FEATURES OF THE EARTH

There are 5 continents in the world

We can also find 6 if we divide North and South America or 7 if we include Antarctica

These continents are surrounded by 5 oceans that cover about 75% of the Earth’s Crust:

Arctic Ocean

Atlantic OceanIndian OceanPacific OceanSouthern Ocean

The Earth has many features, but we are going to learn only some of them.

Water features

• Sea: a body of salt water, eg: Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Sea of Marmara, Baltic Sea

• Ocean: also a body of salt water, but bigger than a sea, eg: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean

Where the sea and the land meet is called the COAST

• River: a moving body of fresh water that flows to other bodies of water such as bigger rivers, seas or lakes eg Mississipi, Nile, Volga…

• Lake: a small body of water surrounded by land eg Titicaca

Landforms • Mountain: a raised area of land. Some mountains are very high and rocky with snow on the top, and others are lower, with trees. The highest mountain in the world is Everest

• Hill: also a natural elevation of the land, but smaller than a mountain

• Plain: a large land area that is mostly flat

• Valley: a low land area between mountains

• Island: a piece of land with water all round

• Archipelago: a group of islands