The question of how may continents there are in the world may seem silly -of course there are seven, as you learned in school. But that's only true for you if you were educated in the United States. Students in other parts of the world are taught that the number is anywhere from four to seven.
For example, in Europe, students usually learn that there are actually only six continents: Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, and Europe. There's even a five-continent model, which lists Africa, Europe, Asia, America and Oceania/Australia. (That's why there are five rings on the Olympic flag.) And some experts think four is the way to go, using as their criteria landmasses naturally separated by water, rather than manmade canals (AfroEurasia, America, Antarctica and Australia).
Heck, as recently as the 1800s, some people says there were just two continents, the Old — including Europe, Africa and Asia — and the New, which encompassed North and South America.
You may be astonished to think that anyone combines North and South America, when Europe and Asia are much more geographically combined. And you can't just ignore Antarctica because no one lives there permanently. Read some of the thinking that goes into the definitions and distinctions of continents at How Stuff Works. -via Digg
(Image credit: Max Naylor)