World Continents

A continent is a massive area of landthat is separated by others by water or other natural features.

There are 7 continents on Earth and together they cover one third of the world, with the oceans covering other two thirds.

Five of the seven continents are joined by land to another continent, while Antarctica and Australia are separated by the others by oceans.

Each continent has a wide range of different landscapes,weather and animal life.

World Continents are as follows:

1. Asia Continent:

Gobi Desert

Mount Everest

Type	Details
	Land Area: 44,579,000 (km²) Population: 4,462,676,731(2016) Number of Countries: 48  Highest Point / Lowest Point: Mount Everest / Dead Sea Shore Notable Geographical Features: Gobi Desert, Son Doon Cave, Himalayas
	Asia is broadly divided into six regions Northern Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, South-East Asia Asia lies almost entirely in  the northern hemisphere.
	The plant life of Asia is wide and varied and differs according to climatic region. The desert regions are home to those plants that can survive the arid conditions like cactii. The coniferous forest region contains trees such as pine, fir and spruce. The deciduous forest region has a wealth of plant life and includes tall and short trees, shrubs, small plants and mosses
	The animal life of Asia is wide and varied depending on the climatic region. The tundra is home to reindeer, foxes and wolves, while camels and lizards can be found in the desert region. Bears can be found in the coniferous forest region while the mountainous region of China is home to the giant panda.

2. Africa Continent:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Lake Assails

Type	Details
	Land Area: 30,221,532 sq. km Population: 1,216,130,000 (2016) Number of Countries: 54/55 (Disputed)  Highest Point / Lowest Point: Mount Kilimanjaro / Lake Assail Notable Geographical Features: Sahara Desert, Ngorongoro Crater, Nile River
	Africa is broadly divided into five regions Northern Africa, Southern Africa, central, western, eastern africa. Africa lie in the northern and southern hemispheres – the north and south of Africa.
	The plant life of Africa is wide and varied and differs according to climatic region. The desert regions are home to those plants that can survive the arid conditions and include varieties of cypress, olive trees and cactii. The steppe and savanna regions are characterised by large open areas of tall grass like that shown in the picture (right). The rainforest areas are jungles of dense, wet forests.
	The grassland areas of Africa are home to many well known wild animals including – aardvark, African elephant, antelope The rainforest areas are home to a wide variety of insects, birds and animals including – antelope, chimpanzee, gorilla, Mandrill, okapi, hippopotamus and parrots parrots.

3. North America Continent:

Denali National Park

Niagara Falls

Type	Details
	Land Area: 24,709,000(km²) Population: 579,024,000 (2016) Number of Countries: 23 Highest Point / Lowest Point: Denali / Bad water Basin Notable Geographical Features: Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Old Faithful
	North America can be broadly divided into the six regions Greenland, Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean. Greenland, Canada and most of the United States lie in the Northern hemisphere.
	The plant life of North America is characterised according to climatic region. The deciduous forest region has a wealth of plant life and includes tall and short trees, shrubs, small plants and mosses. The coniferous forest region contains trees such as pine, fir and spruce. The picture (left) shows a coniferous forest in northern California. Due to the cold during the winter months, only short grasses and shrubs can survive in the tundra and alpine/mountain regions.
	North America is home to a range of wild animals including the bobcat, sea otter, racoon and the mountain lion. Polar bears, wolves and caribou live in the arctic regions of Canada and Greenland.

4. South America Continent:

Galapagos Islands

Iguazu Waterfall

Type	Details
	Land Area: 17,840,000 (km²) Population: 422,500,000 (2016) Number of Countries: 12  Highest Point / Lowest Point: Aconcagua / Laguna del Carbon Notable Geographical Features: Iguazu Falls, Galapagos Islands, Atacama Desert
	South America is not divided into regions. South America is located in the southern hemisphere.
	The plant life of South America is characterised according to climatic region. The rainforest areas are jungles of dense, wet forests. The desert regions are home to those plants that can survive the arid conditions and include varieties of cactii. The deciduous forest region has a wealth of plant life and includes tall and short trees, shrubs, small plants and mosses.
	South America is home to many species of animals including llama, anaconda, pirana, jaguar, vicuna, and tapir

5. Antarctica Continent:

Mount Vinson

South Pole

Type	Details
	Land Area: 14,000,000 (km²) Population: 4,912 (2016) Number of Countries: None Highest Point / Lowest Point: Mount Vinson / Bentley Subglacial Trench Notable Geographical Features: South Pole, Ross Ice Shelf
	Antarctica is divided Into 15 Regions. They are: South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, etc It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean and lies almost entirely within the Antarctic circle.
	Because of the extreme cold the only plant life to be found on Antarctica are mosses and lichen.
	The only land animals to be found on Antarctica are invertebrates such as mites and lice. The lack of vegetation makes it impossible for other land animals to survive the harsh conditions. The majority of mammals found on or in the seas surrounding Antarctica are marine species such as seals, orcas and whales. Antarctica is home to many species of penguins including the Emperor Penguin which is the only species to breed in the winter months.

6. Europe Continent:

Cliffs of Moher Black Forest

Caspian Sea Shore

Type	Details
	Land Area: 10,180,000 (km²) Population: 738,849,000 (2016) Number of Countries: 50 Highest Point / Lowest Point: Mount Elbrus / Caspian Sea Shore Notable Geographical Features: Cliffs of Moher Black Forest
	Europe can be broadly divided into three regions: Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and Western Europe. Europe lies entirely in the Northern hemisphere.
	The plant life of Europe is characterised according to climatic region. The deciduous forest region has a wealth of plant life and includes tall and short trees, shrubs, small plants and mosses. The picture (left) shows a deciduous forest region of Hungary. The coniferous forest region contains trees such as pine, fir and spruce.
	Brown bears and wolves can be found in the northern coniferous forest regions. Deer, foxes, hedgehogs, snakes and wild cats can be found in the deciduous forest regions.

7. Australia Continent:

Twelve Apostles

Uluru

Type	Details
	Area: 8,600,000 km2 Population: 40 million (in 2016) Highest Point: Puncak Jaya (Carstensz Pyramid 4884 m/16 023 ft), Papua Province, Indonesia Number of Countries: 14 Notable Geographical Features: Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Twelve Apostles
	Australlia is broadly divided into regions like New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, etc Australia lies entirely in the southern hemisphere.
	The tropical island regions are home to dense forests with coconut palms and mangroves growing nearer the shorelines. The dry desert and desert scrub region of Australia is home to the eucalyptus as well as those plants that can survive the arid conditions like cactii.
	Marsupials such as kangaroos, possums and wombats can be found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Many of the Pacific islands are the unique home of lizards and geckos. Other animals that can be found in Australia include koalas, dingoes, crocodiles, monitor lizards and komodo dragons. Birds are a common feature of the Pacific islands while emus, kiwis, and cockatoos are all native to Australia.

Microcontinents:

In addition to the seven major continents, Earth is home to microcontinents, or pieces of land that are not geologically identified with a continent. Major microcontinents include:

• Zealandia, in the South Pacific Ocean, whose land includes New Zealand and New Caledonia.
• Madagascar, in the South Indian Ocean.
• The Mascarene Plateau, in the South Indian Ocean, whose lands include the Seychelles and Reunion islands.
• The Kerguelen Plateau, in the South Indian Ocean, whose lands include the Kerguelen Islands, a territory of France.
• Jan Mayen, in the North Atlantic Ocean, a Norwegian island.

Interesting facts:

• Asia is the world’s largest continent of the seven continents in size and population.
• The world’s hottest place — Ethiopia — is in Africa.
• The world also gets 66 per cent of its chocolate from the Dark Continent.
• Two-thirds of Australia is desert land.
• Antarctica is not only the coldest place on Earth but also the highest, driest, windiest and emptiest.
• The world’s smallest country, the Vatican City, is in Europe.
• North America has five time zones and is the only continent with every type of climate.