continent: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 4, 2026

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Photos and Videos

World map displaying all continents labeled in bold text-North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, and Antarctica-along with major oceans and several seas, such as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans, and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Caspian Seas. Latitude lines including the Equator, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle are also marked.

Pangea: Early Triassic Period

Infographic showing the locations and timelines of ancient and submerged continents including Mauritia and Zealandia on modern maps, and paleocontinents Rodinia, Laurentia, Pangea, and Gondwana on reconstructed ancient Earth maps, with explanatory text about their formation and breakup.

Learn how the world is divided into continents

Watch Earth's Continents Move

How does plate tectonics change Earth's surface?

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Topics

Australia Asia North America Africa South America Europe Antarctica continental margin What Is the Difference Between South America and Latin America?Eurasia Climate river lake hydrosphere Atmosphere mountain earthquake population glacier Biosphere

Key People

default image

J. Tuzo Wilson

Canadian geologist

Schimper

Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper

German botanist

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Quick Quiz: This Land Is Your Land