Kontinent

Kontinent is the term used to describe the Earth's largest landmasses. In common geographic usage it denotes one of the seven major divisions traditionally recognized today: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia (often referred to as Oceania when including numerous islands in the Pacific). The concept is used across scientific, historical, and cultural contexts to discuss continental-scale features, demographics, and history, apart from smaller islands or archipelagos.

Originating from Latin continens ("holding together; continuous"), via the French or Italian form continent, the word entered German in the early modern period. The German plural "Kontinente" is used for multiple large land areas, while the adjective "kontinental" describes things relating to a continent or the mainland part of a country.

Continent boundaries are conventional and often political or cultural as well as geographic. The most widely taught model recognizes seven continents, but some systems merge Europe with Asia as Eurasia, or North and South America as a single landmass connected by land bridges, or treat Australia as part of a broader Oceanian region. In geology the term also contrasts the continental crust with oceanic crust.

Beyond geography, the concept of continents intersects with the history of the planet’s surface. Studies of continental drift and plate tectonics show continents as dynamic parts of Earth's lithosphere, with ancient supercontinents such as Pangaea.