What parts of the world and continents were. Parts of the world. Names and continents. Description, geographical location. Also washed by the seas

The history of the name of each of the continents is very interesting. Why is Asia called Asia and Antarctica is called Antarctica? The origin of some names is connected with ancient myths - the merit of the ancient Greeks in the etymology of many words, including their own names, is very great. For example, Europe is a mythical heroine that appeared thanks to the boundless imagination of the ancient Greeks, who composed an incredible number of myths.

Why is Europe called Europe?

There are several versions. Here is one of the most common.

In the place where the state of Lebanon is now located, Phoenicia was located in ancient times. According to ancient Greek myths, the god Zeus fell in love with an insanely beautiful earthly woman named Europa. Historians suggest that the word "Europe" in Phoenician meant "sunset" (the word itself is most likely Assyrian).

Beauty Europa was the daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. The Thunderer Zeus wished to make Europe his wife, but King Agenor would not allow this. Zeus had no choice but to kidnap the beauty.

Turning into a white bull, Zeus stole Europa and transported her to the island of Crete. Later, according to some myths, Europe became the wife of the Cretan king. That is why the inhabitants of Crete began to call their land Europe.

"The Abduction of Europe", V. Serov, 1910

In the 5th century BC, the name Europe spread to all of Greece. Gradually, gaining new knowledge about the world around us and traveling more and more, ancient people pushed back the borders of Europe. And only in the middle of the 18th century the final borders of Europe were established, which are also marked on modern geographical maps.

Perhaps that is exactly what happened, and Europe was called Europe in honor of the heroine of ancient Greek myths. In any case, this is a very interesting and curious version.

Why is Asia called Asia?

The name "Asia" in relation to the continent also appeared thanks to the ancient Greeks and their myths. However, the word "asia" itself is Assyrian, translated as "sunrise". Now it is clear why the largest part of the world was called Asia, because it is there that the sun rises.

The word "Asia" among the Assyrians was just a word, but it became the name of a part of the world thanks to the Greeks. In ancient Greek mythology, there is a titan god named Oceanus. Asia (Asia) is his oceanid daughter, whom the Greeks themselves depicted riding a camel. In her hands were a shield and a box of fragrant spices. In some versions of the myths, Asia is the mother (and in some - the wife) of Prometheus himself - the very hero who brought fire to people.

G. Dore "Oceanides", 1860

Everything east of Europe and closer to the place where the sun rises, the ancient Greeks began to call Asia. The Scythians, who lived beyond the Caspian Sea, the Greeks called the Asians. And the ancient Romans, by the way, called the inhabitants of their eastern province Asians.

When did the great period begin? geographical discoveries, the word "Asia" was decided to be used to refer to vast lands located closer to sunrise (that is, to the east). Thus, we owe the appearance on the map of a part of the world called Asia to the Assyrians and the ancient Greeks.

Did ancient Greek mythology influence the name of any other part of the world? Yes! And that part of the world is Antarctica.

How did Antarctica get its name?

Antarctica is derived from the word "Antarctica". The south polar region was named Antarctica. Translated from Greek, Antarctica means "opposite to the Arctic", because the name "Arctic" appeared earlier as a designation of the area adjacent to the North Pole. It is the word "Arctic" that is directly related to ancient Greek mythology.

The Thunderer Zeus fell in love with the nymph Callisto, but the envious gods could not see how happy Zeus and Callisto were and turned the pregnant woman into a bear. After that, she gave birth to a son. Arkad, that was the name of the son (in Greek, the bear is arktos), grew up without a mother. Once, while hunting, he swung a spear at his mother, the bear Callisto (of course, he did not know who she was). Seeing this, Zeus turned both creatures dear to him into constellations - this is how Ursa Major and Ursa Minor appeared.

These constellations helped to find the polar star, which always points north. Therefore, the ancient Greeks began to call the entire northern region the Arctic. Then came the name Antarctica (the opposite of the Arctic). Well, later the word Antarctica appeared - the sixth part of the world, the southern mainland at the very pole of the Earth.

This part of the world was discovered by Russian sailors under the command of Thaddeus Bellingshausen on January 28, 1820. True, this is the official date - it was then that the sailors saw the "ice mainland". A year later, the sailors saw the shore and called this area the Land of Alexander the First. However, this name never spread to the entire mainland, which eventually received the name Antarctica, associated with ancient Greece.

So, the three parts of the world - Europe, Asia and Antarctica - got their names thanks to ancient Greek myths. But how did the names of other parts of the world and continents come about?

Even children know that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Then why was this part of the world not called Columbia or Columbia? And what is the origin of the name America?

Christopher Columbus, of course, discovered America, but at the same time he himself did not know that he had discovered a new part of the world, believing that the land on the other side of the Atlantic was China (Katay, as it was called in the time of Columbus).

Columbus still became famous for centuries. But much less often they talk about the Florentine navigator, who lived at the same time as Columbus, but was younger than him. Amerigo made four trips to the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, but two of them are considered by historians to be nothing more than a hoax. However, at least one journey was in fact - Amerigo made it in 1501-1502 to the shores of Brazil.

Returning, Amerigo Vespucci began to colorfully describe the course of the trip and his impressions, sending these notes by letters to his friends and banker Lorenzo Medici. After some time, Vespucci's letters were published and were a huge success with readers.

Vespucci himself proposed to call the land he discovered new world, but in 1507 a Lorraine cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller decided to map new land and name it in honor of the "discoverer" - Amerigo Vespucci. After all, reading Amerigo's notes, many have come to the conclusion that Vespucci discovered some new continent that has nothing to do with China, discovered by Columbus on the other side of the Atlantic.

However, not much time passed, and geographers-cartographers concluded that both Columbus and Vespucci discovered the same continent. Cartographers left for him the name " America”, dividing it into North and South.

Thus, already in 1538, North America and South America appeared on the maps. However, until the end of the 17th century, that is, another two and a half centuries, these lands in Europe continued to be called the New World. But, as we know, the name America was officially recognized.

Stefan Zweig called this whole story a comedy of errors, and A. Humboldt dubbed the very name of this part of the world "a monument to human injustice." No wonder they say that Columbus was lucky alternately: “he went to discover one, found another, but what he found was given the name of the third.”

Australia, the fifth continent, was discovered in the early 17th century by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. Since then, this part of the world has appeared on maps, but under the name of New Holland. However, the borders of the continent were unknown at that time. How australia name changed its own, ceasing to be just New Holland?

Australia. Shot from space

The answer must be sought in the mists of time. Australia was talked about long before it was discovered. Even the great Ptolemy was sure that there was a huge continent in the southern hemisphere, which should “balance” the planet. For the mysterious land, which either exists or does not exist, a conditional name has been assigned Terra Australis Incognita, which in Latin means "Mysterious (or Unknown) Southern Land."

The British in the 18-19 centuries were actively engaged in the search for the Mysterious South Land or New Holland. And, finally, James Cook and Matthew Flinders, having made several voyages, contributed to the fact that the shores of the fifth continent appeared on the maps.

Flinders was the first to circumnavigate the mainland. He wrote that he was shackled by the name Terra Australis (Southern Land), but with great pleasure he would have called the mainland in a different way -. So, with the light hand of Flinders, this continent began to be called Australia, because the option proposed by the navigator seemed very, very successful to the learned cartographers and geographers.

Why is Africa called Africa?
There is no exact and only accepted answer to this question. There are many theories, each of which has the right to life. Let's give just a few.

How the name "Africa" ​​appeared: the first version. The name "Africa" ​​was coined by the Greco-Romans. The territory of North Africa to the west of Egypt, the ancient Greeks and Romans for a long time called Libya, because there lived tribes, which the Romans called "Livs". Everything south of Libya was called Ethiopia.

In 146 BC, Rome defeated Carthage. A colony was founded on the territory captured as a result of the war, on which Tunisia is now located. This colony was given the name "Africa", as the local warlike tribes of the Afariks lived in these places. According to another theory, the inhabitants of Carthage themselves called people who did not live in cities the word "afri", which is supposedly derived from the Phoenician afar (dust). The Romans, having defeated Carthage, used the word "afri" for the name of the colony. Gradually, Africa began to call all the other lands of this continent.

The ruins of one of the cities of the state of Carthage

How the name "Africa" ​​appeared: version two. The name "Africa" ​​was coined by the Arabs. Arab geographers have long known that Asia and Africa are separated from each other by the Red Sea. The Arabic word "faraka" is translated as "separate", "separate one from the other."

From the word farak, the Arabs formed the word "Ifriqiya" - that is how they called the fourth continent (the ancient name can be translated as "Separated"). The famous Arab scholar of the 16th century, Muhammad al-Wazan, wrote about this. Later, Ifriqiya turned into Africa, which was associated with the peculiarities of borrowing foreign names in different languages.

And also find out if it is true and true that The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

Unique. To make it easier for people to understand what place we are talking about, scientists came up with names for land, dividing it into continents, continents, and parts of the world. All these are different concepts, and each of them has a specific designation. So how does part of the world differ from the mainland and what continents exist?

To begin with, it is worth understanding what a mainland is. This is a huge landmass, which is washed by the seas and oceans.

difference between and part of the world

In geography, the term "continent" is often used, which means the mainland. Although the two are not synonymous. IN different countries world continental models of perception of the world are different. In India and China, as well as in English-speaking European countries, it is generally accepted that there are seven continents. The Spanish-speaking countries and the countries of South America use a model that distinguishes six continents. In Eastern Europe and Greece, it is generally accepted that there are five continents: these countries consider only those territories where people live to be continents, they do not include Antarctica in the list. In Russia and the approximate countries of Eurasia, it is believed that there are four continents.

To understand how part of the world differs from the mainland, one should understand the entire model of the division of the Earth.

Continents

The mainland is a large part of the land, washed by the seas and oceans. There are six continents in total: the largest is Eurasia. Its area is almost 55 million square kilometers. In second place is Africa with an area of ​​thirty million square kilometers. Slightly less than its North America, then - South America. In fifth place in size is Antarctica. The smallest continent is Australia. All these continents are separated by seas and oceans, although there are formations separated by a land border. These continents are North and South America, which are divided by the Isthmus of Panama. Between Africa and Eurasia is the Isthmus of Suez.

And what is the difference between part of the world and the mainland and the continent? To understand this, you should know, Unlike the continents, the continents do not have land borders. Based on this, scientists divided the entire land into four continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia.

Parts of the world

Knowing how part of the world differs from the mainland, one can understand geographical system division of the earth. So, the terms "mainland" and "continent" have a scientific justification and meaning, but "part of the world" is the division of land on a historical and cultural basis. The following parts of the world are distinguished:

• Europe.
• Asia.
• America, or the New World.
• Africa.
• Australia and Oceania.
• Antarctica.

When talking about parts of the world, they mean not only large areas of land, but also the islands adjacent to them.

Answering the question of how the concepts of "mainland" and "part of the world" differ, we can say that the mainland is land surrounded by water bodies, and part of the world is the land developed by people located on these continents.

Islands

Now we know how the mainland differs from part of the world, and how does it differ from the island? By definition, both the mainland and the island are land that is washed by oceans or seas. However, these concepts have differences.

1. Size. The smallest continent - Australia - Greenland.
2. Education. All the continents of the Earth have a tiled origin. According to scientists, once there was only one. It was split, because of which Laurasia and Gondwana appeared, which broke into six more parts. Islands are formed in a variety of ways, including volcanic eruptions, the action of polyps, as a result of plate movement.
3. Habitability. Many islands are still uninhabited, unlike the mainland. Even in the harsh Antarctica there are people.

Continents are parts of the land of large size, washed by the waters of the oceans and seas, and parts of the world are the same land with which some historical and cultural events are associated. Part of the world may include several continents and islands.

Very often you can hear in everyday conversations how the mainland is called the concept of "part of the world." Is it correct? Are these terms related or are they synonymous? Let's find out!

Part of the world are land regions, which include both the continents themselves and adjacent islands.

In total, six parts of the world are known, including Australia and Oceania, America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Antarctica. As you know, there is one continent Eurasia, and so it unites two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. As for America, the situation is reversed here, because this part of the world unites two continents - South America and North America.

The concepts of "part of the world" and "mainland" are also distinguished by another feature. The division into continents, as you know, is carried out according to the principle of separation by water space, but the division into parts of the world carries, rather, a cultural and historical aspect.

It is worth noting that the division into parts of the world should not be confused with the "New" and "Old" world. The "Old" world refers to the continents that were known to science before the discoveries of Columbus, and the "New", respectively, after the era of geographical discoveries.

Six parts of the world.
These are Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.

Most of the land is located north of the equator.
Here is Europe, Asia, North America and half of Africa.
The southern hemisphere contains southern Africa, South America, Antarctica and Australia.
The highest part of the world is Antarctica. Its average height above sea level is 2040 meters.
The lowest is Europe. Its height above sea level is approximately 300 meters.
All the largest peaks of the Earth are in Asia.
It is here, for example, that the highest mountains of the Earth are located - the Himalayas with the highest peak in the world, Chomolung (Everest), whose height is 8848 meters above sea level.

The surface of the Earth is also usually divided into continents.
There are also six continents - Eurasia, Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica and Australia.
As you may have noticed, there is a slight difference here.
Two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - unite Eurasia into a single continent.
Part of the world America, on the contrary, is divided into two continents - North and South America.

Once, a very long time ago, all the continents made up one continent - Pandeya.

The largest continent is Eurasia. It is located in the Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth.
On its territory there are two parts of the world - Europe and Asia.

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Africa is the second largest continent on Earth.
The continents of North and South America are located in the Western Hemisphere.
They will be connected by the narrow Isthmus of Panama, thus creating one mainland.
Australia is the smallest continent located in the hot zone of the Southern Hemisphere.

The total area of ​​all continents is 139 million square kilometers.
The remaining 10 million square kilometers of land are islands in the seas and oceans.

§ 15. Continents and oceans - Vakhrushev, grade 2, workbook

1. Determine from the maps in which hemisphere lies the main part of each continent. The hemispheres are designated by the first letters of their names: C or Yu, B or 3.

2. Answer the questions.

What continent are the two parts of the world on?
Mainland: Eurasia (Europe and Asia)

What part of the world unites two continents?
Part of the world: America (North America and South America)

On which continent or ocean are the Earth's poles located?
North Pole: Arctic Ocean
South Pole: Antarctica

What ocean is between Asia and America?
Pacific Ocean

What ocean is located between Asia, America and Australia?

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Pacific Ocean

3. Solve the crossword puzzle and explain the meaning of the word in the box.

Mainland- it's a huge area sushi, surrounded by water.

4. You and your desk mate go on a flight. The starting point is the home school. One of you will be the pilot: he chooses the direction of flight and writes it down in a table. Another writes down the name of the continent or ocean under the wing. Then you switch roles and continue your journey without flying anywhere twice.

Geology is the study of the structure of our planet. Since it defines continents as land masses with a continental structure, the question of their number is within the competence of tectonics. Exploring the question of how many continents are on Earth, this section of science identifies six areas isolated by water. This is due to the fact that the seas and oceans take up much more space on the surface of the planet. While land accounts for about 30% (almost 150 million km²), everything else is occupied by water.

How many continents are on Earth?

The hard shell of the Earth is usually divided into 6 continents: Eurasia, northern And South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.

• The largest continent is Eurasia(54.6 million km²);
• It is followed by the ancestral home of man - Africa(30.3 million km²);
• American Plots earth's crust occupy an intermediate position Northern— 24.4 million km², South- 17.8 million km²);
• A huge space is occupied by cold Antarctica(about 14 million km²);
• And finally Australia characterized by the smallest size (7.7 million km²).

It should be noted that for more than 4 billion years of the existence of the Earth, the number of continents on it has been different. Tectonic processes are carried out regularly, and therefore it is possible that further changes are coming in the distant future. And there will be no longer six continents, but more (or less).

Eurasia is the largest continent on the planet (54.6 million km²)

This area of ​​the earth's crust occupies more than one third of the entire land mass. Its conditional division into Asia and Europe is usually carried out along the straits, seas and mountains.

If in the south the border is determined by the Bosporus and Dardanelles, then in the north it is the Ural Mountains. In the middle part, the boundary passes through the basins of the Black and Seas of Azov. From the outer borders, the huge continent is washed by all the existing oceans. The diversity of the relief of Eurasia is determined by its location on 6 continental platforms. Due to similar tectonic features, its coastline is characterized by its heterogeneity and a significant number of lithospheric formations.

In addition, the mainland boasts the presence of all climatic zones, which explains the diversity of natural habitats. The same equatorial belt in the south contrasts sharply with the Arctic in the north. From interesting facts the presence of a chain highest mountains(Himalayan system) and the largest freshwater lake (Baikal). Vast plains, suffocating deserts, hot jungles - all this is present on the territory of Eurasia. Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the world's population lives here. Almost a hundred independent states are compactly located within the boundaries of its space.

Africa is the ancestral home of man (30.3 million km²)

This continent is not only the hottest on the planet, but also the oldest in terms of the development of civilization.

This is the cradle of man himself. It was here that traces of the first ancestor of all people inhabiting the planet were found. Unlike the previous continent, Africa is located on the same lithospheric platform, which leads to some similarity of natural zones. The relief of the mainland is mostly represented by plains. For example, here you can find the largest desert in the world (Sahara).

A few mountains are represented only at the edges. Africa also boasts the longest river (Nile), which flows through almost the entire continent. The variety of climatic zones here is much less than in the same Eurasia: from equatorial to subtropical. At the same time, the number of states present on the continent is quite large - over 60 countries.

North America - a find of a Florentine explorer (24.4 million km²)

This area of ​​the earth's crust appeared on topographic maps relatively recently. Only a few centuries ago, its presence was discovered by a Florentine traveler named Amerigo. According to the tradition of the learned society, the mainland subsequently received his name. It existed, however, for a long time. And its indigenous population were Eskimos (in the north) and Indians (everywhere). Europeans began to explore North America only in the 16th century.

The mainland is washed by three oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific.

Its coastline is characterized by a large number various formations, which was the result of active tectonic processes. If the middle part is occupied mainly by plains, then chains of colorful mountains stretch along the edges of North America. To the east, this is the Appalachian system, and to the west, the Cordillera.

In addition, the largest existing island on Earth (Greenland) is represented not far from the mainland. The diversity of natural zones is due to the presence of almost all climatic zones. However water resources at the same time, they were located extremely unevenly: most of the lakes and rivers are represented in the north. Another feature of North America is the location of its states on geographical map. Only 3 of the total (and a total of 23 countries) are located on the mainland. The rest of the states are located on small islands.

South America - an amazing find of Columbus (17.8 million km²)

This continent might well bear his name, if he were not so sure that he opened another way to the already known India. Subsequently, in the wake of his route, European expeditions were sent, which discovered a new piece of land. Starting from the 16th century, the colonial conquests of Europeans led to the displacement of the indigenous population (Incas). Now there are 12 countries on this earthly ledge. Along the edges of the mainland is washed by the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Most of the land is flat. However, there is also its own mountain system. The longest chain of mountains is called the Andes. They stretch along the entire coast in the West.

Another interesting feature of South America is the extremely frequent rains: in the equatorial zone, over time, the most abundant river system (the Amazon with tributaries) was formed. Despite the presence of six climatic zones, the mainland is considered to be the wettest. Since most of it is located just in the equator zone. Among the curious facts can be noted the dominance of Romance languages ​​in South American countries. Which looks quite natural, given the active development of local lands by European colonizers.

Antarctica is the southernmost part of the globe (about 14 million km²)

A characteristic feature of this continent is the ice "crust" on its surface. At the same time, its thickness in some places reaches 4 km. If we imagine that the ice cover of Antarctica will suddenly melt, then we need to prepare for a significant increase in the level (by more than 50 m!) of the world ocean. Due to the fact that the realm of ice is located on most of the land, average temperature continent does not rise to the plus mark. Its average value is within -40 ºC. In such conditions, life exists only in the coastal area.

The smallest continent is washed by the waters of three oceans (with the exception of the 4th - the Arctic Ocean).

The Europeans discovered it much later than the others, although references to the “opposite Arctic” land were found even by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Of the curious details, one can note the strongest solar radiation and the constancy of the movement of the wind. Which, of course, attracts researchers of alternative energy sources on Earth.

Australia is a selfish continent (7.7 million km²)

It received a similar name for the fact that only one state is located within its borders. The country of the same name takes the honorable sixth place among the giant states.

At the same time, only 22 million people live on its territory ... This is due to the arid climate of the continent, which led to the formation of a desert area on most of the Australian platform. A few river systems and mountain ranges are found only along the edges of the coast. And it is washed by such oceans as: Indian (in the southwest) and Pacific (in the northeast). A favorable climate for living is observed only in a small part of the territory.

At the same time, it is surprising that it is here that the largest number of so-called endemics are located: unique biological representatives of flora and fauna. As for the person, the Australian Bushman is considered to be the native inhabitant. However, after the discovery of the continent at the beginning of the 17th century by European expeditions, other nationalities began to actively populate it. Now official language Commonwealth of Australia is considered a dialect of English.

difference between island and mainland

There is another issue that needs clarification. How to designate the difference between the island and the mainland, given the similarity of their definition? After all, both those and other ledges of land are equally washed by water. However, there are still differences, let's try to list them:

1. Dimensions. The islands are much smaller. Even the largest of them is far inferior to "small" Australia;
2. Education. Unlike islands, continents were formed as a result of the split of lithospheric plates. If at the dawn of the existence of the planet there was a single indivisible continent, then cracks appeared that led to its division into parts. This is easily detected even with the naked eye, looking at topographic map. The outlines of the edges of the continental plates are too similar to deny the obvious. They are very easy to mentally assemble, like puzzles. Islands sometimes have a completely different reason for their formation. For example, this may be due to the activity of marine polyps or volcanic eruptions;
3. Habitability. Unlike populous continents, not all islands are inhabited.

continental patterns. How many continents are there?

Often people do not make a difference between the designations of the continent and the mainland, believing that these are synonyms. However, this is not the case, since the former include only those parts of the earth's land that do not have a land boundary.

Therefore, the two Americas are united into one American continent, and Africa, respectively, into Eurasia.

But such a division into 4 continents is not supported by all modern countries. Afro-Eurasia is recognized only by English-speaking states with China and India. Also, not everyone agrees with the very principle of division, suggesting taking other factors as a basis.

Historical and cultural concept of "parts of the world", their names

If science deals with the difference between the concepts of “continent” and “mainland”, then history deals with the etymology of the origin of the “part of the world”. It was she who determined the significant cultural difference between the above-mentioned terms. At the same time, the total number (6 parts) is the same for them. Eurasia was divided on historical and cultural grounds into Europe and Asia, and the two Americas, on the contrary, were united into the New World.

The territory of Oceania was added to Australia. Otherwise, the usual picture remained, the writing of which people have been doing since ancient times. That is, long before scientific research. Only knowledge about the culture of the local population and its history was taken into account.

Video - Geography for children

Especially for children, simplified encyclopedias are compiled, with the designation of all geographical names. And the map of the world is characterized by the image of already studied continents. For example, in an educational video, you can see and hear not only the names of land areas, but also the animals living on them. Other interesting facts are also given in order to captivate the young viewer. For example, geographical importance the Amazon river system or the cold climate of Antarctica.

In another video, young listeners will learn not only how many continents there are on Earth, but also how they differ from parts of the world. The children themselves ask Professor Pervokhodtsev their own questions, to which he then answers them. For example, he reveals the secret of the existence of a once single continent and predicts its formation in the future. It also lifts the curtain on the riddle of the name of the Solomon Islands. And whoever is a particularly attentive and patient spectator will wait detailed description state of Tunisia.

Consists of body of water and land. The share of the World Ocean accounts for 70.8% of the Earth's surface, which is 361.06 million km 2, and the share of land - 29.2%, or 149.02 million km 2.

It is customary to conditionally divide all the land of the Earth into parts of the world and continents.

Continents of the Earth

Continents, or continents are very large areas of land surrounded by water (Table 1). There are six of them on Earth: Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australia. All continents are quite well isolated from each other.

The total area of ​​all continents is 139 million km2.

A piece of land that extends into an ocean or sea and is surrounded on three sides by water is called peninsula. The largest peninsula on Earth is the Arabian Peninsula (its area is 2732 thousand km 2).

A small piece of land compared to the mainland, surrounded on all sides by water, is island. There are single islands (the largest is Greenland, its area is 2176 thousand km 2) and clusters of islands - archipelagos(for example, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago). By origin, the islands are divided into:

• continental - large islands that have separated from the continents and are located on the underwater margin of the continents (for example, the island of Great Britain);
• oceanic, among which there are volcanic and coral.

Perhaps the largest number of volcanic islands can be observed in the Pacific Ocean. Coral (organogenic) islands are characteristic of the hot zone. Coral structures - atolls have the shape of a ring or a horseshoe with a diameter of up to several tens of kilometers. Sometimes atolls form truly gigantic clusters along the coast - barrier reefs(for example, big barrier reef along the east coast of Australia has a length of 2000 km).

Parts of the world

In addition to the division of land into continents, in the course of cultural and historical development, there was another allocation parts of the world, of which there are also six: Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Antarctica and Australia. Part of the world includes not only the mainland, but also the islands adjacent to it. Islands far removed from the mainland Pacific Ocean form a special group called Oceania. The largest of them - about. New Guinea (area - 792.5 thousand km 2).

Geography of the continents

The location of the continents, as well as differences in the properties of waters, the system of currents and tides, allows us to divide, called oceans.

Currently, five oceans are distinguished: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and since 1996, by decision of the Commission on Geographical Names, the South. More information about the oceans will be given in the next section.

Table 1. General information about the continents

Characteristics			North America	South America	Australia	Antarctica
Area, mln km2 without islands with islands
Coastline, thousand km
Length, km: from North to South from west to east
extreme points
northern	Cape Chelyuskin 77°43" N	m Ben Secca 37°20" N	Cape Murchison 71°50" N	Cape Gapinas 12°25" N	m York 10°41"S	Sifre 63° S
	m. Piai 1° 16" media.	Cape Igolny 34°52" Yu.Sh.	m. Maryato 7° 12" N	Cape Froward 53°54" Jul.	m. Yugo-Vostochny 39°11" S
western	Cape Roca 9°34"W	Cape Almadi 17°32"W	m Prince of Wales 168°00"W	Cape Parinhas 81°20"W	m. Steep Point 113°05"E
eastern	Dezhnev metro station 169°40"W	Cape Ras Hafun 51°23"E	m. St. Charles 55°40" PLN	Cape Cabo Branco 34°46"W	Cape Byron 153°39"E