The big picture
Earth’s surface is about 71% water and 29% land. The land is divided into seven continents, and the water mainly into five oceans. Knowing where these are is the starting point for understanding world geography.
The seven continents
| Continent | Approximate area | Notable features |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | largest, about 44 million km² | most people (about 60% of world population); Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth |
| Africa | about 30 million km² | second-largest; the Sahara Desert; the Nile River; 54 countries |
| North America | about 24 million km² | Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; Greenland |
| South America | about 18 million km² | the Amazon rainforest and river; the Andes Mountains |
| Antarctica | about 14 million km² | coldest, windiest; almost entirely covered by ice; no permanent residents |
| Europe | about 10 million km² | many countries in a small area; the Alps |
| Australia (Oceania) | about 9 million km² (Australia alone about 7.7 million) | smallest continent; often grouped with Pacific islands as Oceania |
Europe and Asia are joined on one land mass, sometimes called Eurasia. The traditional boundary follows the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus.
The five oceans
| Ocean | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pacific | largest and deepest; contains the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth |
| Atlantic | second-largest; between the Americas and Europe and Africa |
| Indian | warmest; between Africa, Asia and Australia |
| Southern | surrounds Antarctica |
| Arctic | smallest and shallowest; around the North Pole; much of it covered by sea ice |
Canada borders three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. Its motto, A mari usque ad mare, means "from sea to sea."
Hemispheres
The Earth can be divided into halves, called hemispheres.
- The equator (0° latitude) divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
- The prime meridian (0° longitude) and the 180° line divide the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Canada and the United States are in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Australia is in the Southern and Eastern Hemispheres. Seasons are opposite in the two halves: when it’s winter in Canada, it’s summer in Australia.
World regions
Geographers group countries into world regions that share location, culture, history or other features. Here is one common way:
| Region | Includes |
|---|---|
| North America | Canada, United States (Mexico often included) |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean islands |
| Europe | Western, Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe |
| Russia and Central Asia | Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and neighbours |
| Middle East and North Africa | Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Türkiye and more |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia and many more |
| South Asia | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal |
| East Asia | China, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia |
| Southeast Asia | Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and more |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island nations |
Regions can be defined in different ways depending on the purpose, such as language, religion or economy.
Map projections
Because the Earth is round, every flat world map distorts something.
- The Mercator projection keeps shapes correct for navigation but makes areas near the poles look huge. Greenland looks about the size of Africa, but Africa is about 14 times larger!
- Equal-area projections, such as the Gall-Peters, show correct sizes but stretch shapes.
- Compromise projections, such as the Robinson or Winkel Tripel, balance size and shape.
Try it yourself
- Label the seven continents and five oceans on a blank world map from memory.
- Rank the continents by area and by population. What do you notice?
- Compare Greenland and Africa on a Mercator map and on a globe.
- Choose a world region and list five countries, their capitals and one key feature.
Quick recap
- Earth has seven continents and five oceans.
- Asia is the largest continent; the Pacific is the largest ocean.
- The equator and prime meridian divide Earth into hemispheres.
- World regions group countries by shared features.
- All flat maps distort size, shape or distance in some way.