Continent is a large portion of land surrounded by the ocean (s). Millions of years ago there was only one continent – Pangea. Over the years the portions of land (tectonic plates) have been separating.
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From the division of this terrestrial space come the six continents of the world: America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica (or Antarctica).
To learn more about the formation of the continents, read also the articles: Continental Drift and Pangea.
America, in turn, is divided into three: North America, Central America and South America, which are thus called sub-continents.
Main Features
Asia
The extent of Asia is so vast that almost a third of the planet’s land extent is part of that continent that contains 11 time zones.
Asia also stands out in terms of population, where the inhabitants represent almost 50% of the world’s population.
Interestingly, the country with the smallest number of inhabitants in the world is located in Asia. This is Mongolia.
List of all countries in Asia:
America
In America the North is located the world’s largest island – Greenland, as well as the second largest country in the world – Canada.
In Central America, the Mayan civilization originated – an incredible society that stood out for the advances shown in art, architecture, mathematics, as well as medicine.
In America of the South, in turn, is located in the Amazon Forest, the region with the highest bio diversity of the world.
List of all countries in America, including North America and South America:
Africa
Africa is the poorest continent in the world. There are six African Portuguese Speaking Countries (PALOP): Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe.
List of all countries in Africa:
Antarctica
Antarctica, or South Pole, is the coldest and driest place on the planet.
Note that the North Pole is not a continent since there is no land portion; it is all covered with ice, while in the South Pole the ice layer corresponds to 90% of its territory.
The fact that it has no countries, as well as the lack of population, means that Antarctica is not considered a continent for some authors.
Europe
Europe is the cradle of our culture. On this continent, the European Union (EU) is the largest global economic bloc, of which only 28 European countries (out of a total of 50 countries) are part.
List of all countries in Europe:
Oceania
According to Countryaah, Australia is the largest country in Oceania, occupying 90% of its entire length. Oceania is known as the “New World”, given its discovery dating from 1770.
List of all countries in Oceania:
Transcontinentality
There are countries that are located on two continents and that is why they are called “Transcontinental Nations”. This is the case, for example, in Russia (Asia and Europe), Turkey (Asia and Europe), Egypt (Africa and Asia).
There is also a city called the continental bi – Istanbul, Turkey. It is the only city in the world divided between two continents (Asia and Europe).
There are no flags that represent each of the continents. Yes, there is an emblem on which five continents are represented.
These are the Olympic rings, which symbolize the union in sport on the African, American, Asian, European and oceanic continents.
Longer Continents
1st | Asia | 45 million km |
2nd | America | 42 million km (North America – 23 million km; Central America – 523 thousand km; South America – 18 million km) |
3rd | Africa | 30 million km |
4th | Antarctica | 14 million km (this number increases about twice in winter, given the freezing waters) |
5th | Europe | 10 million km |
6th | Oceania | 8 million km |
Most Populated Continents
1st | Asia | 4 billion inhabitants |
2nd | Africa | 1.2 billion inhabitants |
3rd | America | 1 billion inhabitants |
4th | Europe | 800 million inhabitants |
5th | Oceania | 32 million inhabitants |
Most Populated Countries and Their Respect Capitals
Asia
According to Watchtutorials, Asia has a total of 50 countries, of which the 10 most populous are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
China | Beijing | 1,338,612,000 |
India | New Delhi | 1,210,193,000 |
Indonesia | Jakarta | 237,512,000 |
Pakistan | Islamabad | 170,600,000 |
Bangladesh | Dhaka | 154,037,000 |
Japan | Tokyo | 127,433,000 |
Philippines | Manila | 96,061,000 |
Vietnam | Hanoi | 91,519,000 |
Will | Tehran | 75,149,000 |
Thailand | Bangkok | 67,448,000 |
America
America has a total of 36 countries. Let’s look at the division by the subcontinents:
The North America has four countries:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
USA | Washington | 318,900,000 |
Mexico | Mexico City | 122,300,000 |
Greenland | Nuuk | 56,483,000 |
Canada | Ottawa | 35,160,000 |
The Central America has 20 countries, of which the five most populous are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
Guatemala | Guatemala City | 15,470,000 |
Cuba | Havana | 11,270,000 |
Honduras | Tegucigalpa | 8,098,000 |
El Salvador | Salvador | 6,340,000 |
Nicaragua | Managua | 6,080,000 |
The South America has 12 countries, of which the five most populous are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
Brazil | Brasilia | 200,400,000 |
Argentina | Buenos Aires | 41,450,000 |
Colombia | Bogota | 48,320,000 |
Venezuela | Caracas | 30,410,000 |
Peru | lime | 30,380,000 |
Africa
Africa has a total of 54 countries, of which the 10 most populous are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
Nigeria | Abuja | 173,600,000 |
Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | 94,100,000 |
Egypt | Cairo | 82,060,000 |
Democratic Republic of Congo | Kinshasa | 67,510,000 |
South Africa | Pretoria (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judiciary), Cape Town (Legislative) | 52,980,000 |
Tanzania | Dodoma | 49,250,000 |
Kenya | Nairobi | 44,350,000 |
Algeria | Algiers | 39,210,000 |
Sudan | Khartoum | 37,960,000 |
Uganda | Kampala | 37,580,000 |
Europe
Europe has a total of 50 countries, of which the 10 most populous are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
Russia | Moscow | 143,500,000 |
Germany | Berlin | 80,620,000 |
Turkey | Ankara | 74,930,000 |
France | Paris | 66,030,000 |
United Kingdom | London | 64,100,000 |
Italy | Pomegranate | 59,830,000 |
Spain | Madrid | 47,270,000 |
Ukraine | Kiev | 45,490,000 |
Poland | Warsaw | 38,530,000 |
Romania | Bucharest | 19,960,000 |
Oceania
Oceania has a total of 14 countries and more than 10,000 islands. The 5 most populous countries are:
Countries | Capitals | Approximate Population |
Australia | Canberra | 23,130,000 |
Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | 7,321,000 |
New Zealand | Wellington | 4,471,000 |
Fiji | Suva | 881,065,000 |
Solomon Islands | Honiara | 561,231,000 |
Antarctica
There are no countries in Antarctica. This continent is a World Heritage Site and signatories to the Antarctic Treaty have the right to conduct investigations there.
There are 12 initial countries, a number that has been extended and includes the following nations:
South Africa | Chile | Finland | Netherlands | Turkey |
Germany | China | France | Peru | Ukraine |
Argentina | North Korea | India | Poland | Uruguay |
Australia | South Korea | Italy | Portugal | |
Belgium | Ecuador | Japan | United Kingdom | |
Brazil | Spain | Norway | Russia | |
Bulgaria | United States | New Zealand | Sweden |
Oceans Bathing the Continents
Here are the oceans that bathe each continent:
Continents | Oceans |
Asia | Arctic, Pacific and Indian Glacier |
America | Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Glacier |
Africa | Atlantic and Indian |
Antarctica | Pacific, Atlantic and Indian |
Europe | Atlantic |
Oceania | Pacific and Indian |
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