Continent

Lore & Background

The English noun continent derived from the 16th-century term continent land, translating the Latin terra continens, meaning continuous or connected land. Initially, it referred to any connected tract of land, including relatively small areas such as the Isle of Man, Ireland, and Sumatra. By the mid-17th century, Peter Heylin described a continent as 'a great quantity of Land, not separated by any Sea from the rest of the World,' citing Europe, Asia, and Africa as an example. In 1727, Ephraim Chambers divided the world into two grand continents: the Old and the New. Emanuel Bowen in 1752 defined a continent as 'a large space of dry land comprehending many countries all joined together, without any separation by water,' grouping Europe, Asia, and Africa as one great continent and America as another. Despite these views, the old idea of Europe, Asia, and Africa as separate 'parts' of the world persisted.

Reader's Guide

The concept of a continent is a cultural and historical construct as much as a geographical one. The article notes that continents are 'understood to be large, continuous, discrete masses of land, ideally separated by expanses of water,' yet in modern schemes with five or more continents, at least one pair is joined by land. This leads to arbitrary classifications: Greenland, at 2,166,086 square kilometers, is considered the world's largest island, while Australia, at 7,617,930 square kilometers, is deemed the smallest continent. The geological definition adds criteria of high elevation, diverse rock types, thicker crust, and well-defined limits. The idea of continental drift, gaining recognition in the 20th century, postulates that current continents formed from the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea. The article emphasizes that the number of continents varies by convention, with some merging Asia and Europe into Eurasia, North and South America into the Americas, or Africa, Asia, and Europe into Afro-Eurasia. This flexibility reflects the concept's role as a practical tool for dividing Earth's land, not a fixed scientific truth.

Did You Know?

• The number of continents varies from four to seven depending on the definition used.
• Australia is the smallest continent, while Greenland is considered the world's largest island.
• The geological definition of a continent includes both dry land and continental shelves.
• The idea of continental drift, which gained recognition in the 20th century, holds that current continents formed from the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea.