What is the largest continent on Earth? That’s easy: Asia. It’s the biggest in terms of both size and population. But what about the other continents: Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America?
Watch Now: What are the Biggest Continents By Area and Population?
Asia, the Largest Continent
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Asia is by far the largest continent in the world, spanning 17.2 million square miles (44.6 million square kilometers). Being the largest geographically also puts Asia at an advantage population-wise, as having 4.6 billion of the world’s 7.7 billion-person population.
And these aren’t the only superlatives of this continent. Asia also boasts the highest and lowest points on Earth. Mount Everest is the highest point, at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level. The lowest point is the Dead Sea, which is more than 1,414 feet (431 meters) below sea level.
Africa
Tom Cockrem / Getty Images
Africa is No. 2 on both lists: population and size. In area, it spans 11.6 million square miles (30 million square kilometers). Its population is estimated at 1.3 billion. Along with Asia, these two continents are forecast to be the highest areas of world population growth in the coming decades.
Africa is home to the longest river in the world, the Nile. It stretches 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers) from Sudan to the Mediterranean Sea.
North America
Rudy Malmquist / Getty Images
North America is where area and population diverge in their rankings because this continent’s population is not growing as fast as Asia’s. North America is third in area at 9.4 million square miles (24.5 million square kilometers). However, it’s fifth on the list in population with 369 million people.
North America boasts Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. One of the Great Lakes, Superior covers more than 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers) between the United States and Canada.
South America
Gene Wahrlich / Getty Images
South America is the fourth-largest continent, spanning 6.9 million square miles (17.8 million square kilometers). It is fifth on the world population list, with 431 million people living there. It is also home to one of the most populous cities in the world—São Paulo, Brazil, ranks No. 4 on that list.
South America has the longest mountain range in the world. The Andes Mountains stretch 4,350 miles (7,000 kilometers) from Venezuela south to Chile.
Antarctica
David Merron / Getty Images
Based on area, Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent at 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square kilometers). But no one has to guess that Antarctica is last on the population list, as there are no permanent residents there. However, up to 4,400 researchers and personnel live there in the summer and 1,100 are there in the winter.
The amount of ice cover in Antarctica affects the exchange of heat, moisture, and gases between the ocean and the atmosphere. Changes in the ice, in turn, affect global weather patterns—and by extension, over time, climate.
Europe
Pixabay / Pexels
By area, Europe is sixth on the list of continents, spanning 3.8 million square miles (9.9 million square kilometers). It also comes in at No. 3 on population rankings at 746 million people. The United Nations Population Division expects its population to decline over the coming decades due to declining fertility rates.
Europe lays claim to the largest and smallest nations in the world. Russia is the biggest at 6.6 million square miles (17.1 million square kilometers), while Vatican City is the smallest at just 109 acres.
Australia
John Crux Photography / Getty Images
The only continent that is its own country, Australia is also the smallest: 3 million square miles (7.7 million square kilometers). Australia ranks surprisingly low in terms of population (around or below 50th in the world), likely in part because of so much of its land is uninhabitable. The majority of its 25 million-person population lives in the urban areas on the coasts. Australia’s population is often listed together with Oceania, which is 43 million people.
Australia is about the size of the contiguous 48 states of America.
A continent is defined by being a large continuous area of land that is generally separated by a body of water. Continents are made up of many countries and have millions and in some cases billions of people that call it home. There are 7 continents on planet Earth: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Some combine the continent of Europe with the continent of Asia and refer to it as Eurasia. Others combine North America and South America and refer to it as the Americas or American continent. So which is the biggest, smallest, largest, tiniest, etc?
The simple question of what is the largest continent or the smallest continent can be slightly more complicated than it seems. There are two popular ways in which to rank the continents including using the land area of the continent or using the population of that continent. Below you will find the both the largest and smallest continents data looking at it from both a population and a land area perspective.
Just Need A Quick Answer?
What is the Largest Continent?
Largest Continent by Land Area: Asia
Biggest Continent by Population: Asia
What is the Smallest Continent?
Smallest Continent by Land Area: Australia
Smallest Continent by Population: Antarctica
If you want to see full countdown lists from largest to smallest continents by both land area and population read on below to find infographics, table lists, and more!
Biggest Continent to Smallest Continent by Land Area / Mass
The largest continent by land area is Asia with 43,800,000 (km2) and represents more than 29% of the total land area on planet earth. The smallest continent by land area is Australia with 9,008,000 (km2) which represents just 6% of the total land area in the world.
This infographic above counts down from the biggest continent to the smallest showing the outline of each continent along with the land area in square kilometers and square miles. It also includes a calculation of what portion of the world’s land area each continent represents. A chart below offers the data used for the infographic. Select the name of the continent to learn more about it.
| Continent | Area (km²) | Area (mi²) | % World’s Land Mass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 43,826,647 | 16,921,556 | 29.32% |
| Africa | 30,375,489 | 11,728,037 | 20.32% |
| North America | 24,496,933 | 9,458,315 | 16.39% |
| South America | 17,844,711 | 6,889,879 | 11.94% |
| Antarctica | 13,729,854 | 5,301,124 | 9.19% |
| Europe | 10,189,745 | 3,934,281 | 6.82% |
| Australia | 9,008,598 | 3,478,238 | 6.03% |
| Total | 149,471,977 | 57,711,429 |
Largest Continent to Smallest Continent by Population
When looking at the size of the continents by population, the rankings of biggest to smallest continents get re-ordered. In addition to being the largest continent by land area, the largest continent by population is Asia with more than 4.46 billion people living within its boundaries. Asia currently has 62% of the world’s population.
The smallest continent by population is Antarctica. Due to the harsh conditions, Antarctica does not have any permanent residents but at any given time there are a few thousand researchers, scientist, or tradesmen staying on the continent
The chart below lists the continents in order from largest to smallest along with each continent’s total population. Be sure to select the continent if you want to learn more about it.
| Continent | Population | % World’s Population |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 4,460,032,418 | 62.00% |
| Africa | 1,125,307,147 | 15.64% |
| Europe | 605,148,242 | 8.41% |
| North America | 563,485,525 | 7.83% |
| South America | 403,464,140 | 5.61% |
| Australia | 36,304,997 | 0.50% |
| Antarctica | 4,490 | 0.00% |
| Total | 7,193,746,959 |
Largest Continent Compared to Smallest – % Land Area vs % Population
The largest and smallest continents list is not the same when comparing the land area to the population. For this reason, we built the chart above to show which continents feature the largest land area vs population by the percentage of world’s total. This should give you an idea of how densely populated a continent is. For example, take the continent of Europe, it has 6.82% of the world’s land area but has 8.41% of the world’s population. Compare that to the continent of Asia which has 29.32% of the world’s land area but a staggering 62% of the world’s population.
It is important to note that the continents are ever-changing and this list will change eventually. The largest continent today could break apart in the future and become one of the smallest. This is exactly what happened to the super continent of Pangea. At one point in Earth’s history there was a single continent and over 175 million years ago it began to break apart to give us the seven continents we know now. How many new continents might there be in another 175 million years?
Asia ranks as the biggest continent, and it occupies almost 29.1% of the Earth’s landmass. The continent extends for 17,139,445 square miles and is home to 4.1 billion people. Some people regard Asia and Europe as being a single continent thus making it the largest by far. Asia occupies the eastern area of the Eurasian supercontinent with Europe making up the western portion. Asia borders the Indian, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans and it can be subdivided into deserts, mountain chains, plains, saltwater, and freshwater environments, and plateaus. Asia is home to the 1,550-mile-long Himalaya Mountains which separate the Indian subcontinent from the other parts of Asia. The Himalayas are so long that they are divided into three mountain belts. Other Asian mountain systems include the Tien Shan Mountains and the Ural Mountains. Asia is also home to multiple plateaus including the Tibetan Plateau which is famous as the highest region on Earth. Much of the territory of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan lies on the Iranian Plateau. The most extensive region of continuous flatland lies in Asia and more specifically in Russia called the West Siberian Plain. The largest sand sea also lies in the continent namely the Rub’ al Khali Desert. Notable water bodies in Asia include Lake Baikal of Russia, the Yangtze River, the Tigris-Euphrates river system, the Persian Gulf, the Bay of Bengal, and the Sea of Okhotsk. Asia prides as having the second highest nominal GDP among the world’s continents just behind Europe. However, when the GDP is measured by Purchasing power parity Asia has the highest. The largest Asian economies include Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, and India. The economies of India and China particularly have been registering annual growth rates of over 8%. Asia has such significant natural resources as silver, petroleum, rice, forests, copper, water, and fish. Asia’s manufacturing industry is strong in China, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, and India. The continent’s four primary financial hubs are Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. 3.3 million millionaires lived in Asia in 2010. The largest continent is home to an estimated 56% of the world population. India and China together have more than 2.6 billion inhabitants. The Central Asian people include the Mongols, Iranians, Russians, and the Turkic people. Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Sino-Tibetan Peoples are categorized as East Asian People. The people of Northern Asia include the Tungusic, Finno-Ugric people, and the native communities of Siberia. The ethnic groups of Pakistan and India are categorized as South Asian people as are the Munda people, Dravidians, and Indo-Aryans. The ethnic groups of Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia as well as the Tai, and Austronesian People are grouped as Southeast Asian people. The West Asian communities include Arabs, Samaritans, Jews, Peoples of the Caucasus, Druze and the ethnic minorities in Iraq and Iran. The world’s largest continent has had its share of conflicts after the 2nd World War. Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Nepal, Burma, and Syria have experienced civil wars. For nations like Syria, the war is ongoing. A handful of Asian states have gone to war with each other such as Iraq and Iran who fought from 1980 to 1988. India and Pakistan have engaged one another in four wars since British India was partitioned to form Pakistan and India. Other conflicts have engaged more than two nations such as the Arab-Israeli conflicts involving the Arab nations of Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, and Syria. 
Geography Of The Largest Continent In The World
Economy Of The World’s Largest Continent
Demographics Of Asia
Modern Conflicts In Asia
Want to know which is the largest continent in the world? The seven regions of the world are generally considered to be continents. These seven regions are Asia, Africa continent, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Variation along certain continents may add to some of these. Asia is the largest in both population and area. But would like to know about other continents. Here is a list of the top 10 largest continents in the world by area.
01. Asia (Area 17.2 million sq mi)
Asia is the largest and most populous continent of the Earth. It is mainly located in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental terrain of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental terrain of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa.
Asia has an area of 44,579,000 square kilometers, about 30% of the Earth’s total landmass and 8.7% of the Earth’s total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to most of the human population, was previously the site of many civilizations.
Asia is notable not only for its overall large size and population, but also for densely and large settlements, as well as vastly populated regions. Its 4.5 billion people (as of June 2019) make up about 60% of the world’s population.
- GDP Nominal: $39 trillion
- GDP per capita: $8,890
- Population: 4.545 billion
- Area: 44,579,000 km² (17,212,000 sq mi)
02. Africa (Area 11.3 million sq mi)
Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. Approximately 30.3 million km2, including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area.
With 1.3 billion people as of 2018, it is about 16% of the world’s human population. Africa’s population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4.
Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa has at least the wealthiest continent per capita, due to geographical constraints, the legacy of European colonialism in Africa, and the Cold War, undemocratic governance, and despicable policies.
Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and large and young populations make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context.
- GDP Nominal: $2.96 trillion
- GDP per capita: $2,180
- Population: 1.287 billion
- Area: 30,370,000 km² (11,730,000 sq mi)
03. North America (Area 9.5 million sq mi)
North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It lies north of the Arctic Ocean, east of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American tectonic plate, Greenland is geographically included as part of North America.
North America covers an area of approximately 24,709,000 square kilometer. It is about 16.5% of the Earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface.
North America ranks third in all seven continent in the world by area after Asia and Africa and the fourth population after Asia, Africa and Europe. In 2013, it had a population of about 579 million in 23 independent states, or about 7.5% of the world’s population.
- GDP Nominal: $29.01 trillion
- GDP per capita: $57,410
- Population: 587.6 million
- Area: 24,709,000 km² (9,540,000 sq mi)
04. South America (Area 6.8 million sq mi)
South America is a continent with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere, mostly in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern subcontinent of the Americas.
The context of South America rather than other regions has increased in recent decades due to the changing geopolitical dynamics.
South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometer. As of 2018 its population is estimated at over 423 million. South America ranks fourth in 7 continent in the world by area and fifth in population.
Brazil is by far the most populous South American country, with more than half of the continent’s population, followed by Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru. In recent decades, Brazil has also generated half of the continent’s GDP and became the continent’s first regional power.
- GDP Nominal: $3.62 trillion
- GDP per capita: $8,340
- Population: 428.2 million
- Area: 17,840,000 km² (6,890,000 sq mi)
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05. Antarctica (Area 5.5 million sq mi)
Antarctica is the southernmost continent of the Earth. It includes the Geographical South Pole and is located in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere. It is almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
At 14,200,000 square kilometer, it is the fifth largest continent and nearly twice that of Australia. It is by far the least populated continent, with about 5,000 people living in summer and about 1,000 in winter.
About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, with a thickness of 1.9 km, which extends to all but the McMurdo Dry Valleys and the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Population: 1,000 to 5,000 (seasonal)
- Area: 14,200,000 km² (5,500,000 sq mi)
06. Europe (Area 3.9 million sq mi)
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It includes the western peninsula of the continental territory of Eurasia. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the south and Asia in the east.
Europe is generally considered to be separated from Asia by the waterways of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea, and the Turkish Strait.
Although most of this range is on land, Europe is usually given the status of a great continent due to its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. It is the second largest continent in the world.
- GDP Nominal: $24.02 trillion
- GDP per capita: $34,230
- Population: 746.6 million
- Area: 10,180,000 km² (3,930,000 sq mi)
07. Australia (Area 3.3 million sq mi)
The Australian continent is sometimes known by the names of Sahul, Australian or Magnesia to separate the continent from Australia’s country. In it, they are included on Australia’s continental plate.
It includes the island of mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, in which Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea (Papua of Papua and Indonesia) are included. “Sahul” name takes its name from Sahul Shelf, which is part of the continental shelf of the Australian continent.
Located in the geographic region of Oceania, Australia is the smallest continent in the world.
- GDP Nominal: $1.7 trillion (estimated)
- GDP per capita: $66,000
- Population: 41.2 mllion
- Area: 8,600,000 km² (3,300,000 sq mi)
Asia is the largest continent in the world both in terms of area and population, and is geographically located on the eastern and northern hemispheres. The giant continent covers nearly 9% of the total surface of the planet earth with 4.16 billion people living on it. You will be surprised to know that the continent accommodates about 60% of the total population on earth and the remainder 40% of people live on other six continents. This geographical entity is having two most populous countries of the world, i.e. India and China. Both of these countries are known as the highly important business hubs all over the world.
Asia is replete with different religions, cultures, civilizations, economic structures, types of government, and government rules and regulation. Asia is having a group of 49 independent countries, where each of the nations has her own religion and cultural values. Asia has a number of historical places that are worth seeing and are famous all over the world. Particularly, the Great Wall of China and Taj Mahal in India are the pride of this continent and tourists love to visit these historical places when they ever visit Asia. Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan are known as the business tycoon of the region and are best known as the secure and peaceful places for tourism. Apart from being an economic hub, India, along with some other countries like Pakistan, Philippines, and Bangladesh, is providing the major service in BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) due to their good English speaking peoples. Pakistan and India are known as a hub of outsourcing in European markets.
This Asian continent has all types of major seasons, i.e. Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring. Thousand of living languages are spoken across various countries in the region. For example, in Indonesia, India and phillipines people can speak as many as over 600, 800 and 100 languages, respectively. Tamil and Sanskrit is the oldest language of this continent that is spoken and understood in India and Sri Lanka.
People belong to different religions in Asia, where the major religions are Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Muslims are in majority in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Hinduism is very popular in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. A major proportion of the Asian population belongs to Buddhist religion and they have a majority in different countries like, China, Japan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, Laos, Nepal, and South Korea. Asia is also very famous due to the spicy foods, tandoori chickens, tandoori kebabs, and spicy roasts and other traditional dishes which are very popular in European markets as well. These are the dominant factors that make Asia the largest and most beautiful continent in the world.
What are the 7 continents from largest to smallest?
Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents.
Ordered from largest in area to smallest, they are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
Australia is the smallest of the world’s continents. It is also the lowest, the flattest and (apart from Antarctica) the driest. The highest point on the Australian mainland is Mount Kosciuszko, New South Wales, at 2228 metres above sea level.
What are the 7 major continents?
Learn the seven continents of our Earth. Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Antarctica with this fun, educational music video.
Why Asia is the largest continent in the world?
What’s the World’s Largest Continent? No matter how many continents you count (the old-school way teaches seven, while new methods have six) the biggest of them all is Asia. It spans 17,139,445 square miles – 29.1 percent of Earth’s total land mass — and has a population of 4.1 billion people.
What is the oldest continent on earth?
Earth’s Oldest Crust Dates to 4.4 Billion Years Ago. Zircon crystals from the Jack Hills of Australia, like the one above, reveal that continents arose just 160 million years after our solar system formed, much earlier than previously thought.
Is Antarctica bigger than Russia?
Antarctica is also larger than all European countries combined and can comfortably accommodate the entire country of Australia. In fact, the only country on earth with more surface area than Antarctica is Russia, which beats it by about a million square miles.
What’s the biggest ocean in the world?
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world ocean basins. Covering approximately 63 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world’s ocean basins. All of the world’s continents could fit into the Pacific basin.
Is Africa bigger than Asia?
Africa Is Way Bigger Than You Think. Africa is bigger than China, India, the contiguous U.S. and most of Europe—combined! Look at the usual flat map of the world and it appears that Greenland is nearly as big as Africa. But it’s not even close.
How many countries are in Asia?
48 countries
Does Russia belong to Europe?
The other, eastern, part of the Russian Federation forms part of northern Asia, and is known as North Asia, also called Asian Russia or Siberia. Europe also forms a subcontinent within Eurasia, making all of Russia a part of the Eurasian continent.
Why is Australia a continent?
By that definition, Australia can’t be an island because it’s already a continent. While Australia and most of Asia are situated on separate tectonic plates, Greenland shares a tectonic plate with North America. Second, there is a biological distinction.
What are the 5 oceans on Earth?
Earth’s oceans (World Ocean)
- Atlantic Ocean.
- Arctic Ocean.
- Indian Ocean.
- Pacific Ocean.
- Southern Ocean.
Is Russia larger than Africa?
But Canada, Russia, the United States and Europe are greatly enlarged. The distortion is largest near the poles: Greenland, which looks about the same size as the whole of Africa on the Mercator, is a classic example. In truth, it is no bigger than the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Where do Asians come from?
The 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census Bureau definition of the Asian race is: “people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent (for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam)”.
Why does Greenland look bigger than Africa?
As on all map projections, shapes or sizes are distortions of the true layout of the Earth’s surface. The Mercator projection exaggerates areas far from the equator. For example: Greenland appears larger than Africa, when in reality Africa’s area is 14 times greater and Greenland’s is comparable to Algeria’s alone.
Which is the coldest continent?
Antarctica
What is the oldest piece of Earth?
One of the oldest Martian meteorites found on Earth, ALH84001, discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica, has been reported to have crystallized from molten rock 4.091 billion years ago.
What continent is Australia part of?
Oceania
What is the coldest place on Earth?
Antarctica
How big is Antarctica Really?
14 million km²
Where is the real North Pole?
The North Pole is at the center of the Northern Hemisphere. While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice.
Why Europe is a continent?
Some geographers say it’s all just one continent, because unlike the Americas or Africa, Europe and Asia are not divided by sea. The Ancient Greeks divided the world they knew into Europe, Asia and Africa. Since then, people have been talking about Asia and Europe as two continents so it is now a tradition.
Is Africa the second largest continent?
Africa is the world’s second largest and second most-populous continent, being behind Asia in both categories. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area.
What connects Africa to Asia?
The usual line taken to divide Africa from Asia today is at the Isthmus of Suez, the narrowest gap between the Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez, the route today followed by the Suez Canal. This makes the Sinai Peninsula geographically Asian, and Egypt a transcontinental country.
Is Israel in Asia or Africa?
The Middle East is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia, Turkey (both Asian and European), and Egypt (which is mostly in North Africa). Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest Middle Eastern nation while Bahrain is the smallest.
How many Asians are there in the world?
4.54 billion
Is China a country or state?
China, officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world’s most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion.
Which are the seven seas?
Before modern reckoning, the term “Seven Seas” has been used to refer to seven of the largest bodies of water in the world:
- the Pacific Ocean.
- the Atlantic Ocean.
- the Indian Ocean.
- the Arctic Ocean.
- the Mediterranean Sea.
- the Caribbean Sea.
- the Gulf of Mexico.
What is the deepest part of the ocean?
Challenger Deep
How did the Indian Ocean get its name?
The Indian Ocean is named after India (Oceanus Orientalis Indicus) since at least 1515. In Ancient Greek geography the region of the Indian Ocean known to them was called the Erythraean Sea.
Can people live in Antarctica?
No humans live in Antarctica permanently. However, about 1,000 to 5,000 people live through the year at the science stations in Antarctica. Only plants and animals that can live in cold live there. The animals include penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades and mites.
How many time zones does Antarctica have?
Antarctica has the fourth-most number of time zones (9) among all countries in the world. The top 10 time zones by country are: France, Russia, United States, Antarctica, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Brazil.
Where do most penguins live?
Although almost all penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere, they are not found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin live so far south. Several species are found in the temperate zone, and one species, the Galápagos penguin, lives near the equator.
Photo in the article by “Flickr” https://www.flickr.com/photos/blatantworld/5051752963
Description:World Map showing largest continent in the world by land area.
Largest Continents by Area
| Continent | Area (km2) |
| Asia | 43,820,000 |
| Africa | 30,370,000 |
| North America | 24,490,000 |
| South America | 17,840,000 |
| Antarctica | 13,720,000 |
| Europe | 10,180,000 |
| Australia | 9,008,500 |
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No matter how many continents you count (the old-school way teaches seven, while new methods have six) the biggest of them all is Asia. It spans 17,139,445 square miles – 29.1 percent of Earth’s total land mass — and has a population of 4.1 billion people.
The other commonly recognized continents are Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia.
Continents are generally accepted to be discrete masses of land – like Australia or North America, which is connected by only a tiny strip of land to South America. Some people consider that Europe and Asia are in fact one continent, making it the biggest by far. Another way of differentiating continents is by the underlying plates, which would make Europe and Africa one mass, while the Ural mountains mark the start of the Asiatic plate.
The distinctions can be arbitrary though. Australia is considered a continent, but Greenland (at about one-third the size) is not. Some people argue for even fewer continents. They say that since Europe and Asia are actually part of one great land mass and that Asia and Africa are actually joined by an isthmus (Isthmus of Suez), as are the two Americas (being joined by the Isthmus of Panama), then there should be an Afro-Eurasian continent in addition to one American continent, Antarctica, and Australia.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, today’s continents were huddled in a giant landmass called Pangea.
As Earth’s tectonic plates continue to move, there will likely be changes to the number and size of continents in the future. One projection by physicists shows North and South America drifting apart, and Africa sideways, smooshed into Europe. It looks like change is the only constant when it comes to the continents.
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What are the 7 continents of the world? There are 7 Continents in the world.
- Asia
- Europe
- Africa
- Antarctica
- Australia/Oceania
- North America
- South America
The World’s Largest and Smallest Continent
The largest of the 7 continents in the world is the Asian continent. It has an area of 44 million, 579 thousand sq km.
The smallest continent in the world is the continent of Australia. It has an area of 8 million, 525 thousand 989 sq km.
7 Continents of the World
Although there are many ideas about the number of continents in the world, the number of continents in the world is considered 7 in this content. You can see 7 Continents of the World on the world map above.
What are the 7 Continents of the World?
Here is a Ranking of the Largest to the Smallest Continent by Land Area:
1. Asia
Asia, which is part of the old world land mass, is the world’s largest continent with 44,391,163 km². It is also the world’s highest continent with an average elevation of 1,010 m. This elevation of Asia is due to the Himalaya Mountains, which have the highest peaks in the world.
Asia has a width of 8,490 km in the north-south direction. To the north of the continent is Cape Chelyuskin (77 ° 42 ’55’ ‘K parallel) in Russia, the southernmost, on Malacca Peninsula (1 ° 14’ 17 ” K parallel).
Borders of Asia Continent
Asia is bordered by the Arctic Ocean from the north. Furthermore, it is separated from the US by a 100 km wide Bering Strait, a shallow sea in the North East. Besides, the continent is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east. However, there are islands and archipelagos which form the parts of the north-south direction mountains that rise above the ocean floor.
The southeastern border of the continent is somewhat confused, but the line between the Sunda Islands and the Arafura Sea can be regarded as the border. The Indian Ocean borders the continent from the south.
The western border of Asia is a highly controversial issue. Although many researchers suggest different views, the most accepted limit is; Ural Mountains, Ural River, Black Sea, The Dardanelles, Bosphorus, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal and a line over the Red Sea. Anatolia and the Caucasus to the east of this line are added to Asia and Thrace to Europe.
The Continent of the Most, Asia
The largests in the world came together in Asia. The largest of the continents (44,391,163 km²) and the highest average elevation (1,010 m). In addition, the highest peak in the world (8,848 m, Everest), the largest lake (Hazar Lake or Sea), the deepest lake (Lake Baikal), the lowest level of the earth’s sea level (Dead Sea, Lake surface -392 m), and the world the lowest basin (Turfan Basin -154 m) is located in Asia continent.
Asia is the most populous continent in the world, with its population exceeding 3.5 billion. China, the most populous country in the world, is on this continent.
Moreover, all three religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism were born in the Middle East. Buddhism and Hinduism, which appeal to a wider audience, are Asian religions.
Asia is also the cradle of civilizations. Turkish, Chinese and Indian civilizations have been in this continent for thousands of years. Over 100 languages are spoken in the continent.
2. Europe
It is a continent in the north of Africa, west of Asia and east of the Atlantic Ocean.
Europe means the side where the Sun sets. This name, which was passed from the Phoenicians to the Greeks, became the Europa in Greek and was given the name of the countries in the West by the Aegean Sea.
It is also the name of the daughter of Agenor and Telepassa, the King of Finike in Mythology. He was kidnapped in Ida by Zeus, who had taken the shape of a bull. The name is given to a continent.
The Second Smallest Continent, Europe
Regarding size, Europe is the second-smallest continent after Australia; the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Asian continent in the east.
The European continent is very close to the African continent in the south (14 km from the Strait of Gibraltar). In the southeast, it almost joins to Asia (0,7 km from the Bosphorus, 1,3 km from the Dardanelles Strait).
While Europe does not have a definite boundary in the east, the Ural Mountains from the north to the south, the Ural River, the Black Sea, the Bosphorus, and the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea are the borders on other aspects.
Europe’s surface area is 10,523,000 km2. This means 5% of the earth and 15% of the earth’s land. Europe is similar to a triangle framed by 10 to 60 eastern meridians, with approximately 35 to 70 north parallel circles on the map. There are 0-4 time zones on the continent.
Europe’s extreme points; North Cape (71° 10 ‘north latitude) in the north, Matapan Cape in the south (36° 23’ north latitude), Rocca (Portugal) in the west (9° 29 ‘west longitude), Ural Mountains in the east (60° east) ).
The length between the Rocca Cape and the Ural Mountains is 5,500 km, and the width between the Cape of the North and the Cape of Matapan is 3,800 km.
Diversity in History
This continent, which has been the cradle of the great kingdom and empires, has maintained its development and completed its industrialization in a short time according to all other continents.
The importance of Europe is not based on its location, surface area, natural resources, population, and physical characteristics, but also its human resources and its qualities.
The population of well-educated people has been developed economically and has reached a high standard of living thanks to its progress in science and technology.
Europe, which has little natural resources, owes its development to the high qualities of human resources and the blessings of the colonial system. Today, the people of the United States, which is the biggest power focus of the world, are mostly of European origin.
Many of the important inventions, which are the milestones of scientific and technological developments, were also discovered by the Europeans.
The European Union, which aims at the unification of European countries in every way and carries out important steps in this way, further increases the power and importance of Europe in the world.
3. Africa
Africa, which is one of the oldest world lands, has a surface area of 30,218,000 square kilometers. The African name was inspired by the name of the Romans called Afri or Africani.
The continent got the African name during the ”Punic“ wars. Until then, the Greek writers called this continent “Libya”. However, at the end of the 2nd century AD, this name began to be used for the whole continent.
Africa has borders with the Mediterranean from the north. Also, the Suez Channel separates the continent from Asia in the northeast. The continent is adjacent to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east. Bab-el Mendep Strait approaches 18 km to the Arabian Peninsula.
Moreover, Indian Ocean surrounds the continent in the south and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. 14 km wide Gibraltar Strait separates the continental part from Europe in the northwest.
In some countries of the continent, oil production associated with poverty, violence, and pollution can double in West Africa over a decade.
4. Antarctica
Antarctica, the southernmost part of the Southern Hemisphere and the continent containing the South Pole. It is the only continent in the south of Africa and Oceania.
The discovery of the legendary continent in the South, after a search of 200 years, was only successful in 1840. Charles Wilkes, with his sailboat roughly 2,000 km along the coast, proved to be a truly large continent, unlike the Arctic north, where the South Pole was.
With a surface area of 12.4 million km², this continent is almost half the size of Africa. Within this region, South Shetland, South Georgia, as well as several archipelagos are located.
Its name covers the Antarctic, which means “opposite the Arctic” (Greek: Antarctic), as a large layer of ice with an average thickness of 2,000 m. The thickness of the ice at a polar point once called “unattainable”, reaches 4.335 m. With the volume of 24 million km3, this ice mass constitutes 92% of all ice on the earth.
5. Australia / Oceania
Oceania is the continent that includes Australia, New Zealand, and the islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean.
It is located in the south and southeast of Asia, north of Antarctica, and between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Unlike the other parts of the world, which are continents, it is the ocean that gives integrity to this part and gives its name. Its surface area is 8,970,000 square kilometers.
The islands in the Pacific Ocean are not all connected to Oceania. The archipelago near Asia and America is part of these continents. The islands off the coast of America, Aleut Islands and the Japanese archipelago, especially in the Far East, Indonesia and the Philippines do not join Oceania.
Although the Malaysian archipelago is sometimes linked to Oceania, it is closer to Southeast Asia in terms of its peoples, civilizations and all its activities.
Four Parts of the Australia Continent
There are four parts of the continent. Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Melanesia includes islands in the east of Australia and Indonesia. These islands are usually in New Guinea.
Polynesian encompasses the New Zealand archipelago and the Middle Pacific islands in the north and south of Ecuador.
Micronesia includes the archipelago to the north of Malaysia. The islands of the various archipelago generally extend from the northwest to the southeast and mostly look like an arc.
Australia is the only country to cover an entire continent. Its neighbors are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.
To the southeast of Asia, it lies in the Southern Hemisphere and ranks sixth regarding land among the nations of the world. It is located between 10° -44 ° south latitudes and 112° -154° east longitudes.
The Lowest Continent, Australia
Australia is the lowest in terms of continents. 94% of the land is less than 660 meters above sea level and there is no peak to form a hill. The coastline, which is more than 16,650 kilometers, has some deep coves and gulfs even though it is smooth.
The outer surface of the old rocks on the large areas of the western plateau and some parts of the eastern regions provide gold, silver, tin, zinc, and copper which are precious metals. The country also has important iron, bauxite and uranium deposits. There is coal in significant amounts.
The vegetation of Australia is both different and specific. There are sparse desert plants and shrubs in arid parts. With the increase in rain, the vegetation changes from the bushes to the forest.
There are forests and shrubs on the East Coast and Tasmania. Also, acacia and eucalyptus are among the popular vegetation of Australia continent. Hundreds of species are specific to Australia.
Moreover, there are palm trees, pine trees, timber trees belonging to Southeast Asia’s plant community in the tropical forests of the Northeastern coast.
6. North America
North America is located in the northern hemisphere, surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Caribbean Sea in the south, and the northern Pacific Ocean in the west.
It forms an area of 24,230,000 km². It is also the third largest continent after Asia and Africa and is the fourth most populous continent after Asia, Africa, and Europe.
North America’s only connection to South America is the narrow Panama Canal.
There are four major regions in the continent: from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Back, Great Plains; The geologically young, mountainous west, including the Rocky Mountains, Great Bass, California and Alaska; Canada high in the northeast but relatively flat; and the eastern region that includes the Appalachian Mountains and the Florida peninsula.
7. South America
Map of South America ContinentThe continent that forms the southern half of America. South America is to the east of the Pacific, west of the Atlantic Ocean, south of North America and north of Antarctica. South America has an area of 17,840,000 square km. Or approximately 3.5% of the Earth’s surface.
South America is the fourth in the rankings (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and the fifth in the population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America).