We explain what the continents are and what their main characteristics are. We also explain the origin of their names and land boundaries.
The traditional model includes six continents.
What is a continent?
A continent is a large expanse of land, separated from other lands by oceans or by a significant geographical feature.
With the exception of Antarctica (which maintains a cold climate all year round and has no stable population), each continent presents within its territory a wide variety of geographical features, climates, languages and cultures.
There are various models to determine how many continents there are:
- 4 continents. America, Antarctica, Euphrasia (Europe, Africa and Asia) and Oceania.
- 6 geological continentsAfrica, North America, South America, Antarctica, Eurasia (Asia and Europe) and Oceania.
- 6 continents. Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Europe and Oceania. This is the traditional model and the one used in this text.
Geological formation of the continents
In 1915, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener published his book “The Origin of Continents and Oceans.” In that book Wegener postulated his theory that the continents had not always been separated as they are today, but at some point in the geological past They were united and formed a single supercontinent.
Wegener named this supercontinent “Pangea” and estimated that it began to break apart approximately 200 million years ago. This meant for Wegener that the continents could move and that is why They had separated since Pangea until reaching the location where they are currently located.
Throughout the 20th century, other theories appeared that confirmed Wegener’s idea, so today there is a certain consensus on the geological formation of the continents. Today we know that The earth’s crust is divided into tectonic platesand that below the crust is the mantle, composed mainly of semiplastic material called “magma”.
Magma moves due to differences in pressure and temperature inside the Earth. The tectonic plates, supported by magma, also move and that is why they drifted from Pangaea to their current location.
The movement of tectonic plates produced important modifications on the Earth’s surface. For example, the Atlantic Ocean was formed, which did not exist during Pangaea, and many mountain ranges and volcanoes were formed as a result of the collision between tectonic plates.
Africa
The African relief has large areas of plains.
Africa is a continent completely surrounded by seas and oceans, as it is located between the Atlantic Ocean (which limits it to the West), the Indian Ocean (which limits it to the East) and the Mediterranean Sea (which limits it to the North and separates it from Europe). In addition, it is separated from Asia by the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez.
The total area of Africa is 30,272,922 square kilometers and its population is over 1.32 billion inhabitants. It is home to 54 countries. Although its relief is predominantly plain, there are also mountain ranges such as the Atlas and those of East Africa, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, the highest on the continent at 5,890 metres high.
Due to its rainy climate and predominantly flat relief, the African continent is characterized by the presence of long and mighty rivers. The largest are the Nile River (the second longest in the world at 6,650 kilometers long), the Congo and the Niger.
America
North America has an area of 24,700,000 km2.
This continent is completely surrounded by oceans: the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the confluence of the Atlantic and Pacific to the south.
Its relief is characterized by the presence of an extensive mountain range which crosses the continent from north to south along the western edge. This mountain range is known as the “Rocky Mountains” in North America and the “Andes Mountains” in South America.
America is also characterized by the presence of extensive and mighty plain rivers. The longest on the continent are the Amazon (the longest in the world), the Mississippi and the Paraná.
Its surface of 42,500,000 square kilometers is divided into three subcontinents:
- North AmericaWith a huge surface area of 24,700,000 km2, it is made up of Canada, Mexico, the United States and Greenland. Its population is approximately 500 million inhabitants.
- Central America. It is the region with the smallest surface area in America, with 800,000 km2, and approximately 105 million inhabitants. It is made up of 20 independent countries. It is an area of great volcanic and seismic activity. Due to its location near the Equator, it is characterized by a warm and humid climate.
- South America. With an area of 17,800,000 km2, it is home to more than 423 million inhabitants distributed in 12 countries. Here is Aconcagua, the highest peak in America.
Antarctica
The number of inhabitants of Antarctica varies between 1,000 and 4,000 depending on the time of year.
Antarctica is a continental mass and a group of islands located around the South Pole. The entire continent is covered in ice.and is only inhabited by organisms adapted to extreme climatic conditions.
Antarctica, with an area of over 14 million square kilometres, is the only continent that has no permanent population, and only temporary inhabitants whose number varies between 1,000 and 4,000 depending on the time of year. Most of these people belong to scientific expeditions sent by countries that administer some part of the Antarctic continent, such as Russia, Chile, the United States, Argentina or Australia.
Asia
Asia is the continent with the largest population, with more than 4.5 billion inhabitants.
It is the continent with the largest surface area: 44,541,138 km2. Also It is the continent with the largest populationwith 4.5 billion inhabitants. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Ural Mountains to the east.
It is made up of 48 countries, and although its relief is dominated by plateaus and plains, high mountain ranges can also be found in the centre and west, such as the Himalayan mountain range where Mount Everest is located, the highest mountain on the planet, at 8,848 metres high.
Its great extension and the humidity of most of its climates also determine the presence of large hydrographic basins and long rivers. The longest are the Yagntsé, Yellow and Mekong rivers.
Europe
Europe has a density of 70 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Europe is located in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the second smallest continent with an area of 10,530,751 square kilometers. Its population is 740 million inhabitants, with a population density of 70 inhabitants per square kilometer.
It is made up of 47 countries and other States such as Monaco or the Vatican, which are territories with special status. Mount Elbrus stands out in its relief, with a height of 5,633 meters above sea level, in the Caucasus region.
As a result of the great variety of reliefs and the type of climate that predominates, the European continent has a large number of rivers of different flow and extension. The longest in Europe are the Volga, the Danube and the Ural.
Oceania
Australia accounts for 89% of the continent’s oceanic surface.
Oceania is the smallest continent, with an area of 8,700,000 km2 and an approximate population of 42 million inhabitants. It is made up of a central continental shelf (Australia) and the islands of New Guinea, New Zealand, Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
Australia represents 89% of the continentIts relief is made up of a large plateau, a group of plains and a Great Dividing Range. Most of the islands that make up the continent are mountainous and volcanic, and famous for their paradisiacal landscapes.
Due to the geological and climatic characteristics of the continent, there are no big rivers. The longest is the Murray River, in Australia, with a length of 2,500 kilometers.
Why are they called like that?
In most cases there is no agreement on the origin of the names of the continents and there are several ways to explain their etymology.
- AfricaSome historians maintain that it was named by the Romans, who found the Afri people there, and therefore “Africus” would be the land of Afri. Others claim that it comes from Greek and means “where the sea foams.” It is also believed to have its origin in the Latin term africuswhich means “south wind.”
- Antarctica. Its name comes from the Greek word antarcticwhich means “the opposite of north.”
- AmericaIt is named after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first to suggest that the land mass reached by European expeditions was a new continent and not an undiscovered portion of Asia.
- Asia. It is believed that the name was first used by Herodotus to refer to the Persian Empire, and that it later became widespread throughout the continent. Another theory suggests that it could come from the name of a nymph in Greek mythology called “Asia.” It is also believed that it could come from the Akkadian term to itswhich means “this”.
- EuropeSome historians maintain that the name comes from the Phoenician term erebmeaning “west” or “west,” referring to the continent’s western location relative to Phoenicia. Another theory holds that the name may be related to a Greek goddess named “Europa.”
- Oceania. It is believed that its name may come from the Greek term okeanos which means ocean.”
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References
- García Barcala, J. (2017). Where did the names of the continents come from? ScienceHistorical
- Merino, A. (2022). How many continents are there in the world? TheWorldOrder
- Valverde, S. and others (2010). A geography of the world to think about. Kapelusz.