Continents and Oceans — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The five oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern.
Earth has five oceans, and the Southern Ocean is the one that surrounds Antarctica at the bottom of the globe. Once you name the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic, the Southern Ocean is the only one left.
2. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth.
Stretching across nearly a third of Earth, the Pacific is bigger than all the continents put together, which makes it the largest ocean on the planet.
3. The equator divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The equator is the imaginary line that runs around the middle of Earth. Everything above it sits in the Northern Hemisphere, and everything below it sits in the Southern Hemisphere.
4. A hemisphere is half of a sphere or globe.
Earth is shaped like a sphere, and when you split a sphere right down the middle you get two equal pieces. Each of those pieces is called a half, which is what the word hemisphere means.
5. The Indian Ocean is south of the continent of Asia.
Look just south of the huge continent of Asia and you will find the Indian Ocean tucked beneath it, with countries like India sitting along its northern shore.
6. Ships and boats travel across oceans to move goods around the world.
Because oceans connect almost every continent, ships and boats can sail across them to carry goods like food, toys, and cars from one country to another.
7. The Arctic Ocean is covered with ice for most of the year.
The Arctic Ocean sits at the very top of Earth where it is freezing cold all year, so its surface stays frozen into a thick layer of ice for most months.
8. North America is in the Northern Hemisphere.
North America sits above the equator, and any continent that lies north of that imaginary line is in the Northern Hemisphere.
9. More than half of Earth is covered by water.
If you look at a globe, the blue parts are much bigger than the green and brown parts. That blue is water, and it covers more than half of Earth's surface.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Pacific Ocean
→ Largest ocean on Earth
Between Africa and Australia
Arctic Ocean
→ Smallest and coldest ocean
Smallest and coldest ocean
Atlantic Ocean
→ Between the Americas and Europe
Between the Americas and Europe
Indian Ocean
→ Between Africa and Australia
Largest ocean on Earth
The Pacific is the biggest body of water on Earth, the Arctic at the North Pole is both the smallest and the coldest, the Atlantic sits between the Americas on one side and Europe and Africa on the other, and the Indian Ocean fills the space between Africa and Australia.