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5 Terrain

Elevation extremes: (measured relative to sea level)

Lowest point on land: Dead Sea −408 m
Lowest point overall: Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean −10,924 m
Highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m ( 1999 est.)

6 Natural resources

Main article: Natural resources

Earth's crust contains large deposits of fossil fuels: ( coal, oil, natural gas, methane clathrate). These deposits are used by humans both for energy production and as feedstock for chemical production.
Mineral ore bodies have been formed in Earth's crust by the action of erosion and plate tectonics. These ore bodies form concentrated sources for many metals and other useful elements.
Earth's biosphere produces many useful biological products, including (but far from limited to) food, wood, pharmaceuticals, oxygen, and the recycling of many organic wastes. The land-based ecosystem depends upon topsoil and fresh water, and the oceanic ecosystem depends upon dissolved nutrients washed down from the land.

Some of these resources, such as fossil fuels, are difficult to replenish on a short time scale, called non-renewable resources. The exploitation of non-renewable resources by human civilization has become a subject of significant controversy in modern environmentalism movements.

7 Land use

arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 32%
urban areas: 1.5%
other: 30% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,481,250 km² ( 1993 est.)

8 Natural hazards

Large areas are subject to extreme weather such as (tropical cyclones), hurricanes,or typhoons that dominate life in those areas. Many places are subject to earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, sinkholes, floods, droughts, and other calamities and disasters.

9 Environment - current issues

Large areas are subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters such as pollution of the air and water, acid rain and toxic substances, loss of vegetation ( overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, species extinction, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion, and introduction of invasive species.

Politics	Business	Finance

Topics: Earth Core Earth's Moon Mantle Water Crust Iron Outer Solid Sun...

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