Physical map of the hemispheres - western and eastern hemisphere. Ground surface
Most of the continents are located in the Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth: Eurasia (with the exception of a small part of Chukotka), most of Africa, Australia and part of Antarctica.
Eurasia
Most of Eurasia is located north of the equator. Eurasia is the largest of the Earth's continents. Its area is 36% of the entire earth's landmass - 53.593 million km². It is not only the largest, but also the most populated continent; ¾ of humanity lives here.
The coastline is heavily indented, there are many bays and peninsulas, the largest of which are Hindustan and the Arabian Peninsula. In contrast to other continents, mountains in Eurasia are located mainly in the central part, and plains are located in coastal areas.
Eurasia is the only one that represents all the climatic zones of the Earth: equatorial, tropical, subtropical, temperate, subarctic and arctic.
Eurasia is washed by all four oceans: the Arctic in the north, the Indian in the south, the Pacific in the east and the Atlantic in the west.
Africa
Africa occupies the second largest area among the continents - 29 million km², and approximately 1 billion people live here.
The equator divides Africa in half, and its location makes it the hottest continent. In the central part of the continent the climate is equatorial, to the south and north it is tropical and subtropical. In the Sahara - the largest desert not only in Africa, but also on Earth - the highest temperature on the planet is recorded: +58 degrees.
The coastline is slightly indented, there are no large bays or peninsulas.
The relief of Africa is represented mainly by high plains, cut in some places by deep river valleys.
The coasts of Africa are washed by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean and Red seas.
Australia
Australia is located much south of the equator. Because of this geographical location, Europeans discovered it later than other continents - 100 years after the discovery of America.
Australia is the smallest continent on Earth, with an area of only 7,659,861 km². For this reason, geographers for some time considered Australia an island, but it is now classified as a continent because Australia is located on a separate tectonic plate.
Most of the continent is semi-desert and desert, but the climate of the southwestern part of the continent resembles the Mediterranean. The most interesting feature of Australia's climate, associated with its location south of the equator, is the “reverse” seasons: the warmest month is January, the coldest month is June.
The fauna of Australia is unique. This continent separated from the others before marsupial mammals were replaced by placentals, and became a true “nature reserve” for these animals.
Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean in the north and east, and the Pacific Ocean in the south and west.
There are six continents on planet Earth. Each of them is special and unique in some way. Some are icy kingdoms, others are summer. Some continents are huge in area, while others are quite insignificant, but also unique and inimitable.
The smallest continent on planet Earth is Australia. Its area is only 8.9 million sq. km. Australia is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet and is washed by the Pacific and Indian. The relief is predominantly low compared to other continents, unless you take Antarctica into account. The entire territory of the mainland is occupied by the state of Australia. Because of its size it was called a large island.
This continent differs from all existing ones in its plant and animal diversity. Australia is an amazing place, with many wonderful animals and plants. This is where the koala, platypus and echidna live. There are about 30 species of marsupials in Australia. The largest tree on the planet, the eucalyptus, took root here.
It is worth noting that Australia is the driest continent on our planet. Huge sandy deserts lie on its territory. There is an insignificant amount of precipitation throughout the year; even the African continent cannot compare with Australia in this indicator.
The capital of Australia is Canberra, and one of the largest cities is Sydney. Sydney with its Opera House, which is easily recognizable in any corner of the earth, and the role of this city in the history of world sports cannot be overestimated, since it was in Sydney that the Summer Olympic Games were held in 2000.
There are only six continents on planet Earth. A continent is a massif of the earth's crust rising above the level of the World Ocean. The smallest continent on our planet is Australia.
Continents of the globe
Continents include shallow coastal zones of seas (shelves) and islands located near them. Once upon a time, all parts of the world formed one continent - Pangea.
And today there are six, which are separated by oceans: Eurasia has the largest territory on the planet, its area is 55 million km. sq., South America – 18 million km. sq., Africa – 30 million km. sq., Antarctica – 14 million km. sq., North America – 20 million km. sq., Australia is the smallest continent, its area is 8.5 million km. sq.
Australia is the smallest continent on the planet
The area of Australia including the islands is about 8.9 million km. sq. Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans. The southern tropic runs almost through the middle of Australia. At the base of the relief of this continent is the Australian Plate. Its western part is raised. The Western Australian Plateau is located here, its height is 400-600 m, crystalline rocks emerge on its surface.
In the east of the continent, from the northern Cape York Peninsula to southern Tasmania, there is a folded region - the Great Dividing Range.
In the old days, Australia was called “Terra incognito”; today this land for us remains full of surprises and mysteries. Australia surprises with its diversity. There are endless ocean beaches and beautiful roads. This is the land of coral reefs and unbroken mustangs. Australia has no rivals in the number of unique animals and plants. The whole country, in fact, is a world-class reserve, while 80% of the animals are endemic, since they are found only here.
This continent, which turned out to be the smallest in the whole world, was first discovered by the Dutch. A significant amount of information was provided by the expedition led by Abel Tasman. He explored the northwestern and northern coasts of Australia in 1642-1643, and at the same time discovered the island of Tasmania. And James Cook pioneered the east coast in the 18th century. The development of Australia began at the end of the 18th century.
Country Australia
Australia is the country that ranks sixth in terms of area. This is the only state that occupies an entire continent.
The capital of Australia is Canberra. Its area is 7682 thousand km. sq. Its share of the planet's land area is 5%. Population: about 19.73 million people. Of the total world population, this share is 0.3%. The highest point is Mount Kosciuszko (2228 meters above sea level), the lowest point is Lake. Eyre (16 meters below sea level). The southernmost point is Cape Southeast, the northernmost is Cape York. The westernmost is Cape Steep Point, the easternmost is Cape Byron. The length of the coastline is 36,700 km (including Tasmania).
Administrative division: 2 territories and 6 states. The country's national anthem: "Go Awesome Australia!" Holiday - Australia Day.
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Man's acquaintance with the continents of the planet lasted throughout an entire historical period. The acquisition of important geographical information and a number of important finds began to be called the Age of Discovery. This knowledge of the Earth continued for two centuries.
Instructions
One of the most striking and exciting is the discovery of a new world - America. The navigator Christopher Columbus set out in search of a sea route from the European part of Eurasia to the Indian shores. In 1492, the ship landed on the shore of a picturesque island. Columbus believed that the crew had arrived on the Indian coast. Because of the confidence of the navigator, the natives of America - the Indians - got their name. Columbus and his crew were terribly disappointed in their discovery. Trade with the locals was not promising. And only at the beginning of the 16th century, the navigator Amerigo Vespucci discovered a new world for the inhabitants of Europe. He guessed that Columbus, on his expedition, mistakenly mistook America for the coast of India.
The Northern Hemisphere is the northern half of the globe. It originates at 0° latitude or and extends north to 90° north latitude or . The word hemisphere means half a sphere, and since the Earth is a sphere oblate at the poles (an ellipsoid), it is divided into two hemispheres.
Geography and climate of the Northern Hemisphere
Map of continents located in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth
Like, the Northern Hemisphere has a diverse climate. However, the Northern Hemisphere contains more land mass, so it is even more diverse, which has a significant impact on weather and climate patterns. The lands of the northern hemisphere include Europe, North America and part of South America, two-thirds, and part of the island of New Guinea, and are washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans.
Winter in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from December 21 or 22 (winter solstice) until the spring equinox on March 20. Summer begins with the summer solstice on June 20 or 21 until the autumn equinox on September 22 or 23. These dates are determined by the tilt of the Earth's axis. During the period from December 21 (22) to March 20, the axis in the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, and during the period from June 20 (21) to September 22 (23), it is tilted towards the Sun.
To make it easier to study the climate of the Northern Hemisphere, it is divided into several different climatic regions. The Arctic is the region that lies north of the Arctic Circle at latitude 66.5°. The climate here is characterized by very cold winters and cool summers. During the winter, the polar region is in complete darkness for 24 hours a day, while during the summer it receives 24 hours of sunlight.
The North Temperate Zone extends south of the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer. This climate region is characterized by mild summers and winters, but specific regions within the zone can have very different climate patterns. For example, the southwestern United States has an arid desert climate with very hot summers, while the state of Florida in the southeastern United States has a rainy season and mild winters.
The Northern Hemisphere also includes the portion of the tropics between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator. This area is generally hot all year round and has a rainy summer season.
The shadow of a sundial moves clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere. During the day, the Sun tends to rise to its maximum while remaining in a southern position, except in regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, where the midday Sun can be seen in the north, directly overhead, or in the south depending on the time of year.
When viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the Southern Hemisphere. The North Pole tilts away from the Milky Way's galactic center, making the Northern Hemisphere better suited for deep space observation because it is less illuminated by the Milky Way.
Coriolis force and the Northern Hemisphere
An important component of Northern Hemisphere physics is the Coriolis force and the specific direction in which objects are deflected in the northern part of the Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, almost any object moving above or on the surface of the Earth is deflected to the right. Because of this, any large masses of air or water north of the equator tend to swirl clockwise. For example, most ocean currents in the North Atlantic and North Pacific turn clockwise. In the Southern Hemisphere they move in the opposite direction, as all large objects are deflected to the left.
For the same reason, air currents tend to spread in a clockwise pattern. Thus, clockwise air circulation in the Northern Hemisphere is typical for areas of high atmospheric pressure (anticyclones). On the other hand, areas of low atmospheric pressure (cyclones) tend to swirl air in a counterclockwise direction. Hurricanes and tropical storms (massive low-pressure weather systems) rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
Population of the Northern Hemisphere
Map of the distribution of the Earth's population
Since the Northern Hemisphere has a larger land area than the Southern Hemisphere, it is not surprising that it is home to the world's largest cities and a significant portion of the world's population (more than 6.5 billion people, or about 90% of the entire Earth's population). By some estimates, the Northern Hemisphere contains 39.3% of the land and 60.7% of the ocean, while the southern half of the planet accounts for only 19.1% of the land and 80.9% of the ocean.
Ptolemy in his work "Almagest" canonized the following 48 ancient constellations, which still bear the name Ptolemy. Zodiac constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Northern constellations: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus, Bootes, Northern Crown, Hercules, Lyra, Swan, Charioteer, Ophiuchus, Serpent, Arrow, Eagle, Dolphin, Foal, Pegasus, Triangle. Southern constellations: Whale, Orion, River, Hare, Canis major, minor, Ship, Hydra, Chalice, Raven, Centaurus, Wolf, Altar, Southern Crown, Southern Fish. Ptolemy did not consider Coma Berenices a separate constellation.
Arab stargazers, in addition to lunar houses, gave various names for individual bright stars. Having become acquainted with the astronomy of the Greeks and translating Ptolemy's Almagest, they changed some of the names according to the positions of the stars in the drawings of the Ptolemaic constellations. In the 12th century, a Latin translation of the Almagest was made from Arabic, and in the 16th century, directly from Greek, based on found manuscripts. The stars of the southern hemisphere, unknown to Greek astronomers, were divided into constellations much later. Some of them were planned by the Arabs.
There is no doubt that the navigators of the 15th and 16th centuries (Vespucci, Corsali, Pigafetta, Peter of Medinsky, Gutman) gradually assembled new constellations during their travels to the southern seas. They were put in order by Peter Dirk Keyser. During his stay on the island of Java (1595), he determined the locations of 120 southern stars and placed constellation figures on them. The following 13 constellations were included, based on Keyser's inventory, in the atlases of Bayer (1603) and Bartsch (1624): Phoenix, Goldfish, Chameleon, Flying Fish, Southern Cross, Water Snake, Fly, Bird of Paradise, Southern Triangle, Peacock, Indian, Crane, Toucan. Of these, the Southern Cross was known to Ptolemy and formed part of the Centaurus.
The current names of constellations and stars represent an amalgam of these lists and translations. Ancient drawings of constellations are completely lost. Only distorted figures on Arab globes of the 13th century have reached us; for example, on a globe in the Borghese Museum in Veletri (1225), in the mathematical society in Dresden (1279), in the London astronomical society, etc. At the beginning of the 16th century, the famous Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer drew constellations according to their description by Ptolemy.
Unfortunately, not a single authentic copy of Dürer's drawings has survived. Dürer's drawings, modified by other artists, were reprinted in the star atlases of Bayer (1603), Flamsteed (1729). Then the figures of the constellations of the latest layout appeared. Currently, constellation drawings are no longer printed. The credit for banishing the “menagerie” from astronomical atlases belongs to Harding. He published a celestial atlas in 1823, where only the boundaries of the constellations were plotted.
Most of the surface of our planet is covered with water. Observers from space see the Earth, not covered by clouds, as blue. It would be more correct to call it not planet Earth, but planet Ocean.
The world ocean is divided into the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic Oceans. The average depth of the oceans is 3711 m, and the greatest is 11,022 m in the Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean. Large land masses - continents - rise above the oceans. There are six of them - Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australia. The continents rise on average 875 m above sea level. The highest point on Earth is in Asia - Mount Chomolungma, or Everest, in the Himalayas - 8848 m. Two-thirds of the planet's surface is occupied by plains and low mountains, and a third by medium and high mountains. Small areas of land within continents lie below sea level.
On the coast of the Dead Sea in Asia there is the lowest elevation - 395 m. If you compare the Northern and Southern hemispheres, it is easy to notice that the Northern hemisphere is less covered with water (a total of 61% - approx.. Large continents are located here - Eurasia and North America, a significant part Africa and part of South America. In the Southern Hemisphere, water occupies 8 1% of the entire territory.
Map of the Earth's hemispheres - eastern hemisphere
In the Southern Hemisphere there are two relatively small continents - Antarctica and Australia, parts of the continents of South America and Africa. In addition to continents, islands rise above the surface of the ocean - small areas of land surrounded on all sides by water. The largest of them are Greenland, New Guinea, Kalimantan, Madagascar.
Historically, when Europeans discovered and explored new lands, they gave them names. Europe was the Old World for them, they considered Asia a separate part of the world - approx.. After the discovery of America, Europeans called both continents - North and South America - the New World. The rest of the world - Africa, Antarctica and Australia coincide with the continents.
