Map of world depicting 7 continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia & Oceania
A continent can be defined as a large landmass that comprises the surface of the Earth. The sizes of the continents differ a lot. The continents also include the islands surrounding them. In this article, we will learn about how many continents are there, the largest and the smallest one, and much more.
There are seven continents in the world. They are; Asia, Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia & Oceania.
Sometimes Asia and Europe are considered one continent called Eurasia.
The largest continent in the world is Asia. It covers an area of 44 million square kilometers, roughly 30% of Earth’s total land area and 8% of the Earth’s total surface area. It was where many of the first civilizations developed and it is home to the two most populous countries in the world-India and China. The continent comprises 4.7 billion inhabitants which is almost 60% of the world population.
The smallest of the seven continents in the world is Australia & Oceania. It covers an area of 8.5 million square kilometers which is 5.7% of the total land mass and has a population of 46 million inhabitants which is equivalent to 0.56 % of the total world population. New Zealand is considered a part of Zealandia, a submerged continent. New Zealand and Australia both are part of Oceania.
Asia is an amazing continent, full of surprises. It covers almost as much land as all the other continents put together. It covers a big chunk of the Earth, from cold places in the north to super sunny spots in the south. There are tall mountains like the Himalayas where Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, is found, and big deserts like the Gobi.
Africa is where humans first lived and it’s full of different cultures and beautiful places. It’s the second biggest continent, with wide grasslands where lots of animals live, huge deserts, and the Nile River, which is the longest river in the world. It covers an area of approximately 30.4 million square kilometers.
North America is a giant piece of land in the top part of the Earth. It’s the third largest continent after Asia and Africa. Oceans surround North America on all sides. Even though Greenland, the world’s biggest island, isn’t connected to North America, it’s considered part of the continent, along with many of the islands in the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of 24.7 million square kilometers, which is approximately 16.5 % of Earth’s land area and about 4.8 % of the total surface area.
South America is about 17.84 million square kilometers big, making it the fourth largest continent. It’s home to around 430 million people. It has tall mountains like the Andes and big forests like the Amazon. People from ancient times, like the Inca, Maya, and Aztec, used to live here. Brazil is the most populous country in South America with 216 million inhabitants.
Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world. It comprises an area of 14.2 million square kilometers. Many countries have permanent research centers there. Even though it’s a continent, almost nobody lives there permanently, only scientists, who visit for research. However, there are many penguins, seals, and other animals that call Antarctica home.
Europe is a continent in the northern part of the world. Europe is about 10.18 million square kilometers and has over 740 million inhabitants. Officially there are 44 countries in Europe of which Russia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan are the countries that have land in Asia as well as in Europe. Europe is the second smallest continent.
The continent of Australia is the world’s smallest continent and the largest island on Earth. Australia is a big country with not many people living there. On average, only about 4 people live in each square kilometer. That’s because the center of Australia is a giant desert called the Outback, which is too hot and dry for most people to live in. Most Australians choose to live along the coasts in the southeast, where the weather is mild and there’s more rain.
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