VoiceOfReason
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 4, 2010
- 5,194
- 1,355
There are numerous ways of distinguishing the continents:Not really, what about South America and North America?!
Color-coded map showing the various continents. Similar shades exhibit areas that may be consolidated or subdivided. | |||||||
7 continents [SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][14][/SUP][SUP][15][/SUP][SUP][16][/SUP][SUP][17][/SUP][SUP][18][/SUP] | North America | South America | Antarctica | Africa | Europe | Asia | Australia |
6 continents [SUP][15][/SUP][SUP][19][/SUP] | North America | South America | Antarctica | Africa | Eurasia | Australia | |
6 continents[SUP][20][/SUP] | America | Antarctica | Africa | Europe | Asia | Australia | |
5 continents [SUP][19][/SUP][SUP][21][/SUP][SUP][22][/SUP] | America | Antarctica | Africa | Eurasia | Australia | ||
4 continents[SUP][dubious discuss][/SUP] | America | Antarctica | Afro-Eurasia | Australia |
The seven-continent model is usually taught in China and most English-speaking countries. The six-continent combined-Eurasia model is sometimes preferred in the former states of theUSSR[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] and Japan[SUP][citation needed][/SUP]. The six-continent combined-America model is sometimes taught in Latin America[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] and in some parts of Europe including Greece (equivalent 5 inhabited continents model (i.e. excluding Antarctica) still also found in texts) [SUP][20][/SUP], Portugal[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] and Spain[SUP][citation needed][/SUP]. Using this latter model as a starting point, the Olympics use only inhabited continents (excluding Antarctica) and thus a five-continent model[SUP][21][/SUP][SUP][22][/SUP] as depicted in the Olympic logo.[SUP][23][/SUP]
The terms Oceania or Australasia are sometimes substituted for Australia to denote a continent encompassing the Australian mainland and various islands of the Pacific Ocean not part of other continents. For example, the Atlas of Canada names Oceania,[SUP][14][/SUP] as does the model taught in Italy, Greece[SUP][20][/SUP] and in Latin America and Iberia.