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THE GREAT 10 BIGGEST OCEANS AND SEAS IN THE WORLD BASED ON US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

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About 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. This water is composed of the world’s five oceans as well as many other bodies of water. One of these common water body types is a sea, a large lake-type water body that has saltwater and is sometimes attached to an ocean. However, a sea does not have to be connected to an ocean outlet; the world has many inland seas, such as the Caspian. The majority of life on Earth is aquatic. As so much of the Earth’s surface is underwater, it comes as no surprise that marine species outnumber those on land. But, it’s an incredible 94 per cent of the Earth’s living species that exist within the oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is believed to be just a small proportion of the species that exist, with new marine life being discovered every day. Over 70 per cent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean. It’s thought that between 70 and 80 per cent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae. It’s possible to find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean.
The following is a list of the Earth’s 10 Biggest Occeans and Seas based on US geological survey.

1.Pacific Ocean

The word “Pacific” means peaceful. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on the planet. It is so large it is bigger than the landmass of all the world’s continents combined. The Pacific Ocean is located between Americas to the East of the Pacific Ocean basin and the Asian and Australian continents to the West. The Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. It covers more than 30% of the earth’s surface. The Pacific Ocean is also the deepest ocean. The Pacific Ocean contains around 25,000 islands. The ring of fire is located in the Pacific Ocean basin. A number of volcanoes form a ring around the basin which is where the name comes from. The Pacific Ocean contains more than 75,000 volcanoes. Temperatures vary across the Pacific Ocean. The closer to the equator the warmer the water’s temperatures. Water near the poles reaches the freezing point.

The Pacific Ocean is home to most of the world’s islands. The Pacific Ocean is also home to many Atolls. An Atoll is a coral island surrounded by a lagoon. Atolls are only found in warm ocean waters. The Pacific Ocean is also home to the Great Barrier Reef. This reef is the largest in the world and stretches more than 1,429 miles. The Pacific Ocean actually shrinks by one inch every year , this is caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Marine Pollution has increased by over 100 times in the Pacific Ocean over the past 40 years. Pollution is most prevalent in the northeast part of the Pacific Ocean. The main culprit for the pollution of the water is small fragments of plastic which float in the water, polluting the surrounding environment and endangering wildlife. In addition to this, the Pacific has been polluted by the debris from satellite crashes, such as Mars 96, which broke up over a 200-mile stretch of the water, and also hit Chile and Bolivia.

2.Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean out of the other 5 world oceans, it is the second youngest. It covers approximately 20 percent of Earth’s surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area. The Atlantic Ocean is incredibly deep. It has an average depth of 10,925 feet (3,300 metres) and a maximum depth of 27,493 feet (8,380 metres) in the Puerto Rico Trench, north of the island of Puerto Rico. It has an area of about 106,460,000 km2 (41,100,000 sq mi). Atlantic Ocean, body of salt water covering approximately one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west. The ocean’s name, derived from Greek mythology, means the “Sea of Atlas.” The Atlantic is, generally speaking, S-shaped and narrow in relation to its length. On average, the Atlantic is the saltiest of the world’s major oceans. The Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean and is located between Americas to the West of the Atlantic Ocean basin and the continents of Europe and Africa to the East. The Atlantic Ocean’s climatic zones vary with latitude: The warmest climatic zones stretch across the Atlantic north of the equator, while the coldest zones are in the high latitudes corresponding to the areas covered by sea ice. The Atlantic Ocean fisheries are the second most important in the world accounting for 28%, or 22,434,652 mt, of the global catch in 2017; of the seven regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Atlantic basin. Ocean water is on the move, affecting your climate, your local ecosystem, and the seafood that you eat. Ocean currents, abiotic features of the environment, are continuous and directed movements of ocean water. These currents are on the ocean’s surface and in its depths, flowing both locally and globally. Winds, water density, and tides all drive ocean currents. Ocean sediments comprise terrigenous, pelagic, and authigenic materials, which are so identified based on their origin and location on the sea floor. Terrigenous deposits formed by erosion, weathering, and volcanic activity on land and then washed to sea comprise sand, mud, and rock particles resting primarily on the continental shelves.

Terrigenous deposits are thickest off the mouths of large rivers or off desert coasts. Pelagic deposits, covering the sea floor in the deep waters far from shore are of two general types: the red clays resulting primarily from dust that has settled on the water, and the oozes, which are the remains of organisms that sink to the ocean floor. Depending on the predominant types of organisms forming them, the oozes are either calcareous or siliceous. Covering most of the ocean floor and ranging in thickness from 200 to 11,000 feet (60 to 3,300 meters), pelagic deposits are thickest in the convergence belts and in the zones of upwelling. Authigenic comprise materials such as manganese nodules that occur where sedimentation proceeds slowly or where currents sort the deposits. The salinity of the surface waters in the open ocean ranges from 33 to 37 parts per thousand (3.3 – 3.7 percent) by mass and varies with latitude and season. Surface salinity values are influenced by evaporation, precipitation, river inflow, and melting of sea ice. Although the minimum salinity values are found just north of the equator, in general the lowest values are in the high latitudes and along coasts where large rivers flow into the ocean. Maximum salinity values occur at about 25° north and south of the equator, in subtropical regions with low rainfall and high evaporation.

3.Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world’s oceanic divisions. It covers 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi) or 19.8% of the water on Earth’s surface. Indian Ocean’s average depth is 12,990 feet (3,960 metres), and its deepest point, in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench off the southern coast of the island of Java, is 24,442 feet (7,450 metres). It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. Indian Ocean is unique. It constitutes the core of the large-scale Tropical Warm Pool which, when interacting with the atmosphere, affects the climate both regionally and globally. The name originates from the location around the Indian penisula. In size the Indian Ocean is comparable with roughly 5.5 times the size of the USA. Northern Indian Ocean also is the most important transport route for oil as it connects the oil-rich countries of the Middle East Each with Asia. Every day tankers are carrying a cargo of 17 million barrels of crude oil from the Persian Gulf on its waters. 40% of the world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean, mainly from oilfields of Indonesia and the Persian Gulf. Suez Canal in Egypt, the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia are the two most well known waterways in the Indian Ocean. Asia blocks heat export and prevents the ventilation of the Indian Ocean thermocline.

The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world. Long-term ocean temperature records show a rapid, continuous warming in the Indian Ocean, at about 1.2 °C (34.2 °F). The temperature of 28 degrees Celsius/82 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is reached in coastal regions near the equator. On average the Indian Ocean has a minimum temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius/71 degree Fahrenheit. However in the southern regions, nearer to the polar regions the temperatures drop drastically below 40 degrees latitude south. Singapore port, Mumbai and Chennai ports in India, Aden (Yemen), Jakarta (Indonesia), Mombasa (Kenya), Durban port(South Africa) are the major seaports of the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean contains the largest submarine fans of the world, the Bengal Fan and Indus Fan, and the largest areas of slope terraces and rift valleys. The Indian Ocean is bounded by Iran, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to the north; the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and Australia to the east; Antarctica to the south; and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. Mumbai (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Singapore (Singapore), Perth (Australia), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Durban (South Africa) are some big coastal cities situated along the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean provides home to many endangered sea species such as turtles, seals and dugongs (also called sea cows).

4.Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, South Polar Ocean or the Austral Ocean. Southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and their tributary seas surrounding Antarctica are called Southern Ocean. It is regarded as the second-smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions: smaller than the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans but larger than the Arctic Ocean. Southern Ocean is the fourth biggest ocean on earth and covers only 6% of the earth’s surface. The Southern is between 4,000m and 4,800m/12,000ft and 14,000ft deep with some deep trenches. The average depth is about 3,200m/10,700ft. The deepest point in the Southern Ocean is in the South Sandwich Trench with a depth of over 7,000m 23,000ft. Icebergs will be encountered in the Southern Ocean during any season. Big iceberg fragments drift in the water. They can big several hundred metres high. The sea temperatures of the Southern Ocean range from -2 deg Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius/28F – 50F. The climatic conditions depend also on the seasons. The Southern Ocean is thus ’emerging’ from the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean in latitudes south of 60 degrees South.

The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world’s five oceans. The ocean’s most important organism in the higher food chain is the small, shrimplike krill. Animals on the sea bottom of the near-shore zone include the sessile hydrozoans, corals, sponges, and bryozoans, as well as the foraging, crablike sea spiders and isopods, the annelid worm polychaete, echinoids, starfish, and a variety of crustaceans and mollusks. At the sea bottom there are also eelpouts, sea snails, rat-tailed fishes, and codlike fishes. It was formed ‘only’ 30 million years ago when South America and Antarctica moved apart. Southern Ocean is home to the emperor penguins and wandering albatrosses, blue whales and fur seals. The biggest of the seals are the elephant seals which weigh up to 4,000kg/8,818lb. Every spring over 100 million birds nest on the rocky shores of Antarctica. There are only a few ports in the Southern Ocean. The ports belong mainly to research stations, such as the Rothera Station (British research base), Palmer Station (USA), Mawson Station (Australia), but the southernmost ports in Australia are recognised also as ports of the Southern Ocean. Among them are Adelaide port in South Australia and Macquarie Port on Tasmania.

5.Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is located in the northern hemisphere north of 60 degrees North latitude and borders the Eurasian and North American continents and surrounds Greenland and several islands. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans. It is also known as the coldest of all the oceans. It is mostly covered by sea ice throughout the year and almost completely in winter. The Arctic Ocean derives its name from the word ‘arktos’ which means ‘bear’ in Greek. It covers less than 3% of the earth’s surface. The Arctic Ocean’s surface temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy fresh water inflow from rivers and streams. Its area of 5,440,000 square miles (14,090,000 square km). The deepest sounding obtained in Arctic waters is 18,050 feet (5,502 metres), but the average depth is only 3,240 feet (987 metres). Distinguished by several unique features, including a cover of perennial ice and almost complete encirclement by the landmasses of North America, Eurasia, and Greenland, the north polar region has been a subject of speculation since the earliest concepts of a spherical Earth. From astronomical observations, the Greeks theorized that north of the Arctic Circle there must be a midnight sun at midsummer and continual darkness at midwinter. The sediments of the Arctic Ocean floor record the natural of the physical environment, climate, and ecosystems on time scales determined by the ability to sample them through coring and at resolutions determined by the rates of deposition. Of the hundreds of sediment corings taken, only four penetrate deeply enough to predate the onset of cold climatic conditions.

The oldest (approximately 80-million-year-old black muds and 67-million-year-old siliceous oozes) document that at least part of the Arctic Ocean was relatively warm and biologically productive prior to 40 million years ago.
The Arctic Ocean is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth and feeling the onslaught of climate change. The U.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Russia all have territories that reach into the Arctic Ocean. As once impenetrable sea ice becomes less stable, Northern Hemisphere countries have begun to take a greater interest in the Arctic as a path for shipping lanes, military presence, and commercial opportunities, particularly oil and gas exploration. Many animals that are often seen roaming the sea ice are also adapted for the water. Polar bears have large, paddle-like paws to propel them through the water, and they’ve been documented swimming for hours. Walruses have large tusks that they use to pull themselves out of the water, and they find much of their food by foraging along the sea floor. Whales and fish are often an important food source for indigenous people living in the Arctic, but commercial fishing has been banned in much of the Arctic Ocean.

6.Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea has been an important marine trade route since the era of the coastal sailing vessels. The Arabian Sea was formed within the past roughly 50 million years as the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia. The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75 to 77 °F (24 to 25 °C) at the sea’s surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82 °F (28 °C) occur in both June and November. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 (1,491,000 sq mi) and its maximum depth is 4,652 meters (15,262 ft). Arabian Sea is bounded to the west by the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, to the north by Iran and Pakistan, to the east by India, and to the south by the remainder of the Indian Ocean. To the north the Gulf of Oman connects the sea with the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. To the west the Gulf of Aden connects it with the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Major seaports include Kandla Port, Okha Port, Mumbai Port, Nhava Sheva Port (Navi Mumbai), Mormugão Port (Goa), New Mangalore Port, Vizhinjam International Seaport and Kochi Port in India, the Port of Karachi, Port Qasim, and the Gwadar Port in Pakistan, Chabahar Port in Iran and the Port of Salalah in Salalah, Oman.

The biggest river flowing into the sea is the Indus River. Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai is the largest port in the Arabian Sea, and the largest container port in India. Major Indian ports in the Arabian Sea are Mundra Port, Kandla Port, Nava Sheva, Vizhinjam International Seaport The Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, also known as the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the Port of Trivandrum. Kochi Port, Mumbai Port, and Mormugao. There are several islands in the Arabian Sea, with the most important ones being Lakshadweep Islands (India), Socotra (Yemen), Masirah (Oman) and Astola Island (Pakistan). Stretching southeastward from Socotra is the submarine Carlsberg Ridge, which coincides with the belt of seismic activity in the Indian Ocean that divides the Arabian Sea into two major basins—the Arabian Basin to the east and the Somali Basin to the west. The region, which contains many fish remains, is known as a fish cemetery. The Arabian Sea contributes to a monsoon climate in the surrounding region by providing the water necessary for the wet storms. During the monsoon season, winds on the sea generally blow from the southwest and are particularly cold. A rich and varied aquatic habitat is supported in the Arabian Sea by high levels of inorganic

7.South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro and Palawan), and in the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi). The South China Sea is a region of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance. One-third of the world’s maritime shipping passes through it, carrying over US $3 trillion in trade each year.[1] Huge oil and natural gas reserves are believed to lie beneath its seabed.
At present, it is improbable that the PLA would attempt to actually land troops and occupy the island of Taiwan, because the probability of a successful military operation with minimum casualties for China is low.
The South China Sea is a critical commercial gateway for a significant portion of the world’s merchant shipping, and hence is an important economic and strategic sub-region of the Indo-Pacific. Geographically, the South China Sea plays a significant role in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific. The South China Sea is bordered by Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Their recent economic growth has contributed to a large portion of the world’s commercial merchant shipping passing through these waters. Japan and South Korea rely heavily on the South China Sea for their supply of fuels and raw materials and as an export route, although the availability of diversionary sea lanes bypassing the South China Sea provides non-littoral states with some flexibility in this regard. The South China Sea also contains rich, though unregulated and over-exploited fishing grounds and is reported to hold significant reserves of undiscovered oil and gas.

The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs and seamounts in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly low and small, and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to overlapping territorial claims by the countries bordering the South China Sea. More than half of the world’s fishing vessels are in the South China Sea, and millions of people depend on these waters for their food and livelihoods.
But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. Total fish stocks have been depleted by 70 to 95 percent since the 1950s. Coral reefs, which are vital to marine habitats, have been declining by 16 percent per decade, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The region also is the subject of more than a dozen overlapping and interconnected disputes over who is in charge of the various islands, rocks, shoals and reefs scattered throughout the South China Sea waters. For example, the Spratly Islands are claimed in entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia; each except Brunei occupies some of the islands.

  1. Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is an American Mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean. The name “Caribbean” derives from the Caribs, one of the region’s dominant Native American groups at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,753,000 square km) in extent. The Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water. The Caribbean Sea is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is located between latitudes 9° and 22° N and longitudes 89° and 60° W. The Caribbean Sea is home to over 7,000 islands that belong to 28 nations. The habitats supported by the reefs of the Caribbean Sea are critical to such tourist activities as fishing and diving, and provide an annual economic value to Caribbean nations of $3.1–$4.6 billion. To the south it is bounded by the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama; to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico; to the north by the Greater Antilles islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico; and to the east by the north-south chain of the Lesser Antilles, consisting of the island arc that extends from the Virgin Islands in the northeast to Trinidad, off the Venezuelan coast, in the southeast. Within the boundaries of the Caribbean itself, Jamaica, to the south of Cuba, is the largest of a number of islands. The sea’s deepest point is the Cayman Trough, between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, at 7,686 m (25,217 ft) below sea level. The Wider Caribbean Region includes 35 states and territories that border two interconnected watersheds: the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

In the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea the average temperature is 27°C and it varies no more than 3°C. Salinity is highest from January to May and lowest from June to December. Toward fall in the northern hemisphere, salinity drops in the southeastern end of the Caribbean Sea, due to discharges from the Orinoco and Amazon River watersheds. There are five basins within the Caribbean Sea, they are the Yucatan, Cayman, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Grenada basins. The Caribbean Sea floor is also home to two oceanic trenches: the Hispaniola Trench and Puerto Rico Trench, which put the area at a higher risk of earthquakes. Underwater earthquakes pose a threat of generating tsunamis which could have a devastating effect on the Caribbean islands. Scientific data reveals that over the last 500 years the area has seen a dozen earthquakes above 7.5 magnitude. The sea is one of the largest oil production areas in the world, producing approximately 170 million tons per year. The area also generates a large fishing industry for the surrounding countries, accounting for half a million metric tons of fish a year. A total of 12,046 marine species live in the Caribbean Sea. Of these, there are more than 1,000 known fish species, including flying fish, moray eels, bull sharks, tiger sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, giant oceanic manta rays, and parrotfish, as well as 90 mammal species, including dolphins, sperm whales, manatees, humpback whales, and seals.

  1. Mediterranean Sea

The opening of the Suez Canal the Mediterranean Sea also became an important strategic location for many European nations and as a result, the United Kingdom and France began building colonies and naval bases along its shores. The Mediterranean Sea is a large sea or body of water that is located between Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. Mediterranean Sea became controlled by the Byzantines, Arabs and Ottoman Turks. Its total area is 970,000 square miles (2,500,000 sq km) and its greatest depth is located off the coast of Greece at around 16,800 feet (5,121 m) deep. The average depth of the sea, however, is about 4,900 feet (1,500 m). Stone age tools have been discovered by archeologists along its shores and it is believed that the Egyptians began sailing on it by 3000 B.C.E. Today the Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world. The Mediterranean Sea is a very large sea that is bounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia and stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar on the west to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal on the east.

Geographically, the Mediterranean Sea is divided into two different basins—the Western Basin and the Eastern Basin. In total, the Mediterranean Sea borders 21 different nations as well as several different territories. Some of the nations with borders along the Mediterranean include Spain, France, Monaco, Malta, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. It also borders several smaller seas and is home to over 3,000 islands. Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. Trade and shipping traffic is prominent and there is also a significant amount of fishing activity in its water. The Mediterranean Sea has a large number of different fish and mammal species that are mainly derived from the Atlantic Ocean. Harbor porpoises, Bottlenose Dolphins, and Loggerhead Sea Turtles are common in the sea. In addition, tourism is also a large part of the region’s economy because of its climate. The largest of these islands are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, and Crete. The Mediterranean Sea loses more water by evaporation than it is fed by the rivers draining into it. The Mediterranean Sea is known for being an important historic trade path and a strong factor in the development of the region around it.

  1. Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is separated from the Gulf of Alaska by the Alaska Peninsula. It covers over 2,000,000 square kilometers (770,000 sq mi) and is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska, on the west by Russian Far East and the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait, which connects the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea. The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves. Bering Sea and Strait, Russian Beringovo More and Proliv Beringa, northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean, separating the continents of Asia and North America. To the north the Bering Sea connects with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait, at the narrowest point of which the two continents are about 53 miles (85 kilometres) apart. The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia, as well as international waters in the middle of the sea. The interaction between currents, sea ice, and weather makes for a vigorous and productive ecosystem.

Fishers and crabbers in such a harsh environment occasionally create opportunities for beauty. The Bering Sea, near the chain of the Aleutian Islands, is one of the most intense patches of ocean on Earth. Strong winds, freezing temperatures, and icy water are normal conditions. The combination makes for some of the most ferocious waves on the planet, where the water can rise and fall 30 feet on a normal day. A lasting shift could dramatically transform a region with some of the nation’s most valuable fisheries and indigenous communities whose way of life relies on ice. Already scientists have documented changes in algae as well as zooplankton, fish, and seabird populations. The shifts are “a bit of a warning sign that these things can happen rather quickly,” says Robert Foy, the Juneau-based science and research director for NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which is headquartered in Seattle.

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THE GREAT 10 LARGEST FLOWERS IN THE WORLD

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Nature often surprises us with true wonders. There are the flowers that can leave anybody speechless. The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs that are typically surrounded by a brightly coloured corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals) is called flower. There are many fragrant and beautiful flowers on earth, but many of them are similar in size about 1inch to 5 inches in diameter. Rose is one of the most popular and loved of the beautiful flowers. Flowers are part of the most important occasions of life and have a language of their own. Flowers’ meanings and symbolization were a key element many years ago. Plants succeeded in using their flower’s deceptive development–using color and smell to attract insects and animals for pollination.

1.Rafflesia arnoldii

Rafflesia arnoldii is one of the world’s most endangered plant species. It has a diameter of over three feet. It is also known as Rafflesia tuanmudae or Stinking corpse lily or corpse flower and is one of the largest living organisms. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies certain Rafflesian species, such as Rafflesia Magnifica, as “critically endangered.” This process happens once a year, when Rafflesia grows to its maximum diameter with five leathery, red spotted petals around a bowl-like center that swallows flies and insects for further sustenance. This parasitic plant is steady, not visible until it is about to bloom, with no roots, stems, twigs, or leaves. Buds arise over months to the size of the cabbage without a sign of the contaminated host plant. Corpse flower’s bloom too has a rotten corpse smell. The rafflesia feeds on a host plant to live, drinking its water and nutrients. The rafflesia’s life is tragically short. Its mouth remains open for just one week before it rots and dies. so the largest flower on Earth is on borrowed time. While the flies gain nothing from the flowers, the pollen sticks to its back as they rest on the bloom,attracted by its rotten meat scent.
When these flies pass into a female flora, the pollen is released in the flowers so they can fertilize it. Its produced fruit has thousands of seeds and is fleshy and small. Such fruits are consumed by tree shrews, which then continue to disperse the plant’s seeds. Rafflesia arnoldii is one of the three national flowers in Indonesia, the other two being the white jasmine and moon orchid. It was officially recognized as a national “rare flower”. Scientists just found one of the world’s largest flowers blooming in an Indonesian jungle. It was named Rafflesia after British colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles who spotted one in Indonesia in the early 19th Century. Rafflesia is a genus of flower with 28 known species, the second largest of which is Rafflesia kerrii, with blooms measuring 70 to 110 cm across, or over three feet. Only Rafflesia arnoldii of Sumatra exceeds its dimensions slightly, becoming the largest single flower on Earth. Rafflesia is endemic in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

  1. Titan arum

Titans normally open in the evening and the intense odor only lasts for 12 hours. The bloom will stay open (with a much lighter odor) for only 1-2 days. The plant must reach 10-15 years of age before it blooms for the first time and then blooms every 3-5 years thereafter. Titan arum also known as Amorphophallus titanum or death flower, is the flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, that bloom rarely for a short period. This bud started growing in April, and we believe that it will bloom in early June. It is not among best-smelling flowers as this flower releases while it is in bloom a smell, like a rotten corpse. Fluorescence of the titan arum is not as large as the talipot palm but rather branches off, unlike talipot, which makes it a bigger flower. The plant itself reaches approximately 10 to 15 feet in height, and the leaves can be as large as 13 feet(4 m). The tallest recorded bloom of corpse flower, according to Guinness Book of World Records, was 10 feet 2.225 inches tall that also makes titan arum as the tallest flower in the world.
In the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the corpse flower is classified as “vulnerable” in the Red List of Threatened Plants. But, if the conditions that affect its life and reproduction do not change, the plant may become endangered. Habitat loss and devastation are the primary threats. Titan Arums are only found in the jungles of Sumatra and produce the world’s largest floral structures. Greenhouse Manager Tammy Blume and volunteer and titan enthusiast Mariah Huffman attempted pollination by hand with pollen that was collected three weeks earlier from Rotney. This pollination was successful, and Odie produced beautiful orange and red berries, which you can see below. These seeds were collected and some were used to start new plants for our collection, while others were shared with other institutions all over the country.

  1. Talipot palm

Talipot palm is one of the world’s largest palms, having origins from South India. It has a height of up to 25 m and a diameter of stems of up to 1.3 m. It is a palm fan with a diameter of up to 5 m, a petiole up to 4 m, and around 130 leaflets. The Talipot Palm has one or more million small flowers, the largest inflorescence in any plant, 6-8 m long, on a branched trunk stitched on top of a trunk. The Talipot palms are monocarpic, which means their flowers only once at the age of 30 to 80. The plant dies after fruiting. A single tree yields more than250 kg of seeds. Talipot Palm has many uses it is as useful as coconut in its native region, and Talipot fruits, which are surprisingly tasty, are known as ice apple. Their leaves are also used extensively for wall protection, for plaiting the mats and as umbrellas during rainy season. Like other palms, the central part of the stem of Corypha umbraculifera, is a rich source of starch. Palms are felled to extract this central ‘pith’ which is dried, powdered, stored and used for preparation of bread. It is a species of palm native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also grown in Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Thailand and the Andaman Islands. Kerala coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also home to this species. Once the seeds fall, the tree also dies.

  1. Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica)

The Posidonia Oceanica, which is also named “Neptune grass,” has been sequenced by a group of scientists to be around 200,000 old seaweed covering ocean floors from Spain to Cyprus. The plant has roots, twigs, leaves, flowers, and it creates fruits known as sea olives. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. It should not be confused with algae. It flowers in the autumn. The leaves are tape-shaped, measuring between 1 cm in width and between 30 and 120 cm in length. This aquatic plant lives in the Mediterranean Sea and in certain areas south of Australia, with similar characteristics to dry land. Among the many strengths of Neptune Grass is that it oxidizes the oceans and is also a food source formany animal species.Its appearance also shows that the water is of good quality and is well stored. Biologists often term Posidonia Oceanica as “Mediterranean’s Lungs.” Balls of fibrous material from its foliage, known as egagropili, wash up to nearby shorelines. This species is found only in the Mediterranean Sea where it is in decline, occupying an area of about 3% of the basin.
Seagrasses are a paraphyletic group of angiosperm plants, which are exclusively found in estuarine and marine environments. They belong to four families, Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Cymodoceaceae, and Hydrocharitaceae. Among these, the endemic species Posidonia oceanica is predominant in the Mediterranean Sea. Posidonia meadows provide breeding and nursery grounds for various fish and other marine organisms. They influence commercial fishing and shape the coastal structure by accumulating nutrients. The meadows of the seagrass posidonia oceanica are essential for the protection of the marine environment on the Spanish Mediterranean coasts. Posidonia oceanica is a Mediterranean endemic phanerogam or flowering plant which has special characteristics which must be known at the outset in order to prevent serious environmental damage through the construction of harbour works. These characteristics include a millenary life span, a need for light and clear water, very slow growth and reproduction rate, a need for sandy beds, a shedding of leaves in Autumn and the fact that they form meadows over a very long period which stabilise the shoreline by preventing the impact of the sea.

  1. Puya raimondii

Puya raimondii is the largest bromeliad species, with a height up to 15 m and is also known as the queen of the Andes. We can find this type of plant species in Bolivian and Peruvian forests from the high Andes. The flower can reach a height of up to 30 feet (9.14 m), which contains 8-12 million seeds per plant. The Queen of the Andes in the wild have only three populations. There are thousands of species comprising the bromeliad group, but Puya raimondii has less geneticdiversity. Puya raimondii is currently on a verge of extinction because of the inability to adapt to climate changeand deforestation. The species name of raimondii commemorates the 19th-century Italian scientist Antonio Raimondi, who immigrated to Peru and made extensive botanical expeditions there. The whole plant may reach as much as 15 m (50 ft) tall.
This plant can produce between 8,000 and 20,000 flowers in a 3-month period. Its reproductive cycle lasts approximately 80 years. of the Andes (Puya raimondii) is a terrestrial bromeliad. Many bromeliads are epiphytes, growing on the surface of other plants and getting their food from the air and accumulated plant matter trapped in branch crevices. Terrestrial bromeliads have their roots in soil. There are only three populations of Queen of the Andes in the wild. Most of them have many thousands of plants, but their genetic diversity is very low. They may be unable to adapt to changes in climate. Human impacts to the populations include repeated fires to generate or maintain pasture for livestock forage.

  1. Common Sunflower
yellow sunflower macro photographyt
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Sunflowers are extremely well-known worldwide. Sunflowers are mainly from North and South America, and some species are cultivated in farms for the spectacular sizes of their blossom and for their edible seeds. nowadays you can find them in numerous countries around the world. Sunflowers Their bright yellow color is their defining characteristic and makes them very striking. Sunflower seeds are used to make sunflower oil or can directly be eaten roasted. At least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day is needed for the sunflowers, the better if you try to maximize their potential for size. The excessive blooming of gigantic sunflowers is difficult to top. On towering stems, the Russian variety opens flowers up to 14 inches in diameter, 9 to 12 feet high. The disk flowers are brown, yellow, or purple, while the petallike ray flowers are yellow. The fruit is a single-seeded achene.
Oilseed varieties typically have small black achenes, while those grown for direct seed consumption, known as confection varieties, have larger black-and-white achenes that readily separate from the seed within. Farmers generally sow seeds in spring while they harvest the crop at the end of summer. If considered usability, Sunflower is the biggest flower in the world. The leaves are used as fodder, the flowers yield a yellow dye, and the seeds contain oil and are used for food. The oil is also used in soap and paints and as a lubricant. The sweet yellow oil obtained by compression of the seeds is considered equal to olive or almond oil for table use. These flowers with their gorgeous big and bright blooms have a unique and winning combination of offering some rather amazing benefits to us as well as being pretty to look at. It is a useful alternative and replacement for unhealthy margarine spreads and high fat butter for cakes and home bakes.

  1. Tree peony

Common peony is an exquisite flower but, its bigger counterpart, the tree peony, is a very different plant. Tree peonies are woody shrubs, with no support, as some grow at 10 feet high. They have many forms, colors, and fragrances, and their flowers are much bigger and typically bloom about two weeks earlier than herby peonies. During their bloom season, which lasts for about two weeks in April and May, plants can have more than 50 blooms at one time. For gardeners we must embrace China for they provided many of our most cherished garden flowers, including the stunningly beautiful tree peony. Chinese use them as decorative ornaments and for medicinal purposes. As the season advances, the flower buds begin to swell, reaching the size of a small apple before issuing forth in late April with a flower the size of a salad plate.
Double forms are most common with the blossoms in delicate pastel shades of red, pink, white and yellow. Tree peonies can be grown in all parts of Arkansas but are less common in gardens than their herbaceous cousins. Their rarity in cultivation is because they’re difficult to propagate. Tree peonies do best in a fertile, well drained garden soil. They will grow in full sun or light shade and are easy to grow if well sited. With so many varieties of peonies available these days, selecting the right peony for your garden can be confusing. Add terms like tree peony, itoh peony and herbaceous peony, and it can seem overwhelming. The mid to late spring blossoms of tree peonies are unrivaled in size, color and fragrance.

  1. Hibiscus
red blue and green bird on tree branch
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Hibiscus or Hibiscus sabdariffa is one of the world’s largest flower. The name ‘Hibiscus’ comes from hibiskos, the old Greek name for the common marsh mallow. Hibiscus develops large, trumpet-shaped flower without scent. Flower consists of five or more petals. There are over 200 species of hibiscus that can be found in the warm and tropical regions all over the world. These beautiful bright flowers surely beautify a home or garden but are also used as medicine. We can find these plants in various colors like white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, red or blue. Size wise, Hibiscus can be as wide as 8 inches in diameter. The hibiscus family is a mix of diverse plants–from annuals to perennials and shrubs–famed for their large, audacious bloom, often as big as a plate. It contains both male (stamen) and female (pistil) reproductive organs. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are main pollinators of hibiscus flowers.
Brightly colored flowers of hibiscus are rich source of natural dyes that are used in the food industry. Dried hibiscus is edible, and it is often a delicacy in Mexico. It can also be candied and used as a garnish, usually for desserts. Women in use dyes extracted from hibiscus flowers to dye their eyebrows and hair. The most popular beverage made of hibiscus is tea (made of dry flowers). Besides pleasant taste, tea made of hibiscus represents rich source of vitamin C. According to some medical studies, tea made of hibiscus lowers blood pressure and decreases cholesterol level. Hibiscus cannabinus is a species of hibiscus that is used in the paper industry. China and Thailand are the greatest producers of hibiscus in the world. Hibiscus is known as “shoe flower” in China because people use hibiscus to polish their shoes. The hibiscus is used as an offering to goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha in Hindu worship. Hibiscus is considered a very feminine flower.

9.Magnolia

The first flowering plant on Earth is believed by researchers to be magnolias. One of the world’s biggest flowering plants, as believed by many researchers. There are around 210 species of magnolia that differ in size, shape, color of the flower and type of habitat. Magnolia trees originate from Southeast Asia and North America, but they have been naturalized to almost all continents in the world because of their beauty. Fossils prove that they have been on Earth for around 100 million years, according to scientific research. Because magnolia is so old, the flowers have no real petals and sepals; they have petal-like tepals instead. Magnolia flowers come according to variety in various shapes, sizes, and colors. The magnolia family comprises high and fluffy trees with pink, white, red, purple, yellow blossoms. Magnolia blooms from April to June. First flowers develop seven years after planting.
Most magnolia varieties have wide bulbs measuring 6 to 8 inches in diameter.
The magnolia is eye-catching due to its soft colors and its large, lovely petals. It’s one of the most famous flowers in the world due to its beauty. It’s commonly used in decoration, bouquets, gifts, etc. Size of magnolia tree depends on the species. Smaller species are only 15 feet tall. Larger species can grow 80 feet in height. Magnolia produces cone-like brownish fruit that can reach 2 to 10 inches in length. Kidney-shaped seed can be red, orange or pink in color. Seed of magnolia is favorite food of many birds. Bark and flowers of magnolia are used in traditional Asian medicine. Leaves of magnolia are used for wrapping of food in Asia. Magnolia is resistant to most pests and diseases. Some species are prone to fungal infections. Larvae of certain insects eat different parts of magnolia tree. Wood of magnolia is used for the production of pallets and furniture. Flower contains both male and female reproductive organs. Flowers release sugary scent which attracts pollinators.

10.Lotus

aquatic aquatic plant beautiful bloom
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The lotus flower is also known as the “Nile flower. The Nelumbo family’s white lotus flowers and pink lotus are seen as sacredness. The lotus flower is one of the world’s most recognizable and sacred flowers. The stunning flower is a universal symbol of some of history’s most influential cultures and is the national flower of India. Lotus’s color influences its important significance. The most interesting detail about this lovely flower is the lifespan of its seeds, which can sprout after many centuries. Lotus flowers can conclude a spiritual meaning of ascent, enlightenment, or renaissance in more bright colors red, purple, and blue, white. It mostly grows in murky and shallow waters and need warm sunlight to grow, but are cold climate intolerant. This flower would not flourish in winter, consequently, as it is aquatic. With its roots in the deeper sludge, this flower only thrives in under muddy still water.
Its bloom, which is above the water surface, commonly has a diameter up to 20 centimeters when fully matured. It’s an extraordinary flower that is famous worldwide, mainly because it’s an aquatic flower. It’s India’s national flower and is symbolic in Buddhism and Hinduism for wealth, prosperity, purity and fertility. The flower species is native to Asia, and most predominantly in India and China. Flower opens in the morning and closes at night. Lotus was a symbol of sun, rebirth and creation in the ancient Egypt. Dried stamens of the lotus are used for the preparation of aromatic tea. Flower, young leaves, seeds and root are edible and often used in Asian cuisine. Older and bigger leaves are used for wrapping of food. Lotus is rich in fibers and vitamins of the B group. It is also rich source of iron and other important minerals. Lotus uses rhizomes to attach itself to the ground. This flower is known by its beautiful odor.

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THE GREAT 10 BIGGEST BANKS IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE BANKS’ TOTAL ASSETS

by Sree DivyaUncategorizedLeave a Comment on THE GREAT 10 BIGGEST BANKS IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE BANKS’ TOTAL ASSETS

A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be performed either directly or indirectly through capital markets. A bank is the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds. Due to the importance of banks in the financial stability of a country, most jurisdictions exercise a high degree of regulation over banks. Here are The ranking of the 10 biggest banks are built according to banks’ total assets.

1.Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

The largest and richest bank in the world is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). ICBC’s headquarters are located in Beijing. By the total number of assets, customers, employees, loans and deposits; ICBC, as it’s often referred to, completely dominates the rest of the biggest banks in the world. ICBC has $4,322 billion total assets according to the latest data, and its market capitalization totals $424 billion. It has more than 4,60,000 employees. 70% of government-owned company ranked number one all over the 1000 Banks. ICBC’s total assets are thought to be in the region of $4.2 trillion dollars according to the latest data. Almost 1/5 of all bankings are in China only.

  1. China Construction Bank Corporation

According to the latest data, it has $3,822 billion in assets, and its market capitalization totals more than $204 billion. Originally, CCB was created for government exchanges, and only later, it was redeveloped into the commercial bank. The company operates more than 14,000 branches all around the globe, with about 372,000 employees. China Construction Bank Corp. engages in the provision of a wide range of financial services to corporate and personal customers. It operates through the following business segments: Corporate Banking, Personal Banking, Treasury, and Others. The Corporate Banking segment provides a range of financial products and services to corporations, government agencies and financial institutions, which comprises of corporate loans, trade financing, deposit taking and wealth management services, agency services, financial consulting and advisory services, cash management services, remittance and settlement services, custody services, and guarantee services.
The Personal Banking segment provides personal loans, deposit taking and wealth management services, card business, remittance services, and agency services to individual customers. The Treasury segment represents inter-bank money market transactions, repurchase and resale transactions, investments in debt securities, and trade of derivatives and foreign currency. The Others segment refers to equity investments and revenues, results, assets and liabilities of overseas branches and subsidiaries. The company was founded in October 1954 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. The company was founded in 13,629 domestic branches.

  1. Agricultural Bank of China

Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), also known as AgBank. It was founded in 1951, and has its headquarters in Dongcheng District, Beijing and ABC has nearly 24,000 representatives in the country and abroad. Total assets of the Agricultural Bank of China comprise more than $3,698 billion, and according to the latest data, its market capitalization is $147 bln. This bank was established to support agriculture. This bank today also handles loans to nonagricultural businesses and individuals. It is one of the four major state-controlled banks. Agricultural Bank of China engages in the provision of international commercial banking and financial services. This is driven by bank’s long history of receiving state support. ABC was designated as a global systematic important bank. ABC is China’s third-largest commercial bank by total assets.
The bank has one of the largest domestic networks, which extends deeply into China’s county areas. This helps the bank build a commanding franchise in rural markets and provides it with a low-cost and stable deposit base. The central government is ultimately the largest shareholder of all five state banks and has a record of providing solvency and asset-quality support. Since the late 1970s, the Bank has evolved from a state-owned specialized bank to a wholly state-owned commercial bank and subsequently a state-controlled commercial bank. The Bank was restructured into a joint stock limited liability company in January 2009. In July 2010, the Bank was listed on both the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which marked the completion of our transformation into a public shareholding commercial bank.

  1. Bank of China ltd

The Bank of China is one of the oldest and most reliable banks in China. It is one of the four biggest state-owned commercial banks in China. It was created in 1912 and still leads in the national banking sector. Over 70% of the company belongs to the Chinese government, and it has offices in over 20 countries. According to the data, its assets are near $3,387 billion, and its market capitalization is about $113 bln. Bank of China is legally separate from its subsidiary Bank of China , although they maintain close relations in management and administration and co-operate in several areas including reselling BOC’s insurance and securities services. Its headquarters are in Xicheng District, Beijing. In Hong Kong, Frankfurt and other financial centers across the globe, the bank functions as clearing house of the currency. The bank is also the issuer of overseas yuan-denominated bonds.

Mumbai holds the pride of being the wealthiest city in India, with the highest GDP of all the cities in South, West and the Central Asia. The city houses important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, the SEBI and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. Bank of China has commenced its business in India by launching the first branch in Mumbai in June 2019. The India branch works on the international network of Bank of China across the globe, with a world class banking, professional strengths and a diversified platform of the Bank across various sectors. Operating strictly in compliance with local laws and regulations, Bank of China India Branch provides comprehensive business services in Corporate Banking, Treasury and Branch Banking.

  1. JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase is one of the most eminent and popular US banks. This company was created in 2000 as a result of merging several huge banks. JPMorgan Chase HQ is located in Manhattan, New York City. It is one of the largest investment companies in the world. Now its assets total $3,139 bln, and its market capitalization is over $292 bln, which also makes it one of the most expensive companies in the world. JPMorgan Chase & Co. provides global financial services and retail banking. The Company provides services such as investment banking, treasury and securities services, asset management, private banking, card member services, commercial banking, and home finance.
JP Morgan Chase serves business enterprises, institutions, and individuals. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company. It is also the world’s most valuable bank by market capitalization. The Chase brand is used for credit card services in the United States and Canada, the bank’s retail banking activities in the United States, and commercial banking. Both the retail and commercial bank and the bank’s corporate headquarters are currently located at 383 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, while the prior headquarters building directly across the street, 270 Park Avenue, is demolished and replaced with a new building.

  1. HSBC Holdings plc

London’s HSBC is one of the biggest banks in Europe, totaling $2.92 tln. in assets. Originally, the purpose of its creation was to perform exchanges between Europe and China, and it still stays crucial in such actions. It also has more than 10 subsidiaries, which perform all possible operations inside this sector.
HSBC Holdings plc is a multinational investment bank and financial services holding company. HSBC traces its origin to a hong in British Hong Kong and its present form was established in London by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation to act as a new group holding company in 1991. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened branches in Shanghai in 1865 and was first formally incorporated in 1866.
HSBC has around 3,900 offices in 65 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America, and around 38 million customers. HSBC is organised within four business groups: Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, and Global Private Banking. In 2020, the bank announced that it would consolidate its Retail Banking & Wealth Management arm with Global Private Banking, to form Wealth & Personal Banking. HSBC has a dual primary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index and the FTSE 100 Index. Key Role as European Hub: HSBC Bank plc’s Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) are driven by support from its ultimate parent, HSBC Holdings plc.

  1. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

This Japanese holding company has $2.89 tln. in assets, which makes it one of the “best” banks in Japan. MUFG’s department network spread all around the world allows MUFG to perform in 40 different countries. The company was created in 2005 by the merger of the two largest banks of Japan, and its headquarter is located in Osaka City. MUFG has the target of 550.0 billion yen of profits attributable to owners of parent for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. MUFG is engaged in financial service businesses such as banking business, trust banking business, securities business and credit card/loan businesses. Because there are various uncertainties caused by economic situation, market environments and other factors in these businesses, MUFG discloses a target of its profits attributable to owners of parent instead of a forecast of its performance.
The forward-looking statements are made based upon, among other things, the company’s current estimations, perceptions and evaluations. In addition, in order for the company to adopt such estimations, forecasts, targets and plans regarding future events, certain assumptions have been made. Accordingly, due to various risks and uncertainties, the statements and assumptions are inherently not guarantees of future performance, may be considered differently from alternative perspectives and may result in material differences from the actual result. The financial information included in this financial summary report is prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Japan. Differences exist between Japanese GAAP and the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States in certain material respects. Such differences have resulted in the past, and are expected to continue to result for this period and future periods, in amounts for certain financial statement line items under U.S. GAAP to differ significantly from the amounts under Japanese GAAP. For example, differences in consolidation basis or accounting for business combinations, including but not limited to amortization and impairment of goodwill, could result in significant differences in our reported financial results between Japanese GAAP and U.S. GAAP.

  1. Bank of America (BoA)

The BoA is the second largest bank in the USA. It has an extensive range of financial services in the whole country and abroad. The headquarters are located in Charlotte City, North Carolina. According to the BoA balance sheet has $2,620 bln. assets and its market capitalization is about $209 bln. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. operates as a holding company, which provides financial services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Integrated Retail Banking Business Group, Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group, Integrated Trust Assets Business Group, Integrated Global Business Group, Global Markets and Others. The Integrated Retail Banking Business Group segment manages domestic business that provides retail banking services, which includes commercial and trust banking; securities trading; and retail product development, promotions, and marketing.
The Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group segment covers all domestic corporate businesses, including commercial banking, investment banking, trust banking, and securities businesses. The Integrated Trust Assets Business Group segment provides asset management and administration services for pension and security trusts, in addition to consultation services for pension management schemes and payouts. The Integrated Global Business Group segment covers businesses outside of Japan. The Global Markets segment offers assets and liability management, strategic investment, foreign exchange operations and financial products. The Others segment operates corporate centers of related companies. The company was founded on April 2, 2001 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

  1. BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas was created in 1999, and now it tops the financial, banking, and insurance rankings. Currently, the company has representatives all around the globe, and its headquarters are located in Geneva, Paris, and London. BNP Paribas has been named “World’s Best Bank for Corporates” and “World’s Best Bank for Financial Inclusion” 2020 by Euromoney, a publication specializing in international finance. As a European leader and a leading international banking player, BNP Paribas is recognized for the expertise of its teams and its transversal approach to its business lines, which are grouped into Corporate and Institutional Banking, Domestic Markets and International Financial Services, in order to offer the best possible service to our clients. For example, in the EMEA region, BNP Paribas’ banking teams coordinated more than €46 billion of DCM (Debt Capital Market) transactions over the past year. In addition, the Group continued to intensify its efforts in several areas to integrate sustainable development into its products and operating processes, introduce significant measures and help its clients to accelerate this transition.
BNP Paribas has thus introduced proactive sector policies, taken financial steps to promote sustainable financing, and supported its clients in integrating sustainable development into their activities through innovative financing solutions. Its assets compound to $2,336 bln and the bank has $39 bln of market capitalization. We have also invested in the products and people to provide simple and effective solutions in the world’s fastest growing markets. We are experts in capital markets, advisory and financing businesses. Our client-centric model aims to anchor its leadership position in Europe and leverage the rapid growth in Asia. BNP Paribas was one of the first banks to start a dialogue with India in 1860 begining operations in Calcutta (renamed Kolkata). We have since then spread our branches to eight key metros & mini metros and widened and enriched our product repertoire. Today, BNP Paribas is the second oldest foreign bank on the Indian soil and is positioned amongst the leading corporate banks in India. A shareholders’ Club set up in 1995, is open to “individual” shareholders holding at least 200 shares. As of today it counts more than 63,000 members. Meetings with shareholders are arranged during the year in the main regional cities: the bank’s policy is presented by senior executives of BNP Paribas and members of the Top Management.

  1. Credit Agricole

Credit Agricole is one of the largest companies in France, which successfully controls a large part of the banking sector inside the country. Credit Agricole CIB has been present in India since 1981 and is located as today in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. From these 5 branches, the Bank also deals with the large markets in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Baroda. The Bank offers a comprehensive range of products and services, tailored to the needs of Indian companies, multinational companies and financial institutions. It has a balance of $1,984 bln. in assets. Gross customer capture was strong, with 416,000 new customers captured since the start of the year, and a 25,000 increase in the customer base. Lastly, commercial activity in capital markets was buoyant in order to meet customer needs in terms of hedging and bonds. In the first quarter of 2020, Credit Agricole Group’s stated net income Group share came to €908 million versus €1,350 million in the first quarter of 2019.
For Crédit Agricole S.A., the underlying net income Group share reached €1.1 bn for the second quarter of 2020, down -10.9% compared to 2019, and €1.8 bn for the first half of the year. Credit Agricole SA set aside more than expected to cover souring loans in the second quarter after the covid pandemic hit the French lender’s retail clients and large corporate customers. Provisions in the three months through June jumped to 842 million euros ($998 million), higher than the 775 million-euro estimate of analysts polled by Bloomberg. Costs to cover souring debt drove down results at some of the lender’s most important business units, including the large clients segment, which saw a five-fold increase in the cost of risk from a year earlier.
Credit Agricole is more diversified and less dependent than rivals BNP Paribas SA and Societe Generale SA on trading, though it did benefit from the volatility that boosted fixed income results at rivals. At the same time it was able to avoid the dividend-related losses that caused management upheaval earlier this week at SocGen and Natixis.

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THE GREAT LARGEST 10 LIBRARIES IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE COLLECTION OF ITEMS

by Sree DivyaUncategorizedLeave a Comment on THE GREAT LARGEST 10 LIBRARIES IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE COLLECTION OF ITEMS

Library is a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution. Libraries are knowledge powerhouses. They have served as the major source of knowledge transfer generation after generation regardless of the time barrier. If you get the chance to visit some of the world’s largest libraries, you’ve never seen so many books in all your life. The world has excelled in all walks with the help of knowledge that has been preserved in bookish form and stored in world’s biggest libraries. Here we bring to you a list of 10 of the world’s largest libraries based on the collection of books that each one of them possesses.

1.Library Of Congress

It is located in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and the largest library in the world. Collection of books are 162 million. Its collection was growing at a rate of about two million items per year. It is established in April 24, 1800. The John Adams Building, completed in 1939, received its current name in 1980 to honour the president, who is in 1800 signed the act of Congress establishing the library. The Adams Building was built in Art Deco style and faced with white Georgia marble. The Library of Congress is the largest library of the world in terms of number of items stored and shelf capacity. It officially serves the United State Congress for research purposes. The collection includes more than 32 million catalogued books and other print materials in 470 languages, more than 61 million manuscripts, over 1 million US government publications, 1 million issues of world newspapers, 33,000 bound newspaper volumes, 500,000 microfilm reels, more than 120,000 issues comic book, 5.3 million maps, 6 million works of sheet music, 3 million sound recordings, more than 14.7 million prints and photographic images including fine and popular art pieces and architectural drawings.
Some of those materials include one of the smallest books in the world (you have to turn the pages with a needle). James Billington served as the Librarian of Congress in Washington, D.C., from 1987 to 2015. He earned his doctorate from Oxford University. The Library of Congress serves members, committees, and staff of the U.S. Congress, other government agencies, libraries throughout the country and the world, and the scholars, researchers, artists, and scientists who use its resources. It is the national centre for library service to the blind and physically handicapped, and it offers many concerts, lectures, and exhibitions for the general public. The continued growth of the collection in a wide variety of formats during the 1980s and ’90s necessitated the off-site relocation of some materials to storage facilities in Fort Meade, Maryland, and to the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia, the library’s state-of-the-art facility for audiovisual preservation.

2.British Library, UK

British Library, national library of Great Britain, formed by the British Library Act (1972) and organized by July 1, 1973. British Library serves as the national library of United Kingdom which is located in London. It is also the second largest library of the world. Collection of books are more than 150 million in this library.The British Library holds more than 25 million printed books as well as hundreds of thousands of periodicals, microfilms, rare manuscripts, and titles in electronic form. Its special offerings include the Oriental and India Office Collections, the National Sound Archive, printed music, a map library, and philatelic materials. The British Library adds some 3 million items every year occupying 9.6 kilometres of new shelf space. There is space in the library for over 1,200 readers. In over 400 languages including books, magazines, manuscripts, maps, music scores, newspapers, patents, databases, philatelic items, prints and drawings and sound recordings. The British Library is a major research library, with items in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital.
An interesting fact about the British Library is that it will take you 80,000 years to see the entire collection if you are seeing 5 items daily. Their impressive collection includes handwritten Beatles lyrics and an original draft of Chapter 10 and 11 from Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Telling the stories from over 3000 years of human experience, the treasures from our collection include everything from ancient Chinese oracle bones, Magna Carta, the Lindisfarne Gospels and Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook to the Beatles’ lyrics and musical scores by Beethoven, Handel and Chopin. The British Museum library was long housed in the main building of the British Museum, in Bloomsbury, London. The centrepiece of the British Museum library was the huge round dome-ceilinged Reading Room, which was designed by Sydney Smirke in association with the librarian Anthony Panizzi and completed by 1857. The museum (with its library) was founded in 1753 on the basis of the collections of Sir Hans Sloane; Edward and Robert Harley, earls of Oxford; and Sir Robert Cotton. As the library holdings grew in the 20th century, additional space was acquired in Bloomsbury, and annexes were opened at Bayswater and other London locations. In 1962 the National Lending Library for Science and Technology was established at Boston Spa, Yorkshire. The Newspaper Library became part of the British Library in 1973. It is classified as a Grade I listed building “of exceptional interest” for its architecture and history..

  1. Library And Archives Canada

Collection of books are more than 54 million. Canada’s national library, located in Ottawa, acquires and preserves Canada’s documentary heritage. The Dominion Archives was founded in 1872 as a division within the Department of Agriculture and was transformed into the autonomous Public Archives of Canada in 1912 and renamed the National Archives of Canada in 1987. The design is the direct result of an unprecedented public co-design process that asked Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from across the country to provide inspiration at every stage. The National Library of Canada was founded in 1953. In 2004, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) combined the functions of the National Archives of Canada and the National Library of Canada. LAC’s stated mandate is:
• to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations;
• to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada as a free and democratic society;
• to facilitate in Canada co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge;
• to serve as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
Among its collection, plenty of antique photos are existed. LAC’s holdings include the archival records of the Government of Canada, representative private archives, 20 million books acquired largely through legal deposit, 24 million photographs, and more than a petabyte of digital content. Some of this content, primarily the book collection, university theses and census material, is available online. In homes, schools and libraries across Canada, people are looking for evidence of what it means to be a Canadian. ARCHIVESCANADA.ca is a gateway to archival resources found in over 800 repositories across Canada – it’s your gateway to Canada’s collective memory.

  1. New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is in Manhattan and it’s the fourth largest library in the world. As of 2010, the research collections contain 44,507,623 items (books, videotapes, maps, etc.), while the branch libraries contain 8,438,775 items. It is a private, non-governmental, independently managed, nonprofit corporation operating with both private and public financing. Collection of books are more than 53.1 million. The collections have been organized into more than 100 major topics, ranging from “Accents and Dialects” to “Women’s Studies” with others such as “Baseball,” “Computer Science,” “Gay and Lesbian Studies,” “Immigration,” “Judaica,” “Theatre,” and “U.S. History” in between. Very often, the expendable products of bygone ages are viewed today as treasures, and the Library’s stacks of old newspapers, including the long-defunct New York Atlas, have provided endlessly rich material for scholars and writers. The building is also home to the Library’s historic children’s materials, including the original stuffed animals that inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh children’s classics, as well as circulating collections for children.
In combination with the lending collections, it is the most comprehensive library collection ever brought together for the free use of the public. The library has branches in the boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island and affiliations with academic and professional libraries in the New York metropolitan area. The New York Public Library also has four research libraries, which are also open to the general public. The “New York Public Library” name may also refer to its Main Branch, which is easily recognizable by its lion statues named Patience and Fortitude that sit either side of the entrance. The branch was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and designated a New York City Landmark in 1967. Today the Library continues to make major investments in its most distinctive collections, especially in unique primary source materials.

  1. Russian State Library

Collection of books are more than 44.4 million. The Russian State Library was established in 1862, and even has a nickname: “Leninka.” It is located in Moscow. It was named the V. I. Lenin State Library of the USSR from 1925 until it was renamed in 1992 as the Russian State Library. The library has over 275 km of shelves. There are items in 247 languages of the world, the foreign part representing about 29 percent of the entire collection. The Russian State Library (RSL) is the largest library in Russia, the fifth largest library in the world. It was a part of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums. Now the Russian State Library stores in its holdings books, documents and artefacts. More than 800 thousand people visit the library annually and about 100 thousand new library tickets are issued. There are 36 reading rooms in the RSL, where more than one and a half thousand people can work at the same time. Any citizen of Russia or other state above 14 years old can become a user of the Library.
It is important for the Library not only to enlarge its collections, but also to make them as accessible as possible, paying attention to the preservation of rare and valuable editions. Access to copyrighted documents is only possible from the Library premises. At the end of 2014 by the decision of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation the Russian State Library was appointed the operator of the National Electronic Library (NEL). NEL is a modern project aimed at free access of readers to the collections of key Russian libraries through the integrated portal and search system. The Library is developing and looking for new forms of interaction with the reader. The best and the most interesting of the RSL collections is demonstrated at exhibitions. In 2016 the Russian State Library opened the new museum space for major exhibitions Ivanovsky Hall. On traditional events of LibraryNight, LibraryDay and Open Doors Day experts and everyone are welcome to acquaint with the work of the Library.

  1. National Diet Library

The National Diet Library is located in Tokyo. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the National Diet of Japan, in researching matters of public policy. Collection of books are more than 41.88 million in this Library. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the United States Library of Congress. The National Diet Library has been actively working on digitization of its collections. The National Diet Library (NDL) consists of two main facilities in Tokyo and Kyoto, and several other branch libraries throughout Japan. It is organized on the system of the U.S. Library of Congress, serving legislators and the nation at large through various major divisions and 35 branch libraries. It is Japan’s only national deposit library and also the country’s parliamentary library. The “Digital Library from the Meiji Era”, which was opened to the public in 2002, carries full-text digital images of about 127,000 volumes of 89,000 titles of the books published in the Meiji era (1868-1912). In addition, it has been promoting copyright clearance and digitization of most of the books published in the Taisho era (1912-1926).
The National Diet Library is the successor of three separate libraries: the library of the House of Peers, the library of the House of Representatives, both of which were established at the creation of Japan’s Imperial Diet in 1890; and the Imperial Library, which had been established in 1872 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. National Diet Library, Japanese Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan, is combining the libraries of the upper and lower houses of the Diet with the collections of the former Imperial Library. The “Web Archiving Project (WARP)” is a project to preserve information gathered from the Internet for the sake of future generations. We have collected, selected Internet resources with license agreements, and provided about 1,500 online periodicals and 1,900 websites.

  1. Bibliotheque Nationale De France

Paris is the home of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, a national repository of everything published in France and home to the beautiful Oval Reading Room. Collection of books are more than 40 million in this Library. It contains a portion of the modern manuscripts and archive documents like brochures, programs, screenplays, press clippings, typescripts, correspondences, letters, autographs on performing arts and music from the Richelieu-Louvois Library. Books and periodicals kept in the storage and on the shelves. Documents in audio format (78 rpm recordings, phonograph records, compact discs, and audio cassettes), video format (videotapes and videodiscs), multimedia and electronic formats (CD-ROMS, DVD-ROMS, video games etc.). It contains Objects: brass, carved wood, lithographic stones, fabrics etc. It also contains Iconographic documents: prints, photographs, posters and Printed and handwritten sheet music.
Throughout its history, it has always performed the task of collecting and preserving national and global collections in its care, in any form, for the benefit of all. It is digital library, Gallica was launched in 1997. It is one of the oldest in the world, located in Paris. On the site Francois-Mitterrand, a building whose four angular towers symbolize four open books, overlooking the banks of the 13th arrondissement of Paris, more than 15 million books and printed works are preserved. The garden can be found in between the 4 towers: it can be seen from all over the Library, but entry is not permitted.

  1. National Library Of Russia

The National Library of Russia is in St Petersburg, and has been digitizing many titles — over 80,000 titles are available to view electronically. The Imperial Public Library was established in 1795 by Catherine the Great. Collection of items are more than 36.5 million in this Library. The National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg ,is not only the oldest public library in the nation, but also the first national library in the country. It has the second richest library collection in the Russian Federation, a treasury of national heritage, and is the All-Russian Information, Research and Cultural Center. Over the course of its history, the Library has aimed for comprehensive acquisition of the national printed output and has provided free access to its collections. It is known as the Imperial Public Library. The idea of a public library in Russia emerged in the early 18th century but did not take shape until the arrival of the Russian Enlightenment.
The cornerstone of the foreign-language department came from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the form of Załuski’s Library (420,000 volumes), nationalized by the Russian government at the time of the partitions. The Polish-language books from the library (numbering some 55,000 titles) were returned to Poland by the Russian SFSR in 1921. For five years after its foundation, the library was run by Comte Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier. The stocks were arranged according to a specially compiled manual of library classification. In 1810, Emperor Alexander I approved Russia’s first library law stipulating, among other things, that two legal copies of all printed matter in Russia be deposited in the Library.

  1. Royal Danish Library

The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark. Collection of books are more than 35.1 million in this Library and it is largest in the Nordic countries. In 2017 it merged with the State and University Library in Aarhus to form a combined national library. The combined library organisation is known as the Royal Danish Library. The “Black Diamond” is a characteristic new library building at the waterfront of Copenhagen. The building from 1999 is designed by the Danish architects Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen. The Library building is shiny, black facets mirror the sea and the sky at the harbour front. It is an extension to the Royal Library. It is founded in 1648. It houses many ancient manuscripts, notably The Gutenberg Bible and the manuscripts and letters of Hans Christian Andersen. The name refers to the prismatic sharp edges and the black marble plates and glass of the exterior, that reflects the water of the harbour. Also from the wave-like balconies of central foyer, that cuts into the building as an 24 meter high atrium, there is a panoramic view over the harbour.
The variety of cultural activities of the new building has turned The Royal Library into a central cultural centre of Copenhagen as part of the harbour promenade. The ceiling of the bridge between the old and the new is decorated by the Danish artist Per Kirkeby. In the old building of The Royal Library a Jewish museum has been designed by Daniel Libeskind in 2004 with sloping floors and light wooden interior. The seven stories of the building contain not only traditional library functions such as the four new reading rooms, but also a concert hall, exhibition galleries, bookshop, cafe and restaurant. It contains numerous historical treasures, and a copy of all works printed in Denmark since the 17th century are deposited there. A large incision cleaves the building into two formations and gives light to the atrium inside. The atrium connects the city with the sea outside as well as the old and new library buildings. The glass facade is held by iron girders weighing approximately one metric tonne per metre.

  1. The National Library of China

The National Library of China in Beijing has many rare Chinese items such as ancient books, oracle bones and tortoise shells from the Shang dynasty, and Buddhist manuscripts from the sixth century. Collection of items are more than 35.1 million in this Library. In 1916, the library received depository library status. In July 1928, its name was changed to National Peiping Library and was later changed to the National Library. The design of KSP Jurgen Engel for the new National Library of China in Beijing was the winning entry in an international competition. It is founded in 1909. The tripartite design of the library, symbolizing the past, present and future, consists of a solid base, a glazed center section enclosing structural cores and a steel-clad volume at the top. The stone-clad plinth houses the books and documents, representing China‘s rich cultural tradition. The steel box at the top houses the digital library. Weighing 10,388 tons, the 120 × 105 m earthquake-proof steel of the roof structure is designed as a steel lattice framework. Six reinforced cores transfer this load to the base, thus enabling the column-free floating ceiling over the grand reading room.
The glazed center section accommodates the public information area, access to reading rooms, foyer and cafeteria – all activities anchored to the present. The NLC faces the challenges of readership in the technological age. The creation of the National Digital Library is part of a strategy to combat this trend and to provide integrated services that include the availability of 10,000 e-books, mobile phone enabled library services and the use of RFID technology for the ease of locating items. Web pages, e-journals, blogs and so on – that appear only electronically.” With only 20 % of the National Library’s holdings available to the public in digital form in 2008, the Digital Library will greatly increase the reach of the National Library.

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THE LARGEST 10 ANIMALS IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO VARIOUS CATEGORIES

by Sree DivyaUncategorizedLeave a Comment on THE LARGEST 10 ANIMALS IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO VARIOUS CATEGORIES

Our world is full of creatures big and small, short and tall. Largest 10 animals in the world, classified by various categories such as mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians etc are given below. There’s an incredibly detailed list of some of the world’s largest organisms.

1.The Largest Animal:
The Blue Whale

photo of whale underwater
Photo by Elianne Dipp on Pexels.com

These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long and upwards of 200 tons. Their incredible size is only possible because of their aquatic lifestyles and the buoyancy provided by seawater. Blue whales are among the loudest animals on the planet. Blue whales live in all the world’s oceans, except the Arctic. Blue whales are among Earth’s longest-lived animals. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as an automobile. Krill are considered as the main source of food for many larger animals. Blue whales reach these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals called krill. During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 6 tons of krill a day. Fish and copepods (tiny crustaceans) may occasionally be part of the blue whale’s diet. Blue whales look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-grey. Their underbellies take on a yellowish hue from the millions of micro organisms that take up residence in their skin.
The blue whale has a broad, flat head and a long, tapered body that ends in wide, triangular flukes. These graceful swimmers cruise the ocean at more than five miles an hour, but accelerate to more than 20 miles an hour when they are agitated. They emit a series of pulses, groans, and moans, and it’s thought that, in good conditions, blue whales can hear each other up to 1,000 miles away. Like all whales, blue whales are mammals and give live birth to very large calves that they nurse for six or seven months. A baby blue whale emerges weighing up to 3 tons and stretching to 25 feet. Average lifespan is estimated at around 80 to 90 years. Today, a primary threat to blue whale recovery is accidental interactions with fishing gear and with ships, but their numbers are slowly increasing. To compound their trouble, however, blue whales’ preferred food source – krill – is now fished commercially.

2.The Heaviest Land Animal in the World:
The African Bush Elephant

elephant near plants and trees
Photo by RENATO CONTI on Pexels.com

The African bush elephant is the largest of the three elephant species. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that look somewhat like the continent of Africa. It is also known as “ecosystem engineers.” Adults reach up to 24 feet in length and 13 feet in height and weigh up to 11 tons. As herbivores, they spend much of their days foraging and eating grass, leaves, bark, fruit, and a variety of foliage. They need to eat about 350 pounds of vegetation every day. African elephants live up to 70 years. An elephant’s trunk is a strong appendage, with more than 40,000 muscles and tendons that can lift more than 400 pounds at once. Elephants are fond of water. Elephants suck water up through the trunk and then blow it into their mouths for drinking or onto their backs as a cooling mist. Elephants use their tusks to pull bark off trees, dig up roots and water holes, and for protection. Because elephants require substantial amounts of food and a large area in which to forage, habitat destruction across their range is a major threat to survival. As of late, poaching has caused the most serious damage to African bush elephant populations, with approximately 25,000 being lost every year.
The Nature Conservancy is using a comprehensive three-pronged approach to elephant protection. During the dry season, they use their tusks to dig up dry riverbeds and create watering holes many animals can drink from. Their dung is full of seeds, helping plants spread across the environment and it makes pretty good habitat for dung beetles too. In the forest, their feasting on trees and shrubs creates pathways for smaller animals to move through, and in the savanna, they uproot trees and eat saplings, which helps keep the landscape open for zebras and other plains animals to thrive. Elephant ears radiate heat to help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat is too much. Females give birth to a single calf after a 22 month gestation, the longest gestation period among mammals.

3.The Tallest Land Animal in the World:
The Giraffe

brown giraffe walking on brown grass
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal and the tallest living terrestrial animal with coat pattern of irregular brown patches on a light background in the world. It stands 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,930 kg (3,500 lb) for males and 1180 kg (1,800 lb) for females. The giraffe has an extremely elongated neck, which can be over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length, accounting for nearly half of the animal’s vertical height. It’s prehensile tongues almost half a metre long. The tail may be a metre in length and Speeds of 50 km (31 miles) per hour can be maintained. When the giraffe lowers its head to the ground, special vessels at the base of the brain control blood pressure.
They have excellent eyesight, and when one giraffe stares, for example, at a lion a kilometre away, the others look in that direction too. Giraffes live up to 26 years in the wild. Giraffes prefer to eat new shoots and leaves, mainly from the thorny acacia tree. Cows in particular select high-energy low-fibre items. They are prodigious eaters, and a large male consumes about 65 kg (145 pounds) of food per day. Giraffes obtain most water from their food, though in the dry season they drink at least every three days. Gestation is 15 months. If lions or hyenas attack, a mother sometimes stands over her calf, kicking at the predators with front and back legs. About half of very young calves are killed by lions and hyenas.

4.The Largest Carnivora in the World:
The Southern Elephant Seal

Male Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) trying to mate with a recently weaned pup on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands.

There are two species of elephant seals, the northern and southern. The southern elephant seal is a true seal and is the largest pinniped and carnivoran in the world. Southern elephant seals live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters that feature brutally cold conditions but are rich in the fish, squid, and other marine foods these seals enjoy. Southern elephant seals are grayish brown in colour and are covered with thick blubber. Southern elephants are the largest of all seals. Males can be over 20 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds. But these massive pinnipeds aren’t called elephant seals because of their size. Southern elephant seals have been recorded diving up to 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) and can stay underwater for nearly two hours. Southern elephant seal diet is largely composed of squid, mollusks, krill, cephalopods, and algae.

Elephant seals were aggressively hunted for their oil, and their numbers were once reduced to the brink of extinction. Historically, southern elephant seals were hunted to very low numbers because of the value and volume of their blubber, which was rendered into oil. Fortunately, populations have rebounded under legal protections. Adult males are enormous at least six times larger than polar bears and nearly twice the size of the next largest seal that is the northern elephant seal. Southern elephant seals are open ocean predators and spend much of their time at sea. Large southern elephant seals have few predators, but killer whales, leopard seals, and some large sharks are known to feed on this species. Potential impacts of expanding Southern Ocean fisheries and ongoing climate change on the populations of this seal are not well known, so it is important to continue to study and monitor this and other Antarctic seals. Southern elephant seals breed on land but spend their winters in the frigid Antarctic waters near the Antarctic pack ice. The current population is estimated at 650,000 individuals. The larger males fight one another to establish dominance over a particular section of beach. Females give birth to a single pup each year after an 11-month pregnancy and continue to nurse their pups.

5.The Largest Land Carnivores in the World:
The Polar Bear and Kodiak Bear

brown bear in body of water during daytime
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Kodiak bear, also known as the Kodiak brown bear, sometimes the “Alaskan brown bear”, inhabits the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. The Kodiak bear, on the other hand, commonly reaches sizes of 300 to 600 kg (660 to 1,320 lb), and has even been known to exceed weights of 680 kg. Stability of the Kodiak bear population have arisen. Kodiak bear will eat a large variety of plant and animal species. When standing on its hind legs the Kodiak bear is as tall as 10 ft (3 m). Females, called sows, are typically about 20-30% smaller than males, which are referred to as boars. The largest island in the archipelago is known as Kodiak Island. It is the second-largest island in the USA and is considered the heart of the Kodiak bear’s range. With food being abundant, bears live in relatively high density and their home ranges overlap significantly. They will feed on mainly salmon during this time while building up their fat reserves for winter. Hunters frequently seek the rare species to harvest its meat or simply claim it as a trophy. Cubs are typically born about 8 months later. Young bears will remain with their mothers for about 3 years before setting out on their own. The polar bear is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle. It is the largest recognized subspecies or population of the brown bear, and one of the two largest bears alive today, the other being the polar bear.
There is generally much variation in size between brown bears in different areas, most usually weigh between 115 and 360 kg. a sow (adult female) is about half that size of boar(adult male). Many body characteristics of Polar bear are adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of circumpolar peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures. Polar bears swim in that region’s coastal waters. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. Some polar bears have been seen swimming hundreds of miles from land. Polar bears live in one of the planet’s coldest environments and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Polar bears live in one of the planet’s coldest environments and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Under their fur, polar bears have black skin – the better to soak in the sun’s warming rays. polar bears will also consume carcasses, such as those of dead whales. Polar bears are attractive and appealing, but they are powerful predators that do not typically fear humans, which can make them dangerous.

6.The Largest Reptile in the World:
The Saltwater Crocodile

Large Australian Saltwater Crocodile lies of a river bank in Broome, Western Australia.

Saltwater crocodiles or estuarine crocodiles, are enormous creatures and the world’s largest living reptiles. The average male is 5m in length and weighs around 500kg, while females are significantly smaller, with the average female saltwater crocodile measuring a little under 3m in length and weighing less than 100kg. A huge male saltwater Crocodiles are estimated to have weighed a staggering 1500-2000kg. The animal most likely to eat a human—is the saltwater or estuarine crocodile. Saltwater crocodiles, or “salties,” as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers. They can travel long distances by sea, sometimes as much as 900km.
They’ll feed on anything they can get their jaws on, including water buffalo, monkeys, wild boar, and even sharks. Without warning, they explode from the water with a thrash of their powerful tails, grasp their victim, and drag it back in, holding it under until the animal drowns. Saltwater crocodiles have long life spans, with many living to more than 65 years, longer than any other crocodile species. It’s possible that some saltwater crocodiles may live for over a century. Only 1% of newborn saltwater crocodiles will survive to adulthood. Australian legend has it that crocodiles sleep with one eye open – and scientists have now proved it to be true. It involves shutting down only one half of their brain at a time, keeping the other half alert to danger. The central nervous system is wired up such that the right eye remains open when the left side of the brain is awake, and vice versa. They typically feed on fish, mammals and birds, preferring to hunt at night. It is is capable of killing and eating pretty much anything that comes into its territory, including sharks and humans.

7.The Largest Amphibian in the World:
The Chinese Giant Salamander

Hong Kong Ocean Park

Chinese giant salamander once had the world at its wet, stubby feet. It’s a “living fossil,” having seen the dinosaurs come and go, and it is currently the largest amphibian on the planet. It is Capable of growing nearly 6 feet in length (1.8 meters). This makes the giant salamanders one of the most evolutionarily isolated families on the amphibian tree of life, residing at the tips of a long, solitary branch. The Chinese Giant Salamader lives and breeds in large hill streams, normally in forested areas. It is a mottled grayish or greenish and brown, with a long, thick body with four stubby limbs, and a blunt head with tiny eyes (with no eye lids) behind its nostrils. Its tail makes up over half of its body length.
The Japanese giant salamander is a bit smaller than its Chinese counterpart, while North America’s largest salamander, the hellbender, may reach 28 inches (70 centimeters) in length. These three giants make up the family Cryptobranchidae. This creature lives underwater yet does not have gills—it absorbs oxygen through its skin. there could be at least five distinct giant salamander species that developed independently in isolated locations over millions of years. the main threat to Chinese giant salamanders is humans hunting them with nets and hooks. As apex predators, they are used to slurping up a wide variety of aquatic creatures, and can accidentally swallow or become tangled in lines of hooks.

8.The Largest Rabbit/Hare in the World:
The Flemish Giant

The Flemish Giant rabbit is a very large breed of domestic rabbit, normally considered to be the largest breed of the species. Flemish Giants are historically a utility breed bred for fur and meat.. The breed is also known for being docile and patient in being handled, resulting in the large animals commonly being kept as pets. The Flemish Giant is an ancestor of many rabbit breeds all over the world, one of which is the Belgian Hare, imported into England in the mid 19th century. It is one of the more popular breeds at rabbit shows because of its unusually large size and its varying colors. They come in seven colours. The National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders recognizes Black, Blue, Fawn, Light Gray, Steel Gray, Sandy, and White as the official color varieties. The male and female have different head shapes. As one of the largest breeds of domestic rabbit, the Flemish Giant is a semi-arch type rabbit with its back arch starting behind the shoulders and carrying through to the base of the tail giving a “mandolin” shape.
Flemish Giant Rabbits weigh 6.8 kilograms (15 lb) on average, through the biggest ones can weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb), and the longest one on record, measured about 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) long. “The American Rabbit Breeders Association Standard of Perfection” dictates that a rabbit under six months and at least 6.5 pounds is eligible for entry in the Junior class, one between six and eight months is considered Intermediate, and eight months and older must be entered as a Senior. Their originsare highly contested among Flemish Giant rabbit historins. Other giant rabbit breeds named for different places exist, including the Continental Giant, German Giant, and British Giant. Each breed differs a bit from the Flemish Giant. The Rabbit Geek website posted information about this from a rabbit show judge and member of the British Rabbit Council.

9.The Largest Bats in the World:
The Giant golden-crowned flying fox

The golden-crowned flying fox is one of the largest bat species in the world, it can be incredibly hard to find. The giant golden-crowned flying fox, also known as the golden-capped fruit bat, is a species of megabat endemic to the Philippines. It is primarily frugivorous, consuming several kinds of fig. However, its diet also includes some leaves. As it eats fruits, primarily figs, it distributes their seeds all over the forest, contributing to reforestation in the Philippines. It also will sometimes eat fruit grown for agricultural use, but only if it is near undisturbed forests. It forages at night and sleeps during the day in tree roosts. The giant golden-crowned flying fox, also known as the golden-capped fruit bat, is a species of megabat endemic to the Philippines. It is one of the largest bat species in the world, weighing up to 1.4 kg (3.1 lb)—only the Indian and great flying fox can weigh more. It has the longest documented forearm length of any bat species at 215 mm (8.5 in). Owing to deforestation and poaching for bushmeat, it is an endangered species. It is still affected by human disturbance via tourists who intentionally disturb them during the day. can be found in forest patches near human population centers, including along roads and on resort grounds. In all cases, this species enjoys having other bat neighbors, as they share their roosts with several flying fox species—most commonly the large flying fox. Local communities hunt bats for sale, sport and personal consumption. In addition, more than 90 percent of the Philippines’ old-growth forests have been destroyed, and the species has completely disappeared from several of its old roosting sites on multiple islands. It gives birth annually from April through June, with females having one pup at a time.

10.The Largest Rodent in the World:
The Capybara

The capybara is twice that big—the biggest rodent on Earth. These impressive semi-aquatic mammals are found throughout much of northern and central South America, though a small invasive population has been seen in Florida. Capybara, also called carpincho or water hog. Like beavers, capybaras are strong swimmers. South American capybaras may be 1.25 metres (4 feet) long and weigh 66 kg (145 pounds) or more. Panamanian capybaras are smaller and weigh about 27 kg. They are shy and associate in groups along the banks of lakes and rivers. Small eyes, noses, no tail, and hairless ears are located high on their heads so that their faces remain exposed and alert when most of their body is submerged. Like other rodents, capybaras’ teeth grow continuously, and they wear them down by grazing on aquatic plants, grasses, and other plentiful plants. Their pig-shaped bodies are adapted for life in bodies of water found in forests, seasonally flooded savannas, and wetlands. Their toes are partially webbed for paddling around, and their reddish to dark brown fur is long and brittle—perfect for drying out quickly on land. Their favorite snack foods are snakes like the boa constrictor, crab-eating foxes, small cats, and birds of prey like the caracara and black vulture. Females usually have one litter of four to five young per year. Though considered to have a stable population overall, in some areas capybaras are severely threatened by people who hunt them for their skin, and some local populations have been wiped out.

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THE LARGEST PLANETS OF SOLAR SYSTEM ACCORDING TO SIZE

by Sree DivyaUncategorizedLeave a Comment on THE LARGEST PLANETS OF SOLAR SYSTEM ACCORDING TO SIZE

Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity — the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, dwarf planets such as Pluto, dozens of moons and millions of asteroids, comets and meteoroids. The most recent definition of a planet was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It says a planet must do three things: The Sun, and everything that orbits it, is located in the Milky Way galaxy. Must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun). It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape. It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun. This is a partial list of Solar System objects by size, arranged in descending order of mean volumetric radius, and divided into several size classes. These lists can also be sorted according to an object’s mass and, for the largest objects, volume, density and surface gravity, insofar as these values are available.

1.Jupiter

In our solar system Jupiter is at nearly 11 times the size of Earth and 317 times its mass with a radius of 43,440.7 miles (69,911 kilometers). Despite its size, Jupiter has the shortest day of any other planet; it only takes about 10 hours for a complete rotation. In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei used a new invention called the telescope to look at Jupiter and discovered the first moons known to exist beyond Earth. The discovery ended incorrect, ancient belief that everything, including the Sun and other planets, orbited the Earth. From an average distance of 484 million miles (778 million kilometers), Jupiter is 5.2 astronomical units away from the Sun. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Jupiter’s familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. Jupiter is the fifth planet from our Sun. Jupiter is surrounded by dozens of moons. Jupiter also has several rings, but unlike the famous rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s rings are very faint and made of dust, not ice. Jupiter spins nearly upright and does not have seasons as extreme as other planets do. Jupiter has a central core of solid material or if it may be a thick, super-hot and dense soup. It could be up to 90,032 degrees Fahrenheit (50,000 degrees Celsius).
Jupiter has the same ingredients as a star, but it did not grow massive enough to ignite. Jupiter doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids. It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Jupiter. Jupiter’s appearance is a tapestry of colorful cloud bands and spots. With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter has 53 confirmed moons and 26 provisional moons awaiting confirmation of discovery. Jupiter’s four largest moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Jupiter’s environment is probably not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to. It is on average the third-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. it was named after the king of the gods in Roman mythology. In a similar manner, the ancient Greeks named the planet after Zeus, the king of the Greek pantheon. Jupiter’s immense volume could hold more than 1,300 Earths. That means that if Jupiter were the size of a basketball, Earth would be the size of a grape.

2.Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. Twice every 29 and a half years the great planet Saturn appears ringless. Saturn is heavily present in pop culture. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is unique among the planets with a radius of 36,183.7 miles (58,232 kilometers)and 9 times wider than Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball. It is Surrounded by more than 60 known moons. The Saturn system is a rich source of scientific discovery and still holds many mysteries. From an average distance of 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers), Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 80 minutes to travel from the Sun to Saturn.
Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system. It’s hard to imagine, but Saturn is the only planet in our solar system whose average density is less than water. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids deeper down. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Saturn, it wouldn’t be able to fly through unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures deep inside the planet crush, melt and vaporize spacecraft trying to fly into the planet. The planet is many different shades of yellow, brown and grey. Saturn’s magnetic field is smaller than Jupiter’s but still 578 times as powerful as Earth’s. Saturn’s rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn’s powerful gravity. Saturn’s ring system extends up to 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) from the planet, yet the vertical height is typically about 30 feet (10 meters) in the main rings. Saturn’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to.

3.Uranus

Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The planet was named for Uranus, the Greek god of the sky. The seventh planet from the Sun with the third largest diameter in our solar system, Uranus is very cold and windy. The ice giant is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side, orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball. One day Uranus takes about 17 hours to rotate and Uranus makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 84 Earth years. Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit. With a radius of 15,759.2 miles (25,362 kilometers), Uranus is 4 times wider than Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Uranus would be about as big as a softball. From an average distance of 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers), Uranus is 19.8 astronomical units away from the Sun. It takes sunlight 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel from the Sun to Uranus.

Uranus is also one of just two planets that rotate in the opposite direction than most of the planets (Venus is the other one), from east to west. Uranus is slightly larger in diameter than its neighbor Neptune. Most (80 percent or more) of the planet’s mass is made up of a hot dense fluid of “icy” materials—water, methane and ammonia—above a small rocky core. Near the core, it heats up to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,982 degrees Celsius). Uranus gets its blue-green color from methane gas in the atmosphere. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere and is reflected back out by Uranus’ cloud tops. Uranus doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling fluids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Uranus, it wouldn’t be able to fly through its atmosphere unscathed either. Uranus’ atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of methane and traces of water and ammonia. The methane gives Uranus its signature blue color. Uranus has an unusual, irregularly shaped magnetosphere. Uranus’ environment is not conducive to life as we know it. Uranus has been visited only once by a spacecraft: Voyager 2.

4.Neptune

Dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds, ice giant Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet in our solar system. Neptune has 14 known moons. Neptune’s largest moon Triton was discovered on October 10, 1846, by William Lassell. More than 30 times as far from the Sun as Earth, Neptune is the only planet in our solar system not visible to the naked eye. Neptune is our solar system’s windiest world. Neptune is the farthest planet from our Sun. Neptune is very similar to Uranus. It’s made of a thick soup of water, ammonia, and methane over an Earth-sized solid center. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane gives Neptune the same blue color as Uranus. Neptune has six rings, but they’re very hard to see. The warm light we see here on our home planet is roughly 900 times as bright as sunlight on Neptune. The ice giant Neptune was discovered in 1846. With a radius of 15,299.4 miles (24,622 kilometers), Neptune is about four times wider than Earth.
If Earth were the size of a nickel, Neptune would be about as big as a baseball. From an average distance of 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers), Neptune is 30 astronomical units away from the Sun. From this distance, it takes sunlight 4 hours to travel from the Sun to Neptune. Neptune takes about 16 hours to rotate or spin once. And Neptune makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 165 Earth years (60,190 Earth days). Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune. Scientists think there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune’s cold clouds. It does not boil away because incredibly high pressure keeps it locked inside. Neptune does not have a solid surface. Its atmosphere extends to great depths, gradually merging into water and other melted ices over a heavier, solid core with about the same mass as Earth. Neptune is a more vivid, brighter blue. Neptune’s winds can be three times stronger than Jupiter’s and nine times stronger than Earth’s. Neptune’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to.

5.Earth

The name Earth is a Germanic word with a radius of 3,959 miles (6,371 kilometers), which simply means “the ground. “Our home planet is the third planet from the Sun, and the only place we know of so far that’s inhabited by living things. While Earth is only the fifth largest planet in the solar system. it is the only world in our solar system with liquid water on the surface. Just slightly larger than nearby Venus, Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the Sun, all of which are made of rock and metal. Earth is the only planet that has a single moon. Our Moon is the brightest and most familiar object in the night sky. The Moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away from Earth. From an average distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers), Earth is exactly one astronomical unit away from the Sun. It takes about eight minutes for light from the Sun to reach our planet.
As Earth orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 23.9 hours. It takes 365.25 days to complete one trip around the Sun. That extra quarter of a day presents a challenge to our calendar system, which counts one year as 365 days. To keep our yearly calendars consistent with our orbit around the Sun, every four years we add one day. That day is called a leap day, and the year it’s added to is called a leap year. Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet’s center, enveloped by the outer core, mantle and crust. It has a solid and active surface with mountains, valleys, canyons, plains and so much more. Earth is special because it is an ocean planet. Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface. Earth’s atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen and has plenty of oxygen for us to breathe. The atmosphere also protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up before they can hit the surface. Earth’s global ocean, which covers nearly 70 percent of the planet’s surface, has an average depth of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) and contains 97 percent of Earth’s water. Earth has an atmosphere that consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide and neon.

6.venus

Similar in size and structure to Earth, Venus has been called Earth’s twin. These are not identical twins, however – there are radical differences between the two worlds. Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and is Earth’s closest neighbor in the solar system. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon, and sometimes looks like a bright star in the morning or evening sky. Average diameter of Venus is about 7,500 miles. Surface temperature is 864 degress Fahrenheit. Venus has a thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide. It’s perpetually shrouded in thick, yellowish clouds of mostly sulfuric acid that trap heat, causing a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s the hottest planet in our solar system.
The surface of Venus is not where you’d like to be, with temperatures that can melt lead, an atmosphere so thick it would crush you, and clouds of sulfuric acid that smell like rotten eggs. you couldn’t breathe the air, you would be crushed by the enormous weight of the atmosphere, and you would burn up in surface temperatures high enough to melt lead. The atmosphere traps the small amount of energy from the sun that does reach the surface along with the heat the planet itself releases. It is always found near the Sun. It rises and sets each day, so it has the nicknames Morning and Evening Star! Scientists found that Venus rotates backwards. This means that on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

7.Mars

Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon gases. It is frequently called the “Red Planet” because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or rust, causing the surface to look red. Today, a science fleet of robotic spacecraft study Mars from all angles. With a radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers), Mars is about half the size of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mars would be about as big as a raspberry. From an average distance of 142 million miles (228 million kilometers), Mars is 1.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 13 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mars. As Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours). Like Earth, Mars has distinct seasons, but they last longer than seasons here on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun. On Mars the seasons vary in length because of Mars’ elliptical, egg-shaped orbit around the Sun. Mars has a dense core at its center between 930 and 1,300 miles (1,500 to 2,100 kilometers) in radius. It’s made of iron, nickel and sulfur. Surrounding the core is a rocky mantle between 770 and 1,170 miles (1,240 to 1,880 kilometers) thick, and above that, a crust made of iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and potassium. This crust is between 6 and 30 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) deep.

Mars formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the fourth planet from the Sun. The Red Planet is actually many colors. At the surface we see colors such as brown, gold and tan. Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons. It’s three times taller than Earth’s Mt. Everest. Mars appears to have had a watery past, with ancient river valley networks, deltas and lakebeds, as well as rocks and minerals on the surface that could only have formed in liquid water. There is water on Mars today, but the Martian atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. The temperature on Mars can be as high as 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) or as low as about -225 degrees Fahrenheit (-153 degrees Celsius). Mars has no global magnetic field today. Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Phobos, the innermost and larger moon, is slowly moving towards Mars and will crash into the planet or break apart in about 50 million years. Scientists don’t expect to find living things currently thriving on Mars.

8.Mercury

The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon. It doesn’t have any moons. Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days. With a radius of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers), Mercury is a little more than 1/3 the width of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mercury would be about as big as a blueberry. From an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers), Mercury is 0.4 astronomical units away from the Sun. It takes sunlight 3.2 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mercury. Mercury’s highly eccentric, egg-shaped orbit takes the planet as close as 29 million miles (47 million kilometers) and as far as 43 million miles (70 million kilometers) from the Sun. Mercury spins slowly on its axis and completes one rotation every 59 Earth days. Mercury is the second densest planet, after Earth. It has a large metallic core with a radius of about 1,289 miles (2,074 kilometers), about 85 percent of the planet’s radius.

Mercury has a central core, a rocky mantle and a solid crust. It’s actually not the hottest. Along with Venus, Earth, and Mars, Mercury is one of the rocky planets. Mercury spins slowly compared to Earth. Mercury takes 59 Earth days to make one full rotation. It goes around the Sun in just 88 Earth days. Most of Mercury’s surface would appear greyish-brown to the human eye. Temperatures on the surface of Mercury are extreme, both hot and cold. During the day, temperatures on Mercury’s surface can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius). Because the planet has no atmosphere to retain that heat, nighttime temperatures on the surface can drop to minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 180 degrees Celsius).  Mercury’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures and solar radiation that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to.

9.Pluto

Pluto is a complex and mysterious world with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and maybe glaciers. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system’s ninth planet. Icy Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Pluto is orbited by five known moons, the largest of which is Charon. Charon is about half the size of Pluto itself. Pluto and Charon are often referred to as a “double planet.” With a radius of 715 miles (1,151 kilometers), Pluto is about 1/6 the width of Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Pluto would be about as big as a popcorn kernel. From an average distance of 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers), Pluto is 39 astronomical units away from the sun. It takes sunlight 5.5 hours to travel from the sun to Pluto. Pluto’s orbit around the sun is unusual compared to the planets. Pluto was actually closer to the sun than Neptune. One day on Pluto takes about 153 hours. Pluto is about two-thirds the diameter of Earth’s moon and probably has a rocky core surrounded by a mantle of water ice. Interesting ices like methane and nitrogen frost coat its surface.

Due to its lower density, Pluto’s mass is about one-sixth that of Earth’s moon. Pluto’s surface is characterized by mountains, valleys, plains, and craters. The temperature on Pluto can be as cold as -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-226 to -240 degrees Celsius). Pluto’s mountains can be as tall as 6,500 to 9,800 feet (2 to 3 kilometers) and are big blocks of water ice, sometimes with a coating of frozen gases like methane. Craters as large as 162 miles (260 kilometers) in diameter dot some of the landscape on Pluto, with some showing signs of erosion and filling. The main constituent is molecular nitrogen, though molecules of methane and carbon monoxide have also been detected. Pluto’s low gravity (about six percent of Earth’s) causes the atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than our planet’s atmosphere. Pluto has a magnetic field. There are no known rings around Pluto. Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx. The surface of Pluto is extremely cold, so it seems unlikely that life could exist there. At such cold temperatures, water, which is vital for life as we know it, is essentially rock-like. Pluto’s interior is warmer, however, and some think there could even be an ocean deep inside.

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