CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD - Tamil Crowd (Health Care)

CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD

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 CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD

Millions of years ago, the earth consisted of one huge land mass called Pangaea.

It was surrounded by a large ocean, called Panthalassa.

Slowly, the land broke up and started to form separate land masses. These land masses are called Continents.

We have seven continents.  Let us look at these continents from the largest to the smallest.

  • Asia.
  • Africa .
  • North America.
  • South America.
  • Antarctica.
  • Europe.
  • Australia.

Asia: 

-Asia is the largest continent, covering approximately 30% of the earth’s total land area.

-Most of it lies in the northern hemisphere.

-It is bounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south.

– The Pacific Ocean lies to the east of Asia.

Some important facts:

  • The landscape ranges from deserts, mountains, forests, rivers, to plains.
  • It is rich in oil and gas reserves and is one of the largest producers of electronics, food grains, and spices.
  • Two of the most populated countries, China and India are located in Asia. 
  • The world’s largest country, Russia is in the north of this continent.
  • The Thar desert is found in India and the Gobi desert, a cold desert, is in Mongolia.
  • The highest mountain peak in the world, Mt Everest, is situated here in Nepal.

Africa:

-Africa is the second largest continent in the world.

-It has the Equator passing right across it. This continent is bounded by the Indian Ocean on its east and the Atlantic Ocean on its west.

-To its north is the Mediterranean Sea. 

-It is connected to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, on which the famous Suez Canal was built.

Some important facts:

  • It was referred to as the Dark Continent because very little was known about its history and the people who lives in it.
  • The highest mountain is Mt Kilimanjaro and the largest lake is Lake Victoria.
  • The world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara desert, is found to the north of this continent. The Kalahari and Namib deserts are in the south.
  • It is also home to the world’s longest river- the Nile.
  • There are huge deposits of gold and diamonds in South Africa, which has made this region very rich.

North America:

-North America is the third largest continent and has the Arctic Ocean to its north, the Pacific Ocean to its west, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east.

Some important facts:

  • The mountain ranges are the Rocky mountain, which run down the western side of this continent and the Appalachian mountains, which run down the eastern side.
  • This continent has five great lakes on the border of Canada and USA- Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
  • Mt Mckinley is the highest peak in this continent.
  • The Mississippi is the longest river in North America.
  • The famous Niagara Falls is found in this continent.

South America:

-South America is the fourth largest continents in the world and lies entirely in the southern hemisphere. 

–The Pacific ocean lies to the west of this continent and it is connected to North America through a narrow piece of land called the Isthmus of Panama.

Some important facts:

  • The Andes, one among the longest mountain ranges in the world, runs along the western coast of this continent.
  • The largest river of South America, the Amazon, starts, from the Andes mountains, runs through a rainforest, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its sheer size, this river is sometimes called the River Sea.
  • The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest rainforest and is also called the ‘Lungs of the World’.
  • The world’s highest waterfall, the Angel Falls, is in South America.
  • The Atacama Desert, the driest place on the earth, is also in this continent.

Antarctica:

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent and is located in the South Pole.

Some important facts: 

  • It is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent.
  • It is called the White Continent or the Frozen Continent, as about 98% of its area is covered with snow and ice.
  • An international treaty allows anyone to use this continent for peaceful purposes.
  • The highest temperature ever recorded is 17.5 Degree C and the coldest is -94.7Degree C.
  • There are many scientific research stations presents here, to study the weather and other forms of marine life around the continent.
  • Mount Erebus is the most active volcano on this continent.
  • The dry conditions in Antarctica make it the largest desert in the world.
  •  Birds such as the albatross, penguins, and some kinds of seals and whales, live here.
  • Not many plants grow here, except for certain types of algae and lichens.

Europe:

Europe is actually connected to the Asia landmass and hence the whole landmass is called Eurasia.
It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Mediterranean Sea on the south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west.

Some important facts:
  • The Ural mountains are found to its east and they divide Europe and Asia.
  • Vatican City, the world’s smallest country, is located in Europe.
  • The British Isles has two islands- Great Britain and Ireland. They are found off the north-western coast of Europe.

Australia:

-Australia also known as the ‘Island Continent’. Australia is the smallest of all seven continents. 

-It has Pacific Ocean to its east, the Indian Ocean to its west, and the Southern Ocean to its south.

Some important facts:

  • The term Oceania is given to the island nations found in the region, namely Australia, New Zealand, and other islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  • The majority of of Australia’s population is found on the eastern and southern coasts. Rest of this continents has just barren land or deserts.
  • The world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, is found off the north-eastern coast of Australia.
  • Animals such as koala bears, emus, and kangaroos are native only to this continent.    

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