Afro-Eurasia

Afro-Eurasia is a massive landmass that joins three continents. These continents are Africa, Asia, and Europe.

It is the largest contiguous landmass on Earth. This means it is one unbroken piece of land. People often call this region the "Old World." This term comes from the Age of Discovery. European explorers used it to describe lands they already knew. They used "New World" to describe the Americas.

This region is incredibly significant for the planet. Afro-Eurasia covers 57% of the world's total land area. It is also home to a huge portion of humanity. About 6.7 billion people live across these continents. This represents roughly 86% of the entire world population. Together with mainland Australia, it makes up most of the Eastern Hemisphere.

Geologists explain that Afro-Eurasia is not a true supercontinent. Instead, it is part of a larger supercontinent cycle. This cycle involves the constant movement of Earth's plates. The oldest part is likely the Kaapvaal craton. This piece was part of a supercontinent called Vaalbara about 3 billion years ago. It has remained part of various supercontinents ever since. The movement of these plates has shaped the world we see today.

Plate tectonics drove many major changes in the past. Around 200 million years ago, the supercontinent Pangaea began to break apart. The North American and Eurasian plates formed a group called Laurasia. Meanwhile, the African plate stayed with a group called Gondwana. The Indian plate eventually split from Gondwana. About 50 million years ago, the Indian plate crashed into the Eurasian plate. This massive impact created the Himalayan mountain range.

Other movements happened during the Miocene period. The Arabian plate broke away from Africa about 30 million years ago. It later hit the Iranian plate between 19 and 12 million years ago. This collision formed the Alborz and Zagros mountain chains. Later, the Betic corridor closed near the Gibraltar Arc. This happened less than 6 million years ago. This closure caused the Mediterranean Basin to nearly dry up completely. This event is known as the Messinian salinity crisis.

Today, several large plates dominate the landscape. The Eurasian and African plates are the most prominent. However, the Somali plate covers much of eastern Africa. This movement creates the East African Rift. In the Mediterranean, several smaller plates interact. These include the Aegean Sea, Anatolian, and Arabian plates. Africa also connects to the Levant via the Dead Sea transform. Eurasia includes many other plates, such as the Indian and Burma plates.

Afro-Eurasia contains many extreme geographic points. Mount Everest is the highest point on the landmass. It sits on the border of China and Nepal. The lowest point on land is the shores of the Dead Sea. This area lies between Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. The edges of the landmass are also distinct. Cape Agulhas in South Africa is the southernmost point. Pointe des Almadies in Senegal is the westernmost point.

The future of this landmass remains a subject of study. Paleogeologists suggest that Africa will continue drifting northward. This movement might close the Strait of Gibraltar. If this happens, the Mediterranean Sea could evaporate. Scientists have proposed three possible future supercontinents. These names are Novopangaea, Amasia, and Pangaea Proxima. In Novopangaea and Amasia, the Pacific Ocean might close. In Pangaea Proxima, the Atlantic Ocean might close instead. These projections are speculative because tectonic activity can be unpredictable.