Continent

A continent is one of the largest land areas on Earth. Continents are much bigger than islands or countries. They usually contain many countries, rivers, mountains, and different types of land. Most continents are separated from each other by oceans, which are large bodies of salt water.

Earth has seven continents. These are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Each continent has its own size, shape, and natural features. Asia is the largest continent by land area and population. Australia is the smallest continent. Antarctica is covered mostly by ice and has no permanent human population.

Continents are formed by slow movements of the Earth’s crust. The crust is the outer layer of the planet. It is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates. Over millions of years, these plates move very slowly. This movement can cause continents to drift apart or come together. Long ago, many continents were joined into one large landmass called Pangaea.

Continents contain many different landforms. A landform is a natural shape of the land. Examples include mountains, plains, deserts, and forests. Africa has large deserts such as the Sahara. Asia has very high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas. South America has long rivers like the Amazon River. These features affect climate, which means the usual weather of a place.

People have lived on most continents for thousands of years. Human societies developed differently on each continent because of distance, climate, and natural resources. Antarctica is the only continent without native human populations. Scientists from many countries live there for research, but only for short periods.

The idea of what counts as a continent can change slightly depending on tradition. For example, Europe and Asia are sometimes grouped together as Eurasia because they are part of one large landmass. However, they are usually treated as separate continents because of history and culture. Even with small differences, continents remain a basic way to describe the major land areas of Earth.