About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, primarily in the form of oceans, which hold about 96.5% to 97% of all Earth's water
. The remaining water exists as freshwater in glaciers, ice caps, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, groundwater, and even within living organisms
. Although water covers most of the surface, it only makes up about 0.02% of the Earth's total mass and roughly 0.128% of its volume, since the Earth is mostly solid rock beneath the surface
. In summary:
- Approximately 71% of Earth's surface is water-covered.
- Oceans contain about 96.5% to 97% of all Earth's water.
- Freshwater accounts for about 2.5% of Earth's water, mostly locked in ice and underground.
- Water on Earth's surface and in living things is a small fraction of Earth's total mass and volume.
This vast coverage of water is why Earth is often called the "blue planet"
