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{{Short description|Landmass consisting of Africa, Asia, and Europe}}
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The ] of '''Africa-Eurasia''', or '''Afro-Eurasia''', is the world's largest land mass and contains around 85% of the human population. It is typically subdivided into the ] ] and ] (which is culturally, but not geographically, divided into ] and ]) by drawing a line at the ]. Historians of the ] school may subdivide it into Eurasia-] and ], based on differing agricultural systems. (See ] for example.)
{{Infobox Continent
| title = Afro-Eurasia
Some geographers and historians have referred to it as '''Eurafrasia''' or '''Afrasia''' (omitting the European ]), although these terms have never come into general use. In ] the mainland of Africa-Eurasia (excluding islands such as the ], ] and ]) is sometimes it has also been referred as the '''World Island'''.
| image = {{Switcher|]|Show national borders|]|Hide national borders, Caspian Sea and most African Great Lakes|]|Flat map|default=1}}
| area = {{cvt|84,980,532|km2|sqmi}}
| population = 6.7 billion (2019)
| density = 78.5/km<sup>2</sup> (204.2/sq mi)
| demonym = Afro-Eurasian, Afroeurasian, Eurafrasian
| countries = 147
| dependencies = 17
| time = ] – ]
| cities =
| part_of = ]
}}


'''Afro-Eurasia''' (also '''Afroeurasia''' and '''Eurafrasia''') is a ] comprising the ]s of ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whfua.history.ucla.edu/eras/era5.php |title=This Big Era and the Three Essential Questions |last= |first= |author= |date= |website=whfua.history.ucla.edu |publisher=University of California, Los Angeles |language= |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote=For more than five millennia the population of Afroeurasia had grown steadily, forming larger and more complex political units such as the Han Chinese, Persian Achaemenid, and Roman empires.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wordwebonline.com/en/EURAFRASIA |title=Eurafrasia - WorldWeb dictionary definition |last= |first= |author= |date= |website=WordWeb |publisher= |language= |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote=}}</ref> The terms are ] of the names of its constituent parts. Afro-Eurasia has also been called the "]", in contrast to the "]" referring to the ].
The ] includes Africa-Eurasia and its surrounding islands.


Afro-Eurasia encompasses {{cvt|84,980,532|km2|sqmi}}, 57% of the world's land area, and has a population of approximately 6.7 billion people, roughly 86% of the ]. Together with ], they comprise the vast majority of the land in the world's ]. The Afro-Eurasian mainland is the largest and most populous contiguous landmass on ].
*]
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**] (sometimes moved to the list above)
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== Related terms ==
{{Continent}}
The following terms are used for similar concepts:
]


* ''']''': a term from ] for the world as was known to ancient Greek scholars, which was limited to Europe and parts of Africa and Asia.
]
* ''']''': a term from the ] which, for European explorers, contrasted their previously known world from the ] of the ].
]
* ''']''': a term coined by ] in his "]" (1904) and used in ] contexts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mackinder |first=Halford John |author-link=Halford Mackinder |title=]}}</ref> Mackinder defines the World Island as the large contiguous landmass, technically excluding islands such as the ], the ], ], and the ].<ref>See Francis P. Sempa, </ref> "Afro-Eurasia" generally includes those islands usually considered parts of ], ], and ].
]

]
== Geology ==
]
{{Further|African plate|Arabian plate|Eurasian plate|Indo-Australian plate|Somali plate}}
]

]
Although Afro-Eurasia is typically considered to comprise two or three separate ]s, it is not a proper ]. Instead, it is the largest present part of the ].<ref>Based upon 2019 population estimates from https://population.un.org/wpp/</ref>
]

]
=== Past ===
]
The oldest part of Afro-Eurasia is probably the ], which together with ] and parts of the ] and western ] formed part of the first supercontinent ] or ] around 3 ]. It has made up parts of every supercontinent since. At the breakup of ] around 200 ], the ] and ]s together formed ] while the ] remained in ], from which the ] split off. Upon impact with the Eurasian plate, the Indian plate created southern Asia around 50&nbsp;million years ago and began the formation of the ]. Around the same time, the Indian plate also ] with the ].
]

]
The ] broke off of Africa around ] and impacted the ] between 19 and 12&nbsp;million years ago during the ], ultimately forming the ] and ] chains of ]. After this initial connection of Afro-Eurasia, the ] along the ] closed a little less than 6&nbsp;million years ago in the ], fusing northwest Africa and Iberia together. This led to the nearly complete ] of the ], the ]. Eurasia and Africa were then again separated with the ] around 5.33&nbsp;million years ago refilling the ] through the ].

=== Present ===
Today, the ] and ] dominate their respective continents. However, the ] covers much of eastern Africa, creating the ]. In the eastern Mediterranean, the ], ] and ] also form a boundary with the African plate, which incorporates the ], ] and the coastal ] via the ]. Eurasia also includes the ], ], ], ], ] and ], with the ] incorporating the ] in the ].

Conventionally, Africa is joined to ] only by a relatively narrow ] (which has been split by the ] at the ]) and remains separated from Europe by the straits of Gibraltar and ].

=== Future ===
] ] has described the next 15 to 100 million years of tectonic development as fairly settled and predictable.<ref name="achyblakeyheart">{{cite news |last=Manaugh |first=Geoff |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/what-did-the-continents-look-like-millions-of-years-ago/279892/ |title=What Did the Continents Look Like Millions of Years Ago? |work=] |date=23 September 2013 |access-date=22 July 2014}}</ref> In that time, Africa is expected to continue ] northward. It will close the ],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scotese.com/future.htm |title=Future World |website=www.scotese.com}}</ref> quickly evaporating the ].<ref>{{cite book |quote=Only the inflow of Atlantic water maintains the present Mediterranean level. When that was shut off sometime between 6.5 to 6 MYBP, net evaporative loss set in at the rate of around 3,300 cubic kilometers yearly. At that rate, the 3.7 million cubic kilometres of water in the basin would dry up in scarcely more than a thousand years, leaving an extensive layer of salt some tens of meters thick and raising global sea level about 12 meters. |last=Cloud |first=Preston |author-link=Preston Cloud |date=1988 |title=Oasis in space. Earth history from the beginning |location=New York |publisher=] Inc. |page=440 |isbn=0-393-01952-7}}</ref> No supercontinent will form within the settled time frame, however, and the geologic record is full of unexpected shifts in tectonic activity that make further projections "very, very speculative".<ref name="achyblakeyheart" /> Three possibilities are known as ], ], and ].<ref name="NewSci">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Caroline |last2=Nield |first2=Ted |title=Pangaea, the comeback |work=] |date=20 October 2007 |url=http://www.science.org.au/nova/newscientist/104ns_011.htm |access-date=28 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413162401/http://www.science.org.au/nova/newscientist/104ns_011.htm |archive-date=13 April 2008}}</ref> In the first two, the ] closes and Africa remains fused to Eurasia, but Eurasia itself splits as Africa and Europe spin towards the west; in the last, the trio spin eastward together as the ] closes, creating land borders with the ].

== Extreme points ==
This is a list of the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location as well as the highest and lowest elevations on Afro-Eurasia.

=== Mainland ===
* Easternmost point
**By longitude — ], ]
**On a continuous eastbound path – ], ]
* Northernmost point – ], ]
* Southernmost point – ], ]
* Westernmost point – ], ]

=== Including islands ===
* Easternmost point – ]<sup>†</sup>, ]
* Northernmost point – ], ], ], ]
* Southernmost point – ], ]. If the ] are included in Africa, then Marion Island is the southernmost point at 46°54'S.
* Westernmost point – ], ]

<sup>†</sup> The ] passes through Asia, so this point is in the ] and is Asia’s easternmost point on a continuous path.

=== Elevation ===

• Highest point – ] or ], ] and ]
• Lowest point (on land) – shores of the ], between ] and ]

== See also ==
<!-- {{Misplaced Pages-Books}} -->
<!-- {{main|Outline of Afro-Eurasia|Index of Afro-Eurasia-related articles}} -->
<!-- *] -->
{{portal|Geography<!-- |Afro-Eurasia -->|Africa|Asia|Europe}}
{{commons}}

* ]
* ]
* ]
** ]
** ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ], argued to be central within Afro-Eurasia until 1000 AD<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burke |first=Edmund |date=2009 |title=Islam at the Center: Technological Complexes and the Roots of Modernity |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40542756 |journal=Journal of World History |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=186 |issn=1045-6007 |jstor=40542756}}</ref>
* ]
* '']''

=== Subregional groupings ===

* ]
* ]
* ]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* Interactive scholarly edition, with critical English translation and multimodal resources mashup (publications, images, videos) .

{{Continents of Earth}}

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Latest revision as of 11:39, 1 January 2025

Landmass consisting of Africa, Asia, and Europe
Afro-Eurasia
Show national bordersHide national borders, Caspian Sea and most African Great LakesFlat map
Area84,980,532 km (32,811,167 sq mi)
Population6.7 billion (2019)
Population density78.5/km (204.2/sq mi)
DemonymAfro-Eurasian, Afroeurasian, Eurafrasian
Countries147
Dependencies17
Time zonesUTC−01:00 – UTC+12:00
Part ofEarth

Afro-Eurasia (also Afroeurasia and Eurafrasia) is a landmass comprising the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia. The terms are compound words of the names of its constituent parts. Afro-Eurasia has also been called the "Old World", in contrast to the "New World" referring to the Americas.

Afro-Eurasia encompasses 84,980,532 km (32,811,167 sq mi), 57% of the world's land area, and has a population of approximately 6.7 billion people, roughly 86% of the world population. Together with mainland Australia, they comprise the vast majority of the land in the world's Eastern Hemisphere. The Afro-Eurasian mainland is the largest and most populous contiguous landmass on Earth.

Related terms

The following terms are used for similar concepts:

Geology

Further information: African plate, Arabian plate, Eurasian plate, Indo-Australian plate, and Somali plate

Although Afro-Eurasia is typically considered to comprise two or three separate continents, it is not a proper supercontinent. Instead, it is the largest present part of the supercontinent cycle.

Past

The oldest part of Afro-Eurasia is probably the Kaapvaal Craton, which together with Madagascar and parts of the Indian subcontinent and western Australian continent formed part of the first supercontinent Vaalbara or Ur around 3 billion years ago. It has made up parts of every supercontinent since. At the breakup of Pangaea around 200 million years ago, the North American and Eurasian plates together formed Laurasia while the African plate remained in Gondwana, from which the Indian plate split off. Upon impact with the Eurasian plate, the Indian plate created southern Asia around 50 million years ago and began the formation of the Himalayas. Around the same time, the Indian plate also fused with the Australian plate.

The Arabian plate broke off of Africa around 30 million years ago and impacted the Iranian plate between 19 and 12 million years ago during the Miocene, ultimately forming the Alborz and Zagros chains of Iranian plate. After this initial connection of Afro-Eurasia, the Betic corridor along the Gibraltar Arc closed a little less than 6 million years ago in the Messinian, fusing northwest Africa and Iberia together. This led to the nearly complete desiccation of the Mediterranean Basin, the Messinian salinity crisis. Eurasia and Africa were then again separated with the Zanclean Flood around 5.33 million years ago refilling the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Present

Today, the Eurasian plate and African plate dominate their respective continents. However, the Somali plate covers much of eastern Africa, creating the East African Rift. In the eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea plate, Anatolian plate and Arabian plate also form a boundary with the African plate, which incorporates the Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Aqaba and the coastal Levant via the Dead Sea transform. Eurasia also includes the Indian plate, Burma plate, Sunda plate, Yangtze plate, Amur plate and Okhotsk plate, with the North American plate incorporating the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East.

Conventionally, Africa is joined to Eurasia only by a relatively narrow land bridge (which has been split by the Suez Canal at the Isthmus of Suez) and remains separated from Europe by the straits of Gibraltar and Sicily.

Future

Paleogeologist Ronald Blakey has described the next 15 to 100 million years of tectonic development as fairly settled and predictable. In that time, Africa is expected to continue drifting northward. It will close the Strait of Gibraltar, quickly evaporating the Mediterranean Sea. No supercontinent will form within the settled time frame, however, and the geologic record is full of unexpected shifts in tectonic activity that make further projections "very, very speculative". Three possibilities are known as Novopangaea, Amasia, and Pangaea Proxima. In the first two, the Pacific closes and Africa remains fused to Eurasia, but Eurasia itself splits as Africa and Europe spin towards the west; in the last, the trio spin eastward together as the Atlantic closes, creating land borders with the Americas.

Extreme points

This is a list of the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location as well as the highest and lowest elevations on Afro-Eurasia.

Mainland

Including islands

The 180th meridian passes through Asia, so this point is in the Western Hemisphere and is Asia’s easternmost point on a continuous path.

Elevation

• Highest point – Mount Everest or Qomolangma, China and Nepal • Lowest point (on land) – shores of the Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordan

See also

Subregional groupings

References

  1. "This Big Era and the Three Essential Questions". whfua.history.ucla.edu. University of California, Los Angeles. For more than five millennia the population of Afroeurasia had grown steadily, forming larger and more complex political units such as the Han Chinese, Persian Achaemenid, and Roman empires.
  2. "Eurafrasia - WorldWeb dictionary definition". WordWeb.
  3. Mackinder, Halford John. The Geographical Pivot of History.
  4. See Francis P. Sempa, Mackinder's World
  5. Based upon 2019 population estimates from https://population.un.org/wpp/
  6. ^ Manaugh, Geoff (23 September 2013). "What Did the Continents Look Like Millions of Years Ago?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  7. "Future World". www.scotese.com.
  8. Cloud, Preston (1988). Oasis in space. Earth history from the beginning. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc. p. 440. ISBN 0-393-01952-7. Only the inflow of Atlantic water maintains the present Mediterranean level. When that was shut off sometime between 6.5 to 6 MYBP, net evaporative loss set in at the rate of around 3,300 cubic kilometers yearly. At that rate, the 3.7 million cubic kilometres of water in the basin would dry up in scarcely more than a thousand years, leaving an extensive layer of salt some tens of meters thick and raising global sea level about 12 meters.
  9. Williams, Caroline; Nield, Ted (20 October 2007). "Pangaea, the comeback". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  10. Burke, Edmund (2009). "Islam at the Center: Technological Complexes and the Roots of Modernity". Journal of World History. 20 (2): 186. ISSN 1045-6007. JSTOR 40542756.

External links

  • Interactive scholarly edition, with critical English translation and multimodal resources mashup (publications, images, videos) Engineering Historical Memory.
Continents of Earth
   


Africa


Antarctica


Asia


Australia


Europe


North America


South America

   


Afro-Eurasia


Americas


Eurasia


Oceania

   
   
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