Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I was always taught there were seven continents, Australia being one of them. However, I've been doing this long enough to know many of my international viewers might've been taught something else; that Australia is an island within the continent of Oceania. This has in turn generated a lot of confusion surround Australia and its status as a landmass. Of course as we all know, these terms are meaningless, which is why lately we've been using biogeographic realms instead. I hope by using these alternative units for dividing the earth, we might finally get to an answer as to whether Australia is an island!
Support me on Patreon here: patreon.com/atlaspro
Follow me on Twitter @theatlaspro
Sources / Further Reading
socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geography_(Human)/Book%3A_World_Regional_Geography_(Finlayson)/10%3A_Oceania/10.03%3A_Biogeography_in_Australia_and_the_Pacific
cambridge.org/core/books/abs/biogeography-of-australasia/biogeography-of-australia/D7A01EE3EB889451708C7EF4D47FB5AB
books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v7_nCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=biogeography+of+australia&ots=sqBeL5VmyJ&sig=BKG4de8x4c9y4M4KJyHmfVuMIQA#v=onepage&q=biogeography%20of%20australia&f=false
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01454359
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001858#:~:text=Djarthia%20is%20therefore%20the%20oldest%20known%20Australian%20crown%2Dgroup%20marsupial,oldest%20anywhere%20in%20the%20world.
https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/story-our-eucalypts#:~:text=Ancient%20eucalypts%20were%20probably%20similar,and%20a%20fire%2Dprone%20landscapes.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeography#/media/File:Wallace03.jpg
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001858#:~:text=Djarthia%20is%20therefore%20the%20oldest,marsupial%20by%2030%20million%20years.
researchgate.net/publication/5487466_Australia's_Oldest_Marsupial_Fossils_and_their_Biogeographical_Implications
Additional Music:
"Deliberate Thought" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Infados" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
I was always taught there were seven continents, Australia being one of them. However, I've been doing this long enough to know many of my international viewers might've been taught something else; that Australia is an island within the continent of Oceania. This has in turn generated a lot of confusion surround Australia and its status as a landmass. Of course as we all know, these terms are meaningless, which is why lately we've been using biogeographic realms instead. I hope by using these alternative units for dividing the earth, we might finally get to an answer as to whether Australia is an island!
Support me on Patreon here: patreon.com/atlaspro
Follow me on Twitter @theatlaspro
Sources / Further Reading
socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geography_(Human)/Book%3A_World_Regional_Geography_(Finlayson)/10%3A_Oceania/10.03%3A_Biogeography_in_Australia_and_the_Pacific
cambridge.org/core/books/abs/biogeography-of-australasia/biogeography-of-australia/D7A01EE3EB889451708C7EF4D47FB5AB
books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v7_nCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=biogeography+of+australia&ots=sqBeL5VmyJ&sig=BKG4de8x4c9y4M4KJyHmfVuMIQA#v=onepage&q=biogeography%20of%20australia&f=false
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01454359
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001858#:~:text=Djarthia%20is%20therefore%20the%20oldest%20known%20Australian%20crown%2Dgroup%20marsupial,oldest%20anywhere%20in%20the%20world.
https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/story-our-eucalypts#:~:text=Ancient%20eucalypts%20were%20probably%20similar,and%20a%20fire%2Dprone%20landscapes.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeography#/media/File:Wallace03.jpg
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001858#:~:text=Djarthia%20is%20therefore%20the%20oldest,marsupial%20by%2030%20million%20years.
researchgate.net/publication/5487466_Australia's_Oldest_Marsupial_Fossils_and_their_Biogeographical_Implications
Additional Music:
"Deliberate Thought" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Infados" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
