By total land area which continent is the second largest in the world after Asia?

Introduction / Context:
Basic world geography often starts with learning the names and relative sizes of the continents. Knowing which continent is the largest, second largest and so on is a common requirement for school exams and competitive tests. This question checks whether you remember which landmass comes second in size after Asia.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The measure used is total land area of each continent. - Asia is already known to be the largest continent by area. - The options include Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe. - We assume standard geographical definitions of continents.

Concept / Approach:
Asia is the largest continent, covering roughly thirty percent of the world land area. The next largest continent by area is Africa, which spans a huge landmass extending across the equator and containing many countries. Europe is smaller than both Asia and Africa, and Australia is the smallest continent if we exclude Antarctica from many practical lists. Therefore, when asked for the second largest continent after Asia, Africa is the correct answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start by ordering the continents by size from memory Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Step 2: Identify that Asia is clearly number one on this list. Step 3: Note that Africa is next in the sequence and is widely recognised as the second largest continent. Step 4: Recognise that Europe is significantly smaller than both Asia and Africa. Step 5: Remember that Australia is the smallest continent in most common classifications and cannot be second largest, so select Africa.

Verification / Alternative check:
Any standard atlas or geography textbook will include a table or map showing the continents and their approximate areas. These references consistently list Asia as the largest and Africa as the second largest by land area. Visual inspection of world maps also confirms that Africa covers a vast portion of the globe, second only to the immense landmass of Asia, which makes the ranking logical and easy to remember.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Asia is indeed the largest continent, but the question specifically asks for the second largest after Asia, so Asia cannot be the correct option here. Australia is the smallest inhabited continent and is far smaller than Africa and Asia, so it does not qualify as the second largest. Europe has a smaller land area than Africa and is not the second largest continent.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse population size with land area. For example, Europe has a high population density in many parts, which may make it feel important but does not change its physical size ranking. Another error is to forget whether North America or Africa is larger; however, the standard order by area puts Africa ahead of North America. Memorising the continent size order once and revising it before exams helps avoid such confusion.

Final Answer:
The second largest continent in the world by land area, after Asia, is Africa.