How many continents are there?

How Many Continents Are There?

  • Six

    Votes: 5 10.2%

  • Seven

    Votes: 38 77.6%

  • What's a Continent?

    Votes: 6 12.2%
  • Total voters
    49
I

invert_nexus

Ze do caixao
Valued Senior Member
There is a debate going on in the What should we do with the USA thread about how many continents there are.

It is taught that there are seven continents in the US.

Someone in that thread claims that in the rest of the world six is the magic number.

How many were you taught?
 
I've been taught seven and a half:

1. Europe
2. Asia
3. Africa
4. Australasia
5. North America
6. South America
7. Antarctica
7.5. The Indian sub-continent
 
I'd agree with 7.5 far more than 6. Wish I would have foreseen that. I briefly considered putting in 5 and 8 as options, but I figured it wouldn't be that varied.

I'd say that 7.5 counts as 7, if you count only full continents.
 
I think everyone thinks I'm a dumbass that doesn't know how many continents there are. Nobody's answering the poll. :(
 
Are you serious? You count Africa, Europe, and Asia as one continent? That's what you were taught? I guess maybe I should have put 1 through 10 as choices. What a world.
 
Ok, 76 views and 3 responses.

I guess nobody else is interested in the possible variations of what seems to be a simple concept. I was amazed by the idea that other nations teach other than 7 continents.

Or is it just that I should have put more choices? Is the variation really that much? Were you serious about 4 continents, Curioucity?

I notice that not even the two who were arguing the matter in the original thread care enough to post. Ho-hum.
 
8, althou my teacher did keep arguing that the Dansih capital was not a continent
 
as of now:
1. EurAsia
2. Africa
3. Australia
4. America
5. Antarctica
 
1

The world is one, and we are one with the world, and one with the universe. There is one. :D
 
invert_nexus said:
Are you serious? You count Africa, Europe, and Asia as one continent? That's what you were taught? I guess maybe I should have put 1 through 10 as choices. What a world.
Click to expand...

It's not what I'm taught.... see my key-word: shore based?
Bugeyes?
 
Ok, how am I supposed to derive where your continent knowledge comes from by "shore-based"? Obviously it's a good thing I asked. The point of the thread was to find out differences in educational systems, note my keyword: taught.
Who's bugeyes?
 
Note: In some parts of the world students are taught that there are only six continents, as they combine North America and South America into one continent called Americas. Other experts use only six continents by combining Europe and Asia into a continent called Eurasia.
Click to expand...

link to worldatlas on continents

As for tectonic plates the situation might not correspond to actual continents

plates.gif
 
CONTINENTS (by the number of countries)

#1 Africa
#2 Europe
#3 Asia
#4 North America
#5 Oceania
#6 South America
#7 Antarctica
#8 Copenhagen
 
I think that the Artic should be a continent too.

It is a pure case of discrimination against ice based continents.

#1 Africa
#2 Europe
#3 Asia
#4 North America
#5 Oceania
#6 South America
#7 Antarctica
#8 Artic
#9 Copenhagen
#10 Atlantis
 
I have a dymaxion map that Buckminster Fuller signed and gave to me. It is "THE MOST ACCURATE FLAT MAP OF THE EARTH" http://www.bfi.org/map.htm

Sure looks like the land masses are close to each other surrounded by one ocean.

Why are Europe and Asia considered as two separate continents? Seems to me the word often relates only on cultural difference rather than physical boundaries, at least, physical boundaries that mean ever less as humanity's abilities to communicate and travel improve.
 
I always thought they were two tectonic plates being pushed together in the middle. It looks like from spuriousmonkey's map that that's not the case. There used to be a sea there, but I guess there used to be a sea in the middle of the US as well.

It's interesting that arabia is on it's own plate as well. I wonder what direction it's heading. Probably not out to sea. Wouldn't that be nice though? Arabia the island. Far away from anyone else. Bet the world would be somewhat more peaceful that way. :p
 
I would agree with Avatar, five continents:

1. EurAsia
2. Africa
3. Australia
4. America
5. Antarctica

Alas, it looks that nobody is quite sure about this.
For more information, take a look at wikipedia
 
I have been taught seven
Asia
Europe
Africa
North America
South America
Australia
Antarctica

Encarta says it's these seven too
 
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