Continents and Oceans
NORTH AMERICA GEOGRAPHY
FACTS:
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North America, the planet’s 3rd
largest continent, includes (23)
countries and dozens of possessions
and territories. It contains all
Caribbean and Central America
countries, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico,
the United States of America, as well
as Greenland - the world’s largest
island.
Positioned in the planet's northern and
western hemispheres, it's bordered in
the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the
east by the Atlantic Ocean, in the
southeast by the Caribbean Sea and
Gulf of Mexico, and in the west by the
Pacific Ocean.
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Percent of Earth's Land: 16.5%
Highest Point: Mt McKinley in Alaska,
20,322ft (6,194m)
Lowest Point: Death Valley in
California, -282 ft (-86m) below sea
level
South America Geography Facts:
• South America, the planet's 4th largest continent, includes (12)
independent countries and (3) major territories; the Falkland Islands,
Galapagos Islands and French Guiana.
The continent contains the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls in
Venezuela; the largest river (by volume), the Amazon River; the
longest mountain range, the Andes, and the driest place on earth,
the Atacama Desert in Chile.
In addition, it includes the largest rainforest, the Amazon
Rainforest; the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia; the highest
commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca; and,
excluding research stations in Antarctica, the world's southernmost
permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro, Chile.
Europe Geography Facts:
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Europe is the planet's 6th largest continent
AND includes 47 countries and assorted
dependencies, islands and territories.
Europe's recognized surface area covers
about 9,938,000 sq km (3,837,083 sq mi) or
2% of the Earth's surface, and about6.8% of
its land area.
In exacting geographic definitions, Europe is
really not a continent, but part of the
peninsula of Eurasia which includes all of
Europe and Asia. However, it's still widely
referred to as an individual continent.
The European continent, bordered by
numerous bodies of water, is separated from
Asia by Russia's Ural Mountains and by the
Caspian and Black Seas. It is separated
from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea.
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Ukraine is Europe's largest
country
The Vatican is Europe's smallest
country
Germany is Europe's largest
country by population
The Vatican is Europe's smallest
country by population
Europe's highest point is Mt.
Elbrus in Russia
Europe's lowest point is the
Caspian Sea bordering Russia
Asia Geography Facts:
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As the largest and most populous
continent in the world with just over 3.8
billion people, Asia is composed of a
wide variety of ethnic groups, cultures,
environments, economics, historical
ties, and governmental systems.
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In the east, Asia is bordered by the
Pacific Ocean, and an almost endless
stretch of bays and seas.
Geographically the continent makes up
8.7% of the Earth's total surface area,
and 29.5% of its land area.
The Arctic Ocean and a handful of
seas front the northern border, while
the Bering Sea separates Asia from
North America. In the southwest the
Red Sea and isthmus of Suez
separate the continent from Africa.
In the west, Asia is bordered by
Europe, the eastern coastline of the
Mediterranean Sea, as well by the Sea
of Marmara, the Bosporus Strait, the
Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
The Indian Ocean fronts most of Asia's
southern borders, along with a series
of bays, gulfs and seas, as well as
extensive chains of both inhabited and
uninhabited islands.
Eurasia
Africa Geography Facts:
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Africa, the planet's 2nd largest continent
and the second most-populous continent
(after Asia) includes (54) individual
countries, and Western Sahara, a member
state of the African Union whose statehood
is disputed by Morocco. Note that South
Sudan is the continent's newest country.
With a 2011 population of 1,032,532,974, it
accounts for just over 14% of the world's
human population. It also contains the Nile
River system, the world's longest, and the
massive Sahara Desert, the world's largest.
Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean
Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and
the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to
the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the east
and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to
the west.
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Nile River System: The Nile is a northflowing river considered the longest river in
the world at 6,650 km (4,130 mi) long.
Sahara Desert: It's the world's hottest
desert, the third largest desert after
Antarctica and the Arctic, and almost as
large as China. Covering almost one-third of
the continent, the Sahara is the largest
desert in the world at approximately
3,500,000 sq. miles (9,065,000 sq. km) in
total size.
Australia/Oceania Geography
Facts:
• Australia, the planet's smallest continent, is without doubt one of
the most diverse and fascinating areas on the planet. A large
percentage of geography experts now consider the long-established
continent of Australia to be more accurately defined as
Australia/Oceania.
Collectively it then combines all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, as well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic
islands of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Melanesia and
Polynesia groups.
Oceania also includes Micronesia, a widely scattered group of
islands that run along the northern and southern edges of the
Equator.
Antarctica Geography Facts:
• Size: 13,209,000 sq km, 5,100,021 sq miles
(varies due to changing ice shelves)
• Percent of Earth's Land: 8.9%
• Status: Antarctica, almost 98% solid ice, was finally considered a
continent in 1840, and not just a group of isolated islands. Today it
has active territorial claims submitted by Argentina, Australia, Chile,
France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. (Many of
these claims are not recognized by some countries and remain in a
constant disputed status)
• Climate Antarctica is the coldest and windiest spot on the planet. In
fact, the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was recorded in
Antarctica (-129.3ºF) and the mean winter temperatures range from
-40º to -94ºF. Winds are commonly measured at up to 200 miles per
hour.
Map Activity
• Creating a Flat Map Projection!
What you need:
-Continent Handout
-Blue Paper
-Scissors
-Glue Stick
Directions:
1. Cut out the continents and label them
• 2. Place them correctly on the blue paper-(double check in the
textbook,your partner or teacher before gluing)
3. Glue continents in correct position
4. Label the oceans
5 .If you have extra time, you may color the continents
• Group Work Expectations
• Sharing Materials