BlinkDash

What is the Difference Between Country and Continent

The planet earth is so unique for the life forms to exist. It is not only in the right distance from the sun, but also has water in the liquid-form which makes it ideal.

The water body and the landmass together form the world that we live in, which creates the imaginary boundary humans have created over the years.

The imaginary boundary, thus forms a division, division of ethnicity, color, customs, and history too. Most of the world war, the tiff between countries, and incursions are a result of imaginary boundaries.

Divisions allow diverse cultures and religions to live in peace as most countries are a product of religious biases. There are about 195 countries recognized by the UN and 7 continents that house these countries.

Country vs Continent

The main difference between Country and Continent is that a country is an individual entity completely governed with discrete rules that apply just to the inhabitants, a continent on the other hand is a culmination of countries formed just on the basis of water surrounded and the tectonic plates.

 

Comparison Table Between Country and Continent

 

What is Country?

A country is a bordered landmass which is sovereign in nature demarcated through an imaginary line which can be specific in some regions and uncertain in others.

The border can be natural dividers like a river, ocean, or mountain, they remain throughout history and it’s easier to define border through it, while the imaginary boundary can be debatable and could create tension between the two parties.

The word derives from the French word ‘concrete‘ meaning “spread before” and is conveniently used to denote the political divisions created over the times and still in process.

The formation of countries is a result of the differences in ideology and identification of one’s narrative and historic symbology. It’s also the outcome of religious conflicts and the same can congregate people.

A country can be divided and get dissolved too, there are a total of 195 sovereign states as per the UN, the number keeps on changing. A country can be as small as 0.2 miles, the Vatican City, and as large as 6.6 million square miles, Russia.

A country can be governed through dictatorship or through the active involvement of the citizens too in choosing it.

 

What is Continent?

A continent is a large continuous landmass generally demarcated by naturally occurring and globally identified boundaries of the water body. Though technically a continent is identified through the rocks from which it is formed. Continents cover each landmass in the earth’s crust.

The word continent derives its name from a Latin word ‘Continentem’ which means “to hold together”

Continents have evolved over the years, it is believed that initially all the continents were linked together. The formation of continents is a naturally occurring process with tectonic plates shifts.

There are in total 7 continents which include Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia is the largest continent which is 44.58 million square kilometers.

Africa which is confused as a country houses the maximum countries compared to any continent.

 A continent is not governed by a certain entity and has no sovereignty as a whole, it is not identified with religion or is formed on that basis rather it houses different thoughts, beliefs, and different ethnicities sharing borders.

Main Differences Between Country and Continent

 

Conclusion

Earth is an ideal planet that consists of every necessary thing a human life could ask for, the earth from space is seen as a watery planet with landmasses distributed in an indefinite order.

The water body and landmass distribution make divisions and demarcations of countries and continents.

A country is a part of a continent comparatively bigger in size and governed by an entity, a continent is an independent body that comprises a definite amount of countries.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7u7PRZ6WerF%2Bau3DDx5qrZqGjZMSprdNmoKxlpJ2ybrDIn52eqpWjsKZ5wZ6rsJ2Vo3qku9Snq6uxXZa7pXnCqKWtoZ6au7V7

Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-03-08