Continents

Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 2: Oceans and Continents · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 2.3

Learn

There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia (from largest to smallest). Asia is the largest and has the most people; India is in Asia. Australia is the smallest and is also a single country.

Antarctica, around the South Pole, is covered in thick ice all year. No one lives there permanently, but scientists stay at research stations. India has stations there named Maitri and Bharati.

Long ago, all land was joined in one giant landmass. Over millions of years it slowly broke apart, and the pieces drifted to where the continents are today. They are still moving, a few centimetres each year, about as fast as your fingernails grow!

Islands are pieces of land surrounded by water on all sides. India has two groups of islands: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea. Greenland is the largest island in the world.

Explore: continent or island?

1. Sort each card.

Remember

• Seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia.
• Continents slowly drift; islands are land surrounded by water, like Lakshadweep.

Quick check

Which is the largest continent?

1. Asia
2. Africa
3. Europe
4. Australia

Think about it

The east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa look like two jigsaw pieces. What might that tell us?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.