Being the largest continent on the planet, Eurasia is also of particular importance for the economic activities of all mankind. For many millennia, people have been exploring the continent, studying its geography and using all the advantages that its position gives. Ultimately, the way mainland Eurasia is located relative to others affects the lives of all people on the planet.
From Novaya Zemlya to the Caspian
First of all, it is worth saying that the continent consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia, and the border between them is often very arbitrary. It changed quite often over time. For several generations, researchers have sought to determine and fix the exact coordinates of its main natural attractions. Eurasia is the mainland, the map of which is of particular interest, since it is on this continent that the largest number of people live, as well as the largest centers of economic growth.
In modern geography, it is customary to draw a dividing line along the eastern border of the Ural Mountains, then along the Ural River and the northern shore of the Caspian Sea. These are the rules.
The greatest controversy is the border passing through the Caucasus. Until now, not all scientists have agreed on exactly where in the mountain system it passes, but the most common point of view is that the dividing line goes along the very watershed of the main ridge.
Further, the border runs along the water surface of the Bosphorus Strait, which divides into two parts not only Eurasia, but also Turkey, as well as the largest city of the Republic of Turkey - Istanbul, whose regions are located in different parts of the world. For many centuries, this city has been an important trading center precisely because of its geographical location.
As it has already become clear, the way Eurasia is located relative to other continents even affects the political map of the World. For example, the border between the parts of the world into which the continent is divided passes through the territory of two states - Russia and Turkey. Each of the countries has both European and Asian parts, and there is an opinion that such an ambiguous situation influenced their history.
Extreme points of the continent Eurasia
Since the continent is really huge, its location on the world map is of particular importance. After all, climatic zones change here not only from north to south, or from west to east, but also depend to a large extent on the topography.
The extreme continental points of Eurasia are located on the territory of three states, and their list is as follows:
- Cape Chelyuskin is considered the extreme northern point located on the territory of Russia
- Cape Piai is located in Malaysia and is the extreme southern point of the mainland
- Cape Roca is located in the very west of Eurasia, in the territory of the Republic of Portugal
- Cape Dezhnev is located on the very edge of the Chukchi Peninsula in Russia, and, thus, is the easternmost point of the continent
Despite the fact that the mainland is located in the Northern Hemisphere, part of its island territory is still in the Southern Hemisphere and these islands are commonly called the extreme southern island point of the continent. The coconut archipelago is located in the Southern Hemisphere and is managed by Australia, and its population is less than six hundred people, despite the fact that more than 70% of the world's population lives in Eurasia.
Invisible borders
How Eurasia is located it becomes clear with a cursory glance at the physical map of the World. The mainland is such that its closest neighbors are North America, from which the mainland is separated by the Bering Strait. And Africa, with which, more recently, Eurasia had a land bridge, but which disappeared with the construction of the Suez Canal. Thus, the Asian part of the continent is delimited from Africa by an artificial structure connecting the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to the Atlantic Ocean.
The border between Eurasia and America runs along the water of the Bering Strait, the width of which is at least eighty-six kilometers. There are many islands in the strait, on one of which - Ratmanova Island - is an eastern outpost of the Russian border troops. Another interesting fact about how the mainland of Eurasia is located relative to others is that an internationally recognized date line passes through the Bering Strait .
Natural areas of Eurasia
And finally. The way the mainland of Eurasia is located relative to others also significantly affects the greatest variety of landscapes, natural and climatic zones that can be found on the continent.
Huge territories in the north cover coniferous forests that occupy almost the whole of Siberia, the Far East and the North, as well as the North-East of the European part of Russia. Forests spanning hundreds of kilometers make up, simultaneously with the South American Selva, the most ecologically important region of the planet, without which oxygen reproduction would become problematic.
The way the mainland of Eurasia is located relative to other continents affects not only the climate, but also international trade. Its important routes run along the coast of the continent.