How many parts of the world are on Earth? Parts of the world and continents

How many parts of the world are on Earth? Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia and Europe. It seemed that each of them was a quadrant of the world. Europe - in the north, Asia - in the east, Africa - in the south and America - in the west. This division corresponded to the trends of that era - then the world was divided into four seasons, four classical elements, four cardinal directions and so on.

An ancient tripartite world

How many parts of the world are on Earth? At a time when people still did not know anything about America, Australia and Antarctica, there were not so many of them. Before the discovery of the New World in classical and medieval geography, three parts of the Earth's light were singled out - Europe, Asia and Africa. As Laurent de Premierfeit once said to his readers (an outstanding French translator of Latin literature in the early fifteenth century): "Asia is one of the three parts of the world that extends to the East until the rising sun."

If you look through the eyes of a modern geographer, thenThe Ural Mountains, which divide Europe from Asia, represent a geological seam between two fragmentary continents or cratons. Another dividing factor was the Hellespont (the ancient name of the Dardanelles Strait). He neatly separated Europe from Asia. From a European point of view, in the era of the Revelation, Asia began outside the Hellespont, where the Roman province was located, stretching to incredibly exotic and remote places ...

How many parts of the world are on Earth?

In the sixteenth century, America was full ofbewitching promises of the New World. Thus appeared the fourth part of the world. After the official confirmation that Australia was an island continent, the theme of the four continents lost much of its relevance long before the sixth continent, Antarctica, was discovered. However, despite this, the iconography "Four corners of the world" was preserved in its original form.

Parts of light and continents

Total on the planet Earth is six continents, fromwhich is the smallest in Australia, and the largest is Eurasia, which is geologically one whole, but for convenience it was divided into Europe and Asia. Between them, a conditional border along the Ural Mountains was carried out.

Parts of the light, as well as the continents, there aresix. The most densely populated and high-mountain is Asia. America consists of two continents, which are interconnected by the Panama Isthmus. Africa from Asia is separated by the Suez Canal. There are also continents that do not come into contact with the rest: Australia and ice Antarctica.

A single array, spread out on different sides

It is likely, as some scholars believe,all continents were once a single whole, a single array, which over time went to pieces under the influence of the internal forces of the Earth. There is an assumption that certain areas on the planet have risen, while others, on the contrary, have sunk. The riddle of the appearance of continents is still a topical issue in geography, so far only one thing remains for people to build different hypotheses. Perhaps the future generation of scientists will be able to shed light on the endless mysteries of the universe.

What is the difference between parts of the world from the continents?

What are the parts of the world and how do they differ fromcontinents? Let's understand. The continents are large segments of the land that act in the bosom of the World Ocean. Parts of the world are referred to the regions on which the surface of the planet is conventionally divided from historical and cultural considerations. The difference between them is that these concepts are used in completely different spheres. The main difference is that the "mainland" is a geological and geographical term, and "part of the world" is a concept related to history, culture, and politics.

The continents are an interest, beforein total, as existing physical objects. Geology and geography are engaged in their detailed study, including the study of powerful processes that occur on Earth. As a rule, the continents are separated from each other by the oceans, but there are those that are the closest neighbors (Eurasia).

How many parts of the world are on Earth? Despite the fact that their borders and the boundaries of the continents do not coincide by 100%, there are also six in number. Eurasia, for example, is one continent, but is divided into two parts of the world - Europe and Asia. A little bit different with America. There two continents form one part of the world. Only Africa, Australia, Antarctica coincide.