High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Australia is a continent comprising mainland Australia, Tasmania, Seram, most of New Guinea (excluding its extreme western and eastern sections), and some other of the neighbouring islands. The continent is sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul, Australinea or Meganesia, to distinguish it from the Australian mainland. It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents in the English conception. New Zealand is not part of the continent of Australia, but of the separate, submerged continent of Zealandia. Zealandia and Australia are both part of the wider regions known as Australasia and Oceania.