Why is Europe a "continent" but India is only a 'sub continent'? (live in, rated)

[censusdata]

Is it because White people live in Europe?

India 1 billion people; 1,269,210 sq mi

Europe 731 million people; 3,930,000 sq mi

[XXclimberX]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Is it because White people live in Europe?

India 1 billion people; 1,269,210 sq mi

Europe 731 million people; 3,930,000 sq mi

It has nothing to do with race. India is part of Asia. Really the answer is a mix between geography, geology, and history.

[NihonKitty]

I've always wondered the same thing. For example they say europe is seperated from "asia" by the urals...but there are much bigger mountains throughout asia that seperate completely different cultures and language groups more different than europeans.

For example east asia is seperated from the middle east through large mountain regions east asia is a completely different race,religions,languages than the middle east etc. And AFAIK india in itself has as many languages as europe? I think europe/asia is actually "Eurasia". With these subcontinents, europe,east asia, SE asia,india,middle east. Africa might be included into this super continent as well.

[SilkCity0416]

Originally Posted by XXclimberX

It has nothing to do with race. India is part of Asia. Really the answer is a mix between geography, geology, and history.

Great response. India is seen as a sub continent is because millions and millions of years ago, India was a seperate continent from Asia. Then, India drifted towards Asia, and crashed into the Asian continent.

This is why the Himayas are the highest mountain range on Earth. India is still pushing into Asia.

[Aylalou]

East Indians are Caucasian.

[SilkCity0416]

Originally Posted by NihonKitty

I've always wondered the same thing. For example they say europe is seperated from "asia" by the urals...but there are much bigger mountains throughout asia that seperate completely different cultures and language groups more different than europeans.

For example east asia is seperated from the middle east through large mountain regions east asia is a completely different race,religions,languages than the middle east etc. And AFAIK india in itself has as many languages as europe? I think europe/asia is actually "Eurasia". With these subcontinents, europe,east asia, SE asia,india,middle east. Africa might be included into this super continent as well.

Great observation as well. In fact, you can really say there are five continents: Eurasia, Africa, Oceania, America, and Antarctica.

[kovert]

Originally Posted by SilkCity0416

Great observation as well. In fact, you can really say there are five continents: Eurasia, Africa, Oceania, America, and Antarctica.

Actually you can argue there is or once was only four. Before the Suez Canal, there was a geographical continuity between Asia and Africa. In fact the ancient Greeks felt it was the Nile that separated Libya (Africa) from Asia and called Egypt east of the Nile Arabia.

[pigeonhole]

I never understood that oxymoron of calling India The Subcontinent because of the peninsular form and the big size (but not that enormous, only a little bigger than Argentina for instance )of the country.
Why not call the Korean peninsula a subcountry then?
Or Florida the substate?
It's presposterous!
Other geographical metaphors seem more accurate to me, as calling Somalia and adjacent territories The Horn Of Africa,or Argentina, Chile and adjacent countries El Cono Sur.
In Geography moreover, the notion of "subcontinent " is extremely ill-defined...

[SilkCity0416]

Originally Posted by pigeonhole

I never understood that oxymoron of calling India The Subcontinent because of the peninsular form and the big size (but not that enormous, only a little bigger than Argentina for instance )of the country.Why not call the Korean peninsula a subcountry then?
Or Florida the substate?
It's presposterous!
Other geographical metaphors seem more accurate to me, as calling Somalia and adjacent territories The Horn Of Africa,or Argentina, Chile and adjacent countries El Cono Sur.
In Geography moreover, the notion of "subcontinent " is extremely ill-defined...

This is because, India was once its own continent that has smashed into Asia due to continential drift. This is the reason why the Himalayas are are high. The pressure of India, crushing on Eurasia, has cause the very earth to shoot into the air; it still is to this very day.

Florida and Korea are just that: peninsulas.

[noid_1985]

Originally Posted by kovert

Actually you can argue there is or once was only four. Before the Suez Canal, there was a geographical continuity between Asia and Africa. In fact the ancient Greeks felt it was the Nile that separated Libya (Africa) from Asia and called Egypt east of the Nile Arabia.

yeah, well what did the ancient Egyptians say?