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:
Person: an African
Person: an Asian
Person: an Australian
Person: a European
Continent: North America
Adjective: North American
Person: a North American
Continent: South America
Adjective: South American
Person: a South American
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!
More about continents and countries
*The English-speaking countries mostly teach the seven-continent model. However, six-, five-, four- and even three-continent models are also taught in some countries.
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Contributor: Josef Essberger