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Discover the Secrets of the Continents
Planet Earth is divided into seven continents, each with its own identity, culture, biodiversity, and natural wonders. In this article, we reveal surprising facts, impressive figures, and little-known curiosities about the world’s continents.
Asia: The Giant of the World
🌏 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 44.58 million km² (the largest continent in the world).
- Population: Over 4.7 billion people (60% of the world’s population).
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- It contains both the highest and lowest points on Earth: Mount Everest (8,848 m) and the Dead Sea (-430 m).
- China has more inhabitants than America, Europe, and Oceania combined.
- India has over 19,500 registered languages and dialects.
- Japan has more than 6,800 islands, but most of the population lives on just four main ones.
- In Mongolia, horses outnumber humans by 13 to 1.
- In South Korea, banana milk vending machines exist because it became a post-war luxury item.
Africa: The Cradle of Humanity
🌍 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 30.37 million km² (the second-largest continent).
- Population: Over 1.4 billion people.
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- It holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land.
- Lakes like Victoria can provide water to millions of people.
- Modern humans (Homo sapiens) are believed to have originated here over 200,000 years ago.
- Lakes such as Nyos and Monoun can release deadly CO₂ clouds, suffocating everything around them.
- Madagascar is home to animals found nowhere else in the world, like the aye-aye and the fossa.
- Lesotho is the only country in Africa that is completely surrounded by another country (South Africa).
North and South America: The Continent of Extreme Diversity
🌍 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 42.55 million km² (the third-largest continent).
- Population: Over 1 billion people.
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- It has every climate on Earth, from the Arctic to the tropical rainforest.
- The Amazon rainforest produces 20% of the Earth’s oxygen.
- In Argentina, there is a province called «Tierra del Fuego» (Land of Fire), but it is cold almost all year round.
- The Amazon River has a parallel underground river called Hamza, which is four times larger.
- In Canada, there is an island called «No Man’s Island» (Hans Island), which is disputed between Canada and Denmark.
- In Bolivia, there is a hotel made entirely of salt, including the beds and furniture.
Europe: The Small Cultural Giant
🌍 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 10.18 million km² (the fourth-largest continent).
- Population: Over 750 million people.
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- Paris has more dogs than children.
- Vatican City is the smallest country in the world (0.49 km²).
- You can travel through 10 countries in a single day without issues (if there are no border traffic jams).
- In Norway, there is a town called Hell, and in winter, signs read «Hell frozen over.»
- San Marino is the oldest republic in the world, founded in 301 AD.
- Austria’s Grüner See park floods every spring, turning into a lake with submerged benches and trails.
Oceania: A Hidden Paradise
🌍 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 8.52 million km² (the smallest continent).
- Population: Over 42 million people.
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- Australia has more kangaroos than people.
- New Zealand has more sheep than inhabitants.
- Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries, with over 850 languages.
- Australia has a pink lake called Lake Hillier, whose unique color remains a mystery.
- Papua New Guinea is one of the few places where uncontacted tribes still exist.
- New Zealand has an official wizard, paid by the government, to perform ceremonies and humorous speeches.
Antarctica: The Frozen Desert
🌍 Surface and Population
- Surface area: 14 million km².
- Population: Around 1,000 people in winter and 5,000 in summer.
🔍 Fascinating Curiosities
- It belongs to no country, but many nations have research bases there.
- It is the largest desert on Earth, even drier than the Sahara.
- Emperor penguins can withstand temperatures as low as -60°C without problems.
- Sunken continents like Zealandia once stood above water.
- If the polar ice caps melted, sea levels would rise by over 60 meters.
- In 250 million years, continents are expected to merge into a new supercontinent.
- There are liquid rivers beneath the ice, including Whillans River, which flows despite extreme cold.
- Antarctica has mountains taller than the Alps, but they are hidden beneath the ice.
- In 1978, the first Antarctic-born human, Emilio Marcos Palma, was born at an Argentine base.
The World Is More Amazing Than You Ever Imagined!
Earth is full of secrets, mind-blowing facts, and fascinating curiosities that remind us there’s always something new to discover. Now that you know more about the continents, it’s time to explore them! 🌍✈️