The Differences Between A Country & A Continent

When thinking about a country and a continent, many students and adults alike can find it easy to become confused when trying to find the different between the two. Although countries and continents are similar, there are a few differences to help you determine between the two.

What is a continent exactly? A continent is a body of land that is home to many different countries, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica, which stand on their own. In the case of continents, the boundaries have been decided strictly based on geography. North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica are the seven continents in the world.

There are over one hundred different countries in the world, so they far outnumber continents. A country is actually part of a continent, and while a continent is determined by geography, a country is determined by the drawing of national boundaries by people, although sometimes these boundaries are disputed.

Many geologists believe that during the Mesozoic Era, all of the continents were fused together, which created one super continent called Pangaea. The size of Pangaea would have been three times larger than the largest continent today, which is Asia. Geologists believe that this super continent began to break up over 200 million years ago, and that this process of breaking up created the seven continents we have today.

To become one of the most powerful countries there is, it takes a lot of work, respect and dedication from the members of the government and the people living in within the country. A successful country also needs to maintain a well-balanced relationship with the other countries in power. The five most powerful countries are generally considered to be the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain. Because a country does not become powerful on its own, many of these countries depend on the other for aid and assistance during times of crisis.