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The Continents
Compiled from File:BlankMap-World.png. Blank to permit labels in various languages. Controversial continents/subcontinents (i.e. one America or two,
Americas: North America
Australia/Oceania Antarctica
Eurasia vs Europe and Asia) are in different shades of the same colour:
America Eurasia:
Asia
Europe
Africa
South
Asia is the Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern
hemispheres. Though it covers only 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area, it comprises 30% of Earth's land
area, and has historically been home to the bulk of the planet's human population (currently roughly 60%).
Asia is notable for not only overall large size and population, but unusually dense and large settlements as well
as vast barely populated regions within the continent of 4.4 billion people. Asia has exhibited economic
dynamism (particularly East Asia) as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall
population growth has since fallen to world average levels.
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. At about 30.2 million km2 (11.7
million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers six percent of Earth's total surface area and 20.4 percent of
its total land area. With 1.1 billion people as of 2013, it accounts for about 15% of the world's human
population. The continent 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 southeast, and the Atlantic
Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar. It has 54 fully recognized sovereign states
(or countries), nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition.
Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; 50% of Africans are 19 years old or younger.
Algeria is Africa's largest country by area, and Nigeria by population. Africa, particularly central Eastern
Africa, is widely accepted as the place of origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes),
as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have
been dated to around seven million years ago, including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus
africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern
human) found in Ethiopia being dated to around 200,000 years ago. Africa hosts a large diversity of
ethnicities, cultures and languages. In the late 19th century European countries colonized most of Africa. Most
modern states in Africa originate from a process of decolonization in the 20th century.
North America is a continent within the Northern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. It can also be
considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east
by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and
the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square
miles), about 16.5% of the earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third
largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa,
and Europe. In 2013, its population was estimated at nearly 565 million people in 23 independent
states, or about 7.5% of the world's population, if nearby islands (most notably the Caribbean) are included.
South America is a continent located in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is
also considered as a subcontinent of the Americas, which is the model used in Spanish-speaking nations
and most of South America. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by
the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It includes twelve sovereign
states,Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana,Paraguay, Peru, Sur
iname, Uruguay, and Venezuela – and two non-sovereign areas – French Guiana, an overseas
department of France, and the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory (though disputed by Argentina). In
addition to this, the ABC islands of the Netherlands and Trinidad and Tobago may also be considered part of
South America. South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi).
Its population as of 2005 has been estimated at more than 371 million people. South America ranks
fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and
North America).
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is situated in
the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million
square kilometres (5.4 million square miles), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa,North
America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About
98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) in thickness.
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest
average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert. The temperature in Antarctica has
reached −89 °C (−129 °F), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C
(−81 °F). There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside
throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Organisms native to
Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi,plants, protista, and certain animals, such
as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra.
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10,180,000 square
kilometres (3,930,000 sq mi) or 2% of the Earth's surface and about 6.8% of its land area. Of Europe's
approximately 50 countries, Russia is by far the largest by both area and population, taking up 40% of the
continent (although the country has territory in both Europe and Asia), while Vatican City is the smallest.
Europe is the third-most populous continent after Asia and Africa, with a population of 739–743 million
or about 11% of the world's population. Europe, in particular ancient Greece, is the birthplace of Western
culture. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the migration period, marked the end of ancient
history and the beginning of an era known as the "middle ages". The Renaissance, humanism, exploration, art,
and science led the "old continent", and eventually the rest of the world, to the modern era. From this period
onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European
nations controlled at various times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania, and the majority of Asia.
Australia is a continent comprising mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, Seram, possibly Timor,
and neighbouring islands. It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents in the English conception.
The continent lies on a continental shelf overlain by shallow seas which divide it into several landmasses—
the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait between mainland Australia and New Guinea, and Bass Strait between
mainland Australia and Tasmania. When sea levels were lower during the Pleistocene ice age, including
the Last Glacial Maximum about 18,000 BC, they were connected by dry land. During the past ten thousand
years, rising sea levels overflowed the lowlands and separated the continent into today's low-lying arid to semiarid mainland and the two mountainous islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. Geologically, a continent
extends to the edge of its continental shelf, so the now-separate islands are considered part of the
continent. Due to the spread of animals, fungi and plants across the single Pleistocene landmass the separate
lands have a related biota.
Practice
 Use a blank map of the continents, locate them and point the most important
facts from each.