In Mackinder's concept, what does the term 'World Island' refer to?

• A. The combined landmasses of Eurasia and Africa.
• B. The Americas and Europe.
• C. The Indian Ocean basin.
• D. The entire world’s coastal cities.

Answer: (A)

World Island refers to the combined landmass of Europe, Asia, and Africa—the vast continental heart of the world. Mackinder argued that whoever controls this extensive land area, especially its interior, holds the real potential for global power because land power can project across continents and is harder to block than sea power. This makes the World Island the central arena for geopolitical competition, more decisive than ocean realms or scattered coastal cities. The other options misidentify the concept, since they refer to oceans or coastal networks rather than the large continental landmass.