The Seven Continents- Profiles- Antarctica

ANTARCTICA

Area: c.5,500,000 sq mi (14,245,000 sq km) 12 percent of the earth
Population: 0 (except for scientists who live there temporarily). There are no native humans, and barely any human life. However there are some animals that have adapted to living there, in the frigid waters and ice, such as penguins, seals and plant life, such as moss and lichens


Climate:

Climate is extremely COLD!
Snowfall is about 2 inches in the middle and 20-40 inches on the coastlines
Wind speed record is 200 mph
The coldest temperature is -126~Fahrenheit
The warmest temperature is 59 Fahrenheit along the Antarctic Peninsula
Monthly mean temperature ranges from -18"-F to 27"-F.

Terrain

*Sometimes massive ice shelves will break of glaciers and float away.
*Antarctica has the lowest mean elevation
*Only two percent of Antarctica is ice free.

It is the fifth largest continent, with people making many expeditions there to do research and discoveries. People who hunt whales for blubber tend to venture down there, as many whales go down to feed on krill.

The Seven Continents- Profiles- Australia

Australia

Capital: Canberra
Area: 2,967,900 sq mi; 7,686,850 sq km
Perimeter: 17,365 miles (27,945 km)
Density: 6.2 people per square miles
Population: 18.287 million
Death rate per 1,000 people a year: 6.9
Birthrate per 1,000 people a year: 14.1
Life Expectancy: 75.4 males; 81.1 females
Main Language: English
Major Religions: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity
Major Cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, and Canberra-Queanbeyan
Leading Exports: wheat, coal, gold, wool, and aluminum



FACT:
Australia is the only country-continent on Earth so it has its own capital!

History

Australia is a unique among the nations of the world because it originated as a prison island. In the 17th and 18th century the British took their common criminals and other prisoners halfway across the world to Australia. There they would leave them with some supplies, and the prisoners, all alone, began to cultivate the island. Also many of the prisoners became shepherds. They began to raise many, many sheep. Sheep had never lived in Australia until then, but it turned out that they flourished, making sheep wool one of Australia's best exports.
Another interesting part of Australia's history is that they had a Gold Rush. We all know about the American Gold Rush but did you know that Australia had one of its own? It happened in the 1800's and it was a bit disappointing. When one person discovered gold, many people flocked to Australia, hoping to get rich quick. Unfortunately, there wasn't a great quantity of gold there, so many people left, downtrodden and penniless from spending so much time and energy searching for gold.

During World War I and the Cold War Australia was a prime ally to America having a very good strategic position to attack enemies. It was near enough to Asia to be a good attacker, and it had English influence. This may have helped WWII end more quickly.

Today Australia is a popular tourist attraction. The tourists flock to Australia today to see the rare wild life such as the kangaroo and the koala. They also go to see the amazing natural plants and crystal-blue waters. Tourists visit the scenic cities, and interact with the unique culture of Australia.

Climate and Wildlife:

One third of Australia is in the tropics. In summer it is about 84 degrees F in the north and 64 degrees F in the south. The winter temperatures are 75 degrees F in the north and 50 degrees in the south. It is partially desert but it is also filled with rainforests. The rain forests are populated with koalas, sugar glider opossums and other Australian animals. Australia is also famous for the outback, a large open desert in the middle of Australia. The outback is full of creatures. There are over fifty kinds of kangaroos in Australia. Another famous place in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef. It is a group of reefs and islands extending for over 1,240 miles along the Queensland coast. It is full of coral and wildlife including over 1,200 species of fish. Australia is teeming with wildlife and creatures.

I have a friend that recently moved there, and he said that there are koalas in his backyard, I am not sure how true that is, but its pretty cool!

The Seven Continents- Profiles- South America

SOUTH AMERICA

Area: 6,858,673 square miles
Climate: Varied
Population: 327 million.
Main languages: Spanish, Portuguese, and many Native American Languages.
Density: 44.9 people per square mile.
Mountain ranges: Andes, Blanca, Occidental
Birthrate: 27.5
Death rate: 7.7 per 1,000 people
Annual growth rate: 1.9% per 1,000 people
Major religions: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and other


Jungles full of mysterious and exotic animals. Deep dark rain forests with exotic creatures. Numerous crystal-blue lakes and gorgeous mountains topped with ice. The land is rich and fertile and produces abundant food. Believe it or not, there is a place like this. It is South America.

Cool Fact: One fifth of the Worlds birds come from the Amazon rain forest. It is the fourth largest continent.

History:
South America's history is filled with tales of mystery and wealth, many originating from the Inca, the Maya, and the Aztec. These three great civilizations were the first empires in South America.

The Mayan civilization developed about 600 years ago in South America. The Mayan lasted for about one thousand years until gradually they disappeared. Scientists believe that the Mayans were weakened by battles and famine. This may have led to there mysterious disapperence.

The Inca lived high up in the Andes mountains. They built cities of stone and they had terraced fields for growing crops. Unfortunately the Inca began to fight too many wars. Soon they disappeared as mysteriously as the Mayans.

The Aztecs were one of the most powerful civilizations. They had a mighty capital called Tenochtitlan. The Aztec were very powerful until 1519 when a Spaniard named Hernando Cortez appeared. He was the leader of a small Spanish army. The Spanish declared war on the Aztecs, but the Aztecs were easily defeated because the Spanish had much better better weapons and army. Soon the Aztec also began to lose their power.

After the natives of South America lost most of their control, South America was mainly dominated by the Spanish. The Spanish colonized South America in hopes of finding gold and other valuable natural resources. They also wanted more land.

Climate, Geography, Terrain, and Wildlife.
In central South America the climate is very humid and there are rain forests. Around the rain forests there are arid deserts. The Iguacu Falls, in Southern Brazil, are one of the biggest falls in South America. The falls are made up of 275 cascades. The width of the Iguacu is 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers. In the local language Iguacu means "Great Waters."largest lakes: Maracaibo, Titicaca, and PooPo. biggest river: Amazon River.

Technology, farming, and Industry
You know about cowboys in North America, but I bet you don't know about the cowboys in South America. These cowboys are named Gauchos. Gauchos wear black hats and riding trousers. These cowboys are famous for their horsemanship. They ride around on grassy plains herding cattle.

Brazil is the leading airplane builder in South America. The need for airplanes was required because many of the roads in Brazil are not dependable. Brazil also builds military airplanes. Because of these uses of airplanes Brazil is currently the sixth largest airplane manufacturer.

South America is also famous for coffee. Colombia is the leading coffee producer in South America, and also in the World. Coffee comes from a small shrub or tree. These trees grow best in tropical areas which make South America a good place to grow coffee because of its central rain forests. The shrub grows berries that look a little like small cherries. These berries are picked by hand or machine and then the outer shell is removed. Then the beans are dried in the sun before their skin is removed and they are finally roasted in large ovens and ground into coffee.

The Seven Continents- Profiles- Africa

AFRICA

Population: 656,108,000
Density: 56.2 people every square mile
Main language groups: Arabic, Hausa, Amharic, Yoruba Oromo, Nguni, Igbo, Akan, Berber, and Malagasy
Principle Religions: Christianity, Islam, tribal religions, and Baha'i
Literacy: 46.9%
Largest Cities: Cairo, Egypt; Kinshasa, Zaire, and Alexandria, Egypt

Natural Features

Mountain Ranges: Ahaggar, Atlas, Cristal, Drakensburg, Mitumda, Muchinga, Ruwenzori, Tibesti, Virunga.
Largest Lakes: Victoria (26,828 square miles), Tanganyika (12,700 square miles), Nyasa (11,430 square miles)
Climate: Regions: very hot deserts, tropical wet and dry, Mediterranian, humid, subtropical, marine, warm temperate upland, and mountain.

Economy

Agricultural Products: Crops consist of bananas, beans, cashews, cassava, citrus, fruits,cocoa, coffee, corn, cotton, dates, maniac, millet, olives, palm nuts and oil, peanuts, plantains, pulses, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, sweet potatoes and yams. Livestock consists of camels, cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, and sheep.

History

Around 5,000 B.C.to 1,100 B.C. an incredibly powerful and rich civilization existed in Africa. This civilization was ancient Egypt. Out of all of the ancient African civilizations, we know most about Egypt. The Egyptians got most of their water and fertile land from the Nile River. Since the Nile was their only source of water for miles around, the Egyptians designed an ingenious system called irrigation. Irrigation is a system in which water is flows through manmade canals therefore making the land it flows through rich and fertile. The Egyptians' ruler was called the Pharaoh. Everything in the Egyptian civilization was centered around the pharaoh. Most of the taxes went to him, most of the food went to him, and he was treated like a god. Egypt was a very powerful country because of its willingness to expand and conquer, and therefore gain power. There were three different time periods that Egypt is classified into. There was the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. The Old Kingdom collapsed when huge building projects made the people and governors mad and they rebelled. Then there was the Middle Kingdom. Then the Middle Kingdom was ended when the Hyksos invaded the Nile delta. Then the pharaoh Ahmose reunited Egypt by fighting the Hyksos and taking the delta back. This marked the beginning of the New Kingdom. The New Kingdom collapsed when new armies challenged the pharoah and soon one of the most powerful and well-known empires in Egypt collapsed.

Another great culture in Africa besides Egypt was Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was at its prime in the year 1400 A.D. It had great walls of stone and was greatly fortified against enemies. Unfortunately we do not know much about life in ancient Zimbabwe. We do know, however, that Zimbabwe was very large, with walls that twisted and curved like a snake. There were many houses and a marketplace. The inhabitants of Zimbabwe lived very well. Then, mysteriously, the Zimbabwe civilization started to die out. All that is left of that great civilization is ruins.

Another tragic part of Africa's history happened much more recently. Americans in the 18th century went over to Africa in great ships, and enslaved innocent Africans. The heartless Americans enslaved whole villages and tribes. They would beat the Africans, and stuff them in the holds of the ships. Then, they would go on the long journey across the Atlantic, and sell the Africans as slaves. Many of the slaves escaped from their masters and fled north, but many were tortured, killed, and forced to work to death. This was a tragic loss for Africa, and the heartlessness of the deep south slave owners will not soon be forgotten.

Africa Today

Today, Africa is considered to be a very exotic continent. With its incredible wildlife, deserts, and ancient ruins, it remains a great place to visit and learn about. Many people visit Africa to go on safaris, learn about African culture, or just to see this magnificent place. Unfortunately, Africa as a whole is a rather poor place. It is disease ridden in many places, and there is much suffering. Many people are working very hard to help African children and adults have a better chance at life. However, not all Africa is poor, and many Africans lead lives much like you or I do. Africa is a very diverse continent, with much to offer and enjoy.

The Seven Continents- Profiles- Asia

ASIA

Population: 3,335,672,000
Density: 193.5 per square mile
Literacy: 65.5%
Birth Rate: 27 people a year per 1,000 people
Death Rate: 9.25 people a year per 1,000 people
Growth Rate: 1.8%
Main Languages: Chinese, Hindi, Bengali, Japanese, Punjabi, Javanese, Korean
Principal Religions: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Shintoism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism
Largest Cities: Seoul, Bombay, Jakarta, Tokyo, Shanghai
Consisting Countries

Asia is a continent that has been very important to the World. People have been living there for thousands of years. In fact, the first traces of civilization began in Mesopotamia, a part of Asia. Asia is the continent with the huge country of China. In the 15th and 16th century, a great monument in China was being built. It is called the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is the only man made super structure that can be seen from space. It is also a monument of human advancement considering that it was built in times before our major technological ages.


History
Asia has been in many wars and has a bloody history. A little after 2500 BC one of the most ancient civilizations that we know of was in Asia. This civilization is known to us as Sumeria. Sumeria, like so many other ancient civilizations built started out as seperate city-states. They built great temples, and had mighty armies. A powerful ruler named Sargon united this great empire. After Sargon's death, Sumeria fell apart.

In the 13th-16th century another Empire began to form called China. Today, China takes up a large amount of Asia. They conquered and built a huge empire. The Chinese even produced a whole new way of life. The Chinese were mighty in battle and built the great wall of China to defend them from the warring tribes that lived north of them. The Great Wall is a massive structure, snaking through the hills of northern China. In fact, the Great Wall is so large that it is the only man-made structure visible from space.

In the 20th century there has been much turmoil in Asia. Asia has been through the Gulf War, the Vietnam War, and World War II. During WWII, the Japanese were allied with the Germans. This made them enemies with the USA. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, and that marked the official start of WWII. The Japanese went through terrible trouble, however, because the US retaliated by twice bombing Japan with an atomic bomb. This bomb was devastating to Japan, leveling cities and killing many people, so Japan surrendered. In fact, even years later, the Atom sickness killed many people who were not even alive when the bomb struck. When Japan surrendered, WWII was finally at an end.

Another thing that Asia has gone through in the 20th century is Communism. Russia was formerly the USSR, and Communist, and parts of China still are communist. North Korea is also a Communist nation.

Today though, many people in Asia live normal lives by American standards. Asian children go to school, while their parents go to work. They eat foods that may be strange to us (maybe not, haha), but they dress like you or I would, and they have the same types of thoughts and feelings. Though some of their customs may be different, their basic lives are much like ours.

Fun Fact!
Asia is also the largest continent in size and population with a population that is over half the Earth's population most is in China.

Climate

Climates range from steaming hot, humid temperatures to freezing cold mountains. Most southern parts are hot, moist, humid, and tropical areas, while up north it is just freezing.

The Seven Continents- Profiles- Europe

EUROPE

POPULATION: 742,400,000
DENSITY: 183.0 persons per sq. mi
MAIN LANGUAGES: Russian, German, French, English, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, Romanian, Dutch, Serbo-Croatian
MAIN RELIGIONS: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Judaism
LARGEST CITIES: Moscow, London, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Berlin


It can easily dazzle you beyond belief. Though it is the second smallest continent it has centuries of interesting history and has been home to some of the strongest nations of all time. It had power from the ancient times when the Greeks and Romans were making a name for themselves, to the great nations of the 1700's, Spain, France, and England. It has been the land of ancient empires, medieval kings, and two world wars. What is this land you may ask? It is Europe.


Though Europe is the second smallest continent, it has the second largest population. Its name comes from either Ereb, which is the Phoenician word for sunset or Europa, the daughter of the Phoenix in Greek mythology. It has a diverse culture and many different kinds of people. Europe really has something for everyone.


King Arthur, Merlin, Fairy princesses and courageous knights, are all things that can be found in European fable. Many of the most known fairy tales come from Europe. Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood are just a few examples. Stories in Europe were passed down from generation to generation. Then two men, the brothers Grimm, decided that these stories should be written down so that they wouldn't be forgotten and lost forever. The brothers walked all over Germany just collecting these stories. Now you can find these stories at any library. Just look for fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers. European fable is a very interesting part of their culture.


History

Ancient Times:

In ancient times the Greeks and Romans were the most prominent civilizations in Europe. They had great empires, and greatly influenced many cultures that came after them. Both spread their power to the far reaches of the known world at that time. One of the most important things that they left behind that greatly influences American society today is the fact that the Romans had on of the first democracy. Though both empires rose and fell, their effects are still felt. The Greeks and Romans controlled much of Europe in ancient times.

Middle Ages:

After the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe was dominated by Christian kingdoms, wrongly thought by the Romans to be "barbarians". These kingdoms were gradually forged into countries.

For a time, these countries used the feudal system. The feudal system is what many people think of as medieval times. In the feudal system, there was a feudal lord who would rule like a king over his estate. The feudal lord had a "right" to anything on his estate. The feudal lord got his position because somewhere along the line he or one of his ancestors found favor with the King. Each lord would swear loyalty to his King in exchange for the land and power his position received. Each lord in turn gave land, called a feif, to his knights. Peasants also lived on the feif with the knights. The peasants paid rent to live on the land and had to also work and fight for the knight. The lowest class of the peasants were slaves, with no possessions. The first countries to use the feudal system were France and Germany. It spread to England, and the Holy land later on. Feudalism was also used briefly in parts of Spain and Italy.

As would be expected in such a society, rebellion set in. People began to dislike the fact that only the king could make the decisions that mattered. In England the lords insisted that their king to agree to what they called the "Great Charter". This allowed the nobles to set up a counsel of advisors that the king was to refer to. Other countries followed this example.

The Vikings were the terror of the sea to the people of medieval Europe. They lived in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and were a race of traders and pirates. Since they lived in a cold climate with meager farmland, the vikings became traders and raiders. The Vikings made many raids on the French coast, and for a time, they even controlled part of France, Normandy named because the Vikings were also know as the Norse. The Vikings told famous stories called sagas. Through these sagas, modern historians know that the Vikings even went to America long before Columbus ever did! The Vikings were adventurous people, but however were pirates.

Industrial Revolution:

In the year 1790, Europe had changed little from the middle ages. The population was small, and most people lived in rural areas. The individual states, or kingdoms, were passed down from one generation to the next, staying in the same family. The Holy Roman Empire in Germany was divided into 350 principalities, duchies, counties, and bishoprics. The ordinary people seldom had any say in their government. In the late 18th century, "takeoffs" into industrial growth were experienced. Machines started being used instead of people, and new inventions sprang up everywhere. Class barriers began to break down, and the poor people, who before had almost been slaves, now had a more prominent place in society. The industrial revolution was a breakthrough that seperated medeival times from the modern world.

Europe Today

Many things that we think of today as American really originated in Europe. Baseball for instance has its European counterpart in Cricket. Apple pie, another thing that we think of with the old USA was made by European housewives hundreds of years before England thought of making a colony on America. Even blue jeans were invented by a European, (a German), Levi Strauss! If all Americans traced back their roots far enough, many would find that they had ancestors in Europe. Many movie stars today are European in origin, like Arnold Schwarzeneger and Sandra Bullock. Some aspects of America are a lot more European than you might think.

Climate
Europe's climate varies greatly like America, but they all experience different seasons, and face cold winters, and hot summers. The more north you go, the colder it gets however.

FACT:
Europe borders Asia, and some people consider it one continent and call it, Eurasia.

The Seven Continents- Profiles- North America

NORTH AMERICA

Area: 9,355,000 square miles
Climate(s): arctic, subarctic, tundra, marine, mountain, Mediterranean, temperate, highlands, interior plains, coastal plain, tropical, semiarid and arid.
Population: 528,720,588 [2008 est.]
Density: 22.9/km2 (59.3/sq mi)
Main languages English, French, Spanish
Principal Religions: Roman Catholics, Protestants, Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy
Literacy: 89.6%
Largest cities: Mexico city, New York city, Los Angeles, Chicago, Santo Domingo, Havana, Guadalajara, Houston, Philadelphia, Nezahualcoyotle, San Diego, Monterrey, Detroit, Montreal, Pueblo, Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio.
Imports: 53.8 percent
Exports: 46.2 percent


History

North America, the land mass the houses "The land of the free and the home of the brave"; a.k.a The United States of America, Canada, all the way down to Mexico. The rest of the world has only known about North America for a short time (in comparison to the other continents). However, that does not mean that it was uninhabited. North America was inhabited for thousands of years before Europeans discovered this great landmass. Thousands of years ago, a land bridge connected Asia and the United States. Asian nomads worked their way across the land bridge and stayed in this new land. The land bridge gradually disappeared and the Asians separated into different tribes, spreading across the whole stretch of the United States. They grew used to life on North America, and expanded quickly. So, even though people of European descent have lived on North America for hundreds of years, North America was really discovered by the natives.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. That is a rhyme that many children use to remember the year of Columbas' journey to the New World. Columbus was searching for a quicker route to Asia, but just happened to hit North America. He thought that he had landed in India, however, so he called the natives Indians. Columbus' discovery opened up North America for colonization and further exploration. However it was said the Vikings accidentally discovered it first.

More and more people came to North America to settle and start a life of their own. They would set up colonies, or places on another part of the world controlled by a country far away. Most of the colonies were controlled by Britain, although France, Portugal, and Spain also had colonies there. At that time Britain controlled over half the world. The British taxed their colonies heavily and cruelly gave them no representation in the British Parliament. Soon the colonies rebelled and claimed independence. That was the start of The United States of America. Soon after, Canada and Mexico also claimed there independance. That marked the beginning of a free and independant North America.

Slowly this "New World" developed into one of the most economicly and technologicly advanced continents in the world. In fact the United States of America's power and technology greatly aided the British in World War one and two, although most countries in North America try to stay neutral in wars. Today North America is full of resources and economic wealth. Today North America is home to twenty two indepentent countries.

Technology and Industry

North America is blossoming with technology and economic wealth. There is every thing from stealth bombers to computers to video games. There is a foreign trade of over one trillion dollars in North America. The United States of America is especially wealthy (however at the time we are in a bad recession). They are also one of the most technologicly advanced countries in the world. A good example of American technology is the plentiful computer equipment sold there. The worlds largest computer company in the world Microsoft has their headquarters there. There is also their space program, NASA. They were the first to land a man on the moon. Also in the United States is one of the worlds most powerful militaries. That United States military played a key role in the second World War, the Vietnam war and the Gulf war. United States neighboring countries (Mexico and Canada) unlike America have medium economies and, unfortunately the small countries around Mexico in central America are fairly poor. North America is a very diverse culture. People tend to call it the "melting pot". There are examples of every way of life, from the most technologicly advanced countries to the small poor ones.

Climate, Geography, Terrian and Wildlife

North America also has a very diverse climate. It ranges from the arctic cold of alaska and Canada to the tropical heat of central America. The terrain is also very diverse. There's everything from plains to mountains, desterts to tropical forests, frozen artic lands to deserts. There are also many large cities such as Mexico city, New York city, San Francisco, and Chicago. North America is also home the the second and third largest countries in the world, Canada and the United Sates of America. Also located in the United States of America is the hottest place on North America, Death Vally, California.