Hey, kid cartographers! That's you, if you've ever drawn a map of your home or neighbourhood, or followed one on a treasure hunt. Cartography is the study of maps. Do you enjoy colouring world maps and marking where you live or places you dream of visiting? Have you ever tried spinning a globe just for fun, closing your eyes and pointing?
There's a chance your finger would land on Russia, the world's largest country in size. (But a bigger chance you'd land on blue, since about 70% of the Earth's surface is water.) Russia covers an area of more than 17 million square kilometres. It's considered part of two continents, Asia and Europe. It has 11 different time zones and borders 14 different countries!
We also received a related question that's harder to answer. Why are there different countries, anyway? Many nations are formed because of the shared culture and history of a group of people. Some rise from war and revolution. Colonialism is when powerful countries control other areas and take advantage of the resources there. It plays a huge part in the creation of many modern countries, including ours.
The world can be a complicated and divided place. Take opportunities to learn about the link between history and geography. This helps us understand the shared past of humans around the globe and the future that connects us all.