How many continents are there in the world?

The count of "seven" isn't a fixed scientific law — it's a convention, and different countries teach it differently. Some models combine Europe and Asia into "Eurasia," giving six continents. Others merge North and South America into "the Americas," also giving six. A few models use just five, grouping by habitability and excluding Antarctica.

The seven-continent model, by area

1. Asia — about 44.6 million km²
2. Africa — about 30.3 million km²
3. North America — about 24.7 million km²
4. South America — about 17.8 million km²
5. Antarctica — about 14.2 million km²
6. Europe — about 10.2 million km²
7. Australia/Oceania — about 8.6 million km²

The distinction between a continent and a subcontinent (like India) is cultural and historical as much as geological — continents are large, mostly continuous landmasses, but the exact dividing lines (like where Europe ends and Asia begins along the Ural Mountains) were drawn by convention rather than by any hard physical boundary.