One Island is defined as an area of relief that is surrounded by water on all sides. Obviously, since most of the Earth's surface is formed by water and therefore everything is surrounded by it, there is a size limit to defining what is an island and what is not.
The largest island in the world, in this case, is Greenland, with an area of 2,130,800 km². Above it is Australia, which, however, is not considered an island, but a continent, as it has an area of 13,000,000 km², much larger, therefore.
It is important to understand that in order to be an island, the water around you must be of the same type. For example, if a piece of land is surrounded by a river on one side and the sea on the other, it is not an island. However, if it is surrounded only by water from rivers or only by water from the oceans, then it is considered an island.
Thus, in addition to the oceanic islands – surrounded by water from the seas – there are also river islands, which are those surrounded by fresh water. Bananal Island, located in the state of Tocantins, is the largest fluvial island in the world, surrounded by the Araguaia and Javaés rivers.
If we take into account the origin of the islands, we have the volcanic islands (formed by the solidification of the lava of the volcanoes) and the mainland islands (very close to the mainland and that formed after separating from him).
Another point that must be taken into account is that an island does not “float” in the water, and that includes the islands present in the ocean. In fact, if we look below the sea surface, for example, we will find that they are internally linked to the continents. Check it out:
Layout of an oceanic island
As we have said, the largest island in the world is Greenland, a frozen place located in the northern hemisphere that belongs to Denmark. The smallest inhabited island in the world is Saint Martin, a territory jointly administered by France and the Netherlands, where there are beautiful beaches and great tourist potential.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
