The largest continent in the world - size and features. What is the largest continent on earth

If we talk about such categories as more or less, farther or closer, better or worse, then sometimes you can defend your point of view ad infinitum. But in the event that a conversation begins about some geographical characteristics, it is useless to argue, because the truth is obvious.

For example, if you ask a question which of the continents is the largest, then even a weak three-year-old will answer you that this is Eurasia. Let's get to know him better.

The formation of our native mainland

When our planet was young, in terms of geological age, there was no question of any continents. The earth's crust was at the stage of formation. Gradually began to appear small areas crust around which modern continents formed.

Due to the low temperature, the atmosphere fell to the Earth, and this led to the emergence of the World Ocean, which filled all the depressions in the earth's crust. The geological transformations did not end there, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions continued. All this ended with the formation on earth of one giant continent called Gondwana.

Approximately about 70 million years ago, modern continents separated from this continent, including Eurasia. He, as originally was the largest continent in the world, and still remains so.

Eurasia was subjected to various studies for a very long time, only in the 19th century did its final borders appear on the map.

The surface of the earth on the mainland

It is probably not surprising that the largest continent on its surface has all types of relief. Starting with a completely flat terrain, such as the East European Plain, ending with the highest mountains of Tibet.

On the territory of the mainland there are quite a lot of large mountain ranges, among which I especially want to highlight:

1. Himalayas.
2. Caucasus.
3. Altai.
4. Alps.
5. Tien Shan.
6. Tibet.
7. Carpathians.
8. Ural.

You can still list mountain systems for a long time. All of them have many distinctive characteristics, each boasting its own attractions.

General characteristics of the mainland

The continent of Eurasia is conditionally divided into two parts - Europe and Asia. The conditional border is the Ural Mountains, the northwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, the Bosporus Strait.

Eurasia is the only part of the world that is washed by all the existing oceans at once: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic.

It has no equal in length from east to west. This is as much as 16 thousand kilometers. From north to south - twice as much.

For such a name, we must thank the geologist Eduard Suess, who in 1883 gave the mainland the name Eurasia, and before that there were no names. Some called the entire continent simply Asia.

Variety of natural areas

Since Eurasia is the largest continent in terms of area, then, accordingly, it follows from this that, moving from north to south, one can observe a change from one natural zone to another. All the natural zones that exist on our planet meet on this continent.

If we take the extreme southern point, then the zone of tropical forests is located here. It is hot and humid throughout the calendar year. With the advancement to the north, the climate is replaced by a more moderate one, you can observe the change of seasons.

The extreme northern point is already another pole, where, unlike the tropics, where life is in full swing, it is almost lifeless here. All year round there is snow and permafrost. Few of the animals decide to settle here, although there are such champions.

On the mainland you can see interesting feature: territories lying at the same latitude have completely different climatic conditions. This can be explained by the different terrain and the presence of warm and cold currents.

For example, Yalta and Vladivostok. The latitude is the same, but how different the climate is.

Even in the depths of the mainland, one can observe a large variation in summer and winter temperatures, night and day temperatures can differ dramatically. For example, in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, the temperature can rise to +20 during the day, and drop to -20 at night.

This is the diverse continent of Eurasia.

Uniqueness of Eurasia

Eurasia is not only the largest continent in terms of area, but also distinguished by its unique geographical records. Let's name just a few of them:

1. Only Eurasia is washed by all the world's oceans.
2. On the territory of the mainland there is the highest mountain range - Mount Chomolungma.
3. The other extreme in altitude is also here. This is the basin of the Dead Sea.
4. The highest mountain peaks belong to the continent of Eurasia. This includes the Himalayas and Tibet.
5. The Caspian lake is considered the largest in geographical map, and it is also located on the mainland of Eurasia.
6. The deepest and cleanest Lake Baikal is also the property of Eurasia.
7. Even such a concept as maximum amount precipitation per year, applicable to the locality of Cherrapunji, located in the foothills of the Himalayas.
8. The largest geographical area is Siberia.
9. The coldest point on the globe is also located on the Eurasia continent. This is Oymyakon.

There is no other such unique and inimitable continent on Earth. We are its inhabitants and should be proud of it. Moreover, the population in Eurasia is the largest. Almost 75% of all inhabitants of the planet live here.

A continent is a large landmass surrounded by seas and oceans. In tectonics, continents are characterized as sections of the lithosphere with a continental structure.

Mainland, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

In geography, another term is often used, denoting the mainland - the continent. But the concepts of "mainland" and "continent" are not synonymous. V different countries various points of view on the number of continents, called continental models, have been adopted.

There are several such models:

• In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is customary to consider that continents 7 - Europe and Asia, they consider separately;
• In Spanish-speaking European countries, as well as in countries South America imply division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
• in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe, a model with 5 continents is adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except for Antarctica;
• in Russia and the countries of Eurasia adjacent to it, they traditionally designate 4 - continents united into large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different representations of continental models on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

1. - the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
2. (30.3 million sq. km)
3. (24.4 million sq. km)
4. (17.8 million sq. km)
5. (14.1 million sq. km)
6. (7.7 million sq. km)

All of them are separated by the waters of the seas and oceans. Four continents have a land border: Eurasia and Africa are separated by the Isthmus of Suez, North and South America - the Isthmus of Panama.

Continents

The difference is that the continents do not have a land border. Therefore, in this case, we can talk about 4 continents ( one of the continental models of the world), also in descending order by size:

1. AfroEurasia
2. America

Parts of the world

The terms "mainland" and "continent" have a scientific meaning, but the term "part of the world" divides the land on a historical and cultural basis. There are 6 parts of the world, only unlike the continents, Eurasia differs by Europe and Asia, but North and South America are defined together as one part of the world America:

1. Europe
2. Asia
3. America(both North and South), or New World
4. Australia and Oceania

Speaking of parts of the world, they mean the islands adjacent to them.

The difference between the mainland and the island

The definition of the mainland and the island is the same - a part of the land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the smallest continent, Australia, is much larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent of Pangea)

2. Education. All continents have a tiled origin. According to scientists, there was once a single continent - Pangea. Then, as a result of the split, 2 continents appeared - Gondwana and Laurasia, which later split into 6 more parts. The theory is confirmed both by geological surveys and by the shape of the continents. Many of them can be put together like a puzzle.

Islands are formed different ways. There are those that, like the continents, are located on the fragments of the most ancient lithospheric plates. Others are formed from volcanic lava. Still others - as a result of the activity of polyps (coral islands).

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even Antarctica, which is harsh in terms of climatic conditions. Many islands are still uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

- the largest continent, occupying 1/3 of the land. Two parts of the world are located here at once: Europe and Asia. The border between them runs along the line of the Ural Mountains, the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the straits connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

This is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans. The coastline is indented, it forms a large number of bays, peninsulas, islands. The mainland itself is located immediately on six tectonic platforms, and therefore the relief of Eurasia is incredibly diverse.

Here are the most extensive plains, the highest mountains (the Himalayas with Mount Everest), the deepest lake (Baikal). This is the only continent where all climatic zones (and, accordingly, all natural zones) are represented at once - from the arctic with its permafrost to the equatorial with its sultry deserts and jungles.

¾ of the world's population lives on the mainland, 108 states are located here, of which 94 have the status of independent.

- the hottest continent on Earth. It is located on an ancient platform, so most of the area is occupied by plains, mountains are formed along the edges of the mainland. Africa is home to the longest river in the world, the Nile, and the largest desert, the Sahara. Climate types presented on the mainland: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

It is washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The result of the movement of tectonic plates was a heavily indented coastline of the mainland, with a huge number of bays, straits, bays and islands. The largest island is in the north (Greenland).

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

All climatic zones are represented here, except for the equatorial one, which determines the diversity of natural zones. Most rivers and lakes are located in the northern part. The largest river is the Mississippi.

The indigenous people are Indians and Eskimos. Currently, 23 states are located here, of which only three (Canada, the United States and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

It is washed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Along the west coast stretches the world's longest mountain system - the Andes, or South American Cordillera. The rest of the mainland is occupied by plateaus, plains and lowlands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator zone. Here is the largest and most abundant river in the world - the Amazon.

The indigenous people are the Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the territory of the mainland.

- the only continent on the territory of which there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most of the mainland is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous people are Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.

- the southernmost continent, completely covered with ice. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1600 m, the largest is 4000 m. If the ice in Antarctica melted, the level of the world's oceans would immediately rise by 60 meters!

Most of the mainland is occupied by an icy desert, life is glimmering only on the coasts. Antarctica is also the coldest continent. In winter, temperatures can drop below -80 ºC (record -89.2 ºC), in summer - up to -20 ºC.

Eurasia is the largest continent on our planet. This continent combines Asia and Europe, which, despite the many differences in climate, relief and other characteristics, are one and perfectly complement each other.

For the first time the name "Eurasia" was applied to the mainland by Eduard Suess (in 1880). Before him, this continent was called differently, for example, Alexander Humboldt liked to call it Asia more.

Dimensions of Eurasia

Eurasia occupies 36 percent of the entire land mass of the Earth, which is equal to 54,759,000 square kilometers. 93 states are located on the territory of the continent. No other continent can "boast" of such a number of available countries. The population of the mainland is 3/4 of all those living on our planet - 4,947 billion people (according to statistics from 2010).

Features of the geographical location

As noted above, the continent consists of Asia and Europe. The distinction between these parts of the world is made by mountains, rivers, straits and parts of the seas (for example, Ural mountains, the Emba and Kuma rivers, the northwestern part of the Caspian Sea, the Bosphorus, etc.). However, if we consider Europe and Asia from a natural point of view, then there are no sharp boundaries between them - the mainland continuously goes in the form of land for 8,000 km from north to south, and from west to east for 16,000 km.

This largest continent is washed by all the oceans on our planet (there are four in total). From the south it is washed by the Indian Ocean, from the north by the Arctic Ocean, from the east by the Pacific, and from the west by the Atlantic. In terms of washing the shores of all the world's oceans, the mainland is the only one on the planet.

relief features

The continent is distinguished by a rather diverse relief. Here are the Tibetan Plateau, the West Siberian and East European Plains (considered one of the largest). The mainland on the entire planet is recognized as the highest - its average height is 830 meters. Approximately 65 percent of the mainland is covered by mountain peaks and plateaus. For example, Eurasia is the location of the highest mountains of our planet - the Himalayas.

Climatic and natural features

Due to the huge size of the continent, all climatic zones and zones are present here. The maritime climate prevails on the islands and in the western part. In the east and south of the mainland, the climate is monsoonal. When moving inland, one can note the predominance of the continental climate (this is especially characteristic when moving from west to east in the temperate climate zone). This climate is most typical for Eastern Siberia.

AND natural areas there is diversity here. Highlands and islands in the northern part are covered with glaciers. Eastern Siberia and the Far East are the location of the tundra and forest-tundra. Siberia is almost completely covered with taiga. In the center of the mainland and its southwestern part there are deserts and semi-deserts. The steppe and forest-steppe zones are inherent in the southern part of Western Siberia and the Russian Plain.

What can "boast" of Eurasia?

On its territory, Eurasia has many geographical points that are recognized as the largest: Lake Baikal, the Caspian Sea, Tibet, Chomolungma, the Arabian Peninsula, Siberia. In this regard, the mainland can be called a kind of champion in comparison with other continents that are present on our planet.

It seems that everything they have is similar even by definition. This is a large landmass, washed on all sides by oceans. But what is the difference between the continent and the mainland, many scientists explain based on the theory of continental drift, which was presented in 1912 by the German geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Lothar Wegener.

Continental drift theory

The essence of the theory is that a long time ago, in the Jurassic period, 200 million years ago, all the continents were a single dry land. And only then, under the influence of tectonic forces, they were divided among themselves.

The structure of the continents can serve as evidence. It is enough to look at the map to see that the relief of the western coast of Africa fits perfectly with the relief of the eastern coast of South America. Similar are also vegetable and animal world continents separated by thousands of kilometers. For example, the flora and fauna of North America and Europe. Wegener outlined his theory in his book The Origin of Continents and Oceans.

In fairness, it should be said that his idea had many critics. But by the end of the 60s of the XX century, as a result of numerous studies, the theory turned into the doctrine of plate tectonics, which makes it possible to separate such concepts as the mainland and the continent.

Continents

There are six continents on Earth:

• Eurasia is the largest of the continents, with an area of ​​54.6 million square kilometers. km.
• Africa is the hottest of the continents, with an area of ​​30.3 million square kilometers. km.
• North America is the continent with the most indented coastline with many bays and islands, with an area of ​​24.4 million square meters. km.
• South America is the rainiest continent, with an area of ​​17.8 million square kilometers. km.
• Australia is the most flat continent, with an area of ​​7.7 million square meters. km.
• Antarctica is the southernmost and at the same time the coldest continent, with an area of ​​14.1 million square kilometers. km.

Continents

Unlike the continents, there are only 4 continents on Earth. Continent in Latin means "continuous". Therefore, it is unlikely that Europe and Africa can be called separate continents, because they are separated by an artificially created Suez Canal.

The same goes for North and South America. They were separated in 1920 by the Panama Canal. It is interesting that the idea to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans through the narrowest isthmus was born in the 16th century, since the benefits of this for trade and navigation were obvious. However, the King of Spain, Philip II, "cut down" the project, saying: "What God has connected, man cannot separate." However, over time, common sense won, and one continent was divided into two continents - North and South America.

There are four continents on the planet:

• Old World (Eurasia and Africa).
• New World (North and South America).
• Australia.
• Antarctica.

The theory of continental drift and history allow answering the question "Continent and mainland - what's the difference?". is a large piece of land surrounded by water. A continent is a continuous piece of land washed by water, which may include continents connected by land.