Which part of the world does not exist. What parts of the world are distinguished on Earth? Antarctica several facts

Only a third of the planet Earth is occupied by land, while the remaining 2/3 are endless expanses of water. That is why it is also called the "blue planet". Water divides parts of the land, creating several continents from the once existing merged land masses.

In contact with

classmates

What parts is the earth divided into

Geologically, the land is divided into continents, but from the side of history, culture and politics - into parts of the world.

There are also concepts of "Old" and "New World"... During the heyday of the ancient Greek state, three parts of the world were known: Europe, Asia and Africa - they are called the "Old World", and the rest of the land that was discovered after 1500 is called the "New World", this includes North and South America , Australia and Antarctica.

Most of the land that shares a common cultural, scientific, economic and political heritage is called "part of the world."

It is interesting to know: what types exist on planet Earth?

Their names and locations

They often coincide with the continents, but it is known that one continent can contain two parts of the world. For example, the mainland Eurasia is divided into Europe and Asia. And, on the contrary, two continents can be one part of the world - South and North America.

So, there are six parts of the world in total:

  1. Europe
  2. Africa
  3. America
  4. Australia and Oceania
  5. Antarctic

It is worth noting that the islands adjacent to the mainland also belong to a certain part of the world.

The mainland, or continent, is not covered with water, a large and indissoluble area of ​​the Earth's crust... The boundaries of the continents and their outlines change over time. The continents that existed in former distant times are called paleocontinents.

They are separated by oceanic and sea waters, and those between which the land border lies are separated by isthmuses: North and South America are connected by the Isthmus of Panama, Africa and Asia by the Isthmus of Suez.

Eurasia

The largest continent of the Earth, washed by the waters of four oceans (Indian, Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific), is Eurasia... It is located in the Northern Hemisphere, and some of its islands are in the Southern. Occupies an area of ​​about 53 million square kilometers - this is 36% of the entire land area of ​​the earth's surface.

On this continent, there are two parts of the world belonging to the "Old World" - Europe and Asia. They are separated by the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Dardanelles, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Initially, the mainland was called Asia, and only since 1880, Austrian geologist Eduard Suss the term Eurasia was introduced. This part of the land was formed during the division of the protocontinent Laurasia into North America and Eurasia.

What makes the parts of the world Asia and Europe unique?

  • The presence of the narrowest strait in the world - the Bosphorus;
  • The continent is home to great ancient civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Roman and Byzantine empires etc.);
  • Here is the area considered by right to be the coldest point of the earth - this is Oymyakon;
  • In Eurasia, there is Tibet and the Black Sea basin - the highest and lowest point on the planet;
  • The mainland has all existing climatic zones;
  • The continent is home to 75% of the world's population.

Belongs to the New World, surrounded by the waters of two oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic. The border between the Americas is the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean Sea. The countries bordering the Caribbean Sea are commonly called Caribbean America.

In terms of size, South America ranks 4th among the continents, with a population of about 400 million.

This land was discovered by H. Columbus in 1492. In a desire to find India, he crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Greater Antilles, but realized that behind them lay a whole hitherto unexplored continent.

  • A third of the total area is occupied by the Amazon, Parana and Orinoco rivers;
  • Here is the largest river in the world - the Amazon, according to the results of the world competition in 2011, it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
  • In South America, there is the largest dry lake in the world - Titicaca;
  • On the continent there are the highest - Angel, and the most powerful - Iguazu waterfalls in the world;
  • The largest country on the mainland is Brazil;
  • The highest mountain capital in the world is La Paz (Bolivia);
  • In the Chilean Desert Atakami, there is never any rainfall;
  • It is also home to the world's largest beetles and butterflies (lumberjack beetles and agrippina butterflies), the smallest monkeys (marmosets) and the life-threatening poisonous red-backed frogs.

North America

Another continent belonging to the same part of the world. Located in the Western Hemisphere on the North side, it is washed by the Bering Sea, the Mexican, California, St. Lawrence and Hudson Bays, the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

The mainland was discovered in 1502... It is believed that America was named after the Italian navigator and traveler Amerigo Vespucci who discovered it. However, there is a version according to which America was discovered by the Vikings long before that. First appeared on the map as America in 1507.

On its area, which occupies about 20 million square kilometers, there are 20 countries. Most of the territory is divided between two of them - Canada and the United States.

A number of islands also belong to North America: the Aleutian, Greenland, Vancouver, the Alexander Archipelago and the Canadian.

  • North America is home to the largest administrative building in the world - the Pentagon;
  • Most of the population spends most of their time indoors;
  • Mauna Kea is the highest mountain in the world, the height of which is two thousand meters higher than Chomolungma;
  • Greenland is the largest island on the planet and belongs to this continent.

Africa

The second largest continent after Eurasia... Its area occupies 6% of all land on Earth. It is washed by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The mainland is crossed by the equator.

It is believed that the name of the continent comes from such Latin words as "sunny", "no cold", "dust".

What makes Africa unique?

  • There are huge reserves of diamonds and gold on the mainland;
  • There are places here that have not been touched by a human foot;
  • You can see tribes with the lowest and tallest people on the planet;
  • The average human life expectancy in Africa is 50 years.

Antarctica

Part of the world, a continent, almost entirely covered with a layer of ice of 2 thousand meters. Located in the very south of the globe.

  • There are no permanent residents on the mainland, only scientific stations are located here;
  • Traces were found in the glaciers, testifying to the "former tropical life of the continent";
  • Every year a large number of tourists (about 35 thousand) come to Antarctica who want to see seals, penguins and whales, as well as those who are fond of scuba diving.

Australia

The continent is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Tasmanian, Timor, Arafur and Coral seas of the Pacific Ocean. The mainland was discovered by the Dutch in the 17th century.

Off the coast of Australia there is a huge coral reef - the Great Barrier Reef, about 2 thousand km long.

Also sometimes a separate part of the world means Oceania, the Arctic, New Zealand.

But most scientists still divide the land into 6 parts of the world presented above.

Continent(from Latin continens, genitive continentis) - a large massif of the earth's crust, a significant part of which is located above sea level (land), and the rest of the peripheral part is below sea level. The continent also includes islands located on the underwater periphery. In addition to the concept of continent, the term continent is also used.

Terminology

Mainland- a vast expanse of land, washed by seas and oceans (or Land, land - as opposed to water or islands). In Russian, the words continent and continent have the same meaning.

From a tectonic point of view, continents are areas of the lithosphere with a continental structure of the earth's crust.

There are several continental models in the world (see below). On the territory of the post-Soviet space, the model of six continents with a divided America is adopted as the main one.

There is also a similar concept of a part of the world. The division into continents is carried out on the basis of separation by water space, and parts of the world are more of a historical and cultural concept. Thus, the continent of Eurasia consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. And part of the world America is located on two continents - South America and North America. In other cases, parts of the world coincide with the above continents.

The border between Europe and Asia runs along the Ural Mountains, then the Ural River to the Caspian Sea, the Kuma and Manych rivers to the mouth of the Don River and further along the shores of the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The Europe-Asia border described above is not indisputable. This is just one of several options accepted in the world.

In geology, the continent is also often referred to as the underwater margin of the continent, including the islands located on it.

In English and some other languages, continent refers to both continents and parts of the world.

Continental models

In the world different countries the number of continents is estimated differently. Number of continents in different traditions

  • 4 continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica, Australia
  • 5 continents: Africa, Eurasia, America, Antarctica, Australia
  • 6 continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, America, Antarctica, Australia
  • 6 continents: Africa, Eurasia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia
  • 7 continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia

The seven continents model is popular in China, India, partly in western Europe and in English-speaking countries.

The model of six continents with a united America (we usually call it "Parts of the World") is popular in Spanish-speaking countries and parts of eastern Europe, including Greece with its five-continent model (five inhabited continents).

Comparison of area and population

Continent

Length (km from east to west, and from south to north, along the periphery)

Share of sushi

Population

Population share

Afroeurasia
Oceania

- the largest and only continent on Earth, washed by four oceans: in the south - the Indian, in the north - the Arctic, in the west - the Atlantic, in the east - the Pacific. The continent is located in the Northern Hemisphere between approximately 9 ° W. d. and 169 ° W while part of the islands of Eurasia are located in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of continental Eurasia lies in the Eastern Hemisphere, although the extreme western and eastern ends of the continent are in the Western Hemisphere. Eurasia stretches from west to east for 10.5 thousand km, from north to south - for 5.3 thousand km, with an area of ​​53.6 million km2. This is more than a third of the entire land area of ​​the planet. The area of ​​the islands of Eurasia is approaching 2.75 million km2.

Contains two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. The border line between Europe and Asia is most often drawn along the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Emba River, the northwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, the Kuma River, the Kumo-Manych depression, the Manych River, the eastern coast of the Black Sea, the southern coast of the Black Sea, the strait The Bosphorus, the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, the Strait of Gibraltar. This division has developed historically. Naturally, there is no sharp border between Europe and Asia. The continent is united by the continuity of the land, currently formed by tectonic consolidation and the unity of numerous climatic processes.

(English North America, French Amérique du Nord, Spanish América del Norte, Norteamérica, Ast. Ixachitlān Mictlāmpa) is one of the continents of planet Earth, located in the north of the Western Hemisphere of the Earth. North America is washed from the west by the Pacific Ocean with the Bering Sea, the Gulfs of Alaska and California, from the east by the Atlantic Ocean with the Labrador, Caribbean, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Mexico, and from the north by the Arctic Ocean with the Beaufort, Baffin, Greenland and Hudson Seas. From the west, the continent is separated from Eurasia by the Bering Strait. In the south, the border between North and South America passes through the Isthmus of Panama.

Numerous islands are also included in North America: Greenland, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, Vancouver Island, the Alexander Archipelago and others. The area of ​​North America with islands is 24.25 million km2, without islands 20.36 million km2.

(Spanish América del Sur, Sudamérica, Suramérica, port América do Sul, English South America, Dutch Zuid-Amerika, French Amérique du Sud, guar Ñembyamérika, Quechua Urin Awya Yala, Urin Amerika in) - southern continent America, located mainly in the Western and Southern Hemispheres of the planet Earth, however, part of the continent is located in the Northern Hemisphere. It is washed in the west by the Pacific Ocean, in the east - by the Atlantic Ocean, from the north it is limited to North America, the border between the Americas runs along the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean Sea.

South America also includes various islands, most of which belong to the countries of the continent. The Caribbean territories belong to North America. The countries of South America that border the Caribbean - including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana - are known as Caribbean South America.

The most important river systems in South America are the Amazon, Orinoco and Parana, with a total basin of 7,000,000 km2 (South America area 17,800,000 km2). Most of the lakes in South America are located in the Andes, the largest of which and the world's highest navigable lake is Titicaca, on the border of Bolivia and Peru. The largest in area is Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, it is also one of the oldest on the planet.

In South America, there is the highest waterfall in the world - Angel. The most powerful waterfall, Iguazu, is also located on the mainland.

- the second largest continent on our planet Earth after Eurasia, washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, the Red Sea from the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east and south.

Africa is also called the part of the world, consisting of the continent of Africa and adjacent islands, the largest of which is the island of Madagascar.

The African continent crosses the equator and several climatic zones; its peculiarity is that it is the only continent stretching from the northern subtropical climatic zone to the southern subtropical.

Due to the lack of constant precipitation and irrigation on the denser continent - as well as glaciers or the aquifer of mountain systems - there is practically no natural regulation of the climate anywhere except on the coasts.

(from Latin austrālis - "southern") - a continent located in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres of our planet Earth.

The entire territory of the mainland is the main part of the state of the Commonwealth of Australia. The mainland is part of the world Australia and Oceania.

The northern and eastern coasts of Australia are washed by the seas of the Pacific Ocean: Arafur, Coral, Tasman, Timor Seas; western and southern - Indian Ocean.

The large islands of New Guinea and Tasmania are located near Australia.

Along the northeastern coast of Australia for more than 2000 km stretches the well-known, the world's largest coral reef - the Great Barrier Reef.

(Greek ἀνταρκτικός - the opposite of Arctida) is a continent located in the very south of the Earth, the center of Antarctica roughly coincides with the southern geographic pole. Antarctica is washed by the waters of the Southern Ocean. Antarctica is also called the part of the world, consisting of the mainland of Antarctica and adjacent islands.

Antarctica is the highest continent, its average height is 2040 meters. The mainland also contains about 85% of the planet's glaciers. There is no permanent population in Antarctica, but there are more than forty scientific stations belonging to different states and intended for research and detailed study of the characteristics of the continent.

Antarctica is almost completely covered with ice sheets, the average thickness of which is more than 2500 meters. There are also a large number of subglacial lakes (over 140), the largest of which is Lake Vostok, discovered by Russian scientists in the 1990s.

Hypothetical continents

Kenorland

Kenorland is a hypothetical supercontinent that, according to geophysicists, existed in the Neoarchean (about 2.75 billion years ago). The name comes from the Kenoran folding phase. Paleomagnetic studies indicate that Kenorland was at low latitudes.

Nuna

Nuna (Columbia, Hudsonland) is a hypothetical supercontinent that existed between 1.8 and 1.5 billion years ago (maximum assembly ~ 1.8 billion years ago). Its existence was suggested by J. Rogers and M. Santosh in 2002. Nuna dates back to the Paleoproterozoic era, making it supposedly the oldest supercontinent. It consisted of the precursor plateaus of the ancient platforms that were part of the earlier continents of Laurentia, Fennosarmatia, the Ukrainian Shield, the Amazon, Australia and possibly Siberia, the Sino-Korean platform and the Kalahari platform. The existence of the continent of Columbia is based on geological and paleomagnetic data.

Rodinia

Rodinia (from Russian Motherland or from Russian to give birth) is a hypothetical supercontinent, presumably existing in the Proterozoic - Precambrian eon. It originated about 1.1 billion years ago and disintegrated about 750 million years ago. At that time, the Earth consisted of one giant part of the land and one giant ocean, called Mirovia, also taken from the Russian language. Rodinia is often considered the oldest known supercontinent, but its position and shape are still the subject of controversy. After the collapse of Rodinia, the continents managed to once again unite into the supercontinent Pangea and disintegrate again.

Lavrussia

Lavrusia (Euramerica) is a Paleozoic supercontinent formed as a result of the collision of the North American (ancient continent of Laurentia) and East European (ancient continent of the Baltic Sea) platforms during the Caledonian orogeny. The names of Caledonia, "Old Red Continent", "Old Red Sandstone Continent" are also known. In the Permian period, it merged with Pangea and became its integral part. After the collapse of Pangea, it became part of Laurasia. It disintegrated in the Paleogene.

Gondwana

Gondwana in paleogeography is an ancient supercontinent that arose about 750-530 million years ago, for a long time localized around the South Pole, which included almost the entire land, now located in the southern hemisphere (Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia), as well as tectonic blocks of Hindustan and Arabia, which have now moved to the northern hemisphere and became part of the Eurasian continent. In the early Paleozoic, Gondwana gradually shifted northward and in the Carboniferous period (360 million years ago) merged with the North American-Scandinavian continent into the giant protocontinent Pangea. Then, during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago), Pangea again split into Gondwana and the northern continent of Laurasia, which were divided by the Tethys Ocean. 30 million years later, in the same Jurassic period, Gondwana gradually began to disintegrate into new (present) continents. Finally, all modern continents: Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica and the Indian subcontinent separated from Gondwana only at the end of the Cretaceous period, that is, 70-80 million years ago.

Pangea

Pangea (ancient Greek Πανγαῖα - "all-earth") is the name given by Alfred Wegener to the proto-continent that arose in the Paleozoic era. The giant ocean that washed Pangea from the Silurian period of the Paleozoic to the Early Mesozoic, inclusive, was named Panthalassa (from ancient Greek παν- “all-” and θάλασσα “sea”). Pangea was formed in the Permian period, and split at the end of the Triassic (about 200 - 210 million years ago) into two continents: the northern continent - Laurasia and the southern continent - Gondwana. In the process of the formation of Pangea, mountain systems arose from the more ancient continents at the places of their collision, some of them have existed to this day, for example, the Urals or the Appalachians. These early mountains are much older than the relatively young mountain systems (the Alps in Europe, the Cordillera in North America, the Andes in South America, or the Himalayas in Asia). Due to erosion lasting for many millions of years, the Urals and Appalachians are low-rolling mountains.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a Middle Paleozoic continent located between Lavrusia and the Siberian platform. It stretches from the Turgai trough and the Turan lowland to the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts.

Laurasia

Laurasia is a supercontinent that existed as the northern part of the Pangea protocontinent (southern - Gondwana) fault in the Late Mesozoic. It united most of the territories that make up the existing continents of the Northern Hemisphere today - Eurasia and North America, which in turn split from each other from 135 to 200 million years ago.

Pangea Ultima

It is assumed that in the future the continents will once again gather in a supercontinent called Pangea Ultima.

(Visited 12 396 times, 8 visits today)

The mainland is called a significant land surface, which is washed from all sides by oceans or seas.

How many continents on Earth and their names

The Earth is a very large planet, but despite this, a significant area of ​​it is water - more than 70%. And only about 30% is occupied by continents and islands of different sizes.

One of the largest is Eurasia, it borrows over 54 million. square meters... It houses the 2 largest parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Eurasia is the only continent that is washed on all sides by oceans. On its shores you can see a large number of large and small bays, islands of different sizes. Eurasia is located on 6 tectonic platforms, which is why its relief is so diverse.

The highest mountains are located in Eurasia, as well as Baikal - the deepest lake. The population of this part of the world is almost a third of the entire planet, which live in 108 states.

Africa covers over 30 million square meters... The name of all continents on the planet is studied in detail in the school curriculum, but some people in adulthood do not know their number. This may be due to the fact that continents are often called continents in geography lessons. These two names have significant differences. The main difference is that the continent has no land border.

Africa is the hottest among all the others. The main part of its surface is made up of plains and mountains. In hot Africa flows the longest river on Earth - the Nile, as well as the desert - the Sahara.

Africa is divided into 5 regions: South, North, West, East, and Central. 62 countries are located on this part of the Earth.

North America is included in the name of all continents.... It is washed on all sides by the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. The coast of North America is uneven, along with a large number of large and small bays, islands of different sizes, straits and bays. In the central part there is a huge plain.

North America

The local inhabitants of the mainland are Eskimos or Indians. In total, there are 23 states in this part of the Earth, among them: Mexico, USA and Canada.

South America occupies there are more than 17 million square meters on the planet's surface. It is washed by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and is also home to the longest mountain range. The rest of the surface is mainly plateaus or plains. Of all the parts, South America is the rainiest. Its indigenous inhabitants are Indians living in 12 states.

South America

The number of continents on planet Earth includes and Antarctica, its area is more than 14 million square meters. Its entire surface is covered with blocks of ice, the average thickness of this layer is about 1500 meters. Scientists have calculated that if this ice melted completely, the water level on Earth would rise by about 60 meters!

Antarctica

Its main area is a desert of ice, the population lives only on the shores. Antarctica is the lowest-temperature surface of the planet, the average air temperature is from -20 to -90 degrees.

Australia- the occupied area is more than 7 million square meters. It is the only continent with only 1 state. Plains and mountains occupy its main area, they are located along the entire coast. It is in Australia that the largest number large and small wild animals and birds, there is also the greatest variety of vegetation. The indigenous people are Aborigines and Bushmen.

Australia

How many continents on Earth are 6 or 7?

There is an opinion that their number is not 6 at all, but 7. The area around the South Pole is huge blocks of ice. Currently, many scientists call it another continent on planet Earth. But there is no life at this South Pole, only penguins live.

To the question: “ How many continents are there on planet Earth?", You can answer exactly - 6.

Continents

There are only 4 continents on Earth:

  1. America.
  2. Antarctica.
  3. Australia.
  4. AfroEurasia.

But each country has its own opinion about their number. For example, in India, as well as the inhabitants of China, they believe that their total number is 7, the inhabitants of these countries call Asia and Europe separate continents. The Spaniards, when they mention continents, name all surfaces of the world associated with America. And the inhabitants of Greece say that there are only 5 continents on the planet, because as soon as people live on them.

What is the difference between the island and the mainland

And then, and another definition - this is a large or smaller area of ​​land, washed on all sides by water. At the same time, there are certain significant differences between them.

  1. Dimensions. One of the smallest is Australia, it occupies a much larger area than Greenland - one of the largest islands.
  2. History of education. Each island is formed in a special way. There are continents that arose as a result of ancient fragments of the plates of the lithosphere. Others are due to volcanic eruptions. There are also those species that emerged from polyps, they are also called "coral islands".
  3. Its habitability. There is life on absolutely all six continents, even on the coldest one - Antarctica. But most of the islands remain uninhabited to this day. But on them you can meet animals and birds of a wide variety of breeds, see plants that have not yet been explored by man.

The histories of the name of each of the continents are very interesting. Why was Asia called Asia and Antarctica called Antarctica? The origin of some names is associated with ancient myths - the merit of the ancient Greeks in the etymology of many words, including their own names, is very great. For example, Europe is a mythical heroine who appeared thanks to the boundless imagination of the ancient Greeks, who composed an incredible number of myths.

Why was Europe called Europe?

There are several versions. Here is one of the most common.

At the place where the state of Lebanon is now located, Phenicia was located in ancient times. According to ancient Greek myths, the god Zeus fell in love with an insanely beautiful earthly woman named Europa. Historians suggest that the word "Europe" in Phoenician meant "sunset" (the word itself is most likely Assyrian).

Beauty Europa was the daughter of Agenor, king of Phenicia. Thunderer Zeus wished to make Europe his wife, but King Agenor would not allow this. Zeus had no choice but to kidnap the beauty.

Turning into a white bull, Zeus stole Europa and transported her to the island of Crete. Later, according to some myths, Europe became the wife of the Cretan king. Therefore, the inhabitants of Crete began to call their land Europe.


"The Rape of Europe", V. Serov, 1910

In the 5th century BC, the name Europe spread to all of Greece. Gradually, gaining new knowledge about the world around them and traveling more and more, the ancient people pushed back the borders of Europe. It was only in the middle of the 18th century that the final borders of Europe were established, which are also marked on modern geographical maps.

Perhaps this was the case, and Europe was called Europe in honor of the heroine of ancient Greek myths. In any case, this is a very interesting and curious version.

Why was Asia called Asia?

The name "Asia" as applied to the continent also appeared thanks to the ancient Greeks and their myths. However, the word "asia" itself is Assyrian, translated as "sunrise". Now it is clear why the largest part of the world was called Asia, because it is there that the sun rises.

The word "asia" among the Assyrians was just a word, but the name of the part of the world it became all the same thanks to the Greeks. In ancient Greek mythology, there is a titan god named Ocean. Asia (Asia) - his daughter Oceanida, whom the Greeks themselves portrayed riding a camel. She carried a shield and a box with fragrant spices in her hands. In some versions of the myths, Asia is the mother (and in some - the wife) of Prometheus himself - the very hero who brought fire to people.


G. Dore "Oceanides", 1860

Everything east of Europe and closer to the place where the sun rises, the ancient Greeks began to call Asia. The Scythians who lived across the Caspian Sea were called the Asians by the Greeks. And the ancient Romans, by the way, called the inhabitants of their eastern province Asians.

When the period of great geographical discoveries began, it was decided to use the word "Asia" to designate the vast land areas located closer to sunrise (that is, to the east). Thus, we owe the appearance on the map of a part of the world called Asia to the Assyrians and the ancient Greeks.

Did the ancient Greek mythology influence the name of any other part of the world? Yes! And this part of the world is Antarctica.

How did Antarctica get its name?

Antarctica is a derivative of the word "Antarctica". The southern polar region was named Antarctica. Translated from Greek, Antarctica means "opposite to the Arctic", because the name "Arctic" appeared earlier as a designation of the area adjacent to the North Pole. It is the word "Arctic" that is directly related to ancient Greek mythology.

Thunderer Zeus fell in love with the nymph Callisto, but the envious gods could not see how happy Zeus and Callisto were and turned a pregnant woman into a bear. After that, she gave birth to a son. Arkad, that was the name of his son (in Greek, bear - arktos), grew up without a mother. Once, while hunting, he swung a spear at his mother the bear Callisto (of course, he did not know who she was). Seeing this, Zeus turned both creatures dear to himself into constellations - this is how the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor appeared.

These constellations helped to find the pole star, always pointing north. Therefore, the ancient Greeks began to call the entire northern region the Arctic. Then the name Antarctica (the opposite of the Arctic) appeared. Well, later the word Antarctica arose - one sixth of the world, the southern continent at the very pole of the Earth.


This part of the world was discovered by Russian sailors under the command of Thaddeus Bellingshausen on January 28, 1820. True, this is the official date - it was then that the sailors saw the "ice continent". A year later, the sailors saw the coast and named this area the Land of Alexander the First. However, this name did not spread to the entire continent, which eventually received the name Antarctica, associated with ancient Greece.


So, the three parts of the world - Europe, Asia and Antarctica - got their names from ancient Greek myths. But how did the names of other parts of the world and continents come about?


Even children know that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus... Then why was this part of the world not called Colombia or Columbica? And what is the general origin of the name America?

Christopher Columbus, of course, discovered America, but at the same time he himself did not know that he had discovered a new part of the world, believing that the land on the other side of the Atlantic is China (Cathay, as it was called in the days of Columbus).

Columbus still became famous for centuries. But much less often talk about the Florentine navigator, who lived at the same time as Columbus, but was younger than him. Amerigo made four journeys to the western shores Atlantic Ocean, but two of them are considered by historians to be nothing more than a hoax. However, at least one trip was in fact - Amerigo made it in 1501-1502 to the shores of Brazil.

Upon his return, Amerigo Vespucci began to colorfully describe the course of the trip and his impressions, sending these notes in letters to his friends and the banker Lorenzo Medici. After a while, Vespucci's letters were published and had a tremendous success with readers.


Vespucci himself suggested calling the land he discovered New World, but in 1507 a Lorraine cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller decided to map a new land and name it after the "discoverer" - Amerigo Vespucci. Indeed, reading the notes of Amerigo, many came to the conclusion that Vespucci discovered some new continent that has nothing to do with China, discovered by Columbus on the other side of the Atlantic.

However, not much time passed, and geographers-cartographers concluded that both Columbus and Vespucci discovered the same continent. The cartographers left for him the name “ America”, Dividing it into North and South.

Thus, already in 1538, North America and South America appeared on the maps. However, until the end of the 17th century, that is, another two and a half centuries, these lands in Europe continued to be called the New World. But, as we know, the name America was officially recognized.

Stefan Zweig called this whole story a comedy of mistakes, and A. Humboldt dubbed the very name of this part of the world "a monument of human injustice." It is not for nothing that they say that Columbus was lucky alternately: “he went to discover one thing, found another, but what he found was given the name of the third one”.


Australia - the fifth continent - was discovered in the early 17th century by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszon. Since then, this part of the world has appeared on geographical maps, but under the name New Holland. However, the boundaries of the continent were unknown at that time. How Australia name changed her, ceasing to be just New Holland?


Australia. Snapshot from space

The answer must be sought in the mists of time. Australia was talked about long before it was discovered. Even the great Ptolemy was convinced that there is a huge continent in the southern hemisphere, which should "balance" the planet. For the mysterious land, which either exists or does not exist, the conventional name was fixed Terra Australis Incognita, which in translation from Latin means "Mysterious (or Unknown) Southern Land".

The British in the 18-19 centuries were actively looking for the Mysterious South Land or New Holland. And finally, James Cook and Matthew Flinders, having made several voyages, contributed to the fact that the shores of the fifth continent appeared on the maps.

Flinders circled the mainland first. He wrote that he was bound by the name Terra Australis (South Earth), but with great pleasure he would have called the continent differently -. So with light hand Flinders, this continent began to be called Australia, because the option proposed by the navigator seemed very, very successful to the learned cartographers and geographers.


Matthew Flinders, author of the famous Journey to Terra Australis

Why is Africa called Africa?
There is no exact and only accepted answer to this question. There are many theories, each of which has the right to exist. Here are just a few.

How the name "Africa" ​​appeared: the first version. The name "Africa" ​​was invented by the Greco-Romans. For a long time, the ancient Greeks and Romans called the territory of North Africa to the west of Egypt Libya, because the tribes lived there, which the Romans called "Livs". Everything that was located south of Libya was called Ethiopia.

In 146 BC, Rome defeated Carthage. On the territory captured as a result of the war, in which Tunisia is now located, a colony was founded. This colony was given the name "Africa", as local warlike Afarik tribes lived in these places. According to another theory, the inhabitants of Carthage themselves called people who do not live in cities, the word "afri", which is supposedly produced from the Phoenician afar (dust). The Romans, having defeated Carthage, used the word "afri" to name the colony. Gradually, all other lands of this continent began to be called Africa.



Ruins of one of the cities of the state of Carthage

How did the name "Africa" ​​appear: version two. The name "Africa" ​​was invented by the Arabs. Arab geographers have long known that Asia and Africa are separated from each other by the Red Sea. The Arabic word “faraka” is translated as “to separate”, “to separate one from the other”.

From the word farak, the Arabs formed the word "Ifrikia" - that is how they called the fourth continent (the ancient name can be translated as "Separated"). The famous Arab scholar of the 16th century Muhammad al-Wazan wrote about this. Later, Ifrikia turned into Africa, which was due to the peculiarities of borrowing foreign names in different languages.

A continent (the term "mainland" can also be used for this concept) is generally defined as a very large land mass surrounded on all sides by water and includes a number of independent states. However, when it comes to the number of continents on Earth, experts do not always agree. Depending on the criteria used, there may be four, five, six or seven continents. Sounds strange, right? Let's take a look at how things really are!

Definition of "Continent"

The Geology Glossary, published by the American Geosciences Institute, defines the continent as one of the major land masses, including land and continental shelf. Other characteristics of the continent include:

  • Areas of land that are elevated in relation to the surrounding ocean floor;
  • A variety of rocks, including volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary;
  • A crust that is thicker than the surrounding oceanic crust. For example, continental crust can range in thickness from about 29 to 45 km, while oceanic crust is typically about 6 km thick;
  • Well-defined boundaries.

This latter characteristic is the least well-defined according to the Geological Society of America, leading to confusion among experts as to how many continents there are. Moreover, there is no global governing body to come up with a consensus definition.

How many continents are there really?

Examples of continental Earth models

Using the criteria defined above, many geologists say there are six continents or continents: Africa, Antarctica, Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia. The same model of dividing the main land areas of the planet is common in the former Soviet countries including Russia. US schools tend to teach that there are seven continents: Europe, North America, and South America. In many parts of Europe, students are taught that there are only six continents, uniting the Americas into one continent.

Why such difference? Geologically, Europe and Asia are one big mainland... The split into two distinct parts comes more from a geopolitical point of view, as Russia occupies a huge area of ​​Asia and has been historically and politically isolated from Western European powers such as Britain, Germany and France.

V recent times some geologists have begun to argue that a "new" continent called Zealandia should be included in the list. According to one theory, this land is located off the east coast of Australia. New Zealand and a few small islands are the only peaks above the water; the remaining 94 percent of the continent is hidden under the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Other ways of dividing land: regions, parts of the world and tectonic plates

To simplify the work, geographers usually delineate the earths of the planet by regions, and not continents or parts of the world. The official list of countries by region divides the world into eight areas: Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Australia and Oceania.

There is also a similar concept "part of the world", according to which all continents are subdivided into six main parts of the world: Asia, Africa, America, Europe, Australia and Oceania, Antarctica. As we can see from this list, Eurasia is divided into two parts (Europe and Asia), and North and South America are united into one (America).

You can also subdivide major land areas into tectonic plates, which are large slabs of hard rock. These plates are composed of continental and oceanic crusts and are separated from each other by fault lines. There are 15 tectonic plates in total, seven of which are approximately 16 million square kilometers or more in size. Not surprisingly, they roughly correspond to the shape of the continents that lie on their surface.

Did you like the article? Share it
Print article
Up