Continent explained to kids

A continent is one of the large pieces of land that make up our planet Earth. There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica. (Oceania is often considered a continent, too, but sometimes it's grouped with Australia.) The word continent comes from the Latin word terra, meaning land or earth. The continents are very different from each other. For example, Europe is much smaller than Asia, and Antarctica is very cold and has no people living there. The continents are also home to different types of animals and plants. For example, you can find lions in Africa and penguins in Antarctica. People who live on different continents often speak different languages and have different cultures. But we are all human beings and we all live on the same planet!