Continent

How is this formally defined?

By Deane Barker tags: geography

Well, it’s not formally defined, really.

A continent is a “large landmass” on Earth, but opinions on the specifics vary. In the United States, we’re taught that there are seven continents, but not everyone agrees. In different places and different time periods, the count has changed.

So, what defines a “continent” depends on who you’re talking to: a historian, a geologist, a cartographer, a politician, etc.

Why I Looked It Up

I was researching subcontinent and realized I need to figure this out.

Links both to and from this – Subcontinent July 1, 2022
I found a number of definitions for this. In a geographic sense, the general idea is that a subcontinent is a large area of land that’s not an entire continent, but that is somehow demarked from the rest of the continent by natural features, or, in some cases, the border of a tectonic plate....