Introduction to 7 Continents and 5 Oceans: First Grade Social

Planet Earth is covered by massive bodies of land called continents and vast expanses of salty water called oceans, forming the giant puzzle of our world geography.

Our Blue Planet

When seen from space, Earth looks mostly blue because more than seventy percent of our planet's surface is covered with water. The remaining thirty percent is solid land where humans, land animals, and plants make their homes. Geographers divide this land and water into seven continents and five major oceans.

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     EARTH'S SURFACE RATIO                   |
|                                                             |
|   [ WATER: ~71% ] ==============================            |
|   [ LAND:  ~29% ] ============                              |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

What Is a Continent?

A continent is a very large, continuous landmass. Continents are separated from each other by oceans, seas, or mountains. On each continent, you will find mountains, rivers, plains, forests, and many different countries filled with people living unique cultures.

                      THE 7 CONTINENTS

  1. Asia              (Largest and most populated)
  2. Africa            (Home to the Sahara and Nile River)
  3. North America     (Where the United States is located)
  4. South America     (Home to the Amazon Rainforest)
  5. Antarctica        (Coldest, covered in thick ice)
  6. Europe            (Historic castles, many nations)
  7. Australia         (Smallest continent, island continent)

Exploring the Seven Continents

Let us journey across each of the seven continents to discover what makes each landmass extraordinary.

North America

North America is the continent where we live. It includes Canada to the north, the United States in the middle, and Mexico and Central America to the south, along with the islands of the Caribbean. North America has snowy tundra, vast prairies, towering Rocky Mountains, and sunny deserts.

South America

South America lies directly south of North America. It is famous for the Amazon River, the largest river by water volume in the world, and the lush Amazon Rainforest, which produces a large portion of Earth's oxygen and shelters millions of plant and animal species.

Europe and Asia

Europe and Asia are connected on one enormous giant landmass called Eurasia. Europe has many countries, historic cities, castles, and winding rivers.

Asia is the largest continent of all, both in geographic size and population. More than half of all people on Earth live in Asia. Asia is home to Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world.

Africa

Africa is the second-largest continent. It is renowned for its diverse landscapes, from the hot golden dunes of the Sahara Desert to the open grasslands of the savannas where lions, zebras, giraffes, and elephants roam freely.

Australia and Antarctica

Australia is the smallest continent and is completely surrounded by water, making it an island continent. It is famous for unique marsupials like kangaroos and koalas that carry their babies in pouches.

Antarctica is located at the South Pole at the bottom of the world. It is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on Earth. It is covered in thick sheets of solid ice and snow. Only scientists and hardy animals like penguins and seals live there.

+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| CONTINENT         | SPECIAL GEOGRAPHIC FACT                 |
+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Asia              | Largest continent; Mount Everest        |
| Africa            | Second-largest; Sahara Desert & Savanna |
| North America     | Our home continent; Rocky Mountains     |
| South America     | Amazon River and massive rainforest     |
| Antarctica        | Ice-covered; coldest place on Earth     |
| Europe            | Many countries, castles, historic cities|
| Australia         | Smallest continent; home of kangaroos   |
+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+

The Five Mighty Oceans

The oceans are huge bodies of salty water that surround and connect the continents. Although they flow together as one giant global ocean, geographers divide them into five named oceans.

                       THE 5 OCEANS

  1. Pacific Ocean     (Largest and deepest ocean)
  2. Atlantic Ocean    (Separates Americas from Europe/Africa)
  3. Indian Ocean      (Warm ocean south of India)
  4. Southern Ocean    (Circles frozen Antarctica)
  5. Arctic Ocean      (Smallest, coldest ocean at North Pole)

The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

The Pacific Ocean is the giant among oceans; it is bigger than all the land on Earth combined! It lies between Asia and the Americas.

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean. It separates North and South America from Europe and Africa. When early European explorers sailed to America, they crossed the stormy Atlantic Ocean.

The Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans

The Indian Ocean is located south of Asia and east of Africa; its waters are warm and tropical.

The Southern Ocean circles the frozen continent of Antarctica at the bottom of the globe.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of all oceans, located at the frozen North Pole where polar bears hunt across sea ice.

Exercises and Review

Exercise 1: How many continents and how many oceans are there on Earth, and which continent is the largest?

Exercise 1 Solution: There are seven continents and five oceans on planet Earth. The largest continent on Earth, both in physical land area and total population, is Asia.

Exercise 2: On which continent do we live, and which cold continent at the bottom of the world is covered almost entirely in ice?

Exercise 2 Solution: We live on the continent of North America. The cold continent located at the bottom of the world that is covered almost entirely in thick ice sheets is Antarctica.