Navigation
Travel across the Atlantic Ocean to discover the continents of Europe and Africa.
If you hopped on a plane in North America and flew East over the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, what giant lands would you see first?
When we look at a world map, we see huge pieces of land called continents. If we travel across the Atlantic Ocean from where we live, we find two very important neighbors: Europe and Africa. Europe is located in the northern part of the map (the top), and Africa is located right below it in the south. Even though they are neighbors, they look very different from each other!
Follow these steps to find the continents: 1. Find the big blue Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the map. 2. Move your finger to the right (East). 3. The smaller land at the top is Europe. 4. The much larger land below it is Africa.
Quick Check
Which ocean do you have to cross to get from North America to Europe and Africa?
Answer
The Atlantic Ocean.
Africa is the largest continent in the whole world! Because it is so big, it has many different types of weather. The middle of the Earth, called the Equator, goes right through Africa. This makes much of the continent very warm and sunny all year round. Africa is home to amazing animals like elephants, lions, and giraffes.
Think about how big these continents are: 1. Imagine Europe is like a small car. 2. Africa would be like a giant school bus! 3. Africa is about times the size of Europe.
Quick Check
Is Africa larger or smaller than Europe?
Answer
Africa is much larger than Europe.
One of the most famous places in Africa is the Sahara Desert. It is located in the northern part of the continent. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world! It is covered in giant hills of sand called dunes. It is very dry there, and it hardly ever rains. The Sahara is so big that it is almost the same size as the entire United States!
Imagine you are an explorer in the Sahara: 1. You look around and see orange sand for miles and miles. 2. The sun is very hot because you are near the Equator. 3. You have to carry lots of water because there are no rivers nearby. 4. This giant sandy area covers the top of the continent of Africa.
Which continent is located directly North (above) Africa?
What is the name of the giant hot desert in Africa?
Africa is the smallest continent in the world.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember: Which continent is bigger, Europe or Africa? And what is the name of the big desert?
Practice Activity
Draw a map of the world and color Europe blue and Africa orange. Draw some tiny sand piles at the top of Africa to show the Sahara Desert!