Grade 5 · Countries by Continent

Placing Countries on the Right Continent

This Grade 5 worksheet drills placing countries on the correct continent, covering Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania.

15 questions · Matching · Multiple choice · True or false · Short answer · Application

Many students know a handful of countries but struggle to place them on the right continent. Mexico gets called South American because of the Spanish language. New Zealand gets lumped with Asia because it sits in the Pacific. This worksheet gives fifth graders focused practice matching real countries to their continents using matching, multiple-choice, true-false, and short-answer questions that move from recall to reasoning. Complete it after your class has introduced the seven continents, then use it to spot which placements still need work. The short-answer questions at the end ask students to explain their thinking, which helps teachers see what a student truly understands versus what was guessed.

Placing Countries on the Right Continent — Grade 5

Use what you know about world geography to complete each section. Each section has its own directions.

Remember

Earth has seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America.
One country can be very close to another continent's border — that does not move it to that continent.
Australia is unique: it is the only landmass that is counted as both a country and a continent.

Part A — Match each country to its continent

Match each country on the left to its continent on the right.

Choose from

A. Asia
B. South America
C. Europe
D. Africa
E. Australia/Oceania

1.
Brazil
2.
Egypt
3.
Japan
4.
Australia
5.
Germany

Part B — Choose the correct continent for each country

Choose the continent where each country is located.

6.
Which continent is India located on?
1. A.Africa
2. B.Asia
3. C.Europe
4. D.Australia/Oceania
7.
Which continent is Mexico located on?
1. A.South America
2. B.North America
3. C.Europe
4. D.Africa
8.
Which continent is Nigeria located on?
1. A.South America
2. B.Asia
3. C.Africa
4. D.Europe
9.
Which continent is New Zealand located on?
1. A.Asia
2. B.Europe
3. C.Antarctica
4. D.Australia/Oceania
10.
Which continent is Colombia located on?
1. A.North America
2. B.South America
3. C.Europe
4. D.Africa

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

Read each statement and write True or False on the line provided.

11.
The country of Panama is located on the continent of South America.
12.
Australia is the only country that is also counted as its own continent.
13.
The country of Morocco is located on the continent of Asia.

Part D — Write your answer in complete sentences

Answer each question in one or two complete sentences using your own words.

14.
A classmate says Mexico must be in South America because Spanish is spoken there. Why is this reasoning incorrect?
15.
New Zealand and Japan are both island countries in the Pacific Ocean. Why do they belong to different continents?

Answer key

Part A — Match each country to its continent

1.South America
2.Africa
3.Asia
4.Australia/Oceania
5.Europe

Part B — Choose the correct continent for each country

6.Asia
7.North America
8.Africa
9.Australia/Oceania
10.South America

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

11.False - Panama is located on the continent of North America.
12.True
13.False - Morocco is located on the continent of Africa.

Part D — Write your answer in complete sentences

14.Example: Mexico is part of North America, not South America. Spanish is spoken in countries on several different continents. The language a country speaks does not determine which continent it belongs to.
15.Example: Japan is located near the coast of eastern Asia, so it belongs to the continent of Asia. New Zealand is far to the south near Australia, so it belongs to Australia/Oceania. Being in the same ocean does not put two countries on the same continent.

What this sheet teaches

Identify which continent each of 15 countries belongs to by recalling key geographic facts.
Explain why language or ocean location does not determine a country's continent.
Correct common misconceptions about where countries such as Mexico and New Zealand are located.

Notes for the adult

Students most often place Mexico in South America because of Spanish; remind them that language does not equal continent.
Use a physical map with colored continents so students can trace a country's land connection to its continent.
A student is ready for latitude and longitude when they can place any of these countries correctly without a map.

Placing Countries on the Right Continent

Placing Countries on the Right Continent — Grade 5

Part A — Match each country to its continent

Part B — Choose the correct continent for each country

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

Part D — Write your answer in complete sentences

Part A — Match each country to its continent

Part B — Choose the correct continent for each country

Part C — Decide if each statement is true or false

Part D — Write your answer in complete sentences

What this sheet teaches

Notes for the adult

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