Joanne Stanbridge, age 11, of Weston, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

Where is the border between Europe and Asia?

This man made line zigs and zags from the Arctic southward to the Mediterranean. Along its northern section, Europe bulges eastward to about Longitude 60 degrees East. Along its southern section, Asia bulges westward to about Longitude 35 degrees East. Most of the boundary is marked by such natural geographical features as shores and mountain ranges. The dividing line between the continents of Europe and Asia severs only one major country.

Australia, Antarctica and the Americas are clearly defined by ocean shorelines. Earth scientists regard them as natural continents. This is because they rest on geological features called continental plates. These massive blocks of rocky material press down into the earth's crust and lift large areas of dry land above the beds of the oceans. The continents of Europe and Asia rest on one major and several smaller continental plates, forming a single land mass. For this reason, most earth scientists refer to them as a single continent    called Eurasia.

The boundaries of states, provinces and countries tend to be political divisions, established by settled societies. As we know from current news events, these man made boundaries tend to change as nations invade neighboring territories. Border remodeling is a theme of history    and human history had its beginnings in Europe and Asia. They were named as separate continents long before the dividing line between them was established. But since it serves no political or other purpose, many map makers tend to ignore or forget that it exists.

However, it is there and you can trace it either on a world map or on a map that includes the two fold continent of Eurasia. Find the Kara Sea, just north of the USSR in the Arctic Sea. The shores here meet the Ural Mountains that run almost due southward. This ragged range divides Europe from Asia and also severs a sizable portion from the USSR. Farther south, the Urals zigzag to meet the northern shores of the Caspian Sea. There the line submerges and emerges again where the Caucasus Mountains meet the western shore of this inland sea.

It follows this range northwest to where it meets the Black Sea. It divides this second inland sea along the northern shores of Turkey as far as Istanbul. Here it  swoops through the Bosporus and swerves around to include the rest of Turkey and a few Mediterranean islands. Then it dips southward along the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Syria and Lebanon, Israel and Jordan are on the Asian side of the line.

This man made boundary is more peaceful than most. Few people think of disputing it, perhaps because it serves little political purpose. Even the Russians do not object because it severs their vast realm. The fact that part of the USSR is in Europe and part is in Asia does not seem to matter at all. Nor is anybody put out because some countries bordering the Mediterranean are in Europe and others in Asia.