Our planet Earth total surface area is divided into continents and oceans in which 71% of it is ocean and the rest 21% is land. Again this is divided into 5 oceans and 7 continents. These continents are the large landmass which is again divided into countries. So let’s look into the details of these seven continents and they are:
- Asia
- Africa
- North America
- South America
- Antarctica
- Europe
- Australia
Asia
Asia is the largest continent covering over 8.7% of the total earth surface and also has the highest population of over 4.4 billion people which makes it an important part of the world economy. Asia is mostly located in the northern and eastern hemisphere of the earth with an area of 44.58 million square kilometers with dense and large settlements with the vast barely populated area. Asia is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Indian Ocean in the south and Artic Ocean in the north. It has a total of 48 countries.
Africa
Africa is the second largest continent and the second most populous country with over 1.2 billion people that accounts for 16% of the human population of our planet. It covers 6% of the total earth surface and 30.37 million square kilometers. The continents are surrounded by the Mediterranean sea to the north, both Suez canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It has 54 countries.
North America
North America lies entirely in the northern hemisphere and almost within the western hemisphere with the area of 24.71 million square kilometers which is 4.8%of the total surface earth. It is the third largest by land and fourth populous country with over 565 million people that are about 7.5% of the overall population. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to east, west, and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and Caribbean seas. It is divided into 22 countries.
South America
South America is located in the western hemisphere, mostly in the southern hemisphere with a relatively small amount in the northern hemisphere and is also the fourth largest continent. It has a total area of 17.84 million square kilometers with a population of 422.5 million square kilometers. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the north and east and North America and the Caribbean Sea to the northwest. It has got 12 countries.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the southernmost continent and it’s in the South pole which is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the fifth largest continent with area 14 million square kilometers with temporary residents of 5000 because it’s not suitable for the human beings, here the temperature drops -89.2degree Celsius and 98% of it is covered with ice with an average thickness of 1.9 km. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent.
Europe
Europe is the sixth largest continent and third most populous with 743.1 million people. It got an area of 10.18 million square kilometers that is the 2% of the total surface of Earth. It is bounded by the Arctic Ocean on the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the South and the eastern boundaries with Asia but there is no clear physical or geographical separation between them. There are 50 countries in Europe.
Australia
Australia is the single country and also smallest of all continents. It is the sixth largest country by area with 7.69 million square kilometers and with a population of 24 million people. Australia is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It has the world largest coral reef, Great Barrier Reef which extends over 2000 kilometers and also it is rich in biodiversities.