Which continent of the earth is the smallest in area. Smallest continent

If you ask a person “Where do you live?”, he can name a house, apartment, street, or city. Perhaps a country. But it’s unlikely that anyone would think of naming the continent on which they live. Meanwhile, on the continents there are many countries in which millions, and in some cases billions of people live.

As is the case with people, among the continents there are dwarfs, and there are also giants, judging by size. And if you need an answer to a question, which continent is the smallest in the world, we are happy to help you. Let's take a brief look at all the continents and take a closer look at the smallest of them.

6. Eurasia - 53.6 million square kilometers

It is the largest and most populated continent on Earth. Consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia.

Asia occupies about 9 percent of the earth's surface. It is also the most populated part of the world on the planet. Asia is home to approximately 4.3 billion people, making it a critical part of the global economy.
Europe occupies 6.8 percent of the world's total land area. It is home to almost 50 countries and is considered the third most populous part of the world in the world after Asia and Africa. About 10% of the world's population lives there.

5. Africa - about 30.3 million km², including islands

The second largest continent in the world, as well as by population. There are 54 countries in Africa, with a total population of about one billion people.

4. North America - 24.3 million km² including islands

It is the third continent in the world in terms of area and population. About 7.5% of the world's population (about 565 million people) lives here.

3. South America - 17.84 million km²

On the territory of this continent is the driest desert in the world - the Chilean Atacama, as well as the Amazon. In terms of population, South America is in 4th place among the continents.

2. Antarctica - 14.1 million km²

The southernmost and sparsely populated continent. Antarctica is also the coldest land in the world and most of this continent is made up of glaciers.

1. Australia - 7.6 million km²

And here is the smallest continent on Earth. Its dimension includes both the main island and the surrounding islands, some of which belong to Oceania.

Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere and is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Due to its size and isolated location, the world's smallest continent is also called an island continent.

What Australia has a lot of is beaches. There are more than 10 thousand of them. If you visit one Australian beach a day, it would take about 27 years to explore all 10,000 beaches. It's no wonder that surfing and other water activities are so popular on this continent.

Relief features of Australia

Plains are the dominant landform in Australia. It is the flattest continent, with relatively few mountain ranges given its size. But Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.

The highest mountain in Australia is Kosciuszko (or Kosciuszko) - only 2228 meters. For comparison: bearing the name Shota Rustaveli, reaches 4860 meters. Kosciuszko is located in the Australian Alps, which are larger in size than the Swiss Alps.

Climatic features of Australia

Australia is the driest continent of the six. Almost 20 percent of its landmass is classified as desert.

And this is all due to the hot tropical sun, which particularly heats the central regions of the country. In summer, the temperature there varies during the day from plus 35 to plus 40 degrees Celsius.
And the coolest part of the country is the island of Tasmania. On summer days the air warms up to plus 20-22 degrees, and in winter it is 10 degrees colder.
Australia's climate zones range from rainforests, deserts and cool forests to snow-capped mountains.

Under these conditions, unique species of plants and animals have evolved that have adapted to the dry climate, coupled with high variability in precipitation.

Australian fauna

This continent boasts many of the most dangerous and exotic creatures found outside of the Amazon rainforest in South America. For example, in Australia you can find two, about 1500 types of spiders, 4000 types of ants and 350 types of termites.

When it comes to the animal world of Australia, the first thing that comes to mind is the kangaroo. According to some reports, the total number of these marsupials is almost 50 million individuals. This means that there are more kangaroos in Australia than people.

Although some scientists declared the Great Barrier Reef dead back in 2016, the world's largest coral reef is still alive. However, it must be protected from pollution and other problems facing the world's oceans. Imagine that this reef is so large that it can be seen from space.

How small is Australia in terms of area and population?

In terms of land area, the Australian continent is undoubtedly the smallest continent in the world. Even small Europe is 2.4 million km² larger than it.

Scientists have calculated that the smallest continent on Earth can fit twice the size of Russia.
When it comes to population, Australia is technically the second smallest continent. And if we exclude Antarctica, then Australia will be considered the most sparsely populated continent.
As of 2018, the Australian population is over 25 million.

Australia is an island because it is surrounded by water, but it is also large enough to be considered a continent. However, Australia is not officially a country; this title is given to Greenland.

However, Australia is also the largest country without land borders. And the largest Australian city (but not the capital) - Sydney - spreads over an area of 12,144.6 km² and is in the top ten.

Australia's relationship with Oceania

Quite often, when referring to the South Pacific region where Australia is located, people will use the term "Australia and Oceania" rather than separate the two. However, both are true.

Oceania is a Pacific region consisting of many small islands and atolls. The conditional western border of Oceania runs through New Guinea, and the eastern border runs through Easter Island.
Usually Australia and Oceania are combined into a single part of the world if it is necessary to divide all the land into parts of the world.
However, Oceania is sometimes considered an independent part of the world. In regional studies, there is even an independent discipline called “ocean studies”, which deals with the study of Oceania.
If we talk specifically about the continents, then Oceania has no chance; it is always classified as Australia.

Continents include shallow coastal zones of seas (shelves) and islands located near them. Once upon a time, all parts of the world formed one continent - Pangea.

And today there are six, which are separated by oceans: Eurasia has the largest territory on the planet, its area is 55 million km. sq., South America – 18 million km. sq., Africa – 30 million km. sq., Antarctica – 14 million km. sq., North America – 20 million km. sq., Australia is the smallest continent, its area is 8.5 million km. sq.

Australia is the smallest continent on the planet

The area of Australia including the islands is about 8.9 million km. sq. Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans. The southern tropic runs almost through the middle of Australia. At the base of the relief of this continent is the Australian Plate. Its western part is raised. The Western Australian Plateau is located here, its height is 400-600 m, crystalline rocks emerge on its surface.

In the east of the continent, from the northern Cape York Peninsula to southern Tasmania, there is a folded region - the Great Dividing Range.

In the old days, Australia was called “Terra incognito”; today this land for us remains full of surprises and mysteries. Australia surprises with its diversity. There are endless ocean beaches and beautiful roads. This is the land of coral reefs and unbroken mustangs. Australia has no rivals in the number of unique animals and plants. The whole country, in fact, is a world-class reserve, while 80% of the animals are endemic, since they are found only here.

This continent, which turned out to be the smallest in the whole world, was first discovered by the Dutch. A significant amount of information was provided by the expedition led by Abel Tasman. He explored the northwestern and northern coasts of Australia in 1642-1643, and at the same time discovered the island of Tasmania. And James Cook pioneered the east coast in the 18th century. The development of Australia began at the end of the 18th century.

Country Australia

Australia is the country that ranks sixth in terms of area. This is the only state that occupies an entire continent.

The capital of Australia is Canberra. Its area is 7682 thousand km. sq. Its share of the planet's land area is 5%. Population: about 19.73 million people. Of the total world population, this share is 0.3%. The highest point is Mount Kosciuszko (2228 meters above sea level), the lowest point is Lake. Eyre (16 meters below sea level). The southernmost point is Cape Southeast, the northernmost is Cape York. The westernmost is Cape Steep Point, the easternmost is Cape Byron. The length of the coastline is 36,700 km (including Tasmania).

Administrative division: 2 territories and 6 states. The country's national anthem: "Go Awesome Australia!" Holiday - Australia Day.

Australia is an amazing continent, with unusual nature and history. This is the smallest continent on Earth. In addition, it is the only continent on the planet whose territory is completely occupied by one state (with the same name).

The smallest continent in the world

This continent is located in the Southern Hemisphere, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Anyone who has studied geography well at school knows the answer to the question: “Which continent is the smallest?” Of course, this is Australia! Its area is approximately 7.66 million square kilometers.

The smallest continent is quite compact. From north to south it stretches for 3,700 kilometers, and from west to east - 4,000 kilometers.

Australia is extremely sparsely populated. The population density here is only 3 people per square meter of land. Even the number of sheep on the continent is several times higher than the number of people here!

Well, now you know which continent is the smallest. However, Australia has many other, no less fascinating records and interesting features.

General geographical information about the continent

The smallest continent is also the lowest on the entire planet! So, the average height here is only 330 meters. This continent is also very dry: about a third of its entire surface is occupied by lifeless deserts.

There are few mountains in Australia, and they are not high. In the southeast of the continent rise the Australian Alps with Mount Kosciuszko - the highest point of the entire continent. Its absolute height is 2228 meters. By the way, there is much more snow in the Australian Alps than in the Alps located in Europe.

The smallest continent on Earth has another interesting record. Thus, this is the only continent on the planet that has no active volcanoes at all. Australia's largest river system is the Murray and Darling.

It is curious that Australians depict their native continent in the central part of the canvas on their maps. And on the periphery all the other continents of the planet are shown.

Features of the flora and fauna of the mainland

Probably everyone has heard about the endemicity of Australia. Of the 12 thousand plant species, nine thousand are found only here. The reason for this is simple and clear: starting from the Cretaceous period, the continent was completely isolated from the rest of the world. The most popular Australian endemic plants are eucalyptus, as well as several species of acacia.

Of the animals, the most famous endemic to Australia are the kangaroo, emu, platypus, echidna and koala.

Many people probably also know about the story of Australian rabbits. Back in the mid-19th century, 24 of these animals were released here. However, within a few years, thanks to active reproduction and the absence of predators, their number grew to two million! Today there are more rabbits in Australia than there are Chinese in China, and the government is making every effort to curb the growth of their population.

The smallest continent cannot boast of a rich fauna. However, people suffering from arachnophobia should not go to Australia. After all, there are at least 1,500 species of different spiders here. There are also many snakes here, including poisonous ones (20 species).

Australia is famous for its wide pastures for livestock. It is on this continent that the world's largest farm operates. And around it is located the largest pasture, which is comparable in area to the territory of Belgium.

Australia: population and languages

The smallest continent was discovered by James Cook in 1770. Until this point, the only inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines.

After the discovery of the continent, its active colonization soon began. Interestingly, the first settlers who landed on the shores of Australia were exiled criminals.

Today, about 23 million people live on the mainland. Australians often call their country "Oz". But the toponym “Australia” comes from the Latin “australis”, which can be translated as “southern land”.

Australia is characterized by a high level of urbanization. About 60% of the total population lives in the country's five largest cities. These are Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. It is curious that the capital, Canberra, is not on this list.

The vast majority of Australians speak English. At the same time, it is believed that a dialect of this language is widespread on the continent - “strine”, which differs in pronunciation from pure English.

Finally, we offer a few more interesting facts about this land:

the national coat of arms of Australia depicts a kangaroo and an emu;
one in three Australians never tie the knot;
in Australia, a person has to pay a fine for not showing up to vote;
despite the fact that the kangaroo is the national symbol of Australia, its meat is widely consumed on the mainland;
Australians are very gambling people, every fifth poker player comes from this continent;
none of the cities on the mainland has a subway;
One in four Australian citizens was born outside of Australia.

Finally...

Australia is the smallest continent in terms of area on our beautiful planet. There is a unique and inimitable nature here, characterized by endemicity. More than half of the representatives of Australian flora and fauna are not found on other continents of the Earth.

Off the eastern coast of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef - a real natural miracle, the longest coral reef in the world, the length of which exceeds 2000 kilometers!

A continent is a significant landmass washed by seas and oceans. In tectonics, continents are characterized as sections of the lithosphere that have a continental structure.

Continent, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

In geography, another term is often used to designate a continent - a continent. But the concepts “mainland” and “continent” are not synonymous. Different countries have different views on the number of continents, called continental models.

There are several such models:

In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is generally accepted that there are 7 continents - they consider Europe and Asia separately;
In Spanish-speaking European countries, as well as in the countries of South America, they mean division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe, a model with 5 continents has been adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except Antarctica;
in Russia and the neighboring Eurasian countries they traditionally designate 4 continents, united in large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different representations of continental patterns on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

- the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
(30.3 million sq. km)
(24.4 million sq. km)
(17.8 million sq. km)
(14.1 million sq. km)
(7.7 million sq. km)

All of them are separated by the waters of the seas and oceans. Four continents have a land border: Eurasia and Africa are separated by the Isthmus of Suez, North and South America by the Isthmus of Panama.

Continents

The difference is that the continents do not have a land border. Therefore, in this case we can talk about 4 continents ( one of the continental models of the world), also in descending order by size:

AfroEurasia
America

Parts of the world

The terms “mainland” and “continent” have a scientific meaning, but the term “part of the world” divides the land according to historical and cultural criteria. There are 6 parts of the world, only unlike the continents, Eurasia differs in Europe And Asia, but North and South America are defined together as one part of the world America:

Europe
Asia
America(both Northern and Southern), or New World
Australia and Oceania

When we talk about parts of the world, we also mean the islands adjacent to them.

Difference between a mainland and an island

The definition of a continent and an island is the same - a part of land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the smallest continent, Australia, is significantly larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent Pangea)

2. Education. All continents are of tiled origin. According to scientists, there once existed a single continent - Pangea. Then, as a result of the split, 2 continents appeared - Gondwana and Laurasia, which later split into 6 more parts. The theory is confirmed by both geological research and the shape of the continents. Many of them can be put together like a puzzle.

Islands are formed in different ways. There are those that, like continents, are located on the fragments of ancient lithospheric plates. Others are formed from volcanic lava. Still others are a result of the activity of polyps (coral islands).

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even the harsh climatic conditions of Antarctica. Many islands still remain uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

- the largest continent, occupying 1/3 of the land. There are 2 parts of the world located here: Europe and Asia. The border between them runs along the line of the Ural Mountains, the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the straits connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

This is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans. The coastline is indented; it forms a large number of bays, peninsulas, and islands. The continent itself is located on six tectonic platforms at once, and therefore the relief of Eurasia is incredibly diverse.

Here are the most extensive plains, the highest mountains (the Himalayas with Mount Everest), the deepest lake (Baikal). This is the only continent where all climatic zones (and, accordingly, all natural zones) are represented at once - from the Arctic with its permafrost to the equatorial with its sultry deserts and jungles.

The mainland is home to ¾ of the planet's population; there are 108 states, of which 94 have independent status.

- the hottest continent on Earth. It is located on an ancient platform, so most of the area is occupied by plains, mountains form along the edges of the continent. Africa is home to the longest river in the world, the Nile, and the largest desert, the Sahara. Climate types present on the mainland: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

It is washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The result of the movement of tectonic plates was a highly indented coastline of the mainland, with a huge number of bays, straits, bays and islands. The largest island is in the north (Greenland).

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

All climatic zones are represented here, except the equatorial one, which determines the diversity of natural zones. Most rivers and lakes are located in the northern part. The largest river is the Mississippi.

The indigenous population is Indians and Eskimos. Currently, there are 23 states here, of which only three (Canada, USA and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

It is washed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Along the western coast stretches the longest mountain system in the world - the Andes, or South American Cordillera. The rest of the continent is occupied by plateaus, plains and lowlands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator. The largest and most abundant river in the world, the Amazon, is also located here.

The indigenous population are Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the mainland.

- the only continent on whose territory there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most of the continent is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous population is the Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.

- the southernmost continent completely covered with ice. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1600 m, the greatest thickness is 4000 meters. If the ice in Antarctica melted, the level of the world's oceans would immediately rise by 60 meters!

Most of the continent is occupied by an icy desert; life glimmers only on the coasts. Antarctica is also the coldest continent. In winter, temperatures can drop below -80 ºC (record -89.2 ºC), in summer - down to -20 ºC.

The continent of Australia is so small that its area is even smaller than some countries in the world. Its territory is only 7.63 million square km. It is the smallest continent in the southern hemisphere and is crossed by the southern tropic. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Due to its small size, Australia is sometimes also called an island continent.

The continent is not connected by land to any of the other continents; it is located completely separately. The rest of the world's continents are located at a considerable distance from Australia. This contributed to the formation of a unique flora and fauna, largely different from other parts of the world.

Uniqueness of Australia

Besides being the smallest continent, it has several features that make it truly unique. The continent's fauna is extremely unusual. Only marsupial animals live here - from small marsupial mice and moles to large kangaroos. Australian wolves and bears also have pouches in which they carry their young. There are also representatives of the fauna that you will not see on other continents - almost 80% of the animals are endemic. The most famous of them are the echidna and the platypus. The amazing mammal platypus hatches its young from eggs, just like birds do. Only here you can see the dingo, emu, koala and kangaroo - the most popular animals in Australia.

The flora is also unique: 90% of the continent’s plants are endemic, found only here. The symbol of Australian flora is the eucalyptus - the tallest tree on the planet, reaching the height of a fifty-story building.

The smallest continent is also the driest on the planet. Most of it is located in the tropical climate zone, as a result of which almost the entire central part of the continent is occupied by huge deserts. Australia is also called the lowest continent. 215 meters is the average absolute height, and the highest point is only 2230 meters high.

Past and current name

“Unknown land” - this is what Australia was called on ancient maps. Even today it remains a mysterious land and a country full of surprises for most people. The name of the continents is most often associated with their geographical location, the same applies to Australia: translated from Latin “australis” means “southern”. And this name appeared relatively recently, only at the beginning of the 19th century. And before that, its individual parts were called by the names that the discoverers gave them. The modern name was finally established after the Englishman Flinders sailed around the continent.

The smallest continent on our planet is also famous for the fact that its territory is completely occupied by one country - the Commonwealth of Australia. The largest city in the country is Sydney, famous throughout the world for its opera house, a real eighth wonder of the world. Another unusual masterpiece is the Harbor Bridge - a bridge across the beautiful Port Jackson Bay, which has a half-kilometer-long arch.

Continent, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

There are several such models:

In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is generally accepted that there are 7 continents - they consider Europe and Asia separately;
In Spanish-speaking European countries, as well as in the countries of South America, they mean division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe, a model with 5 continents has been adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except Antarctica;
in Russia and the neighboring Eurasian countries they traditionally designate 4 continents, united in large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different representations of continental patterns on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

- the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
(30.3 million sq. km)
(24.4 million sq. km)
(17.8 million sq. km)
(14.1 million sq. km)
(7.7 million sq. km)

Continents

AfroEurasia
America

Parts of the world

Europe
Asia
America(both Northern and Southern), or New World
Australia and Oceania

When we talk about parts of the world, we also mean the islands adjacent to them.

Difference between a mainland and an island

The definition of a continent and an island is the same - a part of land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the smallest continent, Australia, is significantly larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent Pangea)

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even the harsh climatic conditions of Antarctica. Many islands still remain uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

The mainland is home to ¾ of the planet's population; there are 108 states, of which 94 have independent status.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

The indigenous population is Indians and Eskimos. Currently, there are 23 states here, of which only three (Canada, USA and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator. The largest and most abundant river in the world, the Amazon, is also located here.

The indigenous population are Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the mainland.

- the only continent on whose territory there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most of the continent is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous population is the Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.