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I've always considered North and South America as two separate continents no more joined then the others. However they are sometimes referred to as one continent as in "the americas" or even just "america". I assume the olympics does so as there are only 5 rings.
While north america and south are geographically linked they are actually a good deal less linked than europe and asia. Yet Eurasia is mostly a geographic term while the Americas or again america has social or political meanings.
In most countries the Western Hemisphere is seen as one continent. That was the case in the US too until US Americans decided that it needed to change.
For example, the official name of the US is The United States of America, it doesn't say The United States of North America. Why? Because it has always been one continent and when the US was founded, that's how Americans saw it too and kept seeing it for many years afterwards until, well, they decided to change it. Since then, very few countries have adopted the American version.
There are many other things that Americans do and are often shocked to find out that most of the world doesn't goes by that.
A few examples would be measuring distances according to the U.S Customary System while the rest of the world uses the Metric System.
What the US calls soccer, the rest of the world calls football.
While the US considers Barack Obama black, in much of the world he is simply mixed or mulatto and would think that whomever calls him black is crazy.
While the US puts the period inside quotations mark (example: "Mark said that."), in much of the world the quotations marks go inside the period (example: "Mark said that".).
That doesn't really explain my question and you're getting off into some sort of vague anti-us tangent. Exactly why should the entire western hemisphere be viewed as one continent when there is a clear geographic point of division that can be made? As i said europe and asia are much more linked geographically i mean russia straddles both, as oposed to the in comaprision tiny strand of central america that separates north and south . So why should europe and asia not be viewed as one continent?
Also to correct you on soccer canada and australia refer to it as that as well.
In most countries the Western Hemisphere is seen as one continent. That was the case in the US too until US Americans decided that it needed to change.
For example, the official name of the US is The United States of America, it doesn't say The United States of North America. Why? Because it has always been one continent and when the US was founded, that's how Americans saw it too and kept seeing it for many years afterwards until, well, they decided to change it. Since then, very few countries have adopted the American version.
There are many other things that Americans do and are often shocked to find out that most of the world doesn't goes by that.
A few examples would be measuring distances according to the U.S Customary System while the rest of the world uses the Metric System.
What the US calls soccer, the rest of the world calls football.
While the US considers Barack Obama black, in much of the world he is simply mixed or mulatto and would think that whomever calls him black is crazy.
While the US puts the period inside quotations mark (example: "Mark said that."), in much of the world the quotations marks go inside the period (example: "Mark said that".).
It goes on and on and on...
Very few of this has to do with the topic at hand. VERY FEW...But thanks for rambling anyway...I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mhundred
That doesn't really explain my question and you're getting off into some sort of vague anti-us tangent. Exactly why should the entire western hemisphere be viewed as one continent when there is a clear geographic point of division that can be made? As i said europe and asia are much more linked geographically i mean russia straddles both, as oposed to the in comaprision tiny strand of central america that separates north and south . So why should europe and asia not be viewed as one continent?
Also to correct you on soccer canada and australia refer to it as that as well.
The main reason that North and South America are seen as one continent by some people is due to the fact that they are linked by land (sans the Panama Canal). However, by this very logic, there are really only 4 continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica, and Oceania.
The main argument against one America is that by the same logic, Africa, Europe, and Asia are one continent. The thought of that usually shuts people up.
Tradition, that's why. Notice how that's what I said in my previous post.
Europe and Asia were "separated" in ancient times, when geography wasn't quite as precise as it is today. Africa has also been seen as a separate continent from Asia, despite being connected via the Sinai peninsula. Australia could very well be just an island as oppose to its own continent. And America was first seen as one continent and only in recent times did Americans decided to split it.
But much of the world isn't following the US on this one because of tradition and Americans are, in essence, in agreement with the rest of world regarding the Europe-Asia-Africa case, again due to tradition, for the most part, especially the Europe-Asia case.
And I'm American. Don't know where the whole anti-US tangent 'thing' comes from. I'm simply stating the obvious. The world doesn't follows the US on this one and on many other things. There's nothing anti-US about saying that.
Tradition, that's why. Notice how that's what I said in my previous post.
Europe and Asia were "separated" in ancient times, when geography wasn't quite as precise as it is today. Africa has also been seen as a separate continent from Asia, despite being connected via the Sinai peninsula. Australia could very well be just an island as oppose to its own continent. And America was first seen as one continent and only in recent times did Americans decided to split it.
But much of the world isn't following the US on this one because of tradition and Americans are, in essence, in agreement with the rest of world regarding the Europe-Asia-Africa case, again due to tradition, for the most part, especially the Europe-Asia case.
And I'm American. Don't know where the whole anti-US tangent 'thing' comes from. I'm simply stating the obvious. The world doesn't follows the US on this one and on many other things. There's nothing anti-US about saying that.
Sure sounds like it to me....<s> I do not buy your argument, at all.
North America, South America, Central America. They may say America but are separate entities in most peoples minds and in usuage by everyone I know. Where does Canada fit into the Americas ?
I'm not actually sure if there's only one right definition for this....what I know is that it varies depending on which country you are. Schools in some countries teach the 6-continent model while others use the 7-continent model....
Sure sounds like it to me....<s> I do not buy your argument, at all.
North America, South America, Central America. They may say America but are separate entities in most peoples minds and in usuage by everyone I know. Where does Canada fit into the Americas ?
You seem to have an agenda.
This is what's taught in many countries (wait for the map), this presentation is from the Iberoamerican University in Mexico:
Here is a comparison of the land area (left) and population size (right) of all 6 continents (notice that America is one continent):
Map of the 6 continents (notice that America is one continent in the two Spanish maps and in the last Portuguese map):
This is the symbol of the Olympics; the five rings represent the five continents from which athletes are from such as Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and America (not North America and South America, but simply America since it's one continent); the Olympics organization is based in Europe:
A well traveled American, or anyone with friends from many countries, would know this.
Sure sounds like it to me....<s> I do not buy your argument, at all.
North America, South America, Central America. They may say America but are separate entities in most peoples minds and in usuage by everyone I know. Where does Canada fit into the Americas ?
You seem to have an agenda.
LIke an agenda of trying to answer the question? Is that the agenda?
I'm guessing from one the continents were united under Spanish rule. The Spanish Empire stretched from the U.S. down to Chile and they called their colonies América. Some in Latin America still refers to them as this way still but the English speaking world does not. Unlike what Antonio thinks, the US is not the only country that divides North and South America into two continents. The British, Canadians, Irish, Australians, and New Zealanders also divide the Americas in two. Also there is such thing, in plate tectonics, as the North American Plate and the South American Plate, so the two areas are legitimately continents. Naming them as one is more of a historical thing than reality.
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