How Many Continents are There? I can’t tell you because I am not sure what a continent is.

How Many Continents are There?  

I can’t tell you because I am not sure what a continent is.

The word continent is ill defined, for this reason if asked “How many continents are there?” I can answer in three different ways and maintain logical consistency with each answer.

The answer is: 5, 6, or 7. The answer is also surprisingly political, not geographical.

In the Western World we tend to define the number as seven:

North America

South America

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

Antarctica

The general definition of a continent as “a very large singular land mass.”

We in North America split the Americans into two, North and South but in South America they define the continent as single entity and just say “America” or “The Americas.” It is true that North and South America are acutely one singular land mass (The Panama Canal exempted), thus using a geographic definition, it is in fact 1 continent.

So using that view there are 6 continents:

America

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

Antarctica

Yet, culturally North and South are very different. We in North America highlight that difference in emphasizing that South America is “Other.” While those in South America, whose wold view is less individualistic and more community based emphasize the connection.

Have you spotted the plot hole yet? Even more so than North and South America, Europe and Asia are connected as a single continent. Geographers understand this, and often just say “Eurasia.”   

This is a much larger case of one cultural group “Othering” another cultural group. In ancient time the border between the continents was The Bopharius River and the City of Constantinople. Everything beyond that was “other” (The Persians, India, the Mongols, Cathay (i.e. China ) etc.) Calling Europe and Asia two different continents is absolutely a cultural choice, not a geographic one.

So on our new list we have:

America

Eurasia

Africa

Australia

Antarctica

Five giant land masses. But wait, we are not done!

Are the islands between Asia and Australia not part of any continent?  We as a group have to put things into categories, so we lump them all into part of the “Continent” of Australia, but that gets confusing. For Example, when speaking about New Zealand, and saying it is part of the “Australian Continent,” makes little sense and causes a some mental discanance, so many have come to refer to the continent as “Oceania,” and including all those islands within it.

So that makes the list:

America

Eurasia

Africa

Oceania

Antarctica   

But, even though we are now being more inclusive with Oceania, the original given definition of continent breaks down again, as Oceania is not “A very large singular land mass.”

So which is it, Oceania or Australia? America or North and South America? Eurasia or Europe and Asia? We can’t be sure because the definition of “continent” is ill defined and laced with bias. While I think we understand what is being meant by the word “continent,” and the categories it outlines, it is still something we as a group still have an issue defining.