What do you know about continents?

Have you ever found  the word 'continent', but you didn't know the meaning? Or, you already know what the word means, but you don't have any ideas about the reason people use to make categories of those bulge lands. Easy! No need to panic when you are in those situations. Read our previous article and you will find the light. Hmmm, okay. So you have already read the article. Are you sure you understand it? We have some questions to measure your understanding. Come on, asnwer them correctly.

1. Based on the text, which is not a continent?

      A. Asia

      B. North America

      C. Arctic

       D. Antarctica

2. Greenland and all the islands in the Caribbean Sea

     are located in …

       A. North America

       B. South America

       C. Europe

       D. Australia

3. What is a micro continent?

      A. An area that has a similar culture to a

           continent, but it is distinct geologically. 

      B. An area that is near to a continent and it has

           same culture.

      C. An area has same ethnic and culture to a   

           continent. 

      D. A small area that is considered as a continent.

4. What are the boundaries of the continents?

       A. coastlines

       B. oceans

       C. continental shelves

       D. Earth’s surface

5. Why do geographers divide Eurasia into

       continents: Asia and Europe?

      A. Because they are separated by an ocean

      B. Because they are two enormous lands

      C. Because people in Asia have ethnic and

           linguistic similarities, while people in Europe

           also have ethnic and linguistic similarities

      D. Because it is very hard to spot the differences

           between the two continents

 

What is a continent?

Continents

A continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

When geographers identify a continent, they usually include all the islands associated with it. Japan, for instance, is part of the continent of Asia. Greenland and all the islands in the Caribbean Sea are usually considered part of North America.

Together, the continents add up to about 148 million square kilometers (57 million square miles) of land. Continents make up most—but not all—of the Earth’s land surface. A very small portion of the total land area is made up of islands that are not considered physical parts of continents. New Zealand, French Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands are examples of land areas that are considered micro continents. These areas are usually grouped with culturally similar continents, but are geologically distinct.

The ocean, divided into four major bodies of water, covers almost three-fourths of the Earth. The area of the ocean is more than double the area of all the continents combined. All continents border at least two oceans. Asia, the largest continent, has the longest series of coastlines.

Coastlines, however, do not indicate the actual boundaries of the continents. Continents are defined by their continental shelves. A continental shelf is a gently sloping area that extends outward from the beach far into the ocean. A continental shelf is part of the ocean, but also part of the continent. If continental shelves were included in the total land area, continents would make up more than one-third of the Earth’s surface.

“Continent” has more than just a physical definition. To human geographers, the term is about culture. The continents of Europe and Asia, for example, are actually part of a single, enormous piece of land called Eurasia. But linguistically and ethnically, the areas of Asia and Europe are distinct. The various cultural groups of Europe have more in common with one another than they do with cultural groups in Asia. Because of this, geographers divide Eurasia into Europe and Asia. An imaginary line, running from the northern Ural Mountains in Russia south to the Caspian and Black Seas, separates Europe, to the west, from Asia, to the east.

(taken from: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/continent/?ar_a=1)

What is Batik?

What is Batik?

Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese “tik” and means to make a dot. 

To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original colour. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colourful designs. After the final dyeing, the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing. 

Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist can use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing. They can also use various wax recipes—with different resist values. Besides, they can also try to draw Batik on silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics. 

 (taken from http://www.batikguild.org.uk/ )