Why Australia is not an island?

At about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km), Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. According to Britannica, an island is a mass of land that is both “entirely surrounded by water” and also “smaller than a continent.” By that definition, Australia can’t be an island because it’s already a continent.

What are the 14 countries in Australia?

Oceania includes 14 countries: Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Which is the largest island on earth?

Victoria Island (83,896 sq miles/217,291 sq km) This body, located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, holds the distinction of containing the world’s largest island within an island within an island.

What countries are in Australasia?

Australasia comprises Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Along with India most of Australasia lies on the Indo-Australian Plate with the latter occupying the Southern area.

Why is Australia called Australasia?

Before the 1970s, the single Pleistocene landmass was called Australasia, derived from the Latin australis, meaning “southern”, although this word is most often used for a wider region that includes lands like New Zealand that are not on the same continental shelf.