Europe
Geography
Europe is the sixth largest continent in size and the third largest in population. It is bordered by the Mediterranean
Sea to the south, Asia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. Europe is a wealthy continent and is the
center of the West and Western Democracy.
Europe has been the home to some of the Earth's greatest civilizations from Ancient Greece to the Roman Empire.
It is also the home to the birth of democracy. Europe has been the central point of two of the biggest wars in modern
history: World War I and World War II. Recently Europe has united under the common union called the European
Union. This union allows independent European countries to have a single currency and to combine their economic
and military power.
Population: 738,199,000 (Source: 2010 United Nations)
Area: 3,930,000 square miles
Ranking: It is the sixth largest and third most populous continent
Major Biomes: temperate forest, grasslands
Major cities:
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Moscow, Russia
London, United Kingdom
St Petersburg, Russia
Berlin, Germany
Madrid, Spain
Rome, Italy
Kiev, Ukraine
Paris, France
Bucharest, Romania
Budapest, Hungary
Bordering Bodies of Water: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Bay of Biscay, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea
Major Rivers and Lakes: Danube River, Elbe River, Loire River, Po River, Rhine River, Volga River, Ladoga Lake,
Onega Lake, Lake Geneva, Lake Como
Major Geographical Features: Alps, Ural Mountains, Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains, Apennines, Massif Central
plateau, North European Plain, the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, Iberian Peninsula
Fun Facts about Europe
Europe is home to the smallest country in the world, the Holy See or the Vatican. It is the smallest country both in
size and population.
The tallest mountain in Europe is Mount Elbrus in Russia.
Europe is home to the birthplace of democracy and Western culture in the ancient civilizations of Ancient
Greece and Ancient Rome.
Most of Europe now uses the same currency called the Euro.
The area of Russia that is west of the Ural Mountains is usually considered part of Europe. The area to the east of
the Urals is considered part of Asia.
The Industrial Revolution began in Europe in Great Britain.
Asia
Geography
The continent of Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent with over 4 billion people calling Asia home.
Asia also contains the world's most populous country, China, and the world's largest country, Russia. Asia borders
Africa and Europe to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east.
The continent of Asia is so large and diverse that it often is divided into sub-regions (see map below).
Northern Asia
Central Asia
Middle East
Southern Asia
Eastern Asia
Southeastern Asia
Asia is rich in diverse races, cultures, and languages. Many of the world's major religions came out of Asia including
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Asia has a major influence on world culture and the world's economy. Countries such as Russia, China, Japan and
India produce products and services that are used by every nation in the world. Asia is also abundant in natural
resources. Oil in the Middle East is a major supplier of much of the world's energy.
Population: 4,164,252,000 (Source: 2010 United Nations)
Area: 17,212,000 square miles
Ranking: It is the largest and most populous continent
Major Biomes: desert, grasslands, temperate forest, taiga
Major cities:
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Tokyo, Japan
Jakarta, Indonesia
Seoul, South Korea
Delhi, India
Mumbai, India
Manila, Philippines
Shanghai, China
Osaka, Japan
Kolkata, India
Karachi, Pakistan
Bordering Bodies of Water: Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, South China
Sea, Yellow Sea, Bering Sea
Major Rivers and Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, Qinghai Lake, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Ganges
River, Indus River
Major Geographical Features: Himalayas, Ural Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, Arabian Desert, Gobi Desert, Takla
Makan Desert, Thar Desert, Island of Japan, Mount Everest, Siberia
Fun Facts about Asia:
Asia contains around 30% of the world's land area and 60% of the world's population.
The highest point on earth, Mt. Everest, is in Asia. The lowest point on land, the Dead Sea, is also in Asia.
Asia is the only continent that shares borders with two other continents; Africa and Europe. It sometimes joins with a
third continent, North America, in the winter by ice forming in the Bering Sea.
Asia is home to two of the three largest economies in the world: China (2nd largest) and Japan (3rd largest). Russia
and India are also top 10 world economies.
Asia is home to many interesting animals including the giant panda, Asian elephant, tiger, Bactrian camel, komodo
dragon, and the king cobra.
China and India are the two largest countries in the world by population. China is number one with over 1.3 billion
people. India is number two with over 1.2 billion. The third largest country in the world, the United States, only has
just over 300 million people.
Africa
Geography
The continent of Africa borders the southern half of the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west and
the Indian Ocean is to the Southeast. Africa stretches well south of the equator to cover more than 12 million square
miles making Africa the world's second largest continent. Africa is also the world's second most populous continent.
Africa is one of the most diverse places on the planet with a wide variety of terrain, wildlife, and climates.
Population: 1,022,234,000 (Source: 2010 United Nations)
Area: 11,668,599 square miles
Ranking: It is the second largest and second most populous continent.
Major Biomes: desert, savanna, rain forest
Major cities:
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Cairo, Egypt
Lagos, Nigeria
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Johannesburg-Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Khartoum-Umm Durman, Sudan
Alexandria, Egypt
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Casablanca, Morocco
Cape Town, South Africa
Durban, South Africa
Bordering Bodies of Water: Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Guinea
Major Rivers and Lakes: Nile River, Niger River, Congo River, Zambezi River, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika,
Lake Nyasa
Major Geographical Features: Sahara Desert, Kalahari Desert, Ethiopian Highlands, Serengeti grasslands, Atlas
Mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro, Madagascar Island, Great Rift Valley, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa
Fun Facts about Africa:
The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 5895 meters high. The lowest point is Lake Asal in
Djibouti at 153 meters below sea level.
The largest country in Africa is Algeria, the smallest is the Seychelles. The most populated country is Nigeria.
The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria and the longest river is the Nile River, which is also the longest river in the
world.
Africa is rich with varied wildlife including elephants, penguins, lions, cheetahs, seals, giraffes, gorillas, crocodiles,
and hippos.
African languages are varied with more than 1000 languages spoken across the continent.