Continents and oceans on the surface of the earth. The most continents on earth - from the largest to the smallest

Most big mainland- Eurasia. Its area is 54,759,000 km² - this is approximately 36% of the land. On it are located as many as 2 parts of the world - Europe and Asia. There are 4 of them, including the largest - Russia, which occupies 30% of the territory of Eurasia. 75% of the world's population lives in Eurasia in 102 states. Here is located - Chomolungma (Everest)

Eurasia is the largest continent on planet Earth

Part of the world - regions of land, including the continents or large parts of them, along with nearby islands.

The second largest continent is Africa. Its area is 30,221,532 km² - this is approximately 20% of the land. There are 55 states on the territory of Africa, the largest of which, and one of the 10 largest, is Algeria. Africa has the largest number.

Africa is the second largest continent

The third largest continent is North America. Area - 24,250,000 km² (16% land). There are 23 states on the territory of North America, in which a little more than half a billion people live. 2 North American countries (Canada and USA) are in the top 10.

North America is the third largest continent

The fourth largest continent is South America. Area - 17,840,000 km² (slightly less than 12% of the land area). There are 12 countries on the territory of South America, in which almost 400 million people live. 2 countries in South America (Argentina and Brazil) are in the top ten.

South America is the fourth largest continent

Antarctica is the continent with the highest proportion of Russian citizens - from 4% in summer to 10% in winter, in Eurasia only - 3%

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent

The sixth and last largest continent is Australia. Area - 7,659,861 km² (5% of the land area). There is only one state on the mainland - Australia, whose population is only 23 million people.

Australia is the smallest continent by area

How easy it is to remember the order of decreasing continents

In order to remember in what descending order the continents are located, it is enough to imagine how they are located on the map and remember this diagram:

Continents in decreasing order - from largest to smallest

“Defining Zealandia as a geological continent, rather than just a group of islands, more accurately reflects the geology of this part of the Earth,” says a team of scientists from New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia, who published their study in the scientific journal of the American Geological Society. The authors prove that the region in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean has every right to be called an independent continent along with Africa or Australia. But only 6% of it looks out to the surface, the rest is under water.

It is about the fact that the modern New Zealand- this is the visible part of a huge continent, most of which is currently flooded. The article provides data on the reconstruction of the outlines of the ancient continent, indicating the presence of continental, not oceanic crust, - explains Dmitry Subetto, head of the department physical geography and nature management RGPU them. A. I. Herzen.

Recall that the earth's crust is divided into oceanic and continental. The main component of the continental crust is granite. This breed can be seen on the floor of any Moscow metro station. Granite is composed of quartz, feldspars and mica. And under the oceans, the crust is thinner, younger and consists mainly of basalt, a dark gray rock.

But geological data show that pacific ocean there is Zeeland - a huge region covered precisely by the continental crust. Its area of ​​4.9 million square kilometers is one and a half times larger than India.

Once Zealand was part of the giant continent of Gondwana. 150 million years ago, it began to disintegrate. The future Africa, Arabia and South America moved in one direction, Australia, Antarctica, Madagascar and Hindustan moved in the other.

Over the next hundred million years, the continent continued to break up into separate pieces that diverged along different parts globe, forming the current map of the world. According to the authors of the article about the "new continent", one of these pieces was Zealand. Approximately 85-130 million years ago, it broke away from Antarctica, and 60-85 million years ago - from Australia. Then she was not lucky: the main part of her went under water. What can you do - the surface of our planet is changing very dynamically.

With great pleasure I read the article "Zeeland: the hidden continent". The materials presented in it can be regarded as another argument in favor of the theory of lithospheric plates and a reminder that there are no static geological conditions, says Said Abdulmyanov, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography at Moscow State Pedagogical University. - In the bowels of the Earth, as well as on its surface, there are dynamic processes of formation of landforms of various scales - new outlines of the coastline, new depths and new land. These processes happen quite quickly. With one caveat: fast from the point of view of geology. Examples include the coast of Greece plunging into the sea or the ever-growing Tibetan Plateau.

From geology to geopolitics

There is a suspicion that geographers experience some kind of inferiority complex in relation to other scientists. Almost every week astronomers discover new planet, physicists promise to unravel the mystery of dark matter, biologists are going to stop aging. What about geographers? The whole planet is described in detail, all major mountains and rivers have already been mapped. No one will discover another America or reach the second South Pole. It remains only to clarify the details. Against this background, the emergence of a new continent is a great celebration in the geographical house.

It's one thing to be an inhabitant of an island in the back of the world map, another to represent an entire continent.

Disputes about what to consider a continent have happened more than once, - says Professor Pavel Plechov, director of the Mineralogical Museum. A. E. Fersman. - The longest discussion is about Greenland - is it completely separated from North America or not? Since the inhabitants of Greenland cannot resist the pressure of the North Americans, this moment Greenland is considered part of the North American continent. In recent decades, there has been a geopolitical dispute over the boundaries of North America and Eurasia in the Arctic Ocean. American scientists first attached most of the ocean to North America, and in last years draw the boundary between the plates already in Eastern Siberia (together with Kamchatka). Our sluggish fight back. Apparently, there are or are expected to have some legal loopholes in international laws on the priority use of offshore deposits. Perhaps the efforts of the New Zealanders are connected with the same. But this is outside my professional area.

A similar opinion is shared by the geographer Dmitry Subetto:

The story with Zealand certainly has a geopolitical background, as with our expansion of the continental crust into the depths of the Arctic Ocean. Here, too, a scientific basis may appear, which will allow to increase the boundaries of the 200-mile zone for further economic activity.

But almost every one of us held a school geography textbook in our hands.

In the lesson of the future

"Hello children! Today we will talk about another continent of our planet. It's called Zeeland. It appeared on the world map quite recently ... ”- who knows, maybe someday these words will be heard in geography classes at a Russian school.

What will be heard in this lesson? So, the territory of the continent is about 4.9 million square meters. km, of which only 6% rises above the ocean surface. The population is about 5 million people. Languages: English, French, Maori. Relief: the huge Lord Howe Range, two and a half thousand kilometers long, as well as the Challenger Plateau, the Campbell Plateau, the Norfolk Range, the Gikurangi Plateau, the Chatham Plateau ... True, all this is under water.

Now political geography. The main state is New Zealand. Formally enters the British Commonwealth and honors the Queen of England (God bless her). This is a very successful country. GDP per capita here is two times more than in Russia. There have never been serious wars on New Zealand territory, there has never been a dictatorship and terror. Women got the right to vote here earlier than in Europe. And in 1984, New Zealand became the first state in the world to officially declare its territory a nuclear-free zone.

There is also New Caledonia on this continent, which is considered an “overseas territory” of France, but has a fairly wide autonomy: it uses, in particular, its own currency and a domain name on the Internet. True, this is not enough for local residents - from time to time they try to arrange a referendum and become completely independent.

There is also Norfolk Island - "Australian external self-governing territory" with a population of just over 2 thousand people. And a very tiny formation - Lord Howe Island, belonging to Australia. According to the latest census, 347 people live there.

Not a lot, of course, for the continent - only four semi-independent countries, of which two are completely dwarf. But even less in Antarctica, but no one disputes its continental status.

Recognize or not recognize

Let's move on to the most important thing: is it still worth recognizing Zealand as an independent mainland? The opinions of the experts we interviewed were divided - from "probably possible" to "no way."

The article about Zeeland provides quite reliable scientific information. Classical principles of geology related to the structure of the oceanic and continental crust are used, as well as the latest data on the geology of the islands, says Tatyana Gayvoro, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography at Moscow State Pedagogical University. - Given that the boundaries of the continents from the point of view of geology are drawn not along the coastline, but taking into account the boundaries of the lithospheric plates and the composition of the earth's crust, this is a completely reliable new continent, although somewhat unusual.

The idea of ​​a new continent was also welcomed by Elena Tamozhnyaya, head of the Department of Geography Teaching Methods at Moscow State Pedagogical University:

I also recently read this interesting article. From the point of view of school geography, there are no serious contradictions here. We introduce schoolchildren to the theory of lithospheric plates and the evolution of the earth's crust.

We say that within the lithospheric plates there are areas with oceanic and continental crust. At the same time, some parts of the continental crust may be under water. For example, on many tectonic maps this eastern part of the Australian Plate has long been shown to be continental.

Other experts are more critical.

There is probably no general definition of the word "continent". In a geographical sense, this is a very large, extended part of the land separated from others by a mass of water. From the point of view of geology, the shelf and inland seas (for example, the Baltic) are part of the continent. I would add that a thick continental-type crust (more than 35 km) and a Precambrian basement (more than 540 Ma) are needed. The continents are also characterized by specific volcanism, which leads to the appearance of special rocks, such as kimberlites, lamproites, carbonatites, - says geologist Pavel Plechov. - The New Zealanders' article seemed to me insufficiently substantiated. First, there is no thick continental-type crust in Zeeland. On any of the existing continents there are places where it exceeds 40 km. And here only New Zealand itself has a thickness of 25–35 km, the rest of the parts are even less. This is comparable to Kamchatka, Japan and other states that clearly do not claim to be continents. Secondly, most of the sedimentary and magmatic complexes of Zeeland are younger than 80 Ma, that is, they appeared after the collapse of Pangea and Gondwana. Thirdly, there are no signs of continental volcanism anywhere. I think these arguments are sufficient.

Plechov's skepticism is also shared by Professor of the Department of Geomorphology of St. Petersburg State University Andrey Zhirov:

To be recognized as a continent, at least two conditions are required. First, geological: the presence of a continental-type crust, of great thickness with a granite layer. This is what they are trying to prove. But even if they prove it, it's not enough. Because there must still be a significant landmass, no less than 7-8 million square meters. km, that is, comparable at least with Australia and Antarctica. And this is not. There is a lithospheric plate with a crust of a continental type, a "splinter" of an ancient continent, like, for example, Madagascar, but nothing more. And there is no continent!

Four? Five? Six? Seven? Eight?

The discussion about the status of Zealand is unlikely to end soon. Yes, we heard the words "continent" and "mainland" in elementary grades, but it turns out that scientists considering Earth from different points of view, still cannot agree on the exact definition of these terms.

There is a similar debate about Pluto's status, but things have become easier in space than on Earth since the International Astronomical Union clearly defined what a planet is in 2006: "It is a celestial body that (a) orbits the Sun, ( b) having sufficient mass to reach a state of hydrostatic equilibrium under the influence of its own gravity, (c) having cleared the vicinity of its orbit from other objects. If the first two points are met, but the strength was not enough for the third, then the celestial body is automatically declared a dwarf planet. This is what happened to Pluto: due to insufficient massiveness, he was demoted in rank.

And if the body does not match either (b) or (c), it is an asteroid. Everything is clear and understandable.

With the definition of the continent, everything is more difficult. Encyclopedias and textbooks explain this term as follows: "A continent is a large massif of the earth's crust, most of which is not covered by the ocean."

Sounds pretty hazy. For example, what does "large" mean? Why is Australia big enough to be a continent and Greenland not? And what does "not covered by the ocean" mean? Is it possible to consider the channels dug by people as part of the ocean? But it is the Panama Canal that separates North America from South America, and the Suez Canal separates Africa from Asia.

We will open for you terrible secret: there is no consensus even on how many continents there are on the planet! The spread is large: from four (Afro-Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica, America) to seven (Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, North America, Australia, Antarctica).

Here the concept of "mainland" also pops up. If we decide to find out its meaning in the Russian-language Wikipedia, then it will automatically transfer us to the page "Continent" - for it these words are identical. But try typing Mainland in the search bar. For English speakers, this is not at all the same as Continent! The mainland is defined here as something relative. Suppose, from the point of view of a resident of Tasmania, Australia should be considered the mainland. But if you are one of the few inhabitants of Flinders Island, then Tasmania itself becomes the mainland. At the colloquial level, there is something similar in Russian. For example, “I came from the mainland” can be heard from a resident of Norilsk. Formally, this city is located on the continent, but it can only be reached as an island - by air or by water.

And from the point of view of socio-political geography, it is still more exciting. Northern and South America it is not plates and channels that separate it, but ... culture and history. There is Latin America, where they speak Spanish and Portuguese, where the percentage of Indian blood is high, where the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, where for the last hundred years a military coup and dictatorship have been the norm. And there are Canada and the USA, where there are few Indians and they do not mix with the locals, where Protestantism dominates, where heads of state succeed each other without the use of artillery and machine guns. The same is true with Africa. There is no such continent. There is North Africa - Islam reigns there, and the majority of the population belongs to the Arabs. And there is Africa south of the Sahara, where Negroes predominate, adhering to either Christianity or local beliefs.

And if you remember the concept of "part of the world", then the story becomes completely confusing.

A certain result in this dispute is summed up by the teacher Elena Customs. Her position is as follows: it is not the exact terms that are important, but geographical and geological principles.

Students don't have to learn precise definitions concepts, especially since they may differ in different textbooks. It is important to know the main features of the continent and be able to formulate a definition in your own words.

And those who do not study geography professionally and do not pass the exam in this subject can only follow the discussion of experts and be glad that there are still white spots on our planet with an area of ​​​​almost five million square kilometers.

Large lithospheric plates, consisting mainly of the earth's crust of the continental type, really coincide with the names of the continents known to us. At the same time, a separate lithospheric plate with a crust of a continental type is by no means always a separate continent. An important criterion is the surrounding of a vast area of ​​land by the waters of the oceans, as well as the historical and cultural context. For example, in the tectonics of the lithospheric plates, the Hindustan, Arabian and Philippine plates are distinguished, which, nevertheless, are not considered separate continents, but belong to Asia. Conversely, the Eurasian lithospheric plate, which is united from a geological point of view, is most often divided into Europe and Asia.

It is worth noting that the “Zeeland question” is not unique. You can, say, start a discussion about the allocation of the continents of Madagascar and Kerguelen - they also correspond to a number of features of the continent. But, maybe, nevertheless, to start from the very beginning and at the interdisciplinary level to determine what a continent is?

A continent is a huge piece of land where most of it is land. In addition to land, it includes its outskirts, the shelf and the islands located there. Concepts Continents and Continents in Russian are synonyms.

A continent is a single, undivided piece of land. The largest continent is Eurasia, which has two parts of the world: Asia and Europe. Next in size are North America, then South America, after Africa, Australia and Antarctica.

Continents on Earth - 6

In some countries, a different number of continents are distinguished:

• In China, they are sure that there are seven of them, since Asia and Europe are separated into separate parts there.
• In Portugal and Greece, six continents are also distinguished, but instead of uniting Europe and Asia, they unite North and South America.
• The Olympic Committee understands only the inhabited part of the Earth as continents, excluding Antarctica from this list. Therefore, there are five continents and the same number of Olympic rings.

If we combine not only Europe and Asia, but also North and South America, we get four continents. Therefore, the dispute over the number of continents has not been resolved so far, scientists different countries put forward their theory and stubbornly prove it. But while the majority for six continents on planet Earth.

History of the continents

However, such a number of continents on Earth was not always. Scientists identify several hypothetical continents that existed on Earth in different time periods.

1. Kenorland- a supercontinent that existed during the Neoarchean period (2.75 billion years ago).
2. Nuna- a supercontinent, the existence of which is considered to be the Paleoproterozoic era (1.8-1.5 billion years ago).
3. Rodinia- the supercontinent of the Proterozoic-Precambrian era. The mainland appeared 1.1 billion years ago, and broke up 750 million years ago.
4. Pangea- a supercontinent that arose in the Paleozoic (Permian period) and disappeared in the Triassic era (200-210 million years ago).
5. Euramerica (or Laurussia)- the supercontinent of the Paleozoic era. The mainland broke up in the Paleogene era.
6. gondwana- a supercontinent that appeared 750-530 million years ago, and broke up 70-80 million years ago.

This is not the whole list of predecessors of modern continents. Furthermore, some scientists argue that in the future, earthlings expect the formation of another supercontinent. Presumably, future events will develop as follows:

• First, Africa will merge with Eurasia.
• In about 60 million years, Australia will connect with East Asia, as a result of which the continent Australia-Afro-Eurasia will appear.
• In 130 million years, Antarctica will adjoin southern Australia or Asia, and the mainland Australia-Antarctica-Afro-Eurasia will appear.
• In 250-400 million years, the inhabitants of the planet expect the appearance of the supercontinents Pangea Ultima (200-300 million years, all the current continents will merge), Amasia (50-200 million years, the center of the mainland will be at the North Pole), New Pangea (the reappearance of the supercontinent past - Pangea).

The information presented is only part of scientists' assumptions about the future of the Earth. And today, erudite and educated people answer the question “How many continents are there on Earth?” confidently answer - exactly 6.

Video

Hello friends, today I want to talk to you and tell you about how many continents there are on Earth. This is a very fascinating topic that requires careful consideration in order to understand how many continents there are.

I want to admit right away that the difference between the mainland and the continent ... in terminology. I think this is not strange, because how many people, so many opinions. How is a mainland different from a continent? These are one and the same, almost identical definitions in meaning, but there are a couple of nuances.

If I asked you to list all the continents, and then the continents, you could name the same words. And there would be no mistake.

What is a mainland and what is a continent

So, perhaps, I’ll start this amazing topic, because I recently read a lot of useful things on Wikipedia. Friends, there are so many interesting material, including information about how many oceans are on earth, the continents of the earth and many other facts.

First of all, I will indicate that a continent is a rather large relief form that protrudes above the ocean level and has a huge mass of the earth's crust. The thickness of the crust is about 25 km, you will agree that this is a lot.

How many continents (continents) on Earth

There is no single opinion here. There are several models according to which the number of continents (continents) on planet Earth varies from 4 to 7. What does the difference in these numbers depend on?

It's simple - sometimes Africa is combined with Asia and Europe. Sometimes Africa is left alone and Asia is united with Europe. Sometimes Africa, Asia and Europe are referred to as independent continents. Do you understand what I mean? Sometimes North and South America are combined into one supercontinent - America.

• Europe
• Antarctica
• Africa
• North America
• Australia
• South America

I have listed all the continents, and now I will tell you everything in more detail.

How is a continent different from a mainland

The continent is slightly different from the mainland, so this is important to understand. To speak in simple words, which are much clearer, then the continent is also a large part of the land around which there is water. It could be the sea or the ocean. If we get lucky…

The difference is that two continents can be located on one mainland. Just imagine, Asia and Europe together are on the same continent. Yes Yes. This can be confidently called the most important differences. Those who did not learn geography in childhood will certainly understand such distinctive features.

Differences of opinion and complexity of consensus

There are 6 continents in the world, which are one to one called with the names of the continents, which I spoke about a little higher. Opinions on this matter differ significantly, because, for example, there are two continents that are connected by the Isthmus of Pan - North and South America.

Some people are sure that with such a connection, one can talk about one continent - America. I'm saying that there are a lot of opinions and everyone is different. I think that it is not entirely correct to assert such nuances, because even if there is a connection between them, they are still separate.

So, we can say that you will now also know the names of the continents.

The largest continent on planet Earth - Eurasia

Let's just say - this is the largest continent, which is washed by 4 oceans at once. Can you imagine this?

I have never been there, but I understand how amazing this place is. Most of the mainland is located in the hemisphere of the North direction. And now another interesting point - this continent includes two parts of the world at once - Asia and Europe. Do you know how many parts of the world are on earth?

I don’t think that many of them studied at school for excellent students, and they also studied geography well. Yes, at that time we thought that this was useless knowledge, etc., but everything turned out to be much more interesting. Now that we have grown up, we understand that such information may not be useful in life, but it is quite useful and exciting.

Interesting Facts

I hasten to inform you that I found the most interesting information about Antarctica.

This is the southern continent, which is characterized by very difficult conditions for life, harsh climatic characteristics, as well as remoteness from civilization. But, at the same time, it is here that there are unusual places that can no longer be found on the territory of the entire planet. First of all, what surprised me the most was the Dry Valleys. Have you heard of such a phenomenon? Probably not, since I first read this on the Internet.

A very long time ago, about 50 million years ago, real palm trees grew in this area. And in our time, penguins roam here. Can you imagine the difference?

Also, since 1962, it has been working here, owned by the United States. Personally, I do not quite understand the meaning of such a remote location of the station, although, if you think about it, it is quite logical.

Not far from the station, there is a fire department, where there are always specialists on duty. It is strange, of course, to hear about such a duty, and even more so that there may be fires in Antarctica. But given the risk factors with the station, anything is possible.

Antarctica is also different in that it is through this territory that all time zones pass. If we talk about the size of the continents and build it together with other continents in one row, then it is Antarctica that will take 5th place in terms of its size.

A huge number of different studies are carried out here by specialists and scientists from different countries. But, in 1959, a special agreement was signed, regarding which all research to be carried out must be exclusively peaceful.

The continent is very cold, because 99% of such territory is in ice. Can you imagine how cold the climate is there? An interesting fact I also note that even in such conditions real mushrooms grow here. Moreover, the number of mushroom species is about 1100 variants. Yes, this is an unusual continent that you can talk about and talk about.

Do you want to go to Antarctica? Remove your teeth!

To be honest, I already imagined what I would do if I was sent to Antarctica? I do not even know. First of all, I became very scared, because I really do not like and cannot stand the cold. Also, I don't have one warm clothes with which I could keep warm. Also… I have wisdom teeth. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you.

The fact is that if someone is sent to work in Antarctica, that person must have all of the above teeth removed. Such a process is carried out due to the fact that there are no conditions for such operations, so the removal of wisdom teeth has become a real preventive process.

So, like all the most interesting and intriguing factors, I told you. I do not argue with the fact that I still do not know many people, but I promise you that I will definitely study this situation much more accurately and in more detail. She intrigued me very much, because the more I learned, the more I was surprised and was able to share my thoughts with you.

By the way, I am more than sure that such information can be found about any of the above continents. Each of them differs significantly from the other not only in its weather conditions, location, but also in other unusual characteristics.

I'm very interested in Africa

I just started looking for information, as I realized that it would take a lot of time, so I decided that I would share my knowledge in this area with you next time. But I can’t stand it and I’ll say right away that this continent is quite large and ranks second in size among other continents. Scientists believe that it was in Africa that the first people were born.

Like everything I wanted to talk to you about this time. I think next time my story will be even more interesting. Until we meet again, friends. Wait for new stories from me and do not forget to subscribe to. Invite your friends and go on an exciting journey through countries and cities with me.

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About 30% of the surface of our planet is land, which is represented by six continents. They vary greatly in size. And the question arises: "What is the largest continent of the Earth?" You can learn about this from this article.

Eurasia - the largest continent of the Earth

This continent covers an area of ​​about 54,000,000 km2. Thus, it is the largest continent on Earth. At the same time, the number of people living on it has already exceeded 5 billion people, which is about 75 percent of the total population of the planet.

Geographically, Eurasia is also divided into two parts: Europe and Asia. As you know, there are six parts of the world in total, of which Asia is the largest (the mainland on Earth is a purely geographical concept, while part of the world is cultural and ethnographic). It should be noted that Europe accounts for only 20% of the entire area of ​​Eurasia.

The largest continent on Earth is territorially continuous, and the demarcation line between the European and Asian parts is very arbitrary. As a rule, it is carried out along the slopes of the Ural Mountains, along the Emba River, the shores of the Caspian Sea, the southeastern coast of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait.

Eurasia extends from equatorial to subpolar latitudes. At the same time, some of its islands are already located south of the equator line. The length of the mainland from west to east is 18,000 kilometers, and from north to south - 8,000 km.

Eurasia: features of the nature of the mainland

Eurasia is a continent of natural contrasts. After all, here you can meet absolutely everything: the highest snow-capped peaks and deep depressions, cold harsh tundra and hot, huge deserts, impenetrable forests and expanse steppes. In terms of natural diversity, this continent has no equal on our entire planet!

Of course, such geographical diversity is due to the size of Eurasia and its elongation from north to south. All possible natural zones of the Earth are represented on the continent - from arctic deserts to tropical rainforests (total natural areas there are 14 in Eurasia). There are more than a dozen large mountain systems on the mainland, within which altitudinal belts have formed.

The highest point in Eurasia (and the planet as a whole) is Mount Chomolungma in the Himalayas. Its height is 8848 meters. The lowest point on the mainland is the Dead Sea depression.

Eurasia: countries and peoples

The origin of the name of the largest continent on Earth is interesting. It is curious that at first the entire mainland was called Asia (in particular, Alexander von Humboldt called it that in the middle of the 19th century). But Eurasia was the first to be named by the scientist Eduard Suess, and this happened only at the end of the century before last. This name was assigned to the largest continent.

The largest continent on Earth today has about a hundred countries. They all vary greatly in size. economic development, cultural and other characteristics. The contrast of Eurasia is fully manifested in this aspect as well. Can only bring one interesting example. So, on the same continent, the largest world state is located - Russia (area - 17 million km 2) and the smallest - the Vatican (an area of ​​\u200b\u200bonly 0.5 km 2).

Eurasia is characterized by an amazing diversity of cultures, languages ​​and dialects. Especially when it comes to Asia. So, in India alone, people speak more than 800 languages ​​and dialects!

Eurasia: records and amazing facts

Finally, to summarize all of the above, here is a list of the most famous and amazing records of the territory we are considering. So:

• Eurasia is the most populated continent on the planet. About five billion people live here (only in India and China, the population exceeds two billion).
• Eurasia is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans of the planet at once.
• It is here that the largest lake in size - the Caspian Sea - is located.
• Behind this continent there is another "lake" record: the deepest lake on Earth (Baikal) "registered" here.
• The highest and lowest points of the planet are located in Eurasia.
• The shallowest sea on Earth (Azov) is also located here (imagine: its depth does not exceed 15 meters!).
• It is on the map of Eurasia that you can find 4 seas with "color" names: Black, White, Red and Yellow.
• This continent is the absolute leader on the planet in terms of the total number of mountain systems, the largest among them is Tibet.

As you can see, it is not for nothing that this part of the world is called the largest. The continent on Earth, which has all these amazing records, simply cannot have a small area.

Conclusion

So, we found out that Eurasia is the largest continent on Earth. It occupies a colossal territory of 54,000,000 km2. Over 5 billion people live on these lands. The diversity of languages, the richness of the cultural heritage of different countries attracts a huge number of researchers and ordinary tourists from other continents to this mainland.