Continents

Asia is the largest continent in the world. It stretches all the way from the Arctic at the top of the world to the equator, the imaginary line that shows the middle of the world. Because Asia is so big, many people can live there. More than one half of the people in the world live in Asia.

China and India are two countries in Asia that have the most people living in them. China is a big country and has more people living in it than any other country in the world. India is second to China in having the most people living in one country.

The highest mountains in the world are found in Asia. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world and is part of the Himalayas, a mountain range in Asia that has many high mountains.

Africa is the second-largest continent. It is south of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east. The longest river and the largest desert in the world can be found in Africa.

The Nile River, the longest river in the world, flows through many countries in Africa, including the country of Egypt. You may have seen pictures of pyramids that ancient Egyptians built.

The Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world, is located in northern Africa. Deserts don't get much rain. The Sahara Desert is mostly sand hills, rocks and mountains.

North America is the third-largest continent. North America is bordered by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and extends from the Arctic to the country of Panama. The United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America are located on the continent of North America.

The United States is the central country in North America. The United States stretches from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. People in the United States live in fifty sections of the country called states.

Canada is the largest country in North America. Canada's southern border touches the United States and its northern border almost reaches the top of the world! Canada is very cold in the winter because it is a northern country.

Mexico and Central America are south of the United States. One of the biggest cities in the world, Mexico City, is in Mexico. Central America is a group of countries south of Mexico that form a land bridge between North and South America.

South America is the fourth-largest continent. South America extends from just above the equator almost to Antarctica. South America has the longest mountain range and the largest river in the world.

The Andes Mountains on the western side of South America is the longest chain of mountains in the world. The Andes Mountains run down the entire length of South America's Pacific Ocean coast.

The Amazon River, the world's second-longest river, flows across South America from west to east. It may be the second-longest river, but it carries the most water of any river in the world. The Amazon River flows through the largest tropical rain forest in the world. The rain forest has many plants and animals.

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent and is located at the bottom of the world. It is surrounded by each of the three oceans and is covered with ice. It is so cold in Antarctica that only scientists and other researchers stay there to study it.

While not too many people live in Antarctica, there are many animals that live along the edge of the ice and in the water next to the ice. Penguins and seals are just a few animals that call Antarctica home.

Europe is the sixth-largest continent and is attached to the biggest continent, Asia. Europe extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains. The Ural Mountains separate Europe from Asia.

Europe may be the second-smallest continent, but it has many countries and cities. You may have heard about London, Paris and Rome, which are big cities in Europe.

Europe has many mountain chains. Some of the mountains have high peaks and some of the mountains have low peaks. The Alps and the Caucasus mountain ranges have mountains with peaks that reach 16,000 feet and higher. The Ural Mountains, which separate Europe from Asia, reach peaks of only about 6,200 feet.

Australia is the smallest continent of the seven. Australia is an island continent south of Asia that is completely surrounded by water. The Indian Ocean borders Australia on the west and the Pacific Ocean borders Australia on the east. It is unlike the other continents because it is an island continent and has only one country.

Australia may be the smallest continent, but its size makes it the sixth-largest country in the world. Australia has the fewest people in all the continents except Antarctica.

Because Australia is so far away from the rest of the continents, its plants and animals are unique because they didn't have contact with the rest of the world. Eucalyptus trees and Koalas are native to Australia. Koalas eat the leaves from the eucalyptus tree.