Earth is the third planet out from the Sun   ( 'Third Rock From The Sun'), and the fifth largest of the nine planets.  The distance from the Earth to the Sun is approximately 149,503,000 km (92,897,000 miles).  It is the only planet known to support life, although some of the other planets have atmospheres and do contain water.
The earth is not a perfect sphere but is actually slightly pear-shaped.
In common with the rest of the solar system, the earth is moving through space at a rate of 72,360 kph (45,000mph).

The earth and its satellite, the Moon, move together in orbit around the Sun.  This orbit, which takes just over 365 days to complete, is virtually a circle.  The Earth rotates about its own axis once every 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds.
The age of the Earth is generally agreed to be about 4.65 billion years.  It is the only one of the nine planets whose surface is made up of separate tectonic plates. Over 70 per cent of the surface of the planet is covered by water.  Like some of the other planets in the Solar System, the Earth has ice caps at both of the poles.  Temperatures range from -80  degrees in the Antarctic regions around the Southern ice cap to 50 degrees centigrade in the equatorial deserts.  The average surface temperature of the planet is around 14 degrees centigrade.

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