What is the largest island on Earth?

Greenland is the largest island on Earth. It covers about 2.17 million square kilometres, although roughly 80% of its surface is buried beneath the Greenland ice sheet.

Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, northeast of Canada. Geographically, it is part of North America, but politically it is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Its capital and largest city is Nuuk.

A common mix-up is Australia. Australia is larger than Greenland, but it is generally classified as a continent rather than an island. Antarctica, Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas are also larger landmasses, yet they are continents under the usual geographic convention.

Greenland's enormous ice sheet contains enough ice to influence global sea levels significantly. Beneath the ice, the island has mountains, deep canyons, and coastal fjords. Its name is also misleading: despite the traditional association with green farmland, most of Greenland has an Arctic climate and remains permanently or seasonally ice-covered.