SO - How many continents are there

[SirDuff]

The thread about visiting all the continents brought the different schools of thought on how many continents there are and the theory that your belief may be based on where you live.

I was curious as to what people thought. I don't think that there is a right/wrong. I'd heard the 5, 6, and 7 options before but Zealandia is a new one to me (added due to comment by friends on FB).

 

[SirDuff]

Sorry, forgot to include an other

 

[BLAZEY]

Never heard of Zealandia, I assume it's New Zealand?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

7. Not sure why where you live has anything to do with it? I live in Western New York.
But I also believe in Pangaea.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I was taught 7, although I don't understand why it isn't 4: Americas, Eurafrasia, Australia, Antarctica.

Why do some people think Asia and Europe should be together, but not Asia, Europe, and Africa?

 

[Praying Colonel]

7. Not sure why where you live has anything to do with it? I live in Western New York.
But I also believe in Pangaea.

Pangea existed at one point--several points, really--and if you can hang around a couple hundred million more years, you'll get to see it again.

http://www.livescience.com/18387-future-earth-supercontinent-amasia.html

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Many moons ago, we were taught there were 7. I can see the argument for 5 however (since Europe and Asia are one landmass and so is N. American and S. America. My dd, who is in 6th grade, was recently taught the continents in Spanish. She recited them for me - there were 7.

 

[SirDuff]

7. Not sure why where you live has anything to do with it? I live in Western New York.
But I also believe in Pangaea.

Different education systems teach things different (but we were talking the level of US versus England versus Australia, not Western New York versus Florida).

 

[dotfurio]

I taught 7, along with an annoying children's song about it.

 

[Wendy31]

7

I learned 7 when I was in school, & my kids have learned the same.

We've also talked about Pangea.

(We're in the South.)

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I was taught 7, although I don't understand why it isn't 4: Americas, Eurafrasia, Australia, Antarctica.

Why do some people think Asia and Europe should be together, but not Asia, Europe, and Africa?

Africa is connected to the Eurasian Continent by only a narrow isthmus and is on a separate plate. Similarly so for North and South America.

Woody and Buzz had an argument once. Buzz said Australia is a continent. Woody said no it's not. It's a big Island with style.

 

[bellebud]

I was taught 7 a million years ago in school, so that's what I put. But I don't really know.

 

[kahrani]

Never heard of Zealandia, I assume it's New Zealand?

Yes they reckon they've just discovered it. I was taught NZ was part of the Australian continent. But now they are saying it's different (about 95% submerged but includes New Caledonia as well).

I live in NZ so this is all over the news at the moment. Kiwis love to claim a point of difference from Australians/the rest of the world.

 

[hopemax]

7 is what I was taught.

But I just read about Zealandia yesterday. Plus, at the beginning of the month, I read an article about some scientists believing that there was a sunken continent, east of Madagascar near Mauritius that they called Mauritia.

http://www.history.com/news/scienti...continent-lies-beneath-island-in-indian-ocean

 

[Uncranky Donald]

I went to grammar school, there are 7 Whatever happened to the land masses zillions of years ago doesn't really change the fact that there are still 7 now, otherwise lets just keep changing things...I live next to 3 oceans, the Tippy top really cold Atlantica, the Middl-ey kinda chilly Atlanticana and the Ohh yeah wanna be swimming Atlanticodexa ocean!! We're on earth such a short time, let's keep the simple stuff simple.

 

[GusGus77]

I have heard of Oceana being considered a continent (which would include New Zealand.) Does every land mass have to be part of a continent? Technically as it stands with the continent number of 7, New Zealand is not part of a continent at all.

 

[Quicklabs]

If you are French, they count just five.

 

[sonnyjane]

I was taught 7

I was also taught that there were only four oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic) when I was in school, but they now recognize the Southern Ocean as the fifth. I still recognize 7 continents.

 

[Marchand63]

Um 7

 

[Pacolovestacos]

So as I said in the other thread, the normal school of thought is 7. What's happening here is seen in many different fields of science. A scientist or group of them are eager to publish and get their fame, so they come up with something "new". And then hipsters who want to be fresh and cool latch on to the "new" idea just so they can rebel against the common school of thought.