Seven Continents, Five Oceans, and Two Hemispheres
Atlas the friendly explorer stands in a bright map room beside a giant spinning globe, pointing to glowing continents and oceans while two bold crossing lines light up in yellow and blue.
- Name the seven continents on a world map.
- List the five oceans that cover most of Earth.
- Identify the equator and the prime meridian on a globe.
- Explain how these two lines split Earth into four hemispheres.
Key terms
- Continent
- A very big piece of land on Earth.
- Ocean
- A huge body of salty water on Earth.
- Equator
- A pretend line around Earth's middle.
- Hemisphere
- One half of the round Earth.
Land and Water
Earth is covered with land and water. The big pieces of land are called continents, and there are seven of them: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. The water in between forms five oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. The Pacific is the biggest ocean of all. Land and water together make up our whole planet.
Two Big Lines
Map makers draw two pretend lines to help us talk about places. The equator wraps around Earth's middle and splits it into a top half and a bottom half, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The prime meridian runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and splits Earth into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. These lines are not really painted on Earth.
Worked examples
Is the Atlantic a continent or an ocean?
- Ask if it is land or water.
- The Atlantic is full of salty water.
- Water bodies this big are oceans.
Answer: The Atlantic is an ocean.
Which line splits Earth top and bottom?
- Picture a line around the middle of Earth.
- That middle line makes a top and bottom half.
- The line around the middle is the equator.
Answer: The equator splits Earth into top and bottom.
Activity
Sort each card into Continents or Oceans — where does each one belong?
Practice
Name three of the seven continents you remember.
Which ocean on Earth is the biggest one?
Common mistakes to avoid
- The Pacific is a continent.The Pacific is an ocean made of water, not land.
- The equator is painted on Earth.The equator is only a pretend line drawn on maps.
Check your understanding
How many continents does Earth have?
Which line wraps all the way around Earth's middle and splits it into a Northern and Southern Hemisphere?
Which five bodies of water are Earth's oceans?
Antonio says the Pacific is a continent. Is he correct?
Which line runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and splits Earth into Western and Eastern Hemispheres?
Recap
Today we learned Earth has seven continents and five oceans. The equator wraps around the middle to make north and south halves, and the prime meridian runs pole to pole to make east and west halves.
Reflect
Which continent would you most like to visit someday?