RE é 4\ Our) Earth:/Contin nents)) and' Oceans When we look at @ globe, we see large parts of the earth's surface covered with water. Water occupies 71 per cent of the planet and land, a mere 29 per cent. This means that a CONTINENTS ‘Look at the map of the world on this page. Can you locate all the continents init? Make a ist of the continents according to size. ak ant wernerWhich in the largest continent in the world? Asia isthe largest continent in the world It occupies one-third of the land area of our planet. There are oceans on three sides of this land mass. To the non lies the Arctic Ocean, to the east is the ee Pacitic Ocean and to the south is the Indian Ocean. A variety of Bi landforms are found here. Some of the highest mountain peaks ‘of the world are located here including Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, Asia has the world’s most populous countries— China and India. India and its neighbours collectively form the Indian subcontinent because they share many common physical ‘and cultural features. MeEverest “The second largest continent is Africa which is surrounded by Water bodies on all sides.To the north lies the Mediterranean, ‘Sea, to the east is the Indian Ocean and to the west is the Attentic Ocean. Due to its size and extent, a variety of landforms are found here. The world’s longest river, the Nile, and the largest desert, the Sahara, are found here. The ‘Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, ‘This canal in Egypt is man-made. It allows two-way water transportation between Europe and Asia without having to {90 around Africa, Sco cana | Tht largest continent inthe word North Ameri, _Te Suez Canal | Christopher Columbus discovered it.The highest point in the continent is Mt MeKinley in Alaska. The Rockies stretch along the western part and the Appalachian Mountains stretch along the eastern part of this continent. The entire continent lies in the northern hemisphere with some parts within the Arctic Circle. This is one of the most advanced continents of the world with the countries of the United States of America (the USA) and Canada occupying a substantial part of it. ‘South America is the fourth largest continent. North America ‘and South America are joined by the Isthmus of Panama. The ‘Andes stretch from north to south in the western part ofthis, ‘continent. The famous Amazon rainforests, which are one of, the thickest forests in the world, are found here, ‘The fifth largest continent is Antarctica It does not have much life apart from scientists living in the research stations and wildlife such as penguins, whales and seal. It isthe coldest paar of the world, and remains frozen throughout the year. This is also why it is called the white continent. Iti eurrounded by stormy seas, ‘Te Isthmus of Pan Europe is the sixth largest continent and has some of the most developed countries in the world even though itis quite small in size, itis Asia's neighbour and is located entirely in henorthern hemisphere, Europe and Asia aro aon together know! as Eurasia nis an sland since li around by war oa sd New Zealand and several other islands together form | Aussi Tho Grom Barer Reto the Grst Aan Dene are wo wall now turn athe seen 2 Did you's, j ‘Tne Great Bares Root —o— know; Rtions of years ago at te continents formed a single supercontnent ales Pangnos. Xe tune passed, Pangaca sot Into pleces, whch started ating vay rom one anther The space between the pieces started ling up win wae Tiss ow continents ana occane were forme: OCEANS The seven continents of the world are separated from ‘each other by large stretches of water called oceans, There are five oceans in the world. They are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. ‘The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest in the world. Itis almost circular in shape. It separates the Americas from : Asia and Australia. The world's deepest trench, the Mariana Pcie Ocean Trench, which has a depth of 10,884 m, lies init ‘The second largest ocean is the Atlantic Ocean which separates North and South America from Europe and Africa. Its shaped like the letter'S. A unique feature ofthis ocean is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a submerged mountain range, which has several high peaks that form {slands in the ocean. ‘The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean and isthe only ocean that is named after 8 county, ie, India. Asia lies to its north, Australia to its east and Africa to its west. The two important parts of this ocean are the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal ‘The Southem Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica. It is formed by the merging of the southern parts of the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and lies in the southern hemisphere. The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean. Since its located mostly within the Arctic Circle, itis covered with ice all the time. The North Pole is located hara. itis tha northernmost point on the earth and the area surrounding iis frozen throughout the year.