What Are Continents and Oceans?

A Planet of Land and Water

If you could look at Earth from space, the first thing you'd notice is how blue it is. About 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water, and the remaining 29% is land. That land is clustered into seven large masses called continents, and the water fills five vast basins called oceans. Together, they form the basic geography of our planet.

The Seven Continents

Asia is the largest continent — both in area and population. It stretches from Turkey in the west to Japan in the east and includes everything from the Himalayan mountains (the world's tallest) to vast deserts and dense tropical forests. More than 4.7 billion people live in Asia — roughly 60% of everyone on Earth.

Africa is the second-largest continent and home to the Sahara Desert (the world's largest hot desert), the Nile River (often considered the longest river), and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. It's also where the earliest humans lived — making Africa the birthplace of our entire species.

North America spans from the frozen Arctic of Canada and Greenland down through the United States and Mexico to the tropical countries of Central America and the Caribbean. South America is connected to it by the narrow Isthmus of Panama and features the Amazon Rainforest (the world's largest tropical forest) and the Andes Mountains (the longest continental mountain range).

Europe is the second-smallest continent but has been enormously influential in world history, science, and culture. It's home to over 40 countries packed into a relatively small area. Australia (sometimes called Oceania when including the Pacific Islands) is the smallest continent and the only one that is also a single country. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent — a vast ice sheet with no permanent human residents, only research scientists.

The Five Oceans

The Pacific Ocean is by far the largest — it covers more area than all of the land on Earth combined. It stretches from the Americas in the east to Asia and Australia in the west. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and separates the Americas from Europe and Africa. The Indian Ocean lies between Africa, Asia, and Australia and is the warmest of the five.

The Southern Ocean (also called the Antarctic Ocean) encircles Antarctica, and the Arctic Ocean sits at the top of the world around the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ocean, and much of it is covered by sea ice — though that ice has been shrinking due to rising global temperatures.

They Haven't Always Been Where They Are Now

About 200 million years ago, all of today's continents were joined together in one supercontinent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, tectonic plates slowly pulled them apart. South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces — because they once were one piece. The continents are still moving today, drifting a few centimeters per year. In about 250 million years, scientists predict they'll collide again to form a new supercontinent.

Why This Matters

Knowing the continents and oceans is geographic literacy at its most fundamental. Just as reading requires knowing the alphabet, understanding world geography requires knowing the seven continents and five oceans. These are the largest features on our planet, and they provide the framework for understanding climate, culture, history, trade, and current events. When a child hears about a hurricane in the Caribbean, a conflict in the Middle East, or a scientific discovery in Antarctica, continent and ocean knowledge provides the mental map for placing these events in context.

This knowledge also builds global awareness and empathy. Children who can locate Africa, Asia, and South America on a map are better prepared to understand the diverse cultures, environments, and challenges that exist around the world — an increasingly important perspective in our interconnected age.

Where Kids Get Stuck

The most common confusion is between continents and countries. Children often list "China" or "Brazil" when asked to name continents, or they think Africa and Europe are countries. Emphasizing that continents are massive landmasses containing many countries — and using maps that clearly show the boundaries — helps establish the correct hierarchy.

Another difficulty is the sheer size of oceans. On many maps, oceans appear as empty blue spaces between the "important" landmasses. In reality, oceans cover 71% of Earth's surface, regulate climate, produce half of the world's oxygen, and contain more life than all land environments combined. Giving oceans equal attention to continents corrects this imbalance.

Students also struggle with the boundary between Europe and Asia. Since they share a continuous landmass (Eurasia), the division is cultural and historical rather than geographic, which feels arbitrary to children who've been told continents are "separate landmasses." Acknowledging this complexity honestly — "scientists don't all agree on the exact boundary" — teaches children that geographic categories are human constructs.

Try This at Home

• Puzzle map — Get a floor puzzle of the world or print a blank map. Practice placing continents and labeling oceans. Repetition builds automatic recall.
• Continent fact cards — For each continent, create a card with: largest country, population, one famous landmark, and one unique animal. Compare the cards.
• Ocean size comparison — Research the area of each ocean and create a bar graph. Which ocean is largest? How much larger is the Pacific than the Atlantic?
• News geography — When you hear a place in the news, find it on a map together. Which continent is it on? Which ocean is nearest? Build the habit of geographic curiosity.

For more ideas, see our guide: Teaching Kids About Maps.

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Last reviewed: May 2026