Ms. Sheets University High School From www.worldatlas.com AP World Geography Ms. Sheets University High School From www.worldatlas.com

Geography of the World

Africa Africa, the planet's 2nd largest continent and the second most-populous continent (after Asia) includes 54 countries. South Sudan is the continent's newest country. With a 2011 population of 1,032,532,974, it accounts for 14% of the world's population.

Africa: Topographical Map Africa contains the Nile River system, the world's longest, and the massive Sahara Desert, the world's largest.

Africa: Satellite View Notice where desert is, and where the natural separation is created between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. This area is called the Sahel Grasslands.

North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan occupy the region called the Sahel Grasslands and are therefore the transition zone from North Africa to Sub-Saharan Africa.

West Africa; East Africa; Central Africa; Southern Africa Countries of note: North Africa: Libya; Tunisia; Algeria West Africa: Mali; Ghana East Africa: Sudan; Ethiopia; Kenya Central Africa: Congo Southern Africa: Angola; South Africa

Asia As the largest and most populous continent in the world with 3.8 billion people, Asia is composed of a wide variety of ethnicities, cultures, environments, history, and governments.  The continent makes up 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area, and 29.5% of its land area. 

East Asia Countries of note: China; Mongolia; North Korea; South Korea; Japan; Taiwan

Southeast Asia Countries of note: Vietnam; Philippines; Singapore; Indonesia

South Asia Countries of note: Afghanistan; Pakistan; India; Bangladesh

Southwest Asia (Middle East) The Middle East sits where Africa, Asia and Europe meet. The countries are all part of Asia, but for clarity they are shown here as a separate landmass.  **Egypt is also included in Southwest Asia, according to the AP World Exam** Countries of note: Egypt; Israel; Iraq; Turkey; Iran; Saudi Arabia

The “Greater Middle East” This is not a region recognized on the AP, but this is nevertheless significant as the Greater Middle East draws attention to the cultural similarities in the highlighted regions.

Europe Europe is the planet's 6th largest continent AND includes 47 countries and dependencies, islands and territories. Europe's recognized surface area covers 2% of the Earth's surface, and about 6.8% of its land area.  Europe is not a continent, but part of the peninsula of Eurasia . However, it's still widely referred to as an individual continent because of its cultural and historical distinctiveness. The European continent is separated from Asia by Russia's Ural Mountains and by the Caspian and Black Seas. It is separated from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea.

Europe: Topographical Map Notice how mountain ranges have created a separation between Italy and the rest of Europe. Similarly the Pyrenees separate the Iberian peninsula from France.

Europe: Rivers Map Major rivers like the Volga, Danube, Seine and Rhine allowed for travel and contact through Europe’s history.

Western Europe Countries of note: United Kingdom; Denmark; Germany; France; Portugal; Spain; Italy; Austria

Scandinavia Countries of note: Denmark; Sweden

Eastern Europe Countries of note: Russia; Poland; Ukraine; Greece; Serbia

Oceania Oceania, the planet's smallest continent, is without doubt one of the most diverse areas on the planet. Geography experts now consider the continent of Australia to be more accurately defined as Australia/Oceania.  Collectively it combines all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, as well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific Ocean and the islands that run along the northern and southern edges of the Equator, called Micronesia.

Oceania Countries of note: Australia; New Zealand

North America North America, the planet’s 3rd largest continent, includes 23 countries, and territories. It contains all Caribbean and Central America countries, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, USA, as well as Greenland - the world’s largest island.  North America is bordered in the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, in the southeast by the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. 

North America: Topographical Map Countries of note: Canada; US; Mexico

North America: Satellite Map

Caribbean The Caribbean, long referred to as the West Indies, includes more than 7,000 islands; of those, 13 are independent island countries (shown in red) on the map, and some are dependencies or overseas territories of other nations.  Countries of note: Cuba; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Jamaica

Central America Central America, a part of North America, is a tropical isthmus that connects North America to South America. It includes 7 countries and small offshore islands. The land is fertile and rugged, and dominated by volcanic mountain ranges that have a few active volcanos.  Countries of note: Guatemala; Panama

South America South America, the planet's 4th largest continent, includes 12 independent countries and 3 major territories; the Falkland Islands, Galapagos Islands and French Guiana.  Countries of note: Colombia; Peru; Brazil; Bolivia; Argentina; Chile

Satellite Map of South America The continent contains the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela; the largest river (by volume), the Amazon River; the longest mountain range, the Andes, and the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile. 

Topographical Map of South America In addition, it includes the largest rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest; the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia; the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca; and, excluding research stations in Antarctica, the world's southernmost permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro, Chile. 

Latin America Latin America includes South America, the Caribbean, and Central America.