The Continents

The shape and location of continents and oceans have been evolving for 3 billion years. Over these many years, the tectonic plates on which the continents rest have detached, moved and separated until reaching their current shape and location.

There are 7 continents on the planet.

Here is the surface area in km² of each continent.

Asia is the world's largest continent. It accounts for 30% of the world's land mass. Asia is also the most populous continent, with over 60% of the world's population^[7].

Asia's relief and climate are highly varied. It is the world's highest continent, with an average altitude of 950 m. It is home to the world's highest point, Mount Everest, which rises to over 8840 m above sea level. Conversely, the continent's deepest point, Lake Baikal, lies 1300 m below sea level^[1].

There are a wide variety of climates on the Asian continent. Here are just a few:

• the continental climate in Siberia (Russia), with the tundra and the taiga

• the desert climate south of the Caspian Sea (over Iran)

• the tropical climate of Southeast Asia

The Asian continent is divided into 5 regions.

The African continent is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait of Gibraltar separates Africa from Europe while the Suez Canal divides the continent from Asia. Africa is the second largest continent in terms of surface area. In 2017, it was home to around 1.2 billion people^[2].

The continent's climate varies greatly depending on the region you're in, with Mediterranean, desert, tropical and equatorial climates.

Africa is divided into 5 different regions.

North America is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Climates on the continent vary from region to region, but include polar, mountain, continental, temperate and even desert climates.

To the west of the continent are high chains of mountains called The Rocky Mountains, or Rockies. To the east, there are smaller mountains, including the Appalachians. The centre of the continent is occupied by the Great Plains.

There are only 3 countries on the North American continent: Canada, the USA and Mexico. This is because of the large size of these countries, with Canada being the second largest in the world, the USA the third and Mexico the fourteenth.

Central America is the narrowest part of the American continent, between North and South America. Central America can sometimes be considered the third American continent.

There are 7 countries in Central America: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

The Countries and Territories of the Caribbean

The Caribbean region comprises the states surrounding the Caribbean Sea. The region is sometimes also referred to as the West Indies.

As well as including numerous states, this region also has territories belonging to different countries.

South America is surrounded by the Southern Ocean to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. As in North America, to the west of the continent is the chain of mountains known as the Cordillera of the Andes. The Brazilian plateau is on the east coast and the Amazon rainforest is located in the centre, on flatter terrain.

The climate is mainly tropical and equatorial, but also continental and mountainous in places.

South America includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Antarctica, located at the Earth's South Pole, is the world's only uninhabited continent. This is due to its extreme climate. Over 99% of its territory is covered by a thick layer of ice. The climate on this continent is the harshest in the world, with average temperatures ranging from -10°C to -60°C as well as violent winds^[4].

The continent was first explored in the 1800s. Although no one lives there, many people continue to travel there to explore and research the continent.

Antarctica does not belong to any country. Countries may, however, settle there to carry out scientific research, but the main aim is always to preserve the territory, not to exploit it.

Europe is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The European continent is one of the most fragmented, with many inland seas, peninsulas and small mountain ranges, such as the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Ural Mountains.

There are 3 types of climate on the European continent: oceanic, continental and Mediterranean.

Generally speaking, Europe is divided into 2 regions: eastern and western.

Oceania is the smallest of the world's 7 continents. Australia accounts for 85% of the continent's total surface area. New Zealand is Oceania's second largest island. Around 70% of the continent's population is found in Australia and New Zealand^[5]. The other countries on this continent are scattered over more than 10 000 islands^[6].

These islands are divided into 3 major regions: Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.
 

Some of these islands are independent countries, such as Nauru, Tonga, Palau, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Samoa, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, which includes the Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands.

The Cook Islands belong to New Zealand, while French Polynesia, New Caledonia as well as Wallis and Futuna belong to France. Papua New Guinea represents a unique situation in that the eastern part of the island is an independent country, while the western part belongs to Indonesia.

In general, the archipelagos of Oceania have a tropical climate. In New Zealand, the climate is more oceanic. Australia is divided between temperate and desert climates.

For more information, please consult the following concept sheets:

To access the rest of the unit, consult the Tools in Geography concept sheet.