Why is australia an island??

Question

i mean, its big enough to be a proper continent, but why do people say its an island

i just dont get it??

btw im australian, so i proberly should knwo this :S

Answer 1

I am an A+++++ in Geography so really it a continent one of the 7. But I guess it could be because an Island is a piece of land covered on all sides by water- and Australia is fully covered by water so.. I see no reason why not

Answer 2

Australia isn't an island, it is a continent.

People sometimes say it is an island because they:

1. failed social studies in primary/elementary school.

2. live in the USA where the flat earth society has control over the geography curriculum. (Every one knows that if you sail past Hawaii you will fall off the edge - just like in that documentary - Pirates of the Caribbean 3).

3. also think that cigarettes, Junkfood, DTD, Narcotics and Ford Pinto's are all good for your health.

Answer 3

I didn't realize that 'people' thought of Austrailia as an island.  I have always considered it to be a continent.

Answer 4

Australia IS a continent . It's also a large island.

Answer 5

No reason.  Its arbitrary.  Australia is no more an island than Maui or the combined continents of Africa and Eurasia.  They are all surrounded by water.  The only difference is size... and the turning point between island and continent is an arbitrary, invisible line.  Its a man-made concept with no strict definition.

Australia is usually regarded as the smallest continent... while Greenland the largest island.  The reason is size, but the size requirement is made-up.

Greenland is significantly smaller than Australia, but Australia is not significantly smaller than the next largest continent.  Greenland is not significantly bigger than the next smaller island.  I guess the size GAP is what geographers have focused on here.

Also, many argue this.... Australia sits on its own tectonic plate, while Greenland shares one with North America.  I think that is an absurd distinction, since the largest Pac island isnt considered a continent.  Pacific tectonic plate doesnt have a continent.  Even though each Pac Island shares a tectonic plate, they are still considered independent islands.  

Furthermore, India is its own tectonic plate, but is still considered a part of Asia.  Europe and Asia are two tectonic plates (or three if you count India, or four if you count Japan and nearby Pac islands)... but Europe and Asia can be considered two continents or one (Eurasia).  Africa is a separate tectonic plate and often referred to as a separate continent... but it is connected by land to Eurasia... and so Afro-Eurasia is sometimes considered one continent.  You see how there is no real confidence in definition?

Same goes with water-ways.  Are the oceans of the world really separate?  Where does one sea end and the next begin?

The best thing to do is to stop worrying about these superficial things.  Worry about human labels when discussing human geography - like cities and populations and countries.  Otherwise, ignore human-made labels, as most are arbitrary and completely abstract.  All you need to really do is understand the uniqueness and specifics that make each land special.

Answer 6

australia is a continent -.-

who says its an island

the largest island is greenland

australia certainly is big enough to be a continent, although there are no strict definitions of what makes a continent

Answer 7

Because is surrounded  by the ocean.