This list of islands by area includes all islands in the world larger than and most of the islands over , sorted in descending order by area. For comparison, four very large continental landmasses are also shown. Continental landmasses Continental landmasses are not usually classified as islands despite being completely surrounded by water. However, because the definition of continent varies between geographers, the Americas are sometimes defined as two separate continents while mainland Australia is sometimes defined as an island as well as a continent. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this list, mainland Australia along with the other major landmasses have been listed as continental landmasses for comparison. The figures are approximations and are for the four major continental landmasses only. The artificial Panama and Suez canals are disregarded, as they are not natural waters that separate the continents. Islands Islands and greater Islands Islands Islands Islands Islands This section of the list might not be complete but covers almost all of the islands in the world over . The area of some Antarctic islands is uncertain. See also Lake island List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands List of countries and dependencies by area List of countries by largest island List of divided islands List of islands by highest point List of islands by name List of islands by population List of islands by population density Lists of islands by continent and country Recursive islands and lakes River island Notes References Citations External links Global Island Network – Island Links Directory Islands