It's a continent. Otherwise, we may as well call North America an island.

Well, since you bring it up, Australia isn't connected to another continent by land like North America is (as are Europe, Africa, and Asia). You'd have to say "the Americas" are an island, or "Afro-Eurasia"

You people are silly. If Australia is an island, then Antarctica wins. 'Nuff said.

ANTARCTICA 5,400,000 sq mi AUSTRALIA 2,969,900 sq mi GREENLAND 836,330 sq mi

...I never said it wasn't? I was just objecting to calling North America an island.

He was referring to the fact that Antarctica isn't connected to any other continent either.

I know, and I never said it was--hence my confusion at being called silly for my post (which was purely objecting to calling North America an island, since it IS connected by land).

What about just the eastern USA, then? It is fully split by rivers and lakes to the north and west, and oceans to the east and south...

How? Isn't it connected to South America?

If we want to be pedantic about whether or not the Panama Canal turns North America into an island or not, we can change the argument, and ask whether or not the Americas are an island.

Modulo the Panama canal.

What about the two non-swinging bridges across the Panama Canal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Bridge,_Panama) -- soon to be three? If the man-made separation counts, the man-made connection should too.

It's not man-made land though.