Continents are called large tracts of the earth's crust, most of which rises above sea level. Their basis is the continental crust. How many continents on earth? There are six of them: Africa, Eurasia, South America, Antarctica, Australia, North America. They are all located in different parts of the planet. The total area occupied by the continents of the Earth is 29.1% of the entire planet, that is 148 647 000 km². These include islands nearby.
Eurasia
Eurasia has a larger volume and mass than other continents of the globe. Four oceans wash it: from the north side - the Arctic Ocean, from the south - the Indian, from the east - the Pacific, and from the west - the Atlantic. The continent is located in the Northern Hemisphere in the middle of about 9 ° C. d. and 169 ° z. d., but part of it (mainly islands) belongs to the Southern Hemisphere, and the main massif is located on the territory of the Eastern Hemisphere. And only the extreme parts from the east and west lie in the Western Hemisphere. The length of Eurasia from the northern edge to the southern is 8 thousand km, and from western to eastern it is 16 thousand km. Its area is ≈ 54 million km², which is more than a third of the total land area. The area of the islands of the continent is approximately 2.75 million km². The mainland is located in two parts of the world: Asia and Europe, the border between which is conditionally drawn.
From the north, the mainland extends far beyond the Arctic Circle. In the west, its extreme point is Cape Roca, in the east - Cape Dezhnev.
South America
Most of South America is located in the Southern and Western Hemispheres, but a small portion of it is located in the Northern Hemisphere. On the west side, the continent is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic - from the east. In the north, the border with North America passes through the Caribbean Sea and the Isthmus of Panama. Various islands are also credited to the mainland.
This continent is more humid than other continents of the Earth. Its total part is 17 850 568 km², the total area of the basins of the Parana, Orinoco and Amazon rivers is 9 583 000 km². Also in South America is the world's highest Angel Falls, Iguazu Falls - the most powerful, highest navigable lake of Titicaca and many other lakes and waterfalls.
North America
North America is located in the northern part of the Western hemisphere of our planet, washed by four oceans and several seas. In the south, the Isthmus of Panama separates it from South America, and on the western side it is divided by the Bering Strait with Eurasia . Many islands are also attributed to North America: Aleutian, Vancouver, Greenland, etc. Without islands, the area of the continent is 20.4 million km², and with islands it is approximately 24.2 million km².
Africa
Africa is the second largest continent on our planet. Its northern shores are washed by the Mediterranean Sea, the northeastern shores are washed by the Red Sea, the east and south shores are washed by the Indian Ocean, and the west by the Atlantic Ocean. This is the only continent, the length of which begins from the subtropical northern zone and to the subtropical southern. It is crossed by more than one climatic zone, as well as the equator. There is no natural climate regulation anywhere on the continent except the coast because of the absence of glaciers, the aquifer of the mountains and insufficient rainfall irrigation. Africa is drier than the rest of the Earth’s continents.
Antarctica
The continent is located in the extreme south of the globe. Its central point is located approximately at the geographic South Pole. The mainland is washed by the Southern Ocean from all sides. It has almost no population, due to harsh climatic conditions. Antarctica is much colder than other continents of the Earth. Its territory, with an area of 14 million km², is completely covered with ice and snow.
Australia
Australia is located in the southern and eastern hemispheres. Its northern and eastern shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific seas, while the southern and western shores are washed by the Indian Ocean. The area of the mainland is 7.6 million km². Near it are islands such as Tasmania and New Guinea.