If I were to ask you a simple question like how many continents are there in the world, you would respond by saying 7- Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.
But the problem arises when we try to define what a continent really is. The most popular definition of a continent is that it is a large landmass which is separated by oceans. However, if we take a look at the world map, we see that the 7 continents that we originally had are now reduced to 4 as North America and South America combine to become one continent and Africa, Asia and Europe make another continent. Australia and Antarctica remain as they are. So this definition does not seem to work out.
Another way to divide continents is by culture. Countries in the same continent have more cultural similarity than countries in other continents but this also does not hold true for countries like Armenia and Turkey. Also if this definition were true, then the Middle East would be a separate continent and not a part of Asia. So to say that continents are divided by cultures would also be not a factual statement.
So to conclude, there are no set rules which define what a continent is and there are anywhere between 4 to 7 continents in the world.
– Neilay Agarwal, 10D