What are the seven continents

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This article is about the 7 continents of the world. In this article, you will get to know What is a continent and How the continents formed. You will see How many continents are there in the world? and also the 7 continents on the map.

Before getting to know about the 7 continents of the world, You should also know What is a Continent and How the Continents formed. So let’s know What is a Continent?

What is a Continent?

The largest area enclosing the Earth's terrain is called a Continent. Each continent has a wide area of its own and has a unique name and identity. Each continent is separated from the other by water or land.

Each continent consists of many countries.

Now we will get to know How the Continents formed?

How were the Continents formed?

During the twentieth century, geologists have accepted the plate tectonic theory according to which continents move to the upper surface of the Earth, called continental drifts. There are seven large and many small tectonic plates on the surface of the Earth. And these tectonic plates are far from each other, broken apart, which become continents in time. 

In 1912, the German scholar Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental flow. According to him, in the Carboniferous era, the entire continent existed as a huge land block, which was called Pangea. The name Pangea was given by Alfred Wegener. In his book "The Origin of Continents and Oceans" he considered that all continents were at one time part of a larger continent, which he called a "supercontinent". Surrounding Pangea was a vast ocean called Panthalassa. Pangea contained an ocean extending from east to west called the Tethys Sea. To the north of the Tethys Sea was Angaraland and to the south was Gondwanaland. Asia, Europe, and North America were part of Angaraland while South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica were part of Gondwanaland.

continents of the world

Now we know What is the Continent and How the Continents were formed. So, now we can start our topic What are the seven Continents.

What are the seven Continents?

The 7 Continents of the world are Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia.  71 percent of the Earth is water and 29 percent land. The 7 Continents of the world are located in the land area (29%) of the Earth.

The largest continent in the world: Asia and the smallest continent in the worldAustralia. 

The largest Continent by Population Asia and the Smallest Continent by populationAntarctica.

List of 7 Continents of the world with Area and Population

S.N

Continent

Area sq. km and sq. mile

Number of Countries in each Continent

Population

1.

Asia

44,579,000 km2 (17,212,000 sq mi)

about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area.

49

4.5 billion (about 60% of the world's population)

2.

Europe

10,180,000 km2 (3,930,000 sq mi)

2% of the Earth's surface (6.8% of land area)

51

741 million (about 11% of the world population)

3.

Africa

30,370,000 km2 (11,730,000 sq mi)

6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area.

54

1.3 billion ( about 16% of the world's population)

4.

North America

24,709,000 km2 (9,540,000 sq mi)

about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface.

23 ( 22 dependent territories)

579 million (about 7.5% of the world's population)

5.

South America

17,840,000 km2 (6,890,000 sq mi)

(about 12.0% of the Earth's land area)

12 (3 dependent territories)

423 million (about 5.6% of the world’s population)

6.

Antarctica

14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi)

(about 9.2% of the Earth’'s land area)

      _

4,490 (about <0.1% of the world’s population)

7.

Australia

8,600,000 km2 (3,300,000 sq mi)

(about 5.9% of the Earth’'s land area)

14

39,000,000 (about 0.5% of the world’s population)

Facts about 7 Continents

As we know there are 7 Continents in the world. And the names of the seven Continents are Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia.

These seven Continents vary from each other in Area, Population and some other things. So now we will learn some interesting facts about the 7 continents.

Interesting facts about Asia

Continent of Asia map                                     

Continent of Asia 

  • The Asian continent is called ‘The Birthplace of All the Religion’.
  • Asia is the largest and most populous ( 4.5 billion people) continent on the Earth. 
  • It is located in the North-Eastern Hemisphere.
  • It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by the Ural Mountains, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Asia continent is called ‘Continent of Continents’.
  • Asia is divided into 6 sub-continents. South West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia, India, and Southeast Asia.
  • The Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Suez Canal make the boundary between Asia and Africa.
  • The Bering strait separates Asia from North America.
  •  Mt. Everest (on the border of Nepal and China), the highest mountain in the world, is in Asia. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on land, is also in Asia.
  • The Largest country in the world by population, China is also in Asia.
  • The Largest country in the world by area, Russia is also in Asia.
  • The largest city in the world by population is Tokyo in Japan.
  • The Smallest Country in Asia by Population and Area is the Maldives.
  • The biggest Island in Asia is Borneo Island in Southeast Asia.
  • Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia. It is the third-longest river in the world.
  • Mount Everest is the highest point in Asia and the world.
  • The biggest lake in the world, the Caspian Sea, is in Asia.
  • Lake Baikal, in Siberia, is the deepest lake in the world.
  • Gobi desert is the largest desert in Asia.
  • The highest plateau in the world, the Tibetan plateau is in the Asia continent.
  • The largest Peninsula in the World, Arabian Peninsula is in Asia.
  • The highest percent of rice (about 90%) is grown in Asia.
  • Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world.
  • Thailand is the only country in Asia that has never been colonized by Europeans.
  • There are 49 countries on the Asian Continent.

List of Asian Countries

S.N

Country

Capital

1

Afghanistan

Kabul

2

Armenia

Yerevan

3

Azerbaijan

Baku

4

Bahrain

Manama

5

Bangladesh

Dhaka

6

Bhutan

Thimphu

7

Brunei

Bandar Seri Begawan

8

Burma (Myanmar)

Naypyidaw

9

Cambodia

Phnom Penh

10

China

Beijing

11

Georgia

T'bilisi

12

India

New Delhi

13

Indonesia

Jakarta

14

Iran

Tehran

15

Iraq

Baghdad

16

Israel

Jerusalem

17

Japan

Tokyo

18

Jordan

Amman

19

Kazakhstan

Astana

20

Korea, North

P'yongyang

21

Korea, South

Seoul

22

Kuwait

Kuwait City

23

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

24

Laos

Vientiane

25

Lebanon

Beirut

26

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

27

Maldives

Male

28

Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar

29

Nepal

Kathmandu

30

Oman

Muscat

31

Pakistan

Islamabad

32

Philippines

Manila

33

Qatar

Doha

34

Russia

Moscow

35

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh

36

Singapore

Singapore

37

Sri Lanka

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Administrative), Colombo

38

Syria

Damascus

39

Taiwan

Taipei

40

Tajikistan

Dushanbe

41

Thailand

Bangkok

42

Tibet (PR China)

Lhasa

43

Timor_Leste

Dili

44

Turkey

Ankara

45

Turkmenistan

Ashgabat

46

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi

47

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

48

Viet Nam

Hanoi

49

Yemen

Sanaa

Interesting facts about Europe

 Continent of Europe map

Continent of Europe

  • Europe is the second smallest continent in the world.
  • Europe is the third-largest continent in population after Asia and Africa.
  • The European continent is located in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • Europe is separated from Asia by the Caspian Sea and Ural mountains.
  • The European continent is called the ‘Peninsular Continent’ due to being surrounded by the sea on all three sides.
  • There is the Arctic Ocean in the North, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and the Mediterranean Sea in the South of the European continent.
  • The largest country in Europe by area and population is Russia.
  • The smallest country in Europe (also in the world) by Area and population is Vatican City.
  • The highest mountain in Europe is Mount Elbrus.
  • The lowest point in Europe is the Caspian Sea.
  • The longest river in Europe is the Volga River.
  • The largest desert in Europe is Oleshky.
  • The largest lake in Europe is Lake Ladoga.
  • Europe is the only continent on Earth without a desert.
  • The land of thousand lakes, Finland is also in Europe.
  • The longest mountain range, The Alps Mountain Range is in Europe.
  • The highest Volcano peak in Europe is Mount Etna (Italy).
  • The largest city in Europe is Istanbul.
  • Being an agricultural country, Italy is called “India of Europe”.
  • Switzerland is also called the ‘Playground of Europe’.
  • There are 51 countries on the European continent.

List of European Countries

S.N

Country

Capital city

1.

Albania

Tirana

2.

Andorra

Andorra la Vella

3.

Armenia

Yerevan

4.

Austria

Vienna

5.

Azerbaijan

Baku

6.

Belarus

Minsk

7.

Belgium

Brussels

8.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo

9.

Bulgaria

Sofia

10.

Croatia

Zagreb

11.

Cyprus

Nicosia

12.

Czechia

Prague

13.

Denmark

Copenhagen

14.

Estonia

Tallinn

15.

Finland

Helsinki

16.

France

Paris

17.

Georgia

Tbilisi

18.

Germany

Berlin

19.

Greece

Athens

20.

Hungary

Budapest

21.

Iceland

Reykjavik

22.

Ireland

Dublin

23.

Italy

Rome

24.

Kazakhstan

Nur-Sultan

25.

Kosovo

Pristina

26.

Latvia

Riga

27.

Liechtenstein

Vaduz

28.

Lithuania

Vilnius

29.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg (city)

30.

Malta

Valletta

31.

Moldova

Chisinau

32.

Monaco

Monaco

33.

Montenegro

Podgorica

34.

Netherlands

Amsterdam

35.

North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia)

Skopje

36.

Norway

Oslo

37.

Poland

Warsaw

38.

Portugal

Lisbon

39.

Romania

Bucharest

40.

Russia

Moscow

41.

San Marino

San Marino

42.

Serbia

Belgrade

43.

Slovakia

Bratislava

44.

Slovenia

Ljubljana

45.

Spain

Madrid

46.

Sweden

Stockholm

47.

Switzerland

Bern

48.

Turkey

Ankara

49.

Ukraine

Kyiv (also known as Kiev)

50.

United Kingdom

London

51.

Vatican City (Holy See)

Vatican City

Interesting facts about Africa

 Continent of Africa map                          

Continent of Africa

  • Africa is the second-largest continent in the world by Area and Population.
  • Africa is the poorest continent in the world.
  • Africa is called a ‘Blind Continent’.
  • Africa is separated from Europe by the Gibraltar Strait.
  • The equator passes through the continent of Africa twice.
  • The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn pass through the continents of Africa.
  • The Limpopo River in Africa crosses the Tropic of Capricorn twice.
  • Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia.
  • The largest country in Africa by population in Nigeria.
  • The largest country in Africa by area is Algeria.
  • The smallest country in Africa is The Republic of Seychelles (East Africa).
  • Kinshasa is the largest city in Africa.
  • The longest river in the world, The Nile is in Africa.
  • The longest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria. It is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
  • The hottest desert in the world, Sahara is in Northern Africa.
  • Madagascar (in the Indian Ocean) is the largest island in Africa and the 4th largest island in the world.
  • Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) is the highest mountain in Africa.
  • Atlas mountain is the longest mountain range in Africa.
  • The largest waterfall in Africa is Victoria waterfall.
  • There are 54 countries in Africa.

List of African Countries

S.N

Country

Capital 

1.

Algeria

Algiers

2.

Angola

Luanda

3.

Benin

Porto-Novo

4.

Botswana

Gaborone

5.

Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou

6.

Burundi

Gitega

7.

Cabo Verde

Praia

8.

Cameroon

Yaounde

9.

Central African Republic

Bangui

10

Chad

N'Djamena

11.

Comoros

Moroni

12.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Kinshasa

13.

Congo, Republic of the

Brazzaville

14.

Cote d'Ivoire

Yamoussoukro

15.

Djibouti

Djibouti (city)

16.

Egypt

Cairo

17.

Equatorial Guinea

Malabo (de jure), Oyala (seat of government)

18.

Eritrea

Asmara

19.

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

Mbabane (administrative), Lobamba (legislative, royal)

20.

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

21.

Gabon

Libreville

22.

The Gambia

Banjul

23.

Ghana

Accra

24.

Guinea

Conakry

25.

Guinea-Bissau

Bissau

26.

Kenya

Nairobi

27.

Lesotho

Maseru

28.

Liberia

Monrovia

29.

Libya

Tripoli

30.

Madagascar

Antananarivo

31.

Malawi

Lilongwe

32.

Mali

Bamako

33.

Mauritania

Nouakchott

34.

Mauritius

Port Louis

35.

Morocco

Rabat

36.

Mozambique

Maputo

37.

Namibia

Windhoek

38.

Niger

Niamey

39.

Nigeria

Abuja

40.

Rwanda

Kigali

41.

Sao Tome and Principe

São Tomé

42.

Senegal

Dakar

43.

Seychelles

Victoria

44.

Sierra Leone

Freetown

45.

Somalia

Mogadishu

46.

South Africa

Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)

47.

South Sudan

Juba

48.

Sudan

Khartoum

49.

Tanzania

Dodoma

50.

Togo

Lomé

51.

Tunisia

Tunis

52.

Uganda

Kampala

53.

Zambia

Lusaka

54.

Zimbabwe

Harare

Interesting facts about North America

 Continent of North America

The continent of North America 

  • North America is the third largest continent in the world by area.
  • North America is the fourth largest continent in the world by Population.
  • It is located in the North-West Hemisphere.
  • North America is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Pacific Ocean in the west.
  • The largest country in North America by Area is Canada.
  • The largest country in North America by population in the USA.
  • The smallest country in North America by area and population is Saint Kitts and Nevis.
  • Mexico City is the largest city in North America.
  • The Mississippi River is the longest river in North America.
  • The highest mountain in North America is Denali (Mount McKinley).
  • The largest plateau in North America is the Colorado Plateau.
  • The Rocky Mountains are the longest mountain range in North America.
  • The longest lake in North America is Lake Superior. It is also the largest freshwater lake in the world.
  • Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
  • Death Valley (USA) is the lowest point in North America.
  • The largest island in the world, Greenland is in North America.
  • Cuba is known as the ‘Sugar Bowl of the World’.
  • San Francisco which is famous for its software and computer industry is known as ‘Silicon Valley.
  • The Carcross Desert, located outside Carcross, Yukon, Canada, is often considered the smallest desert in the world. 
  • There are 23 countries in North America.

List of North American Countries

S.N

Country

Capital 

1.

Antigua and Barbuda

Saint John's

2.

Bahamas

Nassau

3.

Barbados

Bridgetown

4.

Belize

Belmopan

5.

Canada

Ottawa

6.

Costa Rica

San Jose

7.

Cuba

Havana

8.

Dominica

Roseau

9.

Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo

10.

El Salvador

San Salvador

11.

Grenada

Saint George's

12.

Guatemala

Guatemala City

13.

Haiti

Port-au-Prince

14.

Honduras

Tegucigalpa

15.

Jamaica

Kingston

16.

Mexico

Mexico City

17.

Nicaragua

Managua

18.

Panama

Panama City

19.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre

20.

Saint Lucia

Castries

21.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Kingstown

22.

Trinidad and Tobago

Port of Spain

23.

United States of America

Washington, D.C.

Interesting facts about South America

 Continent of South America                                                        

The continent of South America 

  • South America is the fourth largest continent in the world by area and the fifth-largest continent in the world by population.
  • The South America continent is located in the south-western Hemisphere.
  • Brazil is the largest country in South America by area and population.
  • Suriname is the smallest country in South America by area and population.
  • São Paulo is the largest city in South America.
  • Aconcagua (Argentina) is the highest mountain in South America.
  • Amazon is the longest river in South America. It is the second-longest river in the world after the Nile River.
  • Lake Titicaca is the biggest lake in South America.
  • Angel Falls (Venezuela) is the highest waterfall in the world. 
  • The longest mountain range in the world, Andes is in South America.
  • Angel Falls (Venezuela), the highest waterfall in the world is in South America.
  • The capital of Bolivia, La Paz is the largest capital city in the world.
  • The world's highest volcanic mountain 'Cotopaxi' is located in Ecuador.
  • Lake Titicaca, located on the Bolivian plateau, is the highest altitude lake in the world.
  • The driest place (desert) in the world, Atacama (Chile) is in South America.
  • There are 12 countries in South America.

List of South American Countries

S.N

Country

Capital 

1.

Argentina

Buenos Aires

2.

Bolivia

Sucre (de jure), La Paz (seat of government)

3.

Brazil

Brasilia

4.

Chile

Santiago

5.

Colombia

Bogotá

6.

Ecuador

Quito

7.

Guyana

Georgetown

8.

Paraguay

Asunción

9.

Peru

Lima

10.

Suriname

Paramaribo

11.

Uruguay

Montevideo

12.

Venezuela

Caracas

Interesting facts about Australia

 Continent of Australia map

Continent of Australia 

  • Australia is the smallest continent in the world.
  • Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by area.
  • Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
  • The continent of Australia is called the ‘Island Continent’.
  • Australia is the only place that is a Continent, Island, and Nation also.
  • Sydney is the biggest city in Australia.
  • The world's largest standing rock is Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia. Australia is the driest inhabited continent.
  • The largest Sand Island in the world is Fraser Island in Australia.
  • Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia.
  • The Great Dividing Range is the longest mountain range in Australia.
  • The River Murray is the longest river in Australia.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef system in the world, is in Australia. 
  • There are about 10,000 beaches in Australia. This means that if you go to 1 beach here every day, it will take you 27 years to roam the entire beach.
  • There are only two mammals of the world laying eggs - Platypus and Echidna. They are found in Australia.
  • Melbourne City of Australia is called 'Sports Capital'.
  • New Zealand is called the ‘Britain of the south’.
  • Australia is called a ‘Country of thirsty land’.
  • Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.
  • There are 14 countries in Australia.

List of Australian Countries

S.N

Country

Capital city

1.

Australia

Canberra

2.

Fiji

Suva

3.

Kiribati

Tarawa

4.

Marshall Islands

Majuro

5.

Micronesia

Palikir

6.

Nauru

Yaren District (de facto)

7.

New Zealand

Wellington

8.

Palau

Ngerulmud

9.

Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby

10.

Samoa

Apia

11.

Solomon Islands

Honiara

12.

Tonga

Nukuʻalofa

13.

Tuvalu

Funafuti

14.

Vanuatu

Port Vila

Interesting facts about Antarctica

 Continent of Antarctica map

Continent of Antarctica 

  • Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in the world. It is twice the size of the Australia Continent.
  • Antarctica is located in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
  • Antarctica is called the ‘White Continent.
  • Antarctica is a large icy and coldest desert. It is the driest continent in the world.
  • This continent is also called the 'Continent dedicated to Science'.
  • The driest place on the earth, Dry Valley is in Antarctica.
  • Antarctica is the smallest continent in the world by population.
  • The lowest temperature recorded in the world was at the Russian Vostok station. It was - 89.6°C (-129°F).
  • Mount Vinson Massif is the highest mountain in Antarctica.
  • The Onyx River is the longest river in Antarctica (about 30 km).
  • Lake Vostok is the largest lake in Antarctica.
  • There is no Time Zone in Antarctica.
  • India established a center called 'Dakshin Gangotri' to study the structure, climate of this Antarctica continent.
  • There is no country in Antarctica.

7 continents of the world FAQs

1. What are the 7 continents of the world?

     Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia.

2. How many countries in Asia?

    There are 49 countries on the Asia continent.

3. Which country belongs to the 2 continents?

    Russia belongs to Asia and the European continents.

4. What are the 7 continents and their countries?

    The 7 continents are Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia.

5. How many countries in Europe?

    There are 51 countries on the European continent.

6. How many countries in North America?

    There are 23 countries in North America.

7. How many countries in South America?

    There are 12 countries in South America.

8. How many countries in Africa continent?

    There are 54 countries on the Africa continent.

9. How many countries in Australia?

    There are 14 countries in Australia.

10. How many countries in Antarctica?

      There are no continents in Antarctica.

11. Wettest place in the world.

      Mawsynram in India is the wettest place in the world.

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