Question on the Continents

Japher · June 25, 2003, 14:09

I don't really understand why there are 7 continents and not more, or even less.

Australia and Antartica I understand, but why all the other divisions?

North and South America are divided by an isthmus, as well as Africa and Asia... so, I guess that makes sense. Yet why Europe and Asia? The Urals? Constituting a division in continental plates? If that were the case we should have many continents and not just 7. Also, if Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden on the same "continental plate" as the rest of Europe?

Basically, why determines these continents? Was it based on someones interpretation of the world, plate tectonics, or political agendas?

Cruddy · June 25, 2003, 14:16

Mostly on cultural differences and politics rather than actual geophysics.

Most of them got named before plate tectonics theory evolved...

If you use the latter, don't you need 2 continents in the Caribbean for the local plate differences? Could well be wrong here - long time since I studied geology.

Q Classic · June 25, 2003, 14:17

the division between europe and asia was most likely a political and interpretated division.

Japher · June 25, 2003, 14:25

I would expect Oerdin to know...

Anyway, I assume it is all based on politics. I have seen the Russian being in Asia/Europe discussion a lot, and from the looks it is about half and half, which kind of throws the politics thing out the window unless the labeling was accomplished prior to Russia or by some non-Russian...

Plates: the Eurasian plate, Australian-Indian plate, Philippine plate, Pacific plate, Juan de Fuca plate, Nazca plate, Cocos plate, North American plate, Caribbean plate, South American plate, African plate, Arabian plate, the Antarctic plate, and the Scotia plate. These plates consist of smaller sub-plates.

14 major plates. The Eurasian plate is not even responsible for the Urals.

Boris Godunov · June 25, 2003, 14:32

Many now refer to "Eurasia" as a single geographic entity, while "Europe" and "Asia" are made distinct for political/historical purposes.

darkgrendel · June 25, 2003, 15:01

How about because Eurasia is a hell of a bigass chunk of land, and it's much easier to think about two smaller ones?

Al B. Sure! · June 25, 2003, 15:05

though the odd thing about the Europe/Asia and the Asia/Africa division is when it comes to the middle east... one side of the Dardenelles is european and the other is asian... or one side of the Sinai is african and the other asian... even though there is not a single bit of difference between the people on either side

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 15:18

when it was all decided europe = christendom, asia = filthy heathens. easy.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:23

there were filthy heathens living this side of the Urals and still are

Solly · June 25, 2003, 15:27

Europe snobbery over thinking Asians were below us. Eurasia is the continent.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:28

yeah, but Russians and Poles are Europeans / filthy heathens that are below us, too.

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 15:32

yeah but they were under the 'protection' of good christians

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 15:33

grr, damn cross posts

Japher · June 25, 2003, 15:36

So North America is all the land that the whiteman successfully stole, and South America is all the land that the heathens still control...I get it

And Poland and Russia are actually parts of Asia, and if I so desired I could put France there now too...

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:38

nah, coz then Germany would be an island.

of rock. fear us.

darkgrendel · June 25, 2003, 15:42

Originally posted by Japher
So North America is all the land that the whiteman successfully stole, and South America is all the land that the heathens still control...I get it

Didn't "the white man" successfully steal a good deal of South America as well...?

Japher · June 25, 2003, 15:43

I don't consider Spainards white, but ok, since I wouldn't put them in Africa or Asia...

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:45

I always thought Spaniards were some mix of Africans and Asians. That's why all of them look so funny.

Japher · June 25, 2003, 15:46

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 15:50

spanish people are white, mexicans though are mostly mixed white and amerindian.

GePap · June 25, 2003, 15:50

North and South America might be joined by an Ithsmus, but that is a very new landbridge, only about 4 million years old. The cosystems of the two continents were separate fo most of thier development and are still strikingly different. Africa, due to its thin connection to Eurasia also has very different ecosystems.

I think the separation of Europe from Asia is geographically speaking the artificial one, since the Eurals arn't that much of a barrier, no worse that the Mountains in Iran, or far less of a division that the Himalayas.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:52

Spanish people are whiter than Mexicans? bollocks, the Indian influence in American population is almost zero.

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 15:55

yes they are, i think it's 95% of the mexican population are of mixed spanish and amerindian blood.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 15:56

but how? I'd never have thought it's so much, amerindians being wiped out and all... oh well.

C0ckney · June 25, 2003, 16:05

you're thinking about the area where the united states is today. the colonial system in mexico led to the mixing of the populations, it was a bit like the feudal system. i can't really be arsed to explain it (going to bed soon, read a book on it etc.) but suffice to say that it wasn't a case of all the natives being wiped out and 100 million spanish moving in.

Hueij · June 25, 2003, 16:21

Also, if Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden on the same "continental plate" as the rest of Europe?

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic rift, the eastern part is on the Euro plate and the Western part on the American one. The two parts separate at 2 cm's per year, making for a fascinating landscape.

Velociryx · June 25, 2003, 16:31

The two parts separate at 2 cm's per year, making for a fascinating landscape.

You are more patient, by far, than me....

-=Vel=-

Berzerker · June 25, 2003, 17:38

I suppose separating Asia and Europe was based on the 2 population centers - Europe and China - with the vast steppes in between. I'd call Europe and Asia one continent and promote Greenland to continent status so we still have 7. Btw, 7 is a sacred number and the Earth is the 7th planet from the abyss of space.

DRoseDARs · June 25, 2003, 19:31

Hueij: Iceland, one of my Top 10 places I want to visit

Another interesting place would be Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The granite that makes up the islands dates from the Gondwana supercontinent. The islands broke off from the Indian plate as it drifted northeast after seperating from Africa/Madagascar/Australia. Absolutely beautiful landscape.