Continents: what they are, names, map and features

Continent is a large land mass that is surrounded by water from the seas and oceans.

In the world, there are 6 continents, and Brazil is a country located on the American continent:

Africa (54 countries)
America (36 countries)
Antarctica (does not contain any countries)
Asia (50 countries)
Europe (50 countries)
Oceania (14 countries)

map of the six continents of the world — Map of the six continents

The continents are large tracts of land on the planet that are above sea level and not covered with water.

In terms of proportion, on the terrestrial globe the continents occupy about 30% of the space, while the other 70% is covered by oceans, rivers, seas and lakes.

The largest continent in the world is Asia, with 45 million km², and the smallest is Oceania, with 8 million km².

Continent	Area	Population
Asia	45 million km²	4.5 billion inhabitants
America	43 million km²	1 billion inhabitants
Africa	30 million km²	1.2 billion inhabitants
Antarctica	14 million km²	no permanent population
Europe	10 million km²	740 million inhabitants
Oceania	8 million km²	37 million inhabitants

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Main features of each continent

To learn more about each of the six continents in the world, see their main features below.

Asia: main features of the Asian continent

Asia is the largest continent in the world (45 million km²) and also the most populous with 4.5 billion inhabitants. It is washed by oceans: Pacific in the east, Arctic Glacier in the north and Indian Ocean in the south.

Although it is a continent where great economic powers are located (Japan, South Korea, Israel, Singapore and Taiwan), there are countries that present extreme poverty such as Afghanistan and Yemen (International Monetary Fund, 2019).

The Asian continent, which has 50 countries, is divided into 6 regions:

Middle East
Indian Subcontinent
Southeast Asia
East Center
Far East
Asian part of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The most populous cities in Asia are:

Mumbai, India (13 million)
Shanghai, China (23 million)
Karachi, Pakistan (13 million)
Delhi, India (12 million)
Istanbul, Turkey (11 million)

America: main features of the American continent

The second largest continent in the world, after Asia, America has an area of 43 million km² and a population of 1 billion inhabitants. This continent is bathed by oceans: the Pacific to the west and the Atlantic to the east.

With 37 countries, the American continent has one of the greatest economic powers in the world, the United States.

America is divided into three subcontinents, as they are located on different tectonic plates:

North America (4 countries): North American board
Central America (20 countries): caribbean plate
South America (13 countries): South American plate

The most populous cities in America are:

São Paulo, Brazil (12 million inhabitants)
Lima, Peru (11 million)
Mexico City, Mexico (8.8 million)
New York, United States (8.3 million)
Bogotá, Colombia (7.4 million)

Learn more about these countries:

North American countries
Central American countries
South American countries

Africa: main features of the African continent

Third largest continent in the world (with an area of 30 million km²) and second most populous (population 1.2 billion), after Asia.

With 54 countries, the African continent is one of the poorest in the world. According to the report of the International Monetary Fund (2019), the poorest countries are: Burundi, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo.

This continent is divided into two major regions:

North Africa or North Africa (7 countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (47 countries)

The most populous cities in Africa are:

Lagos, Nigeria (21 million)
Cairo, Egypt (20 million)
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (14 million)
Alexandria, Egypt (5.2 million)
Nairobi, Kenya (5 million)

Understand everything about the regions and countries of this continent:

North Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
African countries

Antarctica: main features of the Antarctic continent

Antarctica, or Antarctica, is the fourth continent in the world in territorial extension, with 14 million km². Located in the southern hemisphere, it is bathed by oceans: Atlantic, Pacific and Indian.

Unlike others, this continent has no permanent human population. For this reason, some scholars consider that the world has only 5 continents, excluding Antarctica.

The Antarctic Treaty, signed on December 1, 1959 by 12 countries, is an international cooperation. In it, it was declared that the signatory countries have the right to investigate and exchange scientific information about the place.

Understand more about this continent:

Antarctica
Antarctic Glacial Ocean

Europe: main features of the European continent

Also called the “old world”, Europe is the fifth continent in the world in territorial extension, with an area of 10 million km² and a population of about 740 million inhabitants.

Located in the northern hemisphere, it is washed by oceans: Arctic Glacier in the north, Atlantic in the east.

With 50 countries, the European continent has countries with good economic and social indices, of which the following stand out: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Iceland, Luxembourg and Denmark.

Europe is divided into 4 regions:

Western Europe
Northern Europe
Central-Eastern Europe
southern europe

The most populous cities in Europe are:

Istanbul, Turkey (15 million inhabitants)
Moscow, Russia (12 million)
London, UK (9 million)
Madrid, Spain (6 million)
St. Petersburg, Russia (5 million)

Learn more about the European continent:

Europe
European countries
Europe map

Oceania: main features of the oceanic continent

Also called the “brand new world”, Oceania is the smallest continent on the planet (with an area of 8 million km²) and also the least populated with 37 million inhabitants.

Located in Southeast Asia, it is bathed by oceans: Indian, to the south and west, and Pacific, to the north and east.

Comprised of 14 countries and more than 10,000 islands, the Pacific Islands are divided into three regions:

Polynesia
Melanesia
Micronesia

The most populous cities in Oceania are:

Sydney, Australia (5, 2 million)
Melbourne, Australia (4.9 million)
Brisbane, Australia (2.2 million)
Perth, Australia (1.9 million)
Macaçar, Indonesia (1.3 million)

Study more about this continent:

Oceania
Oceania countries

How did the formation of continents happen?

The continents formed about 4.5 billion years ago, through the movement of tectonic plates.

Before, the world was formed by a large mass called pangea and, according to the theory of continental drift, the tectonic plates were moving away, giving rise to the 6 continents we know today.