Reading Comprehension Worksheet: Planet Earth’s Seven Continents

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Asia is the largest continent. It has the biggest land area and the world’s biggest population. There are more than 4.4 billion people speaking nearly 2,300 living languages across Asia. You’ve probably considered some of the common ones, like Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. But there are a lot of other widely spoken languages that may not be as familiar to you!

Asia houses some of the richest nations in the world. The tiny country Qatar on the Arabian peninsula is one of the richest nations in the world due to its income from oil exploration and the petroleum industry.

Africa is the continent that has the most countries. There are 54 countries on the African continent. Countries like Botswana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia and South Africa are best known for wildlife watching.

The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is one of the oldest ecosystems on the planet, and is famous for its annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra, and for its numerous Nile crocodile and honey badger.

Australia is the smallest continent of the planet. It is the only continent in the world without an active volcano, and has three times more sheep than people.

Most of Australia’s exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world. A selfie with cuddly marsupials like koalas, quokkas, wombats and kangaroos are only possible in Australia. Australia is also home to venomous animals like the blue-ringed octopus, the stone fish and funnel web spider (see images below).

Europe is considered to be the wealthiest and richest continent. Europe houses the two smallest countries in the world: the Vatican City which is located inside Rome in Italy, and Monaco which is bordered on three sides by France.

Europeans love chocolate. Nearly 50 percent of the total world production of chocolate is sold and eaten by Europeans. Switzerland had the highest consumption per capita in 2017, followed by Austria and Germany.

South America is a continent of many natural superlatives: the Andes, which is the longest mountain range, the Atacama Desert in Chile, which is the driest place on planet Earth, and the Angel Falls in Venezuela, which is the highest waterfalls. It is almost 1,000 meters high!

Antarctica is the smallest continent by population numbers. This means the huge continent is only sparsely populated. On Antarctica there are only research stations for scientists and no permanent settlements. Antarctica is covered almost completely by ice. Ninety percent of the planet’s ice is located on this continent, which also makes up 60 – 70 percent of the world’s freshwater supply. 
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Questions:

1. What is the largest continent on planet Earth?
2. What is the population of Asia?
3. Write 4.4 billion in numbers.
4. How many languages are spoken across Asia?
5. Name two common languages spoken in Asia.
6. What made Qatar become one of the richest countries in the world?
7. Find a word in the passage that fits the following definition: “A piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area.”
8. What continent has the most countries?
9. How many countries are there on the African continent?
10. Name five countries known for wildlife watching?
11. In what country will you find the Serengeti National Park?
12. Do you know what an ecosystem is?
13. What is the Serengeti National Park know for?
14. What continent is the smallest of our planet?
15. What is the difference between flora and fauna?
16. Do you know what a marsupial is?  
17. What four marsupials are named in the passage.
18. What three venomous animals are named in the passage?
19. What continent is the wealthiest?
20. What are the two smallest countries in the world?
21. Where is the Vatican City?
22. Find a synonym for ingestion in the passage.
23. What does the term per capita mean?
24. Who are the world’s biggest chocoholics?
25. Find a word in the passage that fits this description: surpassing all others.
26. What is the longest mountain range in the world?
27. Name the driest place on planet Earth.
28. On what continent will you find the world’s highest waterfalls?
29. Find the antonym for densely in the passage.
30. It is said that 90% of planet Earth’s ice is located on Antarctica. What do you think will happen if all the ice melts?
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Answers:

1. Asia
2. More than 4.4 billion.
3. 4,400,000,000
4. 2,300
5. Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
6. Oil exploration and the petroleum industry.
7. Peninsula
8. Africa
9. 54
10. Botswana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia and South Africa.
11. Tanzania
12. Everything that exists in a particular environment. An ecosystem includes living things, such as plants and animals, and things that are not living, such as rocks, soil, sunlight, and water.
13. Its annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra, and for its numerous Nile crocodile and honey badger.
14. Australia
15. The term flora relates to all plant life and the term fauna represents all animal life.
16. A marsupial is type of a mammal; the mother has a pouch for carrying, feeding and protecting her young.
17. Koalas, quokkas, wombats and kangaroos.
18. Blue-ringed octopus, stone fish and funnel web spider.
19. Europe
20. Vatican City and Monaco 
21. Inside Rome in Italy.
22. Consumption
23. Per person.
24. The Swiss
25. Superlative
26. The Andes
27. Atacama Desert in Chile
28. South America
29. Sparsely
30. The sea-level will rise everywhere in the world, with the result that the oceans will cover all the coastal cities.
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Printables:

Comprehension test – passage only
Comprehension test – questions and answers only
Comprehension test with questions and answers per paragraph
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