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How Many Continents Are There?

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
In school, I was taught that there were 6 continents; Arctic, Antarctic, North America, South America, Africa, and Eurasia, and that the definition had something to do with tectonic plates and continental drift.

I am not sure how to verify this information.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
What separates Eurasia from Africa, or North from South America?
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
Different masses of land. Although joined by continental drift they are separate.
They're not though, as one can walk from Africa to Eurasia or North to South America The canals are manmade. There are no oceans separating them or anything.
 
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Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
What separates Eurasia from Africa, or North from South America?

If I was forced at gunpoint to define how many continents there are in adulthood, then this is why I would say there are only four: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica, and Australia.

Although I am not a geologist, this seems to fit the concept of each continent being a continuous landmass.

E2A: My question then would be, what about islands like Japan, Hawaii, or the Bahamas?
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
They're not though, as one can walk from Africa to Asia or North to South America The canals are manmade. There are no oceans separating them or anything.

They are still different land masses that, in the case of africa/asia are still in the process of colliding and o believe N/S America are, although moving away from Europe and Africa are slowly moving away from each other
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
If I was forced at gunpoint to define how many continents there are in adulthood, then this is why I would say there are only four: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica, and Australia.

Although I am not a geologist, this seems to fit the concept of each continent being a continuous landmass.

E2A: My question then would be, what about islands like Japan, Hawaii, or the Bahamas?
They tend to be classed with the continent closest or the tectonic plate it's on. Both of these concepts also cause problems, though.
 
No way America gets 2, not even 1. I might give them 'near prospective continent' status combined though

Also Antarctica doesn't count as it is made of snow

Also Australia???? That's a country... :rolleyes:

6hos6i.jpg



So, scientifically, there are 2 continents: Great Britain and Asiatic-Afro-Europaland
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
They're not though, as one can walk from Africa to Eurasia or North to South America The canals are manmade. There are no oceans separating them or anything.

Absolute divisions is not what separates them. The different continents are separate land masses with craton cores mostly metamorphic rock that move independently.and form the nucleus of Continents. They are separated by rift valley zones. Over geologic time continents move can break up and colid. Africa is moving North and coliding with Eurasia.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Everest is only recent addition to our world. It did not exist even after dinosaurs were wiped out. The Himalayas are a result of a rapid collision between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates that begun around 60 million years ago. They are still colliding and pushing the earth up along the collision zone. Everest is growing by around 4mm per year
 

Redwing

Free as a bird
And what is a continent?

It depends on where you live and went to school. Throughout all my years of school, I was taught there are 7. There’s no particular definition of what a continent is other than a large land mass with borders on the ocean. They don’t have to be completely unattached from each other. There are also geo-political dividers involved.
 
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