Continents Map

About World Continents Map

This world continents map shows the 7 continents of the world as well as the oceans, seas, and lines of latitude and longitude. The Robinson World Map is a balanced and accurate world map.

The seven continents shown on the map are:

Each continent is given a different color. There are several continents on the map, each highlighted by a different color, which are surrounded by the oceans of the world: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern Oceans.

These maps highlight important geographical boundaries across the globe including the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle. They also show all the Latitude and Longitude lines that make up the Global Coordinate Reference System.

In addition to country names are shown the names of all the world's seas including the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Coral Sea, Caribbean Sea, Labrador Sea, Red Sea, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, Philippine Sea, Bering Sea, Okhotsk Sea and many others. This allows users of the map to see at a global scale the geography of seas and land masses of the Earth.

List of 7 Continents

Highest Points of 7 Continents

Lowest Points of 7 Continents

Continent Models

The Seven Continents of the World

Planetary geographers divide the surface of the Earth into seven major regions called continents. The seven continents are always listed in the same order: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. The seven continents take up only about 29% of the total surface of the Earth with the remainder being oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.

The seven Continents are very different in size, population, climate, natural features, wildlife and plant life, culture and economic status. Some have large desert regions or icy tundras while others have tropical jungles, the most productive agricultural land on Earth and the busiest city and town areas of the world. Learning about the Continents is basic to studying Geography, History and Trade, as well as many natural phenomena and human activities.

In many locations around the world (US, Canada, Australia, India and the UK), the seven continents model is the common approach followed to study about the Earth. Each continent is generally described to students for its various physical/ geographical features, boundaries, resources, and cultures.

Asia

Asia is the world’s largest continent. It has a total area of approximately 44.58 million square kilometers (17.21 million sq mi). It contains the most countries, 49, and is the most populous continent. Almost 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia. It is located west of the International Date Line to the Mediterranean Sea. It also includes much of Western Asia. It also includes most of Russian Asia. It extends north to the Arctic Ocean and east to the Pacific Ocean. Its southern-most borders lie on the Indian Ocean.

Asia is home to some of the oldest civilisations in the world, including Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation and Ancient China. The continent has a huge amount of cultural, linguistic and religious diversity with many of the world’s religions originating in Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Confucianism.

Asia's geography is as diverse as its cultures, ranging from the snow capped Himalayas to the Arabian Desert, from Siberia's frozen steppes to the jungles of Southeast Asia. At 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet) the highest point on earth Mount Everest is found in Asia.

There are the following countries in Asia: China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia. Asia, which covers a quarter of the planet, is today a global center of manufacturing, high technology, agriculture, international trade and energy production.

Africa

Africa constitutes about one-fifth of the Earth’s total surface area. The African continent covers an area of 30,368,000 sq km (11,731,000 sq miles), making it the world’s second largest continent. It is also the world’s second most populous continent after Asia. The African continent is also known as the ‘Cradle of Humankind’ due to the discovery of earliest human fossils in this land.

Africa is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the North, the Atlantic Ocean to the West, the Indian Ocean to the East and Southeast and the Red Sea to the Northeast. The continent is split almost equally by the Equator and has many different climates. These vary from tropical rainforest to hot desert.

Africa is home to the world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, as well as one of the world’s largest tropical rainforest regions, the Congo Basin. It is also the home to the world’s longest river, the Nile.

Africa is a big and diverse place. It consists of 54 countries, each with their own culture, traditions, languages and governments. With a population of more than a billion people, it also hosts some of the largest economies in the world. Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya are all part of this list, and some of the most common resources are gold, diamonds, oil, cobalt and rare earth elements.

North America

North America is the world’s third-largest continent with an area of approximately 24.71 million square kilometers (9.54 million square miles). It comprises more than 20 sovereign states, including Mexico and the USA as the two largest countries, followed by Canada. The region also includes the countries of Central America and the Caribbean islands.

The continent of North America includes almost the entire width of the Northern Hemisphere, spanning from the Arctic in the north to the Equator in the south. From the icy Pacific Ocean on the west coast, North America extends up north to the Arctic Ocean, then down to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast, and finally to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean in the south. The geography of North America encompasses the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and deserts, and is home to all types of forests including coniferous and tropical. The continent is also home to the world’s largest group of freshwater lakes by surface area, the Great Lakes.

North America is the world’s most economically developed continent. It has the world’s most advanced economy and is home to the world’s largest economy (United States) and second largest economy (Canada). The Mexico, United States, and Canada trio is the world’s third largest trading coalition. The majority of the continent is made up of cities and high tech infrastructure.

For centuries, numerous Indigenous cultures inhabited the North American continent. Today, North America is a culturally diverse region with a robust economy and global influence, as well as a comprehensive network of transportation and communication systems.

South America

South America has a total area of approximately 17.84 million square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, it also borders the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Caribbean Sea to the northwest.

South America is a world of biodiversity from Brazil down to the tip of Chile. While nothing can rival the sheer scale and drama of the Amazon Rainforest, the world’s largest tropical rainforest covering an area of 5.5 million square kilometers across nine countries including Brazil, Peru and Colombia, the mountainous spine of the continent is longer than any other. It also creates some of the world’s most dramatic national borders, separating Brazil from Uruguay, Argentina from Paraguay and Peru from Colombia.

Brazil is the largest country in South America and accounts for almost half of the continent’s landmass and a large percentage of the population. South America is home to the majority of the world’s Portuguese speakers outside of Europe, and features a huge amount of languages with Spanish being the most spoken.

South America is a rich continent both naturally and humanly, offering many opportunities to the international investor and tourist. From the copper of Chile to the lithium of Argentina, the oil of Ecuador and Peru, and the produce of Brazil and Venezuela, there are many areas of potential development. Tourism is one of the biggest growing sectors and there are investment opportunities in famous tourist sites such as Machu Picchu, the Colonia Suiza of Juncal, the Tierra del Fuego of Patagonia, the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, and the Iguazu Falls shared with Brazil and Argentina.

Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth and covers an area of 14 million square kilometers (5,400,000 sq mi), about one third of the Earth’s surface area. It is also the largest single mass of ice on Earth covering an area of about 98% and contains about 70% of the Earth’s water, mostly in the form of freshwater ice.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. Temperatures in the interior of Antarctica can fall as low as −80°C (−112°F) in winter. The entire continent remains uninhabited with no permanent residents and only temporary inhabitants of scientists and researchers at research stations from countries all around the world.

A significant percentage of Antarctica is protected by the Antarctic Treaty System which is an international agreement which encourages co-operative scientific research whilst banning military activity, mining and other forms of exploitation. Antarctica's ice sheets, glaciers and oceans form an integral part of the Earth's climate system.

Antarctica, home to iconic penguins, playful seals, huge whales and millions of seabirds, is unlike anywhere else on Earth. They all survive in a challenging environment, very different from the land we think of back home.

Europe

With an area of approximately 10 180 000 km2 (3 930 000 sq mi), Europe is largely contained within the Northern Hemisphere. It is a relatively small continent, yet its place in history, politics, science, art and economics has been unique and highly influential.

Europe sometimes seems to be just one big island, flanked by Asia to the east, the Arctic north, the Atlantic west and the Mediterranean to the south. But this relatively compact continent is home to many of the world’s greatest mountain ranges, longest rivers and most historical cities.

Many of the world’s major countries are located in Europe. These countries include Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Many other major countries around the world are also based on the continent, including the United Kingdom. Europe is home to many of the world’s largest associations and organizations as well. The European Union is the world’s largest political and economic association.

The European continent offers its citizens a high quality life with all modern amenities and facilities. The continent is home to many ancient structures that have a rich cultural heritage. There are many tourists attractions in Europe that have made the Travel & Tourism industry one of the biggest in the world. Famous places of interest in Europe include the Acropolis of Athens, the Colosseum in Rome and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Australia

The smallest continent in the world with approximately 7.69 million square kilometers (2.97 million square miles) is called Australia, or also “Down Under”. It is a country in the Southern Hemisphere and includes more than 8,000 kilometres of coastline on the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

The first appearances of humans in the fossil record are found in Australia, the world’s last remaining continental territory. This term for the continent includes the mainland, Tasmania and Oceania. Australia as a country refers specifically to the mainland and many surrounding islands, but not Tasmania. Well-known Australian wildlife includes kangaroos, koalas, wombats and platypuses.

A large portion of the continent is desert or semi-arid and very remote with few cities or economic activities. The majority of the population lives in the coastal regions to the east where the climate is more temperate and economic opportunities are greater.

Curtain reefs are found in many parts of the world and were studied in some detail off the coast of Belize. The world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, is found off the northeastern coast of Australia and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Australia has a highly developed, globalised economy with a strong service industry, and major industries include mining, agriculture, tourism and services. The country's education industry is also growing in significance.