What is the Smallest & Largest Continent by Land Area / Population?

A continent is defined by being a large continuous area of land that is generally separated by a
body of water. Continents are made up of many countries and have millions and in some cases
billions of people that call it home. There are 7 continents on planet Earth: Africa, Antarctica,
Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Some combine the continent of
Europe with the continent of Asia and refer to it as Eurasia. Others combine North America and
South America and refer to it as the Americas or American continent. So which is the biggest,
smallest, largest, tiniest, etc?

The simple question of what is the largest continent or the smallest continent can be slightly

What is the Largest Continent?

Largest Continent by Land Area: Asia

Biggest Continent by Population: Asia

What is the Smallest Continent?

Smallest Continent by Land Area: Australia

Smallest Continent by Population: Antarctica

If you want to see full countdown lists from largest to smallest continents by both land area and
population read on below to find infographics, table lists, and more!

Biggest Continent to Smallest Continent by Land Area / Mass

The largest continent by land area is Asia with 43,800,000 (km2) and represents more than
29% of the total land area on planet earth. The smallest continent by land area is Australia
with 9,008,000 (km2) which represents just 6% of the total land area in the world.

This infographic above counts down from the biggest continent to the smallest showing the
outline of each continent along with the land area in square kilometers and square miles. It also
includes a calculation of what portion of the worlds land area each continent represents. A chart
below offers the data used for the infographic. Select the name of the continent to learn more
about it.

Continent Area (km) Area (mi) % Worlds Land Mass

Asia 43,826,647 16,921,556 29.32%

Africa 30,375,489 11,728,037 20.32%

North America 24,496,933 9,458,315 16.39%

South America 17,844,711 6,889,879 11.94%

Antarctica 13,729,854 5,301,124 9.19%

Europe 10,189,745 3,934,281 6.82%

Australia 9,008,598 3,478,238 6.03%

Total 149,471,977 57,711,429

When looking at the size of the continents by population, the rankings of biggest to smallest
continents get re-ordered. In addition to being the largest continent by land area, the largest
continent by population is Asia with more than 4.46 billion people living within its boundaries.
Asia currently has 62% of the worlds population.

The smallest continent by population is Antarctica. Due to the harsh conditions, Antarctica
does not have any permanent residents but at any given time there are a few thousand
researchers, scientist, or tradesmen staying on the continent

The chart below lists the continents in order from largest to smallest along with each continents
total population. Be sure to select the continent if you want to learn more about it.

Continent Population % Worlds Population

Asia 4,460,032,418 62.00%

Africa 1,125,307,147 15.64%

Europe 605,148,242 8.41%

North America 563,485,525 7.83%

South America 403,464,140 5.61%

Australia 36,304,997 0.50%

Antarctica 4,490 0.00%

Total 7,193,746,959

Some Interesting Facts on the continent of Asia

1. Asias population-of over 4 billion people-is greater than that of the all the other
continents combined.
2. In China, it is not uncommon to come across canned fresh air on sale. This is due to the
widespread air pollution that has rocked the country due to its expansive industrialization.
3. Both the highest point on land, Mount Everest (over 8,848 meters above sea level), and
the lowest point on land, the Dead Sea (-395meters), are found in Asia. It is continent of
varied landscape.
4. Everyone in Vietnam has the same birthday, which is celebrated on the Vietnamese New
Year (aka Tet). Day one of the lunar calendar marks the beginning of a new year, and as a
result, the Vietnamese, alongside the Koreans, calculate age based on the number of lunar
years that have elapsed.
5. Still on the New Year, Thailand celebrates this event (known as the Songkran festival)
not on 1st January, but sometime in mid-April, for three days. Even more bizarre is the
way Thais celebrate this day-using water guns and water pistol to spray each other.
6. In 2005, a Chinese billionaire built the worlds largest shopping mall in in Dongguan,
China. It is so big, it boasts of an indoor rollercoaster. What is even more interesting is
that fact that since it opened, 99 percent of the mall has remained unoccupied.
7. Like many other nations, North Korea does have a Christmas festival, but not to celebrate
the birth of Jesus Christ. Instead, Koreans celebrate the birthday of Kim Jong IIs mother,
on December 24.
8. China is so wide that naturally, it should cut across up to 5 separate time zones, but oddly
enough, it has only one national time zone (China Standard Time).
9. Japan is a wonderful place to live in, just as long as you dont get fat, because it is against
the law.
10. India is the worlds leading producer of Mangoes. Every year it produces about 12
million tons of the fruit.
11. Of the top ten tallest buildings in the world, nine are found in Asia.
12. Only two countries in the world, India and China, have a population above 1 billion
people, and both of them are in Asia.
13. The ten largest shopping malls in the world are all located in Asia.
14. India is a country of interesting customs. One of the most peculiar one is that people eat
with their right hand only. The left hand is out of limits because it is used for other
purposes-like wiping oneself after using the toilet, instead of using toilet paper.
15. Of the ten largest cities in the world (by population), seven of them are located in Asia.
16. Afghanistans National Game is not soccer, basketball, tennis; it is goat grabbing.
17. Only one country in the world has banned tobacco sale. It is called Bhutan, and is found
in Asia.
18. Being over 100 years of age is amazing. In Japan, there are over 50,000 people who have
surpassed the 100-year mark.
19. Sholapur is no typical Indian town. It has a bizarre tradition where newborns are thrown
from the top of a 50-feet-high tower to symbolize health, wealth and good fortunes.
20. In China, it is common for children to be named after events. What is interesting, though,
is that there are over 4,000 people named Aoyun, or Olympic Games.
21. The worlds most spoken language is not English, but Mandarin Chinese, which boasts of over
one billion speakers.
22. The Arabian Desert found in Saudi Arabia is the worlds largest continuous sandy desert.
23. Many countries boast of two, three of even five official languages. India alone has 30 of them
while Indonesia brags of 12.
24. The original merchant farmers were all from Asia, not Africa.
25. The second oldest people in the world are the Japanese. They have a median age of 44.6,
coming second only to Monacos people.
26. Although the pop culture paints all Asians as one the same, they are not. Japanese, Chinese,
Koreans, Indians, Arabs, and many more cultures are vastly different.
27. Most Chinese action movies had characters with a very unique hairstyleh-a tonsured beard and
pigtail. Well, that is not a fashion trend. It was actually a state enforceable law whose violation
was punishable by execution.
28. Asias size and position makes it the only continent that borders two other continents, Europe
and Africa. Sometimes during winter when the Bering Sea freezes, Asia joins with North
America.
29. Out of the three largest economies in the world, two are in Asia-China (second), and Japan
(third).
30. Some of the most fascinating and revered animals-the tiger, giant panda, king cobra, Komodo
dragon, and Asian Elephant-are all found in Asia.
31. Asia has always been thought of as being of Greek origin. In actual fact, there is no concrete
evidence of where the name actually came from.
32. In 2013, the worlds most toured city was not New York, London, or Paris; it was Bangkok,
Thailand, which recorded the highest number of international arrivals.
33. The ratio of mobile phone to people in North Korea is roughly 1:12. This means that in every
100 citizens, only 9 have mobile phones. North Korea thus scoops the global award for lowest
mobile phone density.
34. Asia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. That said, it is also home about 44
tribes with absolutely no contact to modern civilization. They live alone, in the jungles of
Indonesia and Papua.
35. Some Asian countries have more mobile phones is use more than the total population. Hong
Kong, for instance, has 2.36 mobile phones per person.
36. According to the WHO, Japans life expectancy is the longest in the world-87.3 years for
women, and 85 years for men.
37. As of 2012, there were more millionaires in Tokyo, Japan (460,700), than in New York City
(389,100).
38. Only two places on the planet are home to wild orangutans-the island of Borneo (shared by
Indonesia and Malaysia) and Sumatra (Indonesia). Both of these places are in Asia.
39. Turkey is home to the worlds tallest man (8 feet, 3 inches). The worlds tallest woman (7 feet,
8 inches) comes from China.
40. Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, effectively making it the worlds largest archipelago
Some interesting facts about Africa

Africa is the second-largest continent in the world both in size and population. As of 2009, about 14.7
percent of the worlds population resides in Africa.

Africa is home to over 1 billion people who speak over 1,500 different languages. One in every four of
the worlds language are spoken only in Africa.

Africas total size is roughly 11.7 square miles, representing about a fifth of the earths total landmass.
This makes it larger than India, China, Mexica, and USAs and a huge chunk of Europe combined.

During the early Mesozoic Era, Africa was attached to all the other continents to form one gigantic
continental landmass called Pangea. Pangea later broke apart to form the worlds continents as we
know them today.

Despite Africa being the second-largest continent in the world, it has the shortest coastline. This is due
to the many bays and edges that extend out of the coastline.

World civilization began in Africa. The Pharaonic civilization of ancient Egypt is the oldest literate
civilization. According to historical records, the Egyptian state dates back to about 3300 B.C.

Islam is the dominant religion in Africa. Christianity is the second. Arabic is also the most widely-
spoken language in Africa.

About 38% of all Christians are projected to be living in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by 2050.

Africa is the most centrally located continent in the world. Both the prime meridian (0 degrees
longitude), and the equator (0 degrees latitude) cut across it.

The hippopotamus is Africas deadliest animal. It kills more people in Africa than do crocodiles and
lions combined.

Today, the San people, who reside in southern Africa, use the same tools as those found in a cave,
which dates 44,000 years back.

About 41 percent of children in Africa aged between 5-1 years are actively involved in child labor.

In Africa, just like in Asia, people have to walk an average of 3.7 miles daily to fetch water for various
uses.

39 percent of children under the age of five years in Burundi are underweight.

Over 90 percent of all malaria cases reported worldwide come from Africa. Every year, 3,000 children
die from the disease.

In Swaziland, Africa, one in every four adults is HIV positive.

To date, over 17 million people in SSA have succumbed to AIDS. Estimates put the current number of
HIV infection in Africa at 25 million people.

16 countries in Africa record higher rates of vaccination than the U.S. alone.

The Second Congo War, which began in 1998 and lasted until 2006, claimed the second-highest
number of casualties (5.4 million lives), after World War II. The conflict involved eight African countries.

According to the World Bank, Seychelles had a 92 percent women literacy rate in 2010. Chads
equivalent was 13 percent while Nigers was 15 percent.

As of 2010, it took 216 days to complete each procedure required to start a business in Guinea-Bissau.
In Rwanda, the same took only 3 days.
 Only 24 percent of SSAs rural population has access to standard sanitation. This is in comparison to
42 percent of the urban population with access to the same.

Tanzania, Africa, has the worlds highest Albinism rates. In the country, Albino are hunted by
witchdoctors to use their organs for rituals believed to heal diseases.

Witwatersrand, South Africa, produces almost half of all the gold mined in Africa.

More people speak French in Africa than do those in France.

A single tribe in Kenya-called the Kalenjin-produces most of the worlds fastest long-distance
runners.

Egypt is Africas most popular tourist destination. The country receives over 10 million visitors every
year. Cairo, Egypts capital city, is also Africas largest city.

Women from Africas Mursi tribe pierce their lips and wear plates as large are 5 inches in diameter,
inside them (lips).

Mainland Africa is home to two of Spains exclaves, Melilla and Ceuta.

The national flag of Mozambique has the image of an AK-47 assault rifle embedded into it. It is the
only national flag in the world featuring such a modern rifle.

All of Africas nations were colonized by the Europeans except two: Ethiopia and Liberia. The former
was an Orthodox Christian country, while the latter was established by African-American settlers from
the United States, who previously served as slaves.

Currently, Africa is united under a political organization known as the African Union (AU). The AU was
established in 2001. Only one African country, Morocco, is not a member of the AU.

Soccer and cricket are two of Africas most popular sports. They were both introduced during the
colonial era.

There are more than 100 million Facebook users in Africa

Africas largest country is Sudan. It has a total area of 967,940 square miles (2.5 million km2). The
smallest country on the continent is The Seychelles, which is an island nation covering just 453 km2 (175
miles2).

Nigeria has the highest population (154.7 million people) in Africa. This represents 18% of Africas
total population.

South Africa has the highest GDP (($182 billion) in Africa. Guinea Bissau has the lowest at $230 million.

The richest SSA country in terms of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is Equatorial Guinea. This is
83 times higher than that of Zimbabwe which is the poorest in terms of GNI per capita.

21 percent of SSA nations have one or two products accounting for their total exports. Most of these
exports are in form of agricultural produce.

As of 2008, South Africa consumes the most electricity per person (4,759.5kW/h) in Africa. Ethiopia
has the least consumption (42.3 kW/h).

The shortest distance between Africa and Europe is only 8.9 miles (14.3 kilometers) of ocean.

Africas Nile River is the worlds longest river. It has a total length of 6,650 kilometers (4,132 miles)
and cuts across 11 countries. It drains into the Mediterranean Sea from Africas Northeastern edge.

The largest island in Africa, located in the Indian Ocean (off Africas East Coast) is Madagascar. It is
also the fourth largest in the world.
 The Victoria Falls, located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the seven natural
wonders of the world. The Zambezi River is the falls main water source.

The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria. It is also the second-largest freshwater lake in the world,
spanning 26,830 square miles.

Africas Sahara desert is the worlds largest hot desert covering 9.1 million km2. Of the deserts of the
world, it is the third largest after the Arctic (second largest) and Antarctic (largest) deserts.

The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It rises 5895 meters (19,340 feet) above
sea level.

Both the worlds tallest and largest land animals both come from Africa. They are the giraffe and
African elephant, respectively.

The giraffe is already extinct in at least 7 African nations.

1. The first confirmed sighting of the continent was in 1820.

2. Explorers first reached the South Pole in 1911.

3. Because Antarctica lies in the southern hemisphere, seasons there are the opposite of seasons
in the north summer runs from October to February and winter covers the remainder of the
year.

4. Antarctica is the coldest continent; temperatures in the winter can drop below 73C (-100F).

5. The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at Russias Vostok Station in Antarctica: -
89.2C (-128.6F) on 21st July, 1983.

6. Antarctica is the driest continent; it is almost entirely desert. Very little snow or rain falls on
the continent, but because it is so cold, the small amount of precipitation that does fall does not
melt.

7. The ice can be more than 4 km thick in some places. This ice flowsoff the continent and
creates floating ice shelves over the ocean; these shelves break up and create icebergs. If
Antarcticas ice sheets melted, the worlds oceans would rise by 60-65 meters.

8. About 70% of Earths fresh water is in the Antarctic ice cap.

9. There are no countries in Antarctica; the continent is governed by an international treaty (the
Antarctic Treaty).

10. There are no permanent residents. But up to 1,000 people may be wintering over at various
research stations.

35 Interesting Facts about Europe

o With a land area of only 4,000,000 square miles, Europe is the second smallest
continent in the world, just behind Australia.
o Despite its relatively small size, Europe is quite populous. It comes right after Asia and
Africa in terms of population.
o It might be the second smallest continent, but Europe is home to the largest country in
the world. Russia is so big, in fact, that it takes up forty percent of Europes land area.
o Europe was the main location of several historical periods that made a huge impact on
the world like the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.
o When it comes to land area, Europe is only two percent bigger than Canada.
 o The etymology for the word Europe is uncertain up to the present time. Some people
like to think that it came from Europa, one of Zeuss many wives in Greek mythology.
o The name Europe might have originated from the Greek word eurus, meaning wide
or broad.
o Aside from eurus, the Greek word for wide, Europe might have also come from the
ancient Syrian word for sunset, ereb.
o The first historians who first used Europe (or an ancient variant of the name thereof)
as a geographical term was Hecataeus and Anaximander.
o The boundary between Asia and Europe changed a lot during the course of history.
Anaximander and Herodotus placed the boundary near the Phasis (modern day
Rioni)river, while Roman era historians like Ptolemy and Strabo placed it near Tanais
(modern day Don) river.
o Europe is also called as Frangistan or the land of the Franks in the vernacular of some
Turkic languages.
o Some of the worlds greatest empires were founded on European land. This includes the
ancient Roman Empire (the cradle of modern civilization, according to some historians),
and then later on, the British, Spanish, and Russian Empires.
o Aside from having the largest country in the world, Europe also has the smallest! The
Vatican has a land area of only 0.44 square kilometers.
o There are more than 250 distinct languages spoken in Europe.
o The largest city in Europe is Istanbul, if transcontinental countries that straddle both
Europe and Asia (like Turkey) is counted. Otherwise, Moscow is the largest, followed by
Paris and London.
o Europe is part of Eurasia, a giant continental landmass consisting both of Europe and
mainland Asia.
o Europe has many geopolitical divisions, some of which includes many countries that are
more proximate to other continents. For example, Cyprus (which is nearer to West Asia)
is considered as European. Sometimes, Israel can also be considered as part of
geopolitical Europe as well.
o While Greenland is closer to North America, it is still considered as part of Europe
because it is a dependent territory of Denmark.
o Transcontinental countries (i.e. countries that straddle both Asia and Europe), include
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey.
o The entirety of Portugal is in Europe, but it has an autonomous region (Madeira) near
Africa, and another (Azores) near North America. This would make Portugal a
tricontinental country since it has territories in three continent
Europes largest active volcano is Mount Etna, located in Sicila, in the southern part of Italy.
Vatnajkull (or Vatna Glacier) is Europes largest glacier with an area of more than 8,000 square
kilometers. Located underneath it are several volcanoes.
Evidence has shown that the Mediterranean Sea, which borders Europe, Asia, and Africa, have
dried up several times in the past. This is called as the Messinian Salinity Crisis.
If transcontinental countries like Russia were not counted, Ukraine would be Europes largest
country.
The idea to separate Europe and Asia (that both share a common landmass) came from the
Greeks. The boundary was at Hellespont (modern day Dardanelles) a strait located in the
northwestern part of Turkey.
Dardanelles (ancient name Hellespont), the strait that separates Europe from mainland Asia is
very narrow. Its only 1.2 to 6 kilometers wide.
Europes most visited tourist destination is not the Eiffel Tower or the Big Ben, but Disneyland in
Paris.
Bulgaria is considered to be the oldest country on Europe, since the countrys name was virtually
unchanged since 641 AD.
Europes largest country, Russia, is so vast, that there are literally thousands of uninhabited
villages inside the country that were abandoned due to lack of development and infrastructure.
While Mount Etna is Europes largest volcano, Mount Vesuvius might be the most popular. This
volcano, located east of Naples in Italy, is known for its eruption in AD 79 that destroyed
Pompeii and other nearby areas. It is still an active volcano, so theres a chance that it will erupt
again in the future (though the specific time for this is uncertain).
Historys biggest empire was European. In its golden days, the British empire managed to cover
one-fourth of the worlds territories.
The worlds largest colony of ants was found in Europe. This colony measured a whopping 6,000
kilometers long, and spanned all the way from near the Atlantic coast of Spain to the northern
part of Italy.
 There are around 730 million people living in Europe today. This figure constitutes about eleven
to twelve percent of the worlds current population.
There is a period in European history that is still full of mystery and intrigue. Called the Age of
Migrations this historical period happened when various tribes (Vandals, Lombards, Goths,
Saxons, and Vandals) made their way to Europe, and was estimated to have ended around 500
AD. The reasons for this mass migration of tribes still remain unclear up to this very day, and
there are very little written records about it.
A number of European countries have weird laws. For example, in Switzerland, it forbidden to
flush the toilet after 10 in the evening. Also, the country forbids mowing the lawn and
laundering clothes during Sundays. In France, theres a law that bans people from naming their
pet pigs Napoleon. In the United Kingdom, dying in the House of Parliament is illegal. Greece
bans all forms of electronic games- not just gambling games- but also harmless ones like online
chess, Solitaire, and most mobile games that you play on your phone.

Interesting Facts in Australia

There are over 200 different languages and dialects which are spoken in Australia. This
includes 45 indigenous languages, as well non-English languages like Greek, Italian, Cantonese,
Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Arabic.
Australia is the largest island in the world. Its total size is 7.6 million square kilometers. The
entire landmass is considered a continent. Despite its stature as the worlds largest island, it is
the smallest continent in the world.
Australia is renowned for its pioneering inventions. Among popular inventions from Australia
are plane Black Boxes, penicillin, wine casks, car radios, aspirin, penicillin, smoke alarms, engine
lawn mowers, and many others. In recent years, Australians invented the selfie.
Australias nickname of The land down under arises from its location in the Southern
Hemisphere. Thanks to this location, summer runs from December to February (meaning that
theres no snow during Christmas). Also, compared to the Northern Hemisphere, the stars in
Australia are upside down.
Australia is the 6th largest country in the world in terms of land mass. It covers a total area of
2,966,200 square miles. The top 5 largest countries in order are Russia, Canada, China, USA, and
Brazil.
The name Australia is derived from the Latin word australis which means southern. The
names dates back to a 2nd-century legend of terra australis incognita (the unknown southern
land). When the explorer Matthew Flinders first encountered the country, he named it Terra
Australis. This was later abbreviated into Australia.
The inland taipan native to Australias deserts is considered the most venomous snake in the
world. A single bite from this snake can inject enough venom to kill 80 (yes, eighty) fully grown
men. This is more than 20 times the potency of the King Cobras venom.
Australia is the country which has the largest number of deserts in the world. It has a total of
10 deserts which cover 18% of the countrys mainland. However, because of receiving extremely
low rainfall, approximately 35% of the country could as well be termed a desert.
The largest desert in Australia is the Great Victorian Desert. Located in Western Australia, it
covers 4.5% of the countrys mainland. At 348,750 square kilometers in size, this desert is 1.4
times the size of the UK.
Australia is the country with the largest number of plant species in the world. It has over
25,000 known plant species. Comparatively, the whole of Europe has around 17,500 and the
United States has 18,000 plant species. To make matters even more amazing, new plant species
are still being discovered.
In 2012, Qantas Airways flew a commercial flight from Sydney to Adelaide powered by
cooking oil. The flight was part of a Qantas experiment to test whether biofuels are an effective
alternative to conventional aviation fuel.
Australia is home to the worlds monotremes. A monotreme is an animal which lays eggs, but
then suckles its young. The only two monotremes in the world are the echidna and platypus.
The platypus isnt found in any other country in the world besides Australia. The echidna is
found in Papua New Guinea only.
 The most deadly spider in the world is found in Australia. The Sydney Funnelweb is the only
spider whose poison can kill a grown man in less than 2 hours. The Funnelweb spiders fangs are
so strong that they can penetrate through a persons fingernails.
Australia boasts of the worlds longest fence. Known as the Dingo Fence, it is approximately
5,400 kilometers and runs from Jimbor in Queensland to the Great Australian Blight in South
Australia. This fence is twice as long as the Great Wall of China. It was initially built to keep wild
dogs (dingoes) away from fertile land.
Located in South Australia, the Anna Creek Station is the largest cattle ranch in the world. At
6,000,000 acres (8,000 square kilometers), it is seven times larger than King Ranch the largest
ranch in the US. In fact, Anna Creek Station is larger than Israel.
The Australian Outback is considered one of the best star-gazing locations in the world. On a
clear night, the naked eye can detect close to 5,780 stars.
The Box Jelly Fish, native to Australia, is considered one of the deadliest marine creatures on
the planet. It is renowned for its extremely potent venom. In Australia, box jelly fish have killed
more people than sharks, crocodiles and stonefish (another venomous fish) combined.
Australia boasts of having the longest straight section of road and railway in the world. The
longest straight section of road is 146 km and the longest straight section of railway is 478 km.
Both cross the Nullarbor Plain which runs from South to Western Australia.
In 1954, the Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawkes entered the Guinness Book of Records
for his beer guzzling prowess. He sculled (drank in a swig) 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. He
later credited his feat for enabling him to win an election.
The Queensland lungfish is considered the oldest living fossil in the world. Also known as the
Australian lungfish, Burnett salmon or barramunda, this fish has been in existence since the
Triassic period some 350 million years ago.

The oldest fossils in the world were discovered in Australia in 2011. The microbial fossils which
were unearthed on a beach in Western Australia are believed to be 3.4 billion years old.
The Great Barrier Reef located off-the-coast of Northeastern Australia is the worlds largest
coral reef. Covering a total area of 132, 974 square miles, it is the largest living organism in the
world. It is also the only living thing which is visible from outer space.
The male lyrebird, which is native to Australia, is perhaps natures greatest imitator. It can mimic
the calls of up to 20 birds. On top of that, it can perfectly mimic the sound of a camera shutter, a
car alarm, and a chainsaw.
The two creatures found in Australias Coat of Arms are the Kangaroo and Emu. The most
interesting characteristic of both creatures is that they are incapable of walking backward. As
such, they represent Australias desire to constantly move forward.
The Kangaroo Australias national emblem can grow up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) high and
weigh up to 90 kg (198lb). However, at the time of its birth a baby kangaroo is often only 1
centimeter in size.
Australia is the worlds biggest gambling nation. Australians spend more money per capita on
gambling than any other country. The country is also home to a full 20% of the worlds poker
machines.
In 1983, Australians ended the Americans 132-year dominance of the Americas sailing cup. For
132 years, no non-American team had ever lifted the trophy. This streak was broken in 1983 by
a group of Australians in a yacht aptly-named Australia II.
The Eight-Hour Workday was first instituted in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1856. It was
instituted following a strike by stonemasons. They insisted in splitting up the day into three i.e. 8
hours for work, 8 for play and 8 for sleep. This has now become an international standard.
The first pictures of the Apollo 11 Moon Walk in 1969 were beamed by the Honeysuckle Creek
tracking station. This observatory which was located just out of Canberra provided the world
with the first glimpses of the famous spacewalk.
The city of Brisbane in Australia hosts an annual cockroach racing tournament. The event, which
attracts competitors from all over the world contains up to 14 events, including a sprint.
Participants can either bring their own roaches or buy some from the venue for $5. Winners can
pocket up to $2000.
In 1940, one of the most remarkable feats in aviation history occurred in New South Wales,
Australia. Two airplanes collided mid-air. Instead of crashing, bursting into flames or bouncing
off each other, they got stuck together. In an amazing demonstration of flying skill, the pilots
managed to land the planes safely.
 The Burning Mountain, in New South Wales, is home to the worlds oldest underground fire.
This coal fire which is located 30 meters (100 feet) underground has been burning continuously
for the past 5,500 years.
Chinese explorers are believed to have landed in Australia almost 200 years before Europeans.
As early as the 1400s, Chinese sailors and fishermen were visiting Australia to get sea cucumbers
and trade with the natives.
Australia is home to the largest wild camel population in the world. In 2013, there were over 1
million wild camels. This prompted the government to introduce a culling program which was
heavily criticized. The camels are now caught and exported to Saudi Arabia where they are
used for meat.
Australias first police force was formed in 1788. Named the Night Watch, its ranks were filled
with the best-behaved convicts.
36 Lake Hillier, which is located on the Recherche Archipelago off the coast of Western
Australia is one of the most unique lakes in the world. Its water boasts of a bright pink color.
No other water body has such a color. Scientists havent yet discovered the reason for this
strange (but beautiful) pink color.
The Gympie-Gympie, found in Australias forests, is considered one of the most dangerous
plants. Just toughing it can earn someone an excruciatingly painful sting. This is because the
plant is covered with stinging hairs which deliver a powerful neurotoxin to anyone who touches
it. This toxin can cause extreme pain, induce vomiting and even kill.
Australia holds the record for the largest victory ever earned in an international football match.
In 2001, they trounced American Samoa 31 0.
Australia is the largest producer of Opal in the world. Almost 95% of the worlds opal and 99% of
the rare black opal are produced in the world.
Despite being one of the largest countries in the world, Australia is one of the most sparsely
populated. It has a population density of only 3.3 people per square kilometer. To put this into
perspective, the US has 32.3, France has 118, Germany has 226 and the UK has 262 people per
square kilometer.

Some Interesting Facts about North America

North America is the third largest continent in world, ranking just below Asia and Africa (which
are the first and second largest continents, respectively).
North America covers an area of 24.71 million square kilometers or 9.54 million square miles.
This means that 16.5% of the Earths total land area is taken up by North America alone.
Despite being the third largest continent in the world, North America only ranks fourth when it
comes to population. It is outranked by Europe which has a population of 739 million (North
American only has 461 million).
The word America comes from the name of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. He is the first
person to have realized that the West Indies and Brazil are actually not connected to Asia (as
what most people have conjectured from the voyages of Columbus), but are part of another
separate landmass of their own.
The name America used to refer to only South America alone. However, when the land mass
of present North America were added to maps, most mapmakers opted to retain the original
name.
North America is contained entirely within the Northern and Western Hemispheres.
Gerard Mercator, a geographer, was the first documented mapmaker who chose to name both
the north and south parts of the American landmass as America in 1539.
North and South America are usually considered as subcontinents, while America is the larger
continent of which these two are part of.
The most dominant languages in North America are Spanish, French, and English. There are also
a large number of people who speak Danish, but they are mostly confined to Greenland.
With an area of almost 10 million square kilometers, Canada is the largest country in North
America. It is followed by the United States (9.9 million square kilometers), Greenland (2.2.
million square kilometers) and Mexico (2 million square kilometers).
North America is bordered by three of the worlds largest oceans, namely the Atlantic, Arctic,
and Pacific.
Based on mitochondrial evidence, scientists have concluded that all Native Americans come
from a single population group that lived during the time of the last ice age. This population
then boomed for the next thousand of years and is then conjectured to have spread quickly
throughout the Americas via the Pacific Coast route.
The first Native Americans are believed to have migrated from Asia through a land bridge that
once connected the two continents more than 15,000 years ago.
 Two of the worlds largest tectonic plates are in North America. They collide frequently along
California and Alaska, which usually causes violent earthquakes in the area.
North Americas lowest point is the Badwater Basin, located in Death Valley National Park, Inyo
County, California. It has a surface elevation of -86m and is 282 feet below sea level.
North America is divided into four main geographic regions: the West (includes most of Mexico,
the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, California,), East (Florida, the Appalachian Mountains) Great Plains
(prairies in Canada and the central United States), and the Canadian Shield.
North Americas highest point is Mount McKinley (also called as Denali), which is a mountain
peak located in Alaska. It has a summit elevation of 20,310 feet above sea level.
United States and Mexico are the most populous countries in North America, with a population
count of 318.9 million and 122.3 million, respectively.
Mount McKinley or Denali, considered to be the highest point in North America, is the third
most prominent as well as the third most isolated mountain peak after Mount Everest in Nepal
and Aconcagua in Argentina.
Death Valley, where North Americas lowest point is located, is also where the worlds highest
air temperature was recorded. The reading of 134 degrees Fahrenheit was taken on July 10,
1913 at the aptly-named Furnace Creek.
The most populous city in North America is Mexico City, with a population of over 21 million.
Following closely behind is New York City, with a population of 20 million.
North America encompasses 23 sovereign countries and 25 dependent territories.
North America is also notable for having the most number of Olympic gold medal winners as of
this present time.
North America is the only continent in the world that has all climatic types. It has savanna and
tropical rainforest in Central America, tundra in the northern parts of Canada and Alaska, and
permanent ice cap in Greenland. There are also semi-arid and desert conditions near areas
surrounded by high mountains.
Three of North Americas largest urban agglomerations are located in the United States:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
The worlds longest coastline is in North America. Canada has a coastline of 202,080 square
kilometers, more than twice as big as Norways (83,280 square kilometers) which comes next to
it in the list.
Of the 5416 known and named species of mammals in the world, 965 can be found in North
America. Famous North American mammals include deer, coyotes, deer, possums, beavers,
bears, wolves, squirrels, and rabbits.
Death Valley, where North Americas lowest point is located, receives less than a cupful of
rainfall per year. It is considered as the continents driest region.
Gray whales are one of the most epic creatures that reside in North America. They
circumnavigate the length of the continent every year; they spend the winter in the warm
lagoons of Mexico, then move on to the colder waters of the Arctic Ocean in the summer.
The west coast of North America is prone to seismic activity. Mexico, in particular, has suffered
the brunt of some devastating earthquakes in recent times.
The worlds largest fresh water lake is in North America. Lake Superior, located on the border of
United States and Canada, has a total surface area of 82,100 square kilometers. It is also the
largest of North Americas Great Lakes.
Dolphins in North America (particularly those living in the Mid-Atlantic coast) exhibit a certain
behavior that cant be seen anywhere else in the world. They operate as a single unit, to drive
fish to land in order to catch it for food.
The lions mane jellyfish, usually found near the Californian coast, is the worlds largest jellyfish.
Its tentacles can grow up to sixty feet in length, and its body can span 10 feet wide.
Over four hundred tornadoes rip through the prairies in North America on a yearly basis.
John Rut sent the first letter from North America in 1527. The letter was sent from St. Johns,
Newfoundland, to King Henry VIII in England.
North America has been host to the Olympics twelve times. The first North American country to
host the event was the US, in 1904.
North America grows half of the worlds corn supply.
The term North America encompasses different countries according to context. North America is
usually referred to only Canada and the United States together, but in some cases, Greenland
and Mexico can also be included.
Cratons are considered as the geological heart of continents because they are located near the
center of tectonic plates and are usually very stable. The craton of North America is called
Laurentia.

Some Interesting facts on South America

 Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. It is 979 meters
high, and its water plunges for 870 meters uninterrupted.
The Atacama Desert in Chile is considered the driest place in the world. Some parts of it have
never received a single droplet of rain since scientists began keeping records. Still, it supports
over a million people.
The Amazon River has the largest water volume of any river in the world. In fact, it has more
water than the next seven largest rivers combined.
The Andes Mountains is the longest mountain range in the world. It stretches for 4,400 miles
along the west coast of South America, from Chile to Venezuela. It passes through Argentina
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
The Amazon Forest is the largest natural rainforest forest in the world. At 2.7 million square
miles, it covers 40% of South America. Its square area can fit about 40 USAs.
At its narrowest point, the mighty Amazon River is just 1.8km across. However, it is 130m deep.
This point is located in the town of bidos in Par State, Brazil.
The Amazon River has over 15,000 tributaries. Four of these tributaries are over 1,000 miles
long. The Amazon itself is 4,195 miles long making it the second-longest river in the world.
The Aconcagua in Argentina is the highest mountain in South America. At 22,837ft, it is actually
considered the second-highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest in Asia.
La Paz and Sucre (both in Bolivia) are the two highest altitude capitals in the world. They are
located at 11,942 feet and 9,022 feet respectively. Sucre is considered the constitutional capital
of Bolivia, but La Paz is the seat of its government.
In Brazil alone, around 150 different languages are spoken. However, the most widely spoken
languages are Portuguese and Spanish.
The Brazilian Amazon is home to the largest uncontacted native populations in the world. It is
estimated that there are at least 70 native communities living within the forest whove never
had contact with the outside world.
The language of Quechua is the most common indigenous language in South America. It is
believed to have originated from the Incas. It has 46 dialects and is spoken by 8 million people
scattered across parts of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina.
The largest country in South America by far is Brazil. It covers about half of the
continents land mass. At approximately 202 million, Brazils population is also the
largest on the continent.
The smallest country in South America is called Suriname. It is about 50 times smaller
than Brazil. At only 540,000 people, it also has the smallest population on the continent
(and one of the smallest in the world).
Suriname is the most heavily forested country in South America. According to the UN
F.A.O, approximately 94.6% of the countrys total land mass (which is 64,000 square
miles) is covered by forests.
Sao Paolo in Brazil is the largest City in South America. With a population of 20
million (as of 2014), it is also one of the largest cities in the world.
In Laguna southeastern Brazil fishermen have learned how to catch fish with the help of
dolphins. The dolphins drive schools of fish towards the fishermens nets and even signal to
them when to cast the nets.
Ecuador is the first country in the world to have granted constitutional rights to Nature. This
means that the ecosystem is a legal entity which can sue or get sued in a court of law.
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was named one of the New Seven
Wonders of the World in 2007. It is 124 feet high (38 meters) and weights 1.4 Million lbs (635
tons).
The Virgen de la Paz monument in Argentina is the largest statue in both North and South
America. Measuring 154 feet high, it is taller than both the statue of Christ the Redeemer and
the Statue of Liberty.
In Venezuela, there is a unique meteorological phenomenon called, Catatumbo lightning. It
occurs at the point where River Catatumbo meets Lake Maracaibo. During the phenomenon,
lightning can strike Lake Maracaibo continuously for about up to 10 hours at a time. The
phenomenon lasts for around 160 days.
South America was named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Although the continent
was first discovered by Columbus, it was Amerigo who first proved that it wasnt part of the Far
East (as postulated by Columbus). He was therefore given the honor of having the continent
named after him.
 The country Venezuela was named after the Italian city of Venice. Americo named it
Veneziola, Italian for Little Venice, after observing the native houses built on Lake
Maracaibo. The houses had reminded the explorer of Venice.
The most famous mythical creature in South America is el chupacabra. This vampire-like
creature is believed to attack cattle and goats and drain their blood.
The port city of Buenaventura in Colombia is considered the wettest inhabited place on earth. It
is also considered the rainiest city in the world. This city remains an average of 6,000 to 7,000
mm of rain per year.
For close to 150 years, Brazil has been the largest exporter of coffee in the world. In the 1920s,
close to 80% of the worlds coffee came from Brazil. Currently, it supplies roughly one-third of all
the worlds coffee.
Venezuela has the largest known oil and gas reserves. It has about 300 billion barrels of oil and
21,000 quadrillion cubic feet of gas reserves. It also has one of the most heavily subsidized
petroleum products markets on the planet. A liter of petrol costs $0.1 courtesy of the fuel
subsidies.