There are seven continents on the earth. These are Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, South America, Antartica and Europe
When people say they are going to theContinent, they usually refer to Europe.However, Europe is not the only continent in the world. What are continents? A continent is a large body of land, so very big that it is very difficult even to imagine how big it is. This land is above water and it has a natural geological border.
There are seven continents on the earth.These are Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, South America, Antartica and Europe. Just look at the globe or the map of the world, and you will notice that each of these continents has a special shape. Some of these continents are surrounded by water. No wonder that they look like big, big, big islands.
Let us take the biggest continent first. The world's biggest continent is none other than ASIA and it covers almost one-third of the earth's land surface. We should be proud of the fact that our motherland, INDIA, lies in this huge continent. Not only is Asia the largest continent in the world, it also has more than half the world's population; in other words for every hundred people living all over the world, fifty of them are in Asia. Another very significant feature of the Asian continent is that it has the world's tallest mountain, MOUNT EVEREST in Nepal and CHINA. Asia also includes the world's lowest point, which is the DEAD SEA in Jordan and Israel.
The continent of Africa is the second largest of the continents. This continent covers around twenty-two percent of the world's land area. A very important thing about Africa is that the EQUATOR intersects this continent. The SAHARA DESERT in Africa is well-known as it is the world's largest desert. The longest river in the world, the Nile, flows through the continent of Africa.
The continent of NORTH AMERICA comes next to Africa in size. It is more or less wedge-shaped and it features an exceedingly irregular coastline with many prominent offshore islands. It includes 23 countries and dozens of small islands. Three of the biggest countries in the world, Canada, Mexico and the United States of America are located in North America. The Mississippi river and the Missouri river are the biggest rivers in North America. Another thing about North America is that it contains more lakes than any other continent.
Let us now come to the fourth largest continent in the world, which is South America. This continent is located in the southern hemisphere between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It is often described as the land south of the Panama Canal. When we hear
about South America, we automatically think of the Amazon River Basin, which is home to the largest rain forest on Earth. This rain forest region covers almost forty percent of the South American continent. The continent of South America includes 12 independent countries and three major territories which are the Falkland Islands, the Galapagos Islands and French Guiana. Of these countries,
Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela are better known.
Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on the planet. It is the southernmost continent. The nearest landmasses to this continent are South America and Australia. The magnetic South Pole is located off the coast of Antarctica. This continent is not only the highest but it is also the windiest, coldest and driest continent. Hence Antarctica is often described as a desert. It has also the lowest temperature on our planet. The average temperature in Antarctica is -50 degrees C. More than 90 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice. This continent functions as the earth's refrigerator, regulating the oceanic currents and the world's climate. As it has 90 per cent of the ice
in the planet, it is the major reserve of fresh water on earth.
Despite the severe weather conditions, the continent of Antarctica has a rich animal life, well-adapted to the harsh conditions. However, it must be noted that Antarctica has no native civilization. Due to the harsh weather conditions, it is impossible for people to settle there.
The continent of Antarctica may be located in a very remote place, far away from us but we must remember that any significant impact on Antarctica would alter the global pattern of the world with disastrous consequences. This is so as global warming could melt the ice layers in Antarctica, leading to an enormous rise in the levels of the sea. Europe is often called the sixth largest continent or the world's second smallest continent. It lies in the western most peninsular of Eurasia (Europe and Asia are together called by the name Eurasia). Although Europe is comparatively small in size, it is well populated. It is the third most populous continent after Asia and Africa. The biggest country in Europe is Russia and the smallest is Vatican City.
Countries like Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, etc., are all in this continent. Australia is the smallest continent in the world. Although it is the smallest continent, Australia can claim to be a country, continent and an island, all at the same time and this is something that none of the other six continents can claim to be. Australia lies in-between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. This brief outline about the seven continents on our planet, beginning with the biggest continent, Asia, down to the smallest, Australia, could motivate you to study a little more about each o
