10 largest islands of our planet

*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Islands are different. There are islands of rivers and lakes, which are only a small piece of the earth’s surface, there are peaks of sea-covered mountains and coral reefs rising above the surface of the water. And there are those that differ little from the continents – with their own, special climate, flora and fauna, permanent population. The largest of these islands will be discussed here.

The largest islands of our planet

1st place: Greenland (2 km²)

Rating: 5.0

The largest island in the world in terms of area – Greenland – is located next to North America, on its northeast side. At the same time, politically it is attributed to Europe – these are the possessions of Denmark. The territory of the island is inhabited by 58 thousand people.

The shores of Greenland are washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans from different sides. More than 80% of the territory is covered by a glacier reaching a height of 3300 meters from the north and 2730 meters from the south. Frozen water has been accumulating here for 150 years. However, this is not such a long time for a glacier of this thickness. It is so heavy that under its weight the earth’s crust sags – in some places depressions up to 360 meters below sea level are formed.

The eastern part of the island is least of all subject to the pressure of ice masses. Here are the highest points of Greenland – the mountains Gunbjorn and Trout, with heights of 3700 and 3360 meters, respectively. Also, the mountain range makes up the entire central part of the island, but there it is closed by a glacier.

The coastal strip is narrow – thinner than 250 meters. All of it is cut by fjords – going deep into the land, narrow and winding bays. The shores of the fjords are formed by cliffs up to a kilometer high and densely covered with vegetation. At the same time, in general, the flora of Greenland is scarce – only the southern coastal part, not covered by a glacier, is overgrown with mountain ash, alder, juniper, dwarf birch and herbs. Accordingly, the fauna is also poor – musk oxen and reindeer feed on vegetation, they, in turn, serve as food for polar wolves, arctic foxes and northern bears also live on the island.

The history of the development of Greenland begins in 983, when the Vikings arrived on it and began to establish their settlements. It was then that the name Grønland arose, meaning “green land” – the arrivals were delighted with the greenery along the banks of the fjords. In 1262, when the population converted to Christianity, the territory was assigned to Norway. In 1721, Denmark began the colonization of Greenland, and in 1914 passed into the hands of Denmark as a colony, and in 1953 became part of it. Now it is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

2nd place: New Guinea (786 km²)

Rating: 4.9

New Guinea is located in the western Pacific Ocean, north of Australia, from which it is separated by the Torres Strait. The island is divided by Indonesia, which owns the western part, and Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern part. The total population of the island is 7,5 million people.

The island is mostly covered by mountains – the Bismarck Mountains in the central part, Owen Stanley towards the northeast. The highest point is Mount Wilhelm, whose peak is at an altitude of 4509 meters above sea level. New Guinea has active volcanoes and earthquakes are common.

The flora and fauna of New Guinea are similar to those in Australia – it was once part of this mainland. Mostly preserved natural vegetation – tropical rainforests. There are many endemic – preserved only on its territory – plants and animals: among the 11000 plant species that can be found here, there are only 2,5 thousand unique orchids. There are sago palms, coconuts, sandals, breadfruit trees, sugar cane on the island, araucaria predominate among conifers.

The fauna is poorly studied, new species are still being discovered. There is a unique species of kangaroo – Goodfellow’s kangaroo, which differs from the Australian in shorter hind limbs that do not allow to jump far. Therefore, for the most part, this species does not move on the ground, but among the crowns of trees – the animal lives in high-altitude tropical forests.

Before the Europeans discovered the island at the beginning of the 1960th century, ancient Indonesian states were located here. The colonization of New Guinea began in the XNUMXth century – Russia, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands mastered the territory. The state-owners changed several times, after the end of the colonial era in the XNUMXs, the Netherlands and Australia – the ultimate owners of the island – decided to create a single independent state here. However, Indonesia brought in troops and annexed the western part, violating their plans, and therefore now there are two countries here.

3rd place: Kalimantan (743 km²)

Rating: 4.8

Kalimantan is an island in Southeast Asia, in the center of the Malay Archipelago. The equator line passes almost through its center. The island is divided by three states – Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, the Malays call it Borneo. 21 million people live here.

The climate in Kalimantan is equatorial. The relief is mostly flat, the territory is mainly covered by ancient forests. Mountains are located in the central part – at an altitude of up to 750 meters they are also covered with tropical forests, above they are replaced by mixed ones, with oak and coniferous trees, above two kilometers – by meadows and shrubs. Such rare animals as the Malayan bear, the Kalimantan orangutan, and the proboscis monkey live in the forests. Of the plants, Rafflesia Arnold is interesting – its flowers are the largest in the plant world, reaching a meter in width and weighing 12 kg.

Europeans learned about the existence of the island in 1521, when Magellan arrived here with his expedition. Where the ships of Magellan stopped was the Sultanate of Brunei – from there the English name Kalimantan, Borneo, came from. Now Brunei owns only 1% of the territory, 26% is occupied by Malaysia, the rest is Indonesia. People in Kalimantan live mainly along the rivers, on floating houses, and lead a subsistence economy.

The forests, which are 140 million years old, have largely remained intact. However, environmental problems are now arising in connection with the activity of the timber industry in Indonesia and Malaysia, harvesting trees for export, and clearing land for agriculture. Deforestation leads to a reduction in the number of rare animal species – for example, the Kalimantan orangutan may disappear in the near future if no measures are taken to save this species.

4th place: Madagascar (587 km²)

Rating: 4.7

Madagascar – an island known to many from the cartoon of the same name – is located east of southern Africa. The state of Madagascar is located on it – the only country in the world that occupies one island. The population is 20 million.

Madagascar is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, separated from Africa by the Mozambique Channel. The climate on the island is tropical, the temperature is 20-30°. The landscape is varied – there are mountain ranges, extinct volcanoes, plains and plateaus. The highest point is the Marumukutru volcano, 2876 meters. The territory is covered with tropical rainforests, savannas, semi-deserts, mangroves, swamps, coral reefs are located off the coast.

The island broke away from India 88 million years ago. Since then, the flora and fauna of Madagascar have developed independently, and 80% of the currently existing species are unique to its territory. Only here live lemurs – an endemic family of primates. Among the plants, the most interesting is the Ravenala – a tree with huge banana-like leaves extending from the trunk. Leaf cuttings accumulate water, which a traveler can always drink.

Madagascar is a developing country. Tourism is a source of economic growth – travelers are attracted by a variety of landscapes, coral reefs, beaches and a warm climate, extinct volcanoes. The island can be called a “continent in miniature” – in a relatively small area there are a variety of landforms, natural areas and ecosystems, life forms. However, high-class hotels in Madagascar are not to be found. Hardy, heat-resistant, inquisitive people come here, looking not for comfort, but for new experiences.

5th place: Baffin Island (507 km²)

Rating: 4.6

Baffin Island is a North American island belonging to Canada. Due to severe weather conditions – 60% of the island lies within the Arctic Circle – only 11 people live on it. 9000 of them are Inuit, representatives of one of the ethnic groups of the Eskimos who lived here before the arrival of Europeans, and only 2 thousand non-indigenous residents. Greenland is located 400 km to the east.

The shores of Baffin Island, like those of Greenland, are indented by fjords. The climate here is extremely harsh, because of the vegetation – only tundra shrubs, lichens and mosses. The animal world is also not rich here – there are only 12 species of mammals typical of the polar latitudes of the northern hemisphere: polar bear, reindeer, arctic fox, polar hare, two species of arctic foxes. Of the endemics, the Baffin wolf is the smallest of the polar wolves, which, however, looks quite large due to the long and thick white coat.

The Eskimos arrived on this land 4000 years ago. The Vikings also came here, but the climate turned out to be too harsh for them, and they did not gain a foothold on the island. In 1616, the land was discovered by the English navigator William Buffin, from whose name it got its name. Although Baffin Land now belongs to Canada, Europeans have so far mastered it rather poorly. The indigenous people lead the same way of life that they have been since their arrival here – they are engaged in fishing and hunting. All settlements are located along the coast, only scientific expeditions go deeper.

6th place: Sumatra (473 km²)

Rating: 4.5

Sumatra is an island in the Malay Archipelago, located in its western part. Belongs to the Greater Sunda Islands. Entirely owned by Indonesia. Sumatra is inhabited by 50,6 million people.

The island is located on the equator, zero latitude divides it in half. Because the climate here is hot and humid – the temperature is kept at the level of 25-27 °, it rains every day. The territory of Sumatra in the southwest is covered with mountains, in the northeast lies lowland. There are volcanic eruptions and quite strong (7-8 points) earthquakes here.

Nature in Sumatra is typical for equatorial latitudes – about 30% of the territory is covered by tropical forests. On the plains and low mountains, tree communities are made up of palms, ficuses, bamboos, lianas and tree ferns; above one and a half kilometers they are replaced by mixed forests. The fauna here is quite rich in composition – monkeys, large cats, rhinoceros, Indian elephant, colorful birds and other inhabitants of the equator. There are endemics such as the Sumatran orangutan and the tiger. The area on which these animals can live is shrinking due to deforestation, and with it, the number is also decreasing. Tigers, deprived of their usual habitats, begin to attack people.

States on Sumatra have existed since at least the XNUMXnd century – until the island was colonized by the Netherlands in the XNUMXth century, several of them were replaced. After the end of the Second World War, with the advent of independent Indonesia, the territory began to belong to her.

7th place: Great Britain (229 km²)

Rating: 4.4

The island of Great Britain is the main of the islands of the United Kingdom, it makes up 95% of the country’s territory. Here is London, most of England, Scotland and Wales, lives in a total of 60,8 million people.

The climate on the island is marine – there is a lot of precipitation, and the temperature fluctuations over the seasons are small. The UK is known for its never-ending, year-round rain, and residents rarely see the sun. Many full-flowing rivers flow through the island (the most famous is the Thames), accumulations of water form lakes, including the famous Scottish Loch Ness. Lowlands prevail in the east and south, to the north and west the relief becomes hilly, mountains appear.

The flora and fauna of Great Britain is not rich due to being cut off from the mainland and high urbanization. Forests cover only a small part of the territory – mostly plains are occupied by arable land and meadows. In the mountains there are many peat bogs and moorlands where sheep graze. Many national parks have been created to preserve the remnants of nature.

People have been on the island since ancient times, the first human traces are about 800 thousand years old – it was one of the previous Homo sapiens species. Homo sapiens set foot on this earth about 30 thousand years ago, when the island was still connected to the mainland – only 8000 years have passed since the disappearance of this bundle. Later, the territory of Great Britain was for the most part captured by the Roman Empire.

After the fall of Rome, the island was settled by Germanic tribes. In 1066, the Normans conquered England, while Scotland remained independent, Wales was captured and annexed to England later, by the 1707th century. In XNUMX, finally, a new independent state arose, occupying the entire island and taking its name from it – Great Britain.

8th place: Honshu (227 km²)

Rating: 4.3

Honshu is the largest island of the Japanese archipelago, accounting for 60% of the country’s territory. Here is Tokyo and other major Japanese cities – Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, Yokohama. The total population of the island is 104 million.

The territory of Honshu is covered with mountains, it is here that the symbol of Japan – Fuji, 3776 meters high, is located. There are volcanoes, including active ones, there are earthquakes. Quite often, as a result of seismic activity, huge masses of people are forced to leave their homes. Japan has one of the most advanced evacuation systems in the world.

The climate in Japan is temperate, with rainy seasons in spring and autumn. Winter is moderately cold, temperatures are similar to those in Moscow. Summers are hot and humid, with typhoons quite common during this season. The land is covered with rich and varied vegetation – in the southern part it is evergreen oak-chestnut forests, in the north – deciduous forests with a predominance of beech and maple. Migratory birds from Siberia and China winter in Honshu, wolves, foxes, hares, squirrels, deer live.

The indigenous people of the island are the Japanese and the Ainu. By the XNUMXth century, the Ainu had been completely driven out of here to the northern island of Hokkaido.

9th place: Victoria (217 km²)

Rating: 4.2

Victoria is an island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the second largest after Baffin Island. Its area is larger than the territory of Belarus, but the population is quite small – just over 2000 people.

The shape of Victoria is complex, with many bays and peninsulas. The coastal zone is rich in fish, seals and walruses often visit here, whales and killer whales come in summer. The climate here is much warmer and milder than on Baffin Island, similar to the Mediterranean. Plants begin to bloom in February – at this time tourists often come here. The flora of the island includes many exotic species, reserves and national parks have been created to preserve them.

The largest settlement in Victoria is Cambridge Bay. The village is located in the southern part of the island, it is home to one and a half thousand people. The inhabitants live off fishing and seal hunting, and speak Eskimo and English. Archaeologists sometimes visit the village.

10th place: Ellesmere (196 km²)

Rating: 4.1

Ellesmere is the northernmost island of the Canadian archipelago, located above the Arctic Circle, next to Greenland. The territory is almost not inhabited – there are only one and a half hundred permanent residents.

The coastline of Ellesmere is indented by fjords. The island is covered with glaciers, rocks and snow fields. Polar day and night here last for five months. In winter, the temperature drops to -50°, in summer it usually does not exceed 7°, only occasionally rising to 21°. The ground thaws only a few centimeters, because there are no trees here, only lichens, mosses, as well as poppies and other herbaceous plants grow. The exception is the vicinity of Lake Hazen, where willows, sedge, heather and saxifrage grow.

Despite the poverty of the flora, the fauna is not so poor. Birds nest on Ellesmere – arctic terns, snowy owls, tundra partridges. Of the mammals, polar hares, musk oxen, wolves are found here – the local subspecies is called the Melville island wolf, it is smaller and has a lighter coat.

There are only three settlements on the island – Alert, Eureka and Gris Fjord. Alert is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world, only five locals live in it, the military and meteorologists are also housed in it. Eureka is a science station and Gris Fjord is an Inuit village of 130 inhabitants.

Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.