The Second Life main grid is composed of isolated sims (islands), groups of sims and continents. A continent is a group of more then 30 sims (see Continent for more details). What doesn't match this definition is a Subcontinent, a Microcontinent, a Sim Group or a Sim Cluster. Other structures might be refered as Unassociated Sims or Isolated Sim. Different autors have found a different number of continents. It is also important to remember that every day about 20 new sims are created, moved or changed their names (see [1] for more info). So, the shapes and even the numbers of continents might change in time. An older map can be found at this link: [2]
Mainland & mixed continents[]
In alphabetic order, the Linden owned continents:
- C031 - Bellisseria
- C015 - Blake Sea
- C005 - Corsica
- C008 - Gaeta 1
- C009 - Gaeta 5
- C002 - Heterocera
- C004 - Jeogeot
- C006 - Nautilus
- C011 - Premium East
- C012 - Premium South 1
- C013 - Premium South 2
- C014 - Premium South 3
- C001 - Sansara
- C007 - Satori
- C003 - Sharp Continent
- C010 - Zindra
Notes:
- Nautilus and Satori are linked together and form a megacontinent (like Euroasia in real world).
- The same can be said about Bellisseria and Jeogeot.
- Blake Sea has more private-owned sims then mainland sims, so it was moved to private continents.
- There are private-owned sims in Eastern Sansara (Islands) and Nautilus (Seychelles).
- Many mainland continents are linked with a Transcontinental Channels, like Sansara-Heterocera, Nautilus-Blake Sea, the two Corsica-Nautilus passages and Corsica-Gaeta 5.
These continents can be clasified in 3 distinct groups: 1st generation (the oldest, with the most interesting Geographic features: Sansara, Heterocera and Sharp Continent), 2nd generation (the group in East: Nautilus, Satori, Corsica and the 2 Gaetas) and 3rd generation (Zindra and the Premium Continents). Jeogeot is something between generations 1 and 2.
Private continents[]
In alphabetic order, these continents were identified in November 2013:
- C034 - Coral Ocean (added 2023)
- C018 - Eden Continent
- C017 - Estate Continent
- C032 - Luxory Continent (added 2023)
- C033 - Playa Isles (added 2023)
Notes:
- Private continents sometimes have multiple names, depending on who made their maps.
- The private continents can be divided in two main groups: Tropical Beach Paradise (Blake Sea, Eden, Estate - only parts of it, Fairchang, Irish-Bonaire, IGBC, Mar Lesbiana) and not tropical (part of Estate Continent, Shopping Continent, Wild West, Uhre continent).
- Only Estate Continent, Shopping Continent and Wild West have a large piece of dryland, all the others are formed of sea and islands.
Vanished continents[]
Main article - Vanished Grid Structures
- C016 - Caledon - Winterfel (split into two subcontinents)
- C030 - Crossing Sands (vanished)
- C025 - Europe Continent (vanished)
- C020 - Fairchang Continent (became (FairChang Subcontinent)
- C029 - Freedom Continent (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C027 - IGBC Continent (vanished)
- C024 - Irish - Bonaire (vanished, part became Tuarua Fiji Subcontinent)
- C026 - Mar Lesbiana (vanished)
- C019 - No Access Continent (vanished)
- C028 - Seductive Continent (vanished)
- C021 - Shopping Continent (vanished)
- C023 - Uhre Continent (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C022 - Wild West (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C017 - Estate Continent (vanished in June 2023 when its remnants moved en masse to Azure Islands)
List By Number[]
- C001 - Sansara
- C002 - Heterocera
- C003 - Sharp Continent
- C004 - Jeogeot
- C005 - Corsica
- C006 - Nautilus
- C007 - Satori
- C008 - Gaeta 1
- C009 - Gaeta 5
- C010 - Zindra
- C011 - Premium East
- C012 - Premium South 1
- C013 - Premium South 2
- C014 - Premium South 3
- C015 - Blake Sea
- C016 - Caledon - Winterfel (split into two subcontinents)
- C017 - Estate Continent (vanished, and its remnants moved to Azure Islands)
- C018 - Eden Continent
- C019 - No Access Continent (vanished)
- C020 - Fairchang Continent (became (FairChang Subcontinent)
- C021 - Shopping Continent (vanished)
- C022 - Wild West (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C023 - Uhre Continent (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C024 - Irish - Bonaire (vanished, part became Tuarua Fiji Subcontinent)
- C025 - Europe Continent (vanished)
- C026 - Mar Lesbiana (vanished)
- C027 - IGBC Continent (vanished)
- C028 - Seductive Continent (vanished)
- C029 - Freedom Continent (downgraded to microcontinent)
- C030 - Crossing Sands (vanished)
- C031 - Bellisseria
- C032 - Luxory Continent (added 2023)
- C033 - Playa Isles (added 2023)
- C034 - Coral Ocean (added 2023)
- C035 - Azure Islands (added 2023)
Comparation to Earth[]
The position of Second Life mainland continents is a bit similar to that of the continents on Earth, but in mirror. The old world (Europe, Asia and Africa) form a group and the new world (the two Americas) form another block. Sansara and Heterocera form together a group and they are linked together with a tiny channel. They are in fact the old world of Second Life. Jeogeot is in South and was the third continent. It might be considered like Africa. The new world might be considered the Gaeta 1, Nautilus, Corsica, Blake Sea and Satori, only that they are in East, not in West. Satori looks a bit like South America and the South islands of Nautilus might look like Central America with its islands.
Statistics[]
The following table shows size (in sims) and maximum height of each continent, in alphabetic order:
Continent | Maximum Altitude | Size in sims |
Blake Sea | 40 - 50 | 121 |
Caledon - Winterfel | 50 - 60 | 60 |
Corsica | 163 | 948 |
Eden | 81 | 147 |
Estate Continent | 94 | 147 |
Fairchang | 20 - 40 | 35 |
Gaeta 1 | 100 | 141 |
Gaeta 5 | 168 | 385 |
Heterocera | 389 | 431 |
IGBC Continent | 40 - 60 | 37 |
Jeogeot | 160 | 775 |
Mar Lesbiana | 65 | 39 |
Nautilus | 160 - 170 | 864 |
Premium East | 156 | 355 |
Premium South 1 | 60 | 188 |
Premium South 2 | 156 | 308 |
Premium South 3 | 156 | 310 |
Sansara | 315 | 981 |
Satori | 128 | 709 |
Seductive | 39 | 30 |
Sharp Continent | 350 | 63 |
Shopping Continent | 34 | 32 |
Uhre Continent | over 130 | 39 |
Wild West | 79 | 32 |
Zindra | 100 - 120 | 348 |
Oceans[]
Many private sims are not linked in large groups to form a continent. The majority are isolated sims, while some of them form larger islands, with 2 to 29 sims. Even if they form important features on our map, the oceans containing these sims are not named in an official way. See List Of Oceans for more info.
Groups of sims smaller then a continent are listed in List Of Microcontinents And Sim Clusters.
Also, a good way to find grid structures is to use List Of Grid Sectors.
Additional information can be found at Second Life Geography and Grid Map And Dimensions