7 Continents in the World – Continents are vast plains and are surrounded by oceans and are located on earth. Today’s Earth has 7 continents which have their own characteristics. Each of these continents also has several countries in it.
The continent in KBBI is a part of the earth in the form of land or land that is very broad so that the central part of the continent is not affected by sea breezes. Some of the continents on earth are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.
Born to Travel is a joint work written by a number of travelers who agree that a narrow space called “the world of work” has no right to limit the desire to explore every corner under the sky. Born to Travel will invite readers to visit eleven countries through eleven extraordinary journeys.
The continents have their respective areas. In this article, we will explain the continents from the largest to the smallest in area. To find out more about the 7 largest continents in the world, let’s look at the following review.
1. Continent of Asia
The continent of Asia is the largest continent in the world. Its land area reaches 44,579,000 square kilometers or about 29.5% of the earth’s area. Because this continent is very broad, this continent has a population of around 4,164,252,000 people or about 60% of the total human population on earth and there are 45 countries in the Asian continent.
Some historians say that the continent of Asia is known as the continent of “East”. The continent of Asia takes its name from the Phoenician/Syrian/Ancient Greek language which means east. This is because the continent of Asia is located east of the Greek kingdom. The Asian continent is also divided into several regions which include, Central Asia, East Asia, West Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
If seen astronomically, the continent of Asia is located between 26 degrees east longitude – 170 degrees east longitude and 11 degrees south latitude – 80 degrees south latitude. Meanwhile, from its geographical location, the continent of Asia is located between three continents, namely the continent of Europe. Australia Continent, and America Continent. In addition to its geographical location, this continent is also located between several oceans that surround it, namely the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.
The Asian continent has several characters. Certainly different from other continents. Asian Continent characters include.
- The continent with the largest oil producer, namely in the country of Saudi Arabia;
- The continent that has the largest sea area is the South China Sea;
- The Asian continent is the birthplace of several religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism;
- There are many buildings that are included in the seven wonders of the world which include the Great Wall in China, the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia, and the Taj Mahal in India.
- There are some of the highest mountains in the world which include, the Himalayas, Mount Everest, and the Tibetan plateau. The highest peak is on Mount Everest which has a height of about 8,848 meters above sea level.
- There are several countries with large populations, such as Japan, India, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
2. Continent of Africa
The continent of Africa is the second largest continent in the world. This continent has an area of about 30,370,000 square kilometers or about 20.4% of the earth’s area. This continent has a population of 1,020,201,229 people which includes 15% of the human population on earth.
This continent stretches 8,000 kilometers from north to south and 7,400 kilometers from east to west. The northern point on the African Continent is in the city of Al-Ghiran, Tunisia. Then the southernmost point is in the town of Cape Agulhas Gwardafuy, Somalia. Then the westernmost point is in the town of Almadi Point, Cape Verde, Senegal.
The African continent can be said to be the “Mother” continent. This is because Africa is the oldest inhabited continent. The ancestors of humans lived in Africa for the past 5,000,000 years.
Judging from the astronomical lines, the location of the African continent is at 37 degrees north latitude – 34 degrees south latitude and 17 degrees west longitude – 51 degrees east longitude.
Several countries in Africa are passed by the prime meridian that has been used internationally, namely the Greenwich longitude which starts from the North Pole which passes through Greenwich City, England.
The African continent also has its own characteristics. Here are the characteristics to know.
- The continent known as the “Black” continent because the majority of the population on the African continent have black skin.
- It has the largest desert in the world, namely the Sahara Desert which has an area of 8,400,000 square kilometers. This desert stretches from the west, namely Senegal, to the east, namely Kenya.
- It has the longest river in the world, namely the Nile which has a length of 6,690 kilometers.
- There are many pyramids which are the tombs of the kings of Egypt. The pyramid is also included in the wonders of the world.
3. Continent of North America
The North American continent is one part of the Americas, but this continent is divided into two parts. This continent has an area of about 24,490,000 square kilometers. The human population on this continent also has a total of 542,056,000 people, which is only 16.5% of the total human population on earth. There are 23 countries that are part of the North American continent.
This continent is the largest continent in the world in third place after the continents of Asia and Africa. In addition, this continent ranks fourth with the largest population after the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
Some Europeans say that North America and South America are nicknamed Amerigo Vespucci which does not mean the same as the East Indies. This was said by the first European to discover the Americas.
The North American continent has a land connection with the isthmus of Panama. This relationship is only based on geopolitics, the area of the whole of Panama including the eastern part of the Panama Canal has been considered as part of North America as well. However, some experts say that the land of North America did not originate from the isthmus of Panama, but on the isthmus of Tehuantepec with the area blocking it being considered as Central America which rests on the Caribbean plate.
Many people think of Central America as North America because it is too small to be a continent on its own. Meanwhile, Greenland which is part of North America, even geographically and has the same tectonic plates, is not considered part of the North American region politically.
4. Continent of South America
The South American continent is the largest continent in the world which is in fourth place. This continent has a land area of about 17,840,000 square kilometers. The human population on the continent is 392,555,000 people or about 6% of the world’s population. This continent also has several countries in it, namely around 12 countries.
Geographically this continent is between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean which connects from North America via the Isthmus of Panama. This continent is crossed by the equator, and most of the land is the southern part of the earth. Therefore the climate on this continent tends to be tropical and subtropical.
In the western part of this continent are the Andes mountains that stand from north to south. Whereas in the eastern part is lowland and most of it is the basin of the Amazon River with very dense tropical forest.
South America is thought to have been inhabited by humans at first originating from the immigration of Asian peoples who passed through the Isthmus of Bering which is now called the Bering Strait, they headed to North and South America. Another allegation is through the southern part of the Pacific Ocean and Oceania Islands.
In this book there are 10 historical stories about the journey of world explorers who discovered new continents, supported by original photos and 3-dimensional illustrations.
5. Continent of Antarctica
The continent of Antarctica is the largest continent which ranks fifth. This continent has a land area of about 13,720,000 square kilometers. The population on this continent is only around 4,490 people. The population of this continent is the lowest compared to other continents. Not even a single country exists on this continent, only the continent.
Since the Antarctic Continent was discovered in 1820, this continent is a continent that has absolutely no native inhabitants. Because it has no indigenous people, several countries claim that Antarctica is part of their territory.
But all of that has been overcome with the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 which was signed by 12 countries. The deal is that this continent is made for peace and scientific research. Since then, 41 other countries have signed the agreement.
Besides that, there are several unique facts that this continent has. Here are some unique facts from the continent of Antarctica.
- There are no time zones in Antarctica. At the South Pole has a very different time zone from the other hemisphere, all points meet as one. Even scientists who work use time zones in their respective countries.
- The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the hottest areas on earth. In 50 years, the average temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula has risen 3 degrees Celsius, or five times the increase in temperature in the rest of the world.
- As much as 60% – 90% of fresh water on earth is all frozen on the continent of Antarctica. Antarctica’s ice sheet is the largest ice sheet on earth. If all the ice melts, it can be estimated that the oceans on earth will rise up to 60 meters.
- Antarctica is actually a desert. Deserts don’t have to be hot, they don’t get annual rainfall. On this continent only get annual rainfall that occurs for 30 years with an average of 10 millimeters. Therefore, Antarctica is called a polar desert.
6. Continental Europe
The European continent is the largest continent in the world at number six. This continent has a land area of about 10,180,000 square kilometers. This continent has a population of 738,199,000 people, which means 11% of the world’s population. There are 45 countries on this continent.
Astronomically, this continent is located at 36 degrees North latitude – 71 degrees South latitude and 9 degrees West longitude – 66 degrees East longitude. This continent extends from west to east as far as 5,300 kilometers and 3,950 kilometers across.
This continent is often nicknamed the “Blue” and “White” continent, this is because the majority of the population has blue eyes and has white skin. In the geographical map it is also stated that there are several countries in Europe that unite with several countries in Asia, this is called Eurasia.
The flora and fauna of the European Continent are greatly influenced by human presence. Communities with flora and fauna have coexisted for thousands of years from the time of farming. Except for the Scandinavian and Russian regions which are protected forests, the area has not been touched by humans at all.
Forests in Europe used to be very large, namely around 80% – 90% of the area in Europe was forest. This forest spreads from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean. Although initially there were many, but over time, half of them have been lost from the colonial era that had occurred for centuries. At present the Continental Europe has only a quarter of the world’s forests, namely Scandinavian Forests, pine forests in Russia, rainforests in the Caucasus Chestnuts, and Cork Oak Forests in the Mediterranean.
Deforestation that occurred in Europe has been stopped, then a thorough reforestation is carried out. On the European continent, the country that has the least forest is Ireland with 8% of the forest, then Finland has the largest forest with an area of 72%.
7. Continental Australia
The continent of Australia is the largest continent in seventh place. This continent has an area of about 9,008,500 square kilometers. The population of this continent reaches 29,127,000 people, or about 0.4% of the total population in the world. There are 14 countries on this continent.
Astronomically, this continent is located at 113 degrees East Longitude – 115 degrees East Longitude and 10 degrees South Latitude – 43 degrees South Latitude. Meanwhile, geographically, this continent is located in the southern part of Indonesia. This continent is also isolated in the southern hemisphere. The topography is also flat compared to other continents.
The Australian continent is famous for its vast desert. In fact, a third of the continent’s area is desert. Which is one of the factors why there are many deserts on this continent is because the location of this continent is in the zone of descending air masses. In astronomy it is located at 30 degrees North latitude and 30 degrees South latitude.
Then this continent has a plain to the west which is formed by rock faults around the west of the continent. Then, there is also the east coast plateau which makes the area around the coast narrower. Furthermore, in the east of the continent, in Queensland to be precise, it has an area with large and wide coral reefs. The coral reef is the largest and widest coral reef and is nicknamed the Great Barrier Reaf .
- Atmosphere Layer
- Examples of Application of the Concept of Geography
- Structure of the Earth’s Layers
- The 10 Biggest Islands in the World
- 10 Biggest Islands in Indonesia
- The 10 Largest Countries in the World
- 10 Richest People in Indonesia
- 10 Highest Mountains in Indonesia
- 10 Most Popular BTS Songs
- 10 Longest Rivers in the World
- Theory of the Formation of the Earth and the Solar System
Sinaumed’s, thus the presentation of the article about the 7 largest continents in the world. Of course, you are also familiar with the names of the continents that have been mentioned. With this article, I hope you get the knowledge you previously got.
If you want to learn more about the characteristics of each continent, you can buy and read books from sinaumedia. sinaumedia as #Friends Without Limits provides quality books to increase your knowledge. Come on Sinaumed’s, buy the book now!
This latest book introduces you to the field of geography, starting with rocks and their formation; solar system; weather and climate; Ocean; to human population, current population, types of ecosystems and environmental concerns. The book also contains stunning photographs of nature, detailed diagrams of geographic and geological processes, and notes on the inhabitants and subcontinents of each continent.