Alternate Geographic Definitions of Europe

[Hvalrossen]

There are alternate worlds where the dividing line between Europe and Africa is the Sahara.

This ATL scenario might be likely if North Africa had remained christian, preferly similar christian faction.

 

[Hvalrossen]

We really should just consider a Europe a subcontinent of Eurasia, like the Indian subcontinent.

Should the Scandinavian peninsula then be considered part of the European peninsula or independant from the European peninsula? Iberia and Italy probably would be seen as sub-peninsulas of Europe, but is this the case for Scandinavia?

 

[Mr_Fanboy]

There are alternate worlds where the dividing line between Europe and Africa is the Sahara.

But where would the eastern border of *Europe be here?

 

[funnyhat]

Should the Scandinavian peninsula then be considered part of the European peninsula or independant from the European peninsula? Iberia and Italy probably would be seen as sub-peninsulas of Europe, but is this the case for Scandinavia?

I think of Europe as a subcontinent with multiple peninsulas (including Scandinavia).

 

[Napoleonrules]

No English dictionary that I can find - whether it's Dictionary.com or Collinsdictionary.com or Merriam-Webster - says anything about a continental plate being a necessity to be a subcontinent. All just say that a subcontinent is part of a larger continent.

Molnar, Peter (26 March 2015), Plate Tectonics: A Very Short Introduction, OUP Oxford, ISBN 978-0-19-104396-3 and Baldwin, James A. (14 May 2014), "Continents", in R. W. McColl, Encyclopedia of World Geography, Infobase Publishing both say subcontinents as a geological term means portions of a larger landmass but is part of a different plate, thus Arabian peninsula and Alaska are subcontinents.

Just a tip- dictionaries aren't considered reliable sources to be cited in academia for a reason.

 

[funnyhat]

Molnar, Peter (26 March 2015), Plate Tectonics: A Very Short Introduction, OUP Oxford, ISBN 978-0-19-104396-3 and Baldwin, James A. (14 May 2014), "Continents", in R. W. McColl, Encyclopedia of World Geography, Infobase Publishing both say subcontinents as a geological term means portions of a larger landmass but is part of a different plate, thus Arabian peninsula and Alaska are subcontinents.

Just a tip- dictionaries aren't considered reliable sources to be cited in academia for a reason.

This isn't academia. It's an internet message board. Peter Molnar is free to define subcontinents how he wants in his own writings, but he doesn't define popular usage.

 

[Napoleonrules]

This isn't academia. It's an internet message board. Peter Molnar is free to define subcontinents how he wants in his own writings, but he doesn't define popular usage.

We go by a higher criteria than popular usage, sorry but AH.com does have community standards. We do keep to scientific ideas and definitions, that's why we have an ASB because we realize what is scientifically possible and what isn't.

 

[telynk]

I don't know if this helps at all, but Europe was at one point a separate continent called Baltica. The Baltica plate has since fused to the Siberian plate to form the core of Eurasia, but Baltica could be a reasonable basis on which to refer to Europe as a "subcontinent".

 

[Napoleonrules]

I don't know if this helps at all, but Europe was at one point a separate continent called Baltica. The Baltica plate has since fused to the Siberian plate to form the core of Eurasia, but Baltica could be a reasonable basis on which to refer to Europe as a "subcontinent".

That is true. One of the oldest cratons.