Finding the world’s largest islands is not as simple as it may appear. For one thing, it’s not really apparent what distinguishes an island from a continent. How is it that Australia is a continent yet Greenland is an island? To find out, keep reading to the conclusion of the article.
Our list of the world’s largest islands is based on total land area. Let’s find out, from the United Kingdom to Papua New Guinea and everywhere in between.
1: Greenland (2,130,800 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Greenland is the world’s largest island, yet it only qualifies as a continent due to its population size. It is an independent Danish region located between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, and despite its size, it is primarily uninhabited.
The majority of its land is made up of unforgiving glaciers – the largest outside of the arctic zone – and the world’s second-largest ice sheets. It is home to just over 50,000 people. Greenland’s population survives on fishing, sealing, and whaling because there are no roadways connecting the island’s main towns. Many tourists come to Greenland to see the world’s largest national park, Northeast Greenland National Park.
Greenlanders are emphatic That they consider themselves islands – despite the fact that there are no official laws defining the differences between an island and a continent to rule out Greenland as a prospective continent. Also, read Most Beautiful Small Towns in England.
2: New Guinea (785,753 km2)
View this post on Instagram
New Guinea is a massive island with a length of about 1,500 miles. It, like Borneo, is governed by two countries: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Since the island’s earliest human settlers arrived more than 40,000 years ago, it has been prized for millennia for its massive copper and gold riches.
The Torres Strait separates New Guinea from Australia, with the Coral Sea on one side and the Arafura Sea on the other. New Guinea is also the largest island in both the southern and northern hemispheres, as well as Oceania.
3: Borneo (748,168 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Borneo is a massive island that is almost twice the size of Germany. It is also the only island ruled by three countries: Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with Indonesian jurisdiction covering the majority of the island.
Borneo is home to the world’s oldest rainforest, which is almost 100 million years old. There is some amazing fauna to be found among the lush green foliage, such as the Bornean orangutan and Dayak fruit bats – two endangered species found nowhere else on Earth.
4: Madagascar (587,041 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Madagascar is an island nation off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. With about 250,000 species of creatures, including the iconic stripy-tailed lemurs, this island is known for its incredible wildlife. Surprisingly, two-thirds of its species is found nowhere else on the planet.
Madagascar has the world’s third-largest coral system, dating back over 100 million years and providing superb diving chances in the Indian Ocean’s warm waters. Also read, Banff National Park.
5: Baffin Island (507,451 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Baffin Island is Canada’s largest island. With an average yearly temperature of minus eight degrees Celsius, it is one of the most inhospitable islands on Earth, despite its spectacular landscape of fjords, freshwater lakes, and glacier-filled national parks.
The island, named after the British explorer William Baffin, is located near the Arctic Circle. As a result, it is usually frequented for its spectacular views of the Northern Lights or to see the Arctic wolves, polar bears, and lemmings that live on the island.
6: Sumatra (443,065 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Sumatra is the world’s sixth-largest island and Indonesia’s second-largest island. It is frequently struck by earthquakes and tsunamis due to its location on the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Much of the island’s attractiveness stems from its relatively unspoilt nature and animals, which is surrounded by beautiful tropical rainforest. The Sumatran tiger, Sumatran orangutan, and Sumatran rhino are among its critically endangered species. Also read, Mesa Verde National Park.
7: Honshu (225,800 km2)
View this post on Instagram
The largest of Japan’s four major islands is Honshu. It is considered part of the Japanese mainland despite its location between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. It’s more than half the size of Japan, measuring over 800 kilometres long!
Some of Japan’s most renowned cities, such as Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Osaka, are located on the island of Honshu. Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, and Lake Biwa, the country’s largest lake, are both located here.
8: Victoria Island (217,291 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Victoria Island is the second-largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, measuring nearly 320 miles long. The island was named after Queen Victoria when it was discovered by Arctic explorer Thomas Simpson in the early 1830s.
Despite the fact that it has been around for centuries, the island is currently sparsely populated, with only about 2,000 people living there. The Tunnunik impact crater, created by the impact of a meteorite that crashed here some 350 million years ago, is the island’s most famous landmark.
9: Great Britain (209,331 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles, a vast island in the North Atlantic Ocean separated from Europe by the English Channel and the North Sea. Despite its dramatic and well-publicized withdrawal from the European Union, it is Europe’s largest island.
Great Britain, which comprises the nations of England, Scotland, and Wales, is also a part of the United Kingdom. Humans have lived in Great Britain for over 500,000 years, and London, the country’s largest metropolis, continues to draw visitors from all over the world looking for a taste of the country’s history and culture.
10: Ellesmere Island (196,236 km2)
View this post on Instagram
Llesmere Island is Canada’s third largest island. It is the largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, and it is known for its undulating mountains and beautiful icefields. It is located in the Nunavut province.
The Canadian island of Ellesmere, located between Baffin Bay and the Arctic Ocean, is rich in history, with geological features dating back to the last Ice Age. A succession of sedimentary rocks and the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, which dates back thousands of years, are among them.