why is australia considered a country rather than an island and the uk considered an island made up of nations

Answer 1

Australia is A continent is one of several large areas of land on Earth, which are identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. The specific areas of land vary, but seven areas are commonly reckoned as continents - they are, in order of size, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.

So keep that in mind..

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent

and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast.

Answer 2

the UK is not considered an island. Northern Ireland, part of the UK, is on a different piece of land from England, Scotland, Wales.

Answer 3

Australia has a few miles of usable land on its total perimeter. Most of the country is a desert wasteland. All of the UK is liveable, if you like fog, rain and cold weather.