Which of the following best describes the difference between Continental and Oceanic islands ........

Geography World - Water Bodies

Which of the following best describes the difference between Continental and Oceanic islands?

Continental Islands are located close to continental landmass while Oceanic islands are located far from the continental landmass in open oceans.

Those islands which were formerly part of the continental mainland but got separated from it are called continental islands. On the other hand, the islands that have no connection with the mainland are called oceanic islands.

Generally small islands are denoted as oceanic islands while bigger ones are denoted as continental islands.

None of the above is correct in this context.

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Explanation:

Those islands which were formerly part of the continental mainland but got separated from it due to subsidence of some part of land or due to rise in sea levels. Their connection with the mainland can be established by similar geology and similar flora and fauna. For example – Madagascar, Tasmania, Ryuku, Kuril, Taiwan etc.
On the other hand, islands that bear no similarity to the mainland in terms of geology or flora/fauna are called oceanic islands. For example Galapagos, Hawaii, Maldives etc.
Option (a) is incorrect as there is no such criteria to identify an island as continental and oceanic. For example Galapagos lies very close to the south American mainland.