Continents and oceans
About 71% of the Earth’s surface is water and 29% is land. The land is divided into seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia (Oceania). The water is divided into five oceans: the Pacific (the largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.
Major relief features
| Feature | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Mountains | High land with steep slopes: fold, block, volcanic and residual | Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya, the Himalaya, the Andes |
| Plateaus | High, flat-topped land | East African Plateau, Tibetan Plateau |
| Plains | Large areas of low flat land | Serengeti plains, the Amazon basin |
| Rift valleys | Long valleys formed by faulting | The East African Rift Valley |
| Basins | Low land surrounded by higher land | Congo basin |
Mount Kilimanjaro (5 895 m) is the highest mountain in Africa and a volcanic mountain. The East African Rift Valley forms Lakes Tanganyika, Nyasa (Malawi), Rukwa, Natron and Eyasi.
Large inland water bodies
The major lakes and rivers include Lake Victoria (the largest in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world), Lake Tanganyika (the deepest in Africa), Lake Nyasa, and the rivers Nile (the longest), Congo, Zambezi, Rufiji and Pangani.
Vegetation
| Vegetation | Climate | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Equatorial rainforest | Hot and wet all year | Tall evergreen trees in layers, dense |
| Savanna | Hot with a wet and a dry season | Grass with scattered trees (acacia, baobab) |
| Desert | Very dry | Scattered xerophytes such as cacti |
| Mediterranean | Hot dry summer, wet winter | Evergreen shrubs and trees |
| Temperate forest | Mild with rain all year | Broad-leaved or coniferous trees |
| Tundra | Very cold | Mosses, lichens |
Temperature falls with height at about 6.5 °C for each 1 000 m. This is why Kilimanjaro has snow at the top even though it is near the Equator.
Choose the temperature at sea level and the height of a mountain.
Key terms
- Continent
- One of the seven large land masses.
- Plateau
- A high flat-topped area of land.
- Rift valley
- A long valley formed when land sinks between faults.
- Vegetation
- The plant cover of an area.
Summary
- 71% of the Earth is water and 29% is land.
- There are seven continents and five oceans.
- The main relief features are mountains, plateaus, plains and rift valleys.
- Natural vegetation depends mainly on climate.