How many continents are there on Earth? There are exactly six of them, just like there are parts of the world. What are the names of the continents of the globe?

It seems that everything is similar even by definition. This is a large land mass, washed on all sides by oceans. But many scientists explain the difference between a continent and a mainland based on the theory of continental drift, which was presented in 1912 by the German geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Lothar Wegener.

Continental drift theory

The essence of the theory is that a long time ago, during the Jurassic period, 200 million years ago, all continents were a single landmass. And only then, under the influence of tectonic forces, they were divided among themselves.

The structure of the continents can serve as proof. Just look at the map to see: the relief of the western coast of Africa fits perfectly with the relief of the eastern coast of South America. The flora and fauna of the continents, which are separated by thousands of kilometers, are also similar. For example, the flora and fauna of North America and Europe. Wegener outlined his theory in the book “The Origin of Continents and Oceans.”

To be fair, it should be said that his idea had many critics. But by the end of the 60s of the 20th century, as a result of numerous studies, the theory turned into the doctrine of plate tectonics, which makes it possible to separate concepts such as continent and continent.

Continents

There are six continents on Earth:

• Eurasia is the largest of the continents, with an area of ​​54.6 million square meters. km.
• Africa is the hottest continent, with an area of ​​30.3 million square meters. km.
• North America- a continent with the most indented coastline with many bays and islands, with an area of ​​24.4 million square meters. km.
• South America is the rainiest continent, with an area of ​​17.8 million square meters. km.
• Australia is the flattest continent, with an area of ​​7.7 million square meters. km.
• Antarctica is the southernmost and at the same time the coldest continent, with an area of ​​14.1 million square meters. km.

Continents

Unlike continents, there are only 4 continents on Earth. Continent means “continuous” in Latin. Therefore, it is unlikely that Europe and Africa can be called separate continents, because they are separated by the artificially created Suez Canal.

The same goes for North and South America. They were separated in 1920 by the Panama Canal. It is interesting that the idea of ​​connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans through the narrowest isthmus was born back in the 16th century, since the benefits of this for trade and navigation were obvious. However, King Philip II of Spain “cut down” the project, declaring: “What God has united, man cannot separate.” However, over time, common sense prevailed, and one continent was divided into two continents - North and South America.

There are four continents on the planet:

• Old World (Eurasia and Africa).
• New World (Northern and South America).
• Australia.
• Antarctica.

The theory of continental drift and history allow us to answer the question “A continent and a mainland - what is the difference?” is a large area of ​​land washed by water. A continent is a continuous area of ​​land washed by water, which may include continents connected by land.

About 250 million years ago there was only one continent on planet Earth - Pangea. Its area was approximately the same as that of all modern continents combined. Pangea was washed by an ocean called Panthalassa. It occupied all the rest of the space on the planet. Since then, the number of oceans and continents has changed.

About 200 million years ago, Pangea was split into two continents: Gondwana and Laurasia, between which the Tetris Ocean formed. Now in its place are the deep-water parts of the Black, Mediterranean and Caspian Seas, as well as the shallow Persian Gulf.

Later, Gondwana and Laurasia split into several parts. From the first continent, the land area that now constitutes Antarctica and Australia was first separated. The rest of Gondwana split into several small plates, the largest of which are present-day Africa and South America. Now these continents are moving apart from each other at a rate of 2 cm per year.

The faults also covered the second continent. Laurasia split into two plates - present-day Eurasia and North America. The emergence of Eurasia is considered by many scientists to be the greatest cataclysm on the planet. Unlike other continents, which are based on one fragment of the ancient continent, Eurasia includes three lithospheric plates at once. By getting closer to each other, they almost completely destroyed the Tetris ocean. It is noteworthy that Africa also takes part in shaping the appearance of Eurasia. Its lithospheric plate is slowly but surely moving closer to the Eurasian plate. The result of this rapprochement are the mountains: the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Ore Mountains and the Sudetes. This also reminds us of the activity of the volcanoes Etna and Vesuvius.

The struggle between continents and oceans has been going on for hundreds of millions of years. Every mountain range, deepest ocean trench, the island arc is the result of this struggle.

The total area of ​​all the continents of the Earth is 139 million km2. They are all quite isolated from each other. The location of the continents, as well as differences in the system of tides and currents, and the properties of waters, make it possible to divide the World Ocean into separate parts called oceans. There are four of them: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic.

Eurasia is the largest continent on Earth by area. It occupies one third of the planet's total land mass. Almost 5 billion people live in Eurasia, which is three quarters of the Earth's population.

The smallest continent is Australia. Unlike other continents, it is entirely located in one hemisphere - the Southern. Australia is crossed almost in the middle by the South Tropic, so it South part is located in the temperate zone, and the northern one is in the hot zone of illumination. In addition, this continent is considered the lowest and flattest. There is not a single one on it, and there are no earthquakes in Australia.

Antarctica is considered the highest continent. Its average height is 2200 m, which is 2.5 times higher medium height Eurasia. Antarctica accounts for 90% of the planet's ice. Thanks to special weather conditions The sun at sunset has a greenish tint. The Bolshoi River stretches along its northeastern coast. barrier reef, which has no equal.

Africa is the second largest continent on Earth. Its highlight is that it is located almost symmetrically with respect to the equator.

The third largest continent is North America, which covers an area of ​​just over 24 million km2. But this continent has the longest coastline. Its length is 75.6 thousand km.

South America is a continent with an abundance of geographical records. Here is the highest peak of the southern and western hemispheres, and also the highest extinct volcano - Mount Aconcagua, the world's longest mountain range - the Andes, the largest - the Amazon, the highest mountain lake - Titicaca, the deepest river on the planet - the Amazon, the highest active volcano - Llullaillaco.

Mainland and parts of the world: what is the difference

All land on Earth is conventionally divided into continents and parts of the world. Many people confuse these concepts, which is wrong. If it is a historical and cultural concept that was introduced by people, then the existence of continents is an objective reality that has developed as a result of the movement of lithospheric plates. There are also six parts of the world: Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Africa and Antarctica. Part of the world includes not only the mainland, but also the islands adjacent to it.

Extinct volcanoes are those that have not erupted or shown other signs of activity for more than ten thousand years. In fact, even after such a long period of time, one cannot definitely assume that the volcano is no longer active - sometimes they erupt even after a longer “hibernation”. In addition, volcanoes that erupted not so long ago, but on a small scale, are often called extinct. Often these include Ararat, Kazbek, Elbrus and other famous mountains.

Ararat

Ararat is ancient on the Armenian Highlands. It is located on the territory of Turkey, but since ancient times belonged to Armenia and is a symbol of this state. The mountain consists of two peaks - Big and Small Ararat, the cones of which were formed after the volcanic eruption. The first has a height of 5165 meters, the second - 3925 meters above sea level. They are pretty upset long distance from each other and look like two separate mountains. Both peaks are extinct, although activity in the depths of this area clearly has not stopped: in 1840, a small eruption occurred in the surrounding area, causing an earthquake and an avalanche.

Elbrus and Kazbek

The highest point in Europe - Elbrus - is also often called a stratovolcano, although this title can be disputed, since it happened in historical period, in the 1st century AD. Although the scale of this eruption was insignificant compared to what this volcano did in prehistoric times. It was formed more than twenty million years ago, at the dawn of its existence it erupted many times, throwing out huge amounts of ash.

Kazbek is also called extinct, but its last earthquake occurred in 650 BC. Therefore, many scientists classify it as active, because by geological standards not much time has passed.

Other extinct volcanoes

There are more truly extinct volcanoes, which have not shown activity for more than ten thousand years, than active ones - several hundred, but they are almost unknown among the general public, since most of them, due to their antiquity, are not distinguished by their height and large size. Many of them are located in Kamchatka: Klyuchevaya, Olka, Chinook, Spokoiny, some in the form of islands formed as a result of the eruption. Several volcanoes, presumably incapable of erupting, are located in the Baikal region: Kovrizhka, Podgorny, Talskaya Vertex.

One of the Scottish castles was built on the remains of a very ancient extinct volcano, which last time erupted more than three hundred million years ago. Almost nothing remains of its slopes - in glacial period glaciers broke them apart. In New Mexico, there is the Ship Rock rock, also a remnant of an ancient volcano: its walls are almost completely destroyed, and the channel with frozen magma is partially exposed.

For a long time The Mexican volcano El Chichon was considered extinct, but in 1982 it suddenly began to erupt. Scientists began to study it and found out that the previous eruption occurred not so long ago - a little over a thousand years ago, they just knew nothing about it.

There are six continents on planet Earth. Each of them is special and unique in some way. Some are icy kingdoms, others are summer. Some continents are huge in area, while others are quite insignificant, but also unique and inimitable.

The smallest continent on planet Earth is Australia. Its area is only 8.9 million sq. km. Australia is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet and is washed by the Pacific and Indian. The relief is predominantly low compared to other continents, unless you take Antarctica into account. The entire territory of the mainland is occupied by the state of Australia. Because of its size it was called a large island.

This continent differs from all existing continents in its plant and animal diversity. Australia is an amazing place, with many wonderful animals and plants. This is where the koala, platypus and echidna live. There are about 30 species of marsupials in Australia. This is where the most a big tree planets - eucalyptus.

It is worth noting that Australia is the driest continent on our planet. Huge sandy deserts lie on its territory. There is an insignificant amount of precipitation throughout the year; even the African continent cannot compare with Australia in this indicator.

The capital of Australia is Canberra, and one of the largest cities is Sydney. Sydney with its Opera House, which is easily recognizable in any corner of the earth, and the role of this city in the history of world sports cannot be overestimated, since it was in Sydney that the Summer Olympic Games were held in 2000.

There are six continents on planet Earth. They are all unique in their own way and have certain features, which distinguish them from other continents. There are small continents that include only one state (Australia), as well as real giants, on whose territory there are many countries.

By far the most big continent Eurasia is considered, its area is 54 million square meters. km, which is 35% of the entire landmass. Most of the planet's inhabitants live here - 75%, which is about 4.5 billion people.

The word “Eurasia” was first used in 1833 by Eduard Suess, from which time it received its name Eurasia. It says that there are two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. This is one of the unique features of the largest continent on the planet. The border runs along the Ural Mountains to the shores of the Caspian and Black Seas, through the Bosphorus and the Straits of Gibraltar, thus separating the mainland from Africa.

Europe and Asia are not at all similar to each other for the following reasons: relief, climate, flora, fauna, culture of peoples, but despite this, they form a single whole and complement each other. Eurasia is washed by all the oceans of the Earth - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic.

The continent by many unique features. For example, it is on the territory of Eurasia that the deepest lake on the planet (Baikal), the smallest sea (Azov), as well as the unique Mediterranean Sea are located. The highest point on the planet is also located in Eurasia (Mount Everest). There are many unique rivers on the mainland.

Eurasia is the largest continent, so it has plenty of unique properties. Until now, all the natural secrets of the continent have not been revealed by scientists. The latter still have many interesting discoveries to make.

Video on the topic

Instructions

Scientists identify two large species glaciers - cover and mountain. Antarctica is almost entirely occupied by cover glaciers, which have a number of distinctive features.

1. Huge size
2. Special, flat-convex shape
3. The direction of movement is primarily related to the plasticity of the ice, and not to the topography of the glacier bed
4. There is no clearly defined boundary between the areas of glacier drainage and feeding.

Ice sheets, in turn, are divided into several types, each of which can be found in Antarctica.

1. Ice domes are a characteristic form of glaciation, often found in the coastal zone of Antarctica. It is a dome-shaped mass of ice from 300 to 500 m high, usually 10-20 km wide. The shape of the surface of an ice dome is most often elliptical; it is a kind of small center of ice accumulation. An example of an ice dome is Drigalsky Island - it is located on a moraine not far from the Mirny station and has a dome length of 20 km and a width of 13 km. According to scientists' observations, precipitation does not compensate for the loss of ice as a result of icebergs breaking off, as a result of which the island shrinks and in 300 years may disappear completely. Sometimes ice domes can be found in the marginal zones of the mainland, as well as in the sea near the coast in the form of separate ice islands.

2. Inspired by glaciers - found in the “oases” of Antarctica, mainly on the northwestern slopes of the terrain in the form of large snowdrifts. This type of glaciers is formed as a result of snow drift. Since there are strong winds on the Antarctic coastline southeast winds, blown glaciers most often form precisely in northwestern directions near the leeward slopes of rocks.

3. Outlet glaciers are a kind of ice rivers that are channels for the flow of ice from the interior of the continent to the shores. The size of outlet glaciers depends on the size of the subglacial valleys; sometimes they are huge. An example is the Lambert Glacier, about 450 km long and more than 50 km wide. It flows through the Prince Charles Mountains in MacRobertson Land. Scientists count several dozen large outlet glaciers in Antarctica. Despite the fact that outlet glaciers account for less than 10% of the coastline, they carry more than 20% of the ice discharged into the sea each year. In addition, the average movement speeds of such glaciers are the highest compared to other types and the nature of their surface is turbulent.

4. Ice shelves are the most common type of ice in Antarctica. Nowhere are ice shelves found in such abundance as on " icy continent" This type of glaciers got its name because it is found in the coastal shallow water zone, on the shelf. Their thickness can be small; they either float in the sea, or in some places rest on islands or underwater banks. The area of ​​ice shelves can be enormous (for example, the Ross Ice Shelf). Often inner edge Such a glacier rests on the continental ice sheet, and the outer one goes out into the open sea, forming huge cliffs up to several tens of meters. It is from large ice shelves that sometimes huge icebergs, reaching several hundred kilometers in diameter, break off. Scientists have found that ice shelves are formed by the flow of continental ice in the sea, as well as accumulation of snow precipitation.

Video on the topic

There are only six continents on planet Earth. A continent is a massif of the earth's crust rising above the level of the World Ocean. The smallest continent on our planet is Australia.

Continents of the globe

Continents include shallow coastal zones of seas (shelves) and islands located near them. Once upon a time, all parts of the world formed one continent - Pangea.

And today there are six, which are separated by oceans: Eurasia has the largest territory on the planet, its area is 55 million km. sq., South America – 18 million km. sq., Africa – 30 million km. sq., Antarctica – 14 million km. sq., North America – 20 million km. sq., Australia is the smallest continent, its area is 8.5 million km. sq.

Australia is the smallest continent on the planet

The area of ​​Australia including the islands is about 8.9 million km. sq. Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans. The southern tropic runs almost through the middle of Australia. At the base of the relief of this continent is the Australian Plate. Its western part is raised. The Western Australian Plateau is located here, its height is 400-600 m, crystalline rocks emerge on its surface.

In the east of the continent, from the northern Cape York Peninsula to southern Tasmania, there is a folded region - the Great Dividing Range.

In the old days, Australia was called “Terra incognito”; today this land for us remains full of surprises and mysteries. Australia surprises with its diversity. There are endless ocean beaches and beautiful roads. This is the land of coral reefs and unbroken mustangs. Australia has no rivals in the number of unique animals and plants. The whole country, in fact, is a world-class reserve, while 80% of the animals are endemic, since they are found only here.

This continent, which turned out to be the smallest in the whole world, was first discovered by the Dutch. A significant amount of information was provided by the expedition led by Abel Tasman. He explored the northwestern and northern coasts of Australia in 1642-1643, and at the same time discovered the island of Tasmania. And James Cook pioneered the east coast in the 18th century. The development of Australia began at the end of the 18th century.

Country Australia

Australia is the country that ranks sixth in terms of area. This is the only state that occupies an entire continent.

The capital of Australia is Canberra. Its area is 7682 thousand km. sq. Its share of the planet's land area is 5%. Population: about 19.73 million people. Of the total world population, this share is 0.3%. The highest point is Mount Kosciuszko (2228 meters above sea level), the lowest point is Lake. Eyre (16 meters below sea level). The southernmost point is Cape Southeast, the northernmost is Cape York. The westernmost is Cape Steep Point, the easternmost is Cape Byron. The length of the coastline is 36,700 km (including Tasmania).

Administrative division: 2 territories and 6 states. The country's national anthem: "Go Awesome Australia!" Holiday - Australia Day.

Video on the topic

The habitat of polar bears is the Arctic, which is located at the North Pole. But in Antarctica there are many penguins that could not exist peacefully with polar bear. Due to the more severe frosts at the South Pole, the North of Canada, Greenland and Alaska are more suitable climatic conditions for polar bears. Although scientists increasingly began to think about their resettlement in harsh conditions Antarctica, in order to protect the population from the consequences of the gradual melting of Arctic ice.

Fact 2. There are rivers and lakes on the mainland

Most famous river Antarctica is Onyx, which is active only during summer season, filling Lake Vanda with melt water. Its length is 40 km and due to polar temperatures it can be seen in full water only 2 months a year. There are no fish in the river, but algae and various microorganisms live that can withstand temperatures close to zero.

Fact 3. Antarctica is considered the driest region on the planet

The peculiarity of Antarctica is that, with 70% of all fresh water on the planet, the continent is considered the driest. It has to do with the climate. south pole, where only 10 cm of precipitation falls per year, which is even less than in any desert in the world.

Fact 4. There are no citizens of Antarctica

There is not a single permanent resident on this icy continent. Everyone who comes here belongs to temporary scientific associations or tourists. Over the course of the entire summer, up to 5,000 polar explorers visit the mainland, and during the winter season, about one thousand scientists remain for research.

Fact 5. Antarctica is not governed by any state

Antarctica is not a country and does not belong to any state. Although throughout the history of the continent, not only Russia and the United States, but also Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Norway, Japan and other countries, both officially and unofficially, wanted to control it and still lay claim to it. As a result of the agreement, Antarctica remained a free territory without authorities, a flag and other privileges of a modern state.

Fact 6. Antarctica is a meteorologist's paradise

Thanks to permafrost, all meteorites that fall to Earth in the Antarctic region are preserved for a longer time. The most significant for science were soil particles from Mars. According to scientists, in order for such a meteorite to cross the Earth’s atmosphere, its launch speed should be 18 thousand km/h.

Fact 7. Antarctica exists outside of time zones

The absence of time zones in Antarctica allows polar explorers to live on their own time. Basically, all scientists set their watches either according to their home time or according to the delivery dates of food and equipment. You can visit all time zones on the mainland in less than a minute. According to the guides, a similar phenomenon that allows you to find yourself out of time can be experienced in Greenwich, taking off from the ground on the prime meridian.

Fact 8. Antarctica is the kingdom of emperor penguins

Emperor penguins live naturally only in Antarctica. In addition to them, there are a third of the varieties of these animals. However, only members of the emperor penguin species can reproduce harsh winter, the rest prefer the south of the mainland after the onset of the summer season. Coastal waters Antarctica is rich marine life, whereas on land there are very few living creatures. An exception may be the endemics of the region - the wingless bell mosquitoes Belgica antarctica, 13 mm long. Due to strong winds, the existence of flying insects is impossible. The only accompanying penguins are black springtails, which resemble fleas. What also makes Antarctica unique is the fact that, unlike other continents, it does not have its own species of ants.

Fact 9. Antarctica is not threatened by global warming

Antarctica contains up to 90% of all ice on the planet, which has an average thickness of 2133 meters. When all the continental glaciers melt, the sea level should rise throughout the Earth by 61 meters. Thanks to average temperature in Antarctica reaches minus 37 degrees, and some regions of the continent never warm up to zero, then we can confidently say that melting glaciers does not threaten this place.

Fact 10. The largest iceberg was recorded in Antarctica

The huge iceberg, 295 km long and 37 km wide, has an area of ​​11 thousand km2. It weighs almost 3 billion tons and has still not melted since it separated from the Ross Glacier in 2000.

Video on the topic

Our home planet Earth consists of continents that are washed by oceans. Scientists believe that our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago, and life 600 million years after the formation of the planet. Since then it has been constantly changing.

The entire surface of our planet consists of water and land. Water takes up more 2/3 surface of the Earth, and the solid part accounts for only 29% . The land consists of continents and islands. The water part of the surface is divided into oceans, seas, lakes and rivers.

How many continents are there on Earth and what are they called?

A continent is a part of the solid surface of our planet, which is washed on all sides by water. Sometimes these parts of the Earth are called continents. The continents are distributed fairly evenly. There are six of them in total. They are called Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.

IMPORTANT: Not long ago, scientists doubted that there are only six continents. Recent studies show that their number may today be replenished by another continent.

EURASIA. The largest continent on Earth is Eurasia. Its area occupies 36% the entire solid surface and is about 55 million square kilometers. Ural Mountains divide the continent into two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. Russia occupies the largest part of Eurasia.

The continent was originally called Asia. This term was introduced into use by a German encyclopedist. Alexander Humboldt at the end of the 18th century. The term appeared in scientific literature in the 1880s at the suggestion of an Austrian geologist Eduard Suess.

The continent was formed after the split of the protocontinent Laurasia into two parts: North America and Eurasia.

Eurasia a few facts:

• Tibet is the highest point in the world
• Depression Dead Sea- the lowest point in the world
• Oymyakon is the most cold spot in the world
• Bosphorus - the narrowest strait in the world
• Eurasia is the birthplace of major civilizations
• All are located in Eurasia climatic zones
• Population of Eurasia – 4.5 billion Human ( 75% population of our planet)

AFRICA. The second largest continent on Earth is Africa. The area of ​​this continent is 30 million square kilometers ( 6% sushi). Most scientists agree that Africa is the cradle of our civilization.

Term "afri" introduced by the inhabitants of ancient Carthage. They called it the people who lived near their city. Most likely the term comes from the Phoenician word "afar" — dust. The Romans, who defeated Carthage, named their new province Africa. After which the nearby lands, and subsequently the entire continent, began to be called Africa.

INTERESTING: Some scientists believe that the name Africa could come from the Latin word "aprica" (solar). Historian African Lion believed that the term could be formed from the Greek word «φρίκη» (cold). Letter «α-» added at the beginning of this term translates as "without" — « no cold" Russian science fiction writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov believed that the word came from an ancient language Ta-Kem(Old Egypt. "Afros" - foam country).

The future continent of Africa occupied a supercontinent Gondwana central place. When the plates of this continent diverged, Africa acquired its modern shape.

The most a unique place Africa is undeniably a desert Sahara. In area it occupies 9 million square kilometers (larger than the United States) and covers ten countries. At the same time, the desert area is growing every year. Most of the desert is not sand, but stones and pebbles.

Sahara is the most hot desert in the world (its surface can warm up to 80 degrees), but underneath there is a huge underground lake (375 square kilometers). Thanks to which you can find oases in the Sahara.

Africa a few facts:

• There are places in Africa where no human has ever set foot before.
• On this continent there are tribes with the tallest and shortest inhabitants of the Earth
• Health care in African countries is at its lowest level. Because of this, the average life expectancy on this continent 48-50 years
• In Africa they speak 2000 languages. The most popular of them is Arabic
• This continent has large reserves of gold and diamonds. Half of all gold is mined in Africa
• Before 80% Africa's GDP comes from agriculture. The most popular crops grown are cocoa, coffee, dates, peanuts and rubber trees

NORTH AMERICA . North America is located in the northern part of the Western Hemisphere. The area of ​​this continent is 20 million kilometers2. Moreover, almost the entire territory of the mainland is divided between Canada and the United States. Although the continent consists of territories 24 countries The continent was discovered in 1502 year.

It is believed that America was discovered by an Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The continent was named after him. German cartographers proposed to do this Martin Waldseemuller And Mathias Ringman. The first world map in which this continent was designated as America appeared in 1507 year.

North America

INTERESTING: There is evidence that Vespucci was not the discoverer of this continent. Long before him, the Scandinavian Vikings, led by their legendary leader, did this Eric the Red. IN 986 year they reached the shores of America. But it is believed that the Vikings knew in advance where to sail. This means that they learned about the new lands from someone else.

Like all other continents, North America was formed after the breakup of supercontinent plates. Initially, parts of the plates that form modern North America were part of a supercontinent Pengea. Then it broke away from him Laurasia and from this protocontinent North America and Eurasia were formed.

North America a few facts:

• This continent includes the largest island on our planet - Greenland
• Hawaiian mountain Mauna Ke and is considered the highest in the world. Its height is 2000 meters higher than Chomolungma
• The largest administrative building in the world is considered Pentagon
• The world's largest popcorn factory operates in the US state of Iowa.
• The average continental resident spends 90% of your free time indoors

SOUTH AMERICA . A continent that is predominantly located in Western and Southern Hemispheres of our planet. The mainland occupies about 18 million square kilometers. It is inhabited by over 400 million Human.

IN Cretaceous period the supercontinent split Pangea. I broke away from him Gondwana. This proto-continent then broke up into Africa, Australia, Antarctica And South America.

Part of South America discovered Columbus. It was he who was the first European to suggest the existence of a large continent.

South America

South America a few facts:

• The largest country in South America is Brazil
• Through this continent flows the most big river in the world - Amazon
• South America has the largest waterfall in the world - Angel
• Capital city of Bolivia La Paz considered the highest capital in the world
• IN Chile The Atacama Desert is located in which there is never any precipitation.
• IN Paraguay duels are still allowed
• South America is home to the largest beetles in the world - woodcutter beetles, the largest butterflies - agrippinas, the smallest monkeys - marmosets and the most poisonous frogs– red-backed poison frog

AUSTRALIA. A continent located in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres of our planet. Its entire territory is occupied by one country. Which has the same name - Australia.

The mainland was discovered by Dutch sailors in the 17th century. V. Janszon in 1606 discovered the presence of new land in coral sea. It was a peninsula that was later called Cape York. The navigators determined that this piece of land is only a small part of it. And they named her Unknown South Land (Terra Australis Incognita). When legendary James Cook completely explored these lands; their name was shortened to "Australia".

The area of ​​this continent is 8 million kilometers. Or 5% of the total land area. A third of the continent's territory is desert.

Australia a few facts:

• The continent has a very low population density. Because of this, it is not indicated by the number of people per square kilometer, as in other continents, but by the number of square kilometers per person
• Australia has built the most long road in the world. It is 145 km long and runs through the Nullarbor Desert.
• The Dingo fence is the longest fence in the world. Its length (5400 km) is twice as long as the Great Wall of China

ANTARCTICA. Name "Antarctica" derived from the word «ἀνταρκτική» (Greek opposite the Arctic). The term first appeared in the book Aristotle "Meteorology". The mainland was discovered by Russian navigators F. F. Bellingshausen And M. P. Lazarev V 1820 year. In 1890 the continent was given official name"Antarctica". This was done by a Scottish cartographer John Bartholomew.

Antarctica a few facts:

• The continent, according to the 1959 Antarctic Convention, does not belong to any of the countries. Only scientific activities are allowed here
• Scientists have found traces of tropical life in the continent's glaciers. Remains of palm trees, araucarias, macadamia, baobab and other heat-loving plants
• Over 35 thousand tourists visit Antarctica every year. They observe colonies of seals, whales and penguins, go scuba diving and visit science centers
• There are two major marathons on this continent: the Antarctic Ice Marathon and the McMurdo Marathon.

SEVENTH CONTINENT . Periodically, funds mass media inform that scientists have “discovered” a new, seventh continent. Most often this education includes New Zealand, Caledonia and nearby islands. They are located on the same plate, which was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The plate area is 4.9 million square kilometers, and it fully suits the requirements of the continent.

How many parts of the world are there on Earth and what are they called?

Parts of the world are established historical and cultural formations, which, along with continents, include islands and other parts of land. At the same time, one part of the world can include two continents - America. But one continent can also include two parts of the world. On the continent of Eurasia there are such parts of the world as Europe and Asia.

Today it is customary to distinguish six parts of the world:

• Europe
• America
• Antarctica
• Australia and Oceania

But, in addition to this conventional division, our planet is divided into "New World" And "Old light". The “Old World” includes Europe, Asia and Africa. That is, those parts of the world that were known to the ancient Greeks. During the period of the Great geographical discoveries, America, Australia and other parts of the land appeared on the world map. Which were discovered after 1500. They are classified as the “New World”.

How many continents are there on Earth and what are they called?

Very often, people get confused when mentioning the words continent and continent. Is there a difference between these concepts? Today these terms are considered synonymous. Both continents and continents are huge land masses that are washed by water on all sides. Therefore, it is customary to distinguish six continents. The same ones that we talked about in the first section of this article. Namely:

• North America
• South America
• Antarctica

INTERESTING: The above model is used by Russian geographers. In India, China, Western Europe and some English speaking countries ah allocate seven continents. They classify Europe and Asia as different continents. In Spanish speaking countries, Greece and countries of Eastern Europe North and South America are united into a single continent. Additionally, some scientists use a model of the earth consisting of four continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia.

How many oceans are there on planet Earth and what are they called?

Oceans are the largest bodies of water on our planet. They wash the continents and make up about 2/3 surface of the planet ( 360 million square kilometers). As in the case of continents, there are several options for dividing the World Ocean.

• The ancient Romans called the word "oceanus" all the “big” waters that washed the territory known to them. At the same time, they highlighted:
• Oceanus Germanicus or Oceanus Septentrionalis- North Sea
• Oceanus Britannicus- strait of the English Channel

Today, scientists divide the world's oceans into four parts:

QUIET. The largest and most deep ocean. We occupy about 50% the entire surface of our planet. Name "Quiet" gave to the ocean Ferdinand Magellan. He crossed it in four months without encountering any obstacles.

Pacific Ocean a few facts:

• The deepest point on the earth's surface is Challenger Deep
• The largest landform is located in the Pacific Ocean - Great Barrier Reef
• Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean on a primitive raft, proving the possibility of ancient people traveling over long distances
• More than half of all aquatic biomass is located in the Pacific Ocean
• In the northern part of the ocean there is a “large garbage patch”. This accumulation of human waste products covers an area of 700 thousand up to 115 million km²

ATLANTIC . The second largest area is the Atlantic Ocean. From 92 million square kilometers of its surface more than 16% falls on the seas, bays and straits. For the first time this ocean was called the Atlantic Herodotus. The Greeks believed that Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to this ocean, Atlas stood and held the sky on his shoulders.

Atlantic Ocean a few facts:

• In the center Belize Atoll there is a huge underwater hole. This picturesque place seems bottomless. But in fact its depth 120 meters
• The ocean passes through all the climatic zones of our planet
• IN Atlantic Ocean there is an area with the most difficult navigation. They call her "Bermuda Triangle". Thanks to adventure literature and cinema, she was endowed with mythical power
• Through this ocean passes Gulf Stream – warm current, which warms European countries

INDIAN. Occupies a fifth of the World Ocean. Western part Indian Ocean The ancient Greeks called Eritrean Sea. But later this part of the World Ocean began to be called the Indian Sea. The final name for the Indian Ocean Oceanus Indicus gave Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD.

Indian Ocean interesting facts:

• This ocean is considered the first officially discovered
• This ocean is believed to have the lowest fish catch
• The island states of the Maldives, Seychelles and Sri Lanka, washed by the waters of this ocean, are considered by many to be an ideal holiday destination.
• Considered the warmest ocean on our planet

ARCTIC . The smallest and shallowest ocean on Earth. Its area does not reach 14 million square kilometers. Was separated into a separate ocean in 1650 year geographer Varenius and named Hyperborean(ancient Greek Βορέας - mythical god north wind). In most countries it is called Arctic.

Northern Arctic Ocean Interesting Facts:

• All ocean resources are divided between Russia, the USA, Canada, Denmark and Norway
• More than 25% of oil reserves are located in the waters of this ocean
• Home business card of this ocean are icebergs

INTERESTING: In some literature you can find the name of another one - the fifth ocean. He is called Southern and are located around Antarctica. But neither experts nor navigators consider part of the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans to be a real ocean. The last attempt to include the Southern Ocean on world maps failed 20 00 year. The International Hydrographic Organization has not ratified the decree separating this part of the World Ocean into an independent entity.

Map of continents and oceans on planet Earth

Video. Traveling around the planet, continents and oceans

Firework! I'm sure you have great mood, and you are ready to devote some time to knowledge. As great thinkers wrote and said, there is never enough knowledge. New useful information makes our life more interesting. So, the first thesis of today's article is

Improving one's mind should be the main goal of a person's life.

Having the necessary intellectual base, you can control the world. Especially in our modern information age.

People are always divided into two halves: those who are interested study in order to use knowledge at the right time for their own benefit. And those who are managed by smart people. Which half do you want to belong to? If it’s the first one, then don’t neglect learning new material every free minute.

The topic I would like to discuss today is our planet. Thanks to her we live. To be more precise, I wanted to try to find the answer to an extremely interesting question - How many continents are there on Earth? I already wrote an article called:

The problem here is rather in different points of view. These are the people, there are many countries and each of them has their own views on education, and it is unlikely that in the future they will be able to come to a common opinion.

How many parts of the world are there on the map?

How many continents and continents are there really in the world? And what are they called? If you ask people from different countries, you will get different answers:

• The formation of China, India and many English-speaking countries claims that there are seven continents, in addition to the famous ones: North and South America, Australia, Africa, Antarctica, and Eurasia is divided into Europe and Asia;
• In Japan and the countries of the former Soviet Union, they believe that there are six continents, Eurasia as a single continent;
• Greece, Latin America, Spain, Portugal also distinguish six continents, separately Europe and Asia, but unite the Americas as one continent;
• If we take into account the opinion of the International Olympic Committee, they take into account only the inhabited continents, without Antarctica. It’s not for nothing that the official sign only has five rings.

You can also unite Africa and Eurasia into a single continent, it will turn out very unusual name Afro-Eurasia. And also both Americas, in this case there will be only four. So before you start a great argument, find out which countries in the world have given your opponent the opportunity to get an education. And keep in mind that world maps in different countries may look different.

Questioning this or that education system is also short-sighted. After all, there was a reason to choose exactly this approach to training, thus highlighting this particular country. There are always pros and cons in everything, but no one ever stops you from expressing your point of view, and at the same time listening to someone else’s.

Listening is extremely useful; in a conversation you can understand a lot about your interlocutor. The most unusual thing is the variety of cards; in each country they are issued according to their own standards, and with their own approved names.

How many continents and continents are there on Earth?

There is such a science as geology, and from its point of view, the definition of a continent and mainland differs significantly from the generally accepted ones. So, what is the difference between a mainland and a continent?

A continent is a solid surface of earth or land washed by oceans and seas. All continents are separated only by isthmuses, such as Panama or Suez.

How many continents are there on Earth?

There are six of them in total according to the current scientific concept and here are their names:

• Eurasia;
• Africa;
• Australia;
• Antarctica;
• North America;
• South America.

Even islands adjacent to the mainland are also considered part of the adjacent landmass, even if they are partially under water.

A continent is a piece of land that is not interrupted by a body of water like the sea.

How many continents are there on Earth and what are their names?

There are four of them:

• Old World - this includes Africa and Eurasia;
• New World - North and South America are included here;
• Antarctica;
• Australia.

But the globe is divided not only into continents, continents, there are also parts of the world, but this is rather a cultural or historical concept. There are six parts included:

• Asia;
• America;
• Africa;
• Antarctic;
• Europe;
• Australia and Oceania.

Here you can see photos of various variations of atlases and symbols, and for those who like to study more deeply the history of the origin of the continents, there are thematic videos.

Oceans of the Earth

But not only continents are located on our beautiful planet. Another of the greatest wealth is the presence of a huge amount of water, in the form of seas, oceans, lakes or rivers. Do you know how many oceans there are on earth?

It’s not for nothing that our planet is called Blue, thanks to the continuous World Ocean, which is divided by small archipelagos, but only conditionally. For many years it was customary to distinguish four oceans, but in last years decided to separately highlight the fifth ocean, the Southern or Antarctic. Thus, the following are calculated:

• Pacific Ocean– is considered the largest in area, and also the deepest of all;
• Atlantic Ocean- the second largest, according to legend, the mysterious continent of Atlantis was supposedly located there, hence its name;
• Indian Ocean- is located in equatorial belt and is considered the warmest;
• Antarctic– the youngest ocean washing the southern continent;
• The Arctic Ocean– is still considered the most unexplored due to its inaccessibility; it is covered with eternal ice. Unfortunately, for last decades centuries-old ice began to melt, for a variety of reasons, but scientists fear that an environmental catastrophe awaits us soon.

There are different hypotheses and myths

You know that I love them very much, especially if they are beautiful. Oh, if at school, instead of boring lectures with a lot of numbers and unpronounceable names, the teacher told legends or interesting events, happened to this place, studying would become much more interesting.

Most legends, myths and strange events are associated with the oceans. If man has already conquered all the land, then the oceanic expanses of the world have not yet been able to sufficiently study. I'm personally attracted to Bermuda Triangle, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean.

I read the legend that I want to tell you a long time ago, and it left a mark on my memory and soul. This happened at a time when the sea was just beginning to be conquered, trade and piracy flourished. When sailors believed that the sea was ruled by a great underwater ruler and he must be respected if you wish for a successful voyage.

A fairy tale with a hint

One day, a merchant was traveling on a merchant ship that was sailing with goods from India to America, and he decided to take his daughter on the trip. Although it was quite dangerous. On the ship, a young girl listened with pleasure to sea stories about sea monsters and mermaids.

And suddenly a pirate ship appeared on the horizon, the crew naturally began to prepare for battle, and the merchant hid the girl in the hold and ordered her not to leave under any circumstances. The poor girl was so scared, she hid in the farthest and darkest corner among the chests of goods.

She heard perfectly everything that was happening on the deck, screams and shots. When everything calmed down, she was even more frightened, because if the pirates won, this means that they will soon begin to take out all the goods. The girl decided to change into men's clothes, hoping that in this way she could pretend to be a hare who accidentally got on the ship.

Hearing that someone was leaving, she barely finished changing clothes and hid. Of course, she was found and brought to the captain. Seeing an awkwardly dressed male teenager in front of him, the captain decided to show mercy and left him as an apprentice.

For a period of time, this helped the girl survive, but, unfortunately, her natural beauty began to attract the attention of the team; even daily dirty work and shapeless clothes could not hide it. And at one point the pirate captain decided to talk to the boy about landing him at the nearest port before a showdown began among the crew.

Suddenly entering the cabin that was reserved for the girl, the captain found her changing her shirt. For some time he stood unable to utter a word. Then, realizing the dangers of such an exposure and having found the gift of speech, he was the first to decide to receive it.

Frightened by this behavior, the girl broke free and ran to the deck, but then things got even worse. She did not put on a wig, her beautiful golden hair fluttered in the wind and, realizing what would happen next, she decided to do the only possible thing - to jump overboard.

Standing on the edge of the ship, she turned to the crowd, looked at the captain and cursed him. She said that he was a real monster and jumped off. Of course, she drowned, but her words were so sincere that the great god of the seas turned the captain and all of him into sea ​​monsters, who were forever supposed to wander the vastness of the world.

I hope you liked this article about continents and continents on the Earth map. Share it with your friends. Subscribe and see you soon!

Text— Agent Q.

In contact with

If we talk about categories such as more or less, further or closer, better or worse, then sometimes you can defend your point of view ad infinitum. But in the case when a conversation begins about some geographical characteristics, it is useless to argue, because the truth is obvious.

For example, if you ask the question which continent is the largest, then even a weak C student will answer you that it is Eurasia. Let's get to know him better.

Education of our native continent

When our planet was young, from the point of view of geological age, there was no talk of any continents. The earth's crust was at the stage of formation. Gradually, small areas of the crust began to appear, around which modern continents formed.

Due to the low temperature, the atmosphere fell onto the Earth, and this led to the appearance of the World Ocean, which filled all the depressions in the earth's crust. The geological transformations did not end there; earthquakes and volcanic eruptions continued. All this ended with the formation of one giant continent on earth called Gondwana.

About 70 million years ago, modern continents, including Eurasia, separated from this continent. He, as originally was the most big continent in the world, and still remains so.

Eurasia has been subject to various studies for a very long time, only in the 19th century its final borders appeared on the map.

Surface of the earth on the mainland

It is probably not surprising that the largest continent has all types of relief on its surface. Starting from completely flat terrain, such as the East European Plain, ending the highest mountains Tibet.

There are quite a lot of large mountain ranges on the mainland, among which I would especially like to highlight:

1. Himalayas.
2. Caucasus.
3. Altai.
4. Alps.
5. Tien Shan.
6. Tibet.
7. Carpathians.
8. Ural.

I could list for a long time mountain systems. They all have many distinctive characteristics, each boasting its own attractions.

General characteristics of the continent

The continent of Eurasia is conventionally divided into two parts – Europe and Asia. The conditional border is the Ural Mountains, the northwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, and the Bosphorus Strait.

Eurasia is the only part of the world that is washed by all existing oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic.

In terms of length from east to west, it has no equal. This is as much as 16 thousand kilometers. From north to south - half as much.

For this name we must thank the geologist Eduard Suess, who in 1883 gave the name Eurasia to the continent, and before that there were no other names. Some called the entire continent simply Asia.

Diversity of natural areas

Since Eurasia is the largest continent in terms of area, it follows from this that, moving from north to south, one can observe the change of one natural zone to another. Everyone meets on this continent natural areas that exist on our planet.

If we take the extreme southern point, then the zone is located here tropical forests. Throughout calendar year hot and humid. As you move north, the climate becomes more temperate, and you can observe the change of seasons.

The extreme northern point is already another pole, where, unlike the tropics, where life is in full swing, here it is practically lifeless. All year round there is snow and permafrost. Few animals decide to settle here, although there are also record holders.

On the mainland you can see interesting feature: Territories lying at the same latitude have completely different climatic conditions. This can be explained by different terrain and the presence of warm and cold currents.

For example, Yalta and Vladivostok. There is only one latitude, but how much? different climate.

Even in the interior of the mainland, one can observe a wide variation in summer and winter temperatures; night and day temperatures can differ radically. For example, in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, temperatures can rise to +20 during the day and drop to -20 at night.

This is how diverse the continent of Eurasia is.

The uniqueness of Eurasia

Eurasia is not only the largest continent in area, but also distinguished by its unique geographical records. Let's name just a few of them:

1. Only Eurasia is washed by all the world's oceans.
2. On the territory of the mainland there is the highest mountain range - Mount Chomolungma.
3. The other extreme in altitude is also found here. This is the Dead Sea depression.
4. The highest mountain peaks belong to the Eurasian continent. This includes the Himalayas and Tibet.
5. The Caspian Lake is considered the largest on the geographical map, and it is also located on the Eurasian continent.
6. The deepest and cleanest Lake Baikal is also the property of Eurasia.
7. Even such a concept as maximum amount precipitation per year, applies to the locality of Cherrapunji, located in the foothills of the Himalayas.
8. The largest geographical area is Siberia.
9. The coldest point on the globe is also located on the continent of Eurasia. This is Oymyakon.

There is no other continent on Earth that is so unique and inimitable. We are its inhabitants and we should be proud of it. Moreover, the population in Eurasia is the largest. Almost 75% of all the planet's inhabitants live here.