Extracurricular activities in geography “Geographical Ball of the Old Parts of the World” and “Geographical Ball of the New Parts of the World. What is watermelon - a berry, a fruit or a vegetable?

Only a third of planet Earth is occupied by land, while the remaining 2/3 is vast expanses of water. That is why it is also called the “blue planet”. Water separates parts of the land, creating several continents from once existing fused land masses.

What parts is the earth divided into?

Geologically, the land is divided into continents, but from the point of view of history, culture and politics - into parts of the world.

There are also concepts of "Old" and "New World". During the heyday of the ancient Greek state, three parts of the world were known: Europe, Asia and Africa - they are called the “Old World”, and the remaining areas of the earth that were discovered after 1500 are called the “New World”, this includes North and South America , Australia and Antarctica.

A large area of land that has common cultural, scientific, economic and political heritage is called a “part of the world.”

It’s interesting to know: which ones exist on planet Earth?

Their names and locations

They often coincide with continents, but it is known that one continent can contain two parts of the world. For example, the continent of Eurasia is divided into Europe and Asia. And, on the contrary, two continents can be one part of the world - South and North America.

So, there are six parts of the world in total:

Europe
Africa
America
Australia and Oceania
Antarctic

It is worth noting that the islands close to the mainland also belong to a certain part of the world.

A continent, or continent, is a large and unbroken area of the Earth's crust that is not covered with water.. The boundaries of continents and their outlines change over time. Continents that existed in ancient times are called paleocontinents.

They are separated by oceanic and sea waters, and those between which the land border lies are separated by isthmuses: North and South America are connected by the Isthmus of Panama, Africa and Asia by the Isthmus of Suez.

Eurasia

The largest continent on Earth, washed by the waters of four oceans (Indian, Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific), is Eurasia. It is located in the Northern Hemisphere, and some of its islands are in the Southern Hemisphere. Occupies an area of about 53 million square kilometers - this is 36% of all land earth's surface.

On this continent there are two parts of the world that belong to the “Old World” - Europe and Asia. They are separated by the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Dardanelles Strait, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Initially, the continent was called Asia, and only since 1880, Austrian geologist Eduard Suess The term Eurasia was introduced. This part land formed when the protocontinent Laurasia was divided into North America and Eurasia.

What is unique about the parts of the world Asia and Europe?

The presence of the narrowest strait in the world - the Bosphorus;
The continent is home to great ancient civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Roman and Byzantine empires, etc.);
Here is an area that is rightfully considered the most cold spot lands - this is Oymyakon;
Eurasia contains Tibet and the Black Sea basin - the highest and lowest points on the planet;
On the mainland there are all existing climatic zones;
75% of the total population lives on the continent Globe.

Belongs to the New World, surrounded by the waters of two oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic. The border between the two Americas is the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean Sea. Countries bordering Caribbean Sea, commonly called Caribbean America.

In terms of size, South America ranks 4th among the continents, the population is about 400 million.

Opened this land H. Columbus in 1492. In his desire to find India, he crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Greater Antilles, but realized that beyond them lay a whole hitherto unexplored continent.

A third of the total area is occupied by the Amazon, Parana and Orinoco rivers;
Here is the most big river world - the Amazon, according to the results of the 2011 world competition, it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
In South America there is the largest dry-bottom lake in the world - Titicaca;
On the territory of the continent there are the highest - Angel, and the most powerful - Iguazu waterfalls in the world;
The most big country mainland - Brazil;
The highest capital in the world is La Paz (Bolivia);
There is never any precipitation in the Chilean Atacami Desert;
It is also home to the largest beetles and butterflies in the world (woodcutter beetles and agrippina butterflies), the smallest monkeys (marmosets) and life-threatening poisonous red-backed frogs.

North America

Another continent belonging to the same part of the world. Located in the Western Hemisphere on the North side, washed by the Bering Sea, the Mexican, California, St. Lawrence and Hudson Bays, the Pacific, Atlantic and North Arctic oceans.

The discovery of the mainland took place in 1502. It is believed that America was named after the Italian navigator and traveler Amerigo Vespucci who discovered it. However, there is a version according to which America was discovered by the Vikings long before this. First appeared on the map as America in 1507.

On its area, which occupies about 20 million square kilometers, there are 20 countries. Most of the territory is divided between two of them - Canada and the United States.

TO North America also include a number of islands: Aleutian, Greenland, Vancouver, Alexandra and Canadian archipelago.

North America is home to the world's largest administrative building, the Pentagon;
Most of the population spends almost all of their time indoors;
Mauna Kea is the highest mountain in the world, the height of which is two thousand meters higher than Chomolungma;
Greenland is the largest island on the planet and belongs to this continent.

Africa

Second largest continent after Eurasia. Its area occupies 6% of all land on Earth. It is washed by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The continent crosses the equator.

It is believed that the name of the continent came from such Latin words, as “sunny”, “without cold”, “dust”.

What makes Africa unique?

The mainland contains huge reserves of diamonds and gold;
There are places here that no human has ever set foot on;
You can see tribes with the lowest and highest tall people on the planet;
Average duration human life in Africa it is 50 years.

Antarctica

Part of the world, a continent, almost entirely covered with 2 thousand meters of ice. Located in the very south of the globe.

There are no permanent residents on the mainland, only scientific stations;
Traces have been found in glaciers indicating a “former tropical life continent";
Comes to Antarctica every year large number tourists (about 35 thousand) who want to see seals, penguins and whales, as well as those who are interested in scuba diving.

Australia

The continent is washed by the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Tasman, Timor, Arafura and Coral seas Pacific Ocean. The mainland was discovered by the Dutch in the 17th century.

Off the coast of Australia there is a huge size coral reef- Great Barrier Reef, about 2 thousand km long.

Also sometimes by a separate part of the world they mean Oceania, the Arctic, New Zealand .

But most scientists still divide the land into the 6 parts of the world presented above.

How many parts of the world are there on Earth? Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia and Europe. It seemed that each of them represented its own quadrant of the world. Europe is in the east, Africa is in the south and America is in the west. This division corresponded to the trends of that era - then the world was divided into four seasons, four classical elements, four cardinal directions, and so on.

Ancient tripartite world

How many parts of the world are there on Earth? At a time when people still did not know anything about America, Australia and Antarctica, there were not so many of them. Before the discovery of the New World, classical and medieval geography distinguished three parts of the Earth - Europe, Asia and Africa. As Laurent de Premierfeit (the eminent French translator of Latin literature at the beginning of the fifteenth century) once told his readers: “Asia is one of the three parts of the world that extends towards the East until the rising sun.”

If you look through the eyes of a modern geographer, then Ural Mountains, which separate Europe from Asia, represent a geological seam between two fragmented continents or cratons. Another dividing factor was the Hellespont ( ancient name Dardanelles Strait). He neatly separated Europe from Asia. From a European point of view, during the Age of Discovery, Asia began beyond the Hellespont, where the Roman province was located, extending to incredibly exotic and remote places...

How many parts of the world are there on Earth?

In the sixteenth century, America was full of exciting promises of a New World. This is how the fourth part of the world appeared. Once Australia was officially confirmed as an island continent, the four continents theme lost much of its relevance long before the sixth continent, Antarctica, was discovered. However, despite this, the iconography of the “Four Corners of the World” has been preserved in its original form.

Parts of the world and continents

There are six continents in total, of which the smallest is Australia, and the largest is Eurasia, which is geologically one whole, but for convenience it has been divided into Europe and Asia. Between them was held conditional boundary along the Ural mountains.

There are six parts of the world, as well as continents. The most populous and mountainous is Asia. America consists of two continents, which are connected by the Isthmus of Panama. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal. There are also continents that do not touch the others - these are Australia and icy Antarctica.

A single massif, dispersed in different directions

It is likely, as some scientists believe, that all the continents were once one whole, a single massif, which over time broke into pieces under the influence of the internal forces of the Earth. There is an assumption that certain areas on the planet rose, while others, on the contrary, sank. The mystery of the appearance of continents still remains topical issue in geography, people still have only one thing left to do - build various hypotheses. Perhaps the future generation of scientists will be able to shed light on the endless mysteries of the Universe.

How do parts of the world differ from continents?

What parts of the world are there and how do they differ from the continents? Let's figure it out. Continents are large segments of land that jut out from the oceans. Parts of the world are referred to as areas into which the surface of the planet is conventionally divided for historical and cultural reasons. The difference between them is that these concepts are used in completely different areas from each other. The main difference is that “mainland” is a geological and geographical term, and “part of the world” is a concept associated with history, culture, and politics.

Continents are of interest, first of all, as actually existing physical objects. Geology and geography deal with their detailed study, including the study of powerful processes that occur on Earth. As a rule, continents are separated from each other by oceans, but there are those that are closest neighbors (Eurasia).

How many parts of the world are there on Earth? Despite the fact that their borders and the borders of the continents do not coincide 100%, there are also six of them in number. Eurasia, for example, is one continent, but is divided into two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Things are a little different in America. There, two continents form one part of the world. Only Africa, Australia, and Antarctica are the same.

All the land on the Earth's surface is divided not only into continents, but also into parts of the world. In everyday conversations they are often confused. Perhaps because there are six continents, like parts of the world. However, the concepts of “continent” and “part of the world” are completely different not only in meaning, but also in the time of their origin.

When did light begin to be divided into parts?

People began dividing land into parts of the world in ancient times, much earlier than into continents. Parts of the world are areas of land that were identified by scientists based on their knowledge of the history, culture and these areas of the Earth.

How many parts of the world are there now?

The number of parts of the world changed as man, studying his planet, discovered more and more new lands. Now there are six parts of the world: , America, and. The boundaries of parts of the world are drawn in such a way that they include continents or parts thereof, as well as adjacent islands.

The concept of "part of the world" is sometimes considered outdated. But this is far from true. It continues to play a very important role in people's lives. For example, in Europe, many states, while remaining independent, united in European Union for joint economic activity. This union even has its own government - the European Parliament. Countries located in other parts of the world cannot be accepted into this union. There are other associations of states based on the principle of belonging to a certain part of the world. In America, it is the Organization of American States, which includes 35 countries. In Africa - the African Union, which includes 53 countries.

The division of land into continents is not associated with human history, but with scientific data about modern geological structure earth's crust. A continent is a huge block of the earth's crust. Most of it protrudes above the surface of the Ocean, forming land. But the continent also has an underwater part: the shelf and the continental slope. In different geological eras the number of continents was different. On modern stage development of the Earth there are six of them: Eurasia, Africa,

Today, when answering the question about the number of parts of the world, we automatically answer: six. Yes, in geography lessons at school more than one lesson is devoted to this.
Currently, there are traditionally 6 parts of the world:
- Europe;
- Asia;
- Africa;
- North America;
- South America;
- Australia and Oceania;
- Antarctica.

IN recent years Some scientists propose to distinguish Oceania into a separate part of the world. If this is officially approved, then there will be 7 parts of the world on Earth.
But if you ask the question about the time when people began to divide the land known to them into parts of the world, then few will answer this question. The maximum that can be heard in response is: “It happened historically.” And from this it follows that answers to the question about the time of division of land into parts must be sought in history.
Turning to historical chronicles, in search of an answer to the question “How many parts of the world are there on Earth, and when did they begin to be divided?” you can find out the following:
1. The ancient Greeks were the first to divide the land into parts of the world. They divided the land known to them according to cultural and political grounds. At the same time, they considered Greece itself the center of the world.
2. In VI BC. Ancient Greek philosophers divided the part of the Earth they knew into two parts. They called the land that lay to the west Europe, that is, the land of Sunset. The landmass east of Hellas was given the name Asia, which translated from the Assyrian language means “east”. The use of the Assyrian name was due to the fact that to the east Ancient Greece was located ancient state Assyria and Assyrian words were popular among the ancient Greeks and later among the Romans.
3. A century later, in the 5th century BC, the father of history, Herodotus, singles out Libya and Ethiopia lying behind it as a separate part of the land. The Romans called this land Africa when they went to conquer Carthage. The name comes from the name of the Afarik tribe who lived in those places. But there is a second version of the origin of the word “Africa” - Arabic. The Arabic word "Ifriqiya" translates to "Separated".

The ideas of the Greeks about dividing the world known to them into parts of the world were formalized in writing by Claudius Ptolemy in his work on geography, which supplemented the already existing parts of the world: Europe, Asia and Africa - also “Terra incognita” - with unknown lands.
At this point, the process of dividing the land into parts of the world temporarily stopped. The ancient era with its desire to understand the world has been replaced by the era early Middle Ages, which fully deserves the title of the Dark Ages. During this historical period, people were not interested in the question “How many parts of the world are there on Earth?”
But everything comes to an end, and the period of decline was replaced by the Renaissance. People again began to strive to gain new knowledge and explore the world.
Christopher Columbus, in search of a route to India, sailed from the Spanish port of Palos de la Fontera in 1492. This voyage ended with the discovery of a new continent for Europeans, named after Amerigo Vespucci, who predicted its existence.
To the North and South America began to divide into late XIX century after the construction of the Panama Canal, which divided the American continent into two parts.
Dutch navigators discovered Australia in the 17th century - “Terra Australis Incognita”. This is how a fifth of the world appeared - Australia and Oceania.
The last, sixth continent, Antarctica, was discovered by the expedition of Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev in 1820. The discovery of Antarctica was completely completed by the beginning of the 20th century, when it received its name, meaning “Opposite to the Arctic.”
The process of dividing land into parts of the world began in ancient times, and was completed almost today. But now the question about the time of the beginning of the division of land into parts of the world can be answered quite specifically.

One of the most favorite summer fruits is watermelon. Let's try to figure it out: is watermelon a fruit or a vegetable or a berry? Some classify it as a fruit, others as a berry, and still others call it a vegetable. In fact, none of them are one hundred percent right. Most botanists would say that a watermelon is a berry, since in science a berry is understood as a single- or multi-seeded fruit with juicy pulp and thin skin. However, according to the last sign Watermelon cannot be confidently classified as a berry, as it has a thick rind. Therefore, scientists have identified a separate category - pumpkin berry.

What is watermelon

It is an annual herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Watermelon (Citrullus), family Pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae). The wild watermelon fruit weighs no more than 250 grams, has a round shape and is not at all like what we are used to seeing on store shelves. The weight of the fruit of a cultivated plant can reach 16 kg. What a watermelon looks like depends on the variety. The shape can be round, oblong or even cubic. The color of the fruit peel, depending on the variety, can be green, white or even black. But most often, watermelon has a green striped rind.

The pulp of the ripe berry is pink, red, and in some varieties yellow or white. Watermelon seeds are flat, ovoid in shape.

Pay attention! Seed germination lasts up to 5-8 years.

Homeland of watermelon and its distribution

It is believed that the birthplace of watermelon is South Africa, from where it spread throughout the world. Found in those places wild plant colocynth, which today serves as one of the important sources water for the Bushmen. Scientists conducted genetic studies that showed that this plant may be the ancestor of watermelon. In the twentieth century BC. Watermelon was already cultivated by people as a cultivated plant. This is evidenced by seeds found in buildings of the Twelfth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt.

Interesting! Watermelon was revered as a food source in the afterlife, it was often placed in the tombs of the pharaoh. This is indicated by drawings and found seeds.

IN Ancient Rome We were also familiar with this plant. According to the verses of Virgil, one can determine that watermelon was eaten in fresh, salted or made jam from it. By the 10th century, the Chinese had also become acquainted with it. They loved this fruit so much that in September every year they held a “watermelon festival”, where the main treat was this juicy fruit.

Watermelon Festival in China

Watermelon came to Russian territory during the times crusades in the XIII-XIV centuries. There is also a version that it was brought earlier by overseas merchants, in the 8th-10th centuries. Be that as it may, both versions indicate the spread of culture to the Volga region. Watermelon became more widespread in 1660, when a royal decree was issued on the delivery of fruits to the royal court from Astrakhan, where “watermelon and melon gardens” were located. In those days, watermelons were not consumed raw, but were prepared in an unusual way: the pulp was soaked in soda, and then molasses with spices and allspice was prepared from it.

Later, Peter I, during a trip to the Caspian Sea, was cured of an illness by watermelons. Then he issued a decree on growing the plant on the lower Volga, since Turkish and Iranian fruits cracked during transportation and therefore were not stored for a long time. The peasants could not disobey the royal decree and sowed watermelons for a long time until they developed the desired varieties that were resistant to drought and had the desired sweetness. It was these varieties that became the ancestors of the famous southern Ukrainian and Russian (Astrakhan and Volgograd) varieties. Today, agronomists manage to grow quite good fruits even in the Moscow region.

The most famous varieties of watermelon in Russia

In total, more than 1000 varietal varieties of watermelon are known. Therefore, we will consider only those that are most suitable for climatic conditions Russia and the CIS.

Ogonyok. One of the most delicious watermelons grown in middle lane Russia. A distinctive feature of the variety is the dark green color of the peel, without any stripes or spots. The fruit is not large, does not exceed 3 kg. The advantages include unpretentiousness, resistance to temperature changes, minimal maintenance, short term maturation and transportability.

Producer. The territory of Moldova and Ukraine is ideal for its cultivation. The fruits are large, oblong, reaching a weight of 12 kg. The peel is light green in color with distinct stripes. The advantages of this variety include the ability to grow on sandy and sandy loam soils, long-term storage, resistance to diseases and pests, and high yield.

Producer

Astrakhan. This variety is most widely distributed in southern territories Russia. The fruit is round or oblong, has very juicy, aromatic red pulp. The weight of one watermelon reaches 10 kg. The peel is green and has a clear pattern. The advantages of the variety include drought resistance, good yield, long-term storage and transportability.

Astrakhan

Photon. One of the earliest varieties grown in our territories. The ripening period for this watermelon is at the end of July. The fruits are medium-sized, up to 6 kg, slightly elongated in shape. It has a thick skin with distinct stripes. The advantages include rapid ripening, disease resistance, high yield and transportability.

Gift from the Sun. This variety is grown in Russia and the CIS but in greenhouses. A very tasty fruit weighing no more than 4 kg. Has distinctive feature- bright yellow peel with dark yellow stripes. The advantages include good yield, disease resistance and transportability.

Gift of the Sun

Watermelon Lunar. This variety was bred quite recently, in 2007, but has already gained popularity. It has one unusual property - the pulp is rich yellow. The fruit is round in shape, up to 4 kg, with a thin peel, light green in color with stripes. The advantages include rapid ripening, high yield, disease resistance, transportability, and unpretentiousness in agricultural technology.

Watermelon Lunar

Interesting! The legendary watermelon, which was included in the Guinness Book of Records, weighed 121.93 kg, it was grown in 2005.

Features of the root system

The ability to extract moisture in arid areas is realized through a powerful root system. The watermelon root goes into the soil as deep as the soil type and structure allows. On heavy and loamy soils, the root penetrates to a depth of no more than 0.25-0.7 m; on light sandy and loamy soils, the root can reach a depth of 1 m or more.

Root system

In the ground at a distance of 1–2 cm from the arable horizon, the thickness of the root is sharply reduced, but it has strong lateral branches. The lower the main root, the shorter and weaker the lateral ones. The radius of the watermelon root system can reach 3.5 meters. It is precisely because of this feature of the root system that cultivation of the soil where watermelons grow occurs very rarely and not deeply.

What are the benefits of watermelon?

First you need to find out what vitamins are present in watermelon. Nutritional value watermelon only 25 kcal. It is precisely due to such low energy value People who are losing weight love it so much. In addition, the berry contains 92-95% water.

What are the benefits of watermelon?

Watermelon pulp contains vitamins A, groups B, C and E, as well as minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Watermelon seeds also contain enough useful substances. There is especially a lot of cholecalciferol (vitamin D), which is involved in strengthening teeth and bones. There are also B vitamins, carotenoids, zinc, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Beneficial properties of watermelon for the body:

Prevention of kidney diseases. Due to the high water content in watermelon, it has a diuretic property, which is the best prevention urolithiasis and nephritis. In addition, the potassium content can break down and move kidney stones, reducing pain and completely eliminating the disease.

Normalizes blood pressure.
Maintaining water balance in the body in hot weather.
Prevention of eye diseases.
Reduces the risk of cancer.

Prevention from illnesses

Contraindications to eating watermelon

In the absence of individual intolerance, eating a small watermelon will not lead to any serious consequences. You should only refrain in the following cases:

renal dysfunction;
disturbance of urine outflow;
kidney stones more than 4mm;
for diarrhea and colic.

Contraindications for use

Pregnant women, especially recent months, you should also limit your consumption of watermelon. Otherwise, it will lead to very frequent urination and general discomfort.

Diseases and pests of watermelon

In fact, there are a lot of diseases and pests. Below are just a few of the most common diseases in our territories.

Fusarium. A disease caused by a fungus that penetrates the root system. This is precisely the danger of this disease. While the root system is affected, it is impossible to recognize it, and when visible lesions have already appeared, watermelon cannot be treated. Sick plants are pulled out, and the rest are sprayed with fungicides.

Fusarium

Anthracnose. Also fungal disease, which appears at the initial stage as yellow and brown spots on the leaves. Then yellow-pinkish pads appear, which gradually turn into dark ulcers. The disease spreads to the stems and fruits. The leaves dry out, rot, and the fruits become deformed and stop growing. Anthracnose especially spreads in rainy weather. The plant can be cured by spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The bush is processed evenly with a break of 7-10 days. The drug only works where it hits.

Anthracnose

Root rot. Also a fungal disease, which can be caused by sudden temperature changes, high humidity, and diligent watering with soil solutions. Signs of root rot are black-brown spots on the stem near the shoots. The roots become thicker and burst, and the upper part of the plant disintegrates into threads and dies. The plant can be cured only at the initial stage. The frequency and volume of watering is reduced, the water is replaced with a solution of potassium permanganate. The roots are removed from the soil and treated with copper sulfate. On advanced stage bushes are destroyed.

Root rot

So, now we know exactly what family the watermelon belongs to, what is a watermelon - is it a berry or a fruit? In addition, it is now clear why it is useful and what varieties are grown in our country.