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Date: | Fri, 18 Sep 1998 10:08:31 -0500 |
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1) I have noticed there has been no mention of "Eurasia." I have
never cared much for this term. Is it used outside of the USA?
2) With all honor and respect for my second-favorite continent,
I've often wondered how the distinction between "continent" and "island"
is made. Based on this thread, it seems there is no hard-and-fast
definition of the c-word.
In fact, I once worked at a natural history museum which stated New
Guinea was the world's second-largest island, after Greenland. A
visitor from Australia felt his homeland deserved the
world's-largest-island title. I asked the staff geologist why Australia
wasn't listed as such, and he rather vaguely said "Because it's a
continent." But when pressed for a definition, he shrugged and turned
back to his work. Have I uncovered a vast conspiracy amongst geologists
to shroud their profession in mystery, keeping the uninitiated lay
person at arm's length?
With best wishes for a pleasant weekend (though not as nice as the ones
in Sydney, I'm sure),
-- Gene
Eugene Dillenburg
Lead Developer, Philippines Coral Reef exhibit
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605
V: (312) 692-3136
F: (312) 939-8001
e: [log in to unmask]
"Our management consultants actually queried the necessity of our firm
to employ a pantomime horse at all."
-- M. Python, 1970
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