Guide to Geography
Krypton Girl spends a lot of her time flying through the air, looking for crime to bust and citizens to save. All this travelling up high gives her a great view, and some good knowledge of how the world looks from above! We’ve asked her to give us her very best quick guide to geography, using the knowledge of everything she’s seen from the sky…
Hi crime fighters, I’m Krypton Girl. I spend most of my days helping my cousin fight crime here on Earth. We can both fly through the air, which makes it very easy to get around and see who might need our help. Something I’ve learned whilst flying around the atmosphere is how different the world looks from above! Now I don’t ever want to get myself lost, so I had to learn a little bit of Geography to help me navigate. I wonder if you’d let me share my guide to geography with you?
Continents
So the world is made up of a LOT of water. Over 70% of the planet is ocean! The land that is leftover is divided into what we call continents. A continent is a large mass of land, and there are seven continents in total! Do you know what they are called? Have a look at the map below and see if you recognise any…
The continents (from biggest to smallest) are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. When I came to Earth, I made my home in North America – but Imaginacts is based in Europe so I fly over whenever I get an invite!
Countries
Each continent is divided into countries. Did you know, there are 195 countries in the world? That’s a lot of countries! Which one do you live in? A country is defined as being a land that is controlled by a single government. Your government in the UK is led by a Prime Minister, but you also have Queen Elizabeth II at the head of the royal family. In the USA where I live, our government is led by the President.
Since Imaginacts is based in England in Europe, I thought I’d focus on some of the countries there. The UK is made up of four countries – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since the UK is an island nation, that means most of its borders are on the sea, and not connected to another country – other than Ireland, your next door neighbour!
The next nearest country is France, which you can travel to under the sea by the channel tunnel. Other than that, you’ll need to take a plane or a boat to get to any other country – and the nearest ones to the UK in Europe are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway. Some of our friends from Imaginacts are from these countries!
Capital Cities
Every country has a Capital City. This is a very important place where most of the big decisions are made – regarding trade, communication and transportation. England’s capital city is London. Have you ever been there? Sticking with the European theme, here’s a list of the capital cities of the countries shown above:
| Country: | Capital City: | Country: | Capital City: |
| England (UK) | London | Scotland (UK) | Edinburgh |
| Wales (UK) | Cardiff | Northern Ireland (UK) | Belfast |
| Ireland | Dublin | France | Paris |
| Belgium | Brussels | The Netherlands | Amsterdam |
| Spain | Madrid | Germany | Berlin |
| Norway | Oslo | Denmark | Copenhagen |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Finland | Helsinki |
| Poland | Warsaw | Austria | Vienna |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Slovakia | Bratislava |
| Switzerland | Bern | Italy | Rome |
| Hungary | Budapest | Ukraine | Kyiv |
| Belarus | Minsk | Lithuania | Vilnius |
| Latvia | Riga | Estonia | Tallinn |
Did you know, there’s a very special place in Paris where all your dreams come true? All your favourite princesses and superheroes live there!
Flags
Every country has its own flag. This is basically their superhero emblem or logo! You may recognise the flag we use in the USA, we like to refer to them as the stars and stripes. My good friend The American Captain even wears these stars and stripes on his superhero outfit!
Do you recognise any of these flags? Here are a few from Europe:
Fun Fact: The flag of the UK is known as The Union Jack. It’s a combination of all the flags from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!
Landmarks
One way that really helps me learn where I am in the world is by looking out for famous landmarks. In my guide to geography this one is a really useful tool! Landmarks can be natural things like mountains and lakes – but there are some very well known man-made monuments all over Europe that help me navigate!
You may recognise some of them! The London Eye and Big Ben are famous landmarks in London. In France there is the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Damn Cathedral (I heard that a very kind hunchback lives there!), in Norway there are some beautiful fjords, the Netherlands have beautiful canals, Italy has the colosseum in Rome, the ruins of Pompeii and the leaning Tower of Pisa, Belgium has the masterful Atomium building – and in Denmark, there is a very special statue of one of our friends! It’s called The Little Mermaid. Have you seen her story?
Quiz
What guide to geography is complete without a quick quiz to test your knowledge? Try and answer these questions without looking back through the blog!
- How many continents are there?
- How many countries are there?
- What’s the capital city of France?
- What’s the capital city of Belarus?
- What is the UK flag sometimes called?
- Which Imaginacts friend does the Danish landmark resemble?
WOW that was tough! But I bet you smashed it. How did you do? Let me know your answers by emailing them to my friend at [email protected] ✨
Thank you for all paying such beautiful attention to my guide to geography. It can be hard to learn new things, but every bit of knowledge we gain helps prepare us for the future. Now I know some basic geography, I’ll never get lost when I’m flying through the skies!
Useful links and resources:
Written by Fiona Lynn