More like Europeans made up their own definition of “continent” so they didn’t have to be lumped in with the rest of Asia, because they were too “civilized” and “culturally distinct”, which makes no sense because every corner of Asia is virtually unrecognizable from the rest.
The Isthmus of Suez used to join Africa and Asia until the Suez canal was constructed. Should Europe, Asia, and Africa be considered a single continent??? That would be hilariously absurd.
Your first statement is also not true, that entirely depends on where you are from as different countries list North and South America as one continent or two. Russia views them as one. China views them as two. The US views them as two, many African nations view them as two, many South American nations view them as one.
So it has less to do with politics and more towards on what culture you are from. It has little to do with politics as a wide variety of countries have varying opinions.
Internationally by the UN and scientific organizations they are recognized as two separate continents.
I thought it was based on tectonic(?) plates rather than divisions that we can see on the surface. Which brings me to the same conclusion as you, although now that I think about it I have no idea how many plates are in the Americas.
More like Europeans made up their own definition of “continent” so they didn’t have to be lumped in with the rest of Asia, because they were too “civilized” and “culturally distinct”, which makes no sense because every corner of Asia is virtually unrecognizable from the rest.
By that logic, North and South America should be one continent, and that would be absurd. It’s good to have a distinction.
But Eurasia just works better in general.
North and South America ARE one continent, by definition. We call it north and south for solely political reasons.
The Isthmus of Suez used to join Africa and Asia until the Suez canal was constructed. Should Europe, Asia, and Africa be considered a single continent??? That would be hilariously absurd.
Your first statement is also not true, that entirely depends on where you are from as different countries list North and South America as one continent or two. Russia views them as one. China views them as two. The US views them as two, many African nations view them as two, many South American nations view them as one.
So it has less to do with politics and more towards on what culture you are from. It has little to do with politics as a wide variety of countries have varying opinions.
Internationally by the UN and scientific organizations they are recognized as two separate continents.
I thought it was based on tectonic(?) plates rather than divisions that we can see on the surface. Which brings me to the same conclusion as you, although now that I think about it I have no idea how many plates are in the Americas.
Wait, is there not a physical separation between the two? I thought there was a waterway of some sort…
Nope, they are linked by the Isthmus of Panama and there is no natural waterway division.
The Panama Canal is a manmade waterway.
Thank you for the correction!