# Greenland, the world’s largest island? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2026, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917 "2026-01-22T07:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/21 "2026-01-22T15:57:33Z")
Yeah, but Israel is part of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/22 "2026-01-22T16:00:59Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Yeah, but Israel is part of Europe You mean Afroeurasiastralia ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/23 "2026-01-22T16:11:08Z")
Sorry, I only recognize “Afroeurasia”. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/24 "2026-01-22T16:43:46Z")
Eurafricasia lists the three “classical” continents in order of decreasing size. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/25 "2026-01-22T16:51:01Z")
> the distinction is somewhat arbitrary. So is the separation of Europe and Asia into separate continents. There is no distinct separation, unlike the Suez as the connection between Africa and Asia, and Panama between North and South America. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/26 "2026-01-22T17:05:43Z")
I think you meant “increasing size” Europe\ **Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/27 "2026-01-22T17:08:48Z") > [@pulykamell](#): > > Australia is clearly on its own tectonic plate, so that gives a point in favor of it being a continent, but there’s also an Arabian and Indian plate, so the continents don’t completely neatly follow that. The Arabian and Indian peninsulas are attached to a larger land mass, and Australia floats out there on it’s own, so maybe that counts for something. Is Greenland on the North American plate? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/28 "2026-01-22T17:19:24Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Sorry, I only recognize “Afroeurasia” We have always been at war with Afroeurasia ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/29 "2026-01-22T17:21:51Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Is Greenland on the North American plate? Yes. The boundary between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate actually coincides with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and runs right through the middle of Iceland. > **[Evidence of Plate Motions - Geology (U.S. National Park Service)](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-evidence-of-plate-motions.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/30 "2026-01-22T17:45:10Z")
Antarctica puts to rest any claims that Australia is the largest island yet still a continent. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/31 "2026-01-22T18:18:53Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > So is the separation of Europe and Asia into separate continents. That, at least is historical, coming from the ancients. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/32 "2026-01-22T19:46:23Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > According to FIFA, Australia is part of Asia, and that’s good enough for me! We all know that FIFA is a corrupt organisation, politically compromised to serve the interests of its skeezy bosses, eg bidding processes, ‘peace prize’, so I’d discount that completely. According to Eurovision, Australia is part of Europe, and that should be more than good enough to settle this debate. > **[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest)** > > Australia has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest ten times since its debut in 2015. The Australian participating broadcaster in the contest is the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), which received special approval from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to participate. Australia is the only country outside the European Broadcasting Area to have ever competed to date. > Australia has finished in the top ten five times, with its best result being a second-place finish with "Sound... ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/33 "2026-01-22T19:47:50Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > So is the separation of Europe and Asia into separate continents. There is no distinct separation, In some places, especially the Bosporus and the Black Sea, there is a clear and distinct geographical separation between Europe and Asia. In other places, especially within Russia, the line between the two continents is fuzzy geographically speaking. But geography is not everything; culturally, there is a clear distinction between Europe (the Occident) and Asia (the Orient and the Sinosphere), and this distinction has a long tradition. Also, it’s not just a case of Eurocentric arrogance; East Asians are just as unlikely to consider themselves part of the same continent with Western Europeans as the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/34 "2026-01-22T20:56:47Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > There are fairly large islands on which only one country sits (e.g. Borneo, 3 countries? Britain will get you some nit-picking too… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/35 "2026-01-22T23:19:17Z")
What gets me is folks (mostly European) who insist that Europe and Asia are of course different continents, but America is only one. No matter what your criteria, the Americas are clearly more separated than Europe and Asia. > [@Schnitte](#): > > But geography is not everything; culturally, there is a clear distinction between Europe (the Occident) and Asia (the Orient and the Sinosphere), and this distinction has a long tradition. But if you make the divide culturally, then the line needs to be much further east than it’s usually drawn, because Russia is culturally European. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/36 "2026-01-22T23:27:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Russia is culturally European. I’m not sure that’s clear - Russia is culturally disparate. There’s a lot of cultural difference between a Muscovite and someone from Yakutsk. That’s the problem with this entire topic - there’s few if any clear lines anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/37 "2026-01-23T02:38:46Z")
Someone from Yakutsk is probably not Russian. Russian has colonized a big chunk of Asia that’s still really not Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/38 "2026-01-23T03:04:23Z")
For a certain meaning of the term “not Russian”. Their passport would say Russian, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/39 "2026-01-23T07:10:07Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > and Australia is a continent because amongst other things it has its own tectonic plate Technically, isn’t that called the Indo-Australian Plate”, as it includes both India and Australia? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917/40 "2026-01-23T08:06:12Z")
This is outside my field but a quick google suggests there are major and minor plates. The Indo Australian plate seems to be divisible into Indian and Australian plates: [![](https://www.worldatlas.com/r/w960-q80/upload/08/2b/e6/shutterstock-1779897410.jpg) ](https://www.worldatlas.com/r/w960-q80/upload/08/2b/e6/shutterstock-1779897410.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917.md?page=3)