (29035ft) Nepal/China Qogir (K2) 8611m (28250ft) Pakistan Kangchenjunga 8586m (28169ft) Nepal Lhotse 8501m (27920ft) Nepal Makalu I 8462m (27765ft) Nepal Cho Oyu 8201m (26906ft) Nepal Dhaulagiri 8167m (26794ft) Nepal Manaslu I 8156m (26758ft) Nepal Nanga Parbat 8125m (26658ft) Pakistan Annapurna I 8091m (26545ft) Nepal The dormant volcano Mauna Kea (on the Big Island of Hawaii) could be considered the tallest mountain in the world. If you measure it from its base in the Hawaiian Trough (3,300 fathoms deep) to its summit of 13,796 feet, it reaches a height of 33,476 feet. TALLEST MOUNTAINS (On Each Continent) Mount Everest 8850m (29035ft) Asia Aconcagua 6959m (22831ft) S. America Mount McKinley 6194m (20320ft) N. America Mount Kilimanjaro 5963m (19563ft) Africa Mount Elbrus 5633m (18481ft) Europe Puncak Jaya 4884m (16023ft) Oceania Vinson Massif 4897m (16066ft) Antarctica TWO & THREE LETTER ABBREVIATIONS Complete list of Countries of the World Complete list of Canadian Provinces (all) Complete list of USA States (all) LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD Languages spoken by the most people (Native speakers only) Chinese Mandarin 1 billion + English 512 million Hindi 501 million Spanish 399 million Russian 285 million Arabic 265 million Bengali 245 million Portuguese 196 million Malay-Indonesian 140 million Japanese 125 million German 100 million Korean 78 million French 77 million Chinese, Wu 77 million Javanese 75 million Chinese. Yue 71 million OFFICIAL LANGUAGES French is an official language here Spanish is an official language here ASSORTED FACTS Olympic Games Summer & Winter sites here!

COUNTRY POPULATION FIGURES All Countries of the World by Population All Countries of the World by Population Density All Countries of the World by Land Area COUNTRIES (Highest Density) (people per square km) Monaco 16,205 Singapore 6,386 Malta 1,261 Maldives 1,164 Bahrain 1,035 Bangladesh 1,002 Vatican City 920 Barbados 648 Nauru 621 Mauritius 603 COUNTRIES (Lowest Density) (people per square km) Mongolia 2 Namibia 2 Australia 3 Botswana 3 Iceland 3 Suriname 3 Libya 3 Mauritania 3 Canada 3 Guyana 4 And be the first to see our latest maps, geography facts, travel news, contest clues, photos, videos and much more. COUNTRY POPULATION (smallest) (February, 2006 numbers) Vatican City 920 Tuvalu 11,640 Nauru 13,050 Palau 20,300 San Marino 28,880 Monaco 32,410 Liechtenstein 33,720 St. Kitts 38,960 Marshall Islands 59,070 Antigua and Barbuda 68,720 COUNTRY POPULATION (largest) (February, 2006 numbers) China 1,306,313,800 India 1,080,264,400 USA 295,734,100 Indonesia 241,973,900 Brazil 186,112,800 Pakistan 162,419,900 Bangladesh 144,319,600 Russia 143,420,300 Nigeria 128,772,000 Japan 127,417,200 (10) LARGEST USA CITIES! (By Population) Numbers shown are the population within the recognized city limits, and do not include people living in the immediate surrounding area outside of the established border of the city (often called the metro). For those numbers, visit this page New York City, NY 8.09 million Los Angeles, CA 3.8 million Chicago, IL 3.1 million Houston, TX 2.78 million Philadelphia, PA 1.62 million Phoenix, AZ 1.54 million San Antonio, TX 1.5 million San Diego, CA 1.4 million Dallas, TX 1.32 million Detroit, MI 1 million LARGEST CITIES ON THE PLANET! Numbers shown are the population within the recognized city limits, and do not include people living in the immediate surrounding area outside of the established border of the city. For the largest metropolitan areas refer to the list below this one. Revised (10/01/04) Shanghai, China 13.3 million Mumbai (Bombay), India 12.6 million Buenos Aires, Argentina 11.92 million Moscow, Russia 11.3 million Karachi, Pakistan 10.9 million Delhi, India 10.4 million Manila, Philippines 10.3 million Sao Paulo, Brazil 10.26 million Seoul, South Korea 10.2 million Istanbul, Turkey 9.6 million Jakarta, Indonesia 9.0 million Mexico City, Mexico 8.7 million Lagos, Nigeria 8.68 million Lima, Peru 8.38 million Tokyo, Japan 8.3 million New York City, USA 8.09 million Cairo, Egypt 7.6 million London, UK 7.59 million Teheran, Iran 7.3 million Beijing, China 7.2 million LARGEST METRO AREAS IN THE WORLD Numbers shown are the population within the immediate surrounding area of the established border of the city, and also include the city limit population figures. Revised (05/11) Tokyo, Japan 35.6 million Chongqing (Chungking), China 31.4 million New York City - Philadelphia area, USA 30.1 million Mexico City, Mexico 21.5 million Seoul, South Korea 20.15 million Sao Paulo, Brazil 19.9 million Jakarta, Indonesia 18.2 million Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, Japan 17.6 million New Delhi, India 17.36 million Mumbai, India (Bombay) 17.34 million Los Angeles, USA 16.7 million Cairo, Egypt 15.86 million Calcutta, India 14.3 million Manila, Philippines 14.1 million Shanghai, China 13.9 million Buenos Aires, Argentina 13.2 million Moscow, Russian Fed. 12.2 million CITIES OF THE WORLD POPULATION Complete list of Top 100 Cities Complete list of Capital Cities Hottest,Coldest,Driest,Wettest Hottest Place Dalol, Denakil Depression, Ethiopia, annual average temperature (93.2°F, 34°C) Coldest Place Plateau Station, Antarctica, annual average temperature (-56.7°C) Wettest Place Mawsynram, Assam, India, annual average rainfall (11,873 mm, 467.4") Driest Place Atacama Desert, Chile, imperceptible rainfall on a yearly basis HIGHEST/LOWEST SURFACE POINTS (Below Sea Level, On Each Continent) Dead Sea, Asia -409 meters Lake Assal, Africa -156 meters Death Valley, North America -86 meters Valdés Peninsula, South America -40 meters Caspian Sea, Europe -28 meters Lake Eyre, Australia -16 meters Antarctica (ice covered) -2,538 meters Highest/Lowest Points Countries, Islands, Oceans here! For the highest points on each continent see Tallest Mountains (above) DRIEST INHABITED PLACES (Rain fall in inches per year) Aswan, Egypt 0.02" Luxor, Egypt 0.03" Arica Desert, Chile 0.04" Ica, Peru 0.1" Antofagasta, Chile 0.2" El Minya, Egypt 0.2" Asyut, Egypt 0.2" WETTEST INHABITED PLACES (Rain fall in inches per year) Buenaventira, Colombia 267" Monrovia, Liberia 202" Pagp Pago, American Samoa 198" Moulein, Burma (Myanmar 192" Lae, Papua New Guinea 183" Baguio, Philippines180" Sylhet, Bangladesh 178" LARGEST DESERTS OF THE WORLD (SUBTROPICAL) Sahara, North Africa 3,320,000 sq. miles Arabian, Middle East 900,000 sq. miles Kalahari, Southern Africa 360,000 sq. miles Great Victoria, Australia 250,000 sq. miles Syrian, Syria, Jordan, Iraq 200,000 sq. miles Chihuahuan, Mexico, U.S. 175,000 sq. miles Great Sandy, Australia 150,000 sq. miles Sonoran, Mexico, U,S, 120,000 sq. miles Thar, India, Pakistan 77,000 sq. miles Gibson, Australia 60,000 sq. miles Simpson, Australia 56,000 sq. miles Mohave, S,W, USA 25,000 sq. miles (COOL COASTAL) Atacama, Chile SA 54,000 sq. miles Namib, S.W. Africa 31,000 sq. miles (COLD WINTER) Gobi, China, Mongolia 500,000 sq. miles Patagonian, Argentina 260,000 sq. miles Great Basin, S.W. USA 190,000 sq. miles Karakum, Turkmenistan 135,000 sq. miles Colorado Plateau, Western USA 130,000 sq. miles Kyzyl Kum, West Asia 115,000 sq. miles Taklamakan, China 105,000 sq. miles Dasht-e Kavir, Iran 30,000 sq. miles (POLAR) Antarctic 5,339,000 sq. miles Arctic 5,300,000 sq. miles