Do Islands Belong to Continents?
- Thread starter ISUCyclones2015
- Start date
Aren't continents islands themselves when you think about it?
They are Territories of countries that occupy continents. No they are not a part of the continents.
At one point, they may have been. #RipPangea
At one point, they may have been. #RipPangea
That comment is exactly how we got on a long tangent of what constitutes as an island
I stand somewhat corrected...
"A continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
When geographers identify a continent, they usually include all the islands associated with it. Japan, for instance, is part of the continent of Asia. Greenland and all the islands in the Caribbean Sea are usually considered part of North America.
Together, the continents add up to about 148 million square kilometers (57 million square miles) of land. Continents make up most—but not all—of the Earth’s land surface. A very small portion of the total land area is made up of islands that are not considered physical parts of continents. New Zealand, French Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands are examples of land areas that are considered microcontinents. These areas are usually grouped with culturally similar continents, but are geologically distinct."
"A continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
When geographers identify a continent, they usually include all the islands associated with it. Japan, for instance, is part of the continent of Asia. Greenland and all the islands in the Caribbean Sea are usually considered part of North America.
Together, the continents add up to about 148 million square kilometers (57 million square miles) of land. Continents make up most—but not all—of the Earth’s land surface. A very small portion of the total land area is made up of islands that are not considered physical parts of continents. New Zealand, French Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands are examples of land areas that are considered microcontinents. These areas are usually grouped with culturally similar continents, but are geologically distinct."
i think the answer is, it depends on the island. islands in the middle of the pacific exist on the Pacific plate and so aren't part of a continent geologically speaking, though they may politically associate with one (think Hawaiian Islands). the Aleutian Islands in Alaska are part of the North American continental shelf, however.
Do islands count? Because as an example, the UK has the Grand Cayman Islands in the Caribbean as well as the Falkland Islands near South America.
based on the definition I just provided, I would have to think that would count. There are far more than I would've expected if we go based on islands counting.
Here is some more information I found interesting.
"Coastlines, however, do not indicate the actual boundaries of the continents. Continents are defined by their continental shelves. A continental shelf is a gently sloping area that extends outward from the beach far into the ocean. A continental shelf is part of the ocean, but also part of the continent. If continental shelves were included in the total land area, continents would make up more than one-third of the Earth’s surface.
“Continent” has more than just a physical definition. To human geographers, the term is about culture. The continents of Europe and Asia, for example, are actually part of a single, enormous piece of land called Eurasia. But linguistically and ethnically, the areas of Asia and Europe are distinct. The various cultural groups of Europe have more in common with one another than they do with cultural groups in Asia. Because of this, most geographers divide Eurasia into Europe and Asia. An imaginary line, running from the northern Ural Mountains in Russia south to the Caspian and Black Seas, separates Europe, to the west, from Asia, to the east."
"Coastlines, however, do not indicate the actual boundaries of the continents. Continents are defined by their continental shelves. A continental shelf is a gently sloping area that extends outward from the beach far into the ocean. A continental shelf is part of the ocean, but also part of the continent. If continental shelves were included in the total land area, continents would make up more than one-third of the Earth’s surface.
“Continent” has more than just a physical definition. To human geographers, the term is about culture. The continents of Europe and Asia, for example, are actually part of a single, enormous piece of land called Eurasia. But linguistically and ethnically, the areas of Asia and Europe are distinct. The various cultural groups of Europe have more in common with one another than they do with cultural groups in Asia. Because of this, most geographers divide Eurasia into Europe and Asia. An imaginary line, running from the northern Ural Mountains in Russia south to the Caspian and Black Seas, separates Europe, to the west, from Asia, to the east."
@CNECloneFan help. I assume this falls under the purview of geology.
My personal opinion is that if you were to look at the earth without water, it should be somewhat obvious which islands belong to continents and which don't. Hawaii isn't part of continent, but Japan is.
My personal opinion is that if you were to look at the earth without water, it should be somewhat obvious which islands belong to continents and which don't. Hawaii isn't part of continent, but Japan is.
I found it interesting that they group the carribeans and islands off the coasts of EurAsia with the continents, but for New Zealand, Hawaii, and a few others, they are not included with Australia, Asia or North America. But rather, Micro-Continents.
Obviously, they are the most out there in the middle of the ocean, so if it s based off of proximity to the continental shelf, that may be the big indicator of what defines an island being a part of a continent.
I still don't understand why Europe and Asia got seperated into two different continents. There is a point that it became more about human perception than based on specific geography, I'd have to think.
Had a discussion once in the office here related to this. Was only settled by a phone call to the New Zealand embassy.
