Eurasia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurasia is a large landmass covering about 53,990,000 km² (or about 10.6%) of the Earth's surface. Often considered a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are somewhat arbitrary. Eurasia, in turn, is part of the yet larger landmass of Afro-Eurasia, whereby Eurasia is joined to Africa at the Isthmus of Suez.

Eurasia has in excess of 4.6 billion people, more than 69% of the world's human population.

Contents 1 History and culture 2 Geology 3 Use of term 4 Use in fiction 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] History and culture

Jared Diamond, in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel, credits Eurasia's dominance in world history to the east-west extent of Eurasia and its climate zones, and the availability of Eurasian animals and plants suitable for domestication. He includes North Africa in his definition of Eurasia.

The Silk Road symbolizes trade and cultural exchange linking Eurasian cultures through history and has been an increasingly popular topic. Over recent decades the idea of a greater Eurasian history has developed with the aim of investigating the genetic, cultural and linguistic relationships between European and Asian cultures of antiquity. These had long been considered distinct.

Eurasia was first circumnavigated by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in 1878-79.

[edit] Geology

Main article: Laurasia

Eurasia formed 325 to 375 million years ago. It formed when Siberia (once an independent continent), Kazakhstania, and Baltica (which was joined to Laurentia (now North America) to form Euramerica) joined. Chinese cratons collided with Siberia's southern coast.

[edit] Use of term

In modern usage, the term Eurasian generally refers to a person of both European and Asian parentage, especially in new world countries such as the United States and Australia.^{[citation needed]}

Located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Eurasia is considered a supercontinent, part of the supercontinent of Afro-Eurasia or simply a continent in its own right. In plate tectonics, the Eurasian Plate includes Europe and most of Asia but not the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula or the area of the Russian Far East east of the Chersky Range. Eurasia is also sometimes used in geopolitics as a neutral way to refer to organizations of or affairs concerning the post-Soviet states, in particular Russia, the Central Asian republics, and the Transcaucasian republics.

Europeans traditionally considered Europe and Asia to be separate continents, with the dividing line placed along the Aegean Sea, Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara, Bosporus, Black Sea, Caucasus Mountains, Caspian Sea, Ural River, and Ural Mountains, and this terminology has spread to the rest of the world, even though Asia contains multiple regions and cultures as large and populous as Europe, and as different and geographically separated from each other as they are from Europe. From a modern perspective in scientific circles people generally prefer to subsume Europe and Asia into Eurasia.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Use in fiction

Eurasia is a fictional country, state or supranational entity appearing in several works of fantasy, literature and science fiction, including books, movies, television series and video games:

• A Eurasia comprising approximately the same land area as the real-life landmass appears in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. This superstate excludes Britain and Ireland (both controlled by Oceania) and Eastasia, the latter of which was formed after a 'decade of confused fighting' by an alliance of the states of the real-life East Asia region, the most important two being China and Japan. India was a contested border zone between Eurasia and Oceania and was the most famous state involved.

• Robert A. Heinlein's story Solution Unsatisfactory, written in 1940, describes a future 1945 (now to be considered an alternate history) in which the Soviet Union is transformed into the 'Eurasian Union'.

• In S. M. Stirling's dystopian Draka alternative history series, the analogue to World War II is known as "The Eurasian War". Somewhat similar in its geography to Orwell's scenario, the war ends with most of Eurasia—excluding the British Isles, India and southeast Asia—being conquered by the extremely oppressive Draka who literally enslave everybody else.

• In the universe of the Earth game series (Earth 2140, Earth 2150, Earth 2160), one of the major factions is the Eurasian Dynasty.

• Eurasia is a large and powerful terrestrial state and member of the Earth Alliance in the Cosmic Era series of the epic anime franchise Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

• Eurasia is also used as the name of the fictional space colony that Mega Man and Zero must stop from colliding with Earth in the video game Mega Man X5.

[edit] See also

• Palearctic
• Laurasia, a geological supercontinent joining Eurasia and North America.
• Euramerica, a geological supercontinent joining Baltica (Western Europe) and North America.
• Eurasian Economic Community
• Neo-Eurasianism
• Eurasian
• Afro-Eurasia
• History of West Eurasia.

[edit] External links

• EurasiaNet
• Eurasia Group
• Eurasia Researchers Virtual Meeting

v • d • e Continents of the world
Image:LocationAfricaEurasia.png Afro-Eurasia Image:LocationAmericas.png Americas Image:LocationEurasia.png Eurasia Image:LocationOceania.png Oceania Image:LocationAfrica.png Africa Image:LocationAntarctica.png Antarctica Image:LocationAsia.png Asia Image:LocationAustralia.png Australia Image:LocationEurope.png Europe Image:LocationNorthAmerica.png N. America Image:LocationSouthAmerica.png S. America Geological supercontinents Gondwana · Laurasia · Pangaea · Pannotia · Proto-Gondwana · Proto-Laurasia · Rodinia · Columbia · Kenorland · Ur · Vaalbara Historical continents Arctica · Asiamerica · Atlantica · Avalonia · Baltica · Cimmeria · Congo craton · Euramerica · Kalahari Desert · Kazakhstania · Laurentia · Siberia · South China · Ur Submerged continents Kerguelen Plateau · Zealandia Possible future supercontinents Pangaea Ultima · Amasia Mythical and theorized continents Atlantis · Lemuria · Mu · Terra Australis
See also Regions of the world

v • d • e Regions of the world
Image:LocationAfrica.png Africa Central · Eastern · Northern · Southern · Sub-Saharan · Western Image:LocationAmericas.png Americas Anglo · Caribbean · Central · Latin · Middle · North · Northern · South Image:LocationAsia.png Asia Central · Eastern · Northern · Southern · Southeastern · Southwestern/Western Image:LocationEurope.png Europe Central · Northern · Southern · Western · Eastern	Image:LocationOceania.png Oceania Australasia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Polynesia Image:LocationPolarRegions.png Polar Arctic · Antarctic Other Asia-Pacific · Caucasus · Far East · Indian subcontinent · Middle East Image:LocationOceans.png Oceans World · Arctic · Atlantic · Indian · Pacific · Southern
See also Continents of the world

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