Top 10 largest islands in the world

An island is a piece of land separated from other continents. There are more than half a million such land areas on planet Earth. And some may disappear, others appear. So the youngest island appeared in 1992 as a result of a volcanic ejection. But some of them are striking in their scale. In the ranking largest islands in the world 10 most impressive positions by area are presented.

10 Ellesmere | 196 thousand sq. km

Opens ten largest islands in the world Ellesmere. Its territory belongs to Canada. It is the third largest island of this state with an area of ​​just over 196 thousand square kilometers. This piece of land is located north of all the Canadian islands. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, it is sparsely populated by people (on average, the number of inhabitants is 200 people), but is of great value to archaeologists, as the remains of ancient animals are constantly found there. The land has been frozen over since the Ice Age.

9. Victoria | 217 thousand sq. km

Ninth place among largest islands on earth course takes Victoria. Like Ellesmere, Victoria belongs to the Canadian Isles. It got its name from Queen Victoria. The land area is 217 thousand square kilometers. and washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean. The island is famous for its numerous lakes of fresh water. The surface of the entire island has practically no hills. And only two settlements are located on its territory. The population density is very low, with just over 1700 people living in this zone.

8. Honshu | 28 thousand sq. km

Ranked eighth the largest islands located Honshubelonging to the Japanese archipelago. It occupies an area of ​​228 thousand sq. km. The largest Japanese cities, including the capital of the state, are located on this island. The highest mountain, which is a symbol of the country – Fujiyama is also located on Honshu. The island is covered with mountains and there are many volcanoes on it, including active ones. Due to the mountainous terrain, the climate on the island is very changeable. The territory is densely populated. According to the latest data, the population is about 100 million people. This factor puts Honshu in second place among the islands in terms of population.

7. UK | 230 thousand sq. km

United Kingdomranked seventh on the list largest islands in the world, is also the largest among the British Isles and in Europe as a whole. Its territory occupies 230 thousand sq. km, where 63 million people live. Great Britain owns the bulk of the United Kingdom. The high population makes the UK the third largest island in the world in terms of the number of inhabitants. And it is the most densely populated region in Europe. Located on the island and the capital of the Kingdom – London. The climate is more temperate than in other lands in this natural area. This is due to the warm current of the Gulf Stream.

6. Sumatra | 43 thousand sq. km

Sumatra settled in the sixth position of the ranking largest islands in the world. The equator divides Summatra into two almost equal halves, so it is located in two hemispheres at once. The area of ​​the island is more than 443 thousand sq. km, where more than 50 million people live. The island belongs to Indonesia and is part of the Malay Archipelago. Sumatra is surrounded by tropical vegetation and washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. It is located in a zone of frequent earthquakes and tsunamis. Sumatra has large deposits of precious metals.

5. Baffin Island | 500 thousand sq. km

Opens the top five largest islands Baffin’s Land. This is also the largest island in Canada, the territory of which exceeds 500 thousand sq. km. It is covered with numerous lakes, but only half inhabited by people. The population of the island is only about 11 thousand people. This is due to the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic. The average annual temperature is kept at -8 degrees. Here the weather is dictated by the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Baffin Island is cut off from the mainland. The only way to reach the island is by air.

4. Madagascar | 587 thousand sq. km

Next on the list the most impressive islands in terms of area – Madagascar. The island is located east of Africa, once it was part of the Hindustan peninsula. They are separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel. The area of ​​the site and the state of the same name Madagascar is more than 587 thousand sq. km. with a population of 20 million. Locals call Madagascar the red island (the color of the island soil) and the boar (due to the large population of wild boars). More than half of the animals living in Madagascar are not found on the mainland, and 90% of the plants are found only in this geographical area.

3. Kalimantan | 748 thousand sq. km

The third level of the rating largest islands in the world busy My word with an area of ​​748 thousand sq. km. and with 16 million inhabitants. This island has another common name – Borneo. Kalimantan occupies the center of the Malay Archipelago and belongs to three states at once: Indonesia (most of it), Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo is washed by four seas and covered with dense tropical forests, which are considered the oldest in the world. The attraction of Borneo is the highest point in Southeast Asia – Mount Kinabalu with a height of 4 thousand meters. The island is rich in natural resources, in particular diamonds, which gave it its name. Kalimantan in the local language means diamond river.

2. New Guinea | 786 thousand sq. km

New Guinea – second place on the list largest islands in the world. 786 thousand sq. km. located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Asia. Scientists believe that the island was once part of Australia. The population is approaching the 8 million mark. New Guinea is divided between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The name of the island was given by the Portuguese. “Papua”, which translates as curly, is associated with the curly hair of the local Aborigines. There are still places in New Guinea where no man has been. This place attracts researchers of flora and fauna, as they can meet the rarest species of animals and plants here.

1. Greenland | 2130 thousand sq. km

The largest island in the world is Greenland. Its area exceeds the area of ​​many European countries and is 2130 thousand square kilometers. Greenland is part of Denmark, and several dozen times larger than the mainland of this state. The green country, as this island is also called, is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Due to weather conditions, most of it is not inhabited (about 57 thousand people live), and is covered with ice. Glaciers contain huge reserves of fresh water. In terms of the number of glaciers, it is second only to Antarctica. Greenland National Park is considered the northernmost and largest in the world.