EURASIA IS A CONTINENT

[Spoarkes]

My first challenge question when setting up this acc was "What continent is France in?" to which I answered Eurasia. I was told this is false, which given the fact that within the western world Europe and Asia are regarded as separate continents is, I suppose fair enough and I'm just being flippant. But for the purposes of stirring the pot just wanted to point out to the mods that Eurasia could possibly be considered a continent as there isn't a totally universally accepted definition of the term. An example closer to home: ask a u.s. kid how many continents america has they say 2 (North and South), ask a brazillian kid and they'll say 1 (America).

Edited January 23, 2014 by Spoarkes

[Delikatessen]

Geographically, there are 4 continents:

America (NA and SA), Australia, Afro-Eurasia (Africa, Europe and Asia) and Antarctica.

 

Politically, there are the 7 we know today.

 

But under other definitions (certain scientific communities, for example), there are 6.

 

It just depends on what group you're with and what its definition is. As for me, I'm in the group that says 7 continents (because of their definitions throughout scientific history).

 

Also, it's most likely not the mods' faults, or maybe not even the site owners, because I've had to answer the same question when setting up accounts on other sites (Except it was Japan, to which I answered Asia). They were most likely going with the widely accepted 7 continents definition.

 

Edit:

There's also this article on Wikipedia about the boundaries between continents. It explains the geographic boundaries between the continents.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Delikatessen

[Jeoshua]

My definition of continents is and always has been based on plate tectonics:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Plates_tect2_en.svg/640px-Plates_tect2_en.svg.png

 

This means that there are actually 5 major continents, and 5 subcontinents (two with any major landmasses on them: India and Arabia).

 

By this definition Eurasia is most definitely a geological continent. However, also by this definition, Russia's Far Eastern Federal District sits squarely in the American continent.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Jeoshua

[zegh8578]

My definition of continents is and always has been based on plate tectonics:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Plates_tect2_en.svg/640px-Plates_tect2_en.svg.png

 

This means that there are actually 5 major continents, and 5 subcontinents (two with any major landmasses on them: India and Arabia).

 

By this definition Eurasia is most definitely a geological continent. However, also by this definition, Russia's Far Eastern Federal District sits squarely in the American continent.

 

your definition isnt universal ;]

it also adds complication, such as defining parts of central america as its own continent.

or counting southern new zealand as a pacific continent, but excluding northern new zealand from it.

 

better to just count it by surrounded-by-water, the old fashioned way, if you ask me :]

[Jeoshua]

But then, is Africa separate from Europe? The Sinai Peninsula wasn't always cut down the middle by a canal, you know. Nor was Panama.

 

I am wholeheartedly in the "Eurasia is a continent" camp, however.

 

I think the truth of the matter is more visual than anything.

 

Does it look like a continent? Then it is one. Politics don't enter into it.

[Delikatessen]

Does it look like a continent? Then it is one. Politics don't enter into it.

Then you'd be surprised at how much politics affect stuff like this.

The EU has no desire to allow Asian countries into the European Union, as they are not in Europe. Otherwise, it would be called the Eurasian Union, not the European Union.

[Fonger]

Does it look like a continent? Then it is one. Politics don't enter into it.

Then you'd be surprised at how much politics affect stuff like this.

The EU has no desire to allow Asian countries into the European Union, as they are not in Europe. Otherwise, it would be called the Eurasian Union, not the European Union.

when they recognize economic benefit

 

this will change.

[Jeoshua]

I'm not saying that Europe isn't distinct from Asia, I'm saying they're on the same actual continent, is all.