YOU may often hear the term continent. What do you understand by continent? How many continents are there on earth?
One of the continents is Asia which is the largest continent in the world and consists of many countries including Indonesia. Each country on the continent has different natural and socio-cultural potentials, so that there has long been interaction between countries in Asia. The form of interaction is seen in various forms such as trade, the spread of religion, and politics.
Countries in the Asian continent also interact with countries in other continents. This interaction has even been going on for a long time since the arrival of European nations to several countries in Asia. The rapid progress of science and technology today allows this interaction to run more intensively.
Therefore, let’s learn about the continents and the number of continents that have different interpretations from experts. Here is the explanation as reported from the book Social Sciences/Ministry of Education and Culture for Junior High School/MTs Class IX by Iwan Setiawan et al.
Definition of continent
A continent is a land mass that has certain characteristics. For geographers, a continent is not only a physical term but also involves cultural aspects.
That is why Asia and Europe are considered as two different continents even though they are still in one land mass that is united. The separator is the different cultures between Europe and Asia.
Also read: These are the 7 Largest Continents on the Earth’s Surface
In the beginning, on the surface of the earth there was only one continent called Pangea. The continents then broke apart and moved away from each other or closer to each other. In a period of millions of years, the continents that we know today were formed.
Number of continents
How many continents are there in the world? Some geographers have different opinions about it. Some geographers say there are seven continents in the world. While others say there are six and five continents.
Those who say there are seven continents divide them into the continents of Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Those who say there are six continents divide them into the continents of Eurasia (a combination of Europe and Asia), North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
Also read: Islamic Republic of Iran Brief History, Religion, Land and Climate
Those who mention five continents divide them into Eurasia (a combination of Europe and Asia), America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. There are also those who divide them into five continents but do not include Antarctica, so that the continents of the world consist of Asia, Europe, America, Africa, and Australia.
In the IPS Class IX Kemendikbud book, we will use the division of continents into five, namely Asia, Europe, America, Africa, and Australia. These continents have different natural conditions. Likewise with cultural conditions.
Therefore, since long ago there has been interaction between continents. Where are the continents located? How is the area of each continent compared? We will review it in a different article. (Z-2)
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