Continent MapClick on a continent to learn more about it.

Teacher PageAfter learning about all 7 continents,

click here to see if you have learned their names.

North America is the third largest of the seven continents. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the East and the Pacific Ocean in the west. North America’s three largest countries are Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Greenland, Central America and the Caribbean islands are also part of North America.

We live in North America. Find our country and click on it to see the rivers and mountains of North America.

Three large rivers meet together in the U.S.A. We live near those rivers. What are their names?

Mississippi

Missouri

Ohio

Colorado

Rio Grande

We live near an ancient (old) mountain range that has been worn down over time. Which mountain range is in Kentucky?

Rocky Mountains

Sierra Madres

Coastal Range Appalachian Mountains

Cascades

South America is the fourth largest continent in size and the fifth largest in population. It is located primarily in the southern hemisphere, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the West. The geography of South America is dominated by the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River (second longest river in the world). 

Click on the Andes Mountains or Amazon River Basin to learn more about the animals that live in these two areas.

Soar over the Andes with a condor! Watch this video to see the view from above.

Discover amazing animals of the Amazon by clicking on this frog. Be sure to view photos from the camera trap at the bottom of the web page.

Africa is the second largest continent on earth, but it has more countries than any other continent.

Africa is home to the largest desert in the world: the Sahara. Grasslands cover much of the land, and rainforests are in western Africa near the equator. The Nile river is in Africa. It is the longest river in the world! Thousands of species of animals live in Africa.

Click on the Egyptian pyramid to learn about African ecosystems.

desert grasslands rainforest Nile river system

desert

grasslands

rainforestNile river system

Click on a word and see what happens:

Afr

ican

Eco

syst

ems

Europe is the sixth largest continent in size and the third largest in population. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Asia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. Europe is a wealthy continent and is the center of the West and Western Democracy. 

Oceans and seas surround Europe. Click on the picture below to learn more about the water that touches the European shores.

The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land.

It was a superhighway of transport in ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange between peoples of the region.

The Black Sea was originally a fresh-water lake. In the Stone Age, many people lived around the edge of this lake. But around 7000 BCE, as the world came out of the last Ice Age and all the glaciers melted, sea level rose. The Mediterranean Sea spilled over the little bit of land that separated it from the Black Sea, and the Black Sea became salty.

The continent of Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, with nearly 4 billion people calling Asia home. Asia also contains the world's most populous country, China, and the world’s largest country, Russia. Asia borders Africa and Europe to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Click on the Chinese pagoda below to learn more about Asia.

Learn the names of all of the countries of Asia in this video!

The tallest mountains in the world, The Himalayas, are located in Asia. Himalaya means “home of snow” because the tallest peaks of the Himalayas are always capped with snow.

The Himalayas include Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Everest rises 29,028 feet above sea level on the border between India and Nepal.

The continent “Oceania” used to be called the continent “Australia.” Can you guess why how this continent got its new name? “Ocean” is in the word “Oceania” because the continent is made up of many islands that are in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Click on the palm tree to travel to the continent of Oceania!

Oceania is the smallest continent by size and the second smallest in terms of population. Oceania is located to the southeast of Asia. It is made up of Australia and many other island nations.

Much of Oceania's land mass is desert in the heart of Australia.

Oceania has many lush islands.

Many kinds of marsupials (mammals with pouches for

young) live in Oceania.

Oceania is home to the world’s only

egg-laying mammals.

duckbilled platypus echidna

Antarctica is at the southern-most part of the Earth. Its closest neighbors are the tip of South America (the countries of Chile and Argentina) and Australia. Can you find these neighbors?

The South Pole is the coldest, windiest, and driest place on Earth. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at the South Pole; it reached -128.6°F! On average, most of Antarctica gets less than 2 inches of snow fall each year.

Click on the penguins to

discover fascinating facts about Antarctica!

Antarctica is covered by permafrost (permanently frozen ground), is surrounded by water, and is about 1 1/2 times larger than the United States. The world's largest desert is on Antarctica.* 98 percent of the land is covered with a continental ice sheet; the remaining 2 percent of land is barren rock. Antarctica has about 87% of the world's ice.

*A desert receives less than 10 inches of precipitation per year.

 Antarctic animals include fish, whales, sharks, seals, 

arctic terns, and penguins.

Humans do not live permanently in Antarctica. It’s simply too cold for them!

But they do visit there for different reasons, including study and tourism.

The names of the 7 continents are listed above. Read the names and decide where they go. When you think you know a correct answer, click on the name and see if you’re right.

Africa

_______________Africa

Oceania

Oceania_______________

North America

North America_______________

_______________

Antarctica

Antarctica

Europe

Europe_______________

_______________

South America

South America

Asia

Asia_______________

Kentucky Department of Education Combined Curriculum Document, Social Studies—Primary (2006)

Big Idea: GeographyGeography includes the study of the five fundamental themes of location, place, regions, movement and human/environmental interaction. Students need geographic knowledge to analyze issues and problems to better understand how humans have interacted with their environment over time, how geography has impacted settlement and population, and how geographic factors influence climate, culture, the economy and world events. A geographic perspective also enables students to better understand the past and present and to prepare for the future. Academic Expectations2.19 Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Program of Studies: UnderstandingsSS-P-G-U-1Students will understand that the use of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) and mental maps help to locate places, recognize patterns and identify geographic features.

Program of Studies: Skills and ConceptsSS-P-G-S-1Students will develop an understanding of patterns on the Earth’s surface using a variety of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs):locate and describe familiar places at school and the communitycreate maps that identify the relative location of familiar places and objects (e.g., school, neighborhood)identify major landforms (e.g., continents, mountain ranges) and major bodies of water (e.g., oceans, rivers).

Related Core Content for Assessment SS-EP-4.1.2Students will use geographic tools to identify major landforms (e.g., continents, mountain ranges), bodies of water (e.g., oceans, major rivers) and natural resources on Earth’s surface and use relative location. SS-EP-4.1.3Students will describe how different factors (e.g. rivers, mountains) influence where human activities are located in the community