(Redirected from Transcontinental nation)
A 'transcontinental country' is a
country belonging to more than one
continent. The definitions used may vary according to which criteria are used (whether purely
geographical or, on the other hand,
political,
economic or
cultural criteria). An example is
Russia, which has its historical core as well as most of its population (74%), economic activity and political institutions (such as its
capital city) in
Europe, yet ''geographically'' most of the territory (77%) is actually in
Asia. By most definitions, Russia straddles
Eurasia.
Definitions of the continents
Islands
Green - Europe; dark pink/light pink/grey - Asia;
yellow - Greek Asian islands (
Aegean)
''Continents'' are called so because they are ''continuous'' bodies of land. Thus, an island is not strictly part of any continent, but many islands can be ''associated'' with one by geographical proximity (or also by historical convention, political ties or similar "human" criteria). For example,
Sumatra,
Singapore and
Hainan are not literally "in" Asia; nevertheless they are closer to Asia than to any other continent, and also are most closely associated with Asia, so this article will consider them Asiatic islands, and
Greece and
Indonesia transcontinental countries (likewise for other continents and their adjacent islands). Alternate associations would be defensible in some cases.
Using this definition, the following countries could all be considered transcontinental by virtue of the fact that an integral part of their national territory consists of islands that are situated within the
continental shelf of another continent or are otherwise geographically closer to a continent on the mainland of which they have no territory (mainland continent shown below in 'bold text'):
★
Australia ('Australia', Oceania, Asia, and Antarctica)
★
Colombia ('South America' and North America)
★
Denmark ('Europe' and North America (if one includes
Greenland))
★
France ('Europe', North America, South America, Oceania, Africa, and Antarctica)
★
Greece ('Europe' and Asia)
★
Italy ('Europe' and Africa)
★
Netherlands ('Europe', South America, and North America (if one includes the overseas
Netherlands Antilles and
Aruba))
★
Norway ('Europe' and Antarctica (if one includes
Bouvet Island))
★
Portugal ('Europe' and Africa)
★
South Africa ('Africa' and Antarctica (if the
Prince Edward Islands are counted as
Antarctic islands))
★
Spain ('Europe' and Africa)
★
United Kingdom (if one includes the
British overseas territories, the UK still covers ''all'' continents: the
British Isles minus the
Republic of Ireland and plus the
Channel Islands and
Gibraltar in 'Europe';
Ascension Island,
Saint Helena,
Tristan da Cunha, and
Gough Island in Africa;
Bermuda, the
Turks and Caicos Islands, the
Cayman Islands, the
British Virgin Islands,
Anguilla, and
Montserrat in North America; the
Falkland Islands in South America; the
Pitcairn Islands in Oceania;
Akrotiri and Dhekelia and
British Indian Ocean Territory in Asia; and
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in Antarctica.)
★
United States ('North America', Oceania, and Asia)
★
Venezuela ('South America' and North America (if one includes
Isla Aves))
★
Yemen ('Asia' and Africa)
Four countries also include both continental territory and islands in mid-
Pacific Ocean; see
Oceania, below. At least four countries also include both continental territory and Antarctic island territories recognized by international law; see
Antarctica, below.
Europe and Asia
The nature and boundaries of Europe are as much sociopolitical questions as geographical. Many geologists and geographers agree that Europe and Asia share many common geographical features and they are sometimes referred to as the single continent
Eurasia. Europe is nevertheless a distinct geographical entity, mostly a super-peninsula of the mainland of Asia.
The eastern boundary of Europe has been variously defined since antiquity.
Herodotus regarded Europe as extending all the way to the Eastern Ocean, and being as long as (and much larger than) Africa and Asia together. The modern world is in consensus that Europe ends at the
Aegean Sea, the
Black Sea and the
Ural Mountains, but the boundaries between these latter two features are uncertain; that leading from the Urals to the Black Sea, for example, has been drawn by different authorities as at the
Don, the
Kuma-Manych Depression, the
Caucasus, the Russian frontier or the
Rioni River.
Western sources (e.g. the
National Geographic Society) usually state that the Europe-Asia boundary follows the
watershed of the
Ural Mountains from near Kara,
Russia on the
Kara Sea to the source of the
Ural River, then follows that river to the
Caspian Sea. The border then follows the watershed of the
Caucasus Mountains from the
Caspian Sea to the
Black Sea.
Green - Europe; pink/grey - Asia
By this definition, the Ural Mountains are on the border of Europe and Asia, likewise for the Greater Caucasus (although
Mount Elbrus, which would be the highest point in Europe, is north of the watershed divide, and as such would be entirely in Europe by this definition). The Lesser Caucasus is located entirely in Asia.
Russia and
Kazakhstan have both European (western) and Asian (eastern) parts (and Russia even had a
North American part, before
Alaska was sold to the
United States in
1867). The Turkish city
Istanbul lies in both Europe and Asia, effectively making it a
transcontinental city.
Georgia and
Azerbaijan both have most of their territory in Asia, although each has small parts of its northern territory in Europe.
Due to Kazakhstan's Central Asian culture and political orientation, it is very rarely regarded as a European country, despite its sizable territory in Europe. Many would argue, as has been the case with the like of Professor Torosyan, Dr. Lewis and M. Shearmen of the Charlton Institute, that
Kazakhstan is in fact not a trancontinental country, but rather lies geographically as well as culturally within Asia. Three nations of the South Caucasus, however – Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia – have a stronger sociopolitical claim to be European. Of these three, only Georgia and Azerbaijan are generally regarded as having portions of territory in Europe, but Armenia may be regarded as European for cultural and historical reasons. All three, however, are typically excluded from lists of European states.
According to the standard Russian/Soviet definition, the boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the
Mugodzhar Hills, then down the
Emba River to the
Caspian Sea. From the
Caspian Sea it runs to the
Black Sea along the
Kuma-Manych Depression, marked by the rivers of the same name. This definition was in use by Russian geographers since mid-18th century; it was officially recommended for use in textbooks by the Geographical Society of USSR in 1958. It places all of the
Caucasus, including countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan and North Caucasian republics of
Chechnya and
Dagestan, entirely in Asia.
Russia's
Vaygach Island and
Novaya Zemlya extend northward from the northern end of the
Ural Mountains and are a continuation of the chain into the
Arctic Ocean. They separate the European
Barents Sea and the Asian
Kara Sea, and may be considered part of
Europe or
Asia. The maps on this page show them with Europe, as they are used in the calculations. The Russian Arctic
archipelago of
Franz Josef Land farther north is also associated with Europe. All of these Arctic islands are part of the European
Arkhangelsk Oblast.
Lesser accepted Europe and Asia divisions
★ 'Meso-Caucasus definition' This definition defines the border between the Caspian and Black seas, as follows: The border goes between the
Greater Caucasus and
Lesser Caucasus, and is marked by
Rioni and
lower Kura rivers, although this border is ill-defined between the two rivers. This definition leaves a greater part of
Georgia and
Armenia in Europe.
★ '
Lesser Caucasus definition' Though very rare, this definition defines the border between the
Caspian Sea and the
Black Sea as the
watershed of the
Lesser Caucasus. This definition places
Armenia and
Georgia almost entirely in Europe, and
Turkey and
Iran almost entirely in Asia; however, some isolated spots of these five countries can be placed on the other continent.
★ 'Political Russian division' The division of Russia, considering the
Russian Federal Subjects, is the following:
★
★ On Europe's border, from north to south:
Nenetsia Autonomous Okrug,
Komi Republic,
Perm Krai,
Bashkortostan Republic and
Orenburg Oblast;
★
★ On Asia's border, from north to south:
Yamalia Autonomous Okrug,
Khantia-Mansia Autonomous Okrug,
Sverdlovsk Oblast and
Chelyabinsk Oblast.
Culturally European states
Other nations have strong cultural ties with Europe, such as the northern African states of
Morocco,
Algeria and
Tunisia. However, the clear boundary of the
Mediterranean Sea excludes these nations geographically. Some in
Israel, Morocco and Tunisia have shown ambition to become a state of the
European Union, but currently full membership is disallowed (Morocco applied to join, but was rejected on
geographical grounds). Of course, many other countries outside Europe have cultural and historical ties to Europe as a consequence of
colonization and
migration.
Politically European states
:''See also
Geographic criteria for EU membership''
Europe ends in the west at the
Atlantic Ocean, although
Iceland (in the Atlantic, between Europe and North America) is usually considered European, as is the Norwegian
Svalbard archipelago in the
Arctic Ocean.
Greenland is geographically associated with North America but politically associated with Europe (as it is still part of
Denmark, although EU law no longer applies there).
Turkey, despite having only 3% of its land in Europe, has been a member of the
Council of Europe since 1949 and an official candidate for membership of the
European Union since 2005. Islands geographically associated with one continent sometimes have stronger political and cultural ties to another. For example,
Cyprus, an island geographically a part of Asia, was admitted to the Council of Europe in 1961 and joined the EU in 2004.
Cape Verde, an island group off the Atlantic coast of Africa, has also shown an interest in joining the EU.
Armenia,
Georgia, and
Azerbaijan, also geographically Asian states (although Azerbaijan and Georgia have a part of their land in Europe,) have all joined the Council of Europe.
Africa
The natural geographical boundaries of Africa are the Mediterranean Sea and the
Red Sea. The boundary between them has been drawn either up the
Gulf of Suez or up the
Gulf of Aqaba. On purely geological grounds, the boundary could be drawn along the fault-line into the
Jordan River valley (which would make
Israel,
Lebanon and a small part of
Syria part of Africa.)
The usual line today is at the Isthmus of Suez along the path of the
Suez Canal. This makes the
Sinai Peninsula geographically Asian, and
Egypt a transcontinental country. Nevertheless Egypt is commonly referred to as an African state, because most of its population and territory are there. Geopolitically, Egypt is sometimes regarded as an Asian state, and it is usually considered part of the transcontinental geopolitical region of the
Middle East.
In historical geography, several of the larger
Mediterranean islands have often been more akin to Africa than to Europe or Asia.
Ancient Egypt often ruled
Cyprus, and sometimes
Crete and
Rhodes. The
Roman Empire grouped
Crete with
Cyrenaica (in ancient
Libya.) The
Balearic Islands and half of
Sicily were ruled from
Carthage.
The
Canary Islands and
Madeira Islands are off the Atlantic coast of
Morocco, and although they are geographically part of
Africa, they are under the rule of
Spain and
Portugal, respectively, and geopolitically part of
Europe. Under Moorish rule prior to Southwest European colonization, they were fully integrated into Africa.
Mayotte, situated in the
Mozambique Channel between Africa and
Madagascar (also geographically part of
Africa) is under the rule of
France, as are
Réunion Island east of Madagascar and some
scattered islands in the Indian Ocean also associated with Africa. The
Seychelles,
Mauritius, and
Comoros are island nations also associated with Africa.
Africa and Europe
The boundaries between
Europe and
Africa are almost entirely clear-cut and undisputed, since the two continents occupy opposite sides of the
Mediterranean Sea, of which the midway areas are mostly devoid of islands.
Spain owns the exclaves of
Ceuta and Melilla on the African mainland.
Sicily forms an extension of Europe into the heart of the Mediterranean, with only
Malta,
Pantelleria, and the
Pelagie Islands falling into question.
Malta is geographically associated with Africa but has geopolitically been considered part of
Europe since its Christian reconquest. It is closer to the African mainland than the Italian mainland and has historically been associated with Africa much longer. The Maltese people speak a North African dialect of
Arabic and are descended from the ancient Libyans, Egyptians, and
Phoenicians, as well as the island's Islamic conquerors.
The Italian islands of
Pantelleria and the
Pelagie Islands are closer to
Tunisia on the African continent than
Sicily and thus part of
Africa. The Portuguese Atlantic island possession of the
Azores is slightly closer to Europe than Africa and is associated with Europe.
Africa and South America
The boundaries between
Africa and
South America are clear-cut and undisputed, since the two continents occupy opposite sides of the
Atlantic Ocean, of which the midway areas are devoid of islands. While the uninhabited Brazilian island possession of
Saint Peter and Paul Rocks is associated with South America, the British island possessions of
Ascension Island,
Saint Helena,
Tristan da Cunha, and
Gough Island are associated with Africa.
Americas
The border between
North America and
South America has been drawn variously, generally somewhere along the
Isthmus of Panama.
One common demarcation follows the Darien Mountains watershed divide along the
Colombia-Panama boundary where the isthmus meets the South American continent. Another reckons the continental divide at the
Panama Canal, whereby Panama has territory on either side in both continents. Geopolitically (i.e., not strictly geophysical), Panama is usually included with the other
North American countries in Central America. The border between North and South America has also been drawn (infrequently) between
Costa Rica and Panama, or at one of several other lines across the Isthmus of
Panama.
In other cultures, ''America'' is thought of as one continent or
supercontinent encompassing the entire landmass between Alaska and
Tierra del Fuego. In this way, North, Central and South America are thought of as
regions of the greater landmass.
America is often regarded as a single continent in
Latin America,
Spain, and
Portugal, along with other countries. The
Olympic Rings represent the Americas with a single ring.
This collection of lands and regions in the
Western hemisphere is referred to as the
Americas by the English-speaking world. From a sociopolitical and
cultural perspective, the Americas are generally divided into
Anglo-America (namely the U.S. and
Canada, where
English prevails) and
Latin America (the rest of the Americas, where
Romance languages generally predominate). Latin America – particularly
Hispanic America – is generally considered a transcontinental region straddling two continents, much like the
Middle East. Moreover, the
Guyanas are sometimes grouped with the
Caribbean region along with
Belize and
Bermuda (a British possession actually 1000 km east of the US mainland, also sometimes grouped with Anglo-America.) It is not uncommon for what is geopolitically considered North America to be limited to the US, Canada, and sometimes Bermuda.
The
Galápagos Islands in the eastern
Pacific Ocean are a possession of
Ecuador and associated with
South America. The uninhabited French possession of
Clipperton Island 600 miles off the Mexican coast is associated with
North America. France also continues to control
French Guiana on the northern mainland of South America, as well as
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of
Newfoundland and
Martinique,
Guadeloupe,
Saint-Barthélemy, and
Saint Martin in the North American Caribbean. The
Netherlands and the
United Kingdom are two other European nations that also continue to control islands in the Caribbean, and the
Netherlands Antilles are considered split between North and South America.
Europe and North America
The boundaries between
Europe and
North America are mostly clear-cut and undisputed, since the two continents occupy opposite sides of the North
Atlantic Ocean, of which the midway areas are devoid of islands, except in the north, where the line comes down to
Greenland and Iceland.
Iceland and the
Azores are protusions of the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge and are associated with and peopled from Europe.
Greenland not only is usually considered geographically North American, most of the Greenlander ancestry is from the
Inuit people indigenous to northern North America. The Norwegian Arctic islands of
Jan Mayen and
Svalbard archipelago are associated with Europe. Although Greenland is the closest land to them, they are much closer to Europe than to the North American mainland.
Asia and North America
The
Bering Strait and
Bering Sea separate the landmasses of
Asia and
North America, as well as forming the international boundaries between
Russia and the
United States, respectively. This national and continental boundary separates the
Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait, with Big Diomede in Russia and Little Diomede in the US. The
Aleutian Islands are an island chain extending westward from the
Alaska Peninsula toward Russia's
Komandorski Islands and
Kamchatka Peninsula, as well as an integral part of the transcontinental American state of
Alaska. Most of them are associated with North America, except for the westernmost
Near Islands, which are beyond the
North Aleutians Basin and on Asia's continental shelf, and allow the US to be considered a transcontinental country without
Hawaii and other Oceanian island possessions.
St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea belongs to Alaska and may be associated with either continent, as may the
Rat Islands in the Aleutian chain.
Asia and Oceania
Green - Oceania; pink/grey - Asia; M - Melanesia line
Indonesia is a multi-island, transcontinental state belonging both to
Asia and to Oceania. The geological and zoological border follows the
Wallace line. Alternatively it may be divided according to the
Melanesia definition – accounting for human language, genetics, history and crafts – placing more territory in Asia (shown by the line labelled 'M' on the map.)
Indonesia is today more commonly referred to as one of the
Southeast Asian countries, and thus simply Asian.
East Timor, an independent state that was formerly a territory of Indonesia, is sometimes considered part of Oceania, but is classified by the
United Nations as part of the "South-Eastern Asia" block. It is
expected to join the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations [1] having been involved as a ASEAN Regional Forum member since independence, and participated in the
Southeast Asian Games since
2003.
The Wallace line separates
Bali,
Borneo, and
Mindanao on its Asian side from
Lombok,
Sulawesi, and the
Talaud Islands on the Oceanian side, respectively. This boundary leaves all of The
Philippines in Asia.
Oceania
To English-speaking people,
Oceania is not considered to be a continent; however,
Australia by itself is usually considered one. By such a definition, neither the annexation of
Hawaii by the
United States in 1898 nor its admission as the 50th American state in 1959 in and of itself made the U.S. a transcontinental nation, although it was transcontinental by virtue of its possession of the Asian islands of the
Philippines and western
Aleutian Islands.
If Oceania were considered a continent, rather than the part of the Earth furthest from any of them, the following countries might be considered transcontinental, as occupying land in both Oceanian islands and a continent:
★
Chile, with
Easter Island and
Sala y Gómez Island. The Province of Isla de Pascua consists of these Oceanian islands and, along with the outlying South American
Juan Fernández Islands and
Desventuradas Islands, is part of the transcontinental
Valparaíso Region, which has 1% of its area in Oceania.
★
France, with
French Polynesia,
New Caledonia, and
Wallis and Futuna.
★
Indonesia, with 21 provinces entirely in Asia and 12 provinces entirely in Oceania.
[2]
★
Japan, with
Minami Torishima, which is administratively part of the
transcontinental city of
Tokyo, along with other outlying Japanese islands to the south and southeast of the city. The transcontinental
Ogasawara Village consists of these islands.
[3]
★
United Kingdom, with the
Pitcairn Islands.
★
United States, with the
Hawaiian Islands (containing 0.30% of the area and 0.43% of the population of the 50 states),
Guam,
Northern Mariana Islands,
American Samoa,
Midway Atoll,
Wake Island,
Johnston Atoll,
Palmyra Atoll,
Jarvis Island, and several unorganized territorial islands.
Australia
The Commonwealth of
Australia consists not only of its namesake continent and the island state of
Tasmania, but also external island possessions in the sub-Antarctic (see Antarctica below) and to the east and northwest of the continent. Of the tropical island territories,
Norfolk Island, the
Coral Sea Islands, and
Lord Howe Island in the
Pacific Ocean and the
Ashmore and Cartier Islands in the
Indian Ocean are in
Oceania, while
Christmas Island and the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (to the west of
Sumatra) are associated with
Asia. The majority of the ancestry of Australia's Asian island residents is Asian and the majority of them are Muslim or Buddhist.
Macquarie Island is part of the transcontinental state of Tasmania and the transcontinental
Local Government Area of
Huon Valley, while Lord Howe Island is part of
New South Wales and the other external islands are federal territories.
Antarctica
Antarctica and its outlying islands have no permanent population. All land south of 60°S latitude is ''
terra nullius'' and the
Antarctic Treaty System holds all claims to such land in abeyance. Although
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are closer to Antarctica, the inhabited
Falkland Islands are closer to
South America and the continental boundary separates them from the South Georgia group.
The following are sub-Antarctic island territories north of 60° and associated with Antarctica:
★
Australia:
Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Macquarie Island
★
France:
Crozet Islands,
Île Amsterdam,
Île Saint-Paul,
Kerguelen Islands
★
New Zealand:
Antipodes Islands,
Auckland Islands,
Campbell Islands (all disputed whether associated with
Oceania or Antarctica)
★
Norway:
Bouvet Island
★
South Africa:
Prince Edward Islands (disputed whether associated with
Africa or Antarctica)
★
United Kingdom:
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
If the Prince Edward Islands are considered associated with Antarctica,
Cape Town is a
transcontinental city and
Western Cape is a transcontinental province, since they include the islands.
List of geographically transcontinental states
A 'transcontinental state' is a country whose contiguous continental territory or, (in the case of an island state, its different islands) lie in two (or more) different continents, or which has nearby outlying islands associated with a continent other than where it is based. Non-contiguous parts of countries are not considered (i.e. distant integral parts, extraterritorial possessions, dependencies and the like – examples include
Bermuda,
French Guiana,
Greenland, and
Hawaii,) although they may still be considered portions of transcontinental countries. This list includes the countries meeting that definition and presents tables showing the calculated area and population of each country on each continent.
Methodology of calculation
There are two main methods for non-scientific calculation of parts of the territorial area:
★ The smaller part of the territory is divided into rectangles, which area can be easily calculated using simple distance tools. This method gives results with moderate errors and can be used only for area, but not for population.
★ If the administrative divisions (sub-regions) of the state are going along the continents' geographical border (or near it) then much more correct data (widely available area and population data for the regions) can be added up together.
The total area and population of countries is well known from various sources, so when there is data for the part of the country on one continent - then the percentages of the other part (on the other continent) can be easily calculated by subtraction.
Countries in both Asia and Europe
:''See
"Europe and Asia" section of this article for more details about the geographical border between
Europe and
Asia.''
:''See also
Geographic criteria for EU membership.''
★
Azerbaijan - situated in both Western Asia and Eastern Europe.
★
Georgia - situated in both Western Asia and Eastern Europe.
★
Greece - situated in both Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. See top map.
★
Kazakhstan - situated in both Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
★
Russia - situated in both Northern Asia and Eastern Europe.
★
South Ossetia (if its ''de facto'' independence from
Georgia since the cease-fire of July 14, 1992 is recognized) - situated in both Western Asia and Eastern Europe.
★
Turkey - situated in both Western Asia and Southeastern Europe.
''Map colours: Geographical Europe is coloured green. The Asian territory of states that lie both in Europe and Asia are coloured light pink. Dark-pink are coloured states that lie entirely on the Asian continent, but are considered European because of cultural and historical reasons. Azerbaijan's exclave of
Nakhchivan is also coloured dark-pink because it is not a continuous extension of Azerbaijan's territory.''
Statistics
| 'State' | 'Total Area'
km² | 'Area in Asia '
km² | 'Area in Asia'
% of total | 'Area in Europe'
km² | 'Area in Europe'
% of total |
| 'Greece' | 131,990 | 6,030 | 4.57 | 125,960 | 95.43 |
| 'Russia' | 17,075,200 | 13,115,200 | 76.81 | 3,960,000 | 23.19 |
| 'Azerbaijan' | 86,600 | 79,490 | 91.79 | 7,110 | 8.21 |
| 'Kazakhstan' | 2,717,300 | 2,567,300 | 94.48 | 150,000 | 5.52 |
| 'Turkey' | 769,604 | 745,972 | 96.93 | 23,632 | 3.07 |
| 'Georgia' | 69,700 | 67,700 | 97.13 | 2000 | 2.87 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of European area.
Sources: Turkey: Turkish Statistical Institute (land area) [4]
Other countries: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [5]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
| 'State' | 'Total Population' | 'Population in Asia ' | 'Population in Asia'
% of total | 'Population in Europe' | 'Population in Europe'
% of total |
| 'Greece' | 11,244,118 | 390,303 | 3.47 | 10,853,815 | 96.53 |
| 'Russia' | 143,780,000 | 37,742,857 | 26.25 | 106,037,143 | 73.75 |
| 'Turkey' | 67,803,927 | 59,898,281 | 88.34 | 7,905,646 | 11.66 |
| 'Kazakhstan' | 15,140,000 | 14,400,000 | 96.04 | 600,000 | 3.96 |
| 'Azerbaijan' | 7,870,000 | 7,694,800 | 97.77 | 175,200 | 2.23 |
| 'Georgia' | 4,690,000 | 4,652,480 | 99.2 | 37,520 | 0.8 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of European population.
Sources: Turkey: Turkish Statistical Institute [6]
Other countries: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [7]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
Greece
Mainland
Greece and most of its islands are associated with
Europe, but the
Dodecanese Prefecture of the transcontinental
South Aegean Periphery and most of the transcontinental
North Aegean Periphery are associated with
Asia. The intercontinental boundary mostly follows prefecture and periphery boundaries, but the numbers (particularly the population) in each continent of the North Aegean Periphery's transcontinental
Lesbos Prefecture can only be approximated. The Lesbos Prefecture consists of the Asian
Lesbos Island and the European
Lemnos and
Agios Efstratios islands. North Aegean's other two prefectures are entirely in Asia. The
Cyclades Prefecture of the South Aegean Periphery is entirely in Europe.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high-to-medium
★ Accuracy of population calculation: medium
Russia
Russian regions' borders follow the
Ural Mountains and
Ural River closely enough. The deviations of the borders are such that if one mainly European region has a small part of its territory in Asia, then another mainly Asian region has a small part of its territory in Europe. Such cases are rare and nearly compensate one another, so for such a rough calculation we can claim high accuracy. There is also a very small area (less than 300 km²) of Russian territory south of the main
Caucasus watershed in Asia. This is also a small deviation and it does not seriously affect the calculation accuracy.
Orenburg on the Ural River is a
transcontinental city.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high (but better is possible)
★ Accuracy of population calculation: high-to-medium
Azerbaijan
The northeastern Azerbaijan district borders run mostly along the main
Caucasus watershed. Five districts are entirely within Europe, and the transcontinental
Khizi district is almost equally divided on the two sides of the watershed, so area calculation is easily made.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high (but better is possible)
★ Accuracy of population calculation: high-to-medium
Georgia
Georgia regions' borders don't follow the main
Caucasus watershed (a newer map is needed that is showing
South Ossetia correctly and not divided between other regions - mostly the former Tsinkvalli region.) Georgia's three transcontinental regions are
Shida Kartli,
Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and
Kakheti. The
Java district of Shida Kartli is transcontinental and the region's other four districts are entirely within Asia. The Kazbegi and Dusheti districts of Mtskheta-Mtianeti are transcontinental and the region's other three districts are entirely within Asia. The
Akhmeta district of Kakheti is transcontinental and the region's other seven districts are entirely within Asia. The area is calculated by the rectangle method. The population is calculated using the inhabitants/km² of Azerbaijan's European territory (because it is in the same region and is somewhat accurate.)
★ Accuracy of area calculation: low
★ Accuracy of population calculation: low
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's provincial borders don't follow the Ural River. Two of the provinces are transcontinental,
Atyrau Province and
West Kazakhstan Province. The capital of the former,
Atyrau, is split by the mouth of the Ural and is a
transcontinental city. Almost all of it is in Asia with a small portion in Europe. Two of Atyrau Province's districts are entirely in Europe, three of its districts are entirely in Asia, and its Inderskiy and Makhambetskiy districts are transcontinental. Five of West Kazakhstan's districts and the city of
Oral are entirely in Europe, five of its districts are entirely in Asia, and its Akzhaikskiy district is transcontinental.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: low
★ Accuracy of population calculation: low
Turkey
Three of
Turkey's provinces are entirely in Europe while
Çanakkale and
Istanbul are transcontinental provinces. Three of Çanakkale's districts are entirely in Europe and its other nine districts are entirely in
Asia. 19 of Istanbul's districts are entirely in Europe and its other 12 districts are entirely in Asia. The accuracy of both land area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Countries in both Asia and Africa
green - Asia, pink/grey - Africa
:''See
Geography of Africa and
Asia pages for more details about the geographical border between Africa and Asia.''
★ The border between the two continents is considered to go along the Isthmus of Suez and the
Suez Canal. This border lies in
Egypt, so it is considered both North African and Southwest Asian. The border continues through the
Gulf of Suez,
Red Sea and
Gulf of Aden. International arbitration of the
Hanish islands crisis in 1998 split control of the
Hanish Islands in the Red Sea between
Yemen and
Eritrea along this border.
Statistics
| 'State' | 'Total Area'
km² | 'Area in Africa '
km² | 'Area in Africa'
% of total | 'Area in Asia'
km² | 'Area in Asia'
% of total |
| 'Egypt' | 1,001,450 | 937,894 | 93.65 | 63,556 | 6.35 |
| 'Yemen' | 527,968 | 3,808 | 0.72 | 524,160 | 99.28 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of African area.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [8]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
| 'State' | 'Total Population' | 'Population in Africa ' | 'Population in Africa'
% of total | 'Population in Asia' | 'Population in Asia'
% of total |
| 'Egypt' | 74,718,797 | 73,340,638 | 98.16 | 1,378,159 | 1.84 |
| 'Yemen' | 20,975,000 | 44,260 | 0.21 | 20,930,740 | 99.79 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of African population.
Sources: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [9]
Yemen: Also the MOPD-EU Socotra Development Masterplan [10]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
Egypt
Three of Egypt's
governorates lie entirely in Asia and two are transcontinental.
Ismailia Governorate is nearly equally divided by the
Suez Canal and
Suez Governorate, which is coterminous with the
transcontinental city of
Suez, has a small portion east of the
Suez Canal.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high (but better is possible)
★ Accuracy of population calculation: high-to-medium
Yemen
Although mainland
Yemen is in the southern
Arabian Peninsula and thus part of
Asia, and its
Hanish Islands and
Perim in the
Red Sea are associated with Asia, Yemen controls the
archipelago of
Socotra, which lies east of the horn of
Somalia and is much closer to
Africa than
Asia. Socotra and the mainland city of
Aden constitute the transcontinental
'Adan Governorate, so the Socotra archipelago constitutes a portion of a political subdivision that can only be approximated.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high (better is possible)
★ Accuracy of population calculation: medium
Countries in both Asia and Oceania
green - Oceania, pink/grey - Asia
:''See
Wallace Line and the
Oceania and
Asia pages for more details about the grouping of the islands between Oceania and Asia.''
A traditional geographical definition to determine which island should be included with Oceania and which with Asia is to use the Wallace line, although it is less favoured contemporarily and within Asia itself, where the zoogeographical boundary is less known.
★ According to this definition some of the eastern Indonesian islands should be considered Oceanian. So
Indonesia is both in Southeast Asia and in Oceania. However, it is common practice on maps to consider all of Indonesia, including
Western New Guinea, as 'Asia'. Indonesia is highly sensitive to ideas of
separatism in its eastern borders, and would not want to be considered a country divided by two continents with distinct social characteristics. It is also common practice to consider all of Indonesia outside of New Guinea as being Asian.
★ According to this definition the whole of the state
East Timor lies only in Oceania. Culturally it is also much closer to the Pacific people than to Asians (although much of the
Malay Archipelago may show similar characteristics due to it being a transitional area between mainland Asia and the Pacific islands). East Timor is considered as a part of Asia primarily due to its past occupation by Indonesia, which is regarded mostly a Southeast Asian state. It is, however, an observer in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and is classified as Asian by the United Nations
[11].
Although
Australia controls the inhabited Asian
Christmas Island and the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, they are too far from the Australian continent to include in the charts below and consider the nation a transcontinental state.
Statistics
| 'State' | 'Total Area'
km² | 'Area in Asia '
km² | 'Area in Asia'
% of total | 'Area in Oceania'
km² | 'Area in Oceania'
% of total |
| 'East Timor' | 15,007 | 0 | 0 | 15,007 | 100 |
| 'Indonesia' | 1,904,443 | 1,158,645 | 60.84 | 745,798 | 39.16 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of Oceanian area.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [12]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
| 'State' | 'Total Population' | 'Population in Asia ' | 'Population in Asia'
% of total | 'Population in Oceania' | 'Population in Oceania'
% of total |
| 'East Timor' | 1,019,252 | 0 | 0 | 1,019,252 | 100 |
| 'Indonesia' | 238,452,952 | 208,176,381 | 87.3 | 28,159,300 | 12.7 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of Oceanian population.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [13]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
East Timor
Geographically and culturally, East Timor is entirely within
Oceania, so the accuracy of both area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Indonesia
Sulawesi, the
Maluku Islands,
West Nusa Tenggara,
East Nusa Tenggara, the
Sangir Islands, the
Talaud Islands, and
Western New Guinea lie entirely in Oceania, while Indonesia's other islands and island groups lie entirely in Asia, and none of its provinces crosses the
Wallace Line, so the accuracy of both the area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Countries in both North America and South America
green - South America, pink/grey - North America
:''See
North America and
South America pages for more details about the geographical border between the two Americas.''
★ Most geographic authorities delineate the land border dividing
the Americas somewhere along the
Isthmus of Panama. One common demarcation follows the Darien watershed along the Colombia-Panama boundary. Another common dividing line (and used herein) is the
Panama Canal transecting the isthmus; thus,
Panama is reckoned to have territory in both continents.
Panama City, Panama's capital, sits on the Pacific (southern) coast near the Panama Canal in the eastern (South American) portion of the country. Panama lies almost entirely on the
Caribbean Plate, with a small portion on the South American Plate. Geopolitically, all of Panama is often considered a part of North America alone and among the countries of
North America.
★ The sea islands division is more complicated. All
Caribbean islands are often labeled as North American. The Dutch dependency
Aruba, some parts of the
Netherlands Antilles (
Bonaire and
Curaçao islands), and the state of
Trinidad and Tobago lie on the
continental shelf of South America, and are considered South American.
Venezuela's
Isla Aves and the
Colombian islands of
San Andrés and Providencia are geographically North American. Venezuela is not included in the charts below since Isla Aves only covers a small fraction of a km² and is uninhabited. Isla Aves is one of the
Federal dependencies of Venezuela under the administration of the
transcontinental city of
Caracas.
North American Caribbean islands belonging to South American countries:
South American Caribbean islands:
Statistics
| 'State' | 'Total Area'
km² | 'Area in North America '
km² | 'Area in North America'
% of total | 'Area in South America'
km² | 'Area in South America'
% of total |
| 'Aruba' 1 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 100 |
| 'Trinidad and Tobago' | 5,128 | 0 | 0 | 5,128 | 100 |
| 'Colombia' | 1,141,748 | 57 | 0.005 | 1,141,691 | 99.995 |
| 'Netherlands Antilles' 1 | 800 | 68 | 8.5 | 732 | 91.5 |
| 'Panama' | 75,517 | 47,484 | 62.88 | 28,033 | 37.12 |
1 Extraterritorial part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Countries are sorted according to percentage of South American area.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [15]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
| 'State' | 'Total Population' | 'Population in North America ' | 'Population in North America'
% of total | 'Population in South America' | 'Population in South America'
% of total |
| 'Aruba' 1 | 103,000 | 0 | 0 | 103,000 | 100 |
| 'Trinidad and Tobago' | 1,104,209 | 0 | 0 | 1,104,209 | 100 |
| 'Colombia' | 42,090,502 | 83,491 | 0.20 | 42,007,011 | 99.80 |
| 'Netherlands Antilles' 1 | 221,226 | 59,226 | 26.77 | 162,000 | 73.23 |
| 'Panama' | 3,000,463 | 2,498,717 | 83.28 | 299,936 | 16.72 |
1 Extraterritorial part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Countries are sorted according to percentage of South American population.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [16]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
Aruba
Geographically entirely in
South America, so the accuracy of both area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Trinidad and Tobago
Geographically entirely in
South America, so the accuracy of both area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Colombia
Mainland
Colombia is in northwestern
South America, but the nation also controls the
San Andrés and Providencia archipelago, 400 miles WNW of Columbia's Caribbean coast, near the Caribbean coast of
Nicaragua. This archipelago is coterminous with the department of the same name, but the population can only be approximated.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high-to-medium
★ Accuracy of population calculation: medium
Netherlands Antilles
Bonaire and
Curaçao lie entirely in
South America, while
Saba,
Sint Eustatius, and
Sint Maarten lie entirely in
North America, so the accuracy of both area and population percentages is the highest possible.
Panama
Three of the provinces lie entirely in South America.
Panamá Province and
Colón Province are both transcontinental, with Colón nearly equally divided between both Americas and Panamá unequally divided, with nearly a 1:4 ratio in South America's favor. The
Pearl Islands and
Taboga Island in the
Gulf of Panama are part of Panamá Province and are associated with South America and North America, respectively. A map of the locations of the districts of these two provinces and their area and population numbers are needed.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: medium
★ Accuracy of population calculation: low
Countries in both Africa and Europe
:''See
"Africa and Europe" section of this article for more details about the geographical border between
Africa and
Europe.''
| 'State' | 'Total Area'
km² | 'Area in Africa '
km² | 'Area in Africa'
% of total | 'Area in Europe'
km² | 'Area in Europe'
% of total |
| 'Italy' | 301,318 | 110 | 0.037 | 301,208 | 99.963 |
| 'Portugal' | 92,391 | 797 | 0.863 | 91,594 | 99.137 |
| 'Spain' | 505,992 | 7,568 | 1.50 | 498,424 | 98.50 |
| 'Malta' | 316 | 316 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of European area.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [17]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
| 'State' | 'Total Population' | 'Population in Africa ' | 'Population in Africa'
% of total | 'Population in Europe' | 'Population in Europe'
% of total |
| 'Italy' | 58,751,711 | 13,745 | 0.023 | 58,737,966 | 99.977 |
| 'Portugal' | 10,605,870 | 253,482 | 2.39 | 10,352,388 | 97.61 |
| 'Spain' | 44,708,964 | 2,109,044 | 4.718 | 42,599,920 | 95.282 |
| 'Malta' | 404,039 | 404,039 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Countries are sorted according to percentage of European population.
Source: World Gazetteer, Statistics of administrative units, towns and cities [18]
For methodologies of calculation see below.
Italy
Although mainland
Italy,
Sardinia,
Sicily, the
Aegadian Islands,
Ustica, and the
Aeolian Islands are associated with
Europe, the closest land to
Pantelleria and the
Pelagie Islands is
Tunisia on the African mainland. They belong to the transcontinental Sicilian provinces of
Trapani and
Agrigento, respectively, and they are coterminous with the ''
comuni'' of Pantelleria and
Lampedusa e Linosa, respectively. The figures can only be approximated.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high (better is possible)
★ Accuracy of population calculation: medium
Portugal
The Portuguese mainland is in
Europe, while the
Azores archipelago (also associated with Europe) and the archipelago of
Madeira (geographically part of
Africa) in the
Atlantic Ocean constitute the
Autonomous regions of Portugal.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high
★ Accuracy of population calculation: high
Spain
Although its mainland is in Europe,
Spain has holdings (the
Canary Islands in the Atlantic and its ''
Plazas de soberanía'' including
Ceuta and Melilla on the African mainland) that are geographically part of
Africa. They are considered
Autonomous communities of Spain. The African Mediterranean island of
Isla de Alborán belongs to the
transcontinental city of
Almería and the transcontinental province of
Almería.
★ Accuracy of area calculation: high
★ Accuracy of population calculation: high
Malta
Geographically entirely in
Africa, so the accuracy of both area and population percentages is the highest possible.
==
List of transcontinental empires and countries in history
See also==
★
Colonialism
★
Imperialism
★
Thalassocracy
★
List of countries by continent
External links
★
Transcontinental states according to World Gazetteer
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