Hey Kids! Read this article to find out everything you need to know about continents. Teachers and parents, this article is simple and easy to read for elementary school students. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know with these interesting continent facts for kids.
What is a Continent?
A continent is a large mass of land on the planet earth. Earth has seven continents. The seven continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Some continents are surrounded by water. Australia/Oceania, Antarctica, and Africa are continents surrounded by water.
Other continents are connected. North America and South America are related, and Europe and Asia are connected
The continents are listed in size order from largest to smallest:
Asia
Africa
North America
South America
Antarctica
Africa
Africa is a huge continent. It is made up of over 11 million square miles! There are 54 countries in Africa.
The equator runs through Africa. The equator is an imaginary line that runs through the middle of the planet, separating the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. The hottest places on earth are located at the equator. Some of the hottest countries on earth are found in Africa.
More than half of all the diamonds in the world come from Africa.
Most of the world’s coca comes from the ivory coast and Ghana, located in Africa. Cocoa is used to make chocolate.
Mount Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is the highest point in Africa. It is over 19,000 above sea level.
The Nile, the longest river in the world, is located in Africa. It runs through Egypt, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Zaire.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the southernmost continent. It is the fifth-largest continent and the driest and coldest continent. It rarely rains there.
Sheets of ice cover Antarctica. These sheets of ice can be over 2 miles thick.
The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica.
The South Pole is in Antarctica
Antarctica is the least populated continent. People do not permanently live in Antarctica. Some people come to the continent to live and work at research facilities at different times of the year.
Penguins, whales, and some seals live in the waters of the southern part of Antarctica.
Asia
Asia is the largest continent. Forty-eight countries make up Asia.
It is also the most populated continent. There are approximately 4 billion people that live in Asia.
Asia is home to Mount Everest, the world’s largest mountain. Mount Everest is located in the Himalayan mountain range in Nepal and China.
Australia/Oceania
Australia is the smallest of the seven continents. Fourteen countries make up the continent of Australia/Oceania. Some of the countries include Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Figi, Soloman Islands, Tonga, and other islands that make up the continent of Australia/Oceania. It is the sixth largest country in the world.
The Indian and Pacific Oceans surround Australia.
There are over 300 languages that are spoken on the continent.
Australia is home to many animals that only live in that region. These animals include kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and dingos.
Many indigenous people live on the continent of Australia/Oceania. Indigenous people are native to that land; they did not immigrate there, nor are the ancestors of people who immigrated there. Indigenous people are considered first people.
Europe
Europe is the second smallest continent.
There are no oceans that separate Asia from Europe. The Black Sea, The Caspian Sea, and the Sea of Marmara divide the two continents.
The Arctic Ocean borders the North, the Atlantic Ocean borders the West, and the Mediterranean Sea borders the South part of the continent.
Forty-six countries make up the continent of Europe.
Europe is home to the world’s smallest country, the Vatican.
Europe is also home to the largest country in the world, Russia. Russia is so big it is located on two continents, Europe and Asia.
North America
North America is the third largest continent in the world.
There are 23 countries that makeup North America. The largest country on the continent is Canada, followed by the United States and Mexico.
The United States is located in North America.
The largest cities in North America include Mexico City, Mexico, New York, New York, USA, Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Dallas-forth Worth, Texas, USA, Huston, Texas, USA; and Toronto, Canada.
The highest mountain is Mt Denali in Alaska.
The lowest and driest point is Death Valley National Park which is located in California and borders Nevada.
South America
South America is the fourth largest continent. I is home to 12 countries.
The largest country in South America is Brazil. Brazil takes up most of the landmass of South America. Brazil is so large that it is only slightly smaller than the United States of America.
South America is home to the second largest river in the world, the Amazon.
The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is located on the continent of South America. The Amazon runs through the counties of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
