Name Date Hola, nǐ hǎo, Bonjour, Konnichiwa Worksheet 1. North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia... Don t forget Antarctica! These are the 7 continents. A continent is a large expanse of land. Examine Earth and make an observation. 2. Depending on where you live, North America and South America are sometimes referred to as the Americas. Europe and Asia are sometimes called Eurasia. Why do you think people sometimes combine these continents? 3. Which continent do you live on? Place a star on the continent where you live. Take a photo. 1
4. Continents are not all the same size. Using the number models, label the continents 1-7, with 1 being the largest and 7 being the smallest continent. Take a photo. Hint: Use the Dissect mode to separate and move the numbers. 5. Each continent is broken up into countries. A country is a particular area that is run by its own government. Each continent has a different number of countries. Antarctica is the only continent that does not contain a country and Africa has the most countries a total of 54. How many countries does South America have? Place a star in each South American country. Take a photo. 2
6. Africa is the 2nd largest continent, with the 2nd largest population. Within Africa are the the Nile River, which runs through 11 countries and is said to be the longest river, and the largest, hottest desert, the Sahara Desert. The oldest human-like fossils, which date back 3.5 million years, have been found in Africa. What do you think most scientists conclude from the discovery of these fossils? 7. Asia is the largest continent and has the largest population. The size of Asia is equal to about 30% of the total size of all of the land masses around the world. Russia, China, and India are the largest countries of Asia. This large continent has a variety of geographical formations and climates. Why do you think that is possible? 8. The continent of Australia is also known as Oceania. Whether you call it Australia or Oceania, this continent actually includes the countries called Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea along with other islands. This is the smallest continent of all. Do you think Oceania is a better name than Australia when discussing this continent? Why or why not? 9. Europe is divided into 47 countries. Europe is divided from the continent of Asia by the Ural mountains of Russia and the Caspian and Black Seas. Europe is divided from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea. Examine the continent of Europe. Which country is shaped like a boot? 3
10. South America is located in the Southern Hemisphere. This continent can claim the largest river, the Amazon River; the longest mountain range, the Andes Mountains; and the largest rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest. How do you think the climate of the rainforest is different from the climate at the top of a mountain? 11. North America consists of 23 countries and is the third largest continent. This continent includes regions of cold climates like those found in Greenland and Northern Canada, hot climates like those found in Mexico, and temperate climates with 4 different seasons like those found in Iowa and Illinois. North America also contains a large river that starts in Minnesota and ends at the Gulf of Mexico. Examine this continent. Why is this river important for transporting goods? 12. Antarctica is located around the South Pole. It is the coldest continent, and only scientists and researchers stay and study there. Why does this continent not have any official currency (money) or its own language? 13. These continents are scattered in the wrong locations. Rearrange the continents to place them where they belong. Take a photo. 4
14. Everyone lives on a continent. If you had to choose one continent that you would not want to visit, which one would it be and why would you not want to visit there? 5