The borders between continents are somewhat of a geographic convention. The number of continents that the Earth is considered to have can vary between six and seven, although the number can go up to four when the Afro-Eurasian countries and the Americas are combined into continents. There are only three land borders. These borders include those between Asia and Europe, between Africa and Asia and between North and South America.
Overview of Eurasia
The border between Europe and Asia exists on paper. However, there is no significant physical distinction between the two continents. The border between the two continents is only a historical and cultural construction. The border between Asia and Europe is often defined to follow the Aegean Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Strait of Turkey, the Black Sea, the Greater Caucasus and the Ural River and Mountains. However, controversies exist over the exact limit. Since no water separates the two continents, they both exist on the same land mass. The division of the two continents is purely cultural and tends to be biased on the European side. The modern definition of the Eurasian border places some countries on two continents, while others entirely on one continent. These transcontinental countries include Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Does the Europe-Asia border exist?
The border between Europe and Asia, as it exists today, was defined for the first time by Philip Johan Von Strahlenberg, an explorer and an officer in the Swedish army. Its border followed the mountain ranges of the Urals; Emba River to the north coast of the Caspian Sea and the Kuma-Manych depression that exists on the Black Sea. The depression is the name of two rivers that lie in the northern part of the Caucasus mountains and are currently considered the exact boundary. The eastern border between the two countries cut Russia in half, the European part of Russia and the Asian part. The distribution of people between the two parts of the country is uneven, the European part hosting more than 75% of the population.
The physical characteristics defining the Asia-Europe boundary
The Ural Mountain watershed forms a natural border separating the two continents. The mountain range averages 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. The highest peak, Mount Narodnaya, measures 6,214 feet. From the Urals Sea, the border follows the Ural River, a non-navigable area which ends and flows into the Caspian Sea. However, the segment covered by the Ural River remains to be determined. The Caspian Sea is the next major segment of the border. The sea is 746 long and 270 wide, making it a large, completely enclosed body of water. Boundaries of boundaries are not universally final and vary from one source to another. Some geographers place the country of Georgia entirely in Europe, while others classify it as a transcontinental country that spans both Asia and Europe. Cyprus is also placed in Asia by some geographers, although the country is often considered to be part of the modern definition of Europe. According to the geographic requirements of the EU, the definition of Europe is culturally and geographically linked and is therefore subject to political discretion.
How did the two continents come?
The original continental separation was invented by ancient Greek sailors who named the continents as Europe and Asia. The two land masses were separated by a complex waterway flowing from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Azov. However, the Greeks viewed the continent as physical entities with cultural significance or minimal political content. Herodotus’ triple system divided the old world into three: Europe, Africa and Asia. However, the border between Europe and Asia has remained unusual, even among Greek geographers and even Herodotus. The border between Asia and Europe was placed along the Phasis River by Anaximandar. The convention was also followed by the Herodotus in the 5th BC. However, a new convention was born in the following centuries, drawing the continental limits along the Tanais or the modern Don river. From the Middle Ages to the 12th century, the traditional division of Eurasia into two continents followed Ptolemy with borders along the Strait of Turkey, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Don. However, in 18, Philip Johan Von Strahlenberg left the Don border by drawing a line along the Volga across Samend Bend and along the Ural Mountains. from the Sea of Azov and the Don. However, in 18, Philip Johan Von Strahlenberg left the Don border by drawing a line along the Volga across Samend Bend and along the Ural Mountains. from the Sea of Azov and the Don. However, in 18, Philip Johan Von Strahlenberg left the Don border by drawing a line along the Volga across Samend Bend and along the Ural Mountains.
Role of Soviet Geographers
By the middle of the 12th century, three main conventions had emerged. One was traced along the Volga-Don canal, the second following the Kuma-Manych depression to the Urals, while the third convention follows the watershed of the Greater Caucasus to the Caspian Sea . The second convention, the line that follows the Kuma-Manych Depression to the Caspian Sea, is the most popular convention today. Soviet geographers recommended that the border between the two continents be drawn in the textbooks of Baydaratskaya Bay, along the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains. The Soviet definition of the border placed the Caucasus entirely in Asia while the Urals was entirely in Europe. In addition,
Conclusion
The confusion surrounding the definition of two continents leads to more geographers identifying only six continents, merging Europe and Asia to form Eurasia. The split of Eurasia into Europe and Asia on the basis of the true definition of a continent is now registered. The separation of Europe and Asia was the effort of European geographers and scholars who sought to separate their region from the world. In fact, some readers find it difficult to accept the landmass forming Europe and Asia as separate continents in a context other than studying the history of the 12th century. In Europe and Asia, historical limits prevail over conventional continental criteria.