What is the world's biggest Island?
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Started by metmike - July 12, 2018, 2:48 p.m.

.....it's not Rhode Island (-:

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By mcfarm - July 12, 2018, 3:28 p.m.
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greeneland, maybe, I don't know

By silverspiker - July 13, 2018, 12:11 a.m.
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Antarctica?

By wglassfo - July 13, 2018, 1:48 a.m.
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Greenland

By metmike - July 13, 2018, 6:32 p.m.
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Yes, Greenland is the "official" answer.

Here is a list of the largest islands in the world:

https://www.infoplease.com/world/world-geography/large-islands-world

IslandLocation and political affiliationsq. mi.sq. km
GreenlandNorth Atlantic (Danish)839,9992,175,597
New GuineaSouthwest Pacific (West Papua [Irian Jaya], Indonesia, western part; Papua New Guinea, eastern part)309,000800,311
BorneoWest mid-Pacific (Indonesian, south part; Brunei and Malaysian, north part)287,300744,108
MadagascarIndian Ocean (Malagasy Republic)227,000587,931
BaffinNorth Atlantic (Canadian)195,926507,451
SumatraNortheast Indian Ocean (Indonesian)182,859473,605
HonshuSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)89,176230,966
Great BritainOff coast of NW Europe (England, Scotland, and Wales)88,795229,979
VictoriaArctic Ocean (Canadian)83,896217,291
EllesmereArctic Ocean (Canadian)75,767196,236
Sulawesi (Celebes)West mid-Pacific (Indonesian)73,057189,218
South IslandSouth Pacific (New Zealand)58,384151,215
JavaIndian Ocean (Indonesian)51,038132,189
North IslandSouth Pacific (New Zealand)44,702115,778
CubaCaribbean Sea (republic)42,803110,860
NewfoundlandNorth Atlantic (Canadian)42,031108,860
LuzonWest mid-Pacific (Philippines)40,420104,688
IcelandNorth Atlantic (republic)39,800103,082
MindanaoWest mid-Pacific (Philippines)36,53794,631
IrelandWest of Great Britain (republic, south part; United Kingdom, north part)32,59784,426
HokkaidoSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)32,24583,515
Sakhalin (Karafuto)North of Japan (Russian)29,50076,405
HispaniolaCaribbean Sea (Dominican Republic, east part; Haiti, west part)29,30075,887
BanksArctic Ocean (Canadian)27,03870,028
TasmaniaSouth of Australia (Australian)26,20067,858
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)Indian Ocean (republic)24,90064,491
DevonArctic Ocean (Canadian)21,33155,247
Tierra del FuegoSouthern tip of South America (Argentinian, east part; Chilean, west part)18,60548,187
Axel HeibergArctic Ocean (Canadian)16,67143,178
MelvilleArctic Ocean (Canadian)16,27442,149
KyushuSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)16,22342,018
SouthamptonHudson Bay (Canadian)



By metmike - July 13, 2018, 6:45 p.m.
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Why isn't Australia considered an island?

Size comparison Greenland/Australia:


https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Australia-considered-a-continent-and-not-an-island


The characteristics of continents are these:

  1. Areas of geologically stable continental crust, or cratons, tectonically independent from other continents
  2. Biological distinctiveness, with unique animal and plant life
  3. Cultural uniqueness
  4. Local belief in separate continental status

Obviously, the first two are scientific, and the second two are more subjective.

To elaborate:

  • Australia is separated from all other continents by young oceanic crust. Greenland is geologically part of North America.
  • Australia has highly distinct plants and animals. Greenland's are largely shared with northern North America.
  • Australia is considerably larger than Greenland. If separation is key, then Antarctica should also be considered an island (making Australia second largest).
  • Australia has unique, ancient cultures. Greenland's Arctic cultures, while unique, are part of larger North American Arctic culture.
  • Everyone agrees that everything smaller than Australia is an island. Australians themselves are divided, and often claim that Australia is both the world's largest island and the world's smallest continent.

So, there are good reasons to assert that Australia is a continent and not an island.

However, it has to be conceded that there can be no definitive answer. The questions only grow more complex when you look at the details: