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          Earth is the only planet in the Solar
        
        
          System that can support life, because
        
        
          it’s just the right distance from the Sun.
        
        
          Our amazing world is a huge ball of
        
        
          liquid rock with a solid surface.
        
        
          Earth’s structure
        
        
          
            Life-support systems
          
        
        
          Earth’s atmosphere and
        
        
          its surface water play
        
        
          an important role in
        
        
          supporting life. They
        
        
          help keep our planet at
        
        
          just the right temperature
        
        
          by absorbing the Sun’s
        
        
          heat and moving it
        
        
          around the world.
        
        
          What is the world’s tallest mountain range?
        
        
          
            Planet Earth
          
        
        
          
            Mantle
          
        
        
          
            Crust
          
        
        
          
            Core
          
        
        
          
            Inside the Earth
          
        
        
          If you could cut the Earth open, you’d
        
        
          see it’s made up of layers. The thin top
        
        
          layer, where we live, is called the crust.
        
        
          Underneath is a layer of syrup-like rock
        
        
          called the mantle, then an outer core of
        
        
          molten (liquid) iron and nickel. At the
        
        
          centre is a solid iron-and-nickel core.
        
        
          Seen from space, Earth is a mass
        
        
          of blue oceans and swirling clouds.
        
        
          
            Outer
          
        
        
          
            core