# Names of Continents

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 22, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465 "2002-06-22T17:35:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sassafras\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Sassafras\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras_Kid)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/1 "2002-06-22T17:35:06Z")

</div>

I know where we got the (English) names of the Americas and Australia, but not sure where we came up with Asia, Europe and Africa. Would like some etymological help on these geographical names.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/2 "2002-06-22T18:05:56Z")

</div>

I believe “Africa” was the Roman name of the area now known as Libya and Tunis, while “Asia” was the name for what now is Turkey (“Asia Minor”). I can’t help you with Europe, though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/3 "2002-06-22T18:14:07Z")

</div>

Africa, Asia, and Europe all derive from Latin, as **Alessan** almost said.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/4 "2002-06-22T18:26:39Z")

</div>

Europe is named for Europa, mother of Minos, lord of Crete. In the _Metamorphoses_ of Ovid, she is seduced by Zeus ( in the form of a snow-white bull), who carried her to Crete from the shore of Phoenicia ( now south Lebanon).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/5 "2002-06-22T18:35:12Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \*  
> \*\*Africa, Asia, and Europe all derive from Latin, as **Alessan** almost said. \*\*

By “Roman name” I meant “the name used by the Roman Empire”, of course. They were names of Roman provinces.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/6 "2002-06-22T19:03:12Z")

</div>

By “almost said,” I meant “said two out of three of,” of course.

😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/7 "2002-06-22T20:59:13Z")

</div>

An earlier thread on this subject. . .

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=6772&highlight=Africa](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=6772&highlight=Africa)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-continents/115465/8 "2002-06-22T22:06:00Z")

</div>

My understanding is that the name “Asia” for Anatolia originated in a word meaning “east.”