The Continents and Their Areas and
Elevations
A continent is defined as a large unbroken land mass completely
surrounded by water, although in some cases continents are (or were in
part) connected by land bridges. The seven continents are North America,
South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. The island
groups in the Pacific are often called Oceania but this name does not
imply that scientists consider them the remains of a continent.
| Area |
Approximate
land
area
sq. km |
Approximate
land
area
sq. mi. |
Percentage
of
total
land area |
Elevation, feet and
meters |
| Highest |
Lowest |
|
WORLD
|
148,647,000 |
57,393,000 |
100.0% |
Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft.
(8,850 m)1 |
Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft.
below sea level (–411 m) |
|
AFRICA
|
30,065,000 |
11,608,000 |
20.2 |
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 ft.
(5,895 m) |
Lake Assal, Djibouti, 512 ft. below
sea level (–156 m) |
|
ANTARCTICA
|
13,209,000 |
5,100,000 |
8.9 |
Vinson Massif, Ellsworth Mts., 16,066
ft.
(4,897 m) |
Lowest land point hidden within
Bentley Subglacial Trench2 |
ASIA (includes the
Middle
East) |
44,579,000 |
17,212,000 |
30.0 |
Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft.
(8,850 m) |
Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft.
below sea level (–411 m) |
AUSTRALIA
(includes
Oceania) |
8,112,000 |
3,132,000 |
5.3 |
Mt. Kosciusko, Australia, 7,310 ft.
(2,228 m) |
Lake Eyre, Australia, 52 ft. below sea
level (–12 m) |
| EUROPE (the Ural Mountains in
Russia form the boundary between Europe and Asia) |
9,938,000 |
3,837,000 |
6.7 |
Mt. Elbrus, Russia/Georgia, 18,510 ft.
(5,642 m) |
Caspian Sea, Russia/Kazakhstan 92 ft.
below sea level (–28 m) |
NORTH AMERICA (includes Central
America and the
Caribbean) |
24,474,000 |
9,449,000 |
16.5 |
Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft.
(6,194 m) |
Death Valley, Calif., 282 ft. below
sea level (–86 m) |
|
SOUTH AMERICA
|
17,819,000 |
6,879,000 |
12.0 |
Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina,
22,834
ft.
(6,960 m) |
Valdes Peninsula, Argentina 131 ft.
below sea level (–40 m) |
1. The 1954 elevation of Everest, 29,028
ft. (8,848 m) was revised on Nov. 11, 1999, and now stands at 29,035 ft.
(8,850 m).
2. Bentley Subglacial Trench itself (ice,
not land) is –8,327 ft. below sea level (–2,538 m).
Source: WorldAtlas.com.
Fact Monster/Information Please®
Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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