Which island is the largest in area. What is the largest island in the world

27.09.2019

Did you know that there are a large number of large islands in the world that would go down the size of an entire mainland? Consider the most large objects such a plan.

Ellesmere

This is the most north island, belonging to Canada, one of the ten largest objects in the world in terms of area. Due to the harsh climate here, the population of the entire island is only 150 people.

Historical information indicates that within the territory of this place, the remains of animals from the prehistoric period have been found more than once. The discovery of the island took place in 1616 by the forces of a navigator from England named William Baffin.

Victoria, Canada

This place takes an honorable ninth place in terms of its area. It was discovered in 1838 during an expedition by a British explorer named Thomas Simpson.

In the middle of the last century, there were several settlements in which meteorologists lived. And at the end of the 20th, the population of the area increased significantly due to the fact that Eskimos began to move here.

Honshu in Japan

The area of this island is 227,970 square kilometers, so we can immediately say that it is the largest island in the entire archipelago and belongs to the eighth line in the ranking of the largest islands in the world.

The largest cities in Japan are located here - Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and many others. The island has a large number of volcanoes, and some of them are active.

UK Island

This place has an area of 229,848 square kilometers. Great Britain ranks 7th in the list of the largest islands in the world and acts as the largest island of all british isles in the European part.

The beginning of the history of this area is considered the period of the Roman conquest, but there are more early history, requiring a more detailed study.

Today, the island has a population of over 61 million, making it the most populous place in all of Europe.

Sumatra in Indonesia

The area of this island is 443,066 square kilometers, due to this, the area can count on an honorable sixth place in the world.

This island is located in two hemispheres at once, and the equator passes in the middle of it. Currently, about 50 million people live here; several large centers can be attributed to the main cities.

People belonging to different nationalities live here, which makes the island multinational.

Baffin's Land

The area of this island is 507,451 square kilometers, and it is the first island in terms of area in Canada, as well as the fifth in the world.

Due to the fact that very harsh climatic conditions have developed here, the population is small here. The first description of the area was compiled by the forces of William Buffin, which is why the island was named after him.

Madagascar

In terms of area, this part of the land is large and occupies the fourth place. This place is located on the territory of the Indian Ocean on the territory of the East African coast.

On the island there is the eponymous state of Madagascar with the capital Antananarivo, and currently it is home to over 24 million people.

Kalimantan

This island is located in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, and its area is 748,168 square kilometers.

It occupies an honorable third line and is divided among several states. Translated from the local language, this name means "diamond river". The locality received this name due to the wealth of its own resources, in particular, it concerns a large number of diamonds.

New Guinea

This is another large island with an area of 785,753 square kilometers. It has many resources and belongs to several states at the same time.

The peculiarity of this area is that there are still places here that have not been mastered by humans. Therefore, the area is attractive for those who like to explore the flora and fauna.

Due to the fact that a large number of nationalities came here, there are many languages \ u200b \ u200bare present here. The current population of the island is about 9.5 million people.

Greenland

This island belongs to Denmark, and the area is as much as 2,000,000 (even more) square kilometers. This is the most big Island in the world, therefore he owns the honorable first line of this rating.

Due to the fact that it has an 84% glacial cover, most of it is not inhabited. The island has a very rich history, and the main sphere of life of the population is fishing.

When talking about the largest islands, they usually mean the islands with the largest area. Let's not break the tradition and present the top of the largest islands in the world by area.

Recall that the island differs from the mainland in its smaller size, but it must be surrounded by water on all sides, and at high tide at least part of it must remain on the surface.

10 Ellesmere

Ellesmere is the tenth most large islands Earth. It belongs to Canada and is one of the Queen Elizabeth Islands.

Ellesmere is cut by fjords and a third covered with ice. Living conditions are very harsh: in winter the temperature is up to -59 degrees, and in summer it rarely surpasses the mark of +7 (although sometimes it is +20); polar day and night last for 5 months, and there is so little rainfall, so in many places there is not even snow, only bare rocks.

The population does not exceed 150 people. The vegetation is exclusively herbaceous; blooming poppies, saxifrage and other polar flowers form a picturesque carpet in summer. There are many animals on Ellesmere, among them the rare Piri caribou deer and the Melville island wolf (smaller, with white or silver wool).

This is another northern island belonging to Canada. Still, it is not located in such high latitudes, therefore its nature is more diverse, and its population is larger (about 1700 people).

The reason for this is the high humidity: the entire island is covered with swamps, lakes, streams and rivers. In summer, the temperature is up to +12, in winter - an average of -20 degrees, and the wind is very strong and gusty, which creates extremely uncomfortable living conditions.

Vegetation in Victoria is not rich: grasses, polar tree species, mosses. But animal world presented perfectly. Many birds can be found on the island, including polar owls, as well as polar bears and wolves, arctic foxes and musk oxen.

Seals and walruses rest on the coast, and killer whales and whales roam the waters off the coast of the island. There are also a lot of commercial fish (herring, tuna).

8 Honshu

And here we have a very densely populated island, main island The Japanese archipelago, where the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun is located and about 75% of its population is concentrated.

7 Great Britain is one of the largest islands on Earth

The island of Great Britain is a densely populated island, according to this indicator, it ranks third after Java and Honshu. Most of the state of Great Britain is located here.

Scientists believe that the first people appeared on the island 800 thousand years ago: this is how the stone tools found on its territory are dated. The ancient Romans mentioned Great Britain in the 3rd century BC.

The climate on the island is maritime, which ensures mild winters, comfortable temperatures in summer and more than half of rainy days a year. Although there are areas that are much drier.
Unfortunately, forests and large animals in Great Britain are almost exterminated: magnificent beech and hornbeam groves occupy no more than a tenth of the island.

Of the animals, mostly small mammals have survived, but more than 130 species of birds and a lot of fish, as well as seals and whales

6 Sumatra

The hot tropical island, the sixth largest in the world, is at the same time the fourth most populous.

The island is part of the Malay Archipelago and belongs to Indonesia. Sumatra is an extremely humid island. It has a huge number of rivers, streams, lakes. It is here that the most big lake South-East Asia- Toba. It is located in the caldera of an ancient volcano and is so large that there is an island on it, which also has a lake.

Sumatra is very rich in volcanoes: there are many of them here, and a good dozen of them are active. However, this does not scare the many tourists who want to see medieval buildings, go windsurfing or diving, enjoy beach vacation on the coast, almost everywhere covered with dark (volcanic) sand.

And here you can also walk in the equatorial forests of tree ferns, palms and ficuses, marveling at the richness of the Sumatran fauna. There are many endemic species here. For example, the Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros, as well as the rare woolly wing, the Indian elephant, the pig-tailed macaque and others. There are even 450 species of birds on the island!

5 Baffin's Land

Listing the largest islands in the world, it is impossible to ignore Baffin's Land, an island large area and a very bizarre shape, owned by Canada.
Baffin's Land is essentially an extension (geologically) of the Canadian Shield, so the mountains on the island should be considered part of the Andes. And there are many mountains here, including quite high ones.

The island is not rich in population: the climate is harsh, a significant part of the island is located beyond the Arctic Circle, even in summer frosts are frequent.

For a long time it was believed that the island was discovered by Baffin. But the data of the latest archaeological excavations suggest that the island was known to the ancient Vikings and is mentioned in their sagas under the name of Helluland.

The harsh climate does not allow for the development of vegetation, the flora is poor here. Of the animals, there are Arctic foxes, polar bears, lemmings, reindeer, polar hares and, of course, walruses and seals. The island also amazes with a large number of birds, including polar owls.

4 Madagascar

Talking about which island is the largest in the world, it is impossible to ignore Madagascar, located near Africa and only recently emerged from the protectorate of France. V currently on the island is the independent republic of Madagascar, the government in which is replaced every now and then as a result of various upheavals and military coups.

However, the history of Madagascar is also full of such events. There were also attempts to seize the island by force, and various tricks. For some time, Madagascar was even a base for pirates robbing the ships of merchants hurrying to India.

The climate in Madagascar is tropical and monsoon, which allows many plants to thrive, including many endemics. And the most famous is the fire tree (royal delonix) - extraordinary beauty a ten-meter tree covered with bright scarlet flowers.
There are also many endemic animals among animals, for example, fossa - a cross between a puma and a mongoose.

Such interesting animals as lemurs (there are more than fifty species here!), Bristly hedgehogs, chameleons, civets, turtles, a huge number of insects, fish (for example, the famous moray eels), birds are also found in Madagascar. Unfortunately, you won't be able to swim here: the coast is full of sharks.

3 Kalimantan

The island of Kalimantan, which ranks third in the ranking, is often called Borneo - after the name of the state of Brunei, which was once large and powerful, and now occupies only a small part of the island. The rest is shared by Indonesia and Malaya - Kalimantan is the only island on Earth, which belongs to three states at once.

Over the centuries, various parts of the island came under the rule of one or another state; in different places and at different times the British, Holland, and even Japan have noted here. It was only in the period from the middle to the end of the last century that the modern political status of Kalimantan was established.

The equatorial climate and high humidity are favorable for a huge number of plants and animals, many of which are endemic and not even properly studied. Orchids and carnivorous plants, king cobra and reticulated python, noses and giant flying foxes - you can't name them all!

A huge hot island in the Pacific Ocean is divided between the states of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The climate is equatorial, there are quite high (up to 4900 m) mountains, and along the coast stretches an impassable (it can only be overcome by swimming in a canoe) strip of mango forests.

New Guinea has plenty of flora and fauna: there are 11 thousand species of plants (various palms, bananas, melon trees, etc.) and more than one and a half thousand animals, including marsupial badgers and birds of paradise. On the island, scientists have found a place that they called the "Garden of Eden": there are many unseen creatures who are not at all afraid of man.

1 Largest island - Greenland

Which country owns the largest island in the world? Answer: Denmark. Greenland is its autonomy.

More than 80% of the island is covered with glaciers; from the west and east, outlet glaciers are formed (descending in tongues into the sea), which give rise to icebergs. In the east of Greenland there is also the most high mountain Arctic - Gunbjörn. Its height is 3700 m.

The climate is not very harsh, but changeable: in winter the temperature can be up to -11 degrees, in summer - about +20, but there are often years when the thermometer still does not overcome the zero mark for the whole summer!

Plants can be found in glacier-free areas. These are mainly meadows, crooked forests, junipers. But polar animals, fish and insects are represented quite widely: walruses, whales, seals, polar bears, polar deer, seagulls, sharks and dozens of unique endemic beetles (700 species of insects).

Island mysteries

When we hear the word "island", the shores washed by the oncoming waves appear before our eyes, the sails of pirate ships loom on the horizon, or the unfortunate Robinson, longingly looking into the endless sea distance. The islands of the whole world have always attracted and frightened people a little. Such attractiveness and mystery is caused not only by the plots of adventure books and feature films. Scientists discover new ones every year Interesting Facts about these pieces of land surrounded by water on all sides.

There are half a million islands on our Earth. The process of their formation continues to this day. The youngest islet was "born" in 1992 in the Pacific Ocean after a volcanic eruption. Almost every island is associated with an unusual story, and sometimes more than one. The largest island in the world is Greenland, followed by New Guinea, Kalimantan, Madagascar, Baffin Land and Sumatra. What interesting facts are connected with these islands?

The largest islands in the world - Top 6

1. Greenland

Greenland's area is 2,130,800 km 2, which exceeds the territories of Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium and Holland combined. It is washed by two oceans - the Atlantic and the Arctic. It is under the jurisdiction of Denmark. Moreover, the island is fifty times larger than the mainland of Denmark itself.

For such a huge area, there are fewer inhabitants than European city- population density 0.027 people / km 2. This is due to the fact that the ground here is covered with ice. In some places, the thickness of the ice cover reaches 3 kilometers. If the ice in Greenland suddenly melted for some reason, the sea level would rise by seven meters, and many coastal cities would simply disappear under water.

Almost all the inhabitants of the island are Greenlandic Eskimos, and the capital is the city of Nuuk. The main occupation of the Aboriginal people is hunting and fishing. Between the settlements there are no automobiles or railway tracks... Favorite national dishes are not subjected to any heat treatment here, and the most favorite local delicacy is partridge droppings, whipped with seal fat.

On the hottest summer days, the temperature here is + 10 ° C, while in winter it often drops to -47 ° C. Greenland - biosphere reserve almost untouched by civilization. It is home to polar bears, musk oxen, polar wolves and arctic plants.

2. New Guinea

The density of New Guinea is almost 786 thousand km 2, and the population is 7.5 million people. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean, and is divided between the countries of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It was discovered back in the 16th century, but for a long time Europeans believed that all locals- cannibals.

Only the Russian scientist Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, who landed on the island in 1871 and happily lived in friendship with the local population for more than a year, could dispel the bad glory of the Papuans. The northeastern coast is still called the Maclay Coast. Although at first Nikolai Nikolaevich was received by the Papuans rather hostilely, but the calmness of an unarmed person, his help in difficult life situations was able to overcome mistrust and hostility.

The fame of the man from the moon, as the aborigines called him, spread throughout the island, despite language barriers. And in New Guinea, this is a serious obstacle; 850 languages are spoken here. Even today, from time to time, ethnic conflicts flare up on the island. And some tribes in the wilds of the jungle have never seen a white man at all. Therefore, going on a trip to New Guinea, you can get into real, not cinematic, deadly adventures.

3. Kalimantan

The population of the island is 16 million people, its area is 743 330 km². It is under the jurisdiction of three states: Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. The first settlements appeared here 40 thousand years ago. Europeans put it on their maps in the 16th century.

The island also has a second name - Borneo. It is home to Malaysians, Chinese and Dayaks - an authentic population. The natives here live according to the same customs as hundreds of years ago, they hunt and gather. If we set the task to describe the character of the peoples of Kalimantan in one word, then the epithet "hospitable" is the most suitable. The richness of the flora and fauna of the island cannot be described in a hundred words. 54 species of animals live here, a huge number of plants, including a rare black orchid and the world's largest rafflesia with a flower weighing 15 kg.

4. Madagascar

The population is over 20 million people, the area is 587,041 km². The island is located near east coast Africa and has a tropical climate. On the island of Madagascar there is a state of the same name with the capital Antanarivo. The aborigines call their home area the island of wild boars or red (according to the color of the soil).

There are many unusual animals in Madagascar. There are spiders-gold spiders, weaving a web, from which, with the existing skill, you can make clothes. The first socks and gloves made of cobweb were owned by Louis XIV, they were woven over four years. Another amazing creature is the Madagascar moth, which feeds on drinking tears from birds at night.

Madagascars love turtle meat, which they catch with stick fish. When the Europeans first came to the island at night and saw the huge glowing eyes of some animals in the dark, they were very frightened and remembered the ancient Roman mythology about the souls of the dead. The ancient Romans called them lemurs and terrified people. This is how the harmless animal got its mystical name.

The population is only 11 thousand people, the area is 507 451 km². Such a small number of inhabitants on a huge territory is explained by the fact that the island lies in the Arctic Ocean. It belongs to Canada and has many freshwater lakes.

Almost the only way to do business on the island is extreme tourism. You can only get to Baffin's Land by air... Tourists come here to get an idea of life in the Arctic Circle. They offer hunting, fishing and local attractions, which mean a special natural landscape, a chain of waterfalls on the Soper River. The historical park contains ancient objects left here not only by the Eskimos, but also by the Vikings who once lived on this rugged island.

6. Sumatra

The population of the island is more than 50 million people, the area is 473 thousand km². Such a dense population is due to the paradise climate. 30% of its territory is covered with tropical forests. On the coast there is Coral reefs... The island is located in both hemispheres of the planet at the same time.

In terms of jurisdiction, the island is now autonomous within Indonesia, although these lands have already been the property of Portugal and Holland. Now the island lives according to Islamic laws. The national composition of the islanders consists of six peoples, each of which has its own traditions, customs and moral values. There are also relatively backward tribes with bloodthirsty customs. In the center of the island, they say, more recently cases of cannibalism were noted. But the rest of the island is already doing business in a very civilized manner and receiving numerous tourists.

Each of these islands is interesting in its own way. Everyone deserves the most close attention, both scientists and those who want to relax and learn new things. From such dissimilar scraps - islands and continents - a motley and diverse "blanket" of our planet is woven.

Every year new islands appear in the world, but the largest ones still remain in their places. Below is a list of the ten largest islands in the world by area.

Ellesmere - 196,236 km sq.

Ellesmere is the northernmost Canadian island, with a total area of 196,236 km2. sq. It is the third largest island in Canada and the tenth in the world. Despite the huge territory, according to data for 2006, only 146 permanent residents live on the island, in three settlements- Gris Fjord, Alert and Eureka.

Victoria Island - 217,291 km. sq.

Victoria is the second largest island in Canada and the ninth in the world (according to various sources, it is the eighth or ninth). Located in the Arctic Ocean and located in the southwestern part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The island was named after Queen Victoria of England in 1839. It is home to 1707 people (2001).

Honshu - 227,970 km. sq.

Honshu is the largest island in Japan (approximately 60% of the entire country). Located south of Hokkaido Island. Honshu has a population of about 100 million in 2010, making it the second most populous island in the world (after the Indonesian island of Java).

Great Britain - 229 848 km. sq.

Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles, stretching northwest of mainland Europe. 95% of its entire territory is divided between England, Scotland and Wales, which are part of the United Kingdom. It has a population of about 63 million people and ranks third in the world in terms of population after the islands of Java and Honshu.

Sumatra - 480 848 km. sq.

Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world. Fully part of Indonesia. The number of inhabitants living on the island as of 2010 is more than 50 million people, making it the fourth largest island in the world in terms of population.

Baffin's Land - 507,451 km. sq.

Baffin's Land is an island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. It is home to just over 11,000 people (as of 2007) in eight settlements, the largest of which is Iqaluit.

Madagascar - 587,713 km. sq.

Madagascar is a large island located in Indian Ocean, at east coast Africa. Although Madagascar is located not far from Africa, the flora and fauna of the island is unique - it contains 5% of all species of flora and fauna in the world, 80% of which exist only on this island.

Kalimantan (Borneo) - 748 168 km. sq.

Kalimantan or Borneo is the third largest island in the world and the largest island in Asia. Located in the center of the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia. Divided between Indonesia (73%), Malaysia (26%) and Brunei (about 1%). The island is home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world. It has 19.8 million inhabitants (as of 2010), most of whom live in coastal cities. The population density in Borneo is 26 people per square kilometer.

New Guinea - 785,753 sq. km.

New Guinea is the second largest island on earth, located in the west The Pacific north of Australia. Divided approximately equally between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The current population of the island is about eleven million (2015). It has large natural reserves of oil, gold, copper and other ores.

Greenland - 2,130,800 sq. km.

Greenland is the largest island on Earth. Located in the northeast North America and is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is part of Denmark as an autonomous unit. The population of the island as of July 2010 is 57,600 people.

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As you know, an island is considered to be any land area completely surrounded by water. However, not all land areas that are in the water can be attributed to islands. In addition to the latter, there are also continents and continents, the most famous of which is undoubtedly Australia. The total area of this continent (not to be confused with the island) is approximately 7.6 million square meters. km.

The TOP-5 of the largest islands in the world presented below includes islands whose area is noticeably inferior to Australia, but at the same time is no less impressive.

The largest islands in the world: Greenland

So, the most large island our planet, the name of which literally translates as "green country", is Greenland. Located in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, 80% covered eternal ice, an autonomous Danish territory has a temperate climate and a total area of 2,131,500 km². Known for her 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 57 thousand inhabitants of the island is fishing.

The largest islands in the world: New Guinea

New Guinea became the second largest island in the world in terms of area. An island washed by the Pacific Ocean, located between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, in 1526 was discovered by the Portuguese. They also gave him his original name "Papua", which means "curly" in Malay. The island owes this name to the dark-skinned natives 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 real paradise for tourists. Despite the large number of various species of plants, birds, mammals and amphibians living on the island, scientists are still discovering in New Guinea more and more new species of various representatives of the animal and flora... It is worth noting that most of the animals of New Guinea are not at all afraid of people, so they can be easily picked up.

The largest islands in the world: Kalimantan

It is not in vain that Kalimantan occupies an honorable third place in the TOP 5 largest islands in the world. The area of this island, also known as "Borneo", is 737,000 km². Kalimantan is washed simultaneously by four seas and two straits. Unlike Greenland, 80% of the entire territory of Kalimantan is covered with tropical forests. In this connection, the forest industry of the island is extremely developed and brings a considerable income to the three states located on its territory. In addition to forests, Kalimantan is also known for large reserves of oil, gas and diamonds, which have been actively mined here for more than one century, which is clearly evidenced by the name of the island (translated from Malay, Kalimantan means "diamond river").

The largest islands in the world: Madagascar

The fourth in our ranking is the famous, recently, according to the cartoon of the same name, the island of Madagascar. 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 for a long time the island was inhabited by a large number of wild boars, the local natives named it "Madagascar" ("Island of wild boars").

The largest islands in the world: Baffin's Land

Canada's largest island, Baffin's Land, located west of Greenland, closes the TOP 5 largest islands in the world. And along with this, the most interesting places where you want a wedding photographer for your personal event! Due to the harsh climatic conditions, despite the vast territories - 508,000 km², the population of Baffin Land is a little over 11 thousand people. The island got its name from the famous English traveler and explorer William Buffin, who was the first to describe the island in the 17th century. An interesting fact is that, despite the ubiquitous presence of humans on the other islands, the central part of Baffin Land has not yet been fully explored, which means that there are places on the island where no human has ever gone before.