SEVEN Continents ???

[follyfancier]

how did we suddenly get Seven Continents ?(just heard someone say it on the news)
there were only FIVE when I was at school

[factor-fiction]

Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Arctic. Antartic, Australasia?

[Mosaic]

Folly, was it five oceans and seven continents that you were taught about?
easy to mix up.

[Old_Geezer]

Whoops. Well we won't count the snowy places as hardly anyone lives there.

[Nibble]

I usually think of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antartica and Australasia - Arctic cannot be a continent as it has no landmass associated with it. IMO

[factor-fiction]

You're right, I'm sure Nibble

[plautus]

America was traditionally divided into north and south. The Arctic was not classed as a continent as there is no landmass, unlike Antarctica.

[Old_Geezer]

Good point. So the Arctic is up for grabs ? MINE ! Anyone fancy some ice ?

[plautus]

Hell, Nibble beat me to it!

[FredPuli43]

Europe, Asia,Africa,North America, South America,Australia, Antarctica. That makes seven.

[ChuckFickens]

There can only be 5 now if you want, or 4, 6 or 7 depending on how you count them.

http://en.wikipedia.o...#Number_of_continents

[plautus]

There used to be nine planets, but now seemingly there are only eight, or is it ten?

[FredPuli43]

And someone will explain how Europe, part of the same land mass as Asia,is thought of as a continent. It's just the atttitude of the Ancients that had it so, methinks

[Nibble]

Well if you really look at actual landmasses then, IMO it could be Eurasia, Africa, Americas and Antarctica, therefore being four continents - with a proviso of Australia being considered an island by some observers, not a continent..

But I still consider there to be seven, but I am up for a discussion on this.

[Nibble]

I'm not getting involved in the solar system debate, but for those who wish to discuss....

http://www.space.com/...r-system-planets.html

[ChuckFickens]

There's 8 planets. Pluto was downgraded from being a planet due to not having cleared it's neighborhood, if this additional criteria hadn't been added we'd be upto 15+ planets by now with more recent discoveries.

[follyfancier]

I was taught 7 Seas
Arctic, North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean
and 5 Continents
Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia
the Arctic and Antarctic were called Polar regions

[craft1948]

folly there were only 5 when I was at school, hence (I thought) the 5 rings on the Olympic flag..................

[douglas9401]

Same here follyfancier.

[follyfancier]

Craft ,yes that,s right I had forgotten about the 5 rings and the colours of the rings represent a common colour for each of the countries in the Olympic movement.

[Wharton]

What about Atlantis?