The largest island on earth. What is the largest island in the world

There are approximately 500 thousand islands of various sizes in the world. Among them there are very miniature islands, on which two people can hardly fit. But there is also very large islands, which can be compared in area with some countries. Which one is the best big Island land? You will find out about this in this fascinating material.

The largest islands in the world

Ellesmere (Canada)

The third largest island in Canada, behind only Victoria Island and Baffin Island. But despite this, this does not prevent Ellesmere from remaining in the top ten largest islands on earth. The total area of ​​the island is 196 thousand square meters. kilometers. It is difficult to imagine that only 170 people live on such a vast territory. The island is washed on all sides by the Arctic Ocean and is included in the honorary list of islands owned by Queen Elizabeth.

Victoria (Canada)

Another Canadian “giant”, which is also among the top ten. The total area of ​​Victoria Island is much larger than that of Ellesmere Island and is 217 thousand square meters. kilometers. This island is already much more populated, with 1,701 people living on it, but this is still very small for an area of ​​this size. There are only two settlements on the island: Cambridge Bay and Holmen. The main feature of the island is the small number of hills. There are certainly mountains on the island, but they are rather small and not at all remarkable.

Honshu (Japan)

This island is considered the largest in the Japanese archipelago. The area of ​​this Japanese giant is 228 thousand square meters. kilometers. The most amazing thing is that Honshu is slightly larger than Victoria Island, but it is inhabited by 103 million people. By the way, the island of Honshu occupies most of the territory of all of Japan, and such densely populated lands are the norm for the Land of the Rising Sun. There are a lot of volcanoes on the island, and this is not strange, because Honshu is dominated by mountainous terrain. The island also boasts the most large mountain in the world and the most famous symbol of Japan - Mount Fuji.

UK Island

Great Britain needs no introduction, as it is the largest island that the British Isles can boast. The total area of ​​the island of Great Britain is 230 thousand square meters. kilometers. Moreover, the island is inhabited by 60 million people. The island of Great Britain managed to shelter in its vast territories the main part of the United Kingdom - England, Wales, Scotland.

Sumatra (Indonesia)

This island belongs entirely to Indonesia and is located in the western part of the Malay Archipelago. Sumatra is divided by the equator into two identical parts. The total area of ​​the island is 473 thousand square meters. kilometers. Only 50 million people live in such a vast territory. The coast of the island is famous for its beautiful coral reefs, which tourists from all over the world come to admire.

Madagascar (Africa)

This island, known to everyone, is located in eastern Africa. The total area of ​​Madagascar is very large - 587 thousand km. square. The nature of the island resembles real paradise. This is due to the fact that such large territories are inhabited by only 20 million people. Therefore, a large area of ​​Madagascar is absolutely free and untouched by man. There are many different animals on the island. Its most popular settlers are wild boars. Locals That’s why they call Madagascar “the island of wild boars.”

Kalimantan (Asia)

The island of Kalimantan or as it is also called Malay Borneo. Finding Kalimantan on the map is quite easy, because it is located in the very center of the Malay Archipelago, in southeast Asia. On the simply incredible area of ​​Kalimantan, which is 743 thousand square meters. kilometers, only 16 million inhabitants live. This is despite the fact that the entire landmass has long been divided into three small states - Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

New Guinea

This island takes honorable second place among the largest islands on earth. Its area is 786 thousand square meters. kilometers. New Guinea is home to only 7.5 million people. This island is located right in the middle of Asia and Australia, in the Pacific Ocean. Account: New Guinea is separated from Australia only by the Torres Strait. The territory of the island went equally to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Greenland

We finally made it to Greenland. This is the largest island on earth. Its size reached a record high - 2 million 131 thousand square meters. kilometers. At the same time, the island is inhabited by a far from record number of people – only 57 thousand. You shouldn’t be surprised by such a small population, because most of the island consists of glaciers, which make living on the island almost impossible. The Arctic and Atlantic oceans wash the shores of the island of Greenland.

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 From a perspective it belongs 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:

"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 is only three times smaller in area 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 on the eastern and northern coasts, 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. The official language is Greenlandic, but all citizens are required to 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 in 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. All year round Skiing, snowboarding, sledding and climbing are available in Greenland. icy mountains. You can see the northern lights on the island. 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.

Before talking about what is the largest island on Earth, you should understand what an island actually is. Some people, when they hear this word, conjure up images of resort areas, for example, Crete, the Maldives, Sicily, while others immediately see pictures from action-adventure films pop up before their eyes.

Small and large islands of the world really hold 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 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!

Still harsh weather 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 look at the largest islands on 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 plot belongs Papua New Guinea, and the other - 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 rainforests 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 Land of the Rising Sun is also located here - Mount Fuji.

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 km. sq. It is the third largest island in Canada and the tenth largest in the world. Despite its vast territory, according to 2006 data, only 146 permanent residents live on the island, in three populated areas- 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 has a total population of 1,707 people (2001).

Honshu – 227,970 km. sq.

Honshu is the largest island in Japan (approximately 60% of the entire country's territory). Located south of the island of Hokkaido. The population of Honshu as of 2010 is about 100 million, making it the second densely populated 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. Entirely part of Indonesia. The number of inhabitants living on the island as of 2010 is more than 50 million people, making it the fourth most populous island in the world.

Baffin Island – 507,451 km. sq.

Baffin Island is an island that is part of 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 communities, the largest of which is Iqaluit.

Madagascar – 587,713 km. sq.

Madagascar is a large island located in the Indian Ocean, near east coast Africa. Although Madagascar is located close to Africa, the animal and vegetable world The island is unique - it contains 5% of all species of flora and fauna of 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 South-East Asia. Divided between Indonesia (73%), Malaysia (26%) and Brunei (about 1%). The island is home to one of the oldest tropical forests in the world. It has 19,800,000 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 Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Divided approximately equally between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The island's current population is approximately 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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