Which continents do not coincide with parts of the world. Parts of the world. Names and continents. Description, geographical location. Why is Asia called Asia

A continent is a large land surface that is washed on all sides by oceans or seas.

How many continents are there on Earth and their names

The Earth is a very large planet, but despite this, a significant area of ​​it is water - more than 70%. And only about 30% is occupied by continents and islands of various sizes.

One of the largest is Eurasia, it occupies more than 54 million. square meters. It contains the 2 largest parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Eurasia is the only continent that is washed on all sides by oceans. On its shores you can see a large number of large and small bays, islands of varying sizes. Eurasia is located on 6 tectonic platforms, which is why its relief is so diverse.

The highest mountains are located in Eurasia, as well as Baikal, the deepest lake. The population of this part of the world makes up almost a third of the entire planet, living in 108 countries.

Africa occupies more than 30 million square meters. The names of all the continents on the planet are studied in detail in the school curriculum, but some people do not know their number even as adults. This may be due to the fact that in geography lessons continents are often called continents. These two names have significant differences. The main difference is that the continent has no land border.

Africa is the hottest among all others. The main part of its surface is made up of plains and mountains. Hot Africa is home to the longest river on Earth, the Nile, as well as the Sahara desert.

Africa is divided into 5 regions: South, North, West, East, and Central. There are 62 countries on this part of the Earth.

The names of all continents include North America . It is washed on all sides by the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic oceans. The coast of North America is uneven, a large number of large and small bays have formed along it, different sizes islands, straits and bays. In the central part there is a huge plain.

North America

The local inhabitants of the mainland are Eskimos or Indians. In total, there are 23 states in this part of the Earth, among them: Mexico, the USA and Canada.

South America takes on the surface of the planet there are more than 17 million square meters. She is washed by the Quiet and Atlantic Ocean, and also has the longest mountain system. The rest of the surface is predominantly plateau or plains. Among all parts, South America is the rainiest. Its indigenous inhabitants are Indians living in 12 states.

South America

The number of continents on planet Earth includes Antarctica, its area is more than 14 million square meters. Its entire surface is covered with blocks of ice, the average thickness of this layer is about 1500 meters. Scientists have calculated that if this ice were to completely melt, the water level on Earth would rise by about 60 meters!

Antarctica

Its main area is a desert of ice, the population lives only on the shores. Antarctica is the lowest temperature surface of the planet, the average air temperature is from −20 to −90 degrees.

Australia- occupied area of ​​more than 7 million square meters. This is the only continent with only 1 state. Plains and mountains occupy the main area; they are located along the entire coast. Australia is home to the largest number of large and small wild animals and birds, and it also has the greatest diversity of vegetation. The indigenous people are the Aborigines and Bushmen.

Australia

How many continents on Earth are there 6 or 7?

There is an opinion that their number is not 6, but 7. The area located around the South Pole is made up of huge blocks of ice. Currently, many scientists call it another continent on planet Earth. But there is no life at this South Pole, only penguins live.

To the question: “ How many continents are there on planet Earth?", you can accurately answer - 6.

Continents

There are only 4 continents on Earth:

  1. America.
  2. Antarctica.
  3. Australia.
  4. AfroEurasia.

But each country has its own opinion about their number. For example, in India, as well as residents of China, they believe that their total number is 7; residents of these countries call Asia and Europe separate continents. The Spaniards, when they mention the continents, name all the surfaces of the world associated with America. And the residents of Greece say that there are only 5 continents on the planet, because only people live on them.

What is the difference between an island and the mainland

Both definitions are a larger or smaller area of ​​land, washed on all sides by water. At the same time, there are certain, significant differences between them.

  1. Dimensions. One of the smallest is Australia, it occupies much large area than Greenland - one of the largest islands.
  2. History of education. Each island is formed in a special way. There are continents that arose as a result of ancient fragments of lithospheric plates. Others were created due to volcanic eruptions. There are also those species that emerged from polyps, they are also called “coral islands”.
  3. Its habitability. There is life on absolutely all six continents, even on the coldest one - Antarctica. But most The islands remain uninhabited to this day. But on them you can meet animals and birds of a wide variety of species, see plants hitherto unknown to man.

Unique. To make it more convenient for people to understand what place we are talking about, scientists came up with names for the land, dividing it into continents, parts of the world. All this different concepts, and each of them has a specific designation. So how does a part of the world differ from a continent and what continents exist?

First, it’s worth understanding what a continent is. This is a huge land mass that is washed by seas and oceans.

Difference between and part of the world

In geography, the term “continent” is often used, which means the mainland. Although these two concepts are not synonymous. IN different countries world continental models of perception of the world are different. In India and China, as well as in English-speaking European countries, it is generally accepted that there are seven continents. Spanish-speaking countries and South American countries use a six-continent model. IN Eastern Europe and Greece, it is generally accepted that there are five continents: these countries consider only those territories where people live to be continents; they do not include Antarctica in the list. In Russia and neighboring countries of Eurasia, it is believed that there are four continents.

To understand how a part of the world differs from a continent, one must understand the entire model of the division of the Earth.

Continents

The continent is a large part of land washed by seas and oceans. There are six continents in total: the largest is Eurasia. Its area is almost 55 million square kilometers. In second place is Africa, with an area of ​​thirty million square kilometers. North America is slightly smaller, then South America. Antarctica is in fifth place in size. The smallest continent is Australia. All these continents are separated by seas and oceans, although there are formations separated by a land border. Such continents are North and South America, which are divided by the Isthmus of Panama. Between Africa and Eurasia is the Isthmus of Suez.

What is the difference between a part of the world and a continent? To understand this, you should know that, unlike continents, continents do not have land borders. Based on this, scientists divided the entire land into four continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia.

Parts of the world

Knowing how a part of the world differs from a continent, you can understand the geographical system of dividing the Earth. So, the terms “mainland” and “continent” have a scientific basis and meaning, but “part of the world” is a division of land along historical and cultural grounds. The following parts of the world are distinguished:

  • Europe.
  • Asia.
  • America, or the New World.
  • Africa.
  • Australia and Oceania.
  • Antarctica.

When people talk about parts of the world, they mean not only large areas of land, but also the islands adjacent to them.

Answering the question of how the concepts of “continent” and “part of the world” differ, we can say that a continent is land surrounded by bodies of water, and a part of the world is land developed by people located on these continents.

Islands

Now we know how a continent differs from a part of the world, and how it differs from an island? By definition, both a mainland and an island are land washed by oceans or seas. However, these concepts have differences.

  1. Size. The smallest continent is Australia - Greenland.
  2. Education. All continents of the Earth are of tiled origin. According to scientists, there was once only one. It was split, which is why Laurasia and Gondwana appeared, which broke into six more parts. Islands are formed most in different ways, including during volcanic eruptions, during the action of polyps, as a result of plate movement.
  3. Habitability. Many islands are still uninhabited, unlike the mainland. Even in the harsh Antarctica there are people.

Continents are parts of land large size, washed by the waters of oceans and seas, and parts of the world are the same land with which some historical and cultural events are associated. A part of the world may include several continents and islands.

All the land on the Earth's surface is divided not only into continents, but also into parts of the world. In everyday conversations they are often confused. Perhaps because there are six continents, like parts of the world. However, the concepts of “continent” and “part of the world” are completely different not only in meaning, but also in the time of their origin.

When did light begin to be divided into parts?

People began dividing land into parts of the world in ancient times, much earlier than into continents. Parts of the world are areas of land that were identified by scientists based on their knowledge of the history, culture and these areas of the Earth.

How many parts of the world are there now?

The number of parts of the world changed as man, studying his planet, discovered more and more new lands. Now there are six parts of the world: , America, and. The boundaries of parts of the world are drawn in such a way that they include continents or parts thereof, as well as adjacent islands.

The concept of "part of the world" is sometimes considered outdated. But this is far from true. It continues to play a very important role in people's lives. For example, in Europe, many states, while remaining independent, united into the European Union for joint economic activity. This union even has its own government - the European Parliament. Countries located in other parts of the world cannot be accepted into this union. There are other associations of states based on the principle of belonging to a certain part of the world. In America, it is the Organization of American States, which includes 35 countries. In Africa - the African Union, which includes 53 countries.

The division of land into continents is not associated with human history, but with scientific data about modern earth's crust. A continent is a huge block of the earth's crust. Most of it protrudes above the surface of the Ocean, forming land. But the continent also has an underwater part: the shelf and the continental slope. In different geological epochs the number of continents was unequal. On modern stage development of the Earth there are six of them: Eurasia, Africa,

Parts of the world are regions of land that include continents or large parts of them along with nearby islands.

Typically there are six parts of the world:

  • Australia and Oceania;
  • Asia;
  • America;
  • Antarctica;
  • Africa;
  • Europe.

There is a difference between the concepts of “continent” and “part of the world”. The division into continents is made on the basis of separation by water from other continents, and parts of the world are rather a historical and cultural concept. Thus, the continent of Eurasia consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. And part of the world, America, is located on two continents - South America and North America. In addition, parts of the world include the islands assigned to them, so although there is no such continent Oceania, the corresponding islands are included in the part of the world Australia and Oceania.

Old World and New World

Division into parts of the world should not be confused with division into " Old World" and "New World", that is, with concepts denoting the continents known to Europeans before 1492 and after (except Australia and Antarctica).

All three parts of the world “known to the ancients” were called the Old World - Asia and Africa, and the New World began to be called the part of the southern trans-Atlantic continent discovered by the Portuguese in 1500 and 1501-1502.

The term is believed to have been coined by Amerigo Vespucci in 1503, but this view is disputed. A number of sources attribute this merit to the Italo-Spanish historian Pietro Martire d'Anghiera (see Italian - Pietro Martire d'Anghiera or Spanish - Pedro Mártir de Anglería), who already in a letter about Columbus's first voyage, dated November 1, 1492, uses the designation in the Latin form “novi orbis”, then a year later in another letter transforms it into “orbis novus”, and in 1516 publishes a famous work under the title beginning with “De orbe novo...” (“In the New World...”) , describing the first contact of Europeans with the indigenous inhabitants of the open lands.

In 1524, the same term was used by Giovanni da Verrazzano - already for the story of the voyage to the coast of the present

There is a difference between the concepts of “continent” and “part of the world”. The division into continents is made on the basis of separation by water from other continents, and parts of the world are rather a historical and cultural concept. Thus, the continent of Eurasia consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. And part of the world, America, is located on two continents - South America and North America. In addition, parts of the world include the islands assigned to them, so although there is no such continent as Oceania, the corresponding islands are included in the part of the world Australia and Oceania.

Old World and New World

The division into parts of the world should not be confused with the division into “Old World” and “New World”, that is, with concepts denoting the continents known to Europeans before 1492 and after (except Australia and Antarctica). The Old World was the name given to all three parts of the world “known to the ancients” - Europe, Asia and Africa, and the New World began to be called the part of the southern trans-Atlantic continent discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. The term is believed to have been coined by Amerigo Vespucci in 1503, however this view is disputed. A number of sources attribute this merit to the Italian-Spanish historian Pietro Martire d'Anghiera (see Italian. - Pietro Martire d'Anghiera or Spanish - Pedro Mártir de Anglería ), who already in a letter about the first voyage of Columbus, dated November 1, 1492, uses the designation in the Latin form “novi orbis”, then a year later in another letter transforms it into “orbis novus”, and in 1516 publishes a famous work under the title , beginning with “De orbe novo...” (“In the New World...”), describing the first contact of Europeans with the indigenous inhabitants of the open lands. In 1524, the same term was used by Giovanni da Verrazzano - already for a story about sailing to the coast of what is now North America (USA and Canada). In any case, following the first discovered shores, the name New World began to be applied to the entire southern continent, and since 1541, together with the name America, it was extended to northern continent, denoting the fourth part of the world after Europe, Asia and Africa.


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See what “Parts of the world” are in other dictionaries:

    Land regions of the Earth, including continents or large parts of them along with nearby islands. Usually there are 6 parts of the world: Europe, Asia (one continent Eurasia), Africa, Australia, America (two continents South America and North America), Antarctica;... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Parts of the world- PARTS OF THE WORLD, regions of the Earth’s land, including continents or their large parts along with nearby islands. Usually there are 6 parts of the world: Europe, Asia (one continent Eurasia), Africa, Australia, America (two continents South America and North... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Land regions of the Earth that include continents or large parts of them along with nearby islands. Usually six parts of land are distinguished - Europe, Asia (one continent Eurasia), Africa, Australia, America (two continents South America and North America), ... ... Marine Dictionary

    PART, and, plural. and, she, w. Dictionary Ozhegova. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    parts of the world- A conditional division of large land areas with islands located near them, these include Asia, America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, Oceania... Dictionary of Geography

    Land regions of the Earth, including continents or large parts of them along with nearby islands. Usually there are 6 parts of the world: Europe, Asia (one continent Eurasia), Africa, Australia, America (two continents South America and North America),... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

    The historical division of the Earth's land into regions, including continents or parts thereof, together with islands located near them. The following regions are usually distinguished: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, America, Antarctica; sometimes in... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    Land regions of the Earth, including continents or large parts of them along with those nearby. Usually 6 hours are allocated. Europe, Asia (one continent Eurasia), Africa, Australia, America (two continents South America and North America), Antarctica; Sometimes… … Natural science. Encyclopedic Dictionary

    parts of the world- Individual continents or large sections of their territory, together with islands located near them (about Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, America and Antarctica) ... Dictionary of many expressions

    Overwhelmed with work, does not see the light of day, busy, busy to the neck, burdened with affairs, burdened with work, overloaded with work, no time to breathe, no time, up to his neck with work, does not see the light, does not see the light of freedom, overloaded with affairs,... ... Dictionary of synonyms

Books

  • Around the world, part 2, v. 1. Across Europe: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, geographical reader, I. Gorbunov-Posadov. The proposed book should have appeared several years ago, following the appearance of the first part, “Around the World,” containing articles on physical geography, general overview globe...


 
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