The surface of the earth is unique. To make it more convenient for people to understand what kind of place they are talking about, scientists came up with names for the land, dividing it into continents, continents, parts of the world. All these are different concepts, and each of them has a specific designation. So how does the part of the world differ from the mainland and what continents exist?
First you need to understand what the mainland is. This is a huge land mass, which is washed by the seas and oceans.
The difference between the mainland, the continent and part of the world
In geography, the term "continent" is often used, which refers to the mainland. Although these two concepts are not synonyms. In different countries of the world, continental models of world perception are different. In India and China, as well as in English-speaking European countries, it is generally accepted that there are seven continents. Hispanic and South American countries apply a model that identifies six continents. In Eastern Europe and Greece, it is generally accepted that there are five continents: these countries consider only those territories where people live as continents, they do not include Antarctica in the list. In Russia and the approximate countries of Eurasia, it is believed that there are four continents.
To understand how the part of the world differs from the mainland, the whole model of the division of the Earth should be understood.
Continents
The mainland is a large part of the land washed by the seas and oceans. There are six continents in total: the largest is Eurasia. Its area is almost 55 million square kilometers. In second place is Africa with an area of thirty million square kilometers. A little less is North America, then South America. Antarctica is fifth in size. The smallest mainland is Australia. All these continents are divided among themselves by seas and oceans, although there are formations that are separated by a land border. Such continents are the Americas, which are divided by the Isthmus of Panama. Between Africa and Eurasia - the Suez Isthmus.
And how does the part of the world differ from the mainland and the continent? To understand this, you should find out what continents are. Unlike continents, continents do not have land borders. Based on this, scientists divided the entire land into four continents: Afro-Eurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia.
Parts of the world
Knowing how the part of the world differs from the mainland, we can understand the geographical system of division of the Earth. So, the terms “mainland” and “continent” have a scientific justification and meaning, but “part of the world” is a division of land according to historical and cultural grounds. The following parts of the world are distinguished:
- Europe.
- Asia.
- America, or the New World.
- Africa.
- Australia and Oceania.
- Antarctica.
When talking about parts of the world, they mean not only large tracts of land, but also the islands adjacent to them.
Answering the question, what is the difference between the concepts of "mainland" and "part of the world", we can say that the mainland is land surrounded by water bodies, and part of the world is the land developed by people located on these continents.
The islands
Now we know how the mainland differs from a part of the world, and how does it differ from the island? By definition, both the mainland and the island are land that is washed by oceans or seas. However, these concepts have differences.
- The size. The smallest mainland - Australia - is larger than the largest island of Greenland.
- Education. All continents of the Earth are of tiled origin. According to scientists, once there was only one mainland Pangea. It was split, due to which Laurasia and Gondwana appeared, which broke into six more parts. Islands are formed in a variety of ways, including during the eruption of volcanoes, under the action of polyps, as a result of plate movement.
- Habitability. Many islands are still uninhabited, unlike the mainland. Even in harsh Antarctica there are people.
The continents are parts of large-scale land washed by the waters of the oceans and seas, and parts of the world are the same land with which some historical and cultural events are associated. Part of the world may include several continents and islands.