The Earth is filled with water, in liquid form, which makes it unique in the solar system.
Water occupies 71% of Earth's surface, giving it its beautiful blue appearance when seen from space.
Only 29 percent of the Earth's surface is land.
Of all water on, around and under earth is only 1/100th or 1% is available as surface freshwater that is needed for sustaining human life.
The Earth is full of water but is it filled with water. This popular illustration from USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) shows the stark contrast.
There are three blue spheres in the image. The largest sphere shows the total amount of water, the smaller one, total freshwater and the smallest, freshwater in rivers and lake.
This is the complete USGS study on water on Earth and more.
Water occupies 71% of Earth's surface, giving it its beautiful blue appearance when seen from space.
Only 29 percent of the Earth's surface is land.
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| Earth's Western and Eastern Hemispheres. NASA image. |
The Earth is full of water but is it filled with water. This popular illustration from USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) shows the stark contrast.
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| Credit: Howard Perlman, USGS/illustraion by Jack Cook, WHOI |
This is the complete USGS study on water on Earth and more.
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