Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Learning path · Beginner

Our living planet

How Earth's landscapes, climates and ecosystems fit together, from mountains to coral reefs. 7 guides, about 55 minutes of reading.

  1. Plate tectonics: why continents move

    The evidence for drifting plates, the three boundary types, and what each one builds or destroys.

    Step 1 · Earth and space · 7 min read
  2. Volcanoes and earthquakes

    Why the ground shakes and mountains erupt, how scientists measure them, and how people reduce the danger.

    Step 2 · Earth and space · 8 min read
  3. The water cycle

    How water moves between oceans, air, ice, rivers and underground, and why the cycle is changing as the planet warms.

    Step 3 · Earth and space · 7 min read
  4. Climate zones and biomes

    Why the world is divided into tundra, taiga, grassland, desert and rainforest, and what decides which one you live in.

    Step 4 · Geography · 8 min read
  5. Tropical rainforests

    Why the forests around the equator hold more species than anywhere else on land, and what happens when they are cleared.

    Step 5 · Nature · 8 min read
  6. The ocean and its zones

    From sunlit surface waters to the pitch-black trenches, how life changes with depth in Earth's largest habitat.

    Step 6 · Nature · 8 min read
  7. Coral reefs

    How tiny animals build structures visible from space, and why reefs are so rich and so fragile.

    Step 7 · Nature · 7 min read