Which is the Planet Nearest to the Earth?

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Mars is the planet nearest to the Earth. It is half the size of the Earth, but has a mass of only a tenth of Earth's. It is colder and its atmosphere is very thin. It has very high mountains and deep valleys. It's highest peak Olympus Mons is 23 km. high and its largest valley is 4000 km long. Mars has a stony and dusty landscape and dust is blown up and carried for thousands of kilometres by storms. Ice deposits and melts at the pole with changing seasons. The atmosphere is largely carbon dioxide and the surface of the planet is covered with craters, volcanoes and gorges. Mars has two small satellites.

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