what is the difference between continent and island?

Question

The difference between continent and island is:
- Island is a large mass(smaller than a continent)that is surrounded by water.
-Continent is a large area of land
Example: The Earth's land masses are divided into 7 continents such as: Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Answer 1

The answer depends on who you talk to. A geographer—someone who studies Earth’s surface, climate, countries, peoples, and so on—might say that continents are big and islands are small. For example, Greenland, the largest island, is only about a third as big as Australia.

On the other hand, a geologist—someone who studies the physics of Earth as a planet—might say that density accounts for the difference between continents and islands. Continents are made up of low-density rock, so they float high on Earth’s molten mantle like big rafts. Ocean crust is denser, so it floats low on the mantle. Most islands are really extensions of the ocean floor—undersea volcanoes pump out dense lava that cools into ocean floor crust and sometimes piles up to poke above sea level. Greenland is ancient continental crust, but it isn’t big enough to fit the geographer’s definition of a continent. So geologists compromise by calling it a microcontinent.

Answer 2

Geographically speaking, continents are bigger than islands. Geologically speaking, they are different in their rock density. Continents are made up of low-density rock, so they float high on Earth's molten mantle like big rafts. Ocean crust is denser, so it floats low on the mantle. Most islands are really extensions of the ocean floor - undersea volcanoes pump out dense lava that cools into ocean floor crust and sometimes piles up above sea level. An example often quoted is that of Australia (a continent) and Greenland (an island). Geographically, Australia is a continent, not an island. As a land form, it could be considered an island as it is entirely surrounded by water and not joined onto any other land mass. For this reason, it is often referred to as an island continent. Australia is too big to be formally classified as an island. The world's largest island is actually Greenland. Another reason why Australia is also considered a continent is because it sits on its own tectonic plate. This is different from Greenland, which uses the same land mass as North America. That is why the geological appearances are much different in Australia than anywhere else. A place like Greenland shares the same geologic attributes as North America

Answer 3

Hello

The answer depends on who you talk to. A geographer—someone who studies Earth’s surface, climate, countries, peoples, and so on—might say that continents are big and islands are small. For example, Greenland, the largest island, is only about a third as big as Australia.

On the other hand, a geologist—someone who studies the physics of Earth as a planet—might say that density accounts for the difference between continents and islands. Continents are made up of low-density rock, so they float high on Earth’s molten mantle like big rafts. Ocean crust is denser, so it floats low on the mantle. Most islands are really extensions of the ocean floor—undersea volcanoes pump out dense lava that cools into ocean floor crust and sometimes piles up to poke above sea level. Greenland is ancient continental crust, but it isn’t big enough to fit the geographer’s definition of a continent. So geologists compromise by calling it a microcontinent.

Answer 4

Contienet - A large contiguous landmass that is at least partially surrounded by water, together with any islands on its continental shelf

Island - a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.

Answer 5

Since you know, why are you asking?