The World Continents
In this article we will discuss the world continents, their names and their areas in sq. km. We will also explain that what is continental shelf, what is continental rise and what is continental divide?
Furthermore we will try to answer that what is longitude and latitude, what is meridian what is perihelion and aphelion?
What is Continent?
A Continent is a major land mass, including both the region of dry land above sea level and the continental shelf.
How much Earth is made up of Continents?
29% of the surface of the earth is made up of continents.
How much continents are in world?
There are Seven Continents present in the world.
What are the names of these Continents? | What are the 7 World Continents?
Names of the world 7 continents, world continents and oceans are as under:
World Continents List | List of World Continents
- Asia
- Africa
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Australia
- Antarctica
How much the land area of these seven Continents in sq. km? | What are the World's Continents from Largest to Smallest?
Continent Name and their Areas are as following:
Asia
Area 44,485,900
Africa
Area 30,269,680
North America
Area 24,235,280
South America
Area 17,820,770
Europe
Area 10,530,750
Australia
Area 7,862,300
Antarctica
Area 13,209,000
What is Continental Shelf?
Continental Shelf is the region at the edge of a continent extending from the shoreline to the first steeping of the continental slope i.e., that part of the slope of a continent which is covered by ocean.
It begins from the shore and continues shelving gradually into the ocean until, it reaches a point where there is an abrupt and precipitous fall in the depth of the ocean. The depth at this point is generally set at more than 200 meters.
What is Continental Rise?
Continental Rise is the gently sloping region that lies on the seaward side of the continental slope and extends down to the Abyssal Plain.
From the ocean floor side, the continental rise can be seen as marking the outermost limit of the continent.
What is Continental Divide?
Continental Divide is the high region of a continent which separates streams flowing to opposite sides of the continent and ultimately, in some cases, into separate oceans.
Longitude and Latitude
What is Longitude?
This is the angular distance of a place east or west of the Prime Meridian.
What is Latitude?
This is the angular distance of a place either north or south of the Equator. The latitude of the places situated on the Equator is said to be zero.
The places, which are away from the Equator are called high latitude, those which are near the Equator are in low latitude.
What is Meridian?
This is an imaginary circle drawn from the North to the South Pole, cutting the Equator at right angles. The meridian that passes through Greenwich is called the Prime Meridian or Zero Meridian.
How much Meridians?
There are 360 meridians.
What are Perihelion and Aphelion?
The Earth's orbit round the sun is not a circle but an ellipse and the sun is one of its foci. So the Earth is not always at the same distance from the sun.
When the Earth is nearest the sun, it is called Perihelion and when the Earth is farthest from the sun, it is called Aphelion.