7 Continents
Important
Facts
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
CONTINENTS - IMPORTANT FACTS
Static GK is an important segment in General awareness. Questions related to Geography are very
commonly asked in several competitive exams such as SSC CGL, State PCS, UPSC etc. In order to help
you answer these questions, we bring you an e-book on the important facts about each continent.
Sample question: Which of the following imaginary lines passes through North America?
A. Equator, Tropic of cancer and Arctic circle
B. Equator, Tropic of Capricorn and Arctic Circle
C. Equator and Tropic of Cancer
D. Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle
Answer: D - Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle
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Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
CONTINENTS - IMPORTANT FACTS
The world is divided into 7 continents. The seven continents in the world are Africa, Asia, Australia,
Europe, North America, South America, and Antarctica. Out of the 7 continents, Antarctica is situated
at the South Pole and is uninhabited. The size and attributes of other continents are as follows:
S.No Continent Area (km )
2
Percent of Current Percent of the world
landmass population population
1 Asia 44,580,000 29.50 4,436,224,000 59.54
2 Africa 30,370,000 20.40 1,378,926,100 17.20
3 North 24,710,000 16.50 371,107,709 7.60
America
4 South 17,840,000 12.00 434,815,214 5.53
America
5 Antarctica 14,200,000 9.20 --- 0.00
6 Europe 10,180,000 6.80 738,849,000 9.59
7 Australia 7,617,930 5.90 25,833,519 0.55
ASIA
No of countries: 48
Highest Point: Mt. Everest (8,848 m)
Lowest Point: Dead Sea (-396.8 m)
Asia is the world's largest continent of the seven continents in size and population. It contains the
top economic countries - China, Japan and India. It contains the 2 most populous countries in the
world - China and India.
• Equator, Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle pass through Asia
• Asia is located in the Eastern and Northern hemisphere
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
Borders:
• North - Arctic Ocean
• South - Indian Ocean
• East - Pacific Ocean
• West - Europe
• Southwest - Red sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black sea
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems: Himalayas is the highest mountain range in the world. Other ranges in
Asia include Karakoram, Pamir Knot, Kunlun, Tien Shan, Altai, Hindu Kush, Elburz, Pontic,
Sulaiman, Zagros, Taurus, Urals, Yablonovoi and Stanovoi.
• Plateaus: Major plateaus include the Tibetian plateau, Iranian Plateau and the Deccan Plateau.
• Plains: Major plains include the West Siberian Plain, the Indo-Gangetic Plains, Turan Plain,
The Great Plain of China, Kamchatka Peninsula, Peninsula of Korea, Malay Peninsula. Indian
Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula.
• Steppes: The Great Steppe region is found in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
• Deserts: Asia is home to the largest deserts of the world which include the Gobi Desert,
Karakum desert, Kyzylkum Desert, TaklaMakan desert, Arabian desert and the Thar desert.
• Rivers: Major rivers include Yangtze river, Yellow river, Mekong river, Lena river, Irtysh river,
Ganges, Indus, Eupharates, Tigris, Brahmaputra,Hwang-Ho, Si-kiang, Amur, Lena-Yenisei, Ob,
Irrawaddy, Salween.
• Lakes: Major lakes include the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Balkhash and Lake Taymyr, Dead
sea.
• Islands: Important islands in Asia include Kurile, Sakhalin, Honshu, Hokkaido, Taiwan, Borneo,
Sumatra, Java, Celebes, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Cyprus.
• Forests and hotspots:
• Asia accounts for around 37% of the global tropical forest biome.
• It contains 1/ 3rd of the biodiversity hotspots of the world.
• The rainforests of Borneo, New Guinea and Sumatra are one of the largest in the world.
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
AFRICA
No of countries: 54
Highest point: Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)
Lowest point: Lake Assal (-155m)
Africa is the second largest continent in terms of size and population. The coastline of Africa (30,500
km) is shorter than that of Europe, despite being the second largest continent because there are only
a few inlets and few large bays or gulfs.
• The equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and the Prime Meridian cut across the
continent.
• It is spread across in all 4 hemispheres.
Borders:
• North - Mediterranean Sea
• West - Atlantic Ocean
• South - Indian Ocean
• East - Indian Ocean
• Northeast - Red Sea and Arabian Sea
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems: Major mountains include Mt.Kilimanjaro, Mt.Kenya, Mt.Stanley, Mt.
Meru, Mt.Semien, Mt. Karisimbi and Mt. Elgon.
• Plateaus: East African plateau is the largest plateau in Africa. Other plateaus include South
African plateau, Djado plateau, Ennedi plateau and Kinangop plateau
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
• Plains, grasslands and deserts: The Serengeti ecosystem is one of Africa’s most iconic
grasslands. Maasai Mara is continuous with the Serengeti. Other major deserts and grasslands
include Kafue national park, Kalahari Desert and Mana pools floodplain.
• Steppes: The steppes extend from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to northern Libya and
occupy a vast area in north-west Africa.
• Rivers: The Nile is the longest river in Africa. Other important rivers include Congo, Niger,
Zambezi, Senegal, Limpopo, and Orange
• Lakes: Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. Other important lakes include Tanganyika,
Malawi, Turkana, Albert, Edward, Kivu and Edward.
• Islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles are the sovereign islands present in
Africa.
• Forests and hotspots:
• Forests cover 22% of the African continent with 70% present in the Congo basin.
• Forests account for 6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in Africa, which is the
highest in the world.
• 17 percent of the world's forests are found in Africa.
• Africa contains 8 biodiversity hotspots.
NORTH AMERICA
No. of countries: 23
Highest point: Mount Denali or McKinley (6194 m)
Lowest point: Lake Assal (-155m)
North America is the third largest continent in terms of size and fourth largest in population. It contains
the top economy of the world- United States of America which is also the third most populous country
in the world.
• The Tropic of Cancer and Arctic circle passes through North America
• The continent is located in the Northern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.
Borders:
• North -Arctic ocean
• West - North Pacific Ocean
• South - Caribbean Ocean
• East - East Atlantic Ocean
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems: The Rockies are the largest mountain chain. Other major mountain ranges
include Brooks and Alaskan Range, the Pacific Coast Ranges, the Cascades, Sierra Nevada,
Appalachians and Sierra Madres.
• Plateaus: Colorado Plateau is the largest plateau in North America. Other major plateaus
include the Canadian plateau and the Mexican plateau.
• Plains, grasslands and deserts: The Serengeti ecosystem is one of Africa’s most iconic
grasslands. Maasai Mara is continuous with the Serengeti. Other major deserts and grasslands
include Kafue National park, Kalahari Desert and Mana pools floodplain.
• Prairies: Temperate grasslands are spread across North America. Major grasslands in North
America are the Great Plains of the Midwest, The Palouse Prairie of Eastern Washington
State.
• Rivers: River Missouri is the longest river in North America. Other important rivers include
Mississippi river, Colorado river, Yukon river, Rio Grande, Arkansas river, Columbia river, Red
river
• Lakes: The largest lake in North America is Lake Superior. Lake Superior alongwith with the
lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario form the Great lakes. Other lakes include Lake
Michigan, Tahoe, New Melones, Torch, Donner, Great Bear, Winnipeg.
• Islands: Jamaica, Hawaii, Ellesmere, Unimak, Hispaniola and Greenland are some important
islands in North America.
• Forests and hotspots:
• About 33% of the continent is forested. Tongass National Forest in Alaska is the largest
forest in North America.
• The California Floristic Province, Madrean pine-oak woodlands, and Mesoamerica, are
the biodiversity hotspots.
• Black American bear, Bald eagle, Elk, American Alligator are some of the wildlife seen
in the continent.
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
SOUTH AMERICA
No. of countries: 14
Highest point: Mt Aconcagua (6959 m)
Lowest point: Valdés Peninsula (-40m)
South America is the fourth largest continent in terms of size and the fifth largest when we consider
population. One of the top economies of the world- Brazil is located in South America.
• It is mainly present in the Western hemisphere with a small portion in the Northern and
Southern hemisphere
• The equator and Tropic of Cancer passes through South America
Borders:
• North and Northwest – Caribbean Sea
• West - Pacific Ocean
• Northeast, East, and Southeast - Atlantic Ocean
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems:
The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta,
Cordillera Blanca, Central Andes are some important ranges.
Highest peaks of the continent include Aconcagua, Ojos Del Salado, Monte Pissis,
Huascarán and Cerro Bonete.
• Plateaus: Atacama plateau, the Brazilian Highlands and the Guiana Highlands are major
plateaus.
• Plains and deserts:
Pampas are vast plains extending westward across central Argentina from the Atlantic
coast to the Andean foothills.
Atacama is the driest place on earth. Other deserts include Patagonia desert, La Guajira
desert, Monte Desert and the Sechura Desert.
• Rivers: Amazon river is the longest river in the world and the largest river by discharge
volume of water in the world. Other major rivers include Paraná, Madeira, Purus, São
Francisco and Tocantins.
• Lakes: Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in the continent. Other major lakes include Mar
Chiquita, General Carrera, Lago Argentino and Viedma Lake.
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
• Islands: Major islands include Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Marajó, Bananal Chiloé and
West Tupinambarana.
• Forests and hotspots:
Forty-nine percent of the total area of Latin America and the Caribbean is covered by
forests.
It represents approximately 22% of the forest area existing in the world.
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world.
It contains 5 biodiversity hotspots of the world - the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado, the
Valdivian temperate rainforest, the Tropical Andes and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena.
Giant Turtle, Anaconda, Piranha,Eel,Black Caiman are generally seen.
EUROPE
No. of countries: 44
Highest point: Mount Elbrus (5642 m)
Lowest point: Caspian Sea (-28 m)
Europe is the second smallest continent of the world. It contains some of the top economies of the
world - Germany, UK, France and Italy. It is the third most populous continent after Asia and Africa.
• The Arctic circle and the Prime meridian pass through Europe.
• The continent is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere.
Borders:
• North - Arctic Ocean
• West - Atlantic Ocean
• South - Mediterranean Sea
• East - Asia
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems: Major mountains include the Alps, Pyrenes, Apennines, Dinaric Alps,
Carpathians, Transylvanian Mountains, Balkans, Caucasus, Urals, Vosges.
• Plateaus: Major plateaus are Plateau of Bohemia, Plateau of Spain, Central Massif, Iberian
plateau, Central plateaus of France.
• Plains: The North European Plain extends from the southern United Kingdom east to Russia.
• Steppes: Eurasian Steppe extends thousands of kilometres from the UK to Russia.
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
• Rivers: Major rivers include Volga, Danube, Rhine, Po, Dnieper, Don, Vistula, Elbe, Oder,
Seine, Loire, Garrone, Douro, Tagus, Ural.
• Lakes: Major lakes in Europe are Ladoga, Onega, Kuybyshev, Vanern, Rybinsk.
• Islands: Major islands in Europe include Great Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Severny Island,
Spitsbergen, Yuzhny Island, Sicily and Sardinia.;
• Forests and hotspots:
Forests cover 37.7 % of the EU's land area and constitute 5% of the world’s total forest
area.
Europe contains 4 hotspots: Caucasus, Irano-Anatolian, Mediterranean Basin and
Mountains of Central Asia.
The European bison, the wolf, the brown bear, the wolverine, and the lynx are some of
the wildlife seen.
AUSTRALIA
No. of countries: 14
Highest point: Mawson peak (2745 m)
Lowest point: Lake Eyre (-15m)
Australia is the smallest continent in the world and the least populated continent. Australia is also the
largest country without land borders and the world's six-largest country on earth. Australia is also
comparatively the driest, most arid continent of the seven continents.
• Australia is located in the Southern and Eastern hemisphere.
• The Tropic of Capricorn passes through Australia.
Borders:
• North - Indian Ocean
• West - Indian Ocean
• South - Southern Ocean (Antarctic ocean)
• East - Pacific Ocean
Major geographical features:
• Mountain systems:
Great Dividing Range is the largest range in Australia and the 3rd longest land-based
range. Other important ranges include the Australian Alps, Blue mountains, Snowy
mountains and Southern Alps.
Continents – Important Facts Free e-book
Mawson peak is the highest peak. Mount Kosciuszko is the tallest mountain peak in
mainland Australia. Other important peaks include Mt Bogong, Bimberi Peak and Bartle
Frere.
• Plateaus: The Western Plateau (Australian Shield) is the largest plateau in the continent. Other
major plateaus include Eastern Highland Plateau and Tasmanian Central Plateau.
• Plains: Major plains are the Darling Downs, the plains of New England, the Bathurst, Goulburn,
Yass, Monaro, and Omeo Plains.
• Rivers: River Murray, the Murrumbidgee River, the Darling River, the Lachlan River and Cooper
Creek are the five longest rivers on the continent.
• Lakes: Lakes Eyre, Torrens, Carnegie, Mackay are the major lakes in the continent.
• Islands: Major islands include Tasmania, Melville Island, Kangaroo Island, Groote Eylandt,
Fraser Island
• Forests and hotspots:
17 percent of the total area of Australia is made up of forests.
It represents approximately 3% of the forest area existing in the world.
It contains 15 biodiversity hotspots of the world.
Wildlife includes Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies
We know the information compiled in this e-book will help you tackle the challenging questions in
various exams. Practice and revise all topics repeatedly. To gain more confidence, check out the
various mock tests, topic tests and sectional tests at Oliveboard.
Continents - Important facts - FAQs
1. Europe is present in which hemisphere?
A. Europe is present in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere.
2. Lake Titicaca is found in which continent?
A. Lake Titicaca is found in South America
3. What is the lowest point on earth?
A. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth.
4. Prime Meridian passes through which continents?
A. Prime Meridian passes through Europe and Africa
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