# Eurasia vs. Europe and Asia

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [September 10, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599 "2009-09-10T20:12:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599/21 "2009-09-29T00:22:25Z")

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Even without needing man-made waterways, the continent is still divided. There’s at least one lake that sits right smack on the Continental Divide (Lake Isa, in Yellowstone), and drains both ways. Admittedly, the drains are a couple of tiny little cricks that you could just step right over, but they’re water.

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**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599/22 "2009-10-05T16:07:16Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> “Region.” Or in specific contexts, we have terms like “biogeographical zone” (or region). I’m sure there’s a good linguistics term I’m not recalling, as well.

Thank you, I didn’t think of the word in that context.

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**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599/23 "2009-10-05T16:14:16Z")

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> [@Floater](#):
>
> Thank you, I didn’t think of the word in that context.

(too late to edit) Probably because the Swedish word _världsdel_ has one specific meaning whereas _region_ can mean several different things depending on the situation.

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eurasia-vs-europe-and-asia/509599/24 "2009-10-05T16:46:57Z")

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“Region” in English can mean very small areas, such as the region around a village, or large areas that cross continental boundaries, such as Latin America or the Middle East. And regions can be defined by various criteria, including biology, geology, climate and culture.

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