Continents

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In article <9jut06$h38$1...@slb3.atl.mindspring.net>,
"Maria Conlon" <mcon...@sprynet.com> posted:

> Bob Cunningham wrote in message
>> continent /"kQntIn<schwa>nt/ n. L15.
>> [...]
>> III 4 A continuous tract of land. obs. exc. as in sense 6
>> below. M16.
>> <obsolete> b Land as opp. to water; the earth. Only in
>> L16.
>> <obsolete> c The globe of the sun or moon. E–M17.
>> 5 The main land, as distinguished from islands,
>> peninsulas, etc.; mainland. Now chiefly in the Continent
>> (of Europe), the mainland of Europe as distinct from the
>> British Isles. L16.
>> 6 Any of the main continuous bodies of land (in Geol.,
>> continental crust) on the earth’s surface (of which six
>> are now recognized—Europe, Asia, Africa, N. and S.
>> America, Australia, Antarctica). E17.
>> 7 US Hist. The colonies or states of America
>> collectively, esp. at the time of the War of
>> Independence. M18.

> In point 6, I think there are seven continents listed -- unless "N. and
> S. America" are one instead of two.
> Am I misreading something? Am I unaware of the current thinking in this
> regard? Maybe the note in lll 4 explains it all, but I don't see how.
> Maria (Tootsie)

"[...] The continents are now usually regarded as six in
number: North America, South America, Europe, Asia,
Africa, and Australia. But other large bodies of land are
also reffered to as continents; as, the Antarctic
continent; the continent of Greenland. Europe, Asia, and
Africa are often grouped together as the Eastern
Continent, and North and South America as the Western
Continent. [...]"
- Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

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