Why do people think there are only 7 continents and 4 oceans?

[RebeccaChambers]

There are 9 continents:
Africa
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Europe
Kergulen Plateau
North America
South America
Zealandia

There are also 2 "debatable" continents:
Greenland
India

And 5 oceans:
Arctic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Southern Ocean

[Quahog]

People don't count Kergulen Plateau and Zealandia as a continents, sort of like how people don't count Pluto as a planet anymore.

[Iceman]

Your kidding, right?

[Vonn]

Because schools everywhere have been teaching that there are only seven continents and four oceans since we were old enough to read a map?

[Amnesiac]

There are 9 continents:
Africa
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Europe
Kergulen Plateau
North America
South America
Zealandia

There are also 2 "debatable" continents:
Greenland
India

And 5 oceans:
Arctic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Southern Ocean

While I agree with you on the oceans, I don't on the continents. A submerged continent is not a continent, like a dwarf planet isn't a planet.

Conventionally, "Continents are understood to be large, continuous, discrete masses of land, ideally separated by expanses of water."

India is a subcontinent at best, and Greenland is much too small to be a continent. Actually, Greenland isn't even a unified single island:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Topographic_map_of_Greenland_bedrock.jpg

[RebeccaChambers]

While I agree with you on the oceans, I don't on the continents. A submerged continent is not a continent, like a dwarf planet isn't a planet.

They aren't entirely submerged.

[Amnesiac]

They aren't entirely submerged.

They aren't large, continuous stretches of land either. A little island surrounded by an oceanic plateau doesn't qualify it as a continent.

[Jess]

I only agree with you on the oceans. There is a 5th one

[mrmcdonaldduck]

Oceans, yes but continents, no.

Really, there are only 4 continents. Africa, Asia/Europe, The Americas and Oceania. Not that i agree with that, but thats what there really is.

[Donkey]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Pangea_animation_03.gif

Interesting thoughts.

[JunkBondTrader]

If this is true, why not just refer to every little island as a continent? Britain isn't a continent, neither is Ireland or Japan or Madagascar or any of these places. India is a subcontinent because it's entirely attatched to Asia.

Truthfully, there's no accepted definition as to what constitutes a continent, Indeed, the boundary between Europe and Asia is mostly cultural. Some actually consider Europe, Asia and Africa to be one continent ("Afro-Eurasia" or something like that) which would kind of make sense by your definition. But no, if it's been submerged, it ain't a continent no more.

[gingeylover14]

technicaly a continent is "that part of the earth's crust that rises above the oceans and is composed of sialic rocks. Including the continental shelves" so there couls be hundreds of them on earths surface

[Bluesman]

Well... it's just the way we think about the world lol. And honestly, who cares?

[Infidelitas]

asia isnt a contenant; Eurasia contains asia and europe, russia ect