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In geology, a continent is defined by continental crust, which is a platform of metamorphic and igneous rock, largely of granitic composition. Continental crust is less dense and much thicker than oceanic crust, which causes it to "float" higher than oceanic crust on the dense underlying mantle.
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It covers 9% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area), and has the longest coastline, at 62,800 kilometres (39,022 mi). Asia is generally defined as comprising the eastern four-fifths of Eurasia.
The United Nations geoscheme is a system which divides 248 countries and territories in the world into six continental regions, 22 geographical subregions, and two intermediary regions. [1] It was devised by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) based on the M49 coding classification. [2] The creators note that "the assignment of ...
North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), representing approximately 16.5% of the Earth 's land area and 4.8% of its total surface area. It is the third-largest continent by size after Asia and Africa, and the fourth-largest continent by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The continental boundaries are considered to be within the very narrow land connections joining the continents. The remaining boundaries concern the association of islands and archipelagos with specific continents, notably: the delineation between Africa, Asia, and Europe in the Mediterranean Sea; the delineation between Asia and Europe in the ...
The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul ( / səˈhuːl / ), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia [1] [2] [3] to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres. [4] The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New ...
A supercontinent cycle is the break-up of one supercontinent and the development of another, which takes place on a global scale. [4] Supercontinent cycles are not the same as the Wilson cycle, which is the opening and closing of an individual oceanic basin. The Wilson cycle rarely synchronizes with the timing of a supercontinent cycle. [1]
A continent is a large geographical region defined by the continental shelves and the cultures on the continent. [1] In the modern day, there are seven continents. However, there have been more continents throughout history. Vaalbara was the first supercontinent. [2] Europe is the newest continent. [3]