Eurasia 10010 225668963 2008-07-14T20:38:29Z 98.15.189.248 /* Geology */ {{otheruses}} [[Image:LocationEurasia.png|thumbnail|Eurasia]] [[Image:Two-point-equidistant-asia.jpg|thumbnail|Eurasia, with [[North Africa]] and the [[Horn of Africa]] visible]] [[Image:Earth Eastern Hemisphere.jpg|right|thumb|African-Eurasian aspect of [[the Blue Marble|Earth]]]] '''Eurasia''' is a large [[landmass]] covering roughly 53,990,000 [[square kilometre|km²]] which is 10.6% of the surface of the [[Earth]] and 36.2% of its total land area. Sometimes considered a single [[continent]], Eurasia comprises the [[geo-political]] areas of [[Europe]] and [[Asia]], concepts which date back to [[classical antiquity]] with somewhat arbitrary borders. Eurasia, in turn, is part of the yet larger landmass of [[Afro-Eurasia]], as Eurasia is joined to [[Africa]] at the [[Suez canal|Isthmus of Suez]]. Eurasia has over 4.6 billion people, more than 69% of the world's [[human]] [[population]]. ==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 [[History of Eurasia|Eurasian history]] has developed with the aim of investigating the genetic, cultural and [[linguistics|linguistic]] relationships between European and Asian cultures of antiquity. These had long been considered distinct. ==Geology== {{main|Laurasia}} Eurasia formed 200 to 250 million years ago. It formed when [[Siberia (continent)|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. ==Use of term== {{Mergefrom|West Eurasia|date=May 2008}} In modern usage, the term ''Eurasian'' may also refer to a person of both European and Asian parentage, especially in '[[New World]]' countries such as the [[United States]], [[Canada]] and [[Australia]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Located primarily in the [[Eastern Hemisphere|eastern]] and [[Northern Hemisphere|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 Asia]]n republics, and the [[South Caucasus|Transcaucasian]] republics. In ancient times the Greeks who gave Europe its name believed Europe and Asia to be separate continents. Where to draw the dividing line between the two continents is still a matter of discussion. Especially whether the [[Kuma-Manych Depression]] or the [[Caucasus Mountains]] form the south-east boundary is disputed, since the [[Mount Elbrus]] would be part of Europe in the latter case, making it (and not the [[Mont Blanc]]) Europe's highest mountain. Most accepted is probably the boundary as defined by [[Philip Johan von Strahlenberg]] in the 18th century. He defined the dividing line along the [[Aegean Sea]], [[Dardanelles]], [[Sea of Marmara]], [[Bosporus]], [[Black Sea]], [[Kuma-Manych Depression]], [[Caspian Sea]], [[Ural River]], and [[Ural Mountains]]. This distinction between Europe and Asia has spread to the rest of the world, even though ''Asia'' contains multiple [[subregion|regions]] and cultures as large and populous as Europe, and as different and geographically separated from each other as they are from Europe. ==Use in fiction== Eurasia is a [[fictional country]], [[state]] or [[supranationalism|supranational]] entity appearing in several works of fantasy, literature and science fiction, including books, movies, television series and video games: * A [[Eurasia (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|Eurasia]] comprising approximately the same land area as the real-life landmass appears in [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''. This superstate excludes [[Great Britain|Britain]] and [[Ireland]] (both controlled by [[Oceania (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|Oceania]]) and [[Eastasia (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|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 three being [[Korea]], [[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 [[The Domination|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 [[Factions of the Cosmic Era#Earth Alliance|Earth Alliance]] in the [[Cosmic Era]] series of the [[anime]] franchise ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]''. * Eurasia is also used as the name of the fictional space colony that X and Zero must stop from colliding with Earth in the video game ''[[Mega Man X5]]''. * Eurasia is also the name of the super-state in the Japanese film "Casshern". Unlike most others fictional "Eurasias" this one has more Chinese/Japanese motives than Russian, although Russian seems to be the official written language. ==See also== {{Commons|Eurasia}} {{wiktionary}} * [[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]] * [[OSCE countries statistics]] ==External links== * [http://www.eurasianet.org EurasiaNet] * [http://www.eurasiagroup.net Eurasia Group] * [http://www.eurasianet.es Eurasia Researchers Virtual Meeting] {{Continents of the world}} {{Region}} {{IPA|}} [[Category:Eurasia| ]] [[Category:Supercontinents]] [[af:Eurasië]] [[als:Eurasien]] [[ar:أوراسيا]] [[an:Eurasia]] [[frp:Erasia]] [[ast:Eurasia]] [[az:Avrasiya]] [[be:Еўразія]] [[be-x-old:Эўразія]] [[bcl:Eurasya]] [[bs:Euroazija]] [[br:Eurazia]] [[bg:Евразия]] [[ca:Euràsia]] [[cs:Eurasie]] [[cy:Ewrasia]] [[da:Eurasien]] [[de:Eurasien]] [[et:Euraasia]] [[el:Ευρασία]] [[es:Eurasia]] [[eo:Eŭrazio]] [[eu:Eurasia]] [[fr:Eurasie]] [[fy:Jeraazje]] [[fur:Eurasie]] [[ga:An Eoráise]] [[gd:Eoràisia]] [[gl:Eurasia]] [[ko:유라시아]] [[hy:Եվրասիա]] [[hi:यूरेशिया]] [[hr:Euroazija]] [[io:Eurazia]] [[id:Eurasia]] [[ie:Eurasia]] [[is:Evrasía]] [[it:Eurasia]] [[he:אירואסיה]] [[ka:ევრაზია]] [[kk:Еуразия]] [[ht:Ewazi]] [[lad:Evrasia]] [[la:Eurasia]] [[lv:Eirāzija]] [[lt:Eurazija]] [[hu:Eurázsia]] [[mk:Евроазија]] [[mn:Еврази]] [[nl:Eurazië]] [[ja:ユーラシア大陸]] [[no:Eurasia]] [[nn:Eurasia]] [[nov:Eurasia]] [[nds:Eurasien]] [[pl:Eurazja]] [[pt:Eurásia]] [[ro:Eurasia]] [[rmy:Eurasiya]] [[qu:Iwrasya]] [[ru:Евразия (континент)]] [[simple:Eurasia]] [[sk:Eurázia]] [[sl:Evrazija]] [[sr:Евроазија]] [[sh:Eurazija]] [[su:Eurasia]] [[fi:Euraasia]] [[szl:Ojroazyjo]] [[sv:Eurasien]] [[ta:யூரேசியா]] [[th:ทวีปยูเรเชีย]] [[vi:Lục địa Á-Âu]] [[tg:Евросиё]] [[tr:Avrasya]] [[uk:Євразія]] [[ur:یوریشیا]] [[vec:Euraxia]] [[fiu-vro:Õuraasia]] [[wo:Tugalasi]] [[bat-smg:Eurazėjė]] [[zh:歐亞大陸]]