I know what you're gonna say, that I'm a moron. Before you say that, let me say, I am fully aware that Iceland is part of Europe.
However, if you look at a map of the continental plates, 95% of them either show the North American-European border to the east of Iceland (meaning Iceland would be a part of the North American plate) or the border going right down the middle of the country. Which raises the question: Though Iceland is considered European, should it be? According to the continental plates, is Iceland European, North American, or half and half?
Discuss.

Change your nickname please.

LOL, this is amusing :)

capt at 50 characters btw.

PS,

https://lmgtfy.com/?iie=1&q=Though+Iceland+is+considered+European%2C+should+it+be%3F+According+to+the+continental+plates%2C+is+Iceland+European%2C+North+American%2C+or+half+and+half%3F

Edited 11/28/2016 11:51:28

Continents aren't defined by tectonic plates, and honestly aren't even fluid between cultures (some cultures consider "north" and "south" america to be one continent, some consider "europe" and "asia" to be a single one, etc.). A continent is essentially a political division, and as such is going to have some quirks and borders that don't really make sense one one level or another.

For instance, why is northern africa not considered part of europe despite it's historical ties to europe through the roman empire? Solely because europeans did not want to be associated with these places after the islamic conquest, and essentially "gerrymandered" them out of their continent altogether.

Edited 11/28/2016 12:23:15

Err, Iceland is technically not part of either North America nor Europe. Its its own island, formed from a "hot spot" zone, just like Hawaii.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent (Includes several references to Iceland; search the text of the page to find them)

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in size to smallest, they are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.[1] In geology, areas of continental crust include regions covered with water.

Islands are frequently grouped with a neighbouring continent to divide all the world's land into geopolitical regions. Under this scheme, most of the island countries and territories in the Pacific Ocean are grouped together with the continent of Australia to form a geopolitical region called Oceania.
...
Geologists use the term continent in a different manner from geographers, where a continent is defined by continental crust: a platform of metamorphic and igneous rock, largely of granitic composition. Some geologists restrict the term 'continent' to portions of the crust built around stable Precambrian "shield", typically 1.5 to 3.8 billion years old, called a craton. The craton itself is an accretionary complex of ancient mobile belts (mountain belts) from earlier cycles of subduction, continental collision and break-up from plate tectonic activity. An outward-thickening veneer of younger, minimally deformed sedimentary rock covers much of the craton. The margins of geologic continents are characterized by currently active or relatively recently active mobile belts and deep troughs of accumulated marine or deltaic sediments. Beyond the margin, there is either a continental shelf and drop off to the basaltic ocean basin or the margin of another continent, depending on the current plate-tectonic setting of the continent. A continental boundary does not have to be a body of water. Over geologic time, continents are periodically submerged under large epicontinental seas, and continental collisions result in a continent becoming attached to another continent. The current geologic era is relatively anomalous in that so much of the continental areas are "high and dry"; that is, many parts of the continents that were once below sea level are now elevated well above it due to changes in sea levels and the subsequent uplifting of those continental areas from tectonic activity.[66]
The tectonic plates underlying the continents and oceans

Some argue that continents are accretionary crustal "rafts" that, unlike the denser basaltic crust of the ocean basins, are not subjected to destruction through the plate tectonic process of subduction. This accounts for the great age of the rocks comprising the continental cratons. By this definition, Eastern Europe, India and some other regions could be regarded as continental masses distinct from the rest of Eurasia because they have separate ancient shield areas (i.e. East European craton and Indian craton). Younger mobile belts (such as the Ural Mountains and Himalayas) mark the boundaries between these regions and the rest of Eurasia.

There are many microcontinents, or continental fragments, that are built of continental crust but do not contain a craton. Some of these are fragments of Gondwana or other ancient cratonic continents: Zealandia, which includes New Zealand and New Caledonia; Madagascar; the northern Mascarene Plateau, which includes the Seychelles. Other islands, such as several in the Caribbean Sea, are composed largely of granitic rock as well, but all continents contain both granitic and basaltic crust, and there is no clear boundary as to which islands would be considered microcontinents under such a definition. The Kerguelen Plateau, for example, is largely volcanic, but is associated with the breakup of Gondwanaland and is considered a microcontinent,[67][68] whereas volcanic Iceland and Hawaii are not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland

Iceland is at the juncture of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The main island is entirely south of the Arctic Circle, which passes through the small Icelandic island of Grímsey off the main island's northern coast. The country lies between latitudes 63° and 68° N, and longitudes 25° and 13° W.

Iceland is closer to continental Europe than to mainland North America; thus, the island is generally included in Europe for historical, political, cultural, and practical reasons. Geologically the island includes parts of both continental plates. ...

Consensus seems to be that Iceland is considered part of the continent of Europe.

Consensus seems to be that Iceland is considered part of the continent of Europe.

Why, aren't you a smart lad!

if you go by "continent" meaning tectons, then you've got colossal ones like Eurasia that most likely more than half the world lives on and then ones like Juan de Fucker which I doubt anyone does. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_Plate

Short answer: Europe and North America.

Edited 11/28/2016 23:34:37

Europe. Or Africa, if you're a conspiracy theorist muttonhead

Iceland should become it's own continent :)
Btw, if you install https://www.warlight.net/Forum/220284-darktheme-wl-wiki-small-styling-fixes, 'Pi's long name won't be an issue.

Iceland not Europe.

proof.

Europe 3.0

Edited 11/29/2016 15:37:12

iceland europe
greenland n america(despite being owned by denmark)

It's closest to the continent of Greenland.
Don't be a hater, Greenland did nothing to you!