Why is Australia sometimes considered a continent, but Greenland never is? Aren’t they both large islands that could both pass as continents?

Question

Why is Australia sometimes considered a continent, but Greenland never is? Aren’t they both large islands that could both pass as continents?

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

Mercator projection strikes again!
They look to be a similar size on most maps. But they are not.
Australia is almost as large as the U.S.
Greenland is about the size of the eastern side of the U.S. plus a bit of Canada, but not Florida.