The nine nations of North America--which are you from?
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37 members have voted
Quote: SanchoPanzaTectonic plates rarely follow specific continental divisions, unless you now want to say the Motagua Fault is a dividing line.
So? They're relevant because the boundaries between plates often produce things like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. I'd rather find out abut that, than argue whether this or that island is or is not part of a continent.
Quote: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.
Again, and so? They're still relevant be they fairly or unfairly drawn. How many wars have been started out of a dispute over borders?
Quote: SanchoPanza"Distance between Panama City, Panama, and Quito, Ecuador, as the crow flies:
635 miles (1022 km) (552 nautical miles)"--indo.com
If you or anyone else can find a professional geography source that designates Central America as a separate continent, please post it.
No one ever said that it was--only that it is NOT part of North America, as in the original topic of this thread.
Quote: mkl654321No one ever said that it was--only that it is NOT part of North America, as in the original topic of this thread.
OK. In that case can you or anyone else here find a professional geography source that designates Central America as part of South America?
Quote: SanchoPanzaOK. In that case can you or anyone else here find a professional geography source that designates Central America as part of South America?
I don't care if it's part of the moon, for the purposes of this discussion.
The designation is, of course, arbitrary. You could define "The Americas" as a single landmass, as you could Europe+Asia. But it makes sense to treat North and South America as separate landmasses, given that the land connection between them is tenuous (and practically impassable, even today). Central America is free to consider itself part of either continent, as it wishes. It is also free to consider itself part of neither. The question isn't all that important, given that there is no political designation based on within which continent a given nation lies.
Quote: kenarmanmkl not sure why you don't include Central America and the Caribean as part of North America. If your source is more established than National Geographic I would be glad to see it since NG includes all of the Caribean Islands and everything, north of and including Panama, as North America.
"I" don't include or exclude any area. The book that was the original topic of this discussion considered the Caribbean to be part of North America, but Central America to be separate.
I doubt very much that any National Geographic map, or any other of their sources, designates Panama as part of North America. Keep in mind that there are landmasses, such as Greenland, Hawaii, etc. that are not considered part of any of the seven continents; Central America would seem to qualify in this regard.
Quote: mkl654321I doubt very much that any National Geographic map, or any other of their sources, designates Panama as part of North America. Keep in mind that there are landmasses, such as Greenland, Hawaii, etc. that are not considered part of any of the seven continents; Central America would seem to qualify in this regard.[/q
Look it up and then appologize for your arrogance (oh I forgot you are a teacher and know everything) . Since since this is a gambling site we can also make a bet that NG's map of North America includes the areas I identified as being in North America. You pick the amount of the bet, anything up to $100 and I will provide the link. It is not hidden and is on the website.Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
Quote: mkl654321The question isn't all that important, given that there is no political designation based on within which continent a given nation lies.
Continental identification carries political, economic and social ramifications. Witness the African Unity organizations, SEATO, NATO, OAS, ANZAC and on and on and on.
Quote:it makes sense to treat North and South America as separate landmasses, given that the land connection between them is tenuous (and practically impassable, even today).
Someone who has not been in the region for years might make that uninformed statement. People familiar with the region know that in terms of the developing world, it has superior roadways, especially in view of extremely rugged terrains and especially in countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
