The coastline of Eurasia is more indented than that of other continents

The largest continent of our planet in its name combines two large parts of the world located on it: Europe and Asia. The dimensions of Eurasia are impressive - the length from west to east is 16 thousand kilometers, and from north to south - almost 8 thousand kilometers. The huge area and location between the equator and the 77th parallel of the northern hemisphere determine a wide variety of natural conditions on it.

It is the only continent that is washed by four oceans at the same time. The coastline of Eurasia is strongly dissected, there are many peninsulas and islands. Some of the island groups belonging to the mainland are located at a considerable distance from it. For example, the Malay Archipelago extends to 11 ° of the southern hemisphere, while Spitsbergen approaches the parallel 80 ° N.

The notion of Europe and Asia, as parts of the world, was formed in ancient times. But for very long the true size of the continent on which they are, its outlines, as well as the coastline of Eurasia, remained unknown. Most geographers of the past have considered these huge land areas as different continents, mainly due to significant contrasts in natural conditions. But, proceeding from today's physico-geographical representation about continents, Europe and Asia should be perceived as a single whole.

The oceans surrounding the continent

The outskirts of Eurasia are strongly dissected by the seas and bays. This is most evident in the western part. Almost the third part of Europe falls on the islands and peninsulas. Despite the substantial size of this territory, due to the presence of deeply penetrating inland inland seas, the greatest distance from the water area is only 600 kilometers. In the east, the continent expands, and the coastline of Eurasia becomes less rugged. The proportion of peninsulas and islands in the Asian part is less than one-fourth of the total area.

The western and southwestern coast of the continent is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. On its continental shelf, which near the coast of Europe reaches several hundred kilometers, are the Bay of Biscay, the Baltic, Northern and Irish Seas, as well as the British Isles.

The narrow Gibraltar strait connects the ocean with the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of several hollows, separated by islands and peninsulas. The Black and Azov Seas, which through the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles communicate with the Mediterranean, continued deep into the dry land.

The northern shores of Eurasia are washed by the cold Arctic Ocean, some parts of which are located on a wide strip of the continental shelf. Between the Norwegian and the Barents Seas is the Scandinavian Peninsula.

In the east, the coastline of Eurasia is very fragmented. Chains of islands and large peninsulas separate the outlying seas from the Pacific Ocean and from each other. For example, the Sea of Okhotsk is separated by the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Near the coast of the mainland there are several deep-water gutters, among which Marian is distinguished, the deepest on Earth is 11,650 meters.

South coastline of the continent is distinguished by the presence of three large peninsulas - Arabian, Hindustan and Indochina. They go far into the Indian Ocean and separate large seas and bays.

Eurasia, the geographical position of which contributed to a great variety of natural conditions, stands out for its uniqueness among the rest of the continents. It has both arctic deserts and equatorial forests, part of the territory suffers from an excess of moisture and at the same time, in some regions there is almost no rain. Here there are the most significant contrasts of heights and temperatures, there are the highest mountains and the deepest depression on land.