What is a Continent?
A continent is one of several large areas of land on Earth, which are identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. “Continents are understood to be large, continuous, discrete masses of land, ideally separated by expanses of water.”[1] However many of the seven most commonly recognized continents are identified by convention rather than adherence to the ideal criterion that each be a discrete landmass, separated by water from others. Likewise the criterion that each be a continuous landmass is often disregarded by the inclusion of the continental shelf and oceanic islands. The ideal criterion that each continent be a discrete landmass is commonly disregarded in favor of more arbitrary, historical conventions. Of the seven most commonly recognized continents, only Antarctica and Australia are separated from other continents.
CONTINENT – A large land mass rising abruptly from the deep ocean floor, including marginal regions that are shallowly submerged. Continents constitute about one-third of the earth’s surface. – A large area of land. There are seven continents: North and South America; Asia; Europe; Africa; Australia; Antarctica. – A large landmass, as distinct from the oceans. The seven continents are: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. There are also a group of islands in the Pacific ocean which geographers refer to as Oceania. – A large landmass composed mostly of granitic rock. Continents rise abruptly above the deep-ocean floor and include the marginal areas submerged beneath sea level.
A continent is a large landmass defined by convention. There are currently seven continents on the Earth, in order of size: Australia, Europe, Antarctica, South America, North America, Africa, and Asia. All of the continents are inhabited, but Antarctica only has a population of about 4,000 during the summer, 1,000 during the winter. As of 2008, the population of Australia is roughly 20 million; Europe, 700 million; South America, 370 million; North America, 520 million; Africa, 900 million; Asia, 3.9 billion. The total world population is over 6.7 billion. Continents are formed over the course of hundreds of millions of years through so-called orogeny (“rock birth”) events, where a volcanic hotspot pours out hundreds of thousands of cubic kilometers of lava, which cools to create a craton, a large layer of rock making up the continent. The fringes of cratons tend to be flooded, creating a continental shelf, which drops off abruptly into the deep sea. The area of the continents vary ov
