There are about 500 thousand islands in our world. They are different in size. Today we take you to the largest islands of our world.

Greenland

Greenland is the most large island on Earth with an area of ​​2,130,800 km2. It is washed by the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Greenland is located in Denmark.
In the western part of the island there is the largest settlement, called Nuuk, and Mount Gunbjorn, whose height is 3,383 thousand meters. Until 1921, Cape Morris-Jesup was considered the closest landmass to the North Pole.

New Guinea

New Guinea, with an area of ​​785,753 km2, is located in Pacific Ocean. New Guinea links Australia with Asia. 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.

Kalimantan

The island has an area of ​​748,168 km2. This charming sea island is divided between 3 states: Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. Kalimantan is located in South-East Asia in the center of the Malay Archipelago.

Madagascar

The island has a tropical climate. It 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. Locals call the island the island of boars.

Baffin Island

The island belongs to Canada. It is the largest of the islands in this country. The area of ​​the island is 507,451 km2. It's very bad here weather, so most of the island remains uninhabited.

Sumatra

The island of Sumatra is divided by the equator into almost equal parts. The island is located in the west of the Malay Archipelago. Sumatra has an area of ​​443,066 km2 and belongs to Indonesia.

O. Great Britain

Its area is 229,848 km2. Wales, Scotland and England - Great Britain contains most of the entire United Kingdom.

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Before we talk about which one is the most big Island Earth, you should understand what an island actually is. Some people, when they hear this word, draw images in their minds resort areas, for example, Crete, the Maldives, Sicily, for others, pictures from action-adventure films immediately pop up before their eyes.

Small and large islands the world truly holds many mysteries and secrets, and new ones are still being discovered Interesting Facts about these pieces of land surrounded on all sides by water.

The largest island on Earth. Name

In total, there are over 500 thousand islands on our planet. They all have different sizes: some are tiny and some are simply huge. Do you know what the largest island on Earth is? Many people mistakenly believe that this is Australia. It would seem that everything is correct - this piece of land has an area of ​​7,600 thousand square meters. km and is surrounded on all sides by water. But still, Australia is considered to be not an island itself. Then what is Greenland, which is three times smaller in size than Australia, but larger in area than most modern countries. Below we will tell you more about it.

Greenland is the largest island on Earth (+photo)

The area of ​​this part of the land is 2130.8 thousand sq. km. The geographical miracle belongs to Denmark and could significantly increase the area of ​​the said country, but this is hampered by terrain and climate: more than 80 percent of the earth's surface is covered by an ice sheet. And this is not surprising, because Greenland is located in close proximity to the North Pole, and is washed by the waters of the Arctic and partially Atlantic Oceans. All this makes Greenland one of the most unusual, vibrant, majestic and beautiful places on our planet. The landscapes of the island are so beautiful that only few people can live there, since even in summer the air warms up to a temperature just above zero degrees. What can we say about winter, when frosts down to -50 Celsius are considered normal!

Nevertheless, harsh weather conditions do not stop tourists, and many come to the island to see with their own eyes majestic ice, observe the unique animal world of the harsh, but so beautiful Greenland. It is recommended to visit it in the summer, when in addition to everything you can admire the white nights.

This is what it is - the largest island in the world. But on our planet there are many other significant areas of land surrounded by water. They are also interesting, so we will continue to consider the largest islands of the Earth.

New Guinea

This is the second largest island (786 thousand sq. km) in the world. Unlike Greenland, it is located entirely in the Pacific Ocean, in its western part. Accordingly, the climate here is completely different. Tropics, rich and varied nature, warm and gentle sea - this is what New Guinea has to offer travelers. Interestingly, this island ended up being divided by two countries, which doesn't happen often. One site belongs to Papua New Guinea and the other to Indonesia.

Of course, each state would like to have the entire island at its disposal, but even half is not bad! Scientists consider New Guinea to be one of the last places on the planet that has not yet been fully explored. Not long ago, an area later called New Eden was discovered on the island, with dozens of unknown or thought to be extinct plants and animals. And, what is most surprising, the inhabitants of the “Garden of Eden” were not at all afraid of people.

Kalimantan

Of course, when describing the largest islands on Earth, one cannot ignore this part of the land. Kalimantan has an area of ​​743.33 thousand square kilometers and, like New Guinea, is distinguished by the richness of its nature and the beauty of its landscapes. The island belongs to three states at once: more than 70% of the territory is controlled by Indonesia, almost the rest is owned by Malaysia, and only a small area went to Brunei.

Since Kalimantan crosses the equator, the climate here is appropriate: hot and humid. Most of the area (over 80 percent) is occupied by tropical forests, where they live. Now they have become more civilized and are happy to show tourists their martial dances and also sell souvenirs.

Madagascar

After the release of the animated film of the same name, everyone probably learned about Madagascar. Since then, this large island, with an area of ​​587,041 thousand square kilometers, has become the dream of a large number of travelers. It is spread out in Indian Ocean, and its main attraction and wealth are its amazing inhabitants, most of which are endemic, that is, not found anywhere else. These include numerous lemurs, chameleons, giant fossas, geckos, bats, and turtles. Zoologists and botanists are simply overwhelmed with delight when they come here and discover more and more new species of fauna and flora. Well, for those who are not very interested in plant and animal world, it will be more interesting to enjoy the magnificent beaches of Madagascar!

Baffin Island

The five largest islands by area are closed by this inhospitable and cold part of the land, which covers 507,451 thousand sq. km). The climate here is similar to Greenland, it is just as windy and frosty, but at the same time attractive and bewitching in its severity. In addition to the few inhabitants, there are also people living here, and at least no one forbids you to think so! Baffin Island is famous for its mountain features: one of the world's highest cliffs, Thor, and the Asgard mesa.

Sumatra

It just so happens that some of the largest islands on Earth, if not entirely, then at least partially belong to Indonesia. So Sumatra, with an area of ​​473 thousand sq. km, is controlled by this country. This island is divided into almost equal parts by the equator; accordingly, it is located in two hemispheres of our planet.

Sumatra is located in the western part of the Malay Archipelago and is part of the large Sunda Islands group. Coastline It is slightly indented here, and there are coral reefs near the coast.

Great Britain

The area of ​​this piece of land, surrounded by water, is 229.848 thousand sq. km. Like the other largest islands on Earth, Great Britain is very interesting to see. Scotland, England and Wales are located here. The coastline extends 966 kilometers from north to south, and the width of the island reaches 483 kilometers.

Honshu

This is the eighth largest island in the world (227.97 thousand sq. km) and the largest in the Japanese archipelago. It accounts for 60 percent of the area of ​​all of Japan. The terrain here is mountainous, so there are many volcanoes. The permanent symbol of the Country is also located here. rising sun- Mount Fuji.

Do you know how many times the largest island in Russia is smaller than the largest island in the world? Read the post and find out.

No. 10. Ellesmere (Canada) - 196,236 km2

Ellesmere is the most northern island Canada is one of the ten largest islands in terms of area in the world. Due to the harsh climate, the island's population is about 150 people. The remains of prehistoric animals have been repeatedly found on the territory of Ellesmere. The first settlers were nomads from Siberia. In 1250, the Thule people, the ancestors of the Eskimos, settled in the territory. But by the middle of the 18th century the island became deserted. The island was discovered in 1616 by the English navigator William Baffin.

No. 9. Victoria (Canada) - 217,291 km2

In ninth place by area is Victoria Island (Canada). The island was discovered in 1838 during the expedition of British explorer Thomas Simpson. In the 50s of the 20th century, there were several settlements on the island where meteorologists lived. By the end of the 20th century, the population increased due to Eskimo settlers who took up fishing activities here.

No. 8. Honshu (Japan) - 227,970 km2

Honshu is the largest island of the Japanese archipelago and ranks 8th in the ranking of the largest islands in the world. The largest Japanese cities are located on the island of Honshu: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc. The island is covered with many volcanoes, some of them active. The population of the island is more than 103 million people.

No. 7. Great Britain (UK) - 229,848 km2

Great Britain ranks 7th on the list of largest islands in the world and is the largest island among the British Isles and in Europe as a whole. The history of Great Britain begins with the Roman conquest in 43 BC, but the island also had an earlier history. Great Britain was inhabited by the Noto people several hundred thousand years ago. Modern man has arrived British Isles before the start of the last ice age, but retreated in Southern Europe due to the glaciers covering the island. According to archaeological finds, after 12,000 BC. e. The British Isles were repopulated. Around 4,000 BC e. the island was inhabited by people of the Neolithic culture. Today the population of the island of Great Britain is more than 61 million people, making it the most densely populated area in Europe.

No. 6. Sumatra (Indonesia) - 443,066 km2

Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world. It is located in two hemispheres at once, since the Equator passes almost through the middle of the island. The island belongs to Indonesia and is part of the Malay Archipelago. It is located in an area of ​​frequent earthquakes and tsunamis. Today the population of the island of Sumatra is more than 50 million people. The main cities of Sumatra: Medan, Palembang, Padang. People of many nationalities live in Sumatra, about 90% profess Islam. About 73 thousand years ago, the Toba volcano exploded on the island of Sumatra. This event resulted in 1,800 years of ice age and a reduction in the human population to 2,000 people. The name of the island comes from the Sanskrit word samudra - “ocean” or “sea”.

No. 5. Baffin Island (Canada) - 507,451 km2

Baffin Island is the first largest island in Canada and the fifth largest in the world. Due to the harsh climatic conditions of the island, the population is about 11 thousand people. The largest population center on the island is Iqaluit. The first description of the island was made by William Baffin in 1616, and the island was named after him.

No. 4. Madagascar (Madagascar) - 587,713 km2

The fourth place in the ranking is occupied by the island of Madagascar. Located in the Indian Ocean eastern shore Africa. The island is home to the state of Madagascar (the capital is Antananarivo). Today the population of the island of Madagascar is more than 24 million people. Locals call Madagascar the red island because of the color of the soil. More than half of the animals found in Madagascar cannot be found on the mainland, and 90% of the plants are endemic.

No. 3. Kalimantan (Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei) - 748,168 km2

Kalimantan or Borneo is the third largest island in the world. It is divided between 3 states: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The island is located in the center of the Malay Archipelago. Kalimantan in the local language means diamond river. It is named so due to its rich resources, in particular a large number diamonds The first people settled in Kalimantan about 40 thousand years ago. To date, the population of the island is about 20 million people. More than 300 ethnic groups live on the island.

No. 2. New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea) - 785,753 km2

New Guinea ranks second in the ranking. New Guinea is divided between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. There are still places in New Guinea where no man has been. This place attracts flora and fauna researchers as they can meet rare species animals and plants. More than 11 thousand species of plants, 600 unique species of birds, over 400 species of amphibians, 455 species of butterflies and about a hundred live here. known species mammals. New Guinea has been inhabited by humans since at least 45 thousand years BC. e. from Asia. More than a thousand Papuan-Melanesian tribes descended from the first settlers. The absence of large animals suitable for domestication on the island hampered the development of agriculture and made cattle breeding impossible. This contributed to the preservation of the primitive communal system in large areas of New Guinea until the present day. The mountainous landscape contributed to the isolation of people from each other, as a result of which a huge variety of languages ​​appeared on the island. The discoverer of New Guinea was the Portuguese Don Jorge de Menezes, who landed on the island in 1526. According to legend, he gave the island the name “Papua”, which translates as curly, due to the curly hair of the local aborigines. Today the population of the island of New Guinea is more than 9.5 million people. On the territory of New Guinea there is an ancient agricultural settlement of Kuka, showing the isolated development of agriculture over 7-10 thousand years and included in the List World Heritage UNESCO.

No. 1. Greenland (Denmark) - 2,130,800 km2

The largest island in the world is Greenland. Green country, as they also call it this island, belongs to Denmark. Due to glacial cover (84% of the surface) and unfavorable climatic conditions Most of the island is uninhabited. Today the population of Greenland is more than 57 thousand people. The largest settlement on the island is Nuuk (Gothob). Several thousand years before the arrival of Europeans, the island was inhabited by Greenlandic Eskimos, who call themselves Inuit. The Inuit have adapted to the extreme conditions of the Arctic climate and feel quite comfortable. From time immemorial they have been engaged in fishing and hunting. The first European to enter the island was the Norman Gunbjorn in 875. In 982, Erik Raudi settled on the island with several comrades, expelled from Iceland for the crimes he had committed. Later they were joined by Norwegian Vikings. In 983, the first Norman colony was founded in Greenland. After the settlement of Greenland by Europeans, the island was repeatedly passed from hand to hand. Until 1536, the island belonged to Norway, then it became part of Denmark, in accordance with the union between Denmark and Norway. In 1721, a Danish colony called Gotthob was officially established on the island. In 1814, after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Denmark, Greenland became the complete possession of Denmark. The main activity of the Greenland population is fishing. But at the end of the 20th century, reindeer and sheep breeding and oil production appeared. Tourism and air transport play a big role. More than 20 thousand tourists visit Greenland every year.

There are hundreds of thousands of islands on our planet. They arise in the middle of rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and are surrounded on all sides by water. They could easily be compared to the continents, but the main difference between the islands is their size. They are all much smaller than continents. Which island is the largest on Earth? Where is he located?

The largest islands on Earth

Some islands are very tiny. For example, Pontikonisi in Greece or Visovac in Croatia do not exceed 200 meters in length. Others stretch for hundreds of kilometers, containing numerous cities and towns.

Islands are found in any body of water. In rivers they most often arise from accumulations carried by currents. In the seas and oceans they are formed due to volcanoes or the activity of corals. Alternatively, they may be part of the continental crust that rises above the surface of the water.

The largest island on Earth, Greenland, is also of continental origin. It covers an area of ​​2.130 million kilometers and is home to 56 thousand people. From geological and geographical points of view it refers to North America, but administratively belongs to Denmark.

Of the largest islands on the planet, Greenland is the furthest north. You can see the rest of the world record holders in the table:

New Guinea		Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
Kalimantan		Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia
Madagascar		Madagascar
Baffin Island
		Indonesia
Great Britain		Great Britain

"Green Country"

In Greenlandic, the name of the largest island on Earth is “Kalaalit Nunaat”, or “land of people”. But another name has taken root in the world - Greenland, or “green country”, which was given to it by Eirik the Red. Why the navigator called the island covered with ice green, no one knows for sure. However, there are several versions on this matter.

Eirik the Red is considered the discoverer of the largest island on Earth. He went there in 980, after being expelled from Norway and Iceland for committing several murders. He landed on the southwestern coast of the island, which in summer is covered with flowering vegetation. Seeing a lot of greenery on the seemingly icy land, the navigator came up with the appropriate name.

According to another version, Eirik liked the island so much that, upon returning from exile, he began inviting Icelanders there. To be more convincing, he gave it the name Greenland. One way or another, volunteers were found to develop the island. Under the leadership of Eirik the Red, they founded the first European settlement near modern Kassiarsuk.

Greenland

The largest island on Earth by area is only three times less than Australia and almost 50 times larger than Denmark. It is located between Iceland and Canada, washed by the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

Most of Greenland is located beyond the Arctic Circle - a zone of permafrost and permanent snow. Only 137 days a year the usual change of day and night occurs here; the rest of the time you can observe the polar night or polar day.

It should have been called “ice land”, because 84% of the territory here is covered with ice. The non-melting cover reaches several kilometers in thickness. If it melted, the level of the World Ocean would rise by 6-7 meters. The largest glacier is Jakobshavn. At 7 kilometers per year, it is the fastest moving in the world.

Despite the abundance of ice, Greenland is not devoid of life. The island is home to many butterflies, spiders, beetles, partridges, gulls and eiders, deer, musk oxen, lemmings, polar wolves and polar bears. The surrounding waters are home to fish, shrimp, whales, seals and walruses.

Climate

The lands of the largest island in the world are covered with vegetation only near the coast. It is very poor and is represented by dwarf trees, mosses, lichens, heather and tundra grasses. This is not surprising, because Greenland has arctic and subarctic climate types. For the most part it is harsh, continental; near the coast it is softer, maritime.

On the coasts the weather is very unstable, snowstorms often form, winds blow, and precipitation occurs. The most favorable conditions are in the southwest of the island. There, average temperatures range from -7 °C in January to +10 °C in July, and fog often occurs in summer. It is coldest in the eastern and northern shores, where the temperature drops to -35 °C.

Population

Greenland is one of the few countries in the world where the majority of the population is indigenous. About 90% of the population is Eskimo (Inuit), and only 10% is Danish and other Europeans.

The ancestors of modern Greenlandic Eskimos arrived on the island around the 13th century. Before that, it was inhabited by peoples close to the Aleuts and Chukchi, as well as the Vikings. But for some reason they all disappeared. Perhaps due to the inability to adapt to a sharply deteriorating climate (it is assumed that in the early Middle Ages it was much warmer).

Greenlandic culture is a mixture of Inuit traditions and European ones. Eskimos still believe in spirits and build houses from ice blocks and needles. Folk clothing is now considered festive. Seal skin capes have long replaced sports jackets, but many people wear national shoes.

Europeans brought writing with them, teaching the local Inuit. They built cities on the island and brought with them medicine, education and Christianity. With their arrival, some traditional Eskimo activities disappeared, but fishing and musk ox breeding remained. Many Inuit work in industry, transportation, and services.

Life in Greenland

The country covers not only the territory of the largest island on Earth, but also the adjacent islands: Ymer, Holm, Kun, Claverin, Eggers and others. It received autonomy within Denmark back in 1979. After a referendum in 2009, it received even more rights and opportunities for self-government. official language is Greenlandic, but all citizens must also learn Danish. The currency used here is the Danish krone.

There is no Earth on the largest island railway tracks, there are no roads between cities. You can get from one point to another by airliner or ship. There are other options, such as snowmobiles or dog sleds.

All settlements on the island are located on the southern and west coasts, on a narrow strip between eternal ice and the ocean. The largest of these is the capital Nuuk, which has a population of 16,500.

Greenland is considered the most sparsely populated country. But this does not prevent her from being one of the world leaders in suicide. Approximately every fourth resident of the country attempts to commit suicide.

Attractions

Endless ice of bizarre shapes, winding fjords and drifting icebergs. If this is not enough, don’t worry, Greenland still has something to boast about. On the largest island on Earth is the largest national park in the world. Its area is 970,000 km2.

Tourists are offered to explore the local fjords and see how icebergs are “born” at passenger ships, and there are always kayaks for extreme sports enthusiasts. Greenland offers year-round skiing, snowboarding, sledding and icy mountain climbing. On the island you can see northern lights. Best time for this purpose it occurs in December and January, when the polar night falls on Greenland.

After enjoying all the natural beauties of the island, you should head to the city of Nuuk. In the capital you can see typical Greenlandic architecture, visit museums, and most importantly, meet Santa Claus himself. Here, on the shores of the cold Baffin Sea, is his home.