The Company's operating segments engage in business activities from which they may earn revenues and incur expenses and for which discrete financial information is available. Operating results for the operating segments are regularly reviewed by the Company's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segments and to assess performance. The Company's chief operating decision maker is identified as the Chief Executive Officer. Operating segments are aggregated for reporting purposes when the operating segments are identified as similar in accordance with the basic principles and aggregation criteria in the accounting standards. The Company's reporting segments are based primarily on product lines and secondarily on geographic area. The reporting segments have different lines of management responsibility as each business requires different marketing strategies and management expertise. The Company structures its business into the following four reporting segments: Americas Recycling , Americas Mills , Americas Fabrication and International Mill . See Note 1, Nature of Operations , for more information about the reporting segments, including the types of products and services from which each reporting segment derives its net sales. During 2018, the Company substantially completed the exit of the International Marketing and Distribution segment. See Note 4, Changes in Business , for further information. Certain components of the International Marketing and Distribution segment which were wound down in prior periods, including the Company's steel trading operations based in the United Kingdom, did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations, and thus, were included in continuing operations for all periods presented. These activities were included in the results of Corporate and Other, and were immaterial in 2018. Corporate and Other contains earnings or losses on assets and liabilities related to the Company's BRP and short-term investments, expenses of the Company's corporate headquarters, interest expense related to its long-term debt and intercompany eliminations. The Company uses adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations to compare and evaluate the financial performance of its segments. Adjusted EBITDA is the sum of the Company's earnings from continuing operations before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, and impairment expense . Intersegment sales are generally priced at prevailing market prices. Certain corporate administrative expenses are allocated to the segments based upon the nature of the expense. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies . The following table summarizes certain financial information from continuing operations by reportable segment: (in thousands) Americas Recycling Americas Mills Americas Fabrication International Mill Corporate and Other Continuing Operations 2019 Net sales-unaffiliated customers $ 908,451 $ 1,882,994 $ 2,209,671 $ 815,723 $ 12,163 $ 5,829,002 Intersegment sales 238,095 1,185,280 13,708 1,325 (1,438,408 )  Net sales 1,146,546 3,068,274 2,223,379 817,048 (1,426,245 ) 5,829,002 Adjusted EBITDA 42,124 545,215 (123,014 ) 100,102 (140,342 ) 424,085 Interest expense* 3,097 16,186 27,656 2,493 21,941 71,373 Capital expenditures 22,560 54,069 12,490 40,337 9,380 138,836 Depreciation and amortization 16,825 91,326 17,567 25,993 6,941 158,652 Impairment of assets   369 15  384 Total assets** 257,517 1,667,366 1,106,420 464,177 263,291 3,758,771 2018 Net sales-unaffiliated customers $ 1,117,714 $ 1,204,181 $ 1,416,572 $ 885,919 $ 19,337 $ 4,643,723 Intersegment sales 247,715 792,722 11,310 1,119 (1,052,866 )  Net sales 1,365,429 1,996,903 1,427,882 887,038 (1,033,529 ) 4,643,723 Adjusted EBITDA 68,694 301,805 (39,394 ) 131,720 (110,604 ) 352,221 Interest expense* 3,605 5,317 14,295 2,699 15,041 40,957 Capital expenditures 8,592 121,029 14,386 23,552 3,808 171,367 Depreciation and amortization 17,246 61,512 13,537 27,255 11,958 131,508 Impairment of assets 180 8 14,157 27  14,372 Total assets** 291,838 1,115,339 739,151 485,548 696,428 3,328,304 2017 Net sales-unaffiliated customers $ 865,462 $ 917,689 $ 1,364,826 $ 636,402 $ 59,690 $ 3,844,069 Intersegment sales 146,038 647,765 11,102 871 (805,776 )  Net sales 1,011,500 1,565,454 1,375,928 637,273 (746,086 ) 3,844,069 Adjusted EBITDA 33,541 224,183 27,259 76,068 (125,229 ) 235,822 Interest expense* 2,979 (3,394 ) 9,899 3,079 31,588 44,151 Capital expenditures 7,148 172,738 15,495 12,603 5,090 213,074 Depreciation and amortization 15,501 49,419 13,400 25,830 20,340 124,490 Impairment of assets 559   150 1,021 1,730 Total assets** 240,371 933,022 683,609 464,428 653,701 2,975,131 ________________________ * Includes intercompany interest expense (income) in the segments, which is eliminated within Corporate and Other. ** Total assets listed in Corporate and Other includes assets from discontinued operations. The following table presents a reconciliation of earnings from continuing operations to adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations : Year Ended August 31, (in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Earnings from continuing operations $ 198,779 $ 135,237 $ 50,175 Interest expense 71,373 40,957 44,151 Income taxes 69,681 30,147 15,276 Depreciation and amortization 158,652 131,508 124,490 Amortization of acquired unfavorable contract backlog (74,784 )   Impairment of assets 384 14,372 1,730 Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations $ 424,085 $ 352,221 $ 235,822 The following table present the Company's external net sales from continuing operations by major geographic area: Year Ended August 31, (in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Geographic area: North America $ 4,843,985 $ 3,535,499 $ 3,015,481 Europe 833,627 892,452 666,396 Asia and other 151,390 215,772 162,192 Net sales $ 5,829,002 $ 4,643,723 $ 3,844,069 The following table presents long-lived assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization, by geographic area: August 31, (in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 United States $ 1,426,131 $ 1,001,102 $ 971,881 Europe and other 173,087 171,505 187,995 Total long-lived assets $ 1,599,218 $ 1,172,607 $ 1,159,876