UNIT 5: THE CONTINENTS

1.      AFRICA

Africa is the third largest continent, after Asia and America. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. To the north it is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea.

RELIEF AND WATER

The African continent is mainly flat, but its average altitude is high because of its plateaus and Highland regions.

- Plateaus cover much of the continent, at altitudes of 600 to 2,600 metres.

- The Ethiopian Highlands, the Ahaggar Mountains and the Tibesti Mountains are ancient highland regions.

- The Rift Valley is in the east of Africa. This long valley with lakes was formed by a geological rift, or fault. It is surrounded by mountains, including the volcano Mount Kilimanjaro.

- There are a few young mountain ranges in Africa, mainly on the edge of the continent. They include the Atlas mountains in the north-west and the Drakensberg mountains in the southeast.

- Low inland basins are occupied by lakes, like Lake Chad, or rivers, such as the Congo and the Nile. The rivers of Africa flow into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.

CLIMATE

Most of Africa is in the tropical zone, and it is the hottest continent.

- The climate is equatorial and tropical near the Equator.

- Less rain falls at higher latitudes, where savannah plains are found.

- There are hot desert climates in both northern and southern Africa.

- Temperate climates are found in both the far north and far south of the continent.

2.      AMERICA

America is the second largest continent, after Asia. It has three parts: North America, Central America and South America.

RELIEF AND WATER

- The relief of America is made up of young mountain ranges, wide plains and ancient highland regions.

- A series of young mountain ranges runs all the way down the west of the continent. The Rocky Mountains run into the Sierra Madre in Mexico. The Andes are their continuation in South America.

- There are ancient highland regions and plateaus in the east. These include the Appalachian Mountains in North America and the Guiana Shield in South America.

- Wide plains cover much of the centre of North America. In South America, river basins form wide plains, such as the Pampas, the Amazon and Gran Chaco.

- The rivers of America flow into the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. North America has many huge lakes, such as the Great Lakes.

CLIMATE

 America has many different climates because it runs all the way from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica.

- Cold. The Arctic coast and the far south of America have polar climates. High mountain climates are found in the Rocky Mountains and the Andes.

- Temperate. Inland regions of Canada and the United States have continental climates.

- Oceanic and mediterranean climates are found on the west coast of America. Some eastern regions have humid sub-tropical climates.

- Hot. There are several hot desert climates in the United States, Mexico and South America. Tropical and equatorial climates are found near the Equator.

3.      ASIA

Asia is the largest continent. Mount Everest, the highest mountain, and the Dead Sea, the lowest area in the world, are both in Asia.

RELIEF

There are many different types of landscape in Asia:

- In the north, there are great plains and high plateaus in Siberia.

- In the centre, there are high plateaus in Mongolia and Tibet.

- In the south and south-west, two large areas are joined to Asia: the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.

- In the east, there are large alluvial plains, occupied by rivers and wide deltas. Volcanic mountain ranges continue under the sea and form islands and archipelagos like Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

CLIMATE

There is a wide range of climates:

- Cold. The Arctic coast has a polar climate. High mountain climates are found in the Himalayas.

- Temperate. Some regions in East Asia have continental climates. Humid sub-tropical climates are found in China, South-east Asia and Japan. Mediterranean regions have a mediterranean climate.

- Hot. Southern Asia has a monsoon climate. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have equatorial climates.

- Dry. Desert climates are found in several regions of Asia. Steppe climates extend from the Anatolian Peninsula to the west of China.

4.      OCEANIA

Australia, New Zealand, and many other islands, form the continent of Oceania.

AUSTRALIA

Australia is the largest island in Oceania, and is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

- Plains and plateaus predominate in its relief. There is a wide plateau in the west. In the centre, there are large basins and plains crossed by rivers. In the east, the Great Dividing Range is Australia’s most important mountain range.

- The centre of Australia has a desert climate. Humid tropical and humidsubtropical climates are found in the north of the country. There are oceanic and mediterranean climates in the south.

NEW ZEALAND

Two main islands make up New Zealand. There are many volcanoes on North Island, and the southern Alps is a mountain range on South Island. The climate is mainly oceanic. As relief is generally steep, rivers are short and flow quickly.

OTHER ISLANDS

- Melanesia consists of New Guinea and several archipelagos.

- Micronesia is north of Melanesia, and is made up of many small islands.

- Polynesia is made up of islands in the centre and the south of the Pacific Ocean.

5.      ANTARCTICA

Antarctica is the fourth largest continent. In winter the water around it freezes, and its frozen surface doubles the size of the continent. Antarctica is surrounded by the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans. It is covered by a thick layer of ice, more than 2,000 metres deep. Most of Antarctica is inside the Antarctic Circle. The South Pole is in Antarctica.