“Politiquice” aside: Where are the true geographical centers of the continents?
Discovering the “medium” of each continent may seem a purely geographical exercise, but it quickly proves to be a history of local politics and rivalries between countries.
Contrary to the ancient belief of the Greeks, who saw Delphi like the navel of the world, the earth, because it is spherical, has no absolute center. Even so, several places are self-proclaiming the “geographical center” of each continent, using different criteria and sometimes patriotic or tourist motivations to justify it.
Antarctic
This is perhaps the most mysterious continent in this context. Although some point to an area near the south pole such as the geographical center, there is no consensus or clear calculations on this location, note o. And with the penguins little concerned with geopolitics, the mystery remains.
Asia
Here, geography inevitably intersects with international politics.
The city of Kyzyl, Russia, raised in 1968 a monument that declares it as the center of Asia.
However, in 1992, a new estimate placed the real center about 20 kilometers southwest of ürümqi, China. The place was transformed, entitled to Vila Nova and all, called symbolically “heart of Asia”.
Australia
When there is only one country on the continent, the task becomes simpler-or not.
The most accepted center is the so -called Lambert Center, calculated based on 24,500 points of the coastline on high tide and using the center of gravity of the resulting figure.
Africa
Here, the consensus seems bigger. Sources like World Atlas point to a location near the city of Epena in Cameroon.
The exact method used to determine this point is not clear, but at least there are no multiple countries to compete with the title with competing monuments.
Europa
The European case is the most disputed. Several cities in countries such as Germany, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, Belarus, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia and Ukraine complain to themselves the title of the continent’s geographical center.
A true race of patriotism with scientists from each country to find (strange…), the center well within its borders. However, the most widely accepted point is in Lithuania, near the village of tadpoles, calculated by French scientists based on the center of gravity of the geometric figure of Europe.
North America
For decades, the city of Rugby, in the North Dakota (USA), has been regarded as the center of the continent. He even had a monument attesting it. But a rival emerged: the owner of a bar in Robinson, also in the northern Dakota, claimed the title in 2010.
Still, more recent studies by geographer Peter Rogerson show that the real center is in another city – ironically called “Center” – about 230 kilometers south of Rugby.
South America
Here there is less drama. In 1909, it was determined that the Geographic Center was in the center of Cuiabá, Brazil. More accurate calculations made in the 1990s repositioned it to 45 kilometers northeast of the city. Without large controversies, this solution appeals to the majority.
