What measures of mass are currently used. Old Russian measures of length, weight, volume

A continent is a large landmass surrounded by seas and oceans. In tectonics, continents are characterized as sections of the lithosphere with a continental structure.

Mainland, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

In geography, another term is often used, denoting the mainland - the continent. But the concepts of "mainland" and "continent" are not synonymous. AT different countries accepted various points view of the number of continents, called continental models.

There are several such models:

• In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is customary to consider that continents 7 - Europe and Asia, they consider separately;
• In Hispanics European countries, as well as in countries South America imply division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
• in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe a model with 5 continents was adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except for Antarctica;
• in Russia and the countries of Eurasia adjacent to it, they traditionally designate 4 - continents united into large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different views continental models on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

1. - the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
2. (30.3 million sq. km)
3. (24.4 million sq. km)
4. (17.8 million sq. km)
5. (14.1 million sq. km)
6. (7.7 million sq. km)

All of them are separated by the waters of the seas and oceans. Four continents have a land border: Eurasia and Africa are separated by the Isthmus of Suez, North and South America - the Isthmus of Panama.

Continents

The difference is that the continents do not have a land border. Therefore, in this case, we can talk about 4 continents ( one of the continental models of the world), also in descending order by size:

1. AfroEurasia
2. America

Parts of the world

The terms "mainland" and "continent" have scientific significance, but the term "part of the world" divides the land on a historical and cultural basis. There are 6 parts of the world, only unlike the continents, Eurasia differs by Europe and Asia, but North and South America are defined together as one part of the world America:

1. Europe
2. Asia
3. America(both North and South), or New World
4. Australia and Oceania

Speaking of parts of the world, they mean the islands adjacent to them.

The difference between the mainland and the island

The definition of the mainland and the island is the same - a part of the land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the most small mainland, Australia, is much larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent of Pangea)

2. Education. All continents have a tiled origin. According to scientists, there was once a single continent - Pangea. Then, as a result of the split, 2 continents appeared - Gondwana and Laurasia, which later split into 6 more parts. The theory is confirmed both by geological surveys and by the shape of the continents. Many of them can be put together like a puzzle.

Islands are formed different ways. There are those that, like the continents, are located on the ruins of ancient lithospheric plates. Others are formed from volcanic lava. Still others - as a result of the activity of polyps (coral islands).

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even the harsh climatic conditions Antarctica. Many islands are still uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

- the largest continent, occupying 1/3 of the land. Two parts of the world are located here at once: Europe and Asia. The border between them runs along the line Ural mountains, the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the straits connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

This is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans. The coastline is indented, it forms a large number of bays, peninsulas, islands. The mainland itself is located immediately on six tectonic platforms, and therefore the relief of Eurasia is incredibly diverse.

Here are the most extensive plains, the most high mountains(Himalayas from Mount Everest), the deepest lake (Baikal). This is the only continent where everything is presented at once climatic zones(and, accordingly, all natural areas) - from the Arctic with its permafrost to the equatorial with its sultry deserts and jungles.

¾ of the world's population lives on the mainland, 108 states are located here, of which 94 have the status of independent.

- the hottest continent on Earth. It is located on an ancient platform, so most of the area is occupied by plains, mountains are formed along the edges of the mainland. Africa has the most long river in the world - the Nile and the most extensive desert - the Sahara. Climate types presented on the mainland: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

Washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The result of the movement tectonic plates became severely cut coastline mainland, with huge amount bays, straits, coves and islands. The largest island is in the north (Greenland).

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

All climatic zones are represented here, except for the equatorial one, which determines the diversity of natural zones. Most rivers and lakes are located in the northern part. largest river- Mississippi.

Indigenous people- Indians and Eskimos. Currently, 23 states are located here, of which only three (Canada, the United States and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

Washed by the Silent and Atlantic Oceans. Along the west coast stretches the world's longest mountain system - the Andes, or South American Cordillera. The rest of the mainland is occupied by plateaus, plains and lowlands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator zone. Here is the largest and most abundant river in the world - the Amazon.

The indigenous people are the Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the territory of the mainland.

- the only continent on the territory of which there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most The mainland is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous people are Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.

- most southern mainland completely covered in ice. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1600 m, the largest is 4000 m. If the ice in Antarctica melted, the level of the world's oceans would immediately rise by 60 meters!

Most of the mainland is icy desert, life glimmers only on the coasts. Antarctica is also the coldest continent. In winter, temperatures can drop below -80 ºC (record -89.2 ºC), in summer - up to -20 ºC.

Continents of the Earth
Large arrays earth's crust rising above the level of the oceans are called continents(or continents). The continents include shallow coastal zones of the seas (shelves) and the islands closest to them. Once all parts of the world were one mainland - Pangea. And in the modern geological era there are six of them, separated by oceans: Eurasia - 55 million km2, Africa - 30 million km2, South America - 18 million km2, North America - 20 million km2, Antarctica - 14 million km2, Australia - 8.5 million sq. km. These figures are rounded and include the areas of islands near the mainland.
Most big mainland- Eurasia. It is washed by all oceans the globe and located in all geographical zones northern hemisphere. Within its limits lie two parts of the world - Europe and Asia.

Africa is the second largest continent on Earth. The extreme northern and southern points of th are almost the same distance from the equator. The continents of North and South America are located in western hemisphere on both sides of the equator. United by the narrow Isthmus of Panama, they essentially form one mainland, strongly elongated along the meridian. Australia is the smallest of the continents, almost entirely located in the hot zone southern hemisphere.

Almost in the middle of it crosses the Southern Tropic.

There are also six parts of the world, but the two continents of America make up one part of the world, and the single continent of Eurasia, on the contrary, was divided into two parts of the world - Europe and Asia.

The highest continent is Antarctica. Its average height is 2040 m above sea level, the lowest is Europe (300 m above sea level). Asia rises an average of 950 m. In its central part there are the highest mountains of the Earth - the Himalayas with the highest peak Chomolungma (Everest).

Rivers flow from each continent into the oceans and they discharge most of the water into the seas surrounding Eurasia - about 16 km3 per year, and Antarctica gives the least water to the World Ocean (although it consists almost entirely of water, only frozen) and Australia - in 8 times smaller than Eurasia.

^ General information about the continents

Mainland name	Area (thousand km) with islands	^ Average Height above sea level(m)	highest height above sea level (m)	smallest height above sea level (m)
Eurasia	561901	+840	+8848 Chomolungma city (Everest)	-395 dead sea level
Africa	30320	+650	+5895 volcano Kilimanjaro	-153 level of lake Assal
North America	20360	+720	+6193 McKinley	-85 death valley
South America	18280	+580	+6960 Aconcagua	-40 p-s. Valdes
Australia	8890	+215	+2230 Kosciuszko	-16 lake level Air
Antarctica	1398	+2040	+5140 Vinson Massif	-2555 hollow bentley

Test on the topic "Continents of the Earth"
Option 1.

1. 
   Scientists claim that Antarctica is rich in minerals, however natural features this continent make it difficult to develop. What are these features? How the level of development of science and technology affects the possibilities of using the wealth of Antarctica.
2. 
   South America: relief, minerals, their relationship with the structure of the earth's crust.

Option 2.

1. 
   Climate of Africa: climate-forming factors, climatic zones.
2. 
   One of global problems modernity - a reduction in the area of ​​wet equatorial forests. Why is this problem important not only for individual countries, but for the whole of humanity?

Option 3.

1. 
   Rivers North America: differences in the nature of the course, type of nutrition and regimen. Economic use rivers, environmental problems

1. 
   Australia. General physical geographical feature.

Option 4.

1. 
   Eurasia is the largest continent on Earth. Using the maps of the atlas, prove that in the location natural complexes Eurasia shows the law of latitudinal zonality.
2. 
   The nomads of the Sahara say: "In the desert more people died from floods than from heat. Can you explain this fact?

Option 5

1. 
   Compare the regimes of the two rivers (Amazon and Parana) on maps and explain the reasons for the differences.
2. 
   Identify the relationship between the tectonic structure, relief and distribution of the main groups of minerals on the Australian mainland.

Option 6.

1. 
   Arrange the continents in the order they were discovered, starting with the earliest.
2. 
   Comprehensive geographical characteristics of the United States according to atlas maps.

Option 7.

1. 
   Scientists have found in rocks that make up Antarctica, the fossilized remains of ferns, forest trees and even dinosaurs. How do you think this can be explained and how a natural phenomenon could be the cause of their death?

2. Climate of Antarctica: climate-forming factors, climatic zones
Option 8.

1. Give a description of the geographical location of the mainland North America.

2. In one of the Australian states, a geological exploration expedition was organized to search for gold and precious metals. Her path began in the city of Alice Springs, and the final point of the route was a point with coordinates 200S. and 1300v.d. What difficulties did the expedition members face?
Option 9

1. 
   Why is there only one representative of ungulates - the tapir - in the Amazonian selva? What natural area, on the contrary, can be called the "kingdom of ungulates"?

2. As you know, the cold pole is located in the Central part of Antarctica, at a distance of 1260 km from the coast, on top of an ice dome 3488 m above sea level. It was here, at the Russian inland station "Vostok", on July 21, 1983, that the lowest air temperature on Earth was recorded -89 ° C.

Can it be argued that there is currently no place on the planet below this temperature? Justify the answer.

Option 10.

1. Here is an excerpt from the memoirs of one traveler about his trip to India: “... I made my way between the prickly bushes of cacti, from the branches of which predatory anacondas hung, ready to bite another victim. Against the background of general monotony, bright flowers olives - main food local residents. A couple of times the path was crossed by traces of lions and gorillas - terrible enemies of forest bison. A shaggy armadillo ran out of a rotten swamp in the thickets of cypress and rushed into the thicket with a clatter. From the branches of a local species of sequoia, a predatory marsupial bear looked at me.
What errors did you find in the description?

2. Reveal the relationship between the tectonic structure, relief and location of the main groups of minerals on the South American continent.
Option 11.

1. Are the following statements correct or incorrect?
A. Equator crosses the territory of Russia.
B. Equator crosses the territory of Ecuador.
V.Northern Dvina crosses the Arctic Circle.
The mouth of the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River lies north of the Northern polar circle.
E. The territory of the Republic of Korea is entirely located south of the Tropic of the North.
E. The Congo River crosses the Equator.

1. 
   Climate of North America: climate-forming factors, climatic zones.

Option 12.

1. Cross out " white crow» in each of the following rows geographical terms, call them:

A. Taiga, desert, steppe, tundra, soil.
B. Ruslo, flood, oxbow lake, floodplain.
C. Natural gas, coal, gasoline, peat, oil shale.
G. Snow, cyclone, rain, dew, hail, frost.
D. Ridge, plain, desert, upland, highlands.
E.Palm tree, jungle, sequoia, cedar, larch

2. Describe geographical position Africa.

Option 13.

1. 
   Explain how the living conditions of the following animals are similar: reindeer, saiga, zebra, camel. How did these living conditions affect their appearance?
2. 
   Climate of South America: climate-forming factors, climatic zones.

Option 14.

1. Finnish guys from a small village located near the Arctic Circle wanted to correspond with schoolchildren from other countries living with them on the same geographical latitude. They sent letters to Norway, Sweden, Russia, Canada and the USA. What country did they forget to write to? What means of transport can deliver a letter there?

2. Identify the relationship between the tectonic structure, relief and placement of the main groups of minerals on the mainland Australia

Option 15.

1. 
   Where the climate is more severe: in the North or south pole? Why?
2. 
   Rivers of Africa: differences in the nature of the flow, type of food and regime. Economic use of rivers, environmental problems