Our Home – Planet Earth

Our Planet
© Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

The third planet from the sun, Planet Earth, is our home. Earth is the fifth largest planet in the solar system and the largest of the inner planets. It is the only planet known to have life. From outer space, you can see the amount of water found on our planet (around 2/3 of the planet is underwater).  

Our planet is made up of many different layers. The layer we live on is called the crust. This thin layer is made up of many different plates that move along the crust. Below the crust is the mantle. This layer is made up of rocks. The centre of the Earth is the core. The core is made up of two layers, the outer and inner core. The outer core is a liquid layer, while the inner core is a boiling hot solid layer.