How were all the continents on earch named?

Question

What is the history behind naming continents?

Answer 1

earth...and idk srry

Answer 2

Europe was named after the mythological figure Europa, a princess who was a consort of Zeus. The name Europa originally applied to mainland Greece, and its usage was later extended to the north. It also means "broad faced," a description that was also used for the entire Earth.

Africa is said to be named from an Egyptian word "n'fr," meaning "good," "beautiful," or "perfect," and the Roman suffic "ca," meaning "land." Thus "N'fr-ca," "beautiful land," which underwent some spelling changes over a few millenia.

The etymology of Asia is a bit less clear. It may have been named after Asia the wife of Promethius or Asias the son of Cotys, the Hittite name Assuwa (meaning "good"), or the Akkadian word "asu," meaning "to ascend," in the sense of the rising sun.

North and South America were named after Amerigo Vespucci, a mapmaker and explorer. He charted much of South America's east coast and discovered that the continent extended much further than previously thought. The new landmass was not named by Vespucci himself, but by German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller.

Australia and Antarctica are both named from word roots essentially meaning "southern." The Latin "australis" means "of the south." Antarctica literally means "opposite of the Arctic" in Greek, while Arctic itself comes from a Greek word meaning "bear," because the constellations of the Great Bear and the Little Bear are located celestially near the North Star, Polaris.

Answer 3

Africa was named after the guy who discovered it, Amerigo Africa.