World Geography-Continents and Oceans

Cardinal and Intermediate DirectionsLatitude and Longitude

Continents• The world is divided into 7 major continents

1) North America

• 9.5 million square miles– Ranked #3 out of 7

• 565 million people (7.5%)– Ranked #4 out of 7

• 23 different countries

2) South America

• 6.9 million square miles– Ranked #4 out of 7

• 375 million people (5%)– Ranked #5 out of 7

• 12 different countries

3) Africa

• 11.7 million square miles– Ranked #2 out of 7

• 1.1 billion people (15%)– Ranked #2 out of 7

• 54 different countries

4) Europe

• 3.9 million square miles– Ranked #6 out of 7

• 745 million people (11%)– Ranked #3 out of 7

• 50 different countries

5) Asia• 17.2 million square miles– Ranked #1 out of 7

• 4.3 billion people (60%)– Ranked #1 out of 7

• 49 different countries

6) Australia

• 3.3 million square miles– Ranked #7 out of 7

• 36 million people– Ranked #6 out of 7 (1%)

• 4 countries

7) Antarctica• 5.4 million square miles

– Ranked #5 out of 7– 98% is covered by ice

• No permanent population– Ranked #7 out of 7

• No countries

8) Pacific Ocean

• This is the largest ocean in the world

• It covers 1/3 of the earth’s surface

• The Pacific Ocean is bigger than the land area of all of the continents combined!

The Pacific Ocean borders 4 continents!

9) Atlantic Ocean

• The second largest ocean in the world

• It covers 1/5 of the earth’s surface

• The Atlantic Ocean is S-shaped and borders 4 continents.

10) Indian Ocean

• The third largest ocean in the world.

• It covers about 1/7 of the earth’s surface.

• The Indian Ocean gets its name from the Indian subcontinent. It borders 3 continents.

Cardinal Directions

• 4 Cardinal Directions– North– South– East – West

• 4 Intermediate Directions– Northeast– Northwest– Southeast– Southwest

Longitude

• Lines that go north and south (up and down) on a map to specify an East or West point on the earth’s surface

• 0 – 180 (East or West)

Prime Meridian

• The Prime Meridian divides the earth into East and West

Prime Meridian

• The degrees give you a measurement of how far to go from the Prime Meridian and in which direction (East or West)

Latitude

• Lines that go east and west (left and right) on a map to and specifies an North or South point on the earth’s surface

• 0-90 (North or South)

Equator

• The Equator divides the earth into North and South

Equator

• The degrees give you a measurement of how far to go from the Equator and in which direction (North or South)

Absolute Location

• Coordinates where LONGITUDE and LATITUDE intersect gives an exact location!

• Example: 100 degrees East and 40 degrees North

Absolute Location

Point A: 30* North, 90* WestPoint B: 30* North, 90 * East Point C: 30* South, 120 * EastPoint D: 60* South, 60* WestPoint E: 90* North, 0* East/WestPoint F: 0* North/South, 30* East

Scale

• Scale is what is used to measure distances on maps• Usually, one inch will represent a certain number of

miles on the map

• On larger maps, one inch will represent hundreds of miles