Major Domains of the Earth Part 2. << Learners Hoby

                                    COMPARATIVE SIZES OF THE CONTINENTS
COMPARATIVE
The Earth's landmass is divided into seven main continent and number of island. The greater part of the land areas lies in the Northern Hemisphere. The lad in the Southern Hemisphere lies close to the Equator. Thus, more than 95 % of total land areas occupied by continents is diametrically opposite to water bodies or oceans. This is known as antipodal arrangement of continents and oceans.
CONTINENTS
    The relative shapes of the continents are given below:
    Asia, occupying a little less than one-third of the Earth's total land area, is the world's largest continent. Africa is the second-largest continent.. It is the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, Equator and Tropic of Capricorn pass. Previously, it was known as the Dark Continent. The Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert is located in Africa.
    North America, world's third-largest continent, is connected to South America, world's fourth-largest continent, by the Isthmus of Panama.
    Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent of the world. Since the continent remains frozen at all times of the year, it is called the White Continent.
    Europe, the second-smallest continent, is separated from Asia by the Urals, the Caucasus mountains. Europe and Asia together are known as Eurasia.
    Australia is the smalls island-continent between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean and lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the only continent comprising of a single country. It is about twice the size of India but its population is thirty-five times less than that of India.
OCEANS
    Oceans are a part of hydrosphere.
    The large water bodies surrounding the continents are  called Oceans. the four main oceans are as:
1. The Pacific Ocean
2. The Atlantic Ocean
3. The Indian Ocean
4. The Arctic Ocean.
                                                   OCEAN-LAND INTERFACE
LANDFORMS
    Spectacular landforms are often found where oceans and land meet. Some of these landforms are Seas, Islands, Peninsula, Strait and Isthmus.
ISLANDS
    A stretch of land surrounded by ocean water on all sides is called an island. The best examples of islands are Sri Lanka and Australia (the latter is also a continent). The Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep groups of islands are other examples.
PENINSULA
    Peninsula is a landmass that, though connected to the mainland, juts out into the sea. It is surrounded by sea on three sides. India is the best example of a peninsular country.
ISTHMUS
    An Isthmus is a narrow strip of land linking two large landmasses and separating the seas on either side. The Suez Canal is built on the Isthmus of Suez. It separates Africa from Asia. The panama Canal, linking North America and South America, is built on the Isthmus of Panama.
DELTA

    Delta, estuary, cliff and beaches are also some of the more striking landforms. A delta is formed near the mouth of a river where the sea is relatively calm. The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta is the largest in the world.
SEAS
    There are two types of seas-
1. linked to the main ocean like Arabian Sea, and
2. Inland Sea that has no outlet to the main ocean. Caspian Sea is an example of inland sea.
STRAIT
    A strait is a narrow passage of water connecting two large water bodies and separating two large landmasses. For example, the Palk Strait is a stretch of water separating India and  Sri Lanka.
INDENTED COASTLINES
    The oceans and winds also shape many landforms on the sea coasts. Chief among these are indented coastlines like the coastlines of Dublin and Belfast in the Atlantic Ocean.
FRESH WATER
    Of all the water on Earth, 97.2% is in oceans. The water that falls on the earth's surface through precipitation is termed as fresh water. It accounts for only 2.8% of total water on earth. Of this, the water stored in ice-sheets, glaciers and underground water accounts for 2.77%. The fresh water that flows in rivers and lakes account for only 0.03%. It is this water that we use for drinking, irrigation household and industrial purposes.