MONTESSORI INTEGRATED SCHOOL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 3 & 4

MIDDLE ELEMENTARY 2ND QUARTER SUPPLEMENT 4

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7 Continents of the World

A continent is a massive area of land that is separated from others by water or other natural
features. There are seven continents on Earth and together they cover one-third of the world, with
the oceans covering the other two-thirds. Five of the seven continents are joined by land to another
continent, while Australia and Antarctica are separated from the others by oceans. Each continent has
a wide range of different landscapes, weather and animal life.

According to the Pangaea Theory, the earth was a large landmass that slowly separated into
different parts due to plate tectonic movements (scientific theory explaining how significant
landforms are created ). The pieces of Pangaea that began to move apart were the beginnings of the
continents that we know today. The positions of the continents are always changing, some continents
move to one another while some are moving further away from one another.

The seven continents vary in size and population numbers.

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 Asia is the largest continent in the world by both
land area and population. It covers one-third of the Earth's
surface. Its 4.7 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the
world's population. There are 49 countries in Asia. China
has the largest population in Asia followed by India. Asia
was the site of many of the first civilizations. It is also the
birthplace of all the world’s major religions—Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism

Asia is bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Indian
Ocean to the south, the Red Sea to the southwest, and Europe to the west. The Isthmus of Suez
unites Asia with Africa while the continent of Europe is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains.

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world.

The highest mountain in the world Mount Everest, is
located in the Himalayan mountain range between Nepal
and China. The Gobi desert is the largest desert in Asia and
the fifth largest desert in the world. This is a cold desert
where the temperatures can be very low and sometimes
even snow can occur.

There is a wide variety of animals in Asia due to its very

diverse climate ranging from arctic climate in Siberia (Russia) to
tropical climates in South-East Asia. There are snow leopards and
polar bears in the north and tropical species such as the Komodo
dragons in the south. Komodo dragons are the largest, heaviest
lizards in the world.

Some of the popular attractions in Asia are:

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 Africa is the world's second-largest and
second-most-populous continent. It covers 20% of Earth's
land area and 6% of its total surface area. With 1.4 billion
people it accounts for about 18% of the world's human
population. There are 54 countries in Africa. Nigeria has the
largest population in Africa followed by Ethiopia and Egypt.

The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean

Sea to the north, the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the
southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Africa is sometimes called The Cradle of Humankind

because human life originated there. fossil remains of
several human ancestors have been found in South Africa.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The

Sahara Desert in
northern Africa is
the largest hot
desert in the world.
The climate is extremely dry, and arid (little or no rain) in this
region.

In Africa, you will find some of the largest mammals

on this planet. Among them are the largest land mammal, the
African elephant, the tallest mammal, the giraffe, and the fastest mammal, the cheetah. Africa is also
home to many endangered animals such as the white and black rhinoceros.

Some of the popular attractions in Africa are:

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 North America is the third largest continent. It has a
population of 600 million people. There are 23 countries in
North America. USA is the most populous country in North
America followed by Mexico and Canada.

North America is bounded on the north by the Arctic

Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the
south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North
Pacific Ocean.

North America is connected to South America by the Isthmus of

Panama. The Isthmus of Panama is a strip of narrow land lying
between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

The name America is derived from that of

the Italian merchant and navigator Amerigo
Vespucci, one of the earliest European
explorers to visit the New World (western
hemisphere).

Lake Superior is considered the largest freshwater lake by area in

the world. Greenland is the world's
largest island that is not a continent.

North America is also home to many endangered animals

such as the American bison, the banana bat and the puma.

Some of the popular attractions in North America are:

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 South America is the fourth largest continent. It has
a population of 430 million people. There are 12 countries
in South America. Brazil has the largest population in South
America.

South America is bounded by the Caribbean Sea to

the northwest and north, the Atlantic Ocean to the
northeast, east, and southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the
west. In the
northwest, it is joined to North America by the Isthmus
of Panama.

The world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon

Rainforest, is located in South America. The Amazon
River is the second-longest river in the world. The
Atacama desert is considered the driest place on earth.
Angel Falls is the world's highest waterfall. The Andes
Mountains are the
world's longest mountain range.

In South America, there are tapirs, piranhas and anacondas. The

green anaconda is the largest, heaviest and second-longest snake
in the world.
Some of the popular attractions in South America are:

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 Antarctica is the world’s southernmost, fifth-largest
and least populated continent. It is also the world’s highest,
driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. Almost all of
the continent's land is covered by a thick layer of ice.
Antarctica is an icy desert with very little rainfall throughout
the year. Because of these characteristics, this continent is
the most uninhabitable place on earth.

There are no residents living permanently

here. Only around 1,000 people (in winter)
and 10,000 people (in summer) live on the
continent. These people are mainly based
there for one year to live and work in the
research stations.

Furthermore, it is home to only a few animal and plant

species. Only the cold-adapted organisms that have adaptive
mechanisms to survive in this environment like seals and
krills. The Emperor penguins are the only penguin species
breeding in Antarctica. Emperor penguins are the tallest and
heaviest of all penguin species.

Some of the popular attractions in South America are:

6
 Europe is the second smallest continent. There are
more than 742 million people living on the continent. There
are 50 countries in Europe. The most populous European
country is Russia.

It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the

west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the
Mediterranean Sea.

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world.

Hum in Croatia is the smallest town in the world. The town
has only 30 inhabitants.

There are 75 species of amphibians in Europe, most of

them are endemic
species in Southern
Europe such as
newts and salamanders.

Five out of the top ten tourist destinations in the world

are located in Europe. France is the number 1 tourist
destination in the world with about 90 million international
tourist arrivals per year.

Some of the popular attractions in Europe are:

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 Australia is the smallest continent and one of the
largest countries on Earth. It is the second-driest continent
on Earth. The continent derived its name from the Latin
word ‘australis’ meaning southern. It has a population of
39.36 million people. Australia is a continent that contains
mainland Australia, Tasmania and smaller surrounding
islands. It is also a country. It is the only country in the world
that covers a whole continent. Australia is situated between the Pacific Ocean to the West and the
Indian Ocean to the east. As a result of the continent’s geography and size, it is often called an
“island” continent.

Uluru, previously referred to also as Ayers Rock, is located in

the center of the country and is
the largest standing rock in the
world. The Great Barrier Reef is
the world’s largest reef and one
of the greatest natural wonders. The reef consists of more than
3,000 reefs and is home to over 350 species of corals and over
1,500 species of fish.

Among the most well-known Australian animals are kangaroos,

wombats, koalas and dingos. Wombats are marsupials or animals
whose babies are born early and continue to develop in a special
pouch outside of the mother’s body. Unlike kangaroos and koalas,
the opening of a wombat’s pouch faces its rear rather than its head
to prevent it from filling with dirt when the mother is digging.
Some of the popular attractions in Australia are:

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent
https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/
https://www.whatarethe7continents.com/