Alandmass, orland mass, is a largeregion or area ofland that is in one piece and not noticeably broken up byoceans.[1][2] The term is often used to refer to lands surrounded by an ocean orsea, such as acontinent or a largeisland.[3][4] In the field ofgeology, a landmass is a defined section ofcontinental crust extending abovesea level.[5]
Continents are often thought of as distinct landmasses and may include any islands that are part of the associatedcontinental shelf. When multiple continents form a single contiguous land connection, the connected continents may be viewed as a single landmass.Earth's largest landmasses are (starting with largest):[6][7][8]
Generally, the continental landmasses are not all classified as islands despite being completely surrounded by water.[Note 1] However, because the definition of continent varies between geographers, theAmericas are sometimes defined as two separate continents whilemainland Australia is sometimes defined as an island as well as a continent.[Note 2]
Nevertheless, for the purposes of this list, mainland Australia along with the other three major landmasses have been listed as continental landmasses for comparison. The figures are approximations and are for the four continental landmasses only.[Note 3]
| Rank | Continental landmass[Note 4] | Area | Nation(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (sq mi) | ||||
| I | Afro-Eurasia (Africa-Eurasia) | 79,810,726[Note 5] | 30,815,094 | 126 countries | 48 countries and two de facto states on mainland Africa.[Note 6] 78 countries and four de facto states on mainland Eurasia: 1. 38 countries and two de facto states on continental Asia.[Note 7][Note 8] 2. 40 countries and two de facto states oncontinental Europe[Note 9] |
| II | America (landmass) | 37,699,623[Note 10] | 14,555,906 | 22 countries | Ten countries on mainland North America.[Note 11] Twelve countries and anoverseas department and region ofFrance on mainland South America. |
| III | Antarctica | 12,272,800[Note 12] | 4,738,600 | None[Note 13] | Antarctica is a special case, for if its ice is considered not as land, but as water, it is not a single landmass, but several landmasses of much smaller area, since the ice-bedrock boundary is below sea level in many regions of the continent.[14] If its ice cover were to be lifted, some rocks that are currently below sea level wouldrise as the weight of the ice would be removed,[15] although this would in part be counteracted, and in some areas of the continent overtaken, byeustatic rises insea level.[16] |
| IV | Australia (landmass) | 7,591,608[Note 14] | 2,931,136 | Australia | Mainland Australia is more than three times the size ofGreenland, the largest island.[18] Australia is sometimes dubbed "The Island Continent" or "Earth's largest island, but its smallest continent".[19] |
And since Africa and Asia are connected at the Suez Peninsula, Europe, Africa, and Asia are sometimes combined as Afro-Eurasia or Eurafrasia. The International Olympic Committee's official flag, containing [...] the single continent of America (North and South America being connected as the Isthmus of Panama).
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