7 continents

The 7 Continents
On Earth, the land is broken
into large pieces. These pieces
are separated by large bodies of
water called oceans. We call some
of these pieces of land continents.
A continent is an area of land.
Some continents are surrounded
by oceans, and other continents
are connected to other continents.
On Earth these continents were
once part of one massive land
mass known as Pangea. The
continents continue to move!
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Tectonic Plates
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The earth has three layers, the core, the
mantle, and the crust.
The crust is made up of tectonic plates
which shift and move on top of the
mantle.
The movement of the tectonic plates
causes earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Faults are areas along the crust that
damaged due to the plate movement.
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San Andreas Fault
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Prime Meridian
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LONGITUDE
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Equator
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LATITUDE
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On Earth we have 7 continents. They are Africa,
Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America,
and South America.
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Let’s discover what is unique about each continent!
AFRICA
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Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Indian Ocean.
The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea also
border the continent.
Is the 2nd largest of the continents making up
about 20% of the Earth’s land.
Has the 2nd largest population.
Made up of 53 countries.
Is divided into 8 regions.
AFRICA
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Contains the longest
river, the Nile, which
flows North.
Has the largest
desert, the Sahara
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Africa is home to Egypt.
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AFRICAN ANIMALS
Giraffe
Herds of Elephant
Gorillas
Cheetah
Rhino
Chameleons
4 of 5 fastest animals live
here. The Cheetah,
wildebeest, lion,
Thomson’s gazelle.
Antarctica
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Is the 5th largest continent,
about 9% of Earth’s land.
The only people that live here are scientists.
The Southern Ocean surrounds all sides of
the continent.
Is covered mostly by ice.
Has the coldest and windiest climate on the
planet.
Antarctica’s Animals
There are many different kinds of animals that are in Antarctica. These
are the most common.
Penguins
A penguin is a bird that can
not fly although they can
swim. Their wings are
designed to be like flippers
to glide through the water.
Seals
Their fat protects them
from the cold. They live on
the ice but can be under
water for up to an hour.
Asia
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Is the largest continent, about 30% of the land
Has the highest population of all the continents
Contains 44 countries
Borders Europe and Africa on the West
Borders the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean
on the South and East
Asia
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Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain is
located in Nepal in Asia.
China and India are counties that have the
highest population in the world
The Ural Mountains separate Asia and Europe
Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines are just
some of the island countries that are a part of
Asia
Asian Animals
Panda
Orangutans
Tiger
Camels
Australia
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Is the smallest continent, about 5% of the land
mass
Has the smallest population
Is made up of a single country, Australia.
Australia is about the same size as the 48
connected United States
Australian Animals
Dingo
Koala
Platypus
Kangaroo
Europe
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Is only bigger than Australia, takes up about
6% of the land mass
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Has the 3rd largest population
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Contains 46 countries
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The Atlantic Ocean is located to the West.
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The Mediterranean Sea is located to the
South
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In Europe there is the European Union. It is
a government structure that helps 28 of the
European countries work together to deal
with trade and other aspects of the
economy more effectively. Their common
money system includes the euro. 1 euro
equals $1.11 as of 9.5.15.
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European Animals
These are just a couple of the
animals that you can find across
Europe. Because the climate is
similar to North America, there
are many similar animals on each
continent.
Wildcats
Wild Goats
North America
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Is the 3rd largest continent, about 16% of the
land on earth
Has the 4th largest population
Contains 23 countries including Canada, Mexico,
and the United States of America
Includes Central America
Both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean border
this continent.
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North America was inhabited by over 500 Native American
tribes before the Europeans arrived on the shores.
Natives had traveled across Asia to North America on the
land bridge.
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North American Animals
These are just a few of the animals that North America has. Many
areas have different weather in North America. Each of these areas
has its own kind of animals.
Bear
Coyote
Moose
Before the Panama Canal was
built, North and South
America were connected by
land. To get to the Pacific
Ocean by boat, you would
have to sail around South
America.
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South America
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Is the 4th largest continent, about 12% of the
land mass
Has the 5th largest population
Contains 12 countries
Has some major natural landforms, the Amazon
River, Andes Mountains, and the rainforest
Has the most diversity of climate, biomes, and
wildlife
South American Animals
Toucan
Anaconda
Marmoset
Anteater
Resources
Adapted from the work of Amy TerAvest and Crystal Polk
http://geography.pppst.com/continents.html
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