Eurasia is the continent of the Earth with the largest area, comprising 36% of the land. The population living on this continent is 75% of the world's population. In absolute terms, the area of ​​Eurasia is about 54 million square meters. km, the population is about 5 billion people.

Eurasia is located in the Northern Hemisphere between longitude 9°W ​​and longitude 169°W. Only some of the Eurasian islands belong to the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the continent is located in Eastern hemisphere, and the western and eastern margins of the mainland - in western hemisphere.

The mainland unites two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. The conditional dividing line between them runs along the eastern ridge of the Ural Mountains, the Ural and Emba rivers, the northwestern shore of the Caspian Sea, the eastern and southern shores of the Black Sea, the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, and the Strait of Gibraltar. Such a division is connected with the history of the countries of Europe and Asia, in nature there is no clear boundary. Asia covers a larger area than Europe and is divided into smaller regions such as the Far East, Siberia, Primorye, Manchuria, Amur Region, China, Tibet, India, Central Asia, Uyguria, the Middle East, Persia, Arabia, the Caucasus, Indochina, others .

The continent is a single part of the land with tectonic consolidation and the similarity of many climatic processes. The natural landscape has been transformed over time, thanks to millennia of agricultural culture. On the territory of most of Eurasia, the modern cultural landscape is predominant.

This continent is washed by all four oceans: Arctic, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic. The extreme continental points are in the north - Cape Chelyuskin, in the south - Cape Piai, in the east - Cape Dezhnev, in the west - Cape Roca. The largest peninsulas of Eurasia are Arabian, Asia Minor, Balkan, Apennine, Scandinavian, Iberian, Chukchi, Taimyr, Indochina, Kamchatka, Yamal, Korea, Hindustan, Kola, Malacca.

In geological terms, this continent is the youngest in comparison with other continents, as it was formed in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. In the structure of Eurasia, several platforms and plates are distinguished. The relief of Eurasia is diverse. On this mainland are the largest plains ( West Siberian and East European) and the largest mountain range on Earth (Himalayas). The average height of Eurasia is 830 m, and plateaus and mountains occupy up to 65% of the mainland.

All existing climatic zones and zones are represented on this continent. Most of the territory lies in the temperate zone. In connection with the vast size of Eurasia, there are also all natural zones: polar deserts, tundra, forest-tundra, taiga, mixed forests, humid equatorial forests, semi-deserts and deserts, steppes and forest-steppes, zones of altitudinal zonation.

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Report on the topic "Eurasia"

Where is the continent of Eurasia located?

Eurasia is the largest continent on Earth, covering 36% of the total land area. There are 93 countries in Eurasia.

Eurasia is entirely located in the Northern Hemisphere. Eurasia is conditionally divided into two parts - Europe and Asia. The border between Europe and Asia runs along the ridge of the Ural Mountains, then along the Ural River, which flows into the Caspian Sea, and then along the ridge of the Caucasus Mountains.

Eurasia mainland area- 54 million km 2

The continent is washed by all the oceans - the Atlantic, the Arctic, the Indian and the Pacific.

Flora and fauna Eurasia is of great variety. Almost everything is within the mainland. climatic zones and climatic zones: arctic deserts, tundra and forest-tundra, forests, steppes, deserts. Most of Europe and Siberia is occupied by the temperate forest zone, coniferous, mixed and broad-leaved forests. Each natural zone has its own vegetation and its own animal world, adapted specifically to this zone.

Now the majority of the world's population lives on the continent, and this is more than 5 billion people over 70% of the world's population. The distribution of the population is extremely uneven, the population of Western Europe and Southeast Asia has the highest density.

It was in Eurasia that three well-known world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam.

Relief and minerals of Eurasia

On the territory of the continent there are many vast plains and the longest mountain systems on the planet. Mountains and plateaus occupy about 65% of the territory of Eurasia.

The highest mountain system in the world is located in Eurasia - Himalayas , within which is the highest point on Earth, the mountain Chomolungma (Everest ) with a height of 8848 m.

North of the Himalayas lies the world's largest mountain range. Tibet .

Among the minerals of Eurasia, non-metallic, metallic and combustible mineral deposits are the most common. The largest deposits of the following minerals: manganese, iron, nickel, copper, tungsten, oil, coal, graphite, silver, gold.

Inland waters of Eurasia

The mainland is rich in inland waters - rivers, lakes and groundwater. The deepest and largest lakes are Baikal, Onega, Ladoga, Balkhash, Issyk-Kul, Aral and Caspian sea-lakes.

The largest rivers of Eurasia- Yangtze, Amur, Huang He, Ganges, Indus, Yenisei, Lena, Amu Darya, Amur.

We hope that the report on Eurasia helped you and you learned a lot of interesting things about it. And you can leave your message about Eurasia through the comment form.

Geography
General geography

Continents

Eurasia

Geographical position

Eurasia- the largest continent of the planet. It occupies 1/3 of the land (54.3 million km 2). Eurasia is formed by two parts of the world - Europe and Asia, the conditional border between which is the Ural Mountains (Fig. 26). The mainland is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. In the north, it goes far beyond the Arctic Circle (Cape Chelyuskin), and in the south it almost reaches the equator (Cape Piai). Only the Greater Sunda Islands lie in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the mainland is located in the Eastern Hemisphere. Only the extreme western and eastern parts with a number of islands lie in the Western Hemisphere. The extreme western point is Cape Roca, and the eastern one is Cape Dezhnev.

Rice. 26. Eurasia
Eurasia is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans: in the north - the Arctic, in the south - the Indian, in the west - the Atlantic, in the east - the Pacific. It has a significant shelf zone, a very indented coastline and the largest number of islands and peninsulas.
Eurasia is closest to Africa, from which it is separated by the narrow Ґіbraltar Strait and the Suez Canal. The Bering Strait separates Eurasia from North America. In the distant past, the southeastern part of Eurasia was connected by a land bridge to Australia. This connection has now been lost. South America and Antarctica are located very far from Eurasia.

Relief features

Eurasia is much higher than other continents (except Antarctica), on its territory there are the highest mountain systems of the planet - the Himalayas, Kun-Lun, Hindu Kush, Pamir. The plains of Eurasia are large, they are much larger than on other continents. In Eurasia, the largest amplitude of heights (Chomolungma, 8848 m - the Dead Sea depression, 395 m). Unlike other continents, the mountains in Eurasia are located not only on the outskirts, but also in the center. There are two huge mountain belts: Pacific (most mobile) in the east and Alpine-Himalayan in the south and west.
The relief of Eurasia was formed within several ancient platforms, connected by folded belts of different ages. The Eurasian lithospheric plate incorporates ancient platforms: Siberian, Chinese, Eastern European, Arabian and Hindustan, on which great plains of various heights are located (from lowlands to plateaus). Between the ancient platforms, areas of folding arose, merged into huge mountain belts and connected the platforms into a single whole. Now active horogenesis processes are taking place in the east of Eurasia, at the junction of the Pacific and Eurasian lithospheric plates. There are many volcanoes, earthquakes often occur, both on land and in the ocean.

Features of the climate of Eurasia

The climate of Eurasia is closely related to its large size. The mainland is characterized by an exceptional variety of climatic conditions, which is facilitated by a number of factors (Scheme 6).
The climate of Eurasia is more varied and contrasting than in North America. Here, summers are warmer and winters colder (the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere, -71 °C, is located in the Oymyakon depression). There is quite a lot of precipitation, especially along the outskirts (except for the coast of the Arctic Ocean). In the south is the wettest place on Earth - the town of Chepurandzhi (southeastern slopes of the Himalayas), where more than 10,000 mm of precipitation falls annually. However, the climate of Eurasia is generally drier than that of North America. In the mountains of Eurasia, as on other continents, climatic conditions change with height. They are the most severe in the highlands, especially in the Pamirs and Tibet.


Due to the large size and peculiarities of the geographical position in Eurasia, all climatic zones are represented, but also all known on the ground climate types. In the north, there are arctic and subarctic climatic zones with low average air temperatures and low rainfall. The temperate zone occupies the largest area, because it is in temperate latitudes that Eurasia is most elongated from west to east. Here the climatic conditions are different, and one type of climate changes another. So, in the west the climate is maritime, in the east it changes to temperate continental, continental, sharply continental (in the center); on the east coast - monsoon climate type with warm, humid summers and cold, dry winters. In the subtropical zone, there are three climatic regions with Mediterranean, continental and monsoon climates.
Peculiar climatic conditions formed near the Northern Tropic. Here in the west of Asia the whole year is dry and hot, which is explained by the influence of continental tropical air, and in the east a subequatorial type of climate with monsoonal atmospheric circulation has formed.

Inland waters

On the territory of Eurasia there are all types of land waters. There are full-flowing rivers, deep lakes, powerful glaciers in mountainous and polar regions, large areas of swamps and permafrost, and significant reservoirs of groundwater.
Large rivers Eurasia originate mainly in the interior of the mainland. A characteristic feature of the mainland is the presence of large areas of internal runoff basins; rivers do not reach the oceans, but flow into lakes (Volga, Syr Darya, etc.) or are lost in the sands of deserts.
The rivers of Eurasia belong to the basins of the Arctic (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, etc.), Pacific (Amur, Huang He, Yangtze, Mekong), Indian (Indus, Gang, etc.), Atlantic (Danube, Dnieper, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula etc.) oceans.
lakes Eurasian basins are unevenly distributed and have different origins. It is on the territory of Eurasia that the deepest lake of the world - Baikal (1620 m) and the largest lake in terms of water surface on Earth - the Caspian (371,000 km 2) are located. Lakes are widespread in the northwest, which were formed as a result of the subsidence of the earth's crust and the influence of an ancient glacier (Ladoga, Onega, Venern, etc.). In the faults of the earth's crust, tectonic lakes were formed - Constance, Balaton, the Dead Sea, Baikal. There are karst lakes.
Valuable natural resources are The groundwater, especially large reserves of which lie under the Zahidnosibirskaya Plain. Groundwater not only feeds rivers and lakes - it is them that the population consumes as drinking water.
swamps distributed in the north of Eurasia, in the regions of the tundra and taiga.
Modern glaciation occupies significant areas on many islands (Iceland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya), as well as in the mountains (Alps, Himalayas, Tien Shan, Pamir). Mountain glaciers feed numerous rivers.
The ecological problems of the inland waters of Eurasia require constant attention, because the pollution of such large reservoirs of fresh water as Lake Baikal, the rivers of Siberia, the Far East, China and India, is dangerous for all organic life on the continent.

natural areas

The diversity of the natural zones of Eurasia is associated with large differences in climatic conditions (a combination of heat and moisture) and structural features of the continent's surface. That is, both zonal and azonal factors influence the formation of natural zones. Recently, the anthropogenic factor has become of particular importance, because the components of nature are increasingly changing under the influence of human economic activity.
Eurasia lies in all climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere; all types of Earth's climate are represented on the mainland, so there are all natural complexesour planet(Table 10) . The location of natural zones in Eurasia, as well as on other continents, obeys the law of wide zoning, that is, they change from north to south with an increase in the amount of solar radiation. However, there are also significant differences, which is explained by the conditions of atmospheric circulation over the mainland. In Eurasia, as in North America, some natural zones replace each other from west to east, because the eastern and western margins of the mainland are the most humid, and the interior is much drier. So, the main reasons on which the location of natural zones in Eurasia depends are changes in temperature conditions, annual precipitation, and relief features.
Table 10
Locations of natural zones of Eurasia

The largest natural zones are located in the temperate climate zone, and the taiga zone occupies the largest area.
Areas with altitudinal zonality also occupy most of the mainland. The altitudinal zonality is especially clearly represented in the Himalayas, where all the natural zones of the Earth are located, and the upper limit of the distribution of vegetation passes at an altitude of 6218 m.
The natural zones of Eurasia are similar to those in North America. The vegetation and fauna in the northern part of these continents are very similar. However, there are significant differences. In Eurasia, the natural zones are more diverse, the natural complexes of the Arctic deserts, tundra and forest tundra do not go as far to the south as in North America. Here, the zones of taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, semi-deserts and deserts occupy a large area, and the areas of altitudinal zonality are larger than in North America.

Population, political map and economy of Eurasia

Eurasia is the most populated continent, 2/3 of the world's population lives here. Representatives of the Mongoloid and Caucasoid races live on the mainland, representatives of the Australoid race live on the islands of Indonesia. Mongoloids live in the east of Asia, Caucasians - in the west and south of Asia, in Europe.
National composition The mainland's population is very complex. Europe is inhabited by Slavic peoples, Germans, French, Italians, Spaniards, Irish, British, Norwegians, Swedes, Finns live in the north of the region. Southwest Asia is inhabited by Arab peoples, as well as Turks, Kurds and Persians; North Asia - Russians; South - Hindustani, Bengalis, Pakistanis; Southeast - Vietnamese, Thais, Burmese, Malays. Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongols live in Central Asia, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans live in East Asia.
By language composition Europe's population is quite diverse. In Europe, there are peoples who speak Slavic languages, the languages ​​of the Romance and Germanic groups. In Asia, many peoples speak the languages ​​of the Altaic language group, Indian and Sino-Tibetan languages. The peoples of Southwest Asia communicate in Arabic and the languages ​​of the Iranian group. In southeast Asia, peoples speak languages ​​belonging to the Austronesian group.
The population is distributed unevenly across the mainland. Here it is possible to distinguish areas with a rural population density of more than 100 people / km 2 (South Asia, East China). Western Europe is also densely populated (especially the Atlantic coast), but the urban population prevails here. A significant part of the mainland is inhabited very rarely (less than 1 person / km 2). These are the highlands of Tibet and the Gobi, Central and North Asia, the Arabian Peninsula.
political map Eurasia began to form a very long time ago, so now it is very colorful. There are more than 80 countries here, among which there are large (China, Russia, India) and very small (San Marino, Singapore, etc.). The political map of Western Europe is distinguished by great diversity. A significant part of the countries has access to the sea, which contributes to their economic development. The political map of the mainland continues to change.
au pair Eurasian countries are inherently diverse. On the mainland are economically developed countries, countries with an average level of development, as well as many of the poorest countries in the world (Figure 7).
Scheme 7

EURASIA, the largest continent of the Earth, in the Northern Hemisphere (part of the islands are in the Southern Hemisphere). The area is 53.6 million km 2 (over 1/3 of the land area of ​​the Earth), including 2.75 million km 2 - the area of ​​the islands. Population 4.57 billion (2006). Extreme continental points: western - Cape Roca (9 ° 34 'W) on the Iberian Peninsula; eastern - Cape Dezhnev (169 ° 40 'W) on the Chukotka Peninsula; northern - Cape Chelyuskin (77 ° 43 'E) on the Taimyr Peninsula; southern - Cape Piai (1 ° 16 'northern latitude) on the Malay Peninsula. The length from north to south is up to 8 thousand km, from west to east - up to 16 thousand km. It is washed by the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Indian oceans and their marginal seas. Eurasia includes the Large and Small Sunda, Japanese, Philippine Islands, the Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya archipelagos, etc. The average height is 800 m, the maximum is 8848 m (Mount Chomolungma, the highest point on Earth). About 2/3 of the territory is characterized by mountainous relief, the predominance of high and extended mountain systems (Himalayas, Karakorum, Hindu Kush, Kunlun, Tien Shan, Greater Caucasus, Alps, Altai, etc.), vast highlands (Pamir, Tibetan Highlands, Western Asian Highlands) and plateaus (Dean, Central Siberian Plateau). The largest plains: the East European Plain, the West Siberian Plain, the Turan Lowland, the Great Chinese Plain, etc. The climate varies from arctic in the north to equatorial in the south. In the north-east of Eurasia - the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere (the absolute minimum temperature is -68 ° C, Oymyakon). Humidity contrasts are significant: the average annual precipitation ranges from 150 mm in the deserts of Central Asia to 13,000 mm or more in the northeastern part of India, where the absolute maximum precipitation on Earth is recorded (Cherrapunji, 22,900 mm). The annual runoff from the territory of Eurasia is over 16 thousand km 3 (about 1/2 of the annual runoff of the Earth). The main rivers (more than 4000 km long): the Yangtze (the largest in Eurasia in length), the Ob (the largest in terms of basin area), the Yenisei (the most full-flowing in Eurasia), the Yellow River, the Mekong, the Amur, the Lena. More than 30% of the area of ​​Eurasia belongs to the internal runoff basin. On this continent are located the largest drainless lake in the world - the Caspian Sea and the deepest lake in the world - Baikal. The geographical position, the gigantic size of the continent, the variety of climate types determine the great complexity of the landscape structure. All geographic belts and zones of the Northern Hemisphere are represented in Eurasia, sectoral differentiation of landscapes is most clearly expressed. The remoteness of the inner parts of Eurasia from the oceans and the barrier role of the highest mountain systems along the southern and eastern periphery of the mainland led to an abnormally wide development of temperate deserts on the mainland.

Within Eurasia, two parts of the world are traditionally distinguished - Europe and Asia, the border between which is a conditional border.

Lit .: Isachenko A. G., Shlyapnikov A. A. Landscapes. M., 1989; Vlasova T.V., Arshinova M.A., Kovaleva T.A. Physical geography of continents and oceans. M., 2005.

And, as well as along the straits connecting Chernoye and. The name Europa comes from the legend that the Phoenician king Agenor had a daughter, Europa. The almighty Zeus fell in love with her, turned into a bull and kidnapped her. He took her to the island of Crete. There Europe first set foot on the land of that part of the world, which since then bears her name. Asia - the designation of one of the provinces to the east of, the so-called Scythian tribes to the Caspian Sea (Asians, Asians).

The coastline is very indented and forms a large number of peninsulas and bays. The largest are and. The mainland is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, Arctic and. The seas they form are deepest in the east and south of the mainland. Scientists and navigators from many countries took part in the study of the mainland. The studies of P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky and N.M. .

Relief of Eurasia complicated. The mainland is much higher than the others. In the Himalayan mountains is the highest mountain in the world - Chomolungma () with a height of 8848 m. 14 peaks of Eurasia exceed the highest peaks of other continents. Eurasia is huge and stretches for thousands of kilometers, the largest of them: East European, Indo-Gangetic, East China. Unlike other continents, the central regions of Eurasia are occupied by mountains, while the plains occupy coastal areas. In Eurasia, there is also the deepest land depression: the Dead Sea coast is located 395 meters below sea level. Such a variety of relief can only be explained by the historical development of the mainland, which is based on. It contains more ancient sections of the earth's crust - platforms, to which the plains are confined, and folding zones that connected these platforms, expanding the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe mainland.

On the southern borders of the Eurasian Plate, where it junctions with other lithospheric plates, powerful mountain-building processes have taken place and are taking place, leading to the emergence of the highest mountain systems. This is accompanied by intense and. One of them destroyed the capital Tokyo in 1923. More than 100 thousand people died.

The relief of the mainland was also influenced by the ancient glaciation that captured the north of the mainland. It changed the surface of the earth, smoothed the peaks, left numerous moraines. Eurasia is exceptionally rich in both sedimentary and igneous origin.

Eurasia is a continent of the strongest contrasts. This is the only continent where everything is represented: from the Arctic to the equatorial. Over 1/4 of the territory in the north of the continent is occupied by about the same number - sultry deserts and semi-deserts. In Eurasia, there is a cold pole - in the northeast of the mainland, on. Here the air is cooled down to -70°С. At the same time, the temperature in summer rises to + 53 ° С. On the territory of Eurasia there is also one of the wettest places on earth - Cherrapunji. Many rivers flow through the territory of Eurasia, the length of many of them is about 5 thousand kilometers. It , . The largest lake in the world - - is also located on the mainland. The deepest is also located here. It contains 20% of the fresh water on Earth. Continental ice is an important custodian of fresh water.

Eurasia is the most populated continent. More than 3/4 of all inhabitants of the globe live here. The eastern and southern regions of the mainland are especially densely populated. In terms of the diversity of peoples living on the mainland, Eurasia differs from other continents. Slavic peoples live in the north: Russians, Czechs, Bulgarians, and others. South Asia is inhabited by numerous Indian peoples and the Chinese.

Eurasia is the cradle of ancient civilizations.

Geographical position: Northern Hemisphere between 0° E. d. and 180 ° in. some of the islands lie in the southern hemisphere.

Eurasia Square: about 53.4 million km2