The nine nations of North America--which are you from?

Quote: Wavy70

We in the Northeast find he rest of the country delightful.

Hey Wavy since Gerry is no longer and I haven't finished my AP training could I rent your egg. You can have 10% of all my winnings.

Quote: kenarman

Hey Wavy since Gerry is no longer and I haven't finished my AP training could I rent your egg. You can have 10% of all my winnings.

I'll have to ask the egg.

Either the highest percentage of Americans are originally from the foundry or the highest percentage of gamblers are from there.

Quote: clarkacal

Either the highest percentage of Americans are originally from the foundry or the highest percentage of gamblers are from there.

Well, when you include Chicago and New York City in it you are accounting for a large chunk of the population right there.

I would actually posit that The Foundry begins in northern New Jersey and extends to the South Side of Chicago, or at least Gary. Chicago proper and New York City are excluded.

Quote: Nareed

Geographically, designations are as arbitrary as politically ;)

Only for obscure agendas, as we have seen with meterology.

Quote: Nareed

But consider, you have a continious land mass from Alaska to Yucatan, which then narrows until it passes the equator. I'd call the first mass North america, and the rest South America. Designtaing the land in between as Central America or not is optional.

First, the continuous land mass does not "narrow until it passes the Equator." It narrows a rather large distance north of the Equator and then widens.

Here is geographical consensus, not "I'd call." The penultimate entry is the relevant one in this discussion:

Which Continent?
On Which Continent Will You Find...

By Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide

I often receive questions about on which continent one can find a certain place. Below are some of the most frequent questions. I define there to be seven continents - 1) Europe, 2) Australia, 3) Africa, 4) Antarctica, 5) North America, 6) Asia, and 7) South America. Those places which are not part of a continent can be included as part of a region of the world.

On which continent are the islands of the Caribbean?

The islands of the Caribbean are not on a continent. They are usually considered to be part of the geographic region known as North America or Latin America.

On which continent is Greenland?

Greenland is part of North America even though it is a territory of Denmark (which is in Europe).

On which continent is the South Pole?

Antarctica.

On which continent is the North Pole?

None. The North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

On which continent is the Prime Meridian?

The Prime Meridian runs through Europe, Africa, and Antarctica.

On which continent is the International Date Line?

The International Date Line only runs through Antarctica.

On which continent is the equator?

The equator passes through South America, Africa, and Asia.

On which continent is the deepest point on land?

The deepest point on land is the Dead Sea, located on the border of Israel and Jordan in Asia.

On which continent is Hawaii

Hawaii is not on a continent as an island chain far from a land mass.

On which continent is Egypt?

Egypt is mostly part of Africa although the Sinai Peninsula in northeastern Egypt is part of Asia.

On which continent is Australia?

Australia is its own continent.

On which continent is New Zealand?

New Zealand is an oceanic island far from a continent and thus, like the Caribbean, it is not on a continent but is often considered to be part of the "Australia and Oceania" region.

On which continent is Panama?

The border between Panama and Colombia is the border between North America and South America so Panama is in North America and Colombia is in South America.

On which continent is Turkey?

While most of Turkey lies geographically in Asia (the Anatolian Peninsula is Asian), far western Turkey lies in Europe.

Quote: SanchoPanza

First, the continuous land mass does not "narrow until it passes the Equator." It narrows a rather large distance north of the Equator and then widens.

Read again. I said the mass goes to Yucatan and then narrows until it passes the Equator. meaning it narrows after Yucatan and continues that way until it passes the Equator. Actually it widens before reaching the Equator, so all of Central America is north of it.

Quote: Nareed

Read again. I said the mass goes to Yucatan and then narrows until it passes the Equator. meaning it narrows after Yucatan and continues that way until it passes the Equator. Actually it widens before reaching the Equator, so all of Central America is north of it.

It reaches its narrowest point at the Panamanian Isthmus, which is well north of the Equator, then widens considerably almost immediately. But a country south of Mexico is part of Central America, not North America. The division of the Americas into North, Central, and South doesn't mean the three regions aren't one contiguous landmass.

Quote: mkl654321

It reaches its narrowest point at the Panamanian Isthmus, which is well north of the Equator, then widens considerably almost immediately.

"Distance between Panama City, Panama, and Quito, Ecuador, as the crow flies:
635 miles (1022 km) (552 nautical miles)"--indo.com

Quote:

A country south of Mexico is part of Central America, not North America. The division of the Americas into North, Central, and South doesn't mean the three regions aren't one contiguous landmass.

If you or anyone else can find a professional geography source that designates Central America as a separate continent, please post it.

DISCLAIMER: I did very well on geography at school. It was a subject on its own for three years in junior high school.

That said, who cares how continents are divided and whether or not an island chain is or isn't part of a particular continent?

The question has some geological relevance, but even then there are more important things like plate boundaries and fault lines. Geographically national borders matter most. About the only country whose location continent-wise has any relevance is Turkey, because if it is part of Europe then it has some claim for admitance in the Europen Union (not a great claim, mind)

Quote: Nareed

Who cares how continents are divided?

The misleading title of this thread has clearly sparked a number of comments, not the least of these are:

"In another thread, the OP asked people what region of North America they had come from--which created some predictable questions about which region a given state or province lies in."

"Unfortunately North America extends from Alaska to the North all the way down to the Mexican border with Belize and Guatemala."

Quote:

The question has some geological relevance, but even then there are more important things like plate boundaries and fault lines. Geographically national borders matter most.

No expert has ever declared the Isthmus of Tehuantepec the division between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is more than 1,400 miles north of the Equator.

Tectonic plates rarely follow specific continental divisions, unless you now want to say the Motagua Fault is a dividing line.

And national borders can often be highly aribitrary. Witness Woodrow Wilson and Arthur Balfour, as well as some of their free-wheeling successors. Viz Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.