I know this sounds very silly but I was told that in Spain children are not taught in school that there are 7 continents. We are taught in the US that there are 7 continents: Australia, Antarctica, Africa, Asia, Europe, South American and North America...does anyone know if this is REALLY true?
Posts: 146 | Location: New York City | Registered: 29 June 2001
Well, we are actually taught about 5 continents, as for us America (both North & South America) is only one continent and for Australia, well, we call it "Ocean�a" as for example New Zeland is in the same continent as Australia...
Or at least that is what I was taught maaaaaany years ago when I was at school
well in England we are taught there is 5 continents.. Europe, America, Africa, Australia and Asia...I think! You got me thinking now! Any other English got any clues??
J
Posts: 20 | Location: Watford, Uk | Registered: 17 August 2003
Not every country, institution, etc., agrees on the number of continents in the world but The National Geographic asserts there are seven continents which are
Continent /Number of countries Africa / 53 Asia / 47 Europe / 43 North America / 23 South America / 12 Oceania / 14 Antarctica / 0
Australia is not technically considered a continent but rather an island belonging to the continent of Oceania or, as some folk like to call it, Australasia. New Zealanders though don't like being part of anything "Austral" and therefore opt for the Oceania label instead, that is, whenever they consider themselves part of ANY continent.
Posts: 289 | Location: Madrid via DC via Mexico via ... | Registered: 01 August 2003
At least that's like I learned it in school in Germany. As it is the same in Spain, England and Germany, maybe it's the way the continents are counted in Europe as a difference to the USA?
Best wishes, Kathrin
Posts: 80 | Location: Madrid (original Munich) | Registered: 15 January 2003
In response to Marcela�s question, yes it�s true that generally speaking in Europe (I�m not sure about other continents) the education systems teach that there are 5 continents while in the USA we are taught there are 7.
I would be interested in knowing what other countries in the "Americas" are taught.
Now, to further demonstrate my ignorance... in Roland�s post he says that the National Geographic indicates that there are 23 countries in North America.
So, what are they and are they all part of NAFTA??
Off the top of my head, I can only think of three countries... the obvious ones: Mexico, USA and Canada. Are the countries in Central America considered part of North America or South America?
When I had an EXPENSE ACCOUNT, I belonged to an organisation called SIX CONTINENTS CLUB. I just looked it up and it's still operating under the same Intercontinental Hotels banner. (Please refer to Hotel Castellana in Madrid !) From then on, I always assumed that there were SIX CONTINENTS. Clearly, the entire Euro/Asian land mass is one:EURASIA. Then there is AFRICA. And OCEANIA which includes all those fiddly islands. Andof course ANTARCTICA. And finally BUT not least NORTH and SOUTH AMERICA. But there do not appear to be any hotels in Antarctica, so maybe they should have called in the FIVE continents club? Nige
Posts: 236 | Location: Cadiz Province and Sussex England | Registered: 07 October 2002
originally posted by Chica: [QB... in Roland�s post he says that the National Geographic indicates that there are 23 countries in North America.
So, what are they and are they all part of NAFTA?? [/QB]
Chica, I had almost posted the same question. I had counted only 21 (maybe I had forgotten one) for all of North and South America.
However, they probably consider everything from Panama north as "North America". And, I had forgotten there are lots of nations in the Caribe (Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc.), so I figure those make up the difference.
"An honest man is always a child" - Socrates ...no wonder I'm so immature!
I was taught there are 7. N.America S.America Asia Australia Europe Antarctica Africa
When I go to Spain they laugh at me and tell me 5 because they combine the 2 Americas and Antarctica doesn't count. However, they still keep Asia and Europe separate. Now, the definition I have of continent is a continuous mass of land. Now, the Americas are far less continuous(connected by slim central America) than Europe and Asia. In the sense that NA and SA are much more distinguishable as two separate land masses. Much more so than Europe and Asia.
When I talk to people in Spain about this I get the sense that it goes back a long time. Europe always viewed America as...America but clearly distinguished themselves from Asia.
"He who hath not a dram of folly in his mixture, hath pounds of much worse matter in his composition".
Posts: 334 | Location: New York, USA | Registered: 06 June 2003
It was six for me when I was a child in Madrid :-)... Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Europe & Oceania.
And there are the same six for the "Encyclopaedia Larousse" which is at my home.
And I have checked two old Geography school books. The older, from 1933, says that the "classical division" of the world comprises five parts (Africa, America, Asia, Europe & Oceania), and that Antarctica should be added to them ("even if it is not inhabited"); few lines below states that America is divided in two continents: North America and South America. The newer book, from 1950, has a far more rational classification, so, according to them, there are four continents: -Old, comprising Africa, Asia & Europe, -New, i.e., America, -Newer, i.e., Oceania, -Antarctica. This is the first time I see this classification, and the first three continent names might be, at least, funny, but this way there is no room for arguments: a continent would be a huge extension of land surrounded by water.
Posts: 399 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 05 July 2001
but I was told that in Spain children are not taught in school that there are 7 continents. We are taught in the US that there are 7 continents: Australia, Antarctica, Africa, Asia, Europe, South American and North America...does anyone know if this is REALLY true?
and for Australia, well, we call it "Ocean�a" as for example New Zeland is in the same continent as Australia... 
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