Now let us find each of the seven continents by its shape and its place on the map.
Key idea
Asia is the biggest. Australia is the smallest. Antarctica is at the bottom, covered in ice. North America is above South America. Europe is above Africa.
- North America and South America are on the left, joined by a thin strip of land.
- Europe and Asia share one huge piece of land; Europe is the smaller western part.
- Africa is in the middle, below Europe.
- Australia is at the bottom right.
Why it works
Where a continent sits helps you find it: the Americas on the left side of most world maps, Africa in the middle, Asia on the right, Antarctica along the bottom.
Worked example: Two Americas
Which America is on top?
- North is at the top of the map.
- So North America is on top, and South America is below it.
Answer: North America.
Common mistake
Children mix up North and South America, and Europe and Asia, because each pair is joined. North is up. Europe is the smaller part to the west (left); Asia is the giant part to the east.
For the grown-up. Cut the seven continents out of an old map or a coloring page and put them together like a puzzle.