"In" vs. "On" a Continent: Which Preposition Is Correct?

Use "in." A country is located in a continent, just as a city is in a state or a room is in a building. Continents are treated as bounded regions containing political entities.

Examples:

• The United States is in North America.
• France is in Europe.
• Brazil is in South America.
• Egypt is in Africa (though Sinai Peninsula extends into Asia).

"On" applies to islands (on Iceland, on Madagascar) or specific landforms (on the continent of Antarctica—though "in Antarctica" is also standard). The distinction mirrors "in a forest" vs. "on an island": containment vs. surface contact.