largest continent of the planet in its name combines two great parts of the world, located on it: Europe and Asia.Eurasia impressive dimensions - length from west to east is 16 thousand kilometers, and from north to south - almost 8000 kilometers.A huge area and the location between the equator and the 77th parallel of the Northern hemisphere define a wide variety of environmental conditions on it.
It is the only continent that is washed at the same time the four oceans.The coastline is heavily dissected Eurasia, it has many peninsulas and islands.Some of belonging to the mainland island groups are located at a considerable distance from him.For example, the Malay Archipelago extends to 11 ° Southern Hemisphere and for Svalbard comes to parallel 80 ° N
idea of Europe and Asia, as separate parts of the world, formed in ancient times.But for a long time the true dimensions of the continent on which they are located, its contours, as well as the coastline of Eurasia remained unknown.Most geographers past these huge areas of land considered as different continents, mainly due to significant contrasts in natural conditions.But, on the basis of today's physical and geographical representation of the continents, Europe and Asia should be seen as a whole.
oceans surrounding the continent of Eurasia
outskirts strongly dissected seas and bays.The most evident is in the western part.Nearly a third of Europe's accounts to the islands and peninsulas.Despite the substantial size of the area, because of land jutting deep into the inland seas, the greatest distance from the water area of only 600 kilometers.In the east the mainland is expanding, and the coastline of Eurasia becomes less rugged.Share peninsulas and islands in the Asian part is less than one-fourth of the total area.
western and south-western coast of the continent by the Atlantic Ocean.On its continental shelf, which is off the coast of Europe reached several hundred kilometers, are the Bay of Biscay, Baltic, North Sea and the Irish and the British Isles.
narrow Strait of Gibraltar connects the ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of several basins separated by islands and peninsulas.Then just land deepened Black and Azov Seas, which straits of Bosporus and Dardanelles are communicated to the Mediterranean.
northern coast of Eurasia washed with cold Arctic Ocean, parts of which are located on the wide band of the continental shelf.Between the Norwegian and Barents Seas is the Scandinavian peninsula.
In the east coastal line of Eurasia characterized by great ruggedness.Chains of islands and large peninsula is separated from the marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean and from each other.For example, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kamchatka Peninsula detached Kuril Islands.Near the coast of the mainland, there are several deep-sea trenches, among which Marian, the deepest in the world - 11 650 meters.
southern coastline of the continent highlighted by the presence of three large peninsulas - Arabia, the Indian subcontinent and Indochina.They stretch out far into the Indian Ocean and a large separate sea and the bay.
Eurasia, whose geographical position contributed to a wide variety of environmental conditions, stands out for its uniqueness among the other continents.It has both arctic desert and the equatorial forests of the area suffers from excess moisture and at the same time in some regions, almost no rain.Here there are the most significant contrasts of heights and temperatures, are the highest mountains and the deepest depression in the land.
