Why does the periodic table split?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The periodic table has two rows at the bottom that are usually split out from the main body of the table. These rows contain elements in the lanthanoid and actinoid series, usually from 57 to 71 (lanthanum to lutetium) and 89 to 103 (actinium to lawrencium), respectively. There is no scientific reason for this. It is merely done to make the table more compact.