Continent - wikipedia Continent For other uses, see Continent ( disambiguation ). Animated, colour - coded map showing the various continents and regions. Depending on the convention and model, some continents may be consolidated or subdivided : for example, Eurasia is most often subdivided into Asia and Europe ( red shades ), while North and South America are sometimes recognised as one American continent ( green shades ). A continent is one of several very large landmasses of the world. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in size to smallest, they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Geologically the continents largely correspond to areas of continental crust that are found on the continental plates. However some areas of continental crust are regions covered with water not usually included in the list of continents. The area referred to as Zealandia is one such area ( see submerged continents below ). Islands are frequently grouped with a neighbouring continent to divide all the world 's land into geopolitical 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 a geopolitical region called Oceania. Contents 1 Definitions and application 1.1 Extent 1.2 Separation 1.3 Number 2 Other divisions 2.1 Supercontinents 2.2 Subcontinents 2.3 Submerged continents 2.4 Microcontinents 2.5 Botanical continents 3 History of continental configurations 4 History of the concept 4.1 Early concepts of the Old World continents 4.2 European arrival in the Americas 4.3 The word continent 4.4 Beyond four continents 5 Geology 6 Highest and lowest points 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External links Definitions and application A Dymaxion map shows land masses with minimal shape distortion. By convention, `` continents are understood to be large, continuous, discrete masses of land, ideally separated by expanses of water. '' Several of the seven conventionally recognized continents are not discrete landmasses separated completely by water. The criterion `` large '' leads to arbitrary classification : Greenland, with a surface area of 2,166,086 square kilometres ( 836,330 sq mi ) is considered the world 's largest island, while Australia, at 7,617,930 square kilometres ( 2,941,300 sq mi ) is deemed the smallest continent. Earth 's major landmasses all have coasts on a single, continuous World Ocean, which is divided into a number of principal oceanic components by the continents and various geographic criteria. Extent The most restricted meaning of continent is that of a continuous area of land or mainland, with the coastline and any land boundaries forming the edge of the continent. In this sense the term continental Europe ( sometimes referred to in Britain as `` the Continent '' ) is used to refer to mainland Europe, excluding islands such as Great Britain, Ireland, Malta and Iceland, and the term continent of Australia may refer to the mainland of Australia, excluding Tasmania and New Guinea. Similarly, the continental United States refers to the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia in central North America and may include Alaska in the northwest of the continent ( the two being separated by Canada ), while excluding Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam in the oceans. From the perspective of geology or physical geography, continent may be extended beyond the confines of continuous dry land to include the shallow, submerged adjacent area ( the continental shelf ) and the islands on the shelf ( continental islands ), as they are structurally part of the continent. From this perspective the edge of the continental shelf is the true edge of the continent, as shorelines vary with changes in sea level. In this sense the islands of Great Britain and Ireland are part of Europe, while Australia and the island of New Guinea together form a continent. Map of island countries : these states are often grouped geographically with a neighboring continental landmass. As a cultural construct, the concept of a continent may go beyond the continental shelf to include oceanic islands and continental fragments. In this way, Iceland is considered part of Europe and Madagascar part of Africa. Extrapolating the concept to its extreme, some geographers group the Australian continental plate with other islands in the Pacific into one continent called Oceania. This divides the entire land surface of Earth into continents or quasi-continents. Separation Main article : Boundaries between the continents of Earth See also : List of transcontinental countries The ideal criterion that each continent be a discrete landmass is commonly relaxed due to historical conventions. Of the seven most globally recognized continents, only Antarctica and Australia are completely separated from other continents by ocean. Several continents are defined not as absolutely distinct bodies but as `` more or less discrete masses of land ''. Asia and Africa are joined by the Isthmus of Suez, and North and South America by the Isthmus of Panama. In both cases, there is no complete separation of these landmasses by water ( disregarding the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, which are both narrow and shallow, as well as being artificial ). Both these isthmuses are very narrow compared to the bulk off the landmasses they unite. North America and South America are treated as separate continents in the seven - continent model. However, they may also be viewed as a single continent known as America or the Americas. This viewpoint was common in the United States until World War II, and remains prevalent in some Asian six - continent models. This remains the more common vision in Latin American countries, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece, where they are taught as a single continent. The criterion of a discrete landmass is completely disregarded if the continuous landmass of Eurasia is classified as two separate continents : Europe and Asia. Physiographically, Europe and South Asia are peninsulas of the Eurasian landmass. However, Europe is widely considered a continent with its comparatively large land area of 10,180,000 square kilometres ( 3,930,000 sq mi ), while South Asia, with less than half that area, is considered a subcontinent. The alternative view -- in geology and geography -- that Eurasia is a single continent results in a six - continent view of the world. Some view separation of Eurasia into Asia and Europe as a residue of Eurocentrism : `` In physical, cultural and historical diversity, China and India are comparable to the entire European landmass, not to a single European country. (... ). '' However, for historical and cultural reasons, the view of Europe as a separate continent continues in several categorizations. If continents are defined strictly as discrete landmasses, embracing all the contiguous land of a body, then Africa, Asia, and Europe form a single continent which may be referred to as Afro - Eurasia. This produces a four - continent model consisting of Afro - Eurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia. When sea levels were lower during the Pleistocene ice ages, greater areas of continental shelf were exposed as dry land, forming land bridges. At those times Australia -- New Guinea was a single, continuous continent. Likewise the Americas and Afro - Eurasia were joined by the Bering land bridge. Other islands such as Great Britain were joined to the mainlands of their continents. At that time there were just three discrete continents : Afro - Eurasia - America, Antarctica, and Australia - New Guinea. Number There are several ways of distinguishing the continents : Models Color - coded map showing the various continents. Similar shades exhibit areas that may be consolidated or subdivided. Four continents Afro - Eurasia America Antarctica Australia Five continents Africa Eurasia America Antarctica Australia Six continents Africa Asia Europe America Antarctica Australia Six continents Africa Eurasia North America South America Antarctica Australia / Oceania Seven continents Africa Asia Europe North America South America Antarctica Australia / Oceania The seven - continent model is usually taught in China, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, parts of Western Europe and most English - speaking countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. The six - continent combined - Eurasia model is mostly used in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Japan. The six - continent combined - America model is often used in France and its former possessions, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Latin America, and Greece. A five - continent model is obtained from this model by excluding Antarctica as uninhabited. This is used, for example in the United Nations and in the Olympic Charter. The term Oceania refers to a group of island countries and territories in the Pacific Ocean, together with the continent of Australia. Pacific islands with ties to other continents ( such as Japan, Hawaii or Easter Island ) are usually grouped with those continents rather than Oceania. This term is used in several different continental models instead of Australia. Other divisions Supercontinents Aside from the conventionally known continents, the scope and meaning of the term continent varies. Supercontinents, largely in evidence earlier in the geological record, are landmasses that comprise more than one craton or continental core. These have included Laurasia, Gondwana, Vaalbara, Kenorland, Columbia, Rodinia, and Pangaea. Subcontinents Certain parts of continents are recognized as subcontinents, especially the large peninsulas separated from the main continental landmass by geographical features. The most notable examples are the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula. The southern cone of South America and Alaskan peninsula of North America are other examples. In many of these cases, the `` subcontinents '' concerned are on different tectonic plates from the rest of the continent, providing a geological justification for the terminology. Greenland, generally reckoned as the world 's largest island on the northeastern periphery of the North American Plate, is sometimes referred to as a subcontinent. This is a significant departure from the more conventional view of a subcontinent as comprising a very large peninsula on the fringe of a continent. Where the Americas are viewed as a single continent ( America ), it is divided into two subcontinents ( North America and South America ) or three ( with Central America being the third ). When Eurasia is regarded as a single continent, Europe is treated as a subcontinent. Submerged continents Some areas of continental crust are largely covered by the sea and may be considered submerged continents. Notable examples are Zealandia, emerging from the sea primarily in New Zealand and New Caledonia, and the almost completely submerged Kerguelen Plateau in the southern Indian Ocean. Microcontinents Some islands lie on sections of continental crust that have rifted and drifted apart from a main continental landmass. While not considered continents because of their relatively small size, they may be considered microcontinents. Madagascar, the largest example, is usually considered an island of Africa but has been referred to as `` the eighth continent '' from a biological perspective. Botanical continents `` Botanical continents '' defined by the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions. `` Continents '' may be defined differently for specific purposes. The Biodiversity Information Standards organization has developed the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, used in many international plant databases. This scheme divides the world into nine `` botanical continents ''. Some match the traditional geographical continents, but some differ significantly. Thus the Americas are divided between Northern America ( Mexico northwards ) and Southern America ( Central America and the Caribbean southwards ) rather than between North America and South America. History of continental configurations Main article : Geological history of the Earth History of the concept The Ancient Greek geographer Strabo holding a globe showing Europa and Asia Early concepts of the old world continents The term `` continent '' translates Greek ἤπειρος, properly `` landmass, terra firma '', the proper name of Epirus and later especially used of Asia ( i.e. Asia Minor ), The first distinction between continents was made by ancient Greek mariners who gave the names Europe and Asia to the lands on either side of the waterways of the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles strait, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus strait and the Black Sea. The names were first applied just to lands near the coast and only later extended to include the hinterlands. But the division was only carried through to the end of navigable waterways and ``... beyond that point the Hellenic geographers never succeeded in laying their finger on any inland feature in the physical landscape that could offer any convincing line for partitioning an indivisible Eurasia... '' Ancient Greek thinkers subsequently debated whether Africa ( then called Libya ) should be considered part of Asia or a third part of the world. Division into three parts eventually came to predominate. From the Greek viewpoint, the Aegean Sea was the center of the world ; Asia lay to the east, Europe to the north and west, and Africa to the south. The boundaries between the continents were not fixed. Early on, the Europe -- Asia boundary was taken to run from the Black Sea along the Rioni River ( known then as the Phasis ) in Georgia. Later it was viewed as running from the Black Sea through Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov and along the Don River ( known then as the Tanais ) in Russia. The boundary between Asia and Africa was generally taken to be the Nile River. Herodotus in the 5th century BC, however, objected to the unity of Egypt being split into Asia and Africa ( `` Libya '' ) and took the boundary to lie along the western border of Egypt, regarding Egypt as part of Asia. He also questioned the division into three of what is really a single landmass, a debate that continues nearly two and a half millennia later. Eratosthenes, in the 3rd century BC, noted that some geographers divided the continents by rivers ( the Nile and the Don ), thus considering them `` islands ''. Others divided the continents by isthmuses, calling the continents `` peninsulas ''. These latter geographers set the border between Europe and Asia at the isthmus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and the border between Asia and Africa at the isthmus between the Red Sea and the mouth of Lake Bardawil on the Mediterranean Sea. Medieval T and O map showing the three continents as domains of the sons of Noah -- Asia to Sem ( Shem ), Europe to Iafeth ( Japheth ), and Africa to Cham ( Ham ). Through the Roman period and the Middle Ages, a few writers took the Isthmus of Suez as the boundary between Asia and Africa, but most writers continued to consider it the Nile or the western border of Egypt ( Gibbon ). In the Middle Ages, the world was usually portrayed on T and O maps, with the T representing the waters dividing the three continents. By the middle of the 18th century, `` the fashion of dividing Asia and Africa at the Nile, or at the Great Catabathmus ( the boundary between Egypt and Libya ) farther west, had even then scarcely passed away ''. European arrival in the Americas Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Indies in 1492, sparking a period of European exploration of the Americas. But despite four voyages to the Americas, Columbus never believed he had reached a new continent -- he always thought it was part of Asia. In 1501, Amerigo Vespucci and Gonçalo Coelho attempted to sail around what they considered the southern end of the Asian mainland into the Indian Ocean, passing through Fernando de Noronha. After reaching the coast of Brazil, they sailed a long way further south along the coast of South America, confirming that this was a land of continental proportions and that it also extended much further south than Asia was known to. On return to Europe, an account of the voyage, called Mundus Novus ( `` New World '' ), was published under Vespucci 's name in 1502 or 1503, although it seems that it had additions or alterations by another writer. Regardless of who penned the words, Mundus Novus credited Vespucci with saying, `` I have discovered a continent in those southern regions that is inhabited by more numerous people and animals than our Europe, or Asia or Africa '', the first known explicit identification of part of the Americas as a continent like the other three. Within a few years the name `` New World '' began appearing as a name for South America on world maps, such as the Oliveriana ( Pesaro ) map of around 1504 -- 1505. Maps of this time though, still showed North America connected to Asia and showed South America as a separate land. Universalis Cosmographia, Waldseemüller 's 1507 world map -- the first to show the Americas separate from Asia In 1507 Martin Waldseemüller published a world map, Universalis Cosmographia, which was the first to show North and South America as separate from Asia and surrounded by water. A small inset map above the main map explicitly showed for the first time the Americas being east of Asia and separated from Asia by an ocean, as opposed to just placing the Americas on the left end of the map and Asia on the right end. In the accompanying book Cosmographiae Introductio, Waldseemüller noted that the earth is divided into four parts, Europe, Asia, Africa and the fourth part, which he named `` America '' after Amerigo Vespucci 's first name. On the map, the word `` America '' was placed on part of South America. The word continent From the 16th century the English noun continent was derived from the term continent land, meaning continuous or connected land and translated from the Latin terra continens. The noun was used to mean `` a connected or continuous tract of land '' or mainland. It was not applied only to very large areas of land -- in the 17th century, references were made to the continents ( or mainlands ) of Isle of Man, Ireland and Wales and in 1745 to Sumatra. The word continent was used in translating Greek and Latin writings about the three `` parts '' of the world, although in the original languages no word of exactly the same meaning as continent was used. While continent was used on the one hand for relatively small areas of continuous land, on the other hand geographers again raised Herodotus 's query about why a single large landmass should be divided into separate continents. In the mid-17th century, Peter Heylin wrote in his Cosmographie that `` A Continent is a great quantity of Land, not separated by any Sea from the rest of the World, as the whole Continent of Europe, Asia, Africa. '' In 1727, Ephraim Chambers wrote in his Cyclopædia, `` The world is ordinarily divided into two grand continents : the old and the new. '' And in his 1752 atlas, Emanuel Bowen defined a continent as `` a large space of dry land comprehending many countries all joined together, without any separation by water. Thus Europe, Asia, and Africa is one great continent, as America is another. '' However, the old idea of Europe, Asia and Africa as `` parts '' of the world ultimately persisted with these being regarded as separate continents. Hollandia Nova, 1659 map prepared by Joan Blaeu based on voyages by Abel Tasman and Willem Jansz, this image shows a French edition of 1663 Beyond four continents From the late 18th century, some geographers started to regard North America and South America as two parts of the world, making five parts in total. Overall though, the fourfold division prevailed well into the 19th century. Europeans discovered Australia in 1606, but for some time it was taken as part of Asia. By the late 18th century, some geographers considered it a continent in its own right, making it the sixth ( or fifth for those still taking America as a single continent ). In 1813, Samuel Butler wrote of Australia as `` New Holland, an immense island, which some geographers dignify with the appellation of another continent '' and the Oxford English Dictionary was just as equivocal some decades later. Antarctica was sighted in 1820 during the First Russian Antarctic Expedition and described as a continent by Charles Wilkes on the United States Exploring Expedition in 1838, the last continent identified, although a great `` Antarctic '' ( antipodean ) landmass had been anticipated for millennia. An 1849 atlas labelled Antarctica as a continent but few atlases did so until after World War II. From the mid-19th century, atlases published in the United States more commonly treated North and South America as separate continents, while atlases published in Europe usually considered them one continent. However, it was still not uncommon for American atlases to treat them as one continent up until World War II. From the 1950s, most U.S. geographers divided the Americas into two continents. With the addition of Antarctica, this made the seven - continent model. However, this division of the Americas never appealed to Latin Americans, who saw their region spanning an América as a single landmass, and there the conception of six continents remains dominant, as it does in scattered other countries. Some geographers regard Europe and Asia together as a single continent, dubbed Eurasia. In this model, the world is divided into six continents, with North America and South America considered separate continents. Geology This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2015 ) Further information : Continental crust and Plate tectonics Geologists use the term continent in a different manner from geographers, where a continent is defined by continental crust : a platform of metamorphic and igneous rock, largely of granitic composition. Some geologists restrict the term ' continent ' to portions of the crust built around stable Precambrian `` shield '', typically 1.5 to 3.8 billion years old, called a craton. The craton itself is an accretionary complex of ancient mobile belts ( mountain belts ) from earlier cycles of subduction, continental collision and break - up from plate tectonic activity. An outward - thickening veneer of younger, minimally deformed sedimentary rock covers much of the craton. The margins of geologic continents are characterized by currently active or relatively recently active mobile belts and deep troughs of accumulated marine or deltaic sediments. Beyond the margin, there is either a continental shelf and drop off to the basaltic ocean basin or the margin of another continent, depending on the current plate - tectonic setting of the continent. A continental boundary does not have to be a body of water. Over geologic time, continents are periodically submerged under large epicontinental seas, and continental collisions result in a continent becoming attached to another continent. The current geologic era is relatively anomalous in that so much of the continental areas are `` high and dry '' ; that is, many parts of the continents that were once below sea level are now elevated well above it due to changes in sea levels and the subsequent uplifting of those continental areas from tectonic activity. The tectonic plates underlying the continents and oceans Some argue that continents are accretionary crustal `` rafts '' that, unlike the denser basaltic crust of the ocean basins, are not subjected to destruction through the plate tectonic process of subduction. This accounts for the great age of the rocks comprising the continental cratons. By this definition, Eastern Europe, India and some other regions could be regarded as continental masses distinct from the rest of Eurasia because they have separate ancient shield areas ( i.e. East European craton and Indian craton ). Younger mobile belts ( such as the Ural Mountains and Himalayas ) mark the boundaries between these regions and the rest of Eurasia. There are many microcontinents, or continental fragments, that are built of continental crust but do not contain a craton. Some of these are fragments of Gondwana or other ancient cratonic continents : Zealandia, which includes New Zealand and New Caledonia ; Madagascar ; the northern Mascarene Plateau, which includes the Seychelles. Other islands, such as several in the Caribbean Sea, are composed largely of granitic rock as well, but all continents contain both granitic and basaltic crust, and there is no clear boundary as to which islands would be considered microcontinents under such a definition. The Kerguelen Plateau, for example, is largely volcanic, but is associated with the breakup of Gondwanaland and is considered a microcontinent, whereas volcanic Iceland and Hawaii are not. The British Isles, Sri Lanka, Borneo, and Newfoundland are margins of the Laurasian continent -- only separated by inland seas flooding its margins. Plate tectonics offers yet another way of defining continents. Today, Europe and most of Asia constitute the unified Eurasian Plate, which is approximately coincident with the geographic Eurasian continent excluding India, Arabia, and far eastern Russia. India contains a central shield, and the geologically recent Himalaya mobile belt forms its northern margin. North America and South America are separate continents, the connecting isthmus being largely the result of volcanism from relatively recent subduction tectonics. North American continental rocks extend to Greenland ( a portion of the Canadian Shield ), and in terms of plate boundaries, the North American plate includes the easternmost portion of the Asian land mass. Geologists do not use these facts to suggest that eastern Asia is part of the North American continent, even though the plate boundary extends there ; the word continent is usually used in its geographic sense and additional definitions ( `` continental rocks, '' `` plate boundaries '' ) are used as appropriate. The movement of plates has caused the formation and break - up of continents over time, including occasional formation of a supercontinent that contains most or all of the continents. The supercontinent Columbia or Nuna formed during a period of 2.0 -- 1.8 billion years and broke up about 1.5 -- 1.3 billion years ago. The supercontinent Rodinia is thought to have formed about 1 billion years ago and to have embodied most or all of Earth 's continents, and broken up into eight continents around 600 million years ago. The eight continents later re-assembled into another supercontinent called Pangaea ; Pangaea broke up into Laurasia ( which became North America and Eurasia ) and Gondwana ( which became the remaining continents ). Highest and lowest points See also : Extremes on Earth, Extreme points of Earth, and Seven Summits The following table lists the seven continents with their highest and lowest points on land, sorted in decreasing highest points. Continent Highest point Elevation ( m ) Elevation ( ft ) Country or territory containing highest point Lowest point Elevation ( m ) Elevation ( ft ) Country or territory containing lowest point Asia Mount Everest 8,848 29,029 China and Nepal Dead Sea − 427 − 1,401 Israel, Jordan and Palestine South America Aconcagua 6,960 22,830 Argentina Laguna del Carbón − 105 − 344 Argentina North America Denali 6,198 20,335 United States Death Valley † − 86 − 282 United States Africa Mount Kilimanjaro 5,895 19,341 Tanzania Lake Assal − 155 − 509 Djibouti Europe Mount Elbrus 5,642 18,510 Russia Caspian Sea − 28 − 92 Russia Antarctica Vinson Massif 4,892 16,050 ( none ) Deep Lake, Vestfold Hills † − 50 − 160 ( none ) Australia Puncak Jaya 4,884 16,024 Indonesia ( Papua ) Lake Eyre − 15 − 49 Australia † The lowest exposed points are given for North America and Antarctica. The lowest non-submarine bedrock elevations in these continents are the trough beneath Jakobshavn Glacier ( − 1,512 metres ( − 4,961 ft ) ) and Bentley Subglacial Trench ( − 2,540 metres ( − 8,330 ft ) ), but these are covered by kilometers of ice. Some sources list the Kuma -- Manych Depression ( a remnant of the Paratethys ) as the geological border between Europe and Asia. This would place the Caucasus outside of Europe, thus making Mont Blanc ( elevation 4810 m ) in the Graian Alps the highest point in Europe - the lowest point would still be the shore of the Caspian Sea. See also List of continent name etymologies List of sovereign states and dependent territories by continent List of supercontinents List of transcontinental countries Lists of cities Subregion Continental Europe Continents -- Wikipedia book References Jump up ^ `` Continents : What is a Continent ? ''. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2009 - 06 - 29. `` 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. '' Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. 21. Jump up ^ `` Ocean ''. Columbia Encyclopedia ( 2006 ). New York : Columbia University Press. Retrieved 20 February 2007. Jump up ^ `` Distribution of land and water on the planet Archived 31 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine... '' UN Atlas of the Oceans Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine. ( 2004 ). Retrieved 20 February 2007. Jump up ^ `` continent n. 5. a. '' ( 1989 ) Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press ; `` continent n. '' ( 2006 ) The Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th edition revised. ( Ed. ) Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press ; `` continent n. '' ( 2005 ) The New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd edition. ( Ed. ) Erin McKean. Oxford University Press ; `` continent ( 2, n ) 4 a '' ( 1996 ) Webster 's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. ProQuest Information and Learning ; `` continent '' ( 2007 ) Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 14 January 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Jump up ^ `` continent ( 2, n ) 6 '' ( 1996 ) Webster 's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. ProQuest Information and Learning. `` a large segment of the earth 's outer shell including a terrestrial continent and the adjacent continental shelf '' Jump up ^ Monkhouse, F.J. ; John Small ( 1978 ). A Dictionary of the Natural Environment. London : Edward Arnold. pp. 67 -- 68. structurally it includes shallowly submerged adjacent areas ( continental shelf ) and neighbouring islands Jump up ^ Ollier, Cliff D. ( 1996 ). Planet Earth. In Ian Douglas ( Ed. ), Companion Encyclopedia of Geography : The Environment and Humankind. London : Routledge, p. 30. `` Ocean waters extend onto continental rocks at continental shelves, and the true edges of the continents are the steeper continental slopes. The actual shorelines are rather accidental, depending on the height of sea - level on the sloping shelves. '' Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. 40 : `` The joining of Australia with various Pacific islands to form the quasi continent of Oceania... '' Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. 35. Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), Chapter 1 : `` While it might seem surprising to find North and South America still joined into a single continent in a book published in the United States in 1937, such a notion remained fairly common until World War II. (... ) By the 1950s, however, virtually all American geographers had come to insist that the visually distinct landmasses of North and South America deserved separate designations. '' Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. ?. Jump up ^ R.W. McColl, ed. ( 2005 ). `` continents ''. Encyclopedia of World Geography. 1. Facts on File, Inc. p. 215. ISBN 9780816072293. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. And since Africa and Asia are connected at the Suez Peninsula, Europe, Africa, and Asia are sometimes combined as Afro - Eurasia or Eurafrasia. ^ Jump up to : ( 1 ) Older / previous official Greek Paedagogical Institute 6th grade Geography textbook ( at the Wayback Machine ), 5 + 1 continents combined - America model ; Pankosmios Enyklopaidikos Atlas, CIL Hellas Publications, ISBN 84 - 407 - 0470 - 4, page 30, 5 + 1 combined - America continents model ; Neos Eikonographemenos Geographikos Atlas, Siola - Alexiou, 6 continents combined - America model ; Lexico tes Hellenikes Glossas, Papyros Publications, ISBN 978 - 960 - 6715 - 47 - 1, lemma continent ( epeiros ), 5 continents model ; Lexico Triantaphyllide online dictionary, Greek Language Center ( Kentro Hellenikes Glossas ), lemma continent ( epeiros ), 6 continents combined - America model ; Lexico tes Neas Hellenikes Glossas, G. Babiniotes, Kentro Lexikologias ( Legicology Center ) LTD Publications, ISBN 960 - 86190 - 1 - 7, lemma continent ( epeiros ), 6 continents combined - America model Jump up ^ `` Continent Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine. ''. The Columbia Encyclopedia Archived 5 February 2002 at the Wayback Machine... 2001. New York : Columbia University Press - Bartleby. ^ Jump up to : `` Continent ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Chicago : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Jump up ^ World, National Geographic - Xpeditions Atlas. 2006. Washington, DC : National Geographic Society. ^ Jump up to : The World - Continents Archived 21 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine., Atlas of Canada Jump up ^ The New Oxford Dictionary of English. 2001. New York : Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ `` Continent ''. MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006... Archived 2009 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Continent ''. McArthur, Tom, ed. 1992. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. New York : Oxford University Press ; p. 260. Jump up ^ `` F - 10 Curriculum Geograph ''. Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority. Jump up ^ `` National curriculum in England : geography programmes of study ''. UK Department for Education. ^ Jump up to : `` Real Academia Española ''. Lema.rae.es. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 30. Jump up ^ `` United Nations Statistics Division - Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications ( M49 ) ''. unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Preamble '' ( PDF ). Olympic Charter. International Olympic Committee. 8 December 2014. p. 10. Retrieved 7 August 2015. the five interlaced rings, which represent the union of the five continents ^ Jump up to : Baldwin, James A. ( 14 May 2014 ), `` Continents '', in R.W. McColl, Encyclopedia of World Geography, Infobase Publishing, p. 215, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8160 - 7229 - 3 Jump up ^ Molnar, Peter ( 26 March 2015 ), Plate Tectonics : A Very Short Introduction, OUP Oxford, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 104396 - 3 p. 98 : Thus, we can calculate past positions of the India plate, with the Indian subcontinent as its passenger, with respect to the Eurasia plate. p. 116 : The Arabian subcontinent later, approximately 35 million years ago, collided with southern Eurasia to form the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran. Jump up ^ Nares Strait and the drift of Greenland : a conflict in plate tectonics, Museum Tusculanum Press, pp. 32 --, ISBN 978 - 87 - 635 - 1150 - 6 Jump up ^ Farmer, G. Thomas ; Cook, John ( 12 January 2013 ), Climate Change Science : A Modern Synthesis : Volume 1 - The Physical Climate, Springer Science & Business Media, pp. 281 --, ISBN 978 - 94 - 007 - 5757 - 8 Jump up ^ Gallay, Alan ( 11 June 2015 ), Colonial Wars of North America, 1512 - 1763 ( Routledge Revivals ) : An Encyclopedia, Routledge, pp. 204 --, ISBN 978 - 1 - 317 - 48719 - 7 Jump up ^ Innes, John L. ; Haron, Abu Hassan ( 2000 ), Air Pollution and the Forests of Developing and Rapidly Industrializing Regions, CABI, pp. 36 --, ISBN 978 - 0 - 85199 - 932 - 6 Jump up ^ Vivares, Dr Ernesto ( 28 March 2014 ), Exploring the New South American Regionalism ( NSAR ), Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., pp. 40 --, ISBN 978 - 1 - 4094 - 6961 - 2 Jump up ^ Leonard, Thomas M. ( October 2005 ), Encyclopedia of the Developing World, Psychology Press, pp. 1637 --, ISBN 978 - 1 - 57958 - 388 - 0 Jump up ^ In Ibero - America, North America usually designates a region ( subcontinente in Spanish ) of the Americas containing Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and often Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Bermuda ; the land bridge of Central America is generally considered a subregion of North America. Norteamérica ( Mexican version ) Archived 30 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. / ( Spaniard version ). Encarta Online Encyclopedia... Archived 2009 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Hillstrom, Kevin ; Collier Hillstrom, Laurie ( 2003 ). Africa and the Middle East : a continental overview of environmental issues. Santa Barbara, CA : ABC - CLIO. p. 50. ISBN 978 - 1 - 57607 - 688 - 0. Jump up ^ Brummitt, R.K. ( 2001 ). World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions : Edition 2 ( PDF ). International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases For Plant Sciences ( TDWG ). Retrieved 2006 - 11 - 27. Jump up ^ Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, A Greek - English Lexicon ( 1940 ), s.v. ἤπειρος. The English noun was introduced in the mid-16th century, shortened from continent land ( 15th century ), adopted from Latin terra continens `` continuous landmass ''. ^ Jump up to : Toynbee, Arnold J. ( 1954 ). A Study of History. London : Oxford University Press, v. 8, pp. 711 - 12. Jump up ^ Tozer, H.F. ( 1897 ). A History of Ancient Geography. Cambridge : University Press. p. 69. Jump up ^ Tozer, H.F. ( 1897 ). A History of Ancient Geography. Cambridge : University Press. p. 67. Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), pp. 21 -- 22. Jump up ^ Tozer, H.F. ( 1897 ). A History of Ancient Geography. Cambridge : University Press. p. 68. Jump up ^ Herodotus. Translated by George Rawlinson ( 2000 ). The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( 2 ). Ames, Iowa : Omphaloskepsis, book 2, p. 18. Archived 19 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Herodotus. Translated by George Rawlinson ( 2000 ). The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 08... Ames, Iowa : Omphaloskepsis, book 4, p. 38. `` I can not conceive why three names... should ever have been given to a tract which is in reality one, '' Jump up ^ Strabo. Translated by Horace Leonard Jones ( 1917 ). Geography. ( 3 ) Harvard University Press, book 1, ch. 4. ( 4 ) Jump up ^ Goddard, Farley Brewer ( 1884 ). `` Researches in the Cyrenaica ''. The American Journal of Philology, 5 ( 1 ) p. 38. Jump up ^ O'Gorman, Edmundo ( 1961 ). The Invention of America. Indiana University Press. pp. 106 -- 112. Jump up ^ Formisano, Luciano ( Ed. ) ( 1992 ). Letters from a New World : Amerigo Vespucci 's Discovery of America. New York : Marsilio, pp. xx - xxi. ISBN 0 - 941419 - 62 - 2. ^ Jump up to : Zerubavel, Eviatar ( 2003 ). Terra Cognita : The Mental Discovery of America. New Brunswick : Transaction Publishers, pp. 77 -- 79. ISBN 0 - 7658 - 0987 - 7. Jump up ^ Formisano, Luciano ( Ed. ) ( 1992 ). Letters from a New World : Amerigo Vespucci 's Discovery of America. New York : Marsilio, p. 45. ISBN 0 - 941419 - 62 - 2. Jump up ^ Zerubavel, Eviatar ( 2003 ). Terra Cognita : The Mental Discovery of America. New Brunswick : Transaction Publishers, pp. 80 -- 82. ISBN 0 - 7658 - 0987 - 7. ^ Jump up to : `` continent n. '' ( 1989 ) Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ `` continent n. '' ( 2006 ) The Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th edition revised. ( Ed. ) Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. 29. Jump up ^ Bowen, Emanuel. ( 1752 ). A Complete Atlas, or Distinct View of the Known World. London, p. 3. ^ Jump up to : Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents ( 1997 ), p. 30 Jump up ^ `` continent n. 5. a. '' ( 1989 ) Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press. `` the great island of Australia is sometimes reckoned as another ( continent ) '' Jump up ^ Lewis, Martin W. ; Kären E. Wigen ( 1997 ). The Myth of Continents : a Critique of Metageography. Berkeley : University of California Press. ISBN 0 - 520 - 20743 - 2. ^ Jump up to : Lewis, Martin W. ; Kären E. Wigen ( 1997 ). The Myth of Continents : a Critique of Metageography. Berkeley : University of California Press. p. 32. ISBN 0 - 520 - 20742 - 4, ISBN 0 - 520 - 20743 - 2. Jump up ^ Some geographers list only six continents, combining Europe and Asia into Eurasia. In parts of the world, students learn that there are just five continents : Eurasia, Australia, Africa, Antarctica, and the Americas. `` How many continents are there ? ''. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 26. Jump up ^ Kominz, Michelle A. ( 2001 ). `` Sea level variations over geologic time ''. Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences ( PDF ). San Diego : Academic Press. p. 2609. Jump up ^ `` UT Austin scientist plays major rule in study of underwater `` micro-continent '' ``. Utexas.edu. Archived from the original on 3 November 2007. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Sci / Tech ' Lost continent ' discovered ''. BBC News. 1999 - 05 - 27. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 26. Jump up ^ Zhao, Guochun ; Cawood, Peter A. ; Wilde, Simon A. ; Sun, M. ( November 2002 ). `` Review of global 2.1 -- 1.8 Ga orogens : implications for a pre-Rodinia supercontinent ''. Earth - Science Reviews. 59 : 125 -- 162. Bibcode : 2002ESRv... 59... 125Z. doi : 10.1016 / S0012 - 8252 ( 02 ) 00073 - 9. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 07. Jump up ^ Zhao, Guochun ; Sun, M. ; Wilde, Simon A. ; Li, S.Z. ( November 2004 ). `` A Paleo - Mesoproterozoic supercontinent : assembly, growth and breakup ''. Earth - Science Reviews. 67 : 91 -- 123. Bibcode : 2004ESRv... 67... 91Z. doi : 10.1016 / j. earscirev. 2004.02. 003. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 08. Jump up ^ Plummer, Joel. Jakobshavn Bed Elevation Archived 27 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine., Center for the Remote Sensing of the Ice Sheets, Dept of Geography, University of Kansas. Bibliography Lewis, Martin W. ; Wigen, Kären E. ( 1997 ). The Myth of Continents : a Critique of Metageography. Berkeley : University of California Press. ISBN 0 - 520 - 20742 - 4, ISBN 0 - 520 - 20743 - 2. External links Wikidata has the property : continent ( P30 ) ( see uses ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Continents ( category ) `` What are continents ? '' YouTube video by CGP Grey `` Continent ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). 1911. Earth Continents Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North America South America Oceans Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean Earth Geography Geology Future of Earth Geological history of Earth History of Earth Plate tectonics Structure of the Earth Environment Biome Ecology Ecosystem Nature Wilderness Related Earth Day Earth science Geologic record Geology of solar terrestrial planets Location in Universe Solar System World Category Portal Earth sciences Continents of the world Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North America South America Afro - Eurasia America Eurasia Oceania Former supercontinents Gondwana Laurasia Pangaea Pannotia Rodinia Columbia Kenorland Nena Sclavia Ur Vaalbara Historical continents Amazonia Arctica Asiamerica Atlantica Avalonia Baltica Cimmeria Congo craton Euramerica Kalaharia Kazakhstania Laurentia North China Siberia South China East Antarctica India Submerged continents Kerguelen Plateau Zealandia Possible future supercontinents Pangaea Ultima Amasia Novopangaea Mythical and hypothesised continents Atlantis Kumari Kandam Lemuria Meropis Mu Hyperborea Terra Australis See also Regions of the world Continental fragment Book Category Regions of the world Regions of Africa North Mediterranean Gibraltar Arc Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Maghreb Barbary Coast Barbara Ancient Libya Atlas Mountains ( Middle Atlas ) Sahara Western Sahara Sahel Eastern Mediterranean Egypt Upper Egypt Middle Egypt Lower Egypt Cataracts of the Nile Bashmur Nubia Lower Nubia Nile Valley Nile Delta Darfur Gulf of Aqaba Sub-Saharan East Aethiopia Swahili coast East African Rift Great Rift Valley Afar Triangle Danakil Desert Danakil Alps Albertine Rift Virunga Mountains Gregory Rift Valley Southern Rift Valley Rift Valley lakes African Great Lakes Mittelafrika Horn of Africa Ethiopian Highlands Gulf of Aden Gulf of Tadjoura Sudan ( region ) Sudanian Savanna East African montane forests Sub-Saharan Central Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Cape Lopez Mayombe Igboland Mbaise Maputaland Pool Malebo Congo Basin Chad Basin Congolese rainforests Ouaddaï highlands Ennedi Plateau Sub-Saharan West Pepper Coast Gold Coast Slave Coast Ivory Coast Cape Palmas Cape Mesurado Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Sudanian Savanna Niger Basin Guinean Forests of West Africa Sudan ( region ) Niger Delta Inner Niger Delta Sub-Saharan South Madagascar Central Highlands ( Madagascar ) Northern Highlands Rhodesia North South Thembuland Succulent Karoo Nama Karoo Bushveld Highveld Fynbos Cape Floristic Region Kalahari Desert Okavango Delta False Bay Hydra Bay Sub-Saharan Anglophone Africa Francophone Africa Lusophone Africa Arabophone Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Tropical Africa Islands Regions of North America Canada Eastern Canada Western Canada Canadian Prairies Central Canada Northern Canada Atlantic Canada The Maritimes French Canada English Canada Acadia Acadian Peninsula Quebec City -- Windsor Corridor Peace River Country Cypress Hills Palliser 's Triangle Canadian Shield Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Newfoundland ( island ) Vancouver island Gulf Islands Strait of Georgia Canadian Arctic Archipelago Labrador Peninsula Gaspé Peninsula Avalon Peninsula Bay de Verde Peninsula Brodeur Peninsula Melville Peninsula Bruce Peninsula Banks Peninsula ( Nunavut ) Cook Peninsula Gulf of Boothia Georgian Bay Hudson Bay James Bay Greenland United States Pacific Northwest Inland Northwest Northeast New England Mid-Atlantic Commonwealth West Midwest Upper Midwest Mountain States Intermountain West Basin and Range Province Oregon Trail Mormon Corridor Calumet Region Southwest Old Southwest Llano Estacado Frontier Strip Central United States Tallgrass prairie South South Central Deep South Upland South Four Corners East Coast West Coast Gulf Coast Third Coast Coastal states Eastern United States Appalachia Trans - Mississippi Great North Woods Great Plains Interior Plains Great Lakes Great Basin Great Basin Desert Acadia Ozarks Ark - La - Tex Waxhaws Siouxland Twin Tiers Driftless Area Palouse Piedmont Atlantic coastal plain Outer Lands Black Dirt Region Blackstone Valley Piney Woods Rocky Mountains Mojave Desert The Dakotas The Carolinas Shawnee Hills San Fernando Valley Tornado Alley North Coast Lost Coast Emerald Triangle San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay North Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) East Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) Silicon Valley Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Gulf of Mexico Lower Colorado River Valley Sacramento -- San Joaquin River Delta Yukon -- Kuskokwim Delta Colville Delta Arkansas Delta Mobile -- Tensaw River Delta Mississippi Delta Mississippi River Delta Columbia River Estuary Great Basin High Desert Monterey Peninsula Upper Peninsula of Michigan Lower Peninsula of Michigan Virginia Peninsula Keweenaw Peninsula Middle Peninsula Delmarva Peninsula Alaska Peninsula Kenai Peninsula Niagara Peninsula Beringia Belt regions Bible Belt Black Belt Corn Belt Cotton Belt Frost Belt Rice Belt Rust Belt Sun Belt Snow Belt Mexico Northern Mexico Baja California Peninsula Gulf of California Colorado River Delta Gulf of Mexico Soconusco Tierra Caliente La Mixteca La Huasteca Bajío Valley of Mexico Mezquital Valley Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Yucatán Peninsula Basin and Range Province Central Western Caribbean Zone Isthmus of Panama Gulf of Panama Pearl Islands Azuero Peninsula Mosquito Coast Caribbean West Indies Antilles Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Leeward Leeward Antilles Windward Lucayan Archipelago Southern Caribbean Aridoamerica Mesoamerica Oasisamerica Northern Middle Anglo Latin French Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of South America North Caribbean South America West Indies Los Llanos The Guianas Amazon basin Amazon rainforest Gulf of Paria Paria Peninsula Paraguaná Peninsula Orinoco Delta South Tierra del Fuego Patagonia Pampas Pantanal Gran Chaco Chiquitano dry forests Valdes Peninsula West Andes Tropical Andes Wet Andes Dry Andes Pariacaca mountain range Altiplano Atacama Desert East Amazon basin Atlantic Forest Caatinga Cerrado Latin Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of Asia Central Greater Middle East Aral Sea Aralkum Desert Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Transoxiana Turan Greater Khorasan Ariana Khwarezm Sistan Kazakhstania Eurasian Steppe Asian Steppe Kazakh Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Mongolian - Manchurian grassland Wild Fields Yedisan Muravsky Trail Ural Ural Mountains Volga region Idel - Ural Kolyma Transbaikal Pryazovia Bjarmaland Kuban Zalesye Ingria Novorossiya Gornaya Shoriya Tulgas Iranian Plateau Altai Mountains Pamir Mountains Tian Shan Badakhshan Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Mount Imeon Mongolian Plateau Western Regions Taklamakan Desert Karakoram Trans - Karakoram Tract Siachen Glacier North Inner Asia Northeast Far East Russian Far East Okhotsk - Manchurian taiga Extreme North Siberia Baikalia ( Lake Baikal ) Transbaikal Khatanga Gulf Baraba steppe Kamchatka Peninsula Amur Basin Yenisei Gulf Yenisei Basin Beringia Sikhote - Alin East Japanese archipelago Northeastern Japan Arc Sakhalin Island Arc Korean Peninsula Gobi Desert Taklamakan Desert Greater Khingan Mongolian Plateau Inner Asia Inner Mongolia Outer Mongolia China proper Manchuria Outer Manchuria Inner Manchuria Northeast China Plain Mongolian - Manchurian grassland North China Plain Yan_Mountains Kunlun Mountains Liaodong Peninsula Himalayas Tibetan Plateau Tibet Tarim Basin Northern Silk Road Hexi Corridor Nanzhong Lingnan Liangguang Jiangnan Jianghuai Guanzhong Huizhou Wu Jiaozhou Zhongyuan Shaannan Ordos Loop Loess Plateau Shaanbei Hamgyong Mountains Central Mountain Range Japanese Alps Suzuka Mountains Leizhou Peninsula Gulf of Tonkin Yangtze River Delta Pearl River Delta Yenisei Basin Altai Mountains Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass West Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Red Sea Caspian Sea Mediterranean Sea Zagros Mountains Persian Gulf Pirate Coast Strait of Hormuz Greater and Lesser Tunbs Al - Faw Peninsula Gulf of Oman Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Aden Balochistan Arabian Peninsula Najd Hejaz Tihamah Eastern Arabia South Arabia Hadhramaut Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert Tigris -- Euphrates Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia Lower Mesopotamia Sawad Nineveh plains Akkad ( region ) Babylonia Canaan Aram Eber - Nari Suhum Eastern Mediterranean Mashriq Kurdistan Levant Southern Levant Transjordan Jordan Rift Valley Levantine Sea Golan Heights Hula Valley Gaza Strip West Bank Galilee Gilead Judea Samaria Arabah Anti-Lebanon Mountains Sinai Peninsula Arabian Desert Syrian Desert Fertile Crescent Azerbaijan Syria Palestine Iranian Plateau Armenian Highlands Caucasus Caucasus Mountains Greater Caucasus Lesser Caucasus North Caucasus South Caucasus Kur - Araz Lowland Lankaran Lowland Alborz Absheron Peninsula Anatolia Cilicia Cappadocia Alpide belt South Greater India Indian subcontinent Himalayas Hindu Kush Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Pashtunistan Punjab Balochistan Kashmir Kashmir Valley Pir Panjal Range Thar Desert Indus Valley Indus River Delta Indus Valley Desert Indo - Gangetic Plain Eastern coastal plains Western Coastal Plains Meghalaya subtropical forests Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Doab Bagar tract Great Rann of Kutch Little Rann of Kutch Deccan Plateau Coromandel Coast Konkan False Divi Point Hindi Belt Ladakh Aksai Chin Gilgit - Baltistan Baltistan Shigar Valley Karakoram Saltoro Mountains Siachen Glacier Bay of Bengal Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Mannar Trans - Karakoram Tract Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman Islands Nicobar Islands Maldive Islands Alpide belt Southeast Mainland Indochina Malay Peninsula Maritime Peninsular Malaysia Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesian Archipelago Timor New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula Philippine Archipelago Luzon Visayas Mindanao Leyte Gulf Gulf of Thailand East Indies Nanyang Alpide belt Asia - Pacific Tropical Asia Ring of Fire Regions of Europe North Nordic Northwestern Scandinavia Scandinavian Peninsula Fennoscandia Baltoscandia Sápmi West Nordic Baltic Baltic Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Iceland Faroe Islands East Danubian countries Prussia Galicia Volhynia Donbass Sloboda Ukraine Sambia Peninsula Amber Coast Curonian Spit Izyum Trail Lithuania Minor Nemunas Delta Baltic Baltic Sea Vyborg Bay Karelia East Karelia Karelian Isthmus Lokhaniemi Southeastern Balkans Aegean Islands Gulf of Chania North Caucasus Greater Caucasus Kabardia European Russia Southern Russia Central Baltic Baltic Sea Alpine states Alpide belt Mitteleuropa Visegrád Group West Benelux Low Countries Northwest British Isles English Channel Channel Islands Cotentin Peninsula Normandy Brittany Gulf of Lion Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Pyrenees Alpide belt South Italian Peninsula Insular Italy Tuscan Archipelago Aegadian Islands Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Gibraltar Arc Southeastern Mediterranean Crimea Alpide belt Germanic Romance Celtic Slavic countries Uralic European Plain Eurasian Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Wild Fields Pannonian Basin Great Hungarian Plain Little Hungarian Plain Eastern Slovak Lowland Regions of Oceania Australasia Gulf of Carpentaria New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula New Zealand South Island North Island Coromandel Peninsula Zealandia New Caledonia Solomon Islands ( archipelago ) Vanuatu Kula Gulf Australia Capital Country Eastern Australia Lake Eyre basin Murray -- Darling basin Northern Australia Nullarbor Plain Outback Southern Australia Maralinga Sunraysia Great Victoria Desert Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf St Vincent Lefevre Peninsula Fleurieu Peninsula Yorke Peninsula Eyre Peninsula Mornington Peninsula Bellarine Peninsula Mount Henry Peninsula Melanesia Islands Region Bismarck Archipelago Solomon Islands Archipelago Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Vanuatu Micronesia Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia Palau Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Wake Island Polynesia Easter Island Hawaiian Islands Cook Islands French Polynesia Austral Islands Gambier Islands Marquesas Islands Society Islands Tuamotu Kermadec Islands Mangareva Islands Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Ring of Fire Polar regions Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctica West Antarctica Eklund Islands Ecozone Extreme points Islands Arctic Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Landlocked seas Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Salton Sea Book Category LCCN : sh85031556 GND : 4165153 - 4 Geography portal Environment portal Ecology portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Continent&oldid=808552023 '' Categories : Continents Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia semi-protected pages Use dmy dates from April 2011 All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2016 Articles containing Ancient Greek - language text Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014 Articles containing Spanish - language text Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012 Articles needing additional references from May 2015 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Wikibooks Адыгэбзэ Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Ænglisc Aragonés ܐܪܡܝܐ অসমীয়া Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Aymar aru Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bamanankan বাংলা Bahasa Banjar Bân - lâm - gú Basa Banyumasan Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ भोजपुरी Bikol Central Bislama Български Boarisch Bosanski Brezhoneg Буряад Català Чӑвашла Čeština ChiShona Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Davvisámegiella Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Français Frysk Fulfulde Furlan Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 贛 語 گیلکی ગુજરાતી 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌹𐍃𐌺 한국어 Hausa Hawaiʻi Հայերեն हिन्दी Hornjoserbsce Hrvatski Ido Ilokano বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Interlingue IsiXhosa Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa Kalaallisut ಕನ್ನಡ Kapampangan Къарачай - малкъар ქართული Қазақша Kernowek Kiswahili Коми Kongo Kreyòl ayisyen Kurdî Кыргызча Кырык мары Ladino Лезги ລາວ Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Ligure Limburgs Lingála La. lojban. Lumbaart Magyar मैथिली Македонски Malagasy മലയാളം Māori मराठी მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Baso Minangkabau Mirandés Молдовеняскэ Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nāhuatl Nederlands Nedersaksies नेपाली नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Napulitano Нохчийн Nordfriisk Norfuk / Pitkern Norsk Norsk nynorsk Nouormand Occitan Олык марий ଓଡ଼ିଆ Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Papiamentu پښتو Patois Picard Tok Pisin Plattdüütsch Polski Português Qaraqalpaqsha Qırımtatarca Română Romani Runa Simi Русиньскый Русский Саха тыла Gagana Samoa संस्कृतम् Sardu Scots Seeltersk Sesotho Sesotho sa Leboa Shqip Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English سنڌي Slovenčina Slovenščina Ślůnski Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Taqbaylit Tarandíne Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Тоҷикӣ ᏣᎳᎩ Türkçe Türkmençe Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Vèneto Vepsän kel ' Tiếng Việt Võro Walon 文言 Winaray Wolof 吴语 ייִדיש Yorùbá 粵語 Zazaki Žemaitėška 中文 डोटेली Kabɩyɛ Edit links This page was last edited on 3 November 2017, at 15 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the biggest continent by land mass
Answer: Asia