continent

continent, largest unit of landmasses on the earth. The continents include Eurasia (conventionally regarded as two continents, Europe and Asia), Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Theories of Continental Formation
• Floating Continents and Isostasy
• Plateaus, Shields, and Mountains
• Geology and Topography of the Continents
• Geographic Distribution of the Continents

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