Landmass

A landmass, also written as land mass, is a large region or area of land that is in one piece and not noticeably broken up by oceans. The term is often used for lands surrounded by an ocean or sea, such as a continent or a large island. In geology, a landmass is a defined section of continental crust extending above sea level. Continents are commonly thought of as distinct landmasses and may include any islands that belong to the same continental shelf. When several continents are joined by a single contiguous land connection, they may be viewed together as one landmass. The largest landmasses on Earth, in descending order, are Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, Antarctica and mainland Australia. Related ideas include the continent, the island, the mainland, the supercontinent and Pangaea. This entry covers the general concept, not any one named landmass.