A continent is any of the seven main land masses of the world, namely Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, North America and South America. A continent’s area also includes the submerged continental shelf around the edge of the exposed land mass.
Continent | Area | Percentage of total land mass | Lowest point below sea level | Highest elevation |
Africa | 30 293 000sq km | 20.2% | Lake Assal, Djibouti -156m | Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 5895m |
Antarctica | 13 975 000sq km | 9.3% | Bently sub-glacial trench -2538m | Vinson Massif 5140m |
Asia | 44 493 000sq km | 29.6% | Dead Sea, Israel/Jordan/West Bank –400m | Mt Everest, China/Nepal 8850M |
Australia and Oceania | 8 945 000sq km | 5.9% | Lake Eyre Australia –15m | Puncak Jaya Indonesia 5030m |
Europe | 10 245 000sq km | 6.8% | Caspian Sea Iran/Russia/Turkmenistan/Kazakhstan/Azerbaijan -29 | Mt Elbrus Russia 5642m |
North America | 24 454 000sq km | 16.3% | Death Valley California, USA –86M | Mt Mckinley Alaska, USA 6194M |
South America | 17 838 000sq km | 11.9% | Peninsula Valdes Argentina –40m | Aconcagua Argentina 6960m |
