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[–] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

Iirc we have the ancient greeks to thank for the current distinction. They named Europe the region north of greece, and Asia the region east of Anatolia, and then eventually decided that their actual boundary should be the middle of the black sea

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I thought the boundary was generally agreed upon as the Ural and Caucasus Mountains?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 child)

    That would be eventually. Back then, Europe and Asia weren't continents, they were names of undetermined regions that were north or east of them respectively.

    I don't know when or who decided "you know what? This whole region? It's a continent, and let's call it Europe" (maybe the Romans? Or even the Greeks?).

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