A giant and diverse continent, Africa is a mixture of expansive arid deserts and contrasting tropical jungles. Mount Kilimanjaro, the Sahara Desert, the pyramids of Giza, Table Mountain at Cape Town and the endless wildlife within the Kruger National Park are highlights.

Algeria  Botswana  Dem. Rep. of Congo  Egypt  Ethiopia  Ghana  Kenya

Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mauritius  Morocco  Mozambique  Namibia

Nigeria  Seychelles  South Africa  Swaziland  Tanzania  The Gambia

Comprising both Asia Pacific and the Middle East, this is the largest of the world's continents, boasting many enticing holiday destinations. Asia is split into various spreading territories, with the Southern region being home to India, while Eastern Asia is where you will find the countries of China, Japan, Korea, Macau and Taiwan.

Popular capital cities in Asia include Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, Jerusalem, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore City and Tokyo.

China  India  Indonesia  Israel

Japan  Malaysia  Philippines  Singapore

South Korea  Thailand  United Arab Emirates  Vietnam

Most people forget that whilst Australia is an island country, this is also an alternative and commonly used name for Australasia / Oceania. Of all the continents, Australia is by far the smallest and it resides within the Southern Hemisphere.

Apart from Australia itself, this continent is made up of various different countries, such as East Timor, Fiji, Melanesia, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand (North Island and South Island), Papua New Guinea, Polynesia, the Solomon Islands and Tonga, as well as some designated areas of Indonesia.

Some of the most visited tourist-friendly cities located within the continent of Australia include Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Christchurch, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington.

Australia  New Zealand

Significant European capital cities include Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague and Rome.

Austria  Belgium  Channel Islands  Croatia  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark

England  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary

Iceland  Ireland  Italy  Netherlands  Norway  Poland  Portugal

Russia  Scotland  Spain  Sweden  Switzerland  Turkey  Wales

Frequently going by the name of South America, Latin America bridges the equatorial line, although it is fair to say that much of this continent stands within the Southern Hemisphere. The east is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Pacific Ocean lying to the west.

Noteworthy Latin American cities include Bermuda, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Havana, Lima and San Jose.

Argentina  Bahamas  Barbados  Bermuda  Brazil

Costa Rica  Cuba  Guatemala  Jamaica

Peru  Puerto Rico  Trinidad and Tobago  Venezuela

North America is where a large number of the planet's most powerful and well-known cities live. The Statue of Liberty in New York is a familiar sight all around the world, while Washington DC is the official residence of the president - at the White House.

Sightseers will be familiar with the much-photographed Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the hillside Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, where numerous hopeful actors come to start their career. Many Canadian and Mexican cities also appeal to the tourist market.

Major cities in North America include Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Mexico City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Toronto.

Canada  Mexico  USA