Asia and the Middle East region at WorldAtlas.com

There are 47 countries on the African continent, including the disputed territory of Western Sahara. However, the islands off the coast are also usually listed as African, bringing the total to 53. The island nations are Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Madagascar, the Comoros, the Seychelles, and Mauritius. Each is an independent nation.

Some sources do not count all of the island countries as African, so the total number fluctuates. It is important to remember that even though they may have diverse populations and cultural traditions, all of the island nations listed above have substantial African populations and strong historical connections to Africa, so they are usually considered “African.” Editors at infoplease.com

The CIA World Factbook lists 56.

Click the link below for excellent maps and information about the African continent.

Africa at WorldAtlas.com

We are starting our tour of the Fertile Crescent region. We will be learning about portions of the African continent and the Asian continent. As we study the ancient history of Mesopotamia, the first civilization at the land between two rivers, we will explore the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and move along the Nile River, into discussions of Egypt.

Don’t forget to pack your archaeological hat, tools, and plenty of water. It will be a hot ride!

We are starting with the following countries:

• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Iran, Islamic Republic Of
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Syrian Arab Republic
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Yemen

Continent of Oceania

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

We’ve learned that the countries of Oceania are:

• Australia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

To learn more about these countries, visit geography.about.com/library/maps/blrocean.htm

Now, we move onto Africa as we study early civilizations.

Australia at WorldAtlas.com

Bidjigal Reserve

Cuddie Springs

Devil’s Lair

Koonalda Cave

Lake Mungo

Murujuga

Ngarrabullgan

[Source: Archaeological sites in Australia]

The five largest bodies of water are:

1. Pacific Ocean
2. Atlantic Ocean
3. Indian Ocean
4. Southern Ocean
5. Arctic Ocean

The largest portions of land, called continents, are:

1. Africa
2. Antarctica
3. Asia
4. Australia
5. Europe
6. North America
7. South America
8. The Pacific Islands together with Australia are often referred to as the continent of Oceania

Teachers: Check out GeoMatters.com for Geography resources.

Sometimes in geography we get caught up in the details of continents, rivers, mountains, and oceans, causing us to forget about the bigger picture: the planet Earth.

What really gets to you is looking back at
this beautiful planet we inhabit. There are
no political borders. No ethnic or racial or
religious barriers. You see the world that
could be but isn’t.
- - William Readdy, astronaut

Sunita Williams, Astronaut

Watch Blue Beauty1, a presentation with photos taken by Sunita Williams Sunita Williams’s Biography at Nasa.

Our planet is just a microscopic portion of a much larger universe. Just as the continents are parts of a whole – planet Earth, the Earth is part of a larger whole, our Solar System and so on. There is so much to discover. Visit Discovery’s Planet Earth on the web.

Art Project2

Positive and Negative Space

Positive space is the part of the art filled with the subject matter, such as the Earth and Rembrandt’s painted Self-Portrait in these two pictures:

Click here to see NOAA’s current satellite images of Earth

Negative space is the background space in a piece of art, such as the black space in the above pictures.
While a negative space may seem like a waste, it sometimes serves to draw more attention to the main part of the work.

Materials

• black construction paper
• colored chalk pastels
• fixative spray

Earth from Space
This is a great lesson in positive and negative space.
The planet represents positive space and the background is negative space.

1. Using chalk, color a picture of the earth on the black
paper. Looking at the photo of the earth, try to mimic
the natural shading, shadow, and texture. This will
help the earth look more three dimensional.
2. When you have completed your picture, we will seal your
work using fixative spray. Let dry.

*Note: Spray Fixative has harmful chemicals and should only be sprayed in a well-ventilated area by an older child or adult using proper safety precautions.

1 from www.citehr.com
2lesson from Geography Through Art by Sharon Jeffus & Jamie Aramini

Inspiration From Our Planet Earth

Finally, Imagine For Yourself…
An Inspiring Message from J.K. Rowling to the graduates of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Our Planet