The central and southern regions of Africa contain dense jungles and rainforests as well as steppe land and savanna plains and the climate ranges from tropical to sub-arctic. Despite the harsh land and climate, and the fact that Sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, it is home to over 770 million people as well as some of the least developed countries in the world. Over the last 40 years there has been a significant growth in population - in some African nations, more than 50% of the population is under the age of 25. With a growth rate of 2.3%, the United Nations has predicted that the population will grow to 1.5 billion by the year 2050. However large the numbers may look on paper, Africa holds only 10% of the world's population, but includes 60% of all people living with HIV: 68% of adults and nearly 90% of children! According to the 2003 Human Development Report by the United Nations, the 25 nations ranked at the very bottom were all African nations - around 80% of Zimbabweans are unemployed. On the other hand, a few Sub-Saharan countries have done very well, primarily Botswana and South Africa. Botswana's capital, Gaborone, is one of the world's fastest growing cities and over 25% of the country's budget is used to continuously improve the city's infrastructure. Additionally, South Africa has the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (one of the major stock exchanges of the entire continent), and is the leading producer of gold and diamonds throughout the world.

Africa is the most multilingual continent in the world - most reports list at least 1,000 different languages throughout the enormous landmass. While most are of African origin, several European languages thrive as well. Of the four major language families found in Africa, the Niger-Congo language envelops most of the Sub-Saharan region and is most likely the largest language family in the world. The major subgroups of the Niger-Congo language are the Kordofanian, Mande, and Atlantic-Congo languages. Apparently, it is not uncommon for people to speak several African languages as well as one or even two European languages.

Political leaders and citizens generally have little or no experience in allotting resources, opportunities, and power fairly and efficiently, which has lead to widespread turbulence. Some 200,000 children and around 100,000 women are currently enslaved in the sex and labor markets, and these numbers do not include the children forced to work as soldiers. Agriculture is one of the major sources of livelihood within the continent, with nearly two-thirds of the population growing and producing their own food.

Excluding a tropical wet climate, North America experiences every major type of climate/weather. Most of the continent experiences a temperate climate, excluding Hawaii (tropical), Florida (tropical), and Alaska (arctic), with generally low winter temperatures in the northwestern United States. This climate is subject to change however, with the threat of many natural hazards such as tsunamis, flooding, volcanoes, earthquakes, forest fires, and hurricanes. The terrain is sporadic and includes a large central plain with mountains in the west, hills and low mountains in the east, rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska, and rocky, volcanic topography in Hawaii. There are many natural resources including coal, copper, lead, gold, and petroleum.

The languages found most often in North America are English, Spanish, and French, and the United States experiences a net migration rate of about 3.05 migrants per 1,000 people. Due to the religious freedom generally accepted throughout the continent, the North American population practices many different religions including, but not limited to, Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Unitarianism. Nearly 80% of the North American population lives in metropolitan areas, the largest of which are Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. The United States has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the entire world, with a per capita GDP of $46,000 in 2007.

North America depends heavily on agricultural success and produces wheat, corn, grains, fruit, vegetables, and cotton. Furthermore, North America provides a steady supply of beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, fish, and forest products. Following the trend of extreme consumption, the North American population is also the world's largest consumer of cocaine as well as many other illicit drugs.

This landmass is home to well over 700 million people, more than 10% of the planet's population, in 48 different countries - pretty impressive considering Europe's “small” size. Of the 48 countries that make up Europe, 27 of them are part of the European Union (EU). The European Union is a single market in which all member states must follow a system of laws guaranteeing the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital, and, of course, people. The 27 countries, or independent sovereign states, that make up the EU, also known as member states, are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Europe generally has what is known as a temperate, maritime climate. The temperate climate has four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter). The maritime climate means that the weather is affected by the oceans which help to maintain relatively stable temperatures throughout all four seasons. The combination temperate-maritime climate means that the winds generally blow from the west and that the westernmost countries experience the “truest” temperate-maritime climate. The westernmost countries of the landmass in question include Ireland and the United Kingdom. Europe is comprised mostly of mountains, uplands, and lowlands, which stretch from the east to the west in wide bands.

The largest, and most famous, mountain ranges in this part of the world are known as the Alps, which run from southern France and all the way through Switzerland, Austria, and Slovakia, finally ending in Romania, which leaves the mountains stretching across the middle of the continent. Since the Alps run east-west, the maritime climate also helps to stabilize the inland temperature. The North European Plain, specifically along coastal zones, is a heavily populated area, which runs all the way through Poland (east), including deeply populated rural areas as well as many large, industrial cities.

Following the Renaissance, Europe has been a major influence in culture, economics and social movements all over the world. Some major issues and concerns that have recently surfaced include religious emigration, economic immigration, race relations, and a declining birthrate partnered with an aging population. The United Nations' “population projection” increases Europe's concern regarding population, foreshadowing a drop to just 653 million in 2050. If this is true, the European population will have dropped from 11% of the planet's total population in 2005, to just 7%.

Finally, population issues aside, Europe currently has the largest economy in the world. Fifteen of the 27 countries in the European Union share a common currency (Euro) and a majority of the EU's trade takes place between India, China, Russia, the United States, and other European countries that are not EU member states. Many European countries have official religions but there are many prevalent religions across the continent, including several sects of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Rastafarian, and even Voodoo. Similar to the number of religions, many languages are spoken across Europe, but these can be grouped into three larger sections: Romance languages, Germanic languages, and Slavic languages.