Ways to use this list
- Globe dash for 5 to 7 year olds: spin, then everyone races to touch that continent on a globe or wall map.
- Animal match: spin a continent and name an animal that lives there in the wild, such as kangaroos in Australia or penguins in Antarctica.
- Research rotation: each group gets a continent with Remove the winner on and presents its biggest country, longest river and one surprise.
- Worldbuilding: press Fantasy continents, spin two ideas and blend them into one land for a map, story or tabletop campaign.
- Food origins game: spin a continent and name a food first grown there, such as potatoes in South America, coffee in Africa or rice in Asia.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (7 entries)
- Africa – 54 countries, second largest
- Antarctica – no countries, the coldest continent
- Asia – 48 countries, largest by area and people
- Australia (Oceania) – 14 countries, the smallest continent
- Europe – 44 countries, second smallest
- North America – 23 countries, third largest
- South America – 12 countries, fourth largest
Questions people ask
How many continents are there?
Most schools in the US, UK, India and Australia teach seven. Many Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries teach six, with one America, and the five Olympic rings stand for the five inhabited continents. All three versions have a quick button.
Is it Australia or Oceania?
Both names are used. Australia is the continent's main land mass, while Oceania is the wider region that also takes in New Zealand and Pacific island countries such as Fiji and Samoa. The country count on this page uses Oceania, which has 14 countries.
Which continent is the biggest?
Asia, by area and by population: it is home to roughly six in ten of the world's people. Africa is second on both counts, and Australia is the smallest continent.
Does anyone live in Antarctica?
Nobody lives there permanently and it has no countries. Scientists stay at research stations, a few thousand in summer and far fewer in winter, and a treaty signed in 1959 keeps the continent for peaceful research.
Where do the country counts come from?
They follow the United Nations regional grouping used across our country pages, so Russia counts as Europe and Egypt as Africa. Spin a continent here, then open the African or Asian country generator to pick a country inside it.
Which continents are joined together?
Europe and Asia sit on one land mass, often called Eurasia, and are split by custom along the Ural Mountains. Africa meets Asia at the narrow Isthmus of Suez, now cut through by the Suez Canal, and the two Americas meet in Panama. Australia and Antarctica touch no other continent.