CONTINENTS and OCEANS

TIME FOR KIDS

VOCABULARYAreas: region or tract of land

Oceans: large body of salt waterPlanet: celestial body revolving the sun

Vast: very great in extentVoyage: 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 WORLDMount 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 1852. 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

40 degrees 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.