The seven continents
Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania — learn the names and a mnemonic.
A continent is one of the Earth's seven great land masses. Cambridge expects you to name and locate all seven on a world map.
| Continent | Quick facts for environmental management |
|---|---|
| Asia | Largest continent; most people; home to fast-industrialising LICs/MICs and megacities. |
| Africa | Second largest; the Sahara, the Congo rainforest, the Sahel; many low-income economies (LICs). |
| North America | Includes Canada, the USA and Mexico; high-income, high-consumption economies. |
| South America | Home to the Amazon rainforest — the largest tropical rainforest on Earth. |
| Antarctica | Coldest, driest, windiest; almost no permanent human population; protected by the Antarctic Treaty. |
| Europe | Densely populated, mostly high-income; long industrial history. |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands; many small island states vulnerable to sea-level rise. |
A simple memory hook. Take the first letters — A, A, A, E, N, S, O — or learn them by size, largest to smallest: Asia → Africa → North America → South America → Antarctica → Europe → Oceania.
A note on names. Some atlases call Oceania "Australasia" or simply use "Australia (continent)". Cambridge's syllabus uses Oceania, so use that word in the exam. Some teaching traditions teach a five- or six-continent model (combining Europe and Asia into "Eurasia", or the Americas into one). For 8291, always use the seven-continent model listed above.
- Seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Oceania.
- Asia is largest; Oceania is smallest; Antarctica is coldest and almost uninhabited.
- Use the word Oceania (not 'Australasia') in the exam.
- Each continent hosts different biomes and case studies you will meet later.