Europe: continent or not?

Factual Questions
1

Hi all,
Perhaps this has been asked previously but I could not find it in the archives…

Why is Europe considered a continent? My wife
says that only Americans consider North and South America to be two seperate continents. Using that logic I asked why europe is considered a continent at all, its just bolted on to Asia as an afterthought. IMHO, europeans were just practicing a form of cultural imperialism and did not wish to be included among asians. Does this just all boil down to definitions of “continent”?

Thanks in advance.

2

OTB:IF

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meurasia.html

3

I think pretty much everyone considers North and South America to be separate continents. Isthmuses don’t count, especially when they have been breached by canals. Otherwise, Africa and Asia would be the same Continent.

Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group.

  • Boris Badenov
4

Europe is just a large peninsula on Eurasia’s western end. No one even knows for sure where the boundary is between Europe and Asia.

Similarly, is there a logical reason to place the Sinai peninsula in Africa or in Asia?

5

A penninsula is defined as a long narrow body of land surrounded by water on 3 sides. Like Italy or Scandanavia or Malaya. Europe is not a true penninsula.

6

Perhaps it would be better to refer to Europe as the “European Appendage of the Eurasian Continent”.

7

*Markxxx: A penninsula is defined as a long narrow body of land surrounded by water on 3 sides. Like Italy or Scandanavia or Malaya. Europe is not a true penninsula. *

It looks like it’s surrounded on three sides to me: The Baltic & North Seas to the north, the Atlantic to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south.

There are several penninsulas that are about the same size as Europe: Arabian, Scandinavia, Alaska.

8

I’ve heard folks define the Ural mountains
as the boundary between Europe and Asia. Anyway, thanks for all the input, it seems
that “continent-ness” is a state of mine
(see link in first reply). Could it be that
Europe is “incontinent”?

groans all around…

9

And here I thought this was going to be a snide thread about a group of countries that all wore extremely big adult diapers…

Live a Lush Life
Da Chef

10

Since when is “continent-ness” a state of yours? I thought June Allyson had claim to the state of continence.

Live a Lush Life
Da Chef

11

The reason is that the ancient Greeks were unaware that you could get from Europe to the Anatolian peninsula (which is what they meant by “Asia”) by going around the Black Sea.

John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams

12

OK, I live in England / Great Britain (and N. Ireland) / United Kingdom / Europe.

Why does Israel get into the Eurovision Song Contest?

13

Because Israel is, culturally, part of the European (small-c) community.

John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams