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Photos of World

Polar mesospheric clouds - also known as noctilucent or &quot;night shining&quot; clouds - form between 76 to 85 km (47 to 53 mi) above the Earth&apos;s surface, near the boundary of the mesosphere and thermosphere, a region known as the mesopause. At these altitudes, water vapor can freeze into clouds of ice crystals. When the sun is below the horizon and the ground is in darkness, these high clouds may still be illuminated, lending them their ethereal, &quot;night shining&quot; qualities.

Polar mesospheric clouds have been observed from all human vantage points in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres - from the surface, in aircraft, and from spacecraft - and tend to be most visible during the late spring and early summer. Image courtesy of NASA.

Introduction

World Factbook Glyph

Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Geography

Geographic overview

The internal structure of the Earth:
The internal structure of the Earth

Area - comparative

Africa-US area comparison map:
Africa-US area comparison map
Antarctica-US area comparison map:
Antarctica-US area comparison map
Asia-US area comparison map:
Asia-US area comparison map
Australia-US area comparison map:
Australia-US area comparison map
Europe-US area comparison map:
Europe-US area comparison map
North America - US area comparison map:
North America - US area comparison map
South America-US area comparison map:
South America-US area comparison map

People and Society

Age structure

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Environment

World biomes

World Biomes:
World Biomes
Tundra biome:
Tundra biome
Circum-polar Extent of Permafrost:
Circum-polar Extent of Permafrost
Coniferous Forest biome:
Coniferous Forest biome
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome:
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome
Rainforest biome:
Rainforest biome
Grassland biome:
Grassland biome
Shrubland biome:
Shrubland biome
Desert biome:
Desert biome

Government

Flag description

United Nations flag:
United Nations flag

Economy

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Military and Security

Space

Transnational Issues