CONTINENTS and OCEANS TIME FOR KIDS

VOCABULARY Areas: region or tract of land Oceans: large body of salt water Planet: celestial body revolving the sun Vast: very great in extent Voyage: journey to a distant place

Earth is covered with water and land. There are four vast bodies of water called oceans. The seven large areas of land are called continents.

To visit all of the huge oceans and different continents, you would need to make a voyage around the world. A map could help you plan your trip.

RECORD HOLDERS! How high is the tallest mountain on our planet? What is the name of the longest river? Where is the shortest river? If you’ve ever wondered about Earth’s extremes, take a look at these record holders.

The peak of Mount Everest is 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level.

THE ROOF OF THE WORLD Mount Everest is called the “roof of the world.” At 29,035 feet, it is the world’s highest mountain. It is in the Himalayas, a mountain range in Asia. Scientists figured out the height of Mount Everest in Soon many people wanted to climb to the top. It took 101 years for someone to reach that goal. On May 29, 1953, two people reached the “roof of the world.”

They were Edmund Hillary, from New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa climber from Nepal. Sherpas are people who live near Mount Everest. Climbing Everest has many dangers. There are often avalanches, or snow slides. Climbers can fall into huge cracks in the mountain, called crevasses.

Winds may blow at 125 miles per hour. Temperatures may be as cold as 40degrees below zero. There is less oxygen in the air, making it hard to breathe. People usually climb to the peak only in May and October. Then they miss the winter snows and the summer rains.

The longest river in the world is the Nile. Egypt's greatest river is 4,135 miles long !

Billed as the shortest river in the world, D River flows a mere 120 feet from Devils Lake, Oregon into the roaring ocean.