Key learning points

1. A continent is usually defined as a group of countries on a continuous landmass with associated islands.
2. North and South America are huge continents, joined by central America.
3. North and South America are huge and have a diverse range of environments; they are popular travel destinations.
4. Paper and digital atlases and maps can be used to investigate the location of North and South America.

Keywords

• Continent - A continent is a large landmass on Earth and there are seven: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania.

• Location - A location is the particular position of something on Earth.

• Equator - The Equator is an imaginary line encircling Earth at 0° latitude and is an equal distance from the North Pole and the South Pole.

• Northern hemisphere - The northern hemisphere is the half of Earth located north of the Equator.

• Southern hemisphere - The southern hemisphere is the half of Earth located south of the Equator.

Common misconception