At about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km), Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. In fact, it’s closer in size to Greenland than it is to South America. Does that make Australia an island like Greenland?
Although Australia is sometimes called an “island continent,” most geographers consider islands and continents to be separate things. According to Britannica, an island is a mass of land that is both “entirely surrounded by water” and also “smaller than acontinent.” By that definition, Australia can’t be an island because it’s already a continent.
But in that case, what’s the difference between Australia and Greenland? Why isn’t Greenland (at 836,000 square miles [2,165,230 square km]) considered a continent instead of just the world’s largest island? Unfortunately, there isn’t a strict scientific definition of a continent. But there are a few criteria that are commonly used to distinguish one continent from another.
First, there is a geological distinction. While Australia and most of Asia are situated on separate tectonic plates, Greenland shares a tectonic plate with North America. Second, there is a biological distinction. While a large percentage of Australia’s plant and animal species can be found nowhere else in the world, fewer of Greenland’s species are unique. Third, there is an anthropological distinction. Aboriginal people are limited to Australia, while indigenous Greenlanders belong to a group of peoples (the Inuit) found throughout the Arctic, including parts of Canada, the United States, and Russia.
While each of those criteria may not be sufficient on its own—for instance, Europe and Asia also share a tectonic plate but are usually considered separate continents for cultural reasons—together they form a general understanding of what qualifies as a continent.
Of course, there’s also the basic matter of size. Australia is nearly four times as large as Greenland. If they were much closer in area, Greenland might have more of a case for continent status (and Australia for island status). As it is, the vast difference between the two makes for a good dividing line.
Being surrounded by ocean, Australia is often referred to as an island continent. As a continental landmass, Australia is significantly larger than its fringing islands.
Naming Australia an island predated this definition and still persists in popular usage but using the current definition it is a continent. Greenland, being a part of the North American Plate but not it's largest landmass, gets defined as an island and is now considered the world's largest island.
In total, 50 island countries have been included in the lists. Australia is not included as it is considered a continental country, although it was historically referred to as an island country because of its lack of land borders.
Continents are also surrounded by water, but because they are so big, they are not considered islands. Australia, the smallest continent, is more than three times the size of Greenland, the largest island. There are countless islands in the ocean, lakes, and rivers around the world.
Philippines, island country of Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets lying about 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Vietnam. Manila is the capital, but nearby Quezon City is the country's most-populous city.
Just Room Enough Island, also known as Hub Island, is an island located in the Thousand Islands chain, in New York, United States. The island is known for being the smallest inhabited island, which appears to be around 3,300 square feet (310 m2), or about one-thirteenth of an acre.
Generally a Country is a land mass that has its own government and an island is a land mass surrounded by water. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are a Kingdom made up of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Of course, there's also the basic matter of size. Australia is nearly four times as large as Greenland. If they were much closer in area, Greenland might have more of a case for continent status (and Australia for island status).
Located in Earth's southern hemisphere, Australia is the smallest continent among the seven, spanning over 8 million square kilometers or 3 million square miles, National Geographic reports. Australia is both a country and a continent by itself.
There are two main types of islands in the sea: continental islands and oceanic islands. There are also artificial islands (man-made islands). There are about 900,000 official islands in the world. This number consists of all the officially-reported islands of each country.
Greenland, like Australia, is separated by waters from other landmasses, but Greenland is considered a large island rather than a continent. Part of this stems from the fact that Greenland is attached to the North American tectonic plate and not its own plate as Australia is.
There are at least 15 independent countries and 2 associated states located entirely on oceanic islands, these island nations are technically not a part of any continent. The most notable examples include Iceland, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
Tasmania is a large island state off the south-east coast of mainland Australia. The main island of Tasmania (which includes 94% of the state's land area) does not have a defined name but can be referred to as the "Tasmanian mainland".
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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