World Book Trivia Quiz For Kids--3/12-islands

Some islands cover an area smaller than a city block. A small island is called an islet >.

The largest island is Greenland, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Greenland is slightly larger than Mexico. The difference between an island and a continent is its size. Like an island, Australia is surrounded by water. But because of its huge size, Australia is called a continent rather than an island.

Easter Island's early people carved the statues, called moai >. War broke out in the late 1600's. The moai were knocked over. Most were broken. Today about 15 moai have been put back in place, but hundreds still lay around the island.

There are five main kinds of islands: (1) continental islands, (2) tectonically > formed islands, (3) volcanic islands, (4) coral islands, and (5) barrier islands. Each kind is formed in a different way.

Tahiti is the largest of the 14 Society Islands in French Polynesia, a group of islands controlled by France.

Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba in 1492 and claimed it for Spain. When he arrived, three Indian groups lived in Cuba: the Guanahatabey, the Ciboney, and the Taíno. Spaniards settled in Cuba in the 1500's and ruled it for nearly 400 years.

Iceland is an island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, close to the Arctic Circle. Iceland is warmer than most places so far north because the Gulf Stream flows around it. The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that carries warm water from the south into parts of the North Atlantic.

Robinson Crusoe is the main character in a story about a man who is left alone on an island off the northern coast of South America. Daniel Defoe wrote this story in a book, called Robinson Crusoe, in 1719. He based the story partly on the real-life experiences of a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk.

Hawaii is a chain of 132 islands in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. It is the only state that does not lie on the mainland of North America. People live on 7 of the 8 main islands. The main islands are Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. No one lives on Kahoolawe, the smallest island.

Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It is made up of five islands. People live on the three largest islands—Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Malta is one of the most crowded countries in the world.