# Eurasia

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For other uses, see [Eurasia (disambiguation)](/source/Eurasia_(disambiguation)).

**Eurasia** (/jʊərˈeɪʒə/ yoor-AY-zhə, /alsoUK-ʃə/ --shə) is the largest continental area on [Earth](/source/Earth), comprising all of [Europe](/source/Europe) and [Asia](/source/Asia).[2][3] According to some models of the world, [physio-graphically](/source/Physical_geography), Eurasia is a single [supercontinent](/source/Supercontinent).[3] The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents dates back to [antiquity](/source/Classical_antiquity), and is largely cultural, but their borders have historically been subject to change. For example, the ancient [Greeks](/source/Greeks) originally included [Africa](/source/Africa) in Asia but classified Europe[4] as separate land. Eurasia is connected to Africa at the [Suez Canal](/source/Suez_Canal), and the two are sometimes combined to describe the largest contiguous landmass on Earth, [Afro-Eurasia](/source/Afro-Eurasia).[5]

## History

Main article: [History of Eurasia](/source/History_of_Eurasia)

Eurasia has been the host of many ancient civilizations, including those based in [Mesopotamia](/source/Mesopotamia), [Egypt](/source/Egypt), the [Indus Valley](/source/Indus_Valley) and China. In the [Axial Age](/source/Axial_Age) (mid-[first millennium BCE](/source/First_millennium_BCE)), a continuous belt of civilizations stretched through the Eurasian [subtropical zone](/source/Subtropics) from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This belt became the mainstream of world history for two millennia.

New connections emerged between the subregions of Eurasia from the [Age of Discovery](/source/Age_of_Discovery) onwards, with the Iberians discovering new maritime routes in the 1490s,[6] and the 1869 completion of the [Suez Canal](/source/Suez_Canal) having paved the way for direct passage through the [Indo-Mediterranean](/source/Indo-Mediterranean) and the wave of Western European "[New Imperialism](/source/New_Imperialism)" that dominated Africa and Asia until the mid-20th century.[7] The communist presence in Eurasia (primarily driven by the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union)) then dominated much of the continent until the [end of the Cold War](/source/End_of_the_Cold_War) in 1991.[8]

## Geography

Primarily in the [Northern](/source/Northern_Hemisphere) and [Eastern Hemispheres](/source/Eastern_Hemisphere), Eurasia spans from [Iceland](/source/Iceland) and the [Iberian Peninsula](/source/Iberian_Peninsula) in the west to the [Russian Far East](/source/Russian_Far_East), and from the [Russian Far North](/source/Far_North_(Russia)) to [Maritime Southeast Asia](/source/Maritime_Southeast_Asia) in the south, but other specific geographical limits of Eurasia states that the southern limit is in the [Weber's line](/source/Max_Carl_Wilhelm_Weber). Eurasia is bordered by Africa to the southwest, the [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) to the west, the [Arctic Ocean](/source/Arctic_Ocean) to the north, the [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean) to the east, and the [Indo-Mediterranean](/source/Indo-Mediterranean) to the south. The division between Europe and Asia as two [continents](/source/Continent) is a historical [social construct](/source/Social_constructionism), as neither fits the usual definition; thus, in some parts of the world, Eurasia is recognized as the largest of the six, five, or four continents on Earth.[3]

Eurasia covers around 55 e6km2, or around 36.2% of the Earth's total land area. The landmass contains well over 5 billion people, equating to approximately 70% of the [human population](/source/Human_population). Humans first settled in Eurasia from Africa 125,000 years ago.

The [coastline of Eurasia](/source/Coastline_of_Eurasia) contains many peninsulas, including the [Arabian Peninsula](/source/Arabian_Peninsula), [Korean Peninsula](/source/Korea), [Indian subcontinent](/source/Indian_subcontinent),[a] [Anatolia Peninsula](/source/Anatolia), [Kamchatka Peninsula](/source/Kamchatka_Peninsula), and the [Italian Peninsula](/source/Italian_Peninsula).

Due to its vast size and differences in [latitude](/source/Latitude), Eurasia exhibits all types of climates under the [Köppen classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification), including the harshest types of hot and cold temperatures, high and low precipitation, and various types of [ecosystems](/source/Ecosystem).

Eurasia is considered a [supercontinent](/source/Supercontinent), part of the supercontinent of [Afro-Eurasia](/source/Afro-Eurasia) or simply a continent in its own right.[9] In [plate tectonics](/source/Plate_tectonics), the [Eurasian Plate](/source/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](/source/Chersky_Range).

From the point of view of history and culture, Eurasia can be loosely subdivided into Western Eurasia and Eastern Eurasia.[10]

### Geology

Further information: [Laurasia](/source/Laurasia)

In geology, Eurasia is often considered as a single rigid mega block, but this is debated.[11][12] Eurasia formed between 375 and 325 million years ago with the merging of [Siberia](/source/Siberia), [Kazakhstania](/source/Kazakhstania), and [Baltica](/source/Baltica), which was joined to [Laurentia](/source/Laurentia) (North America), to form [Euramerica](/source/Euramerica).

### Rivers

This is a list of the longest rivers in Eurasia. Included are all rivers over 3,000 km (1,900 mi).

River Countries Length km mi 1 Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng 长江)[13] China 6,300 kilometres 3,915 mi 2 Yellow River (Huáng Hé 黄河)[13] China 5,464 kilometres 3,395 mi 3 Mekong[13] China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam 4,909 kilometres 3,050 mi 4 Lena (Лена)[14] Russia 4,294 kilometres 2,668 mi 5 Irtysh (Иртыш)[15] Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Russia 4,248 kilometres 2,640 mi 6 Brahmaputra (ब्रह्मपुत्र)[13] China, India, Bangladesh 3,969 kilometres 2,466 mi 7 Ob (Обь)[16] Russia 3,700 kilometres 2,299 mi 8 Volga (Во́лга) Russia 3,531 kilometres 2,194 mi 9 Yenisey (Енисей)[17] Mongolia, Russia 3,487 kilometres 2,167 mi 10 Indus (सिन्धु/Síndhu/سندھ/سند/سنڌوءَ)[13] China, India, Pakistan 3,150 kilometres 1,957 mi

### Mountains

All of the 100 [highest mountains on Earth](/source/List_of_highest_mountains_on_Earth) are in Eurasia, in the [Himalaya](/source/Himalayas), [Karakoram](/source/Karakoram), [Hindu Kush](/source/Hindu_Kush), [Pamir](/source/Pamir_Mountains), [Hengduan](/source/Hengduan_Mountains), and [Tian Shan](/source/Tian_Shan) mountain ranges, and all peaks above 7,000 metres are in these [ranges](/source/Mountain_range) and the [Transhimalaya](/source/Transhimalaya). Other high ranges include the [Kunlun](/source/Kunlun_Mountains), [Hindu Raj](/source/Hindu_Raj), and [Caucasus Mountains](/source/Caucasus_Mountains). The [Alpide belt](/source/Alpide_belt) stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia, from [Java](/source/Java) in Maritime [Southeast Asia](/source/Southeast_Asia) to the Iberian Peninsula in [Western Europe](/source/Western_Europe), including the ranges of the Himalayas, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, [Alborz](/source/Alborz), Caucasus, and the [Alps](/source/Alps). Long ranges outside the Alpide Belt include the [East Siberian](/source/East_Siberian_Mountains), [Altai](/source/Altai_Mountains), [Scandinavian](/source/Scandinavian_Mountains), [Qinling](/source/Qinling), [Western Ghats](/source/Western_Ghats), [Vindhya](/source/Vindhya_Range), [Byrranga](/source/Byrranga_Mountains), and [Annamite Ranges](/source/Annamite_Range).

### Islands

The largest Eurasian islands by area are [Borneo](/source/Borneo), [Sumatra](/source/Sumatra), [Honshu](/source/Honshu), Great Britain, [Sulawesi](/source/Sulawesi), Java, [Luzon](/source/Luzon), [Iceland](/source/Iceland), [Mindanao](/source/Mindanao), [Ireland](/source/Ireland), [Hokkaido](/source/Hokkaido), [Sakhalin](/source/Sakhalin), and [Sri Lanka](/source/Sri_Lanka). The five most-populated islands in the world are Java, Honshu, Great Britain, Luzon, and Sumatra. Other Eurasian islands with large populations include Mindanao, [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan), [Salsette](/source/Salsette), Borneo, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, [Kyushu](/source/Kyushu), and [Hainan](/source/Hainan). The most densely populated islands in Eurasia are [Caubian Gamay Island](/source/Caubian_Gamay_Island), [Ap Lei Chau](/source/Ap_Lei_Chau), and [Navotas Island](/source/Navotas_Island). In the Arctic Ocean, [Severny Island](/source/Severny_Island), [Nordaustlandet](/source/Nordaustlandet), [October Revolution Island](/source/October_Revolution_Island), and [Bolshevik Island](/source/Bolshevik_Island) are Eurasia's largest uninhabited islands, and [Kotelny Island](/source/Kotelny_Island), [Alexandra Land](/source/Alexandra_Land), and [Spitsbergen](/source/Spitsbergen) are the least-densely populated.

## Russian geopolitical ideology

Main article: [Eurasianism](/source/Eurasianism)

Originally, "Eurasia" is a geographical notion: in this sense, it is simply the biggest continent; the combined landmass of [Europe](/source/Europe) and Asia. However, geopolitically, the word has several meanings, reflecting specific geopolitical interests.[18] "Eurasia" is one of the most important geopolitical concepts and it figures prominently in the commentaries on the ideas of [Halford Mackinder](/source/Halford_Mackinder). As [Zbigniew Brzezinski](/source/Zbigniew_Brzezinski) observed on Eurasia:

... how America 'manages' Eurasia is critical. A power that dominates 'Eurasia' would control two of the world's three most advanced and economically productive regions. A mere glance at the map also suggests that control over 'Eurasia' would almost automatically entail Africa's subordination, rendering the Western Hemisphere and Oceania geopolitically peripheral to the world's central continent. About 75 per cent of the world's people live in 'Eurasia', and most of the world's physical wealth is there as well, both in its enterprises and underneath its soil. 'Eurasia' accounts for about three-fourths of the world's known energy resources.[19]

— Zbigniew Brzezinski, *The grand chessboard : American primacy and its geostrategic imperatives*

The Russian "[Eurasianism](/source/Eurasianism)" corresponded initially more or less to the land area of [Imperial Russia](/source/Imperial_Russia) in 1914, including parts of [Eastern Europe](/source/Eastern_Europe).[20] One of Russia's main geopolitical interests lies in ever closer integration with those countries that it considers part of "Eurasia".[21]

The term *Eurasia* gained [geopolitical](/source/Geopolitics) reputation as one of the three super-states in [*1984*](/source/Nineteen_Eighty-Four),[22] [George Orwell](/source/George_Orwell)'s[23] novel where constant [surveillance](/source/Surveillance) and [propaganda](/source/Propaganda) are strategic elements (introduced as [reflexive antagonists](/source/Reciprocal_inhibition)) of the [heterogeneous](/source/Homogeneity_and_heterogeneity) [dispositif](/source/Dispositif) such [metapolitical](/source/Metapolitics) constructs used to control and exercise power.[24]

## Regional organizations and alliances

Across Eurasia, several single markets have emerged, including the [Eurasian Economic Space](/source/Eurasian_Economic_Space), [European Single Market](/source/European_Single_Market), [ASEAN Economic Community](/source/ASEAN_Economic_Community), and the [Gulf Cooperation Council](/source/Gulf_Cooperation_Council). There are also several [international organizations](/source/International_organizations) and initiatives which seek to promote integration throughout Eurasia, including:

### Asia-Europe Meeting

- Every two years since 1996 a meeting of most Asian and European countries is organized as the [Asia–Europe Meeting](/source/Asia%E2%80%93Europe_Meeting) (ASEM).

### Commonwealth of Independent States

Main article: [Commonwealth of Independent States](/source/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States)

- The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a political and economic association of 10 post-Soviet republics in Eurasia formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It has an estimated population of 239,796,010. The CIS encourages cooperation in economic, political, and military affairs and has certain powers to coordinate trade, finance, lawmaking and security. In addition, six members of the CIS have joined the [Collective Security Treaty Organization](/source/Collective_Security_Treaty_Organization), an intergovernmental military alliance that was founded in 1992.

### Eurasian Economic Union

See also: [Enlargement of the Eurasian Economic Union](/source/Enlargement_of_the_Eurasian_Economic_Union)

- Similar in concept to the European Union, the [Eurasian Economic Union](/source/Eurasian_Economic_Union) is an [economic union](/source/Economic_union) established in 2015 including Russia, [Armenia](/source/Armenia), [Belarus](/source/Belarus), [Kazakhstan](/source/Kazakhstan), [Kyrgyzstan](/source/Kyrgyzstan) and observer members [Moldova](/source/Moldova), [Uzbekistan](/source/Uzbekistan), and [Cuba](/source/Cuba). It is headquartered in Moscow, Russia and [Minsk](/source/Minsk), Belarus. The union promotes economic integration among members and is theoretically open to enlargement to include any country in Europe or Asia.

### Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges

- The [Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges](/source/Federation_of_Euro-Asian_Stock_Exchanges) (FEAS) is an international organization headquartered in [Yerevan](/source/Yerevan), comprising the main stock exchanges in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. The purpose of the Federation is to contribute to the cooperation, development, support and promotion of capital markets in the Eurasian region.

### Russia-EU Common Spaces

- The [Russia – EU Four Common Spaces Initiative](/source/Russia%E2%80%93European_Union_relations), is a joint [European Union](/source/European_Union) and Russian agreement to closer integrate Russia and the EU, remove barriers to trade and investment and promote reforms and competitiveness. In 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for common economic space, free-trade area or more advanced economic integration, stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok. However, no significant progress was made and the project was put on hold after Russia-EU relations deteriorated following the [Russo-Ukrainian War](/source/Russo-Ukrainian_War) in 2014.

### Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Main article: [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation](/source/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation)

- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China. It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.

### Greater Eurasian Partnership and continental union

The [Greater Eurasian Partnership](/source/Greater_Eurasian_Partnership) is an initiative of [Russian President](/source/President_of_Russia) [Vladimir Putin](/source/Vladimir_Putin), put forward in his [address to the Federal Assembly](/source/Presidential_Address_to_the_Federal_Assembly) in 2015 with the aim of forming a broad integration framework on the Eurasian continent, as indicated by the [Russian Foreign Ministry](/source/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Russia)).[25] In Perm on 29 May 2025, [Sergey Lavrov](/source/Sergey_Lavrov) stated at the Eurasian International Socio-Political Hearings on the Formation of an Architecture of an Equal and Indivisible System of Security and Cooperation in the Eurasian Space in 2025 that "the Greater Eurasian Partnership is not limited to economics, trade, transport and logistics alone. It is the material basis for another Russian initiative - the initiative to form a Eurasian security architecture, which Putin put forward in his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry on 14 June 2024. In Africa, there is a [pan-continental organization](/source/Pan-continental_organization), the [African Union](/source/African_Union), in Latin America - [CELAC](/source/Community_of_Latin_American_and_Caribbean_States), but in Eurasia there is no such pan-continental association yet."[26]

## Use of term

### History of the Europe–Asia division

Main article: [Boundary between Asia and Europe](/source/Boundary_between_Asia_and_Europe)

In ancient times, the [Greeks](/source/Greeks) classified Europe (derived from the mythological [Phoenician](/source/Phoenicians) princess [Europa](/source/Europa_(consort_of_Zeus))) and Asia which to the Greeks originally included Africa[27] (derived from [Asia](/source/Asia_(Greek_myth)), a woman in [Greek mythology](/source/Greek_mythology)) as separate "lands". Where to draw the dividing line between the two regions is still a [matter of discussion](/source/Boundaries_between_continents). Especially whether the [Kuma-Manych Depression](/source/Kuma-Manych_Depression) or the [Caucasus Mountains](/source/Caucasus_Mountains) form the southeast boundary is disputed, since [Mount Elbrus](/source/Mount_Elbrus) would be part of Europe in the latter case, making it (and not [Mont Blanc](/source/Mont_Blanc)) Europe's highest mountain. Most accepted is probably the boundary as defined by [Philip Johan von Strahlenberg](/source/Philip_Johan_von_Strahlenberg) in the 18th century. He defined the dividing line along the [Aegean Sea](/source/Aegean_Sea), [Dardanelles](/source/Dardanelles), [Sea of Marmara](/source/Sea_of_Marmara), [Bosporus](/source/Bosporus), [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea), [Kuma–Manych Depression](/source/Kuma%E2%80%93Manych_Depression), [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea), [Ural River](/source/Ural_River), and the [Ural Mountains](/source/Ural_Mountains). However, at least part of this definition has been subject to criticism by many modern analytical geographers like [Halford Mackinder](/source/Halford_Mackinder), who saw little validity in the Ural Mountains as a boundary between continents.[28]

### Soviet states after decentralization

Nineteenth-century Russian philosopher [Nikolai Danilevsky](/source/Nikolai_Danilevsky) defined Eurasia as an entity separate from Europe and Asia, bounded by the Himalayas, the Caucasus, the [Alps](/source/Alps), the Arctic, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, a definition that has been influential in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.[29] Partly inspired by this usage, the term Eurasia is sometimes used to refer to the [post-Soviet space](/source/Post-Soviet_space) – in particular Russia, the [Central Asian](/source/Central_Asia) republics, and the [Transcaucasus](/source/South_Caucasus) republics – and sometimes also adjacent regions such as Turkey and [Mongolia](/source/Mongolia).

The word "Eurasia" is often used in [Kazakhstan](/source/Kazakhstan) to describe its location. Numerous Kazakh institutions have the term in their names, like the [L. N. Gumilev](/source/Lev_Gumilev) Eurasian National University (Kazakh: [Л. Н. Гумилёв атындағы Еуразия Ұлттық университеті](https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D2%B1%D0%BB%D1%82%D1%82%D1%8B%D2%9B_%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%96); [Евразийский Национальный университет имени Л. Н. Гумилёва](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%82_%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8_%D0%9B._%D0%9D._%D0%93%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%91%D0%B2%D0%B0))[30] ([Lev Gumilev](/source/Lev_Gumilev)'s [Eurasianism](/source/Eurasianists) ideas having been popularized in Kazakhstan by [Olzhas Suleimenov](/source/Olzhas_Suleimenov)), the Eurasian Media Forum,[31] the Eurasian Cultural Foundation ([Евразийский фонд культуры](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B4_%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D1%8B)), the [Eurasian Development Bank](/source/Eurasian_Development_Bank) ([Евразийский банк развития](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA_%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%8F)),[32] and the Eurasian Bank.[33] In 2007 Kazakhstan's president, [Nursultan Nazarbayev](/source/Nursultan_Nazarbayev), proposed building a "[Eurasia Canal](/source/Eurasia_Canal)" to connect the [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea) and the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea) via Russia's [Kuma-Manych Depression](/source/Kuma-Manych_Depression) to provide Kazakhstan and other Caspian-basin countries with a more efficient path to the ocean than the existing [Volga–Don Canal](/source/Volga%E2%80%93Don_Canal).[34]

This usage can also be seen in the names of [Eurasianet](/source/Eurasianet),[35] The [Journal of Eurasian Studies](/source/Journal_of_Eurasian_Studies),[36] and the [Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies](/source/Association_for_Slavic,_East_European,_and_Eurasian_Studies),[37] as well as the titles of numerous academic programs at US universities.[38][39][40][41][42]

This usage is comparable to how Americans use "[Western Hemisphere](/source/Western_Hemisphere)" to describe concepts and organizations dealing with the Americas (e.g., [Council on Hemispheric Affairs](/source/Council_on_Hemispheric_Affairs), [Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation](/source/Western_Hemisphere_Institute_for_Security_Cooperation)).

## See also

- [Asia-Europe Foundation](/source/Asia-Europe_Foundation)
- [Asia–Europe Meeting](/source/Asia%E2%80%93Europe_Meeting)
- [Belt and Road Initiative](/source/Belt_and_Road_Initiative)
- [Borders of the continents](/source/Borders_of_the_continents)
- [Council of Europe](/source/Council_of_Europe)
- [Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations](/source/Community_for_Democracy_and_Rights_of_Nations)
- [Eastern European Group](/source/Eastern_European_Group)
- [Eastern Partnership](/source/Eastern_Partnership)
- [Eurasia (Nineteen Eighty-Four)](/source/Eurasia_(Nineteen_Eighty-Four)#Eurasia)
- [Eurasian (disambiguation)](/source/Eurasian_(disambiguation))
- [Eurasian Economic Community](/source/Eurasian_Economic_Community)
- [Eurasia Tunnel](/source/Eurasia_Tunnel)
- [Eurasia Canal](/source/Eurasia_Canal)
- [Eurasian Economic Union](/source/Eurasian_Economic_Union)
- [European Union](/source/European_Union)
- [Euronest Parliamentary Assembly](/source/Euronest_Parliamentary_Assembly)
- [Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges](/source/Federation_of_Euro-Asian_Stock_Exchanges)
- [Intermediate Region](/source/Intermediate_Region)
- [Laurasia](/source/Laurasia) – a geological supercontinent joining Eurasia and North America
- [List of Eurasian countries by population](/source/List_of_Eurasian_countries_by_population)
- [Marmaray](/source/Marmaray) – railway tunnel links Europe to Asia
- [Mongol Empire](/source/Mongol_Empire)
- [Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation](/source/Organization_of_the_Black_Sea_Economic_Cooperation)
- [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe](/source/Organization_for_Security_and_Co-operation_in_Europe)
- [Palearctic](/source/Palearctic)
- [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire)
- [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation](/source/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation)
- [Silk Road](/source/Silk_Road)
- [United States of Eurasia](/source/United_States_of_Eurasia)
- [Vega expedition](/source/Vega_expedition) – the first voyage to circumnavigate Eurasia

## Notes

1. Despite being considered a sub-continent, the peninsula definition is applied to southern India.

## References

1. ["Population of Europe (2023) - Worldometers"](https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/europe-population/). *www.worldometers.info*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250927144326/https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#region) 27 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 January 2023.

1. Nield, Ted. ["Continental Divide"](http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/en/Education%20and%20Careers/Ask%20a%20Geologist/Continents%20Supercontinents%20and%20the%20Earths%20Crust/Continental%20Divide). *Geological Society*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005136/http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/en/Education%20and%20Careers/Ask%20a%20Geologist/Continents%20Supercontinents%20and%20the%20Earths%20Crust/Continental%20Divide) 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 August 2012.

1. McDaniel, Melissa & Sprout, Erin et al. (20 September 2011). ["How many continents are there?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190716045120/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continent/). *Continent*. [National Geographic Society](/source/National_Geographic_Society). Archived from [the original](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continent/) on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2017. By convention there are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica. Some geographers list only six continents, combining Europe and Asia into Eurasia. In parts of the world, students learn that there are just five continents: Eurasia, Australia (Oceania), Africa, Antarctica, and the Americas.

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## Further reading

- The Dawn of Eurasia: On the Trail of the New World Order by Bruno Maçães, Publisher: Allen Lane
- Newton, Julie & Tompson, William (2010). *Institutions, Ideas and Leadership in Russian Politics*. Palgrave Macmillan. [doi:10.1057/9780230282940](https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230282940). ISBN 9780230282940.
- D. Lane, V. Samokhvalov, The Eurasian Project and Europe Regional Discontinuities and Geopolitics, Palgrave: Basingstoke (2015)
- V. Samokhvalov, The new Eurasia: post-Soviet space between Russia, Europe and China, European Politics and Society, Volume 17, 2016 – Issue sup1: The Eurasian Project in Global Perspective (Journal homepage)
- Lewis, Martin W. & Wigen, Kären E. (1997). [*The Myth of Continents: a Critique of Metageography*](https://books.google.com/books?id=C2as0sWxFBAC). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20743-1.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eurasia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.