South America, as its name suggests, lies to the South of North America. It lies between the Atlantia and Pacific Oceans. The Equator crosses South America, and much of the continent is tropical. South America has a length of very tall mountains along it's western shore with lower plains areas to the east. South America does not reach into the south polar region. The Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans meet below it's southern tip.

Antarctica is the frozen continent that covers the South Pole. Antarctica is not connected to any other continents and is complete surrounded by the Southern Ocean which flows around the continent and meets the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Africa is a large continent that lies between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is believed that human life began on the African continent and that early human beings migrated to the other continents from Africa. Africa is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gibralter between Africa and Europe. On the east, Africa is joined to Asia at the top of the Arabian Peninsula.

Print and Color Africa

Europe is a rather small continent. It stretches from withing the Arctic Circle to the north, to the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It includes the islands of Britain, Ireland, and Iceland. Europe is a heavily populated continent. It shares its long eastern edge with the western edge of Asia. The two plate came together and pushed up the Ural mountains which separate the two continents. Some geographers combine the two continents of Europe and Asia as one continent called Eurasia.

Asia is the largest continent on the earth. It extends from within the polar region on the north, almost to the Equator on the south. It is edged by the Artic Ocean on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. It is joined to Europe at the Ural Mountains. Asia includes the area often referred to as the Middle East, which is located at the southwestern part of Asia where it joins with Europe and connects to Africa. Asia contains the Tibetan Mountains, which are the highest in the world.

Australia is the smalest continent and lies to the south of eastern Asia. Australia is surrounded by water from the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Between Asia and Australia are a great number of island, many of which have banded together into independent countries. To the southeast of Australia lies the large islands of New Zealand which extend almost to the southern polar region.

The continents are the great land masses of the world. The total area of land on Earth is 57,308,738 Sq. Miles

Continental Highs and Lows

The highest point on each continent is a mountain. The Lowest point on each continent is a lake, sea or valley. The highest and lowest points on each continent are:

Find the highest and lowest point of each continent in an atlas.
Mark each with an X on the map below.

Comparing The Continents

Look at the first table in this lesson and fill in the table below. Fill in the area and population for each continent. Divide the population by the area to find out how many people live in a square mile on that continent. Use a calculator to do the division. Enter the number of People per square mile in the last column.

The People per Square Mile indicates how densely populated a continent is. According to your calculations, which continent has the most density or people, or the most people per square mile.

Marking the earth

The Equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the earth that divides the Earth into North and South Hemispheres.

The  North Pole is the point that is farthest north on Earth. The North Pole is at the center of the Northern Hemisphere.

The South Pole is the point that is the farthest south on Earth. The South Pole is at the center of the Southern Hemisphere.

Label the Equator, North Pole and South Pole on the map below:

The Oceans

Scientists have reason to believe that at an early time in our planet's history, there was only one continent, Pangea, and one ocean, which covered the rest of the planet. Over time, the plates under the one continent floated away from each other, and the plates under the one ocean also floated away, some moving around the moving continents so that there was water between most of the continents.

The oceans of the world contain lots of plant and animal life. The oceans are all salty, but some are saltier than others. Most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by ice, but submarines have traveled across the Arctic Ocean under the ice. The floor of the oceans is not smooth, but contains mountains, plains and low spots just like land does. If the mountains are tall enough, they may form islands on the surface of the Oceans. The low spots are called trenches, and form the very deep areas of the oceans.

The Arctic Ocean is at the northern top of the planet. It surrounds the North Pole. The Arctic Oceans is usually covered with ice. But, when the planet has a change in climate, the ice may get larger and cover the continents along the Arctic Ocean, or the ice may get smaller and allow ships to travel in areas that are usually under ice.

The Atlantic Ocean lies between the American continents and the continents of Europe and Africa. The Atlantic Oceans stretches from the Arctic Ocean at the north, to the Southern Ocean in the south. Below South America, it meets the Pacific Ocean, and below Africa, it meets the Indian Ocean. The Prime Meridian passes through the Atlantic Ocean. The Prime Meridian is the longitude line number zero, in mapping the planet.

The Indian Ocean is located mostly in the southern hemisphere. The Indian Ocean edges the western side of Africa, the Southern side of Asia, and the Eastern part of Australia. Some of the islands between Asia and Australia are located in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Oceans meets the Atlantic Ocean below Africa and meets the Pacific Ocean under Australia. To the south, it is bound by the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

The Southern Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica. It's current flows in one direction around the continent in the southern summer, and reverses direction in the southern winter. The Southern Ocean meets all the other oceans of the world except the Arctic Ocean.

The Pacific Oceans is the largest ocean on the planet. It stretches from the Arctic Ocean at the north, to the Southern Ocean to the sounth. It edges North and South America on the east, and Asia and Australia on the west. The International Date line runs north to south is about the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This is longitude line 180 degress. After crossing this line, the longitude lines begin to decrease. Crossing this line will also change the date on your calendar.

EARTH'S OCEANS

Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface. The oceans contain roughly 97% of the Earth's water supply. The oceans of Earth are unique in our Solar System. No other planet in our Solar System has liquid water (although recent finds on Mars indicate that Mars may have had some liquid water in the recent past). Life on Earth originated in the seas, and the oceans continue to be home to an incredibly diverse web of life.

The oceans of Earth serve many functions, especially affecting the weather and temperature. They moderate the Earth's temperature by absorbing incoming solar radiation (stored as heat energy). The always-moving ocean currents distribute this heat energy around the globe. This heats the land and air during winter and cools it during summer.

THE OCEANS

The Earth's oceans are all connected to one another. Until the year 2000, there were four recognized oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic . In the Spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization delimited a new ocean, the Southern Ocean (it surrounds Antarctica and extends to 60 degrees latitude).

There are also many seas (smaller branches of an ocean); seas are often partly enclosed by land. The largest seas are the South China Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea .

Find the deepest points of each ocean in an atlas. Mark the deepest point in each ocean with an X.

Continents and Oceans

Hip Hop Continents and Oceans Video

Walk the World

Would you tell me the Continents?

Continents Map Puzzle

Name the Continents Game

Test your Geography Knowledge-Continents & Oceans

Landforms

Landforms

Mountains

Label the Landforms

Geography Fun

Geography Project from Ireland	Browsin' Geography games	GeoSense Test your knowledge of geography	All About World Geography
Globe Trekker TV Show Videos	Geography Games Sheppard Software	World-O-Meter How many in the World?	Geography

Geography Resources

Xpeditionsmaps	World Factbook	Geography wikipedia	Geography Enchanted Learning
Census Bureau Geography	World Atlas.Com	USGS Geography	Geography.com
Geography Network	Geography About.Com	National Geographic	Geographic.Org
Theodoro Maps	InfoPlease: Geography Data	Geography 4 Kids	Kids Geo.Com
World Maps & Globes	Student World Atlas ($25)	Wall World Map ($25)

Kokoda Trek across Papua New Guinea

Countries and States

Civilization

Nations

United States

Using a state highway MapWriting Directions

State Abbreviations and Capitals Bingo

Towns and Cities

Ghost Towns of US & Canada

Southern Constellations