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.
Key Takeaways
- A country is a distinct political entity with its government, borders, and sovereignty, encompassing a specific geographical area and population.
- A continent is a large, continuous landmass on Earth, divided into smaller regions that can include multiple countries.
- Both countries and continents are geographical divisions, but they differ in scale and political organization, with countries being smaller, independent units and continents being larger landmasses encompassing multiple countries.
Country vs Continent
The 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.
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Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Country | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| Landmass | It is a smaller piece of landmass which forms a part of the continent and often the landmass changes with disputes and capturing of land. | These cover the larger landmass marked by the geographical locations. |
| Division\defined by | The demarcation of a country is through an imaginary line that gets created through political tension or historic relevance. | A continent is a large continuous land generally identified with the water body around and in this case an ocean. |
| Characteristics | A country is governed or dictated by certain people in authority who are responsible for its future. | A continent is the culmination of countries and cannot be governed by just a few people except for Australia and Antarctica. |
| Numbers | There are over countries, some are too small, as small as a city, while there are countries that are | There are 7 continents in total. |
| Nature | A country is an outcome of historic battles, faiths, or unity among the same thinking minds. | Exists independent in nature and are formed simultaneously as the earth evolves. |
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.
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
