THE EARTH What makes the Earth suitable for life to evolve
What makes the Earth suitable for life to evolve?
Humans have always been interested in finding where do they come from and why are they here on Earth. Some might find their purpose. But before going into depth, first we have to know why life is possible only on the planet on which we live. What are the conditions and other things that are supporting life.
Do you know who is the Father of Geography?
Hecataeus is known as the Father of Geography. He gave description of the Earth in
his book ‘Ges Periodos’.
The Earth is 23 1/2° tilted on its axis and thus makes 66 1/2° angle. It takes 23 hours 56
minutes and 4.091 seconds to rotate, on its axis.
It takes 365 days, 5 hours and 48 minutes to revolve around the Sun.
Why life is possible only on Earth?
Earth is known as the watery planet' or the 'blue planet due to the presence of huge amount
of water on it. Earth is the only known planet which provides sustenance or life on it. It
has a large quantity of oxygen which supports life.
The various factors which make the earth suitable for life to evolve and survive are:
• The earth has all the essential elements like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which
act as block for the origin of life.
• The earth is neither too hot nor too cold. It has the right temperature range for carrying
out the life-sustaining reactions.
• The earth has a lot of water in the form of lakes, rivers and oceans for the growth and
survival of life. The earth has enough oxygen gas in its atmosphere for the survival of
living beings through breathing. The earth has a protective blanket of ozone layer high up
in its atmosphere to save life from harmful ultraviolet radiations coming from the sun.
• Biodiversity changes increase towards equator. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of
life. It is a measure of variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. It is richest
in the tropics.
Shape of the Earth
The Earth is in the shape of a sphere. The Sun, Moon and all the heavenly bodies appear to be spherical when viewed from different positions. It seems logical to conclude that the Earth is no exception.
Statistical Data of The Earth
The Earth, third planet from the Sun, is the fifth largest planet in the Solar System in
terms of size and mass.
• Age - 4,550 million years
• Mass - 5.9726 x 1024 kg
• Volume - 108.321 x 10¹⁰ km³
• Mean Density - 5514 kg/m³
• Total Surface Area - 51,00,66,000 sq.km
• Total Land Area - 14,84,29,000 sq.km (29.1%)
• Total Ocean area - 36.16.37,000 sq km (70.9%)
• Total Water Area - 38,26,72,000 sq.km
