Re: OT: Renaming the continents

Nik Taylor wrote:
> > In "Shikasta", Doris Lessing has a set of alternative continent-names
>used
> > by aliens studying the earth. North America is IIRC "the Isolated
>Northern
> > Continent", Europe "the Northwestern Rimlands". Perhaps somebody who
>owns
> > the book can check out and complete the list?
>
>Interesting.  Why "Rimlands" and "Isolated Northern Continent"?
It has been a long time since I read the book, and I didn't like it enough
to finish it, so my memory is slightly weak on this.

Anyway, these Aliens apparently thought of the Old World as the central
landmass of the Earth. The NW edge of the Old World is in Europe, which I
guess explains "Northwestern Rimlands". Possibly, the term was really meant
to denote only western Europe - I can't recall if its exact boundaries were
ever clarified in the book. North and South America were apparently
considered "Isolated" continents due to their not being connected to the
"central" or "primary" Eurasian-African landmass. Quite possibly, Australia
and Antarctica were also considered "Isolated" (altho' with S America being
"the Isolated South Continent", one's got to wonder what they then called
Antarctica), but I can't really remember.

Again, it'd be nice if someone who has the book, or has it in more recent
memory than me, could fill out this a bit.


                                   Andreas

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