tokenpocket新版本下载|continent
作者： tokenpocket新版本下载
2024-03-08 21:19:57
CONTINENT中文(简体)翻译：剑桥词典
CONTINENT中文(简体)翻译：剑桥词典
词典
翻译
语法
同义词词典
+Plus
剑桥词典+Plus
Shop
剑桥词典+Plus
我的主页
+Plus 帮助
退出
剑桥词典+Plus
我的主页
+Plus 帮助
退出
登录
/
注册
中文 (简体)
查找
查找
英语-中文（简体）
continent 在英语-中文（简体）词典中的翻译
continentnoun [ C ] uk
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɒn.tɪ.nənt/ us
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɑːn.t̬ən.ənt/
Add to word list
Add to word list
B1 one of the seven large land masses on the earth's surface, surrounded, or mainly surrounded, by sea and usually consisting of various countries
洲，大洲，大陆
the North American continent
北美大陆
the continents of Asia and Africa
亚非大陆
更多范例减少例句Stanley traversed the African continent from west to east.You can't generalize about a continent as varied as Europe.The continents make up about 35% of the earth's crust.He decided to cycle across the continent to raise money for charity.The continents were once all part of one huge supercontinent.
语法
Geographical placesWe use the before the names of rivers. We usually write the without a capital letter. If we use the word river, we usually write it without a capital letter: the river Thames, the river Severn, the Yangtze river. …
continentadjective uk
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɒn.tɪ.nənt/ us
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɑːn.t̬ən.ənt/
able to control when you urinate and empty your bowels
有正常排便节制力的
反义词
incontinent
literary able to control your sexual desires
能节制性欲的
语法
Geographical placesWe use the before the names of rivers. We usually write the without a capital letter. If we use the word river, we usually write it without a capital letter: the river Thames, the river Severn, the Yangtze river. …
the Continentnoun [ S ] mainly UK uk
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɒn.tɪ.nənt/ us
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈkɑːn.tən.ənt/
Europe, especially western Europe, but not including the British Isles
欧洲大陆;（尤指不包括不列颠群岛的）西欧
Driving on the Continent is very different to driving in Britain.
在欧洲大陆驾车和在英国大不一样。
Continental noun [ C ] mainly UK old-fashioned (also continental) uk
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˌkɒn.tɪˈnen.təl/ us
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˌkɑːn.tənˈen.t̬əl/
someone who comes from Europe but not the British Isles
（欧洲）大陆人
(continent在剑桥英语-中文（简体）词典的翻译 © Cambridge University Press)
B1
continent的翻译
中文（繁体）
洲，大洲，大陸, 有正常排便節制力的, 能節制性慾的…
查看更多内容
西班牙语
continente, que controla los esfínteres, Europa continental…
查看更多内容
葡萄牙语
continente, a Europa continental, continente [masculine]…
查看更多内容
更多语言
in Marathi
日语
土耳其语
法语
加泰罗尼亚语
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
丹麦语
in Swedish
马来语
德语
挪威语
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
俄语
in Telugu
阿拉伯语
in Bengali
捷克语
印尼语
泰语
越南语
波兰语
韩语
意大利语
पृथ्वीच्या पृष्ठभागावरील सात मोठ्या भूप्रदेशांपैकी एक, समुद्राने वेढलेले किंवा प्रामुख्याने वेढलेले आणि सामान्यत: विविध देशांचा समावेश असलेले, खंड…
查看更多内容
大陸, 大陸（たいりく）…
查看更多内容
kıta, Avrupa kıtası, Avrupa…
查看更多内容
continent [masculine], continent, Europe (continentale)…
查看更多内容
continent…
查看更多内容
werelddeel, vasteland, continent…
查看更多内容
புவியின் மேற்பரப்பில் உள்ள ஏழு பெரிய நிலப்பகுதிகளில் ஒன்று, கடலால் மற்றும் பொதுவாக பல்வேறு நாடுகளால் சூழட்டுள்ளது அல்லது முக்கியமாகச் சூழப்பட்டுள்ளது…
查看更多内容
महाद्वीप, पृथ्वी के सात बड़े भूखंडों में से एक जिनके चारों ओर प्रायः समुद्र होता है और जिनमें कई देश होते हैं…
查看更多内容
ખંડ…
查看更多内容
kontinent, verdensdel, det europæiske fastland…
查看更多内容
kontinent, världsdel, kontinenten…
查看更多内容
benua, benua Eropah, dapat mengawal…
查看更多内容
der Kontinent, das (europäische) Festland, enthaltsam…
查看更多内容
kontinent [neuter], verdensdel [masculine], kontinent…
查看更多内容
براعظم…
查看更多内容
континент, материк, Європейський материк…
查看更多内容
континент, континентальная Европа…
查看更多内容
ఖండం…
查看更多内容
قارّة…
查看更多内容
মহাদেশ…
查看更多内容
světadíl, (pevninská) Evropa, kontinentní…
查看更多内容
benua, Eropa tanpa Inggris, bisa mengontrol…
查看更多内容
ทวีป, ภาคพื้นยุโรปยกเว้นเกาะอังกฤษ, ที่สามารถกลั้น (ปัสสาวะหรืออุจจาระ)…
查看更多内容
lục địa, lục địa Châu Âu, nhịn tiểu…
查看更多内容
kontynent, Europa kontynentalna, panujący nad czynnościami fizjologicznymi…
查看更多内容
대륙…
查看更多内容
continente…
查看更多内容
需要一个翻译器吗？
获得快速、免费的翻译！
翻译器工具
continent的发音是什么？
在英语词典中查看 continent 的释义
浏览
contextually
contiguity
contiguous
continence
continent
continental
continental breakfast
Continental Congress
continental crust
“每日一词”
healthspan
UK
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈhelθ.spæn/
US
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/ˈhelθ.spæn/
the number of years that someone lives or can expect to live in reasonably good health
关于这个
博客
Forget doing it or forget to do it? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns (2)
March 06, 2024
查看更多
新词
stochastic parrot
March 04, 2024
查看更多
已添加至 list
回到页面顶端
内容
英语-中文（简体）翻译
©剑桥大学出版社与评估2024
学习
学习
学习
新词
帮助
纸质书出版
Word of the Year 2021
Word of the Year 2022
Word of the Year 2023
开发
开发
开发
词典API
双击查看
搜索Widgets
执照数据
关于
关于
关于
无障碍阅读
剑桥英语教学
剑桥大学出版社与评估
授权管理
Cookies与隐私保护
语料库
使用条款
京ICP备14002226号-2
©剑桥大学出版社与评估2024
剑桥词典+Plus
我的主页
+Plus 帮助
退出
词典
定义
清晰解释自然的书面和口头英语
英语
学习词典
基础英式英语
基础美式英语
翻译
点击箭头改变翻译方向。
双语词典
英语-中文（简体）
Chinese (Simplified)–English
英语-中文（繁体）
Chinese (Traditional)–English
英语-荷兰语
荷兰语-英语
英语-法语
法语-英语
英语-德语
德语-英语
英语-印尼语
印尼语-英语
英语-意大利语
意大利语-英语
英语-日语
日语-英语
英语-挪威语
挪威语-英语
英语-波兰语
波兰语-英语
英语-葡萄牙语
葡萄牙语-英语
英语-西班牙语
西班牙语-英语
English–Swedish
Swedish–English
半双语词典
英语-阿拉伯语
英语-孟加拉语
英语-加泰罗尼亚语
英语-捷克语
英语-丹麦语
English–Gujarati
英语-印地语
英语-韩语
英语-马来语
英语-马拉地语
英语-俄语
English–Tamil
English–Telugu
英语-泰语
英语-土耳其语
英语-乌克兰语
English–Urdu
英语-越南语
翻译
语法
同义词词典
Pronunciation
剑桥词典+Plus
Shop
剑桥词典+Plus
我的主页
+Plus 帮助
退出
登录 /
注册
中文 (简体)
Change
English (UK)
English (US)
Español
Русский
Português
Deutsch
Français
Italiano
中文 (简体)
正體中文 (繁體)
Polski
한국어
Türkçe
日本語
Tiếng Việt
हिंदी
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
关注我们
选择一本词典
最近的词和建议
定义
清晰解释自然的书面和口头英语
英语
学习词典
基础英式英语
基础美式英语
语法与同义词词典
对自然书面和口头英语用法的解释
英语语法
同义词词典
Pronunciation
British and American pronunciations with audio
English Pronunciation
翻译
点击箭头改变翻译方向。
双语词典
英语-中文（简体）
Chinese (Simplified)–English
英语-中文（繁体）
Chinese (Traditional)–English
英语-荷兰语
荷兰语-英语
英语-法语
法语-英语
英语-德语
德语-英语
英语-印尼语
印尼语-英语
英语-意大利语
意大利语-英语
英语-日语
日语-英语
英语-挪威语
挪威语-英语
英语-波兰语
波兰语-英语
英语-葡萄牙语
葡萄牙语-英语
英语-西班牙语
西班牙语-英语
English–Swedish
Swedish–English
半双语词典
英语-阿拉伯语
英语-孟加拉语
英语-加泰罗尼亚语
英语-捷克语
英语-丹麦语
English–Gujarati
英语-印地语
英语-韩语
英语-马来语
英语-马拉地语
英语-俄语
English–Tamil
English–Telugu
英语-泰语
英语-土耳其语
英语-乌克兰语
English–Urdu
英语-越南语
词典+Plus
词汇表
选择语言
中文 (简体)
English (UK)
English (US)
Español
Русский
Português
Deutsch
Français
Italiano
正體中文 (繁體)
Polski
한국어
Türkçe
日本語
Tiếng Việt
हिंदी
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
内容
英语-中文（简体）
NounAdjective
Noun
the Continent
Noun
Continental
Translations
语法
所有翻译
我的词汇表
把continent添加到下面的一个词汇表中，或者创建一个新词汇表。
更多词汇表
前往词汇表
对该例句有想法吗？
例句中的单词与输入词条不匹配。
该例句含有令人反感的内容。
取消
提交
例句中的单词与输入词条不匹配。
该例句含有令人反感的内容。
取消
提交
Continent | Definition, Map, & Facts | Britannica
Continent | Definition, Map, & Facts | Britannica
Search Britannica
Click here to search
Search Britannica
Click here to search
Login
Subscribe
Subscribe
Home
Games & Quizzes
History & Society
Science & Tech
Biographies
Animals & Nature
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Money
Videos
On This Day
One Good Fact
Dictionary
New Articles
History & Society
Lifestyles & Social Issues
Philosophy & Religion
Politics, Law & Government
World History
Science & Tech
Health & Medicine
Science
Technology
Biographies
Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
Environment
Fossils & Geologic Time
Mammals
Plants
Geography & Travel
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Entertainment & Pop Culture
Literature
Sports & Recreation
Visual Arts
Companions
Demystified
Image Galleries
Infographics
Lists
Podcasts
Spotlights
Summaries
The Forum
Top Questions
#WTFact
100 Women
Britannica Kids
Saving Earth
Space Next 50
Student Center
Home
Games & Quizzes
History & Society
Science & Tech
Biographies
Animals & Nature
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Money
Videos
continent
Table of Contents
continent
Table of Contents
Introduction & Top Questions
References & Edit History
Related Topics
Images & Videos
Quizzes
Quick Quiz: This Land Is Your Land
Related Questions
What is a continent?
Do continents move?
What is the Pangea supercontinent?
Do any plants grow in Antarctica?
Read Next
Where Does the Name Europe Come From?
Spotting a Supercontinent: How Pangea Was Discovered
A Tale of Two Submerged Continents
What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?
Is Australia an Island?
Discover
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
7 Surprising Uses for Mummies
Why Are U.S. Elections Held on Tuesdays?
Did Marie-Antoinette Really Say “Let Them Eat Cake”?
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
7 of History's Most Notorious Serial Killers
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
Home
Geography & Travel
Physical Geography of Land
Geography & Travel
continent
geography
Actions
Cite
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
MLA
APA
Chicago Manual of Style
Copy Citation
Share
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/continent
Give Feedback
External Websites
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Feedback Type
Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other
Your Feedback
Submit Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Geosciences LibreTexts - Continents and Ocean Basins
National Geographic - Continent
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
continent - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
continent - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Cite
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
MLA
APA
Chicago Manual of Style
Copy Citation
Share
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/continent
Feedback
External Websites
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Feedback Type
Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other
Your Feedback
Submit Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Geosciences LibreTexts - Continents and Ocean Basins
National Geographic - Continent
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
continent - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
continent - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Table of Contents
world map
See all media
Category:
Geography & Travel
Key People:
J. Tuzo Wilson
Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper
(Show more)
Related Topics:
Australia
Asia
Africa
North America
South America
(Show more)
See all related content →
Top Questions
What is a continent? A continent is a large continuous mass of land conventionally regarded as a collective region. There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia (listed from largest to smallest in size). Sometimes Europe and Asia are considered one continent called Eurasia. Continents loosely correlate with the positions of tectonic plates. What is the largest continent? Asia is the largest continent on Earth by size. It is approximately 44,614,000 square kilometres (17,226,200 square miles). Do continents move? Geologists theorize that continents move. This theory is called plate tectonics, which holds that the lithosphere, the outermost layer of Earth (where continents are), lies on top of a semifluid layer of partially molten magma called the asthenosphere. Convection from the decay of radioactive elements in the mantle causes continental and oceanic plates to move. What is the Pangea supercontinent? Pangea is a landmass of the Early Permian to Early Jurassic Periods that incorporated almost all modern landmasses and is thus considered a supercontinent. Overwhelming evidence for Pangea includes similar fossil and geological records across different continents and the matching “jigsaw” shapes of today’s continents, most notably the eastern South American and western African coastlines. continent, one of the larger continuous masses of land, namely, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, listed in order of size. (Europe and Asia are sometimes considered a single continent, Eurasia.)Learn how the world is divided into continentsThe distribution of the seven continents.(more)See all videos for this articleThere is great variation in the sizes of continents; Asia is more than five times as large as Australia. The largest island in the world, Greenland, is only about one-fourth the size of Australia. The continents differ sharply in their degree of compactness. Africa has the most regular coastline and, consequently, the lowest ratio of coastline to total area. Europe is the most irregular and indented and has by far the highest ratio of coastline to total area.
Britannica Quiz
Quick Quiz: This Land Is Your Land
The continents are not distributed evenly over the surface of the globe. If a hemisphere map centred in northwestern Europe is drawn, most of the world’s land area can be seen to lie within that hemisphere. More than two-thirds of the Earth’s land surface lies north of the Equator, and all the continents except Antarctica are wedge shaped, wider in the north than they are in the south.The distribution of the continental platforms and ocean basins on the surface of the globe and the distribution of the major landform features have long been among the most intriguing problems for scientific investigation and theorizing. Among the many hypotheses that have been offered as explanation are: (1) the tetrahedral (four-faced) theory, in which a cooling earth assumes the shape of a tetrahedron by spherical collapse; (2) the accretion theory, in which younger rocks attached to older shield areas became buckled to form the landforms; (3) the continental-drift theory, in which an ancient floating continent drifted apart; and (4) the convection-current theory, in which convection currents in the Earth’s interior dragged the crust to cause folding and mountain making.
Geological and seismological evidence accumulated in the 20th century indicates that the continental platforms do “float” on a crust of heavier material that forms a layer completely enveloping the Earth. Each continent has one of the so-called shield areas that formed 2 billion to 4 billion years ago and is the core of the continent to which the remainder (most of the continent) has been added. Even the rocks of the extremely old shield areas are older in the centre and younger toward the margins, indicating that this process of accumulation started early. In North America the whole northeast quarter of the continent, called the Canadian, or Laurentian, Shield, is characterized by the ancient rocks of what might be called the original continent. In Europe the shield area underlies the eastern Scandinavian peninsula and Finland. The Guiana Highlands of South America are the core of that continent. Much of eastern Siberia is underlain by the ancient rocks, as are western Australia and southern Africa. See also continental drift. The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
Continent - 搜索 词典
inent - 搜索 词典 Rewards网页图片视频学术词典地图更多航班我的必应笔记本continent美 [ˈkɑntɪnənt] 英 [ˈkɒntɪnənt] n.大陆；洲；陆地；欧洲大陆（不包括英国和爱尔兰）adj.自制的；节欲的；禁欲的网络大洲复数：continents 搭配同义词adj.+n.african continent,european continentn.landmass,land,landform,island,mainland权威英汉双解英汉英英网络释义Continent显示所有例句n.1.[c]大陆；陆地；洲one of the large land masses of the earth such as Europe, Asia or Africathe continent of Africa非洲大陆the African continent非洲大陆2.[sing]欧洲大陆（不包括英国和爱尔兰）the main part of the continent of Europe, not including Britain or IrelandWe're going to spend a weekend on the Continent.我们要去欧洲大陆度周末。n.1.大陆;陆地2.欧洲大陆;〈美〉北美洲大陆adj.1.自制的2.节欲的,贞洁的;禁欲的n.1.one of the very large areas of land on Earth that are usually divided into several countries1.大陆托福词汇_百度文库 ... peninsular 半岛 continent 大陆 continental shelf 大陆架 ... wenku.baidu.com|基于3322个网页2.洲牛津英语9A单词表_百度文库 ... Amazon n. 亚马孙河 continent n. 洲；大陆 Africa n. 非洲 ... wenku.baidu.com|基于1146个网页3.陆地高一英语单词表 - 豆丁网 ... stand for 代表；代替；象征；支持 continent n 大陆； 陆地 because of 因为；由于 ... www.docin.com|基于863个网页4.大洲大字的解释---在线新华字典 ... 大众〖 thecrowdofpeople〗 大洲〖 Continent〗 大轴子〖 epilogue,epilog;thelastactinaChineseop…xh.5156edu.com|基于251个网页5.大陆，大洲人教版高中英语词汇表 - 豆丁网 ... container n. 容器 continent n. 大陆，大洲；陆地 continue vi. 继续 ... www.docin.com|基于241个网页6.自制的GRE词汇精选（核心词汇） ... contiguous 接壤的，接近的 continent 自制的；n.大陆 continuation 继续，延续 ... www.zhuoda.org|基于20个网页7.大陆，洲高中英语单词表 ... continue v. (使)继续；连续，持续 continent n. 大陆，洲；(不包括英国的)欧洲大陆 container n. 容器，集装 …word.langfly.com|基于19个网页8.大陆,陆地英语词汇表 - 浙江树人大学招生网 ... Consumer n. 消费者，用户 Continent n. 大陆，陆地 Continual v. 继续，延伸 ... zs.zjsru.edu.cn|基于13个网页更多释义收起释义例句释义:全部全部,大陆大陆,洲洲,陆地陆地,欧洲大陆欧洲大陆,自制的自制的,节欲的节欲的,禁欲的禁欲的,大洲大洲类别:全部全部,口语口语,书面语书面语,标题标题,技术技术来源:全部全部,字典字典,网络网络难度:全部全部,简单简单,中等中等,难难更多例句筛选收起例句筛选1.But even for those lucky enough to be in work, the pattern of employment varies widely across the continent.但是即使对于那些有工作的幸运者来说，这块大陆上面的就业模式也是千差万别。www.ecocn.org2.He wandered all over the continent, as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, which he never found.年复一年，他走遍整个大陆，不断寻找钻石，可惜一直没有找到。www.bing.com3.I'm trying to tell you that there's a new wave on the continent.我想要告诉大家在这个大陆上，出现了一股新的风潮。www.ted.com4.One twitch of the finger is all it takes to dispatch missives to the next continent or the next cubicle at light speed.手指一动，不管是相邻的大洲，还是相邻的办公隔间，大批的邮件都能以光速送达。dictsearch.appspot.com5.Other African leaders are watching closely, sensing that this may prove to be a test bed for the continent.其它非洲国家的领导正在紧密关注该方案的动态，在他们看来，这也许能为整个非洲大陆起到试验的作用。www.ecocn.org6.Gadhafi aimed to turn into Africa's capital, building it up as a showcase of his ambitions to be the continent's leader.卡扎菲曾立志要把苏尔特建成整个非洲的首府，用它来展现自己成为非陆领袖的雄心。www.qxeng.com7.Anybody who commits the land power of the United States on the continent of Asia ought to have his head examined.如果谁要把美国的地面队伍调派到亚洲大陆，那他就应该查抄一下他的头脑是否正常。www.asialw.com8.Expedition scientists have discovered that Antarctica has not always been a frozen continent.远征的科学家们发现，南极洲并不总是一个冰天雪地的大陆。www.24en.com9.who got it in his head to sample the dark continent.突发奇想来看看这黑暗大陆。www.ichacha.net10.Their opinion may come as a bit of a surprise for some of the sub-continent's authors here at Global Voices.他们的意见让在全球之声的其它洲的作者感到有些惊讶。zh.globalvoicesonline.org12345© 2024 Microsoft隐私声明和 Cookie法律声明广告帮Continents Of The World
Continents Of The World
Continents Of The World
Select a label on the map to start exploring the world
Jump to:
7 Continents
Continental Models
SouthAmerica
North America
Middle East
Europe
Central America
Caribbean
Australia& Oceania
Asia
Antarctica
Africa
Prime Meridean
90
o
W
Equator
45
o
S
45
o
N
45
o
N
90
o
E
45
o
S
0
o
0
o
0
o
0
o
©WorldAtlas.com
SouthAtlanticOcean
SouthPacificOcean
NorthAtlanticOcean
SouthernOcean
NorthPacificOcean
ArcticOcean
IndianOcean
What are the Seven Continents?
There are seven continents in the world: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. However, depending on where you live, you may have learned that there are five, six, or even four continents. This is because there is no official criteria for determining continents. While the position of landmasses on continental crust may be used to determine continents, geopolitical factors also affect their delineation. Below is an overview of the world's continent using the most popular classification system, the seven continent method.
Continents
North America
Sovereign Countries
23
Area (km2)
24,709,000 km2
Area (mi2)
9,540,000 mi2
Population
579,024,000
Population Density
23 km2
GDP (PPP)
$26.03 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$49,240
Description
North America is the third largest continent in the world by land area. By population, it is the fourth largest. Sometimes considered to be a subcontinent of the Americas, North America is found entirely in the northern hemisphere and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west, and South America to the south. North America is home to the longest land border in the world, which is shared between Canada the the United States.
Read more about North America →
South America
Sovereign Countries
12
Area (km2)
17,840,000 km2
Area (mi2)
6,890,000 mi2
Population
423,581,078
Population Density
21 km2
GDP (PPP)
$6.92 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$8,560
Description
South America is the world’s fourth largest continent by land area, and the world’s third most populous. It is mostly situated in the southern hemisphere, with the exception of a small area of the northernmost portion of the continent. It is found completely in the western hemisphere. South America is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Southern Ocean in the south, and North America in the north.
Read more about South America →
Europe
Sovereign Countries
50
Area (km2)
10,180,000 km2
Area (mi2)
3,930,000 mi2
Population
746,419,440
Population Density
73 km2
GDP (PPP)
$29.01 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$29,410
Description
Europe is the world’s third most populated continent, and the sixth largest continent by land area. Although physically connected to Asia, Europe has historically been considered a separate continent due to cultural and linguistic differences. The Ural and Caucasus Mountains are generally thought to be the eastern boundary of Europe. The other borders of Europe include the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Europe is home to more than 10% of the world’s population.
Read more about Europe →
Africa
Sovereign Countries
54
Area (km2)
30,370,000 km2
Area (mi2)
11,730,000 mi2
Population
1,275,920,972
Population Density
36 km2
GDP (PPP)
$7.16 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$1,930
Description
Africa is the world's second largest continent by both land area and population. The equator runs through Africa in the middle of the continent. Around one third of Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Africa makes up about 20% of the world’s total land area. The Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea all surround Africa, to the east, west, and north respectively.
Read more about Africa →
Asia
Sovereign Countries
48
Area (km2)
44,579,000 km2
Area (mi2)
17,212,000 mi2
Population
4,560,667,108
Population Density
100 km2
GDP (PPP)
$65.44 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$7,350
Description
Asia is the world’s largest continent both by population and by land area. Comprising of 30% of the world’s land area, Asia borders the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, and Europe to the west. Around 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia.
Read more about Asia →
Oceania
Sovereign Countries
14
Area (km2)
8,525,989 km2
Area (mi2)
3,291,903 mi2
Population
41,570,842
Population Density
4 km2
GDP (PPP)
$1.62 Trillion
GDP per Capita
$41,037
Description
Australia is the world’s smallest continent and second least populated. The term Oceania is also used to describe this region in order to differentiate it from the country of Australia. However, Oceania is not a continent but is instead a continental grouping. The term Australasia is also sometimes use to refer to this region. Countries included in the Australian continent include Australia, Papua New Guinea, and portions of Indonesia.
Read more about Oceania →
Antarctica
Sovereign Countries
N/A
Area (km2)
14,200,000 km2
Area (mi2)
5,500,000 mi2
Population
1,000
Population Density
0 km2
GDP (PPP)
N/A
GDP per Capita
N/A
Description
Located at the South Pole, Antarctica has no permanent population and no countries. It is reserved for use as a scientific base. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent by land area, and the least populated continent. Antarctica is an island, and is completely surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
Read more about Antarctica →
Other Continental Divisions
Four Continents
Continents
Afro-Eurasia / Old World
America / New World
Australia / Oceania
Antarctica
More Information
The four continent model promotes the idea that all continents are landmasses divided by ocean. As Europe and Asia inhabit the landmass, and Africa and Asia are connected by the Isthmus of Suez, they are considered to compose one continent called “Afro-Eurasia.” In this model, North America and South America are thought of as one continent connected by the Isthmus of Panama.
Five Continents
Continents
Africa
Europe
Asia
America
Pacific
More Information
In the five continent model, North and South America are considered to be one continent called America. Antarctica is omitted due to its lack of permanent habitation. This model is used by the United Nations and found in the Olympic Charter.
Six Continents (Version 1)
Continents
Africa
Europe
Asia
America
Australia / Oceania
Antarctica
More Information
This model is most commonly taught in western Europe, including France and Spain. Here, North and South America are considered to be one single continent of America.
Six Continents (Version 2)
Continents
Africa
Eurasia
North America
South America
Australia / Oceania
Antarctica
More Information
This model is mostly taught in Eastern Europe and Japan. In this model, North and South America are differentiated by Europe and Asia are combined in one continent of Eurasia.
Seven Continents
Continents
Africa
Europe
Asia
North America
South America
Australia / Oceania
Antarctica
More Information
The seven continent model is the most popularly accepted model. It is most commonly taught in English-speaking countries, as well as in China, India, and Pakistan.
All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2024 worldatlas.com
Home
Contact Us
Privacy
Copyright
About Us
Fact Checking Policy
Corrections Policy
Ownership Policy
Continents
All Continents
North America
Caribbean
Central America
South America
Europe
Africa
Middle East
Asia
Oceania
Arctic
Antarctica
Countries
All Countries
US Maps
China Maps
Russia Maps
Philippines Maps
Egypt Maps
Geography
Bodies of Water
Landforms
Places
Nature
All Geography
Education
History
Science
Social Science
Society
Economics
Politics
About Us
Contact Us
Privacy
Copyright
Search WorldAtlas
Continent
inentEducationSign InMenuDonateARTICLEleveledARTICLEleveledContinentContinentA continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Grades3 - 12+SubjectsEarth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical GeographyLoading ...Leveled bySelected text levelDefaultArticleVocabularyLearning materialsMapsNational Geographic MapMaker: ContinentsA continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.When geographers identify a continent, they usually include all the islands associated with it. Japan, for instance, is part of the continent of Asia. Greenland and all the islands in the Caribbean Sea are usually considered part of North America.Together, the continents add up to about 148 million square kilometers (57 million square miles) of land. Continents make up most—but not all—of Earth’s land surface. A very small portion of the total land area is made up of islands that are not considered physical parts of continents. The ocean covers almost three-fourths of Earth. The area of the ocean is more than double the area of all the continents combined. All continents border at least one ocean. Asia, the largest continent, has the longest series of coastlines.Coastlines, however, do not indicate the actual boundaries of the continents. Continents are defined by their continental shelves. A continental shelf is a gently sloping area that extends outward from the beach far into the ocean. A continental shelf is part of the ocean, but also part of the continent.To geographers, continents are also culturally distinct. The continents of Europe and Asia, for example, are actually part of a single, enormous piece of land called Eurasia. But linguistically and ethnically, the areas of Asia and Europe are distinct. Because of this, most geographers divide Eurasia into Europe and Asia. An imaginary line, running from the northern Ural Mountains in Russia south to the Caspian and Black Seas, separates Europe, to the west, from Asia, to the east.Building the ContinentsEarth formed 4.6 billion years ago from a great, swirling cloud of dust and gas. The continuous smashing of space debris and the pull of gravity made Earth's core heat up. As the heat increased, some of Earth’s rocky materials melted and rose to the surface, where they cooled and formed a crust. Heavier material sank toward Earth’s center. Eventually, Earth came to have three main layers: the core, the mantle, and the crust.The crust and the top portion of the mantle form a rigid shell around Earth that is broken up into huge sections called tectonic plates. The heat from inside Earth causes the plates to slide around on the molten mantle. Today, tectonic plates continue to slowly slide around the surface, just as they have been doing for hundreds of millions of years. Geologists believe the interaction of the plates, a process called plate tectonics, contributed to the creation of continents.Studies of rocks found in ancient areas of North America have revealed the oldest known pieces of the continents began to form nearly four billion years ago, soon after Earth itself formed. At that time, a primitive ocean covered Earth. Only a small fraction of the crust was made up of continental material. Scientists theorize that this material built up along the boundaries of tectonic plates during a process called subduction. During subduction, plates collide, and the edge of one plate slides beneath the edge of another.When heavy oceanic crust subducted toward the mantle, it melted in the mantle’s intense heat. Once melted, the rock became lighter. Called magma, it rose through the overlying plate and burst out as lava. When the lava cooled, it hardened into igneous rock.Gradually, the igneous rock built up into small volcanic islands above the surface of the ocean. Over time, these islands grew bigger, partly as the result of more lava flows and partly from the buildup of material scraped off descending plates. When plates carrying islands subducted, the islands themselves did not descend into the mantle. Their material fused with that of islands on the neighboring plate. This made even larger landmasses—the first continents.The building of volcanic islands and continental material through plate tectonics is a process that continues today. Continental crust is much lighter than oceanic crust. In subduction zones, where tectonic plates interact with each other, oceanic crust always subducts beneath continental crust. Oceanic crust is constantly being recycled in the mantle. For this reason, continental crust is much, much older than oceanic crust.Wandering ContinentsIf you could visit Earth as it was millions of years ago, it would look very different. The continents have not always been where they are today. About 480 million years ago, most continents were scattered chunks of land lying along or south of the Equator. Millions of years of continuous tectonic activity changed their positions, and by 240 million years ago, almost all of the world’s land was joined in a single, huge continent. Geologists call this supercontinent Pangaea, which means “all lands” in Greek.By about 200 million years ago, the forces that helped form Pangaea caused the supercontinent to begin to break apart. The pieces of Pangaea that began to move apart were the beginnings of the continents that we know today.A giant landmass that would become Europe, Asia, and North America separated from another mass that would split up into other continents and regions. In time, Antarctica and Oceania, still joined together, broke away and drifted south. The small piece of land that would become the peninsula of India broke away and for millions of years moved north as a large island. It eventually collided with Asia. Gradually, the different landmasses moved to their present locations.The positions of the continents are always changing. North America and Europe are moving away from each other at the rate of about 2.5 centimeters (one inch) per year. If you could visit the planet in the future, you might find that part of the United States' state of California had separated from North America and become an island. Africa might have split in two along the Great Rift Valley. It is even possible that another supercontinent may form someday.Continental FeaturesThe surface of the continents has changed many times because of mountain building, weathering, erosion, and build-up of sediment. Continuous, slow movement of tectonic plates also changes surface features.The rocks that form the continents have been shaped and reshaped many times. Great mountain ranges have risen and then have been worn away. Ocean waters have flooded huge areas and then gradually dried up. Massive ice sheets have come and gone, sculpting the landscape in the process.Today, all continents have great mountain ranges, vast plains, extensive plateaus, and complex river systems. The landmasses’s average elevation above sea level is about 838 meters (2,750 feet).Although each is unique, all the continents share two basic features: old, geologically stable regions, and younger, somewhat more active regions. In the younger regions, the process of mountain building has happened recently and often continues to happen.The power for mountain building, or orogeny, comes from plate tectonics. One way mountains form is through the collision of two tectonic plates. The impact creates wrinkles in the crust, just as a rug wrinkles when you push against one end of it. Such a collision created Asia’s Himalaya several million years ago. The plate carrying India slowly and forcefully shoved the landmass of India into Asia, which was riding on another plate. The collision continues today, causing the Himalaya to grow taller every year.Recently formed mountains, called coastal ranges, rise near the western coasts of North America and South America. Older, more stable mountain ranges are found in the interior of continents. The Appalachians of North America and the Urals, on the border between Europe and Asia, are older mountain ranges that are not geologically active.Even older than these ancient, eroded mountain ranges are flatter, more stable areas of the continents called cratons. A craton is an area of ancient crust that formed during Earth’s early history. Every continent has a craton. Microcontinents, like New Zealand, lack cratons.Cratons have two forms: shields and platforms. Shields are bare rocks that may be the roots or cores of ancient mountain ranges that have completely eroded away. Platforms are cratons with sediment and sedimentary rock lying on top.The Canadian Shield makes up about a quarter of North America. For hundreds of thousands of years, sheets of ice up to 3.2 kilometers (two miles) thick coated the Canadian Shield. The moving ice wore away material on top of ancient rock layers, exposing some of the oldest formations on Earth. When you stand on the oldest part of the Canadian Shield, you stand directly on rocks that formed more than 3.5 billion years ago.North AmericaNorth America, the third-largest continent, extends from the tiny Aleutian Islands in the northwest to the Isthmus of Panama in the south. The continent includes the enormous island of Greenland in the northeast. In the far north, the continent stretches halfway around the world, from Greenland to the Aleutians. But at Panama’s narrowest part, the continent is just 50 kilometers (31 miles) across.Young mountains—including the Rockies, North America’s largest chain—rise in the West. Some of Earth’s youngest mountains are found in the Cascade Range of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and California. Some peaks there began to form only about one million years ago—a wink of an eye in Earth’s long history. North America’s older mountain ranges rise near the East Coast of the United States and Canada.In between the mountain systems lie wide plains that contain deep, rich soil. Much of the soil was formed from material deposited during the most recent glacial period. This Ice Age reached its peak about 18,000 years ago. As glaciers retreated, streams of melted ice dropped sediment on the land, building layers of fertile soil in the plains region. Grain grown in this region, called the “breadbasket of North America,” feeds a large part of the world.North America contains a variety of natural wonders. Landforms and all types of vegetation can be found within its boundaries. North America has deep canyons, such as Copper Canyon in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Yellowstone National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming, has some of the world’s most active geysers. Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the greatest variation of tide levels in the world. The Great Lakes form the planet’s largest area of freshwater. In California, giant sequoias, the world’s most massive trees, grow more than 76 meters (250 feet) tall and nearly 31 meters (100 feet) around.Greenland, off the east coast of Canada, is the world’s largest island. Despite its name, Greenland is mostly covered with ice. Its ice is a remnant of the great ice sheets that once blanketed much of the North American continent. Greenland is the only place besides Antarctica that still has an ice sheet.From the freezing Arctic to the tropical jungles of Central America, North America enjoys more climate variation than any other continent. Almost every type of ecosystem is represented somewhere on the continent, from coral reefs in the Caribbean to Greenland’s ice sheet to the Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada.Today, North America is home to the citizens of Canada, the United States, Greenland (an autonomous terrirory of Denmark), Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the island countries and territories that dot the Caribbean Sea and the western North Atlantic.Most of North America sits on the North American Plate. Parts of the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and California sit on the tiny Juan de Fuca Plate. Parts of California and the Mexican state of Baja California sit on the enormous Pacific Plate. Parts of Baja California and the Mexican states of Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Jalisco sit on the Cocos Plate. The Caribbean Plate carries most of the small islands of the Caribbean Sea (south of the island of Cuba) as well as Central America from Honduras to Panama. The Hawaiian Islands, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on the Pacific Plate, are usually considered part of North America.South AmericaSouth America is connected to North America by the narrow Isthmus of Panama. These two continents weren’t always connected; they came together only three million years ago. South America is the fourth-largest continent and extends from the sunny beaches of the Caribbean Sea to the frigid waters near the Antarctic Circle.South America’s southernmost islands, called Tierra del Fuego, are less than 1,120 kilometers (700 miles) from Antarctica. These islands even host some Antarctic birds, such as penguins, albatrosses, and terns. Early Spanish explorers visiting the islands for the first time saw small fires dotting the land. These fires, made by Indigenous people, seemed to float on the water, which is probably how the islands got their name—Tierra del Fuego means "Land of Fire."The Andes, Earth’s longest terrestrial mountain range, stretch the entire length of South America. Many active volcanoes dot the range. These volcanic areas are fueled by heat generated as a large oceanic plate, called the Nazca Plate, grinds beneath the plate carrying South America.The central-southern area of South America has pampas, or plains. These rich areas are ideal for agriculture. The growing of wheat is a major industry in the pampas. Grazing animals, such as cattle and sheep, are also raised in the pampas region.In northern South America, the Amazon River and its tributaries flow through the world’s largest tropical rainforest. In volume, the Amazon is the largest river in the world. More water flows from it than from the next six largest rivers combined.South America is also home to the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, in the country of Venezuela. Water flows more than 979 meters (3,212 feet)—almost one mile. The falls are so high that most of the water evaporates into mist or is blown away by wind before it reaches the ground.South American rainforests contain an enormous wealth of animal and plant life. More than 15,000 species of plants and animals are found only in the Amazon Basin. Many Amazonian plant species are sources of food and medicine for the rest of the world. Scientists are trying to find ways to preserve this precious and fragile environment as people move into the Amazon Basin and clear land for settlements and agriculture.Twelve independent countries make up South America: Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, and Suriname. The territories of French Guiana, which is claimed by France, and the Falkland Islands, which are adminstered by the United Kingdom but claimed by Argentina, are also part of South America.Almost all of South America sits on top of the South American Plate.EuropeEurope, the sixth-largest continent, contains just seven percent of the world’s land. In total area, the continent of Europe is only slightly larger than the country of Canada. However, the population of Europe is more than twice that of South America. Europe has 46 countries and many of the world’s major cities, including London, the United Kingdom; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Rome, Italy; Madrid, Spain; and Moscow, Russia.Most European countries have access to the ocean. The continent is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Caspian Sea in the southeast, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas in the south. The nearness of these bodies of water and the navigation of many of Europe’s rivers played a major role in the continent’s history. Early Europeans learned the river systems of the Volga, Danube, Don, Rhine, and Po, and could successfully travel the length and width of the small continent for trade, communication, or conquest.Navigation and exploration outside of Europe was an important part of the development of the continent’s economic, social, linguistic, and political legacy. European explorers were responsible for colonizing land on every continent except Antarctica. This colonization process had a drastic impact on the economic and political development of those continents, as well as Europe. Europe's colonial period ended in the violent transfer of wealth and land from Indigenous peoples in the Americas, and later Africa, Oceania, and Asia.In the east, the Ural Mountains separate Europe from Asia. The nations of Russia and Kazakhstan straddle both continents. Another range, the Kjølen Mountains, extends along the northern part of the border between Sweden and Norway. To the south, the Alps form an arc stretching from Albania to Austria, then across Switzerland and northern Italy into France. As the youngest and steepest of Europe’s mountains, the Alps geologically resemble the Rockies of North America, another young range.A large area of gently rolling plains extends from northern France eastward to the Urals. A climate of warm summers, cold winters, and plentiful rain helps make much of this European farmland very productive.The climate of Western Europe, especially around the Mediterranean Sea, makes it one of the world’s leading tourism destinations.Almost all of Europe sits on the massive Eurasian Plate.AfricaAfrica, the second-largest continent, covers an area more than three times that of the United States. From north to south, Africa stretches about 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles). It is connected to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt.The Sahara, which covers much of North Africa, is the world’s largest hot desert. The world’s longest river, the Nile, flows more than 6,560 kilometers (4,100 miles) from its most remote headwaters in Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea in the north. A series of falls and rapids along the southern part of the river makes navigation difficult. The Nile has played an important role in the history of Africa. In ancient Egyptian civilization, it was a source of life for food, water, and transportation.The top half of Africa is mostly dry, hot desert. The middle area has savannas, or flat, grassy plains. This region is home to wild animals such as lions, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, cheetahs, and wildebeests. The central and southern areas of Africa are dominated by rainforests. Many of these forests thrive around Africa’s other great rivers, the Zambezi, the Congo, and the Niger. These rivers also served as the homes to Great Zimbabwe, the Kingdom of Kongo, and the Ghana Empire, respectively. However, trees are being cut down in Africa’s rainforests for many of the same reasons deforestation is taking place in the rainforests of South America and Asia: development for businesses, homes, and agriculture.Much of Africa is a high plateau surrounded by narrow strips of coastal lowlands. Hilly uplands and mountains rise in some areas of the interior. Glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania sit just kilometers from the tropical jungles below. Even though Kilimanjaro is not far from the Equator, snow covers its summit all year long.In eastern Africa, a giant depression called the Great Rift Valley runs from the Red Sea to the country of Mozambique. (The rift valley actually starts in southwestern Asia.) The Great Rift Valley is a site of major tectonic activity, where the continent of Africa is splitting into two. Geologists have already named the two parts of the African Plate. The Nubian Plate will carry most of the continent, to the west of the rift; the Somali Plate will carry the far eastern part of the continent, including the so-called “Horn of Africa.” The Horn of Africa is a peninsula that resembles the upturned horn of a rhinoceros. The countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia sit on the Horn of Africa and the Somali Plate.Africa is home to 54 countries but only 16 percent of the world’s total population. The area of central-eastern Africa is important to scientists who study evolution and the earliest origins of humanity. This area is thought to be the place where hominids began to evolve.The entire continent of Africa sits on the African Plate.AsiaAsia, the largest continent, stretches from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the western Pacific Ocean. There are more than 40 countries in Asia. Some are among the most-populated countries in the world, including China, India, and Indonesia. Sixty percent of Earth’s population lives in Asia. More than a third of the world’s people live in China and India alone.The continent of Asia includes many islands, some of them are countries unto themselves. The Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan are major island nations in Asia.Most of Asia’s people live in cities or fertile farming areas near river valleys, plains, and coasts. The plateaus in Central Asia are largely unsuitable for farming and are thinly populated.Asia accounts for almost a third of the world’s land. The continent has a wide range of climate regions, from polar in the Siberian Arctic to tropical in equatorial Indonesia. Parts of Central Asia, including the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia, are dry year-round. Southeast Asia, on the other hand, depends on the annual monsoons, which bring rain and make agriculture possible.Monsoon rains and snowmelt feed Asian rivers such as the Ganges, the Yellow, the Mekong, the Indus, and the Yangtze. The rich valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in western Asia is called the “Fertile Crescent” for its place in the development of agriculture and human civilization.Asia is the most mountainous of all the continents. More than 50 of the highest peaks in the world are in Asia. Mount Everest, which reaches more than 8,700 meters (29,000 feet) high in the Himalaya range, is the highest point on Earth. These mountains have become major destination spots for adventurous travelers.Plate tectonics continuously push the mountains higher. As the landmass of India pushes northward into the landmass of Eurasia, parts of the Himalaya rise at a rate of about 2.5 centimeters (one inch) every five years.Asia contains, not only, Earth’s highest elevation, but also its lowest place on land: the shores of the Dead Sea in the countries of Israel and Jordan. The land there lies more than 390 meters (1,300 feet) below sea level.Although the Eurasian Plate carries most of Asia, it is not the only one supporting major parts of the large continent. The Arabian Peninsula, in the continent’s southwest, is carried by the Arabian Plate. The Indian Plate supports the Indian peninsula, sometimes called the Indian subcontinent. The Australian Plate carries some islands in Indonesia. The North American Plate carries eastern Siberia and the northern islands of Japan.AustraliaIn addition to being the smallest continent, Australia is the flattest and the second-driest, after Antarctica. The region including the continent of Australia is sometimes called Oceania, to include the thousands of tiny islands of the Central Pacific and South Pacific, most notably Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (including the U.S. state of Hawai‘i). However, the continent of Australia itself includes only the nation of Australia, the eastern portion of the island of New Guinea (the nation of Papua New Guinea) and the island nation of New Zealand.Australia covers just less than 8.5 million square kilometers (about 3.5 million square miles). Its population is about 31 million. It is the most sparsely populated continent, after Antarctica.A plateau in the middle of mainland Australia makes up most of the continent’s total area. Rainfall is light on the plateau, and not many people have settled there. The Great Dividing Range, a long mountain range, rises near the east coast and extends from the northern part of the territory of Queensland through the territories of New South Wales and Victoria. Mainland Australia is known for the Outback, a desert area in the interior. This area is so dry, hot, and barren that few people live there.In addition to the hot plateaus and deserts in mainland Australia, the continent also features lush equatorial rainforests on the island of New Guinea, tropical beaches, and high mountain peaks and glaciers in New Zealand.Most of Australia’s people live in cities along the southern and eastern coasts of the mainland. Major cities include Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide.Biologists who study animals consider Australia a living laboratory. When the continent began to break away from Antarctica more than 60 million years ago, it carried a cargo of animals with it. Isolated from life on other continents, the animals developed into creatures unique to Australia, such as the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), and the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).The Great Barrier Reef, off mainland Australia’s northeast coast, is another living laboratory. The world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, it is home to thousands of species of fish, sponges, marine mammals, corals, and crustaceans. The reef itself is 1,920 kilometers (1,200 miles) of living coral communities. By some estimates, it is the world’s largest living organism.Most of Australia sits on the Australian Plate. The southern part of the South Island of New Zealand sits on the Pacific Plate.AntarcticaAntarctica is the windiest, driest, and iciest place on Earth—it is the world's largest desert. Antarctica is larger than Europe or Australia, but unlike those continents, it has no permanent human population. People who work there are scientific researchers and support staff, such as pilots and cooks.The climate of Antarctica makes it impossible to support agriculture or a permanent civilization. Temperatures in Antarctica, much lower than Arctic temperatures, plunge lower than -73 degrees Celsius (-100 degrees Fahrenheit).Scientific bases and laboratories have been established in Antarctica for studies in fields that include geology, oceanography, and meteorology. The freezing temperatures of Antarctica make it an excellent place to study the history of Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Ice cores from the massive Antarctic ice sheet have recorded changes in Earth’s temperature and atmospheric gases for thousands of years. Antarctica is also an ideal place for discovering meteorites, or stony objects that have impacted Earth from space. The dark meteorites, often made of metals like iron, stand out from the white landscape of most of the continent.Antarctica is almost completely covered with ice, sometimes as thick as 3.2 kilometers (two miles). In winter, Antarctica’s surface area may double as pack ice builds up in the ocean around the continent.Like all other continents, Antarctica has volcanic activity. The most active volcano is Mount Erebus, which is less than 1,392 kilometers (870 miles) from the South Pole. Its frequent eruptions are evidenced by hot, molten rock beneath the continent’s icy surface.Antarctica does not have any countries. However, scientific groups from different countries inhabit the research stations. A multinational treaty negotiated in 1959 and reviewed in 1991 states that research in Antarctica can only be used for peaceful purposes. McMurdo Station, the largest community in Antarctica, is operated by the United States. Vostok Station, where the coldest temperature on Earth was recorded, is operated by Russia.All of Antarctica sits on the Antarctic Plate.Fast FactMicrocontinentsIn addition to the seven major continents, Earth is home to microcontinents, or pieces of land that are not geologically identified with a continent. Major microcontinents include:Zealandia, in the South Pacific Ocean, whose land includes New Zealand and New Caledonia;Madagascar, in the southern Indian Ocean;the Mascarene Plateau, in the southern Indian Ocean, whose lands include the Seychelles and Reunion islands;the Kerguelen Plateau, in the southern Indian Ocean, whose lands include the Kerguelen Islands, a territory of France;and Jan Mayen, in the northern Atlantic Ocean, a Norwegian island.CreditsMedia CreditsThe audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.WritersDiane BoudreauMelissa McDanielErin SproutAndrew TurgeonIllustratorsMary Crooks, National Geographic SocietyTim Gunther, IllustratorEditorsJeannie Evers, Emdash Editing, Emdash EditingKara WestEducator ReviewerNancy WynneProducerNational Geographic SocietyotherLast UpdatedNovember 29, 2023User PermissionsFor information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.MediaIf a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.TextText on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.InteractivesAny interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.Related ResourcesNational Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036ABOUTNational Geographic SocietyNatGeo.comNews and ImpactContact UsExploreOur ExplorersOur ProgramsEducationNat Geo LiveStorytellers CollectiveTraveling ExhibitionsJoin UsWays to GiveApply for a GrantCareersdonateget updatesConnectNational Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. © 1996 - 2024 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.Privacy Notice|Sustainability Policy|Terms of Service|Code of EthJust a moment...
a moment...Enable JavaScript and cookies to contiAsia | Continent, Countries, Regions, Map, & Facts | Britannica
Asia | Continent, Countries, Regions, Map, & Facts | Britannica
Search Britannica
Click here to search
Search Britannica
Click here to search
Login
Subscribe
Subscribe
Home
Games & Quizzes
History & Society
Science & Tech
Biographies
Animals & Nature
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Money
Videos
On This Day
One Good Fact
Dictionary
New Articles
History & Society
Lifestyles & Social Issues
Philosophy & Religion
Politics, Law & Government
World History
Science & Tech
Health & Medicine
Science
Technology
Biographies
Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
Environment
Fossils & Geologic Time
Mammals
Plants
Geography & Travel
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Entertainment & Pop Culture
Literature
Sports & Recreation
Visual Arts
Companions
Demystified
Image Galleries
Infographics
Lists
Podcasts
Spotlights
Summaries
The Forum
Top Questions
#WTFact
100 Women
Britannica Kids
Saving Earth
Space Next 50
Student Center
Home
Games & Quizzes
History & Society
Science & Tech
Biographies
Animals & Nature
Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
Money
Videos
Asia
Table of Contents
Asia
Table of Contents
IntroductionGeologic historyGeneral considerationsTectonic frameworkChronological summaryStratigraphy and structureThe PrecambrianThe Paleozoic EraPaleozoic events in the AltaidsPaleozoic events in the TethysidesPaleozoic events in the continental nucleiThe Mesozoic EraMesozoic events in the TethysidesMesozoic events in the AltaidsMesozoic events in the continental nucleiMesozoic events in the circum-Pacific orogenic beltsThe Cenozoic EraCenozoic events in the Alpide plate boundary zone and in the Arabian and Indian cratonsCenozoic events in Stable AsiaCenozoic events in the island arcs and the marginal basinsLandReliefThe mountain beltsThe plains and lowlandsThe islandsGeologic and climatic influencesThe regions of AsiaNorth AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and South SiberiaSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaMiddle AsiaWest AsiaSouthwest AsiaDrainageRiversLakesGroundwaterSoilsThe Arctic zoneThe forest tundraThe forest zoneThe forest-steppe and steppeSemidesert and desertThe Asian MediterraneanThe subtropical monsoonal regionsThe subequatorial and equatorial regionsThe mountainsEffects of human activity on the soilClimateAir masses and wind patternsContinental climateThe polar frontMonsoons and typhoonsThe influence of topographyTemperaturePrecipitationClimatic regionsUrban climatePlant lifeThe geographic pattern of vegetationNorth and Central AsiaEast AsiaSouth and Southeast AsiaWest AsiaVegetation and societyVegetation in traditional civilizationHuman impact on natural landscapesAnimal lifeThe Palearctic regionThe tundraThe taigaThe steppesEast and Southwest AsiaThe Oriental regionMammalsBirdsReptiles and amphibiansFishInvertebratesPeopleEthnic groupsPrehistoric centres and ancient migrationsHistorical migrationsMultiethnic statesLanguagesReligionSouth AsiaSouthwest AsiaEast AsiaOther religionsSettlement patternsEcological factorsRural settlementUrban settlementDemographic trendsEarly population distribution20th-century changesContemporary trendsEconomyGeneral considerationsResourcesMineral resourcesCoalPetroleum and natural gasUraniumIronFerroalloy metalsNonferrous base metalsPrecious metalsNonmetallic mineralsWater resourcesBiological resourcesBotanical resourcesAnimal resourcesResource developmentMiningTimber, fisheries, and animal husbandryAgricultureAgricultural technologyPrincipal cropsCereals and grainsFruits and vegetablesCash cropsManufacturingHeavy industry and engineeringChemicals and petrochemicalsTextiles and other light manufacturingHandicraftsEnergyServicesTradeHistorical backgroundContemporary trade patternsTransportation
References & Edit History
Related Topics
Images & Videos
For Students
Asia summary
Quizzes
Largest, Tallest, and Smallest Around the Globe Quiz
All About Asia
Get to Know Asia
Know Your Asian Geography Quiz
Read Next
World Poetry Day
Discover
Did Marie-Antoinette Really Say “Let Them Eat Cake”?
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
How Fast Is the World’s Fastest Human?
Why Is Women’s History Month Celebrated in March?
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Home
Geography & Travel
Physical Geography of Land
Geography & Travel
Asia
continent
Actions
Cite
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
MLA
APA
Chicago Manual of Style
Copy Citation
Share
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia
Give Feedback
External Websites
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Feedback Type
Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other
Your Feedback
Submit Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Khan Academy - A brief history of the cultures of Asia
HistoryWorld - History of Asia
National Geographic - Asia: Physical Geography
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Asia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Asia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Please select which sections you would like to print:
Table Of Contents
Cite
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
MLA
APA
Chicago Manual of Style
Copy Citation
Share
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia
Feedback
External Websites
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Feedback Type
Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other
Your Feedback
Submit Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Khan Academy - A brief history of the cultures of Asia
HistoryWorld - History of Asia
National Geographic - Asia: Physical Geography
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Asia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Asia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Written by
Thomas R. Leinbach
Professor of Geography, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Coauthor of Development and Environment in Malaysia; Southeast Asian Transport: Issues in Development.
Thomas R. Leinbach,
Graham P. Chapman
Professor of Geography, Lancaster University, England. Author of Environmentalism and the Mass Media; Water and the Quest for Sustainable Development in the Ganges Valley. Coeditor of The...
Graham P. Chapman,
Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan
Senior Fellow, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, New York City; Under-Secretary-General for Inter- Agency Affairs and Coordination, United Nations, 1973–78. Author of The United Nations:...
Chakravarthi V. NarasimhanSee All
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated:
Mar 8, 2024
•
Article History
Table of Contents
Recent News
Mar. 8, 2024, 3:44 AM ET (AP)
Stock market today: European shares mostly down after rally in Asia, as focus remains on rates
Mar. 7, 2024, 9:43 PM ET (AP)
Stock market today: Asian shares rise after Wall Street sets another record
Mar. 7, 2024, 6:14 PM ET (AP)
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra will tour Asia for the first time in June
Mar. 6, 2024, 10:16 PM ET (AP)
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after Wall Street recovers
Mar. 6, 2024, 8:02 PM ET (AP)
At least 8,500 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year, the most in a decade
Show More
Show Less
AsiaAsia, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and the use of the term to describe such a vast area always carries the potential of obscuring the enormous diversity among the regions it encompasses. Asia has both the highest and the lowest points on the surface of Earth, has the longest coastline of any continent, is subject overall to the world’s widest climatic extremes, and, consequently, produces the most varied forms of vegetation and animal life on Earth. In addition, the peoples of Asia have established the broadest variety of human adaptation found on any of the continents.The name Asia is ancient, and its origin has been variously explained. The Greeks used it to designate the lands situated to the east of their homeland. It is believed that the name may be derived from the Assyrian word asu, meaning “east.” Another possible explanation is that it was originally a local name given to the plains of Ephesus, which ancient Greeks and Romans extended to refer first to Anatolia (contemporary Asia Minor, which is the western extreme of mainland Asia), and then to the known world east of the Mediterranean Sea. When Western explorers reached South and East Asia in early modern times, they extended that label to the whole of the immense landmass.Çanakkale, TurkeyÇanakkale, Turkey, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles.(more)Asia is bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, the Red Sea (as well as the inland seas of the Atlantic Ocean—the Mediterranean and the Black) to the southwest, and Europe to the west. Asia is separated from North America to the northeast by the Bering Strait and from Australia to the southeast by the seas and straits connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans. The Isthmus of Suez unites Asia with Africa, and it is generally agreed that the Suez Canal forms the border between them. Two narrow straits, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, separate Anatolia from the Balkan Peninsula.Sea of AzovThe land boundary between Asia and Europe is a historical and cultural construct that has been defined variously; only as a matter of agreement is it tied to a specific borderline. The most convenient geographic boundary—one that has been adopted by most geographers—is a line that runs south from the Arctic Ocean along the Ural Mountains and then turns southwest along the Emba River to the northern shore of the Caspian Sea; west of the Caspian, the boundary follows the Kuma-Manych Depression to the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait of the Black Sea. Thus, the isthmus between the Black and Caspian seas, which culminates in the Caucasus mountain range to the south, is part of Asia.
Britannica Quiz
All About Asia
The total area of Asia, including Asian Russia (with the Caucasian isthmus) but excluding the island of New Guinea, amounts to some 17,226,200 square miles (44,614,000 square km), roughly one-third of the land surface of Earth. The islands—including Taiwan, those of Japan and Indonesia, Sakhalin and other islands of Asian Russia, Sri Lanka, Cyprus, and numerous smaller islands—together constitute 1,240,000 square miles (3,210,000 square km), about 7 percent of the total. (Although New Guinea is mentioned occasionally in this article, it generally is not considered a part of Asia.) The farthest terminal points of the Asian mainland are Cape Chelyuskin in north-central Siberia, Russia (77°43′ N), to the north; the tip of the Malay Peninsula, Cape Piai, or Bulus (1°16′ N), to the south; Cape Baba in Turkey (26°4′ E) to the west; and Cape Dezhnev (Dezhnyov), or East Cape (169°40′ W), in northeastern Siberia, overlooking the Bering Strait, to the east.HimalayasMount Everest (left centre) in the Himalayas, seen from the Plateau of Tibet.(more)Asia has the highest average elevation of the continents and contains the greatest relative relief. The tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest, which reaches an elevation of 29,035 feet (8,850 metres; see Researcher’s Note: Height of Mount Everest); the lowest place on Earth’s land surface, the Dead Sea, measured in the mid-2010s at about 1,410 feet (430 metres) below sea level; and the world’s deepest continental trough, occupied by Lake Baikal, which is 5,315 feet (1,620 metres) deep and whose bottom lies 3,822 feet (1,165 metres) below sea level, are all located in Asia. Those physiographic extremes and the overall predominance of mountain belts and plateaus are the result of the collision of tectonic plates. In geologic terms, Asia comprises several very ancient continental platforms and other blocks of land that merged over the eons. Most of those units had coalesced as a continental landmass by about 160 million years ago, when the core of the Indian subcontinent broke off from Africa and began drifting northeastward to collide with the southern flank of Asia about 50 million to 40 million years ago. The northeastward movement of the subcontinent continues at about 2.4 inches (6 cm) per year. The impact and pressure continue to raise the Plateau of Tibet and the Himalayas.
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.
Subscribe Now
Gulf of ThailandIsland resort in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of southern Thailand.(more)Asia’s coastline—some 39,000 miles (62,800 km) in length—is, variously, high and mountainous, low and alluvial, terraced as a result of the land’s having been uplifted, or “drowned” where the land has subsided. The specific features of the coastline in some areas—especially in the east and southeast—are the result of active volcanism; thermal abrasion of permafrost (caused by a combination of the action of breaking waves and thawing), as in northeastern Siberia; and coral growth, as in the areas to the south and southeast. Accreting sandy beaches also occur in many areas, such as along the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Thailand.Himalayas, Tibet Autonomous Region, ChinaHigh pass through the Himalayas, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, part of the historic caravan trail to the Central Asian trade routes.(more)The mountain systems of Central Asia not only have provided the continent’s great rivers with water from their melting snows but also have formed a forbidding natural barrier that has influenced the movement of peoples in the area. Migration across those barriers has been possible only through mountain passes. A historical movement of population from the arid zones of Central Asia has followed the mountain passes into the Indian subcontinent. More recent migrations have originated in China, with destinations throughout Southeast Asia. The Korean and Japanese peoples and, to a lesser extent, the Chinese have remained ethnically more homogeneous than the populations of other Asian countries.Asia’s population is unevenly distributed, mainly because of climatic factors. There is a concentration of population in western Asia as well as great concentrations in the Indian subcontinent and the eastern half of China. There are also appreciable concentrations in the Pacific borderlands and on the islands, but vast areas of Central and North Asia—whose forbidding climates limit agricultural productivity—have remained sparsely populated. Nonetheless, Asia, the most populous of the continents, contains some three-fifths of the world’s people.Bhutan: monasteryTaktshang (“Tiger's Nest”) Monastery, near Paro, Bhutan.(more)Asia is the birthplace of all the world’s major religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism—and of many minor ones. Of those, only Christianity developed primarily outside of Asia; it exerts little influence on the continent, though many Asian countries have Christian minorities. Buddhism has had a greater impact outside its birthplace in India and is prevalent in various forms in China, South Korea, Japan, the Southeast Asian countries, and Sri Lanka. Islam has spread out of Arabia eastward to South and Southeast Asia. Hinduism has been mostly confined to the Indian subcontinent.
This article surveys the physical and human geography of Asia. For in-depth treatment of Asia’s major geographic features, see specific articles by name—e.g., Pamirs, Gobi, and Tigris and Euphrates rivers. For discussion of individual countries of the continent, see specific articles by name—e.g., Kazakhstan, Mongolia, India, and Thailand. For discussion of major cities of the continent, see specific articles by name—e.g., Bangkok, Jerusalem, Beijing, and Seoul. The principal treatment of Asian historical and cultural development is contained in the articles on Asian countries, regions, and cities and in the articles Palestine, history of and Islamic world. Related topics are discussed in articles on religion (e.g., Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam) and arts and literature (e.g., Chinese literature, Japanese literature, Central Asian arts, Southeast Asian arts, and South Asian arts). Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan Yury Konstantinovich Yefremov The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica