Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is the second smallest planet in the solar system. Named after the Roman god of war, known to the ancient Greeks as Ares.
Mars is also often described as the “Red Planet” due to its reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide.

PLANET PROFILE
Equatorial Diameter: 6,792 km
Polar Diameter: 6,752 km
Mass: 6.39 × 10^23 kg (0.11 Earths)
Moons: 2 ( Phobos & Deimos)
Orbit Distance: 227,943,824 km (1.38 AU)
Orbit Period: 687 days (1.9 years)
Surface Temperature:
-87 to -5 °C
First Record: 2nd millennium BC
Recorded By: Egyptian astronomers.

MARS AND EARTH HAVE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LANDMASS:
Even though Mars has only 15% of the Earth’s volume and just over 10% of the Earth’s mass, around two thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Martian surface gravity is only 37% of the Earth’s (meaning you could leap nearly three times higher on Mars).

MARS IS HOME TO THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, is 21km high and 600km in diameter. Despite having formed over billions of years, evidence from volcanic lava flows is so recent many scientists believe it could still be active.
The largest of the volcanoes in the Tharsis Montes region, as well as all known volcanoes in the solar system. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano 624 km (374 mi) in diameter (approximately the same size as the state of Arizona), 25 km (16 mi) high, and is rimmed by a 6 km (4 mi) high scarp. A caldera 80 km (50 mi) wide is located at the summit of Olympus Mons. To compare, the largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is a shield volcano 10 km (6.3 mi) high and 120 km (75 mi) across. The volume of Olympus Mons is about 100 times larger than that of Mauna Loa. In fact, the entire chain of Hawaiian islands (from Kauai to Hawaii) would fit inside Olympus Mons!

Source: mars.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/atlas/olympus-mons.html

ONLY 18 MISSIONS TO MARS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL:
As of September 2014 there have been 40
missions to Mars , including orbiters, landers and rovers but not counting flybys. The most recent arrivals include the Mars Curiosity mission in 2012, the MAVEN mission, which arrived on September 22, 2014, followed by the Indian Space Research Organization’s MOM Mangalyaan orbiter, which arrived on September 24, 2014. The next missions to arrive will be the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission, comprising an orbiter, lander, and a rover, followed by NASA’s InSight robotic lander mission, slated for launch in March 2016 and a planned arrival in September, 2016.

MARS HAS THE LARGEST AND STRONGEST DUST STORMS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
They can last for months and cover the entirey planet. The seasons are extreme because its elliptical (oval-shaped) orbital path around the Sun is more elongated than most other planets in the solar system. If this happens on Earth, it will be a Massive destruction. Earthquakes, boiling and Freezing of Water bodies.

ON MARS, THE SUN APPEARS HALF THE SIZE AS IT DOES ON EARTH:
At the closest point to the Sun, the Martian southern hemisphere leans towards the Sun, causing a short, intensely hot summer, while the northern hemisphere endures a brief, cold winter: at its farthest point from the Sun, the Martian northern hemisphere leans towards the Sun, causing a long, mild summer, while the southern hemisphere endures a lengthy, cold winter.
PIECES OF MARS HAVE FALLEN ON EARTH:
Scientists have found tiny traces of Martian atmosphere within meteorites violently ejected from Mars, then orbiting the solar system amongst galactic debris for millions of years, before crash landing on Earth. This allowed scientists to begin studying Mars prior to launching space missions.

THERE ARE SIGNS OF LIQUID WATER :
For years Mars has been known to have water in the form of ice. The first signs of trickling water are dark stripes or stains on crater wall and cliffs seen in satellite images. Due to Mars’ atmosphere this water would have to be salty to prevent it from freezing or vaporising.

ONE DAY MARS WILL HAVE A RING:
In the next 20-40 million years Mars’ largest moon Phobos will be torn apart by gravitational forces leading to the creation of a ring that could last up to 100 million years.

SPACE SUITS ARE NEEDED TO TAKE A WALK ON MARS: Due to the low pressure, it's impossible for Man to walk on Mars without a Space Suit. However if one should dare take such risk, after few seconds of exposure. The blood vessels begins to dry up, such persons cannot move anymore leading to death. It will take a million years for the body to be decayed.

More pics: Rovers used for exploration and Mars surface.

TBC