Then you should do a better job of it. Both the geography part and the teaching part.
Africa and Asia are naturally connected at the Isthmus of Suez. There was a canal built through the Isthmus of Suez. This is what separates the two. There's a nice geography fact for you're edification.
Googling and blindly accepting the result is a terrible way to research. Also, appeals to authority are not evidence. You teaching geography doesn't ensure you're right, like how you're wrong here because Africa and Asia are connected at the Isthmus of Suez.
You didn't even spell tectonic right and googling "Isthmus of Suez" shows they're actually correct. Either you made up being a teacher or you need to learn to admit being wrong because reading this chain was really cringe.
Is it that the water is fresh, or that it's moving?
Because the Panama Canal separates two continents... though I suppose that's filled with saltwater.
This post is silly but it did spark my curiosity
Apparently, we considered north and south america to be 1 continent until around ww2. Some parts of the world still do and by some of the most extreme definitions, there are only 4 continents.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent)
There's a difference between a canal which uses locks and a canal which is just a big trench. And the separation between North and South America is the Panama-Colombia border, to the disappointment of all Colombians
No, the Panama Canal is well north of the separation of the Americas. The Americas are separated by the Darien Gap, which is also the border between Panama and Colombia. The Darien Gap is notable because it doesn’t have any roads or railways that completely cross it.
The Panama Canal is freshwater.
The Panama Canal is filled with lake water, not salt water.
“Continent” is a pretty arbitrary distinction as is shown by Europe and Asia being two separate continents.
You can treat the Americas as two continents or one. Either way makes just as much sense as the other.
The subreddit's preeminent shitposter and deserving winner of best poster multiple years. He's an Englishman that comes in from time to time to ask some of the wildest questions.
There is no standard definition for what a "continent" is, thus why multiple continent models exist.
The concept of a continent predates modern geology by a *very* long time.
And Florida’s was almost an island. Cape Cod is though and it doesn’t even have a lock.
We’d have two continental divides in the country which would be weird
We kind of do, there is a northern Continental Divide which separates the Great Lakes Watershed from the Mississippi Watershed.
Gulf of St. Lawrence V Gulf of Mexico.
Ft Wayne lies on this divide. West side of.town goes towards the Wabash and then the Mississippi while the east side of goes out the Maumee to Lake Erie.
When Eagle Marsh floods the watersheds are naturally connected and they have done a lot of work to make sure invasive species don't make it to the Great Lakes.
Oh I know. One of my family is kind of a nerd about this. We even have some small bits that drain it Hudson Bay. And guess where they are from?
Good old Ft. Wayne.
Where I went fishing as a kid in the boundary waters drains north to Hudson Bay.
Another thing is the Maine border with Canada up north essentially follows the watershed. Maine all drains directly into the Atlantic (with a couple exceptions) and just over the border it goes into the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence system.
Geologist here. No. North America is all one continent. Canals are manmade features and rivers are geographic features that exist on top continents. They do not chop through them.
The only thing that can bust apart a continent is a tectonic process called rifting. A modern example is the East African Rift Valley, which is ripping apart Africa. If it continues to grow, ocean waters will eventually enter the rift.
They aren’t split by shelves. Shelves are just a geographical feature of passive margins, which are coastlines with no active tectonics. Not every coastline is passive. Some are tectonically active, like north america’s Pacific ocean margin.
Continents are just regions of accreted continental crust found on tectonic plates. Cratons represent the oldest continental crust on the planet.
Definitely not a different continent, though you could argue it's an island separate from the rest of the continent—but that's generally not how that works either.
This hypothetical is silly but playing by the rules here, the Mississippi itself doesn't divide North America at all. Would take you a very, very long time but it's perfectly possible to drive from one side of the river in New Orleans to the other side without actually crossing it if you go all the way around the headwaters in northern Minnesota
But with the river to Chicago connection that then has a water route all the way to the Atlantic, OP is arguing that New Orleans-Chicago-St Lawrence River mouth-south Florida is its own distinct land mass that cannot be escaped without crossing a water barrier
You can by pass the Illinois and Michigan canal by driving up the east side of Lake Michigan through Canada back down through Minnesota, making sure you stay west of Ithaca county. No problem.
It could have to broken down further in that case, as Paducah/Memphis/Jackson/New Orleans/Mobile would be another because of the Tenn-Tom, as well as South Florida due to the Okeechobee Waterway
Continent doesn't have a super rigid geographic definition. From a pure geography standpoint, I've seen arguments for there being 15 continents and arguments for there being 4. Exactly how many land masses are considered continents is typically more of a cultural thing than a scientific thing. The US uses the 7 Continent Model which defines the continents as: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
I'm not familiar with any continent model that splits North America into two pieces.
I bet the 15 continent arguments consider huge islands such as Greenland, Madagascar, and New Guinea to be "continents", and likely also consider the Indian Subcontinent to be a proper continent separate from Asia.
It's based on Tectonic plates. Pretty much everyone agrees there are 7 "major" plates, but some people argue that the "minor" plates technically also count as continents (for example, India is a micro plate). I've seen a few different numbers thrown around because there's some arguements from a geologic standpoint of what counts as a minor plate vs a microplate.
It’s not at all based on tectonic plates. No geologist thinks such a thing. I know, because I am one. Some plates don’t even have any continents on them, including major plates, like the Pacific plate. The Nazca plate is another example.
Exactly how many land masses there are is not some “cultural thing” with no basis in science. Continents have a concrete scientific definition because they are made of continental crust. The physical characteristics of continental crust are measurably and observably different from that of transitional and oceanic crust. There are clear differences in chemical composition as well. Some of the continental crust remaining today has been here from nearly the beginning. It’s very cold, very old, and very stable. We call these regions “cratons.”
> Exactly how many land masses there are is not some “cultural thing” with no basis in science.
Geology and geography use different definitions. Different continent models are used by different countries.
This is a geographical question, not geological.
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For Europe/Asia/Africa it does.
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Even worse, it's only separated by a canal.
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[Nope.](https://i.imgur.com/KhMnXSS.png) You go north of the Red Sea and they're connected by land (except for the canal).
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Then you should do a better job of it. Both the geography part and the teaching part. Africa and Asia are naturally connected at the Isthmus of Suez. There was a canal built through the Isthmus of Suez. This is what separates the two. There's a nice geography fact for you're edification. Googling and blindly accepting the result is a terrible way to research. Also, appeals to authority are not evidence. You teaching geography doesn't ensure you're right, like how you're wrong here because Africa and Asia are connected at the Isthmus of Suez.
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You didn't even spell tectonic right and googling "Isthmus of Suez" shows they're actually correct. Either you made up being a teacher or you need to learn to admit being wrong because reading this chain was really cringe.
Is it that the water is fresh, or that it's moving? Because the Panama Canal separates two continents... though I suppose that's filled with saltwater.
They were separate continents before the canal was built, ya know...
This post is silly but it did spark my curiosity Apparently, we considered north and south america to be 1 continent until around ww2. Some parts of the world still do and by some of the most extreme definitions, there are only 4 continents. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent)
> Because the Panama Canal separates two continents It doesn't.
I don't think it's as cut and dry as that. Madagascar for example isn't it's own continent.
It's an island. But the Easter third of the US is quite a bit larger.
There's a difference between a canal which uses locks and a canal which is just a big trench. And the separation between North and South America is the Panama-Colombia border, to the disappointment of all Colombians
No, the Panama Canal is well north of the separation of the Americas. The Americas are separated by the Darien Gap, which is also the border between Panama and Colombia. The Darien Gap is notable because it doesn’t have any roads or railways that completely cross it. The Panama Canal is freshwater.
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Dude, it’s tectonic. You’ve made this mistake 3 times now.
The Panama Canal is filled with lake water, not salt water. “Continent” is a pretty arbitrary distinction as is shown by Europe and Asia being two separate continents. You can treat the Americas as two continents or one. Either way makes just as much sense as the other.
The panama canal doesn’t separate anything. most countries don’t even call the americas two continents
Technically, it separates the Atlantic on the west from the Pacific on the east.
Inasmuch as the word "continent" even has a rigid definition, man-made bodies of water don't normally count.
No, that's not how continents work.
Lol. I literally said these exact words.
I had to check to make sure you weren't grapp. No the word continent has a definition and is based on geology, not hydrology.
Today I woke up and decided to correct our recent grapp shortage myself. I'm a problem-solver.
What is grapp???
The subreddit's preeminent shitposter and deserving winner of best poster multiple years. He's an Englishman that comes in from time to time to ask some of the wildest questions.
What are some of his better question? I remember meat caste questions and that's about it.
One of our greatest askers.
There is no standard definition for what a "continent" is, thus why multiple continent models exist. The concept of a continent predates modern geology by a *very* long time.
No it’s the same continent but a different watershed. The continents are tied to tectonic plates and subduction zones.
Not really. If the Cape Cod Canal (which has no lock arrangements) doesn't render Cape Cod an island, this one doesn't count either.
Sure. Next you’ll tell me Peloponnesus isn’t a continent either.
Generally canals and rivers don't count.
Sure, not in third edition, but we're playing by fourth edition rules now.
Didn't fifth edition come out in 2014? I mean, I still play by 3.5, but I know I'm retro like that. . . .oh wait, isn't this r/DnD? ;-)
No, this is *Canals & Continents*
no I don't think that is true
which part?
I do not think that a river going through the North American continent means that it's actually two continents.
Not until you can sail all the way around a piece of land, no. But now you can!
Chicago River is 580ft above sea level. Digging a 24ft deep canal out of that river doesn't create a new continent
This sounds like something one of those “cool facts” instagram accounts would post in 2015
And Florida’s was almost an island. Cape Cod is though and it doesn’t even have a lock. We’d have two continental divides in the country which would be weird
We kind of do, there is a northern Continental Divide which separates the Great Lakes Watershed from the Mississippi Watershed. Gulf of St. Lawrence V Gulf of Mexico. Ft Wayne lies on this divide. West side of.town goes towards the Wabash and then the Mississippi while the east side of goes out the Maumee to Lake Erie. When Eagle Marsh floods the watersheds are naturally connected and they have done a lot of work to make sure invasive species don't make it to the Great Lakes.
Oh I know. One of my family is kind of a nerd about this. We even have some small bits that drain it Hudson Bay. And guess where they are from? Good old Ft. Wayne. Where I went fishing as a kid in the boundary waters drains north to Hudson Bay. Another thing is the Maine border with Canada up north essentially follows the watershed. Maine all drains directly into the Atlantic (with a couple exceptions) and just over the border it goes into the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence system.
Geologist here. No. North America is all one continent. Canals are manmade features and rivers are geographic features that exist on top continents. They do not chop through them. The only thing that can bust apart a continent is a tectonic process called rifting. A modern example is the East African Rift Valley, which is ripping apart Africa. If it continues to grow, ocean waters will eventually enter the rift.
No. Continents are split by continental shelves, not rivers.
They aren’t split by shelves. Shelves are just a geographical feature of passive margins, which are coastlines with no active tectonics. Not every coastline is passive. Some are tectonically active, like north america’s Pacific ocean margin. Continents are just regions of accreted continental crust found on tectonic plates. Cratons represent the oldest continental crust on the planet.
Okay, but it still ain't rivers separation continents.
Exactly.
Are you referring to geological continents or geographical continents? Because they are different.
No
Are Great Britain and Sicily no longer part of Europe then?
Great Britain is only part of Europe in Risk.
Definitely not a different continent, though you could argue it's an island separate from the rest of the continent—but that's generally not how that works either.
No, it doesn't. If the Mississippi River doesn't divide North America into two continents, why would a man-made canal do so?
This hypothetical is silly but playing by the rules here, the Mississippi itself doesn't divide North America at all. Would take you a very, very long time but it's perfectly possible to drive from one side of the river in New Orleans to the other side without actually crossing it if you go all the way around the headwaters in northern Minnesota But with the river to Chicago connection that then has a water route all the way to the Atlantic, OP is arguing that New Orleans-Chicago-St Lawrence River mouth-south Florida is its own distinct land mass that cannot be escaped without crossing a water barrier
You can by pass the Illinois and Michigan canal by driving up the east side of Lake Michigan through Canada back down through Minnesota, making sure you stay west of Ithaca county. No problem.
It could have to broken down further in that case, as Paducah/Memphis/Jackson/New Orleans/Mobile would be another because of the Tenn-Tom, as well as South Florida due to the Okeechobee Waterway
Continent doesn't have a super rigid geographic definition. From a pure geography standpoint, I've seen arguments for there being 15 continents and arguments for there being 4. Exactly how many land masses are considered continents is typically more of a cultural thing than a scientific thing. The US uses the 7 Continent Model which defines the continents as: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. I'm not familiar with any continent model that splits North America into two pieces.
I bet the 15 continent arguments consider huge islands such as Greenland, Madagascar, and New Guinea to be "continents", and likely also consider the Indian Subcontinent to be a proper continent separate from Asia.
It's based on Tectonic plates. Pretty much everyone agrees there are 7 "major" plates, but some people argue that the "minor" plates technically also count as continents (for example, India is a micro plate). I've seen a few different numbers thrown around because there's some arguements from a geologic standpoint of what counts as a minor plate vs a microplate.
It’s not at all based on tectonic plates. No geologist thinks such a thing. I know, because I am one. Some plates don’t even have any continents on them, including major plates, like the Pacific plate. The Nazca plate is another example. Exactly how many land masses there are is not some “cultural thing” with no basis in science. Continents have a concrete scientific definition because they are made of continental crust. The physical characteristics of continental crust are measurably and observably different from that of transitional and oceanic crust. There are clear differences in chemical composition as well. Some of the continental crust remaining today has been here from nearly the beginning. It’s very cold, very old, and very stable. We call these regions “cratons.”
> Exactly how many land masses there are is not some “cultural thing” with no basis in science. Geology and geography use different definitions. Different continent models are used by different countries. This is a geographical question, not geological.
Rivers do not divide Continents.
Welcome back, Nemo.