What is the only continent without an active volcano?

Australia is the only continent without a currently active volcano. Its continental landmass sits largely in the interior of the Australian Plate, far from the plate boundaries where many volcanoes form.

That does not mean Australia lacks volcanic history. Eastern Australia contains extensive volcanic fields, including the Newer Volcanics Province across Victoria and South Australia. Mount Gambier and nearby volcanic features erupted only a few thousand years ago, so they are geologically young but classified as dormant or extinct rather than currently active.

The wording “continent” matters. Australia’s remote Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which are Australian territories in the Southern Ocean, do contain active volcanoes, including Big Ben on Heard Island. Those islands are not part of the geographical continent of Australia. Likewise, Antarctica has active volcanism, most famously Mount Erebus.

Australia’s volcanic quietness is therefore a statement about the continent itself, not every territory governed by the Australian state. This distinction explains why the quiz answer remains Australia despite the country’s remote active volcanoes.