In 1501, Amerigo Vespucci and Gonçalo Coelho attempted to sail around what they considered the southern end of the Asian mainland into the Indian Ocean, passing through Fernando de Noronha. After reaching the coast of Brazil, they sailed along the coast of South America much farther south than Asia was known to extend, confirming that this was a land of continental proportions. [88] On return to Europe, an account of the voyage, called Mundus Novus ("New World"), was published under Vespucci's name in 1502 or 1503, [89] although it seems that it had additions or alterations by another writer. [90] Regardless of who penned the words, Mundus Novus credited Vespucci with saying, "I have discovered a continent in those southern regions that is inhabited by more numerous people and animals than our Europe, or Asia or Africa", [91] the first known explicit identification of part of the Americas as a continent like the other three. Preamble" (PDF). Olympic Charter. International Olympic Committee. 17 July 2020. p.10 . Retrieved 3 August 2021. the five interlaced rings, which represent the union of the five continents Leonard, Thomas M. (2005). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Psychology Press. pp.1637–. ISBN 978-1-57958-388-0– via Google Books. R. A. Stewart Macalister (ed. & trans.), Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland Part V, Irish Texts Society, 1956, p. 331-333

From the 16th century the English noun continent was derived from the term continent land, meaning continuous or connected land [93] and translated from the Latin terra continens. [94] The noun was used to mean "a connected or continuous tract of land" or mainland. [93] It was not applied only to very large areas of land—in the 17th century, references were made to the continents (or mainlands) of Isle of Man, Ireland and Wales and in 1745 to Sumatra. [93] The word continent was used in translating Greek and Latin writings about the three "parts" of the world, although in the original languages no word of exactly the same meaning as continent was used. [95] The six-continent combined-Eurasia model is mostly used in Russia and some parts of Eastern Europe. [42] [43] Some geographers regard Europe and Asia together as a single continent, dubbed Eurasia. [112] In this model, the world is divided into six continents, with North America and South America considered separate continents. Continents". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016 . Retrieved 18 December 2016. six-continent model (used mostly in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Greece, and Latin America) groups together North America+South America into the single continent America. Map of island countries: these states are often grouped geographically with a neighbouring continental landmassFrom this perspective, the edge of the continental shelf is the true edge of the continent, as shorelines vary with changes in sea level. [12] In this sense the islands of Great Britain and Ireland are part of Europe, while Australia and the island of New Guinea together form a continent. Continent". The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press. 2001. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007 – via Bartleby. p. 116: The Arabian Subcontinent later, approximately 35 million years ago, collided with southern Eurasia to form the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran. Lewis & Wigen, The Myth of Continents (1997), Chapter 1: "While it might seem surprising to find North and South America still joined into a single continent in a book published in the United States in 1937, such a notion remained fairly common until World War II. [...] By the 1950s, however, virtually all American geographers had come to insist that the visually distinct landmasses of North and South America deserved separate designations." Goddard, Farley Brewer (1884). "Researches in the Cyrenaica". The American Journal of Philology, 5 (1) p. 38.

All seven geological continents are spatially isolated by geologic features. [76] History of the concept Early concepts of the Old World continents The Ancient Greek geographer Strabo holding a globe showing Europa and Asia The most restricted meaning of continent is that of a continuous [8] [ non-tertiary source needed] area of land or mainland, with the coastline and any land boundaries forming the edge of the continent. In this sense, the term continental Europe (sometimes referred to in Britain as "the Continent") is used to refer to mainland Europe, excluding islands such as Great Britain, Iceland, Ireland, and Malta while the term continent of Australia may refer to the mainland of Australia, excluding New Guinea, Tasmania, and other nearby islands. Similarly, the continental United States refers to "the 49 States (including Alaska but excluding Hawaii) located on the continent of North America, and the District of Columbia." [9] In geology, a continent is defined as "one of Earth's major landmasses, including both dry land and continental shelves". [3] The geological continents correspond to seven large areas of continental crust that are found on the tectonic plates, but exclude small continental fragments such as Madagascar that are generally referred to as microcontinents. Continental crust is only known to exist on Earth. [4]Barsted, George (17 August 2021). "Ancient Continent Of Zealandia Raises New Questions For Geologists". Animated, colour-coded map showing some continents and the region of Oceania (purple), which includes the continent of Australia. Depending on the convention and model, some continents may be consolidated or subdivided. Hunt, Elle (17 February 2017). "Zealandia – pieces finally falling together for continent we didn't know we had". The Guardian. Levin, Harold L. (2010). The earth through time (9thed.). Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley. pp.173–174. ISBN 978-0470387740. Vivares, Ernesto (2014). Exploring the New South American Regionalism (NSAR). Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp.40–. ISBN 978-1-4094-6961-2– via Google Books.