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


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:
  1. Caspian Sea (Salt Lake) 371,000 km² (143,250 mi²)
  2. 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:

  1. Lake Victoria (68,800 km²)
  2. 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:

  1. Lake Ladoga, Russia (17,700 km²)
  2. 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:

  1. Lake Superior (82,100 km²)
  2. 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:

  1. Lake Titicaca (8,372 km²)
  2. 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:

  1. Lake Eyre (Australia), 9,500 km²
  2. 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:

  1. 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.

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Print

Leave a Comment