This article lists the largest islands on Earth, some of which, in terms of area and population, could easily pass for an entire continent. Most of the islands in this ranking are widely known, but there are also some that you may not have heard of. The islands on this list are distinguished by their special flora and fauna, unique to them, which attracts tourists from all over the world and allows them to be considered as honeymoon destinations.
10. Ellesmere Island, Arctic Ocean
With an area of 122,000 sq. km:
- tenth largest island in the world,
- third in Canada
- the northernmost island of the Arctic archipelago.
Much of Ellesmere Island is covered by the famous Cordillera mountain range. Canada's second largest national park is located on this island.
9. Victoria Island, Arctic Ocean
This island is located in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Victoria Island has an area of 135,000 sq. km and is the second largest in Canada. It is named after Queen Victoria and is amazing in beauty. The island boasts a mild climate and offers tourists a break from the busy world in the lap of wild nature.
8. Great Britain, coast of North-West Europe
The largest island of the British Isles, it covers an area of 143,000 square meters. km. The UK had a population of approximately 61 million in 2011, making it the third most populous island after Java and Honshu. It is surrounded by 1000 small islands and is famous for its history, magnificent architectural monuments and beautiful ecology.
7. Honshu, Japan Pacific Ocean
Honshu is the most populous island in Japan. Pay attention to . It includes the largest cities in Japan:
- Kyoto,
- Tokyo,
- Osaka.
It is the second most populous island after Java. According to 2005 estimates, the population was 103 million. The island is almost 1,300 km long and 50 to 230 km wide, with a total area of 143,500 sq km, about 60% of the total area of Japan.
6. Sumatra, Northeast Indian Ocean
This island, located in Western Indonesia, is part of the Sunda Islands. Sumatra has an area of 294,283 sq km and a population of more than 50 million people. Medan is the largest city of the island, has 4,300,000 inhabitants. Its landscapes are marred by two geographical regions: the swampy plains in the east and the Barisan Mountains in the west.
The wild and mountainous island has great natural resources. Sumatra's main attraction is its natural beauty: volcanoes, lakes and jungles.
5. Baffin Island, North Atlantic Ocean
The largest Canadian island, which lies in Nunavut. Its area is 315,312 sq km, the population in 2007 was about 11,000 people. The Alpine mountains are distinguished by high peaks and ridges, however, plateaus are also present. The Barnes and Penny ice caps are the largest on the island. Baffin Island is a spectacular wilderness, the spectacular homeland of the Eskimos and an arctic land open to brave souls and extreme sports enthusiasts.
4. Madagascar, Indian Ocean
The island is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, officially known as the Republic of Madagascar ( formerly Malagasy Republic). It covers an area of 434,500 sq km, making it the 47th largest country in the world and the fourth largest island.
Due to its long isolation from adjacent continents, it is home to animals and plants that exist nowhere else. Various ecosystems of the island are under threat of extinction due to environmental hazards.
3. Borneo, West Central Pacific
It is not only the third largest island in the world, but also the largest in Asia. It is divided between three countries:
- Indonesia,
- Malaysia,
- Brunei.
Almost 73% of the island is Indonesian territory. This island is home to one of the world's oldest species of rainforest (about 140 million years old). Borneo has an area of 462,365 sq km, representing 1% of the world's land but containing almost 6% of the world's biodiversity. An amazing land that looks like an island in the clouds.
2. New Guinea, Southwest Pacific
The second largest island, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, covers an area of 138,500 square meters. km. The island's population is 11,306,940 people. The land on it contains an uninterrupted chain of mountains with peaks over 4,000 meters, which are crowned with ice caps.
The country's climate is mainly tropical, with average annual maximum temperatures between 30 and 32 degrees in the lowlands. While daytime temperatures in the highlands are usually above 22 degrees all year round. The island is distinguished by colossal biodiversity, it contains more than 5% of the total number of species inhabiting our planet.
1. Greenland, North Atlantic
Greenland is the largest non-continental island in the world. Located within the Arctic belt. The island has an area of 3,500,000 square meters. km, but is the least populous country with a population of 56,452 people. Greenland is an independent country within the Kingdom of Denmark. More than three-quarters of the island is covered by the only modern ice sheet outside Antarctica.
As you know, an island is considered to be any piece of land completely surrounded by water. However, not all land areas that are in water can be classified as islands. In addition to the latter, there are also continents and continents, the most famous of which is certainly Australia. The total area of this continent (not to be confused with the island) is approximately 7,600,000 square meters. km.
The TOP 5 largest islands in the world presented below include islands whose area is noticeably smaller than Australia, but no less impressive.
The largest islands in the world: Greenland
So, the largest island of our planet, whose name literally translates as “green country,” is Greenland. Located in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, 80% covered by permanent ice, the autonomous Danish territory has a temperate climate and a total area of 2,131,500 km². Known for its white nights, northern lights and local Eskimos, Greenland is also famous for its large reserves of natural resources (oil, gas). The main occupation of the island's 57 thousand population is fishing.
The largest islands in the world: New Guinea
New Guinea became the second largest island in the world by area. The island, washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, located between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, was discovered by the Portuguese in 1526. They also gave it its original name “Papua”, which means “curly” in Malay. The island owed this name to the dark-skinned aborigines with curly, thick hair who inhabited it at that time. Today, New Guinea is a tropical island with a total area of 786,000 km2 and a true paradise for tourists. Despite the large number of different species of plants, birds, mammals and amphibians living on the island, scientists are still discovering new species of various representatives of the animal and plant world in New Guinea. It is worth noting that most New Guinea animals are not at all afraid of people, so they can be easily picked up.
The largest islands in the world: Kalimantan
It is not for nothing that Kalimantan takes an honorable third place in the TOP 5 largest islands in the world. This island, also known as Borneo, has an area of 737,000 km². Kalimantan is washed simultaneously by four seas and two straits. Unlike Greenland, 80% of Kalimantan's entire territory is covered by tropical forests. In this connection, the island’s timber industry is extremely developed and brings considerable income to the three states located on its territory. In addition to the forest, Kalimantan is also known for its large reserves of oil, gas and diamonds, the extraction of which has been actively carried out here for centuries, as clearly evidenced by the name of the island (translated from Malay, Kalimantan means “diamond river”).
The largest islands in the world: Madagascar
The fourth place in our ranking is the island of Madagascar, recently known from the cartoon of the same name. The entire territory of the island (587,040 km2) is occupied by the sovereign state of the Republic of Madagascar. The island is rich in minerals, including gold and iron rocks; more than 80% of all animals living in Madagascar are exclusively representatives of the local fauna. Due to the fact that the island was inhabited for a long time by a large number of wild boars, the local natives called it “Madagascar” (“Boar Island”).
The largest islands in the world: Baffin Island
Canada's largest island, Baffin Island, located west of Greenland, rounds out the TOP 5 largest islands in the world. And at the same time, the most interesting places where a wedding photographer is needed for your personal event! Due to the harsh climatic conditions, despite its vast territory - 508,000 km², the population of Baffin Island is just over 11 thousand people. The island got its name from the famous English traveler and explorer William Baffin, who was the first to describe the island in the 17th century. An interesting fact is that, despite the ubiquitous human presence on the remaining islands, the central part of Baffin Island has not yet been fully explored, which means that there are places on the island where no human has ever set foot.
What is an island? For many, these are resort areas like the Maldives, Sicily or Crete. For others, pictures from action-packed adventure films appear before their eyes. Indeed, the islands of the world are full of secrets and mysteries, and scientists never tire of publishing unusual facts about these small pieces of land, surrounded by water on all sides.
So the youngest island recently came of age. He is 21 years old. He was born in July 92 after a volcanic eruption near Bogoslov Island in the Aleutian Islands archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Its length is 400 meters and its height is 90 meters.
TOP 10: largest islands in the world
However, the island cannot always be measured in hundreds of meters. There are many on the world map that represent entire maritime states.
Let's talk about the latter. . By tradition, we’ll start with the last line of the hit parade.
10th place - Ellesmere Island
10th place goes to the Canadian island Ellesmere. This part of the land with an area of 203 thousand square meters is located in the Arctic Ocean.
9th place - Victoria Island
In 9th place is another Canadian island with a beautiful name. Victoria. Its area is slightly larger than the previous one - 213 thousand square meters. It is located next door, in the ice of the same Arctic.
8th place - Great Britain island
8th place is rightfully given to the island Great Britain. It is located on an area of 230 thousand square kilometers. Washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Among the unusual facts, it is worth noting that a huge number of people live on this island. More than 60 million islanders are on the island of Great Britain.
7th place - Honshu Island
7th place on the list is occupied by a Japanese island Honshu. It has an area of just under 230 thousand square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean. The largest Japanese cities are located on the island of Honshu: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc. According to the latest data, its population exceeds the British one. About 100 million people.
6th place - Sumatra island
By the way, Indonesia is called the “land of a thousand islands”. Scientists have counted more than 13,500 islands on the territory of the state. 12,000 of them are uninhabited. Moreover, most of these small pieces of sushi don't even have geographical names.
5th place - Baffin Island
5th place was taken by another Canadian island - Baffin Island. It is located on an area of 507 thousand square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean.
4th place - Madagascar island
In 4th place is the island, which became especially famous after the animated film of the same name. Madagascar. It occupies just under 600 thousand square kilometers in the Indian Ocean.
The most interesting things are ahead. Let's move on to the top three. Who is included in the list of the three largest islands in the world?
3rd place - Kalimantan island
3rd place goes to the island of Kalimantan, or Borneo in other words. It is also located in the Indian Ocean and belongs to three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Its area is 743 thousand square kilometers.
2nd place - New Guinea island
New Guinea takes silver. It occupies 786 thousand square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean. By the way, from the point of view of the residential territory of a geographical object, this island could claim first place. Two countries have spread their possessions on this piece of land: Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
1st place - Greenland island
The title of “World's Largest Island” goes to an amazing country – Greenland . Its area is 2 million 131 thousand square kilometers. The island is located off the northeastern coast of America. It is separated from Canada by the Smith and Robson Straits in the northwest, the Baffin Sea and Davis Strait in the west, and the Labrador Sea in the southwest. On the northern side, Greenland is washed by the Arctic Ocean, or more precisely, the Lincoln Sea. To the northeast of the island is the Greenland Sea, to the southeast is the Denmark Strait. On the south side is the Atlantic.
Climate
The climate in Greenland is different: marine, subarctic, arctic and even continental arctic. Cyclone is the most frequent guest on the island. This means that there are constantly strong winds, sudden changes in weather and precipitation.
The average temperature on the coast in winter is from - 7 to - 37 degrees Celsius. In the interior of the island the conditions are quite harsh: up to -47. In summer, the temperature does not rise above +10 along the entire coast, and in the depths it remains below zero.
Flora and fauna
Plants here can only be found in areas free of glaciers. On these tiny pieces of the island there are birches, willows, rowan trees, alder and even juniper. As for animals, they are exclusively northern on the island. No surprises: polar bears, bowhead whales and seals, walruses, polar wolves and reindeer.
How could this place get a name that literally translates as “green land”?
Legends of history
The island of Greenland was discovered by the Vikings. They came here in the 10th century. There are even several legends about how the name appeared. Some believe that in medieval times the island had a completely different climate, warm. Blooming greenery gave this name to its land. Others express their opinion about the cunning of the first settlers. Allegedly, they gave the island such a fabulous name to attract people here.
Since 1536, Greenland was considered Danish territory. This was due to the fact that Norway was under the yoke of the Danes, and the countries were united into a single state. However, in 1905 Norway gained independence and claimed the island for itself. But Denmark was not going to give up Greenland without a fight. The issue was resolved through the Permanent Court of International Justice. She made a decision: to leave Greenland as a Danish colony.
The largest island in the world, Greenland, belongs to Denmark to this day. 84% of the territory is solid ice. But, despite this, there are settlements on the island. The largest is Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The city is located on the west coast. Just over 15 thousand people live here.
The largest island on Earth is Greenland. The population of Greenland consists of Greenlandic Eskimos and emigrated Norwegians and Danes. The indigenous inhabitants of the island are called Inuit. Their main language is Greenlandic, and Danish is popular among expats. The Inuit living in the north of the island still maintain a long tradition of building igloos.
Islands of the world
Which island is the largest on Earth? There are a lot of islands on our planet, but only four of them are truly amazing in size:
- Greenland. Greenland is the largest island in Europe and the world. It is located in the northeast of North America and is washed by two oceans. Greenland is an autonomous unit subordinate to Denmark.
- New Guinea. The main advantage of Guinea is not the nature and rich fauna, but the culture of the various tribes living on the island.
- Kalimantan. The island is divided between three states.
- Madagascar. Madagascar is an island country known throughout the world for its unique animals and rich flora. A third of the entire territory is occupied by highlands. There are many extinct volcanoes on the island, and earthquakes sometimes occur.
The largest island on Earth and the first settler
Erik the Red is a simple Norwegian Viking. Despite the severity that is attributed to the Scandinavians, he was an easy-going and peaceful person. As the legend goes, Eric saw that his friend had ruined the path running near his house. For this, the Viking killed his neighbor with a shovel. The act did not go unpunished. Eric was sent from Norway to a strange and deserted island in the Arctic Circle.
Eric didn’t want to live alone on a huge island, so he decided to attract more people here. For this he named the island Greenland, or Greenland. As soon as Eric's exile came to an end, he returned to Norway and began actively inviting people to the island with him. He described Greenland to everyone as the most beautiful place on the planet.
Independent republic
Until the end of the 13th century, the island of Greenland was an independent territory, but soon the population recognized the king of Norway as their overlord. In return, the crown promised to supply the island with products and materials that the inhabitants could not obtain or produce on their own. Despite the vassalage, the island had its own customs and laws, different from European ones.
After some time, Denmark began to lay claim to the largest island. The territorial claims were quite justified, since not all Norwegians were able to adapt to the difficult climate, so many Danes came to the island. In 1536, Norway and Denmark united into one country, and Greenland was legally assigned to Denmark.
Greenland is the largest island on Earth
The area of Greenland is 2,130,800 km². Due to the large extent of the island, the climate of one part is radically different from the climate of the other. Not everywhere in Greenland is cold: in some places in the summer the temperature rises above +20 °C, although on average it rarely exceeds 0 °C. In winter, the temperature drops below –20 °C. Very cold winds blow near the coast, and in summer it is covered with fog.
Despite the fact that the island is called Green Land, there is no place to develop agriculture here. People mainly engage in fishing or hunting animals, and here live: polar bear, arctic fox, and reindeer. The island exports:
- Cod.
- Shrimp.
- Salmon.
Greenland is the largest island on Earth, rich in minerals. The following is mined on the island:
- Lead.
- Tin.
- Coal.
- Copper.
The colorful expanses of Greenland attract tourists from all over the world. You can enjoy the amazing landscapes and beauties of the island at any time of the day. One of the most famous natural phenomena is the northern lights. It is best observed from early autumn to mid-spring.
Flora and fauna of the island
The largest island on Earth by area has a fairly sparse variety of vegetation. But the fauna is impressive: it is rich and unique. The area of Greenland is huge, but there is no railway on it, and the length of all highways is 150 km. The most convenient way for the local population is to use dog sleds.
The largest island on Earth can hardly be called a favorable land for living, traveling or exploring, but the beauty of the Arctic nature will not leave anyone indifferent. This helps to survive all the hardships of harsh life on the island and not entirely suitable conditions for relaxation.
Greenland Population: 58 thousand | Area: 2,130,800 km²
Greenland is the largest island on Earth. Its area is 2,130,800 km2. The island is washed by two oceans: the Arctic and the Atlantic. It is part of the autonomous unit of Denmark - Greenland. The largest settlement is called Nuuk, located in the western part of the island. The highest point in Greenland (Mount Gunbjorn) with an altitude of 3,383 thousand meters. Until 1921, Cape Morris-Jesup was considered the closest landmass to the North Pole.
Population: 7.5 million | Area: 786,000 km²
New Guinea is the 2nd largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2, located in the Pacific Ocean. New Guinea connects Australia with Asia. In turn, the island is separated from Australia by the Torres Strait. New Guinea is divided almost equally between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The Indonesian part belongs to Asia. This island is the largest of all the islands divided between countries.
Population: 16 million | Area: 743,330 km²
The third largest island, Kalimantan (or Malay Borneo), has an area of 748,168 km2. This sea island is divided between 3 states: Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. Kalimantan is located in southeast Asia in the center of the Malay Archipelago. Most of the island belongs to Indonesia and is divided into 4 provinces. The part that belongs to Malaysia, in turn, is divided into 2 states.
Madagascar Population: 20 million | Area: 587,041 km²
Next on the list of the largest islands in the world is Madagascar. This island has a tropical climate and is located close to the east of Africa. The Mozambique Channel flows between the mainland and the island. Its dimensions are approximately 1600 km in length and 600 km in width, with a total area of 587,713 km2. The island is occupied by the state of Madagascar, whose capital is Antananarivo. And local residents call their corner of space the island of wild boars.
Population: 11 thousand | Area: 507,451 km²
We are transported to the Arctic Ocean and find the fifth largest island there, called Baffin Island. The island belongs to Canada, it is the largest of the islands of this country. The area of the island is 507,451 km2. Most of it remains uninhabited due to bad weather conditions. The island's population lives in the Canadian province of Nunavut with its capital Iqaluit. It is noteworthy that the island has many freshwater lakes, the two largest of which are Nettilling, with an area of 5,542 km2, of which only 5,050 km2 is occupied by water, and Amajuaq - 3,115 km2 with a water surface of 3,058 km2.
Population: 51 million | Area: 473,000 km²
The sixth largest island, Sumatra, is divided by the equator into almost equal parts, as it is located in both hemispheres of the Earth. The island is located in the west of the Malay Archipelago. Belongs to the group of large Sunda Islands, to which small islands are adjacent. Sumatra has an area of 443,066 km2 and belongs to Indonesia. Its coastline is slightly indented, and there are coral reefs near the coast.
Great Britain Population: 60 million | Area: 229,848 km²
The largest island of the British Isles is Great Britain. Its area is 229,848 km2. Wales, Scotland and England - Great Britain contains most of the entire United Kingdom. The area of the entire kingdom is 244,100 km2. The length of the coastline of the island from south to north is 966 km, and the width is 483 km. The highest point on the island is 1,344 meters.
Honshu Population: 103 million | Area: 227,962.59 km²
The largest island of the Japanese archipelago and the eighth largest in the world is the island of Honshu. Its area is 227,970 km2, which in turn is equal to 60% of the area of all of Japan. It is slightly smaller than the British Isles. Honshu has a mountainous terrain, and among the mountains there are many volcanoes. The mountains are responsible for the climatic difference in the southeast and northwest of the island. The largest mountain, which is the permanent symbol of Japan, is Fuji with a height of 3,776 meters.
Ellesmere is also an island in Canada, it is the third largest after Baffin Island and Victoria, and is also included in the list of the largest islands in the world and is located in tenth place. The island is located in the north, further than all the other islands of Canada, but still belongs to the province of Nunavut and is also part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. The area of the island is 196,236 km2, the highest point is 2,616 m. The population of Ellesmere is extremely small, but traces of prehistoric animals have often been found there.
