Earth (or the Earth) is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth

-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets. It is sometimes referred to as the wor ld, the Blue Planet,[20] or by its Latin name, Terra.[note 6] Earth formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within one billion years.[21] The planet is home to millions of species, including humans. [22] Earth's biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abioti c conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms as w ell as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic fi eld, blocks harmful solar radiation, permitting life on land.[23] The physical p roperties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have allowe d life to persist during this period. Estimates on how much longer the planet wi ll to be able to continue to support life range from a mere 500 million years, t o as long as 2.3 billion years.[24][25][26] Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates , that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered by salt water oceans, with the remainder consistin g of continents and islands which together have many lakes and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere. Earth's poles are mostly covered with solid ice (Antarctic ice sheet) or sea ice (Arctic ice cap). The planet's interi or remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core. Earth interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once every 366.26 times it rotates about its own axis, which is equal to 365.26 solar days, or one sidereal year.[note 7] The Ear th's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4 away from the perpendicular of its orbital p lane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days).[27] Earth's only known natural satellite, th e Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tid es, stabilizes the axial tilt, and gradually slows the planet's rotation. Betwee n approximately 3.8 billion and 4.1 billion years ago, numerous asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the greater sur face environment. Both the mineral resources of the planet and the products of the biosphere contr ibute resources that are used to support a global human population.[28] These in habitants are grouped into about 200 independent sovereign states, which interac t through diplomacy, travel, trade, and military action. Human cultures have dev eloped many views of the planet, including personification as a deity, a belief in a flat Earth or in the Earth as the center of the universe, and a modern pers pective of the world as an integrated environment that requires stewardship.