Thanks, RT.

RHEA TANNENBAUM wrote:

> Okay, this continent vs. island discussion has gone far enough <G>.
>
> Continents and islands are not mutually exclusive. (All squares are
> rectangles, but not all rectangles are square.) Australia meets the
> definition of an island in that it is surrounded by water. It also meets the
> definition of a continent because it is a distinct land mass situated on a
> continental plate.
>
> North America also has its own continental plate(s), as do South America,
> Africa and Antarctica, but again they are distinct land masses. Eurasia is a
> tougher call...but here in the U.S. we differentiate Europe and Asia as
> distinct continents. India is a sub-continent...although it sits on its own
> continental plate, that plate collided with the Asian plate (which is how
> the Himalaya were formed).
>
> The convention in the U.S. is that there are seven continents. Apparently
> (and my, was I surprised) that convention is not universally applied or
> accepted.
>
> Maybe this thread should be cross-posted to a geography or geology list.
> <GGG>