Knowledge Explorer lesson
Continents and Oceans
How many continents are there?
Earth's land is divided into seven large areas called continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Asia is the largest continent. Australia is the smallest. Antarctica, around the South Pole, is the coldest and is covered in ice.
Most of Earth is covered by water. The five oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. The Pacific Ocean is the largest, and the Arctic Ocean is the smallest. (Some older maps show only four oceans, because the Southern Ocean was not always counted.)
Continents are made of countries. The United States is a country in North America. Florida is a state in the United States, and Miami is a city in Florida. Florida's east coast is on the Atlantic Ocean.
What you will learn
- Name the seven continents and five oceans
- Locate North America and the Atlantic Ocean
- Tell the difference between a continent, a country, a state, and a city
Key facts
- There are 7 continents.
- There are 5 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.
- Asia is the largest continent. The Pacific is the largest ocean.
- Australia is the smallest continent. The Arctic is the smallest ocean.
- The United States is a country in North America. Florida is a state. Miami is a city.