What is the diameter of the earth?

The diameter of the earth at the equator is 7,926.41 miles (12,756.32 kilometers). But, if you measure the earth through the poles the diameter is a bit shorter - 7,901 miles (12,715.43 km). Thus the earth is a tad wider (25 miles / 41 km) than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator. This shape is known as an ellipsoid or more properly, geoid (earth-like).

Basic Earth Facts

22 Essential Facts You Need to Know About The Planet Earth
By Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide See More About:

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Getty Images/Tanya Constantine Mar 2 2011 Here you will find a listing of essential facts about the planet earth, the home to all of humanity: Human Population of the Earth: 6,820,000,000 (6.82 billion) as of May 2010 World Population Growth: 1.13% - 2009 estimate (this means at the current rate of growth, the earth's population will double in about 62 years) Countries of the World: 195 Earth's Circumference at the Equator: 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km) Earth's Circumference Between the North and South Poles: 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km)

Earth's Diameter at the Equator: 7,926.28 miles (12,756.1 km) Earth's Diameter at the Poles: 7,899.80 miles (12,713.5 km) Average Distance from the Earth to the Sun: 93,020,000 miles (149,669,180 km) Average Distance from the Earth to the Moon: 238,857 miles (384,403.1 km) Highest Elevation on Earth - Mt. Everest, Asia: 29,035 feet (8850 m) Tallest Mountain on Earth from Base to Peak - Mauna Kea, Hawaii: 33,480 feet (rising to 13,796 feet above sea level) (10204 m; 4205 m) Point Farthest From the Center of the Earth - The peak of the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador at 20,561 feet (6267 m) is farthest from the center of the earth due to its location near the equator and the oblateness of the Earth. Lowest Elevation on Land - Dead Sea: 1369 feet below sea level (417.27 m) Deepest Point in the Ocean - Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, Western Pacific Ocean: 35,840 feet (10924 m) Highest Temperature Recorded: 135.8F - Al Aziziyah, Libya, September 13, 1922 (57.7C) Lowest Temperature Recorded: -128.5F - Vostok, Antarctica, July 21, 1983 (-89.2C) Water vs. Land: 70.8% Water, 29.2% Land Age of the Earth: 4.5 to 4.6 billion years Atmosphere Content: 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water Rotation on Axis: 23 hours and 56 minutes and 04.09053 seconds. But, it takes an additional four minutes for the earth to revolve to the same position as the day before relative to the sun (i.e. 24 hours). Revolution around Sun: 365.2425 days Chemical Composition of the Earth: 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon, 12.7% Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9% Sulfur, and 0.05% Titanium

Aphelion and Perihelion

The Earth's Elliptical Orbit Around the Sun

By Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide See More About:

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The sun unleashed a record solar flare in November 2003. Getty Images The earth's orbit around the sun is not a circle. The earth's orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical. Therefore, the distance between the earth and the sun varies throughout the year. At its nearest point on the ellipse that is the earth's orbit around the sun, the earth is 91,445,000 miles (147,166,462 km) from the sun. This point in the earth's orbit is known as perihelion and it occurs on January 3. The earth is farthest away from the sun on July 4 when it is 94,555,000 miles (152,171,522 km) from the sun. This point in the earth's orbit is called aphelion. The slight ellipse in the earth's orbit does have a slight impact on the amount of solar energy being received by the earth. This 3.3% difference in distance does not impact the earth as much as the seasonal variations, however. Scientists utilize the average distance from the earth to the sun as the standard for one astronomical unit (1 AU). This average distance from the earth to the sun is 92,955,807 miles (149,597,870.691 km). It takes light from the sun about 8.317 minutes to reach the earth. The earth takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (365.242199 days) to make a full revolution around the sun.