Damon Mcknight
Before Australia was discovered, there was much debate about the largest island in the world. Australia, a country and collection of islands, was often referred to as an island due to its lack of land borders. However, with a size of approximately 3 million square miles, it is now considered a continent. Greenland, the largest island before Australia's discovery, measures about 2,166,086 square kilometers and retains its title as the largest island even after Australia was explored.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Largest island before Australia was discovered | Greenland |
| Area | 2,166,086 square kilometers |
| Continent status | No, Greenland is considered an island because it is completely surrounded by the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans |
| Continent | Greenland is part of the North American Plate |
| Population | Very small, largely concentrated on its southwestern coastline due to the uninhabitable nature of its interior, which is covered in ice |
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What You'll Learn
Australia is considered a continent
The continent of Australia, also known as Sahul, Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia, is located within the Southern and Eastern Hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. It includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands.
Australia is part of the geographical region of Oceania, specifically the subregion of Australasia. It is recognised by the United Nations as one of the world's five major continental divisions, along with Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
The concept of Oceania as a region was created to group together the thousands of islands throughout the Central and South Pacific. While there is some debate about whether Australia should be considered part of Oceania or a continent in its own right, it is generally agreed that a continent is a large landmass, and Australia fits this definition.
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Greenland is the largest island
Geographically, an island is defined as a landmass entirely surrounded by water. While Australia is sometimes referred to as an "island continent", most geographers consider islands and continents to be distinct. According to the traditional definition of an island, Australia, as a continent, is disqualified from being classified as one.
Greenland, on the other hand, meets the criteria of being surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent. Additionally, Greenland shares a tectonic plate with North America, further supporting its classification as an island. While Australia is nearly four times larger than Greenland, the significant difference in their sizes helps reinforce the distinction between them.
In summary, Greenland has always been the largest island in the world, even before Australia's discovery. Its size, geographical location, and geological characteristics solidify its status as the world's largest island.
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Greenland's size and location
Greenland is the world's largest island, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, northeast of Canada, northwest of Iceland, and east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It extends about 1,660 miles (2,670 km) from north to south and over 650 miles (1,050 km) from east to west at its widest point. The island's northern extremity extends to within less than 500 miles (800 km) of the North Pole, with its northernmost point being Cape Morris Jesup. Greenland's coastline is 24,430 miles (39,330 km) long, roughly equivalent to Earth's circumference at the Equator.
Structurally, Greenland is an extension of the Canadian Shield, the rough plateau of the Canadian North made up of Precambrian rocks. The territory of Greenland includes the island of Greenland and over a hundred other smaller islands, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 square kilometres or 836,000 square miles. The island is surrounded by the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, with citizens holding full citizenship of Denmark and the European Union.
The major physical feature of Greenland is its massive ice sheet, which is the second-largest in the world after Antarctica's. The Greenland Ice Sheet has an average thickness of 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) and a maximum thickness of about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). It covers more than 700,000 square miles (1,800,000 square km), or over four-fifths of Greenland's total land area. The ice sheet varies significantly in elevation across the landmass, with elevations reaching 10,500 feet (3,200 metres) in the East-Central interior. The coastlines are predominantly rocky and barren with fjords, and the remaining ice-free land area consists of highlands along the country's coastal areas.
Greenland has a sparse population of around 56,000 inhabitants, with approximately 18,000 people living in the capital, Nuuk. The Greenlandic people are primarily Inuit, and the island's home-rule government is responsible for most domestic affairs. There is also a United States military base in Greenland, the Pituffik Space Base, which is home to the United States Space Force's global network of sensors.
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Australia's classification as an island country
Australia is sometimes referred to as an "island continent" due to being a continental landmass surrounded by water. However, most geographers consider islands and continents to be separate, with islands being smaller than continents. By this definition, Australia cannot be an island because it is already a continent.
Prior to the 1950s, before the popularization of the theory of plate tectonics, Antarctica, Australia, and Greenland were sometimes described as island continents. However, none of them were usually taught as continents in English-speaking countries. Today, Australia is recognized as the smallest continent on Earth, with a land area of approximately 7.7 million square kilometres (3 million square miles) or 8.56 million square kilometres (3.31 million square miles).
The country of Australia is mostly on a single landmass and comprises most of the continent, which includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea, which comprises Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea (Papua and West Papua, provinces of Indonesia). The continent also includes the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands.
While Australia is considered a continent, there is no strict scientific definition of a continent. A commonly used criterion to distinguish one continent from another is the geological distinction of tectonic plates. While Australia and most of Asia are situated on separate tectonic plates, Greenland shares a tectonic plate with North America.
In some countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, China, and France, Oceania is treated as a continent, and Australia is considered an island nation within it. However, the general consensus is that Australia is a continent, and its classification as an island country is not widely accepted.
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Greenland's population and climate
Greenland, the world's largest island, has a population of around 56,000 people, making it the least densely populated country in the world. The majority of Greenland's population is of mixed Inuit and European ancestry, with most residents being Inuit. The Thule people are the ancestors of the current Greenlandic population, having migrated from Alaska around 1000 AD and reaching Greenland around 1300 AD. Greenland was also settled by the Norse, or Norsemen, in the 1200s AD, though they disappeared around 1500 AD for reasons that remain unknown.
The population of Greenland is concentrated on the southwestern coastline, with the rest of the island being sparsely populated. This is due to the harsh, icy climate and the uninhabitable nature of Greenland's interior, which is covered by ice and snow. The climate of Greenland is Arctic, with 80% of the land covered by an ice sheet that is up to 3 kilometres thick. The ice-free land areas are limited to a coastal strip that is 50-300 kilometres wide. The far south of Greenland, where the majority of the population lives, has a sub-Arctic climate with a mean temperature of more than 10°C in July and relatively mild winters with a lot of snow and periods of thaw. The southwest region also experiences wet summers with average temperatures of less than 10°C in the warmest month.
North and northeast Greenland, on the other hand, fall within the high-Arctic zone and experience very cold winters, with temperatures in north Greenland reaching as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius. Winter precipitation in these regions is limited, and parts of north Greenland have a desert climate with less than 25 mm of precipitation per year. The climate in high-Arctic Greenland is influenced by the extent and spread of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean, which has been reduced in recent years, leading to unusual events such as wave erosion along the coasts.
Greenland's climate is changing, with overall warming trends observed between 1991 and 2019, particularly in winter and spring. The island is losing ice volume at a faster rate than expected, with an annual loss of up to 217 cubic kilometres between 1997 and 2003, and an increase in glacier movement. This ice loss contributes to rising sea levels and has revealed previously unknown islands. There is concern that a complete loss of ice on Greenland could cause a sea level rise of up to 6.40 meters.
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Frequently asked questions
Greenland was recognized as the largest island in the world before the discovery of Australia by Captain Cook in 1770. Greenland measures about 2,166,086 square kilometers and is surrounded by the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
Greenland shares a tectonic plate with North America and is not considered a continent due to not being a separate landmass.
Australia is nearly four times the size of Greenland and is considered a continent due to its vast size.
An island is a mass of land that is entirely surrounded by water and smaller than a continent.
