7 Continents

There are 7 continents.

The word "continent" comes from the Latin "terra continens", meaning "continuous land".

Like countries, continents are proper nouns. That means they are "names" and the first letter must be a CAPITAL letter. Even for the adjective, the first letter is always a capital:

Continent: Africa
Adjective: African
Person:    an African

Continent: Asia
Adjective: Asian
Person:    an Asian

Continent: Australia
Adjective: Australian
Person:    an Australian

Continent: Europe
Adjective: European
Person:    a European

Continent: North America
Adjective: North American
Person:    a North American

Continent: South America
Adjective: South American
Person:    a South American

Continent: Antarctica
Adjective: Antarctic
Person:    -

Isn't it strange? We have a word for somebody who comes from the planet Mars (a Martian), but there is no word for somebody who comes from Antarctica!

referência:

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