Welcome to Lovely English Stories, this story is written for advance English learners, ready?

Let´s
get started. B2 – C1 English story, “Facts about the Earth”.

Earth it´s not just a planet in our solar system, it´s also our home. There are 7.8 billion people living
their lives on this planet, alongside countless organisms, animals, plants, and sea creatures who
also call Earth their home.

The Earth is said to be at least 4.5 billion years old and is the third planet from the sun after
Mercury and Venus, the sun is about 93 million miles away from Earth, the solar system is made
up of the sun, 158 confirmed moons, and 8 planets. Not forgetting the dwarf planet Pluto and
countless unconfirmed moons!

Earth is the fifth largest planet in the solar system, and it is the only planet in our solar system with
liquid water on the surface, the sea covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Approximately 93
percent of the Earth´s water can be found in the ocean, The largest of the Earth´s four main
oceans is the Pacific Ocean which covers 30 percent of the Earth!

We have; so far; only explored around 5 percent of the Earth´s oceans, there is still so much we
don´t know and haven´t seen. According to Nasa: The Earth´s atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen,
21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients, the perfect balance to breathe and live. The
Earth is comprised of 4 layers, they are called the crust, the mantel, the outer core, and the inner
core. The Earth´s inner core is roughly the same temperature as the sun at about 10.000 degrees
Fahrenheit.

The Earth is made up of tectonic plates, they are ginormous segments of the Earth´s crust and
upper mantel. Tectonic plates are not stable, they do not stay in one place and are constantly
moving. There are 17 tectonic plates and where each one meets is called a fault line, It´s often on
these fault lines where earthquakes happen. Some of the most well-documented earthquakes in
recent years have been in New Zealand, Japan, and Italy.

Aside from tectonic plates, the Earth is also segmented into continents. Often, many people will
have the goal to visit every continent on their travels! The continents are: North America, South
America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Antarctica, and Oceania. How many continents have you travelled
to?

The biggest continent is North America which covers an area of almost 25 million km2. The
smallest continent, to many people´s surprise, is Antarctica which covers an area of 14’000,000
km2.

The world has many wonders. However, there are 7 places that have been named “The 7 wonders
of the world”. These are: The Taj Mahal in India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Pichu in Peru, The
Colosseum in Italy, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Petra in Jordan, and the Great Wall of China in,
you guessed it, China!

People travel thousands of miles to tick these places off their travel bucket lists. However, they
need to be strategic when they do this, and pick the time of the year when the weather is most
suitable. Weather across the Earth differs depending on how close you are to the equator. There
are different climates on Earth. At the very north and south of the Earth are the artic climates. As
you can imagine, this is where you´ll find some of the Earth´s coldest temperatures. The closer you
get to the equator, the warmer the weather becomes.

It is along the equator where you will find the desert and tropical climates. Very few people live
close to the equator, it is simply too hot to survive. The earth has over 30 major deserts, with
many of them being in Africa and Australia. A desert is a place where there is sparse vegetation
and very dry land. Almost the opposite of a desert is a rainforest. Rainforests cover approximately
6 percent of the Earth.

The biggest rainforest is the Amazon in South America. It covers 40 percent of the continent. If the
Amazon were a country, it would be in the ninth biggest country in the world!

There are so many exceptional things the Earth has to offer; its natural beauty is stunning and
often overlooked. Let´s keep working together to improve the Earth´s climate crisis and maintain
its beauty for many years to come.