What is the smallest continent?

The smallest of the seven traditional continents is Australia, with a continental area of about 8.56 million square kilometres.

In geographical terms, the Australian continent is larger than the country commonly called Australia. It includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and several nearby island groups. Because most of the continent belongs to the country of Australia, the two names are often used interchangeably in everyday speech.

Australia is not only the smallest traditional continent; it is also the lowest and flattest. Its landscape includes vast deserts, old rock formations, tropical regions, and mountain ranges along the eastern side. During the last ice age, lower sea levels connected mainland Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea into a larger landmass known as Sahul.

The continent was gradually separated as sea levels rose between roughly 18,000 and 10,000 years ago. A frequent mix-up is Europe, which is smaller than Asia, Africa, North America, and South America but still larger than Australia. Antarctica is also sometimes mistaken for the smallest continent, yet it covers about 14 million square kilometres and is substantially larger.