Large geographical region identified by convention
For other uses, see Continent (disambiguation).
Animated, colour-coded map showing some continents and the region of Oceania (purple), which includes the continent of Australia. Depending on the convention and model, some continents may be consolidated or subdivided.
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single landmass or a part of a very large landmass, as in the case of Asia or Europe. Due to this, the number of continents varies; up to seven or as few as four geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Most English-speaking countries recognize seven regions as continents. In order from largest to smallest in area, these seven regions are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.[1] Different variations with fewer continents merge some of these regions; examples of this are merging North America and South America into America, Asia and Europe into Eurasia, and Africa, Asia, and Europe into Afro-Eurasia.
Oceanic islands are occasionally grouped with a nearby continent to divide all the world's land into geographical regions. Under this scheme, most of the island countries and territories in the Pacific Ocean are grouped together with the continent of Australia to form the geographical region Oceania.[2]
In geology, a continent is defined as "one of Earth's major landmasses, including both dry land and continental shelves".[3] The geological continents correspond to seven large areas of continental crust that are found on the tectonic plates, but exclude small continental fragments such as Madagascar that are generally referred to as microcontinents. Continental crust is only known to exist on Earth.[4]
The idea of continental drift gained recognition in the 20th century. It postulates that the current continents formed from the breaking up of a supercontinent (Pangaea) that formed hundreds of millions of years ago.
^"Continents: What is a Continent?". National Geographic. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2020. "Most people recognize seven continents—Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, from largest to smallest—although sometimes Asia and Europe are considered a single continent, Eurasia."
^Murray, Warwick E. (2016). "Changing Rural Worlds – A Global View". In Daniels, Peter; Bradshaw, Michael; Shaw, Denis; Sidaway, James; Hall, Tim (eds.). An Introduction To Human Geography (5th ed.). Pearson. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-292-12939-6.
^Neuendorf, K.K.E.; Mehl, J.P. Jr.; Jackson, J.A., eds. (2005). Glossary of Geology (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: American Geological Institute. p. 139. ISBN 978-0922152896.
^Choi, Charles Q. (16 July 2015). "Did Ancient Mars Have Continents?". Space.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent...
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north...
refer to the newly discovered continent, which is why it was accorded with the feminine names of the other continents: Asia, Africa, and Europa. Since...
Look up Dark Continent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Dark Continent may refer to: A phrase to describe Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa A...
Africa is the world's second largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent...
Douluo Continent (Chinese: 斗罗大陆; pinyin: Dòu Luō Dà Lù) is a 2021 Chinese television series based on a fantasy novel of the same name by Tang Jia San...
North America is a continent in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic...
Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ AY-zhə, UK also /ˈeɪʃə/ AY-shə) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44...
Forgotten continent may refer to: Atlantis, mythical ancient submerged continent. Kumari Kandam Lemuria, hypothetical continent in the Indian Ocean. Meropis...
Antarctica (/ænˈtɑːrktɪkə/ ) is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded...
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern...
The Southern Continent may refer to: Antarctica, Southernmost Continent. Australia, see Down Under. South America, southern part of the Americas. Africa...
European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by some, simply as the Continent. When Eurasia is regarded as a single continent, Europe...
of a continent which has a distinct geographical, political, or cultural identity" and also a "large land mass somewhat smaller than a continent". Its...
refer to: Lost Continent (1951 film) Lost Continent (1955 film) The Lost Continent (1968 film) Atlantis, the Lost Continent The Lost Continent: The Story...
A submerged continent or a sunken continent is a region of continental crust, extensive in size but mainly undersea. The terminology is used by some paleogeologists...
83–79 million years ago. It has been described variously as a submerged continent, continental fragment, and microcontinent. The name and concept for Zealandia...
geographers, physiographically, Eurasia is a single continent. The concepts of Europe and Asia as distinct continents date back to antiquity, but their borders...
8th Continent is a brand of soy milk sold by 8th Continent, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Stremicks Heritage Foods. 8th Continent is available in Regular Original...
Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. Australia is the...
lands, soon called America based on Amerigo's name, constitute a new continent. This realization expanded the geographical horizon of earlier European...
This is a list of continents and continental subregions by population. The UN geoscheme includes Afghanistan and Iran in Southern Asia. The UN geoscheme...
Naked Continent (裸の大陸) is a Japanese adult video (AV) from 2006 which spawned a series of seven sequels, two compilation DVDs, a five part compilation...
list of continents of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP), the market value of all final goods and services from a continent in a given...
The Seventh Continent or 7th Continent can refer to: The Seventh Continent (1966 film), a 1966 Croatian film The Seventh Continent (1989 film), a 1989...
Global Information