Kontinenten

Kontinenten are Earth's major landmasses. In modern geography, seven continents are commonly acknowledged: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Australia (often referred to as Oceania when the wider Pacific region is included), and South America. The word Kontinenten is the German term for “the continents” and is used in many European languages.

There are alternate models of continent count. Some scholars combine Europe and Asia into Eurasia, producing six continents, while others classify Zealandia as a continent or consider five or even four “continents” when regional blocks are used. The choice often depends on cultural, historical, or educational conventions rather than a single fixed geological boundary.

Continents are formed by tectonic plates and have evolved through geological time. They host diverse climates and biomes, from deserts to rainforests. Population distribution is highly uneven: Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas contain the majority of humanity, while Australia’s continental land area is comparatively small.

Contemporary discussions about continents intersect with history, culture, and politics, including questions of identity, sovereignty, and regional organization. The term Kontinenten remains a standard geographic label used in education, maps, and international discourse.