Day: November 10, 2024

Asia

Asia is the largest continent in the world in both area and population.

Area: 43,810,582 km² (16,915,360.3 sq mi)
Population: Nearly 4 billion, about 60% of the world’s population
Highest Point: Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) 8,848 m (29,028 ft), Nepal
Largest Lakes:

Caspian Sea (Salt Lake) 371,000 km² (143,250 mi²)
Lake Baikal 31,500 km² (world’s largest freshwater lake by volume)

Longest River: Yangtze (Yángzî Jiang), China 6,380 km (3,964 mi)
Languages: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Russian

Countries in Asia

Eastern Asia

China – Beijing
China – Hong Kong
China – Macau
China – Tibet
Japan – Tokyo
North Korea – P’yongyang
South Korea – Seoul
Mongolia – Ulaanbaatar
Taiwan – Taipei

Northern Asia

Russian Federation – Moscow

Central Asia

Iran – Tehran
Kazakhstan – Astana
Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek
Tajikistan – Dushanbe
Turkmenistan – Ashgabat
Uzbekistan – Tashkent

South Asia

Afghanistan – Kabul
Bangladesh – Dhaka
Bhutan – Thimphu
India – New Delhi
Maldives – Male
Nepal – Kathmandu
Pakistan – Islamabad
Sri Lanka – Colombo

South-East Asia

Brunei Darussalam – Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia – Phnom Penh
Indonesia – Jakarta
Laos – Vientiane
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
Myanmar – Naypyidaw
Philippines – Manila
Singapore – Singapore
Thailand – Bangkok
Timor-Leste – Dili
Vietnam – Hanoi

Western Asia and Middle East

Armenia – Yerevan
Azerbaijan – Baku
Bahrain – Manama
Cyprus – Nicosia
Georgia – T’bilisi
Iraq – Baghdad
Israel – Jerusalem
Jordan – Amman
Kuwait – Kuwait City
Lebanon – Beirut
Oman – Muscat
Palestine – Jerusalem
Qatar – Doha
Saudi Arabia – Riyadh
Syria – Damascus
Turkey – Ankara
United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi
Yemen – Sanaa

Africa

Africa is the second largest continent in the world, both in area and population.
Area:
30,370,000 km² (11,724,000 sq mi).
Population:
1.3 billion, accounting for 16.72% of the world’s population.
Highest Point:
Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) 5895 m (19,341 ft), Tanzania.
Largest Lakes:

Lake Victoria (68,800 km²)
Lake Tanganyika (32,900 km²)
Longest River:
Nile River, 6,650 km (4,130 mi), flows through northeastern Africa.
Languages of Africa:
Arabic, Swahili, Hausa, Amharic, French, English.

Countries in Africa:

Northern Africa:

Algeria: Algiers
Egypt: Cairo
Libya: Tripoli
Morocco: Rabat
Sudan: Khartoum
Tunisia: Tunis
Mauritania: Nouakchott

Eastern Africa:

Ethiopia: Addis Ababa
Kenya: Nairobi
Somalia: Mogadishu
Uganda: Kampala
Tanzania: Dodoma
Djibouti: Djibouti
Eritrea: Asmara
Rwanda: Kigali
Burundi: Gitega
South Sudan: Juba
Seychelles: Victoria
Comoros: Moroni
Madagascar: Antananarivo
Mauritius: Port Louis

Western Africa:

Nigeria: Abuja
Ghana: Accra
Senegal: Dakar
Ivory Coast: Yamoussoukro
Liberia: Monrovia
Mali: Bamako
Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou
Niger: Niamey
Guinea: Conakry
Sierra Leone: Freetown
Gambia: Banjul
Benin: Porto-Novo
Togo: Lomé
Cape Verde: Praia
Guinea-Bissau: Bissau

Southern Africa:

South Africa: Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein
Zimbabwe: Harare
Botswana: Gaborone
Namibia: Windhoek
Lesotho: Maseru
Eswatini (Swaziland): Mbabane, Lobamba
Mozambique: Maputo
Zambia: Lusaka
Malawi: Lilongwe

Central Africa:

Angola: Luanda
Cameroon: Yaoundé
Central African Republic: Bangui
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): Kinshasa
Republic of the Congo: Brazzaville
Gabon: Libreville
Equatorial Guinea: Malabo
Chad: N’Djamena
São Tomé and Príncipe: São Tomé

Europe

Europe is the third most populous continent and is known for its cultural diversity and history.
Area:
10,180,000 km² (3,930,000 sq mi).
Population:
748 million, about 9.78% of the world’s population.
Highest Point:
Mount Elbrus, 5642 m (18,510 ft), Russia.
Largest Lakes:

Lake Ladoga, Russia (17,700 km²)
Lake Onega, Russia (9,720 km²)
Longest River:
Volga River, Russia, 3,531 km (2,194 mi).
Languages of Europe:
English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian.
Countries in Europe:
Western Europe
France————-Paris
Germany———–Berlin
Belgium————Brussels
Netherlands——–Amsterdam
Luxembourg———Luxembourg City

Southern Europe
Italy————–Rome
Spain————-Madrid
Portugal———–Lisbon
Greece————-Athens
Malta————–Valletta

Eastern Europe
Russia————-Moscow
Ukraine————Kyiv
Poland————-Warsaw
Romania———–Bucharest
Hungary———–Budapest

Northern Europe
United Kingdom—–London
Sweden————-Stockholm
Norway————-Oslo
Finland————Helsinki
Denmark————Copenhagen

North America

North America is the third largest continent and includes some of the world’s most influential countries.
Area:
24,709,000 km² (9,540,000 sq mi).
Population:
579 million, about 7.59% of the world’s population.
Highest Point:
Denali (Mount McKinley), 6190 m (20,310 ft), Alaska, USA.
Largest Lakes:

Lake Superior (82,100 km²)
Lake Michigan (58,000 km²)
Longest River:
Mississippi-Missouri River, USA, 6,275 km (3,902 mi).
Languages of North America:
English, Spanish, French.
Countries in North America:
USA and Canada
United States——-Washington, D.C.
Canada————-Ottawa

Central America
Mexico————-Mexico City
Guatemala———-Guatemala City
Panama————-Panama City
Costa Rica———San José

Caribbean
Cuba—————Havana
Jamaica————Kingston
Haiti—————Port-au-Prince
Dominican Republic–Santo Domingo

South America

South America is known for its diverse landscapes, from the Amazon Rainforest to the Andes Mountains.
Area:
17,840,000 km² (6,890,000 sq mi).
Population:
429 million, about 5.53% of the world’s population.
Highest Point:
Mount Aconcagua, 6,961 m (22,837 ft), Argentina.
Largest Lakes:

Lake Titicaca (8,372 km²)
Lake Maracaibo (13,210 km²)
Longest River:
Amazon River, 7,062 km (4,388 mi).
Languages of South America:
Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, Aymara.
Countries in South America:
Argentina———Buenos Aires
Brazil————-Brasilia
Chile————–Santiago
Colombia———–Bogotá
Peru—————Lima
Venezuela———-Caracas
Uruguay————Montevideo

Australia (Oceania)

Australia, the smallest continent, consists of the mainland of Australia and surrounding islands, including New Zealand.
Area:
8,525,989 km² (3,291,903 sq mi).
Population:
42.6 million, about 0.55% of the world’s population.
Highest Point:
Mount Wilhelm, 4,509 m (14,793 ft), Papua New Guinea.
Largest Lakes:

Lake Eyre (Australia), 9,500 km²
Lake Taupo (New Zealand), 616 km²
Longest River:
Murray River, 2,508 km (1,558 mi), Australia.
Languages of Oceania:
English, Maori, Pidgin.

Australasia (Mainland)

Australia
New Zealand

Melanesia

Fiji
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu

Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
Palau

Polynesia

Samoa
Tonga
Tuvalu
Cook Islands (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Niue (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Antarctica

Antarctica is an ice-covered continent with no permanent population.
Area:
14,000,000 km² (5,400,000 sq mi).
Population:
No permanent residents, temporary population of 1,000 to 5,000 (research stations).
Highest Point:
Vinson Massif, 4,892 m (16,050 ft).
Largest Lakes:

Lake Vostok (subglacial lake).
Languages of Antarctica:
N/A (researchers use English, Russian, etc.).
Countries in Antarctica:
No countries, governed by the Antarctic Treaty System.

Exploring the Continents: Key Facts, Figures, and Major Features