Geography

THE WORLD 70% of the Earth’s Surface is Water 30% is Land consists of 7 continents: –Asia –Africa –North America –South America –Antarctica –Europe –Australia

ASIA 17,176,102 sq. miles 30% of the Earth’s Land Biggest Continent Chiefly in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres Population: 3,958,768,100 (2006 Estimate)

AFRICA 11,687,188 sq. miles 20.5% of the Earth’s Land 2 nd Biggest Continent Both the Equator and the Prime Meridian go through Africa Population: 900,000,000 (2005 Estimate)

NORTH AMERICA 9,357,294 sq. miles 16.5% of the Earth’s Land Includes Barry, IL Chiefly in Northern and Western Hemispheres Population: 514,600,000 (2006 Estimate)

SOUTH AMERICA 6,880,638 sq. miles 12% of the Earth’s Land Entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere Population: 317,000,000 (2005 Estimate)

ANTARCTICA 5,100,023 sq. miles 9% of the Earth’s Land Situated in Southern Hemisphere Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents No Permanent Population

EUROPE 4,065,945 sq. miles 7 % of the Earth’s Land Entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere Population: 710,000,000 (2005 Estimate)

AUSTRALIA 3,035,651 sq. miles 5% of the Earth’s Land Entirely in the Southern and Eastern Hemisphere Population: 710,000,000 (2005 Estimate)

LANDFORMS

OCEANS A continuous body of water encircling the Earth The Earth has Five Major bodies of water: –Pacific Ocean –Atlantic Ocean –Indian Ocean –Arctic Ocean –Southern Ocean “In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization delimited a new ocean, the Southern Ocean (it surrounds Antarctica and extends to 60 degrees latitude)”. (1)

DESERT Dry area which receives so little precipitation that little or no plant or animal life can survive there permanently The World’s Largest Desert is the Sahara Desert. –Spans 3,500,000 sq. miles –Located in North Africa

LAKE A body of water completely surrounded by land Largest salt water lake is: –Caspian Sea –Located in southwestern Asia Largest fresh water lake is: –Lake Superior –Located in both Canada and the U.S.

ISLAND A body of land completely surrounded by water Largest Island: Greenland –Located in the North Atlantic Ocean –839,999 sq. miles

MOUNTAIN A high, steep elevation of the earth’s surface, higher than a hill Highest Mountain Peak in the world is: –Mt. Everest Located in Himalayan Mountain range in Asia

RIVER A large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean The Longest River in the world is: –The Nile River 4,100 miles long Located in Northeast Africa Flows north into the Mediterranean Sea

FACTS ABOUT OUR WORLD The highest waterfall is Angel falls in Venezuela, at 3,281 ft. The Hottest place in the world: Al Aziziya, in Africa, where in 1922, recorded a temperature of 136% F. The Coldest place in the world: Vostok, in Antarctica, where in 1983, recorded a temperature of -129% F. The lowest place in the world: floor of the Dead Sea, which lies 1,312 ft. below sea level. Located between Israel and Jordan. Smallest country in the world: Vatican City, located within the city of Rome, Italy.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

REGIONS Pacific Coast States –Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington Southwestern States –Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas Rocky Mountain States –Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming Midwestern States –Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Southern States –Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Middle Atlantic States –New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania New England States –Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

NATIONAL PARKS A reserve of land, usually, but not always declared and owned by a national government U.S. Has 54 National Parks Oldest: Yellowstone National Park –Established: 1872 –Part of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho Largest: Wrangell-St. Elias Park –Located in Alaska

EXTREME POINTS Northernmost: Point Barrow, Alaska Easternmost: West Quoddy Head, Maine Southernmost: Ka Lae, Hawaii Westernmost: Cape Wrangell, Alaska

OCEANS, SEAS, AND GULFS Several bodies of water border the U.S. Pacific Ocean: borders the West Coast of the U.S. Atlantic Ocean: borders the East Coast of the U.S. Arctic Ocean: borders the North coast of Alaska Bering Sea: borders the West coast of Alaska Gulf of Mexico: borders the southeastern coast of the U.S.

RIVERS Two of the Largest rivers: Mississippi River and the Missouri River Mississippi River: Starts in Lake Itaska, Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico Missouri River: Starts in Montana and flows into the Mississippi River

MOUNTAINS Highest Mountains are found in Alaska –Mt. McKinley –Mt. St. Elias Most Familiar Mountain Ranges: –Rocky Mountains –Appalachian Mountains

CANYON A deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river Most Famous: –Grand Canyon Located in Arizona Carved by the Colorado River

Works Cited (1) /map.australia.jpg