If you were asked what continent the UK was in...

[florenceuk]

would you think there was something wrong with the question? I would presume, the UK is in Europe, but it is an island, not a continent?

DS's homework also assumes that "Oceania" is a continent - I always assumed that Australia was the continent, Oceania was the region.

Am I just old-fashioned???

True, England is an island, but so is Sicily and Corsica and Zealand and Funen- would you not count them as part of Europe either?

I thought it was Australasia which Australia was part of.

Dunno about Oceania.

But yes, you can definitely have islands which are part of a greater continent.

well australia is an island too :-P

sorry, op, the Uk is an island, but it is in the continent of Europe

I thought the continent down under was called Australasia.

UK is part of the continent of Europe, as Cory said.

Europe

And think it was australasia - years ago - but they have changed it.

Eh? England is not an island. What about Scotland and Wales? Great Britain is the name of the Island

England is not an island - it is attached to Wales and Scotland.........

I think the UK is part of the continent known as Europe

I think of Oceania as a region, Australasia as a continent

Well, if its not in Europe, what continent is the UK in then op?

I always took a continent to be a landmass ie not a political region but an actual landmass above sea? Clearly the common usage does not appear to be this, I stand corrected (but can somebody defend me)

The UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) is in Europe.

As is Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and the British Isles (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and many other islands such as the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and various others including Scottish ones).

hey, I didn't say England was an island (that was Cory) - mind you, I am a NZ-er and I was always taught Australia was a continent, we were (two) islands.

does this help??

and yes, sorry i said the uk was an island. duh.

UK is definitely part of Europe, the continent.

Oceania is the current popular terminology for Australia and a number of pacific islands.

I think you are muddling the literal concept of a "continent" as one contigious landmass, and the geographical usage of the term which is wider. When I was small (all those years ago...) Oceania wasn't the term, but it is now!

About the UK being in Europe, you are not old fashioned, just wrong. The UK has always been part of Europe. Unless you are talking about "continental Europe" but I think it's only the UK that does this, and a fairly old fashioned term at that.

The Australia bit is more complicated, and depends on whether he is learning about seven continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia) or one of the other schemes (six, five or even four continents).

Basically the definition of what makes a continent is a bit fuzzy. Is it one landmass, in which case why the split between Europe and Asia (so some schemes use Eurasia instead), are North and South America one or two continents (sometimes they have been considered as one)? Then you can have Australia, Australia-Guinea or Oceania which include more or less of the islands in that region.

Oooh its like a Pedants' Festival, innit

All right, I had noticed Scotland and Wales; just being sloppy.

Isn't the UK and the rest of Europe on the same continental shelf?

when I was at school I was taught there are 5 continents

europe
africa
asia
america
australia

my inlaws came back from a cruise with a map that showed 7 continents

north america
south america
asia
europe
oceania
antartica
artic

I dont know which one if either is correct

and the uk is most certainly part of europe

There are 7 continents, and the UK is part of Europe.

UK - definitely part of Europe as otherwise it would have to be its own continent.

There's between 3 and 7 continents depending on how you're defining them this week (Afro-Eurasia is one continental land mass, plus America and Antarctica, if you decide Australia is 'only' an island), more if you subdivide and include Australasia/Oceania.

IS oceania the new name for australasia then?

Arctic is not a continent, it is an ocean!! The seven continents are Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania/Australasia and Antarctica. When I was at school, there were only 5 - the Americas counted as one and nobody counted Antartica!

Re UK being an island, if the sea level fell (highly unlikely , it wouldn't be!!

I think the continental plates are the important factors -- Britain is on the European continental plate? (India being a 'sub-continent') I learned N and S America were two separate continents (but then I went to school in Ireland)

What continent does Latin America see itself belonging to? Or is it Mexico is North American and the rest are South?

When I was at school (60s) Australia was a country in Oceania although I had heard of Australasia. Maybe the teachers didn't know themselves!

I think Mexico is considered as N America, the rest is South.