Major Geographic

Features of the Seven Continents

Social Studies for Sixth Grade

This lesson will be about major geographical features on all seven of the continents. The students will know about and be able to identify

the seven continents and various major geographic features the continents are known for.

In the following slide the students can click on any of the seven continents and it will display a map of the continent and the

geographic locations they will need to be able to identify. They can then click on those locations for further information about the region.

There will be a short quiz at the end of the presentation.

CLICK ON ONE OF THE EARTHS SEVEN CONTINENTS…

North America

South America

Antarctica

Africa

EuropeAsia

Oceania

CLICK HERE TO TAKE A SHORT QUIZ WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

Locate and click on the links for the following locations:•Alaska Range •Rocky Mountains•Appalachian Mountains•Great Lakes

•Mississippi/Missouri River•Rio Grande River•St. Lawrence River

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

Alaska RangeMountains that are located in south-central Alaska. The highest peak in North America is located here, Mt. McKinley at 20,320 feet.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

The Rocky MountainsThe mountains are 3,000 miles in length and extend all the way from the U.S. state of New Mexico all the way up through the western part of the United States clear into the northernmost part of Canada’s British Columbia.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

Appalachian MountainsAbout 1,500 miles in length expanding from the center of the U.S. state of Alabama through the eastern part of the U.S. all the way into the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Quebec.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

The Great Lakes The largest lake group in the world contains five fresh water lakes. Lake Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior cover an are of 95,000 square miles.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

Mississippi/ Missouri RiversThe Mississippi is the major river in North America and is 2,339 miles in length. The river runs from northwestern Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, just below New Orleans.The Missouri is the longest river in the United States with a length of 2,500 miles. The river runs from southern Montana in the Rocky Mountains to the state of Missouri where it meets the Mississippi River.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

Rio Grande RiverThe river runs from

southern Colorado

southeast to the Gulf of

Mexico and forms the

natural border between

Texas and Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

St. Lawrence RiverOne of the most important shipping routes in the world, the St. Lawrence connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. It contains man-made canals to allow the deep-water ships passage.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA

Locate and click on the links for the following locations:

•Andes Mountains•Amazon Basin

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAP OF THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

The Andes MountainsThe Andes Mountains are 4,500 miles in length, spanning the entire western coast of South America. Some of the earths largest volcanoes are located in the Andes.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO SOUTH AMERICA

Amazon BasinThis region is covered by the largest tropical rain forest in the world and covers 1/3 of South America. The Amazon River and its more than 1,000 tributaries run throughout the area.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO SOUTH AMERICA

LOCATE AND CLICK ON THE LINKS OF THE

FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

• Ural Mountains• Alps

• Balkan Mountains

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE MAP OF THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

Ural MountainsThe Ural Mountains form the natural border between Europe and Asia.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO EUROPE

AlpsThe Alps are known for glaciers, lakes, valleys, and the best skiing conditions in the world. The Alps are source of many major rivers of the region including the Danube River.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO EUROPE

Balkan MountainsThe Balkan Mountains are most famous for Mt. Olympus, the highest peak in all of Greece. It was the mythical home for the Greek God Zeus in ancient times.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO EUROPE

The planet’s largest continent covers 30% of the Earth’s surface and has 3 political divisions; The Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North Asia

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO SEVEN CONTINENTS

Locate the

Euphrates, Tigris,

and Indus Rivers.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO ASIA

Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, is located in the Himalayan Mounains in Southeast Asia. Mt. Everest is 29,035 feet tall.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO ASIA

North Asia is where the world’s largest country, Russia, and the world’s most populated country, China, are located.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO ASIA

Locate and click on the links for the following locations:

•Sahara Desert

•Kalahari Desert

•Congo River Basin

•Nile River

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

The Sahara DesertThe Sahara covers almost 1/3 of Africa and is the largest desert in the world being approximately 3.5 million square miles in size.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO AFRICA

The Kalahari Desert The desert is located at the southern tip of Africa.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO AFRICA

Congo River BasinThe Congo River Basin is about 1.4 square miles in size and almost 20% of the world’s rain forest is located there. The Congo River, pictured below, is the second longest river in Africa.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO AFRICA

The Nile RiverThe longest river in the world at about 4,160 miles in length and consists of dams, rapids, streams, swamps, tributaries, and waterfalls.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO AFRICA

Locate and click on the links for the following

locations:

•Australia•Micronesia•Melanesia•Polynesia

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

AustraliaThe continent of Oceania used to be called Australia but the name was changed to refer to Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and thousands of islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and known for its Great Barrier Reef, pictured here.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO OCEANIA

MicronesiaAlso known as the small islands. (remember: micro means small)

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO OCEANIA

MelanesiaPictured here is the independent country of Vanuatu located in Melanesia.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO OCEANIA

Polynesia

Also known as

many islands.

(remember: “Poly”

means many)

Pictured here is

Bora Bora part of

the French

Polynesia.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO OCEANIA

AntarcticaThe continent is almost 98% solid ice and is the coldest, windiest spot on the planet. Officially the population is none but tourists visit the region and governmental research stations exist there.

Be able to locate the South Pole and the Antarctic Circle.• The Antarctic Circle marks the northern limit of the area where one day or more each year the sun does not set or rise.•The South Pole is the most southern point on the Earth’s surface and where Earth rotates on its axis.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS

CLICK ON YOUR ANSWERS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. The Rocky and Appalachian Mountains are found on which continent.a. Europeb. Africac. North Americad. South America

2. The Ural Mountains form the Natural border between which two continents.a. North America and South Americab. Europe and Asiac. Europe and Africad. Africa and Asia

3. The southern most point of the Earth is located in which continent.a. Africab. Oceaniac. Antarcticad. South America

4. Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain is located in which continent.a. North Americab. Europec. South Americad. Asia

Click here when you are finished answering the questions

GREAT JOB!!!!!You Were Correct!

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION

The correct answer is North America.

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION

The correct answer is Europe and Asia

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION

The correct answer is Antarctica.

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION

The correct answer is Asia

CLICK HERE

Works Cited

www.worldatlas.comhttp://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/08/06/mountmckinley460.jpghttp://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/alpine/mtopview.jpghttp://www.wildearthguardians.org/Portals/0/images/photo_Rocky_Mountains_900x300.jpghttp://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/images/GreatLakes1.jpghttp://www.uplandtales.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/river.jpghttp://anquetil.colorado.edu/~arlowry/RGR/riogrande.jpghttp://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/images/ralls_46.jpghttp://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Ruiz/30410135_061_large.jpghttp://www.coolmelbourne.org/images/amazon-river-brazil-rainforest.jpghttp://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/geology/platetectonics/pictures/urals.jpghttp://citypictures.org/r-europe-148-france-218-alps-france-2493.htmhttp://www.toursonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/mount_olympus_3.jpghttp://www.asiatravel.com.np/uploads/gallery/Nepal/MountEverest.jpghttp://www.mccullagh.org/db9/1ds-4/sahara-desert-sand-dune.jpghttp://www.humanitysteam.org/files/547436.jpghttp://www.internationalrivers.org/files/images/CongoNasa.jpghttp://lucialai.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/egypt_river_nile.jpghttp://www.airah.org.au/AM/Images/Conferene_files/GBReef.jpghttp://www.newisraelblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Micronesia.jpghttp://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/static/html/features/where_to_go/images/06june/02_vanatu.jpghttp://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/static/html/features/where_to_go/images/06june/02_vanatu.jpg