Beverly Covey, age 11, of Athens, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

Is there more ocean than land on earth?

Yes, indeed, most of our round globe is covered by ocean water. More than 70 per cent of the earth's surface is under water. The dry land occupies somewhat less than 30 per cent of the world. These are round figures, but the experts have worked out the land and water areas in square miles, so you may think of our watery world in great detail.

The total area of the earth's surface is estimated to be 196,931,100 square miles. The areas of dry land are estimated at 57,487,300 square miles, or 29.2 per cent of the total area. Seas and, oceans cover 139,443,800 square miles, which is 70.8 per cent of the earth's surface.