Konkurs obejmuje treści zamieszczone poniżej
oraz podział polityczny Europy, umiejętnośćokreślania współrzędnych geograficznych, czytania map i planów.
THE EARTH / THE CONTINENTS
The continent with the largest land area is Asia.
The coldest recorded temperature was on the continent of Antarctica (Vostok in July, 1983).
The hottest recorded temperature was on the continent of Africa (Libya in September, 1922).
The highest point on Earth, Mt.Everest is in Asia (on the border of Tibet and Nepal). Mt.Everest is 29,028 ft. (8,848 m) above sea level.
The lowest point on Earth is on Antarctica. It is covered covered with ice and is 8,327 ft (2,538 m) below sea level.
The Highest Point on Each Continent in Order:
Continent / Highest Point (in feet and meters)Asia / Mt. Everest, Tibet/Nepal, 29,028 ft (8,848 m)
Africa / Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 ft (5,895 m)
North America / Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft (6,194 m)
South America / Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina, 22,834 ft (6,960 m)
Antarctica / Vinson Massif, EllsworthMts.,16,066 ft (4,897 m)
Europe / Elbrus, Russia/Georgia,18,510 ft (5,642 m)
Australia / Kosciusko, Australia, 7,316 ft (2,228 m)
The Lowest Point on Each Continent in Order:
Continent / Lowest Point (in feet and meters below sea level)Antarctica / 8327 ft below sea level (2,538 m bsl)
Asia / Dead Sea, 1341 ft below sea level (409 m bsl)
Africa / LakeAssal, Africa, 512 ft below sea level (156 m bsl)
North America / Death Valley, 282 ft below sea level (86 m bsl)
South America / ValdesPeninsula, 131 ft below sea level (40 m bsl)
Europe / Caspian Sea, 92 ft below sea level (28 m bsl)
Australia / Lake Eyre, Australia, 52 ft below sea level (16 m bsl)
The Population of Each Continent (as of 2011), Highest First:
Continent / PopulationAsia / 3,674,000,000 people
Africa / 778,000,000 people
Europe / 342,000,000 people
North America / 483,000,000 people
South America / 342,000,000 people
Australia and Oceania / 31,000,000 people
Antarctica / 0 people
The Area of Each Continent, Highest First:
Continent / PopulationAsia / 17,212,000 sq. km
Africa / 11,608,000 sq. km
North America / 9,365,000 sq. km
South America / 6,880,000 sq. km
Antarctica / 5,100,000 sq. km
Europe / 3,837,000 sq. km
Australia and Oceania / 2,968,000 sq. km
The Number of Countries on Each Continent:
Continent / Number of CountriesAfrica / 54 countries
Asia / 47 countries
Europe / 43 countries
North America / 23 countries
Australia and Oceania / 14 countries
South America / 12 countries
Antarctica / 0 countries
Interesting Facts
There are seven continents on Earth now.
Asia and Europe are not separate land masses. They are divided by the Ural Mountains.
There are no countries in Antarctica. The U.S. and many other countries operate science stations there, but no nation owns the land.
There are no deserts in Europe.
Australia has only one country, Australia.
The continents are slowly moving.
DefinitionsAfrica- a continent that crosses the equator. It is south of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic and IndianOceans.
Antarctica- the continent that surrounds the South Pole of the Earth.
Asia- a continent in the Northern Hemisphere. Asia is attached to Europe (and east of it).
Australia- a continent, an island, and a country in the Southern Hemisphere.
equator- an imaginary line that divides the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. / Europe- a continent in the Northern Hemisphere. Europe is attached to Asia (and west of it).
North America- a continent in the Northern Hemisphere; it is north of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic and PacificOceans.
North Pole- the point that is the farthest north on Earth.
South America- a continent that is mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Atlantic and PacificOceans.
South Pole- the point that is the farthest south on Earth.
Do you know where these are? - Label the Latitude and Longitude
90º N- the North Pole.45º N- a line of latitude that runs through the northern USA, central Europe, and central Asia.
0º Latitude- the equator, a line of latitude that runs through northern South America and central Africa.
45º S- a line of latitude that runs through the southern tip of South America and southern New Zealand.
90º S- the South Pole. / 180º W- a line of longitude that runs through the Midway Islands, half-way around the globe from the Prime Meridian. 180º W is the same as 180º W
135º W- a line of longitude that runs through the far west of Canada.
90º W- a line of longitude that runs through Canada and the USA (near the Mississippi River) and Guatemala (in Central America).
45º W- a line of longitude that runs through Greenland and eastern Brazil.
0º Longitude- a line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England, western France, eastern Spain, Algeria, and other west African countries. Also known as the Prime Meridian. / 45º E- a line of longitude that runs through western Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the Horn of Africa.
90º E- a line of longitude that runs through central Russia, western China, and eastern India.
135º E- a line of longitude that runs through eastern Russia, Japan, and Australia.
180º E- a line of longitude that runs through the Midway Islands, half-way around the globe from the Prime Meridian. 180º E is the same as 180º W.
The Earth is the third planet from the Sun in our Solar System. It is the planet we evolved on and the only planet in our Solar System that is known to support life.
SIZE
The Earth is about 7,926 miles (12,756 km) in diameter. The Earth is the fifth-largest planet in our Solar System (afterJupiter,Saturn,Uranus, andNeptune).
Eratosthenes(276-194 BC) was a Greek scholar who was the first person to determine the circumference of the Earth. He compared the midsummer's noon shadow in deep wells in Syene (now Aswan on the Nile in Egypt) and Alexandria. He properly assumed that the Sun's rays are virtually parallel (since the Sun is so far away). Knowing the distance between the two locations, he calculated the circumference of the Earth to be 250,000 stadia. Exactly how long a stadia is is unknown, so his accuracy is uncertain, but he was very close. He also accurately measured the tilt of the Earth's axis and the distance to the sun and moon.
THE MOON
The Earth has onemoon. The diameter of themoonis about one quarter of the diameter of the Earth.
The moon may have once been a part of the Earth; it may have been broken off the Earth during a catastrophic collision of a huge body with the Earth billions of years ago.
MASS, DENSITY, AND ESCAPE VELOCITY
The Earth's mass is about 5.98 x 1024kg.
The Earth has an average density of 5520 kg/m3(water has a density of 1027 kg/m3). Earth is the densest planet in our Solar System.
To escape the Earth's gravitational pull, an object must reach a velocity of 24,840 miles per hour (11,180 m/sec).
LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON EARTH
Each day on Earth takes 23.93 hours (that is, it takes the Earth 23.93 hours to rotate around its axis once - this is asidereal day). Each year on Earth takes 365.26 Earth days (that is, it takes the Earth 365.26 days to orbit the Sun once).
The Earth's rotation is slowing down very slightly over time, about one second every 10 years.
THE EARTH'S ORBIT
On average, the Earth orbits 93 million miles (149,600,000 km) from the Sun. This distance is defined as one Astronomical Unit (AU). The Earth is closest to the Sun (this is called perihelion) around January 2 each year (91.4 million miles = 147.1 million km); it is farthest away from the Sun (this is called aphelion) around July 2 each year (94.8 million miles = 152.6 million km).
Orbital Eccentricity
The Earth has an orbit that is close to being circular; its orbitaleccentricityis 0.017. (Eccentricity is a measure of how an orbit deviates from circular. A perfectly circular orbit has an eccentricity of zero; an eccentricity between 0 and 1 represents an elliptical orbit.)
THE EARTH'S AXIS TILT AND THE SEASONS
The Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by 23.45°. This tilting is what gives us thefour seasons of the year: Summer, Spring, Winter and Autumn. Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the globe are oriented towards the Sun at different times of the year. This affects the amount of sunlight each receives. For more information on theseasons, click here.
SPEED
At the equator, the Earth's surface moves 40,000 kilometers in 24 hours. That is a speed of about 1040 miles/hr (1670 km/hr). This is calculated by dividing the circumference of the Earth at the equator (about 24,900 miles or 40,070 km) by the number of hours in a day (24). As you move toward either pole, this speed decreases to almost zero (since the circumference at the extreme latitudes approaches zero).
The Earth revolves around the Sun at a speed of about 30 km/sec. This compares with the Earth's rotational speed of approximately 0.5 km/sec (at middle latitudes - near the equator).
The size of the atmosphere in this illustration is greatly exaggerated in order to show the greenhouse effect. The Earth's atmosphere is about 300 miles (480 km) thick, but most of the Earth's atmosphere is within 10 miles (16 km) of the Earth's surface.
TEMPERATURE ON EARTH
The temperature on Earth ranges from between -127°F to 136°F (-88°C to 58°C; 185 K to 311 K). The coldest recorded temperature was on the continent of Antarctica (Vostok in July, 1983). The hottest recorded temperature was on the continent of Africa (Libya in September, 1922).
The greenhouse effect traps heat in our atmosphere. The atmosphere lets some infrared radiation escape into space; some is reflected back to the planet.
ATMOSPHERE
The Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. It is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases.
The atmosphere was formed by planetary degassing, a process in which gases like carbon dioxide, water vapor, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen were released from the interior of the Earth from volcanoes and other processes. Life forms on Earth have modified the composition of the atmosphere since their evolution.
THE WATERCYCLE
The Water Cycle (also known as the hydrologic cycle) is the journey water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again.
The Sun's heat provides energy to evaporate water from the Earth's surface (oceans, lakes, etc.). Plants also lose water to the air (this is called transpiration). The water vapor eventually condenses, forming tiny droplets in clouds. When the clouds meet cool air over land, precipitation (rain, sleet, or snow) is triggered, and water returns to the land (or sea). Some of the precipitation soaks into the ground. Some of the underground water is trapped between rock or clay layers; this is called groundwater. But most of the water flows downhill as runoff (above ground or underground), eventually returning to the seas as slightly salty water.
RIVERS
The longest river in the world is the Nile River (4,157 miles long); it is located in northeastern Africa, and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The second-longest river is the Amazon River (3,915 miles long); it is located in northeastern South America, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The third-longest river is the Chang (Yangtse) River (3,434 miles long); it flows across south-central China into the East China Sea.
The river with the biggest volume (the most water flowing in it) is the Amazon River.
Continent / Longest River / LengthAfrica / Nile River / 4,157 miles (6,690 km) long
Antarctica / none / n/a
Asia / Yangtze River / 3,434 miles (5,530 km) long
Australia / Murray-Darling River / 2,310 miles (3,720 km) long
Europe / Volga River / 2,290 miles (3,700 km) long
North America / Mississippi-Missouri River / 2,540 miles (4,090 km) + 2,340 miles (3,770 km) long
South America / Amazon River / 3,915 miles (6,300 km) long
COUNTRIES AND MAJOR BODIES OF WATER IN EUROPE
Albania- a country in eastern Europe, north of Greece and west of Macedonia.
Atlantic Ocean- the large body of water west of Europe.
Arctic Circle- an imaginary line that runs around the earth (parallel to the Equator) at 66.5 degrees North latitude. It cuts through Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
Arctic Ocean- the large body of water north of Europe.
Austria- a country in central Europe southeast of Germany and northeast of Italy.
Baltic Sea- the body of water bordering Sweden, Poland, and other countries.
Belarus- a country in eastern Europe that is east of Poland and north of Ukraine; Russia borders it to the east.
Belgium- a small country in western Europe bordering the Atlantic Ocean, France, Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Black Sea- the body of water east of Romania and Bulgaria, and south of Ukraine.
Bosnia-Herzegovina- a country in eastern Europe southeast of Croatia and west of Serbia.
Bulgaria- a country in eastern Europe; it is south of Romania and north of Greece, and is on the Black Sea.
Croatia- a country in eastern Europe that borders the Mediterranean Sea; it is south of Slovenia and northwest of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Czech Republic- a country southeast of Germany and southwest of Poland.
Denmark- a small country in northern Europe - it is north of Germany.
Estonia- a country in eastern Europe north of Latvia and bordering Russia.
Finland- a country in northern Europe, it is east of Sweden and borders Russia.
France- a country in western Europe. It borders the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Germany- a large country in northern Europe, west of Poland and northeast of France.
Greece- a country that borders the Mediterranean Sea; it is south of Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria.
Hungary- a country in eastern Europe; it is east of Austria and west of Romania.
Iceland- an island country in the Atlantic Ocean located far northwest of continental Europe.
Ireland- a country on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, located west of the United Kingdom.
Italy- a southern European country shaped like a boot - it juts into the Mediterranean Sea and is east of France.
Kosovo – a country in southeastern Europe, it borders with Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia
Latvia- a country in eastern Europe south of Estonia, north of Lithuania, and bordering Russia.
Lithuania- a country in eastern Europe, it is on the Baltic Sea, northwest of Belarus and south of Latvia.
Luxembourg- a tiny country in western Europe, it borders France, Germany, and Belgium.
Macedonia- a small country in eastern Europe, it is east of Albania and north of Greece.
Mediterranean Sea- the sea south of much of Europe.
Moldova- a country in eastern Europe, it is northeast of Romania and southwest of Ukraine.
Montenegro- an area in eastern Europe (part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia); it borders the Mediterranean Sea. It is northwest of Albania and southwest of Serbia.
Netherlands- a small country in western Europe bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Belgium, and Germany.
North Sea- the body of water northeast of the British Isles separating it from northwestern Europe.
Norway- a country in northern Europe, bordering the North Sea - Norway is west of Sweden.
Poland- a large country in eastern Europe - it is east of Germany and west of Belarus.
Portugal- a southwestern European country bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it is west of Spain.
Romania- (also spelled Rumania) a country in eastern Europe, east of Hungary; it is on the Black Sea.
Russia- part of western Russia is in the far east portion of Europe. There is also a small, unconnected piece of Russia on the Baltic Sea, north of Poland and southwest of Lithuania.
Serbia- an area in eastern Europe (part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia); it is southwest of Romania and east of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Slovakia- a country in eastern Europe; it is south of Poland and north of Hungary.
Slovenia- a country in eastern Europe; it is east of Italy and south of Austria.
Spain- a southern European country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; it is southwest of France and east of Portugal.
Sweden- a country in northern Europe, located east of Norway.
Switzerland- a country in western Europe, bordering France, Italy, Austria, and Germany.
Turkey- the western part of Turkey is part of southeastern Europe. Turkey borders the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea; Turkey is southeast of Bulgaria and east of Greece.
Ukraine- a large country in eastern Europe that is south of Belarus and east of Poland, and it borders Russia and the Black Sea.
United Kingdom- islands in northwestern Europe, consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Location: The United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in WesternEurope. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Capitals: London is the capital of the UK and of England. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Cardiff is the capital of Wales.
Size: The UK covers an area of 244,820 sq km.
Population: The population of the UK is about 59,511,464 (as of July 2000).
Flag:Britain's flag, sometimes called the Union Jack, is red, white and blue.
Climate: The UK generally has a mild, wet, cloudy climate.
Major Rivers: The major rivers in the UK are: the Thames (which flows through London, England), the Avon.
Highest Point: The highest point in the UK is Ben Nevis, Scotland, which is 1,343 m above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in the UK is the Fenlands, which is 4 m below sea level.
The flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is sometimes called the Union Jack. This red, white, and blue flag was first used in 1801.
The flag of the UK is a combination of the flags of England (the cross of St. George), Scotland (the cross of St. Andrew), and Ireland (the cross of St. Patrick).
POLAND
Total Area:312,685 sq km (117,400 sq ml); Geographic coordinates: 52 00 N, 20 00 E. Poland is situated in Central Europe, East from Germany, West from Russia, South from Carpathian Mountains and North from Baltic sea;