SOCIAL STUDIES YEAR 6 THE CONTINENTS OF SOUTH AMERICA AND ANTARCTICA JUNE 26, 2020

THE CONTINENT OF SOUTH AMERICA

 Facts About North America

1. This continent occupies the entire southern part of the supercontinent of the Americas, that's why is called South America. 

2. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean from the west, by the Atlantic Ocean from the east and north, by the Caribbean Sea from the northwest and connected with North America in the northeast part. An overland border between two continents stretches along the Panama-Colombian state boundary.

3. In total, there are 12 independent countries and 3 dependent territories in South America. 

4. The largest country by area and the most populated is Brazil,  it occupies about 50% of the total mainland area, and more than 52% of the population live on its territory. 

5. The smallest independent state in Suriname, it is the only nation in this region, speaking Dutch as an official language.

6. As for travel, the most visited among the South American countries are Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.

7. Religion is an important part of the culture in South America, and across the continent, around 90% of people identify themselves as Christians. 82% of the continent's population consider themselves to be Roman Catholic.

8. Chile is home to the world's driest non-polar desert, the Atacama Desert, and parts of the central desert area are known to regularly go without rain for up to four years at a time.

Colombia is not only the least peaceful country in South America, but it also spends the greatest proportion of its gross domestic product on its armed forces, with 3.4%of its GDP spent on the military in 2016.
9. Simon Bolivar is one of the greatest military and diplomatic figures in the history of the continent, having led five countries, namely Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (as well as Panama, in Central America) to independence from the colonial powers.


10. South America was discovered by the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, and at the end of the 15th century and the start of the 16th century, he spent a long time exploring the eastern coast of the continent. 

• THE CONTINENT OF ANTARCTICA

• Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth.

• The South Pole is found in Antarctica.

• Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

• Antarctica is bigger than Europe and almost double the size of Australia.

• Most of Antarctica is covered in ice over 1.6 kilometres thick (1 mile).

• Because it experiences such little rain, Antarctica is considered a desert.

• The coldest recorded temperature on Earth occurred in 1983 at Vostok Station, Antarctica, measuring a rather chilly −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).

• While humans don’t permanently reside in Antarctica, several thousand people live and work at various research facilities found on the continent.

• While Antarctica features harsh living conditions, several plants and animals have adapted to survive and call the icy continent home.

• Well known animals that live in Antarctica include penguins and seals.

• The name ‘Antarctica’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘opposite to the north’.

• Around 90% of the ice on Earth is found in Antarctica.











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