We know that there is no separate continental/tectonic plate for Europe and in fact, the plate divisions run east/west (there's a Northern Eurasia and a Southern Eurasia, but there's no continental plate under Europe). The convention of calling a particular place Europe began long before that was known, of course. When did it begin?
I know there are still some arguments about precisely where the eastern boundaries of continental Europe may be, but where ever they are, they are drawn by convention and use of varied geographical features.
When is the earliest use of the term "Europe" by historians and were the boundaries clear at the time of its first use? Do historians generally agree today on where it is?
hi! there's always room for more input, but FYI, there's a relevant section in the FAQ (see link on the sidebar)
Here's the definition (conventional) of Europe from wikipedia:
Europe is the western continental peninsula of the Eurasian land mass extending from the Urals to the Iberian peninsular, also incorporating Scandinavia, the British Isles and Iceland and many other smaller islands in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean sea.
It clearly states that Europe is mostly a peninsula of Eurasia (plus Scandinavian and some islands in one ocean and one sea).
How did this convention get started? How far back does it go? It clearly was not in use in its modern sense in classical times. So when did it start?
Is it in Middle English? Did it start with the Enlightenment? Does anyone know?