What is the smallest of the seven traditional continents?

Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents.

In the commonly taught seven-continent model, the continents ranked by area are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. The Australian continent covers roughly 8.6 million square kilometers, making it smaller than Europe and far smaller than the other six divisions.

A frequent source of confusion is the difference between Australia the country and Australia the continent. In geographic usage, the continent can include mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and nearby islands on the same continental shelf. In everyday speech, however, “Australia” often means the sovereign country, which occupies most—but not all—of the continent.

Oceania is another common mix-up. Oceania is a broader geographic region containing Australia, New Zealand, and many Pacific island groups; it is not usually one of the seven traditional continents. Continental boundaries are conventions, so some educational systems use terms such as Australasia or group the region differently.