Seven Continents: An Overview

• The topic is an overview of the seven continents of the world

Course Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to define and describe global culture and tourism geography, including its nature, scope, issues, and challenges
• Students will be able to differentiate and classify a country's political, cultural, historical, religious, and educational aspects where tourist attractions exist
• Students will be able to differentiate and distinguish countries' languages, festivals, cuisines, and tourist attractions, understanding cultural differences in major tourism destinations
• Students will be able to compare and examine selected countries, major travel destinations, entry points, and geographical features using mapping and familiarization

Asia

• Largest and most populous continent
• More than half of the world's population resides in Asia
• It covers 8.6% of the total surface of the Earth
• Represents 30% of the total land area
• Bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, Europe to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north
• Indian Ocean is to the south
• Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea are to the southeast
• Bering Strait lies to the northeast
• Divided into 6 sub-regions: Northern Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asi,a and Southeast Asia
• Central Asia includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
• Eastern Asia includes China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia
• Northern Asia is Russia
• Southeastern Asia includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
• Southern Asia includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka
• Western Asia, also known as the Middle East, includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen

Africa

• Second-largest continent
• Second most populous continent
• Covers 6% of the total surface of the Earth
• Represents 20.4% of the total land area
• Includes the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Indian Ocean to the east
• The Suez Canal and the Red Sea lie to the northeast
• Mediterranean Sea to the north

North America

• Third-largest continent
• Includes the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west/south
• Arctic Ocean to the north
• Carribbean Sea to the southeast
• It represents 16.3% of the total land area on Earth

South America

• Fourth-largest continent
• Includes the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west
• Caribbean Sea to the north
• The Isthmus of Panama connects the continents of South and North America
• Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay are the countries within

Europe

• Eurasia's westernmost peninsula
• Second smallest continent in terms of surface area
• It represents 6.8% of the surface area of the world
• It is approximately 2% of the surface of the Earth
• Separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains to the east, and the Black Sea to the southeast
• Bounded by the various bodies of water and the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south
• Eastern Europe includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Russian Federation and Ukraine
• Northern Europe includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom
• Southern Europe includes Albania, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Macedonia
• Western Europe includes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, and Switzerland

Australia and Oceania

• Smallest continent in the world
• Composed of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the south Pacific islands
• Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor are located to the north
• It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean

Antarctica

• Fifth-largest continent
• Southernmost continent
• Surrounded by the Southern Ocean
• Has extreme climatic conditions

Key Terms

• Globe: A representation of Earth
• Earth: The third planet from the sun, between Venus and Mars and which we live
• Longitude: The distance of a place east or west of an imaginary line from the top to the bottom of the Earth
• Latitude: The position north or south of the equator, measured from 0° to 90°
• Equator: An imaginary line drawn around the middle of the earth and equal distance from the North and South poles
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): The solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, also the mean solar time of the longitude (0°)
• International Date Line: An imaginary line extending between the North and South Pole, arbitrarily marking each calendar day from the next and along the 180th meridian of longitude
• Time Zone: A zone on the terrestrial globe approximately 15° longitude wide, extending from pole to pole, within which a uniform clock time is used