Facts about Antarctica

• By population, Antarctica is the smallest continent. As a result, the vast continent is only sparsely populated.

 • On Antarctica, there are only temporary research stations for scientists, and the land is almost entirely covered by ice.

•  This continent, which accounts for 60% to 70% of the world’s freshwater supply, is home to 90% of the planet’s ice.

• 75% of the world’s ice and 70% of the planet’s fresh water are found in Antarctica, making it not only the coldest spot on Earth, but also the highest, driest, windiest, and emptiest.

•  The White Continent or the Ice Continent are other names for it. Antarctica was referred to as “Terra Australis Incognita” prior to 1840, which was Latin for “the undiscovered southern land.”

• In Antarctica, the winter months of late March to late September are completely dark during the day, while the summer months of December to February provide 24 hours of light.

• The Ice Continent has summertime lows of roughly -35 degrees Celsius in the interior and 2 degrees Celsius in its coasts. In the winter, the interior registers -70 degrees Celsius while the beaches register 2 degrees.

• At -89 degrees Celsius, Antarctica was the lowest natural temperature ever measured on Earth.

• As a result of these significant temperature swings, the creation of ice along Antarctica’s periphery makes the continent’s wintertime area approximately 14.2 million square kilometers bigger than its summertime area.

• There are no time zones on this continent, and nothing can rot in the frigid waters of Antarctica.

• The Belgica Antarctica bug, which has a length of 1.3 cm, is the largest land animal in Antarctica.

• Penguins call Antarctica home, and Adelie penguins are the most prevalent species here. The only permanent populations in Antarctica are the research bases where experts from many nations come to work.

The Antarctic Circle is shown on the map, and Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent by area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. Antarctica has a land area of 14 million km2, of which 280,000 km2 are ice-free and 13.72 million km2 are covered in ice.

The South Pole, which is customarily the southernmost point on Earth’s surface, is not nearly in the centre of Antarctica (wherever you would go from here you would go north, somehow).

 One of the ends of the Earth’s rotation axis is the South Pole. Because Earth rotates slightly off-center, the South Pole is not actually a fixed location.

 Scientists refer to this phenomenon as the Polar Motion; it is the movement of Earth’s rotational axis over its “surface,” and the deviation is only a few metres.

 South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina are the nations that are closest to Antarctica.

There are no towns or communities on Antarctica because ice blankets 98% of the land.

The map also identifies the locations of scientific research facilities run by several nations across the continent.

Facts about the North Americas

NORTH AMERICA:

1. The entire northern and western hemispheres are home to the continent of North America.

2. The continent of North America is home to 23 nations. The largest nation in North America is Canada, the second-largest nation in the globe and the northernmost nation on the continent. The largest economy in the world, the United States of America, is contained there.

3. Greenland, the largest island in the world, is situated on the continent of North America. Yet, the European nation of Denmark is the owner of Greenland. The northernmost location in the world is also associated with Greenland.

4. On the continent of North America, there are about 580 million people. The world’s largest concentration of Christians lives in North America. About 80% of the populace of Canada, the United States, and Mexico identify as Christians.

5. North America has five time zones and is the only continent with every type of climate.

6. It was named after the explorer Americo Vespucci and is also known as the “New World.”

7. Of the seven continents in the world, North America has the highest population density (22.9 people per square kilometer).

8. The largest freshwater lake in the world is Lake Superior in North America.

9. North America is home to the Mississippi River, the third-longest river in the world (3778 km), the continent with the greatest average per-person income among the continents, and the one with the highest average food intake.

10. North America includes the USA, which has the greatest economy in the world.

11. North America is the world’s top producer of soyabeans, maize, and other crops.

12. This continent is home to the Elf, the tiniest owl in the world.

13. The moose and the elk, found in North America, are the first and second tallest mammals on the continent.

14. Cuba, known as the “sugar bowl of the world,” is the world’s greatest exporter of sugar among the seven continents.

15. Hummingbirds, brown bears, bald eagles, bullfrogs, and brown bears are among the numerous notable animals found in North America.

Have a look at the list of North American nations and their capitals.

SL.No.	North-America Country	Capital	Currency
1	Antigua and Barbuda	St. John’s	East Caribbean Dollar
2	Bahamas	Nassau	Bahamian Dollar
3	Barbados	Bridgetown	Barbadian Dollar
4	Belize	Belmopan	Belize Dollar
5	Canada	Ottawa	Canadian Dollar
6	Costa Rica	San Jose	Costa Rican Colon
7	Cuba	Havana	2 currencies – Cuban Peso and Cuban convertible peso
8	Dominica	Roseau	East Caribbean Dollar
9	Dominican Republic	Santo Domingo	Dominican Peso
10	El Salvador	San Salvador	US Dollar
11	Grenada	St. George’s	East Caribbean Dollar
12	Guatemala	Guatemala City	Guatemala Quetzal
13	Haiti	Port-au-Prince	Gourde
14	Honduras	Tegucigalpa	Lempira
15	Jamaica	Kingston	Jamaican Dollar
16	Mexico	Mexico City	Mexican Peso
17	Nicaragua	Managua	Cordoba
18	Panama	Panama City	US Dollar (Panama locals call it Balboa)
19	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Basseterre	East Caribbean Dollar
20	Saint Lucia	Castries	East Caribbean Dollar
21	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Kingstown	East Caribbean Dollar
22	Trinidad and Tobago	Port of Spain	Trinidad and Tobago Dollar
23	United States	Washington, D.C. *	US Dollar

El Salvador’s previous currency was the Colon, but in 2001 the US Dollar took its place.

Washington, D.C., is referred to as the “District of Columbia.”

The location of Washington is in this district. George Washington, a former US president, is honoured by the city’s name.

 The District of Columbia is a federal district rather than a state (which means it is directly under the control of the federal government).

During the American Revolution, the word “Columbia” was used to refer to the US in a patriotic manner.

 SOUTH AMERICA:

 Details about the South Americas

1. The continent of South America is home to 12 separate nations.

2. With about 214 million people, Brazil is the largest and most populated nation in the continent.

3. This represents roughly half of the population of the continent.

4. Due to its size, Brazil has borders with nearly all of the other nations on the continent.

5. Sao Paolo, the largest city in the region with a metropolitan population of approximately 12 million, makes up five of South America’s ten largest cities, making Brazil even more populous than some South American countries.

6. South America is a continent of numerous natural marvels, including the Andes, the world’s longest mountain range.

7. The Atacama Desert in Chile and the Angel Falls, the highest waterfalls on earth. South America has 430 million inhabitants.

8. South America is home to the highest waterfalls in the world, the Angel Falls, as well as the second-longest river in terms of length (6440 km), the Amazon.

9. The green anaconda, the second-longest snake in the world, is found in South America.

10. This continent is home to the two tallest volcanoes in the world, Mt. Cotopaxi and Mt. Chimborazo.

11. Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, is located in South America.

12. The largest salt lake in the world, Salar de Uyuni (also known as the Uyuni salt flats), is located in South America.

13. Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world (3800 m), is also the largest lake in South America.

14. The Andes are the second-highest mountain range in the world, behind the Himalayas.

15. South American terrain contains these young-fold mountains.

16. The tallest peak in the Andes is Mount Aconcagua (7,021 m).

Have a look at the list of south American nations and their capitals.

SL.No.	South-America-Country	Capital	Currency
1	Argentina	Buenos Aires	Argentine Peso
2	Bolivia	Sucre	Boliviano
3	Brazil	Brasilia	Real
4	Chile	Santiago	Chilean Peso
5	Colombia	Bogota	Colombian Peso
6	Ecuador	Quito	US Dollar
7	Guyana	Georgetown	Guyana Dollar
8	Paraguay	Asuncion	Guarani
9	Peru	Lima	Nuevo Sol
10	Suriname	Paramaribo	Suriname Dollar
11	Uruguay	Montevideo	Uruguay Peso
12	Venezuela	Caracas	Bolivar

Other information about the Americas:

1 .Population The Americas are home to an estimated 998 million people, or 13% of the world’s population. Most populous Metropolitan Areas

2. The major cities in the Americas are: Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and So Paulo.

3. Highest Point At 6,960.8 metres, Argentina’s Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere (22,837 ft).

4. With a height of 6,168 metres, Denali in Alaska, commonly referred to as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain in North America (20,239 ft).

5. Biggest Lake:-Lake Superior is the biggest lake in the Americas. It is the biggest Great Lake, and it is shared by the US and Canada. It is also the world’s largest freshwater lake, covering an area of 82,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi).

6. Lengthiest Rivers:-The Rio Amazonas (Amazon River), with a length of “at least” 6,400 km, is the longest river in the Americas (4,000 mi). The Peruvian portion of the Andes mountain range is where the Amazon River originates.

7. With a length of 4,880 km (3,030 mi), the Paraná is the second-longest river in the Americas. It passes through three nations—Argentina, Brazil, and Ocean.

8. Paraguay—before emptying into the Río de la Plata, an estuary in the Atlantic.

 Given that the name of the “primary river” changes, there is a lot of debate regarding the longest river in North America.

9. At a length of 4,087 km (2,540 mi), the Missouri is the longest river in North America. Its source is in the Rocky Mountains in western Montana.

10. The Mississippi River, which rises in Lake Itasca in Minnesota, USA, is the second-longest river in North America at 3,766 km (2,340 mi).

America’s Principal Geographical Features

North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean are the major sub-regions.

Mountains

The American Cordillera, a network of mountain ranges spanning North and South America as well as West Antarctica, is made up of the Pacific Coast Ranges, the Rocky Mountains, and the Andes.

Plateaus and shields

North America –

North America’s Coteau des Prairies (in portions of South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa), Allegheny Plateau, Appalachian Highlands, Appalachian Plateau, Intermontane Plateaus with the Colorado Plateau and Columbia Plateau, Ozarks, and Yukon Plateau (Yukon Territory, Canada).

South America –

The Brazilian Highlands, the Mato Grosso Plateau, the Guiana Highlands, the Altiplano (High Plateau in Bolivia), the Atacama Plateau, the Guiana Shield, one of the three cratons of the South American Plate, and the Pakaraima Mountains, with Mount Roraima, are the major plateaus in South America (at the tripoint of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil).

Lowlands –

There are a number of significant lowlands in the Americas, including the Great Plains (a portion of the Interior Plains of North America), which are found in the US and Canada, and the Atlantic coastal plain along the East Coast of the United States. The huge Amazon drainage basin, which takes up more than 35% of South America, is home to the lowlands of that continent. Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil all share the fertile Pampas plains. Los Llanos (The Plains) is vast tropical grassland plain in Colombia and Venezuela, and the Gran Sabana (Big Savanna) is a sizable savanna region in Venezuela.

Deserts –

One of the driest regions on earth is the Atacama Desert, which is located in Chile and Peru. The largest and tallest salt desert in the world is located in Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni (Salar de Tunupa). The Great Basin Desert is one of the largest deserts in North America, while the Patagonian Desert is the largest in the Americas. The Chihuahuan Desert covers a sizable portion of southern USA and northern Mexico. Much of the southwestern United States and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur are covered by the Sonoran Desert, which is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States.

Lakes –

Three of the Great Lakes of North America—Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan—are among the largest freshwater lakes on the planet. Has an area of 8,372 km2. The biggest and safe lake in South America and world is Lake Titicaca.

Islands –

Greenland, Baffin Island, Victoria Island, Ellesmere Island, Newfoundland, Cuba, and Hispaniola are the largest islands in the Americas.

American languages –

When the Europeans arrived, the Americas were home to thousands of different languages. Spanish, English, Portuguese, some French and French-based creoles, and a few Amerindian languages are the main languages spoken in the Americas today.

Facts about Australia/Oceania :

1. The Latin word “australis,” which means “southern,” is where the name Australia originates.

2. Australia lies totally on the south of the equator and if frequently referred to the nation as “down under”.

3. The authority name of Australia is the Federation of Australia.

4. Australia is the world’s littlest landmass and is otherwise called an ‘island mainland’ as it is encircled by water on all sides.

5. The landmass of Australia is frequently called Sahul, Australinea or Meganesia to separate it from the nation of Australia.

6. The world’s biggest coral reef is the Incomparable Obstruction Reef is around 2000 kilometers in length.

7. Two-thirds of Australia is desert land.

8. Austria is home to north of 500 assortments of eucalyptus trees.

9. Of all the continents in the world, Australia stands at the top of wool production and import. This is because the sheep population in the world’s smallest continent is 14 times that of its human population.

10. The unique animals of Australia are kangaroo, emu and platypus.

11. Australia capital – Canberra-Sydney.

Credit – Freepik

Oceania
Oceania is a geographic district that incorporates Australasia, Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.

Australasia

1. The area comprising of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and adjoining islands in the Pacific Sea is in some cases alluded to as Australasia.

2. Australia, a nation and Earth’s littlest mainland.

3. Zealandia, a miniature mainland that incorporates the island nation of New Zealand.

 4. The country New Zealand comprises of two principal islands: the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu).

5. Wellington-Auckland serves as the capital of New Zealand.

6. New Guinea, the second biggest island on earth (after Greenland).

7. The Pacific Islands, a large number of islands in the Pacific Sea separated into Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

8. The most crowded nations in Oceania are Australia, with 25.9 million individuals; Papua New Guinea, with 9 million; and New Zealand, with 4.9 million occupants (in 2022).

9. The biggest urban communities in Oceania by populace are Sydney (pop. 5.2 million), Melbourne (pop. 4.9 million), Brisbane (pop. 2.5 million), Perth (pop. 2.1 million), and Auckland (pop. 1.4 million); aside from Auckland, all urban communities are situated in Australia.

Melanesia

1. East and south of New Guinea Island in the western Pacific Ocean lays an area known as Melanesia, whose northern border is the Equator.

2. The region contains New Guinea Island, the Bismarck Archipelago, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, all of which are independent nations, as well as the French Dependency New Caledonia.

3. Melanesia contains many volcanically formed islands that are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Melanesia Countries	Capital
Fiji	Suva
New Caledonia	Noumea
Papua new guinea	Port Moresby
Solomon Islands	Honiara
Vanuatu	Port-Vila

Micronesia

1. In the western Pacific Ocean, north of Melanesia and north and west of Polynesia, is an area known as Micronesia. The Equator essentially forms its southern boundary. 2. The Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the western Kiribati archipelago are all included in this region.

Micronesia Countries	Capital
Guam	Hagatna(Agana)
Kiribati	Tarawa
Marshall Islands	Majuro
Micronesia	Palikir
Nauru
Northern Mariana Island	Saipan
palau	Ngerulmud , Melekeok

Polynesia

1. East of Micronesia and Melanesia, in the middle Pacific Ocean, lays a huge area known as Polynesia.

2.The region encompasses the easternmost Pacific island nations, such as Samoa, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Hawaii, the Marquesas Islands (which are a part of French Polynesia), and the Cook Islands.

Polynesia countries	Capital
American Samoa	Pago pago
Cook Island	Avarua
Easter Island (Chile)	Hanga Roa
French Polynesia(Tahiti)	Papeete
Hawaii	Honolulu
Niue	Alofi
Pitcairn	Adamstown
Samoa	Apia
Tonga	Nuku’alofa
Tuvalu	Funafuti

Other facts about Australia

1. The highest peak in Oceania is Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid, which rises to a height of 4,884 m (16,024 ft) in the Papua Region of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea.

2. Oceania’s second-highest summit, Mauna Kea, is located on the island of Hawaii and rises 4,207.3 m.

3. The highest peak on Earth is Mauna Kea. It rises almost 10,210 meters from the ocean’s floor to its summit (33,500 ft).

4. With a height of 2,228 m, Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales is the tallest mountain in Australia (7,310 ft).

5. The 3,500 km long Great Dividing Range, sometimes referred to as the Eastern Highlands, is a mountain range that runs along Australia’s east coast.

6.  Mount Kosciuszko has the highest peak at 2,228 meters (7,310 ft).

7. The highest mountain in the Maoke Mountains, formerly known as the Snow Mountains, which are a part of the Central Cordillera of New Guinea.

8. Puncak Jaya, with a prominence of 4,884 m, is also the highest mountain peak of an island on Earth.

9. Supposedly, Lake Eyre (officially Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre) in South Australia, a seasonal lake with a surface area between 8,000 and 9500 km2, is the largest lake in Oceania/Australia.

10. Longest River: With 2,508 km, the Murray is Oceania’s longest river by a wide margin. [3] The river serves as a long-distance border between Victoria and New South Wales in Australia.

11. Deserts Arid and hostile terrain makes up about 35% of the Australian continent. The Outback, or central region of the country, gets so little rain that it is essentially a desert.

12. Australia has a number of designated deserts; the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia and South Australia is the largest by area.

13. The Tanami Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, along with the Strzelecki Desert, the Simpson and Gibson Deserts.

14. Oceanic languages-Before the arrival of the Europeans, Oceania was home to a wide variety of languages. English, several French-based creoles, some Japanese, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, Melanesian Pidgin, Hawaiian, Polynesian languages, Tahitian, and Maori are the main languages spoken in Oceania today.

15. Tourists riding camels: the well-known sunset camel ride at Cable Beach, Western Australia, 7 km (4 mi) west of Broome.