Environmental Facts

How much do you know about our nature? There are several things that could empower your knowledge about the nature and environment.

• Earth’s surface is covered with 70.9% water, 29.1% land.

• Only about 3% of total earth water is drinkable, the other 97% water is salt water

• Water of the lakes, ponds, swamps, streams, rivers and all other surface water make only 0.3% of the earth’s fresh water.

• 68.7 % of the earth’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers.

• About 30% of earth’s fresh water is ground water

• The Yoruba ethnic group has the highest rate of twin births in the world. Rumor has it that the high yam consumption has something to do with this.

• Frozen water makes 1.7% of total earth’s water

• The Niger Delta in Nigeria is the second largest delta on the planet.

• Water can dissolve many substances, more than any other liquids. Even sulfuric acid cannot dissolve as many substances as water. ·

• More than 25% of bottled water actually comes from municipal tap water.

• A slight rise in sea level due to melting of ice caps can drown many countries around the world in the coaster areas. 

• Our atmosphere contains more water as vapor than all the rivers in the world combined. If this vapor came down as water it would be enough to cover the whole world with about an inch of water.

• The name America comes from an Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. North America contains United States of America and Canada, which is the only continent that has every kind of climate and five time zones.

• The largest continent of the world is Asia, which covers one third of the earth’s surface. 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia, and 30% of the land of the world is in Asia.

• 1% of Australia’s untapped geothermal power potential could provide enough energy to last 26,000 years.

• Only 1% of China’s 560 million city residents breathe air that is considered safe by the European Union

• Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of energy, 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space and 60 pounds of air pollution

• The human population on earth has grown more in the last 50 years than it did in the previous 4 million years. 

• One in four mammals is at risk of extinction.

• At least 50 million acres of rain forest are lost every year, totaling an area the size of England, Wales and Scotland combined.

• Average temperatures will increase by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the current pace.

• If the entire world lived like the average American, we’d need 5 planets to provide enough resources