PARINTON PONKRIDA 6-a

Different continents
of the world
Africa
While Africa is first alphabetically, it is second in both population and size among the Earths
seven continents. Over 1 billion people can call Africa home. The people of Africa are spread
across 54 different countries in Africa. This continent is home to 15% of the worlds
population and the continent makes up 20% of the total land area on planet earth. The
equator passes through the center of the continent which provides for largely warm and/or
tropical climates. The northern and the southern portion of Africa have more temperate
conditions. Of the continents of the world, Africa is unique in that it stretches between the
northern and southern temperate zones. Africa is also attributed with being the birthplace of
mankind. The oldest fossil evidence of Homo sapiens was found in the eastern part of the
continent.

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Antarctica
The continent of Antarctica is positioned as the southernmost land mass on Earth. The
South Pole can be found here among its large permanent glaciers and frigid weather. Even
though Antarctica has one of the harshest climates and most unwelcoming terrains on planet

Earth, there are still nearly five thousand people that temporarily call this continent home
every year. This makes Antarctica the least populated continent on Earth. Antarctica is
known as the coldest landmass and has few native plants or animals because most of the
continent is covered in sheets of ice that can be more than a mile thick which forms
permanent glaciers. You can find penguins, seals, plants, and fungi in Antarctica.
Interestingly, this continent is the only one which has no reptiles on its land mass.

EUROPE
A continent is defined as the earth's main continuous expansion on land. A
continent is a huge mass of land primarily defined in terms of convention. There
are currently seven continents in the world out of which Europe is the second
smallest continent. Europe shares its boundaries with Arctic Ocean in the North,
by Atlantic Ocean in the West. In the south of Europe lies the Mediterranean Sea
and to the East, its boundary is vague and blurred. Considering in terms of area,
Russia is the largest country in Europe occupying a territory of 17,098,242 km
square. The smallest and least populated country in Europe is The Vatican City
with a population as low as 800 people. Europe has been the birth place for the
world's most ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome. Europe has also been
the epicenter of the biggest wars; World War I and World War II which wreaked
havoc on the people of several countries. The major countries of Europe
collectively form European Union that allows all the independent countries of
Europe to share a common currency and to unite their economic and military
power, are 27. Major languages spoken in Europe include French, German,
Spanish, Swiss, and Portuguese among many others. The world's oldest
countries like France, Portugal and Denmark also reside in this continent. The
longest lake of Europe is Balaton stretching up to 592 square kilometers. The
importance of rivers can never be ignored as they have a massive influence on a
country's trade and economy. The longest rivers in Europe are Volga and

Danube. Coming towards the major cities of Europe, we can easily say that
Moscow, London, Madrid, Rome and Paris are the biggest and the most
important one. The Europeans have made great progress in the economy and
has emerged as the major economic powers of the world. The prime sectors of
its economy include transport, energy and research whereas EU is the world's
biggest exporter and second-biggest importer.

ASIA
Of all the seven continents, the continent of Asia is the largest with respect to both area
and population while Australia being the smallest in both regards. The total area of Asia is
calculated to be 44,579,000 kilometers square, covering 30% of the total earth's land and
8.66% of the total earth's surface. This continent shares its border with Ural Mountains to
the East, the Arctic Ocean to the North, the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Indian Ocean
to the South. The highest point in the World is Mount Everest with a height of 8,848 meters.
This mountain is situated in the Tibetan region of the Himalayas that is situated in this
gigantic continent. Other Asia facts includes the facts about Asian rivers. As, the rivers are
considered to be the most needed natural phenomenon on earth and are immensely
important geographically, biologically, historically and culturally. So, the 3rd longest river in
the world; river Yangtze (6,211 km) is in Asia and flows through China. Desert is an area or
landscape which gets least precipitation thus providing unfavorable conditions for the
growth of plants and the survival of life. The largest desert in Asia is the Gobi desert
measuring 281,800 km square.