Australia is the world's smallest continent and a single country

Australia is the smallest continent and a single country, covering over 3 million square miles with a population of about 46 million. This makes it the second least populated continent, following Antarctica. In comparison, Europe, which is slightly larger than Australia, has a population of 748 million, nearly 16 times that of Australia. Australia is often confused with Oceania, which includes New Zealand and other Pacific islands, but they are distinct regions. Australia is sometimes referred to as Sahul or Meganesia to clarify its identity. In contrast, Asia is the largest continent, both in landmass and population, with over 4.8 billion residents.