landmass

Landmass is a geographic term for a large area of solid land that constitutes a recognizable geographic unit. It can refer to a continent, a major island, or a cluster of islands that is treated as a single region for mapping or ecological purposes. Landmasses are bounded by oceans or seas and are defined by their exposure to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. They form through tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity and are shaped by erosion, sedimentation, and sea-level changes. Over geologic time, landmasses can shift, split, or merge as plates move and as sea levels rise or fall.

The size and configuration of landmasses vary widely. The term is used in geology, geography, ecology, and geopolitics to describe broad areas of dry land. The Earth's landmasses cover about 149 million square kilometers, or roughly 29% of the planet's surface. Major landmasses include the continents—Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Australia (Oceania), and South America—as well as large islands and archipelagos such as Greenland and Madagascar.

In human use, the concept of landmass informs studies of climate, biodiversity, natural resources, and population distribution. It also underpins time zones, ecological regions, and political boundaries, which often align with but do not always coincide with natural land divisions.