Top 5 largest islands in the world
An island is a land circled on all sides by the seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, and differing continents in its relatively small size – overview of most five largest islands in the world.
On our planet, geographers have counted more than half a million islands of various origins. Sometimes some of them disappear, sometimes new ones appear. The youngest of them appeared in 2015. This small island was created by a volcanic eruption in the Tonga archipelago. But some have been around for millions of years and are striking in their size.
Top 5 largest islands in the world
1. Greenland (2,166,086 km²)
Greenland is the biggest island in the world. Area 2,130,000 km². The largest island in the world belongs to the European country of Denmark, which it surpasses by several dozen times.
It is cropped by the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The population is about 57 thousand people, mostly Eskimos (about 90%) and Danes. Greenland is home to the most significant ice accumulation on earth, after Antarctica.
2. New Guinea (785,753 km²)
New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world, and the territory is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The area is 786 thousand km². Lies between Australia and Southeast Asia, washed on all sides by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. According to scientists, he once broke away from Australia. The island is home to approximately 11 million people.
There are places in New Guinea that have never come into contact with humans before. One of them was opened in 2005 and named the Garden of Eden (Paradise). It was isolated from the outside world, thanks, many hitherto unknown species of animals and plants have been preserved here.
3. Madagascar (587,041 km²)
One of the largest islands in the world is Madagascar. Area 587,041 km². It is located in the southern hemisphere off the east coast of Africa, from which the Mozambique Strait separates it. Scientists believe that it was once part of Hindustan. It is entirely occupied by one country bearing the same name as the island. The population of Madagascar is about 26 million people.
Madagascar is famous for a considerable number of endemics – species of living organisms that live only here. More than half of animal species (including the famous lemurs) and about 90% of plant species are found nowhere else in the world. Locals often call Madagascar a red island (by the color of the soil – red earth).
4. Kalimantan (539, 237.77 km²)
One of the largest islands in the world goes to Kalimantan. The territory of Kalimantan or Borneo is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The area is 539 thousand km². The island belongs to the Malay Archipelago, washed by the waters of four seas. Covered by ancient tropical forests, the climate is equatorial – very humid and hot.
The island is home to over 1,500 bird species and a vast number of snakes. It has a mountainous terrain with the most significant Southeast Asia region, Mount Kinabalu (above 4000 meters). Not just an island, Borneo is home to over 16 million people belonging to 300 ethnic groups. There is a lot of oil and diamonds here.
5. Baffin island (507,451 km²)
Baffin’s land is the largest island in Canada. The area is over 507,000 km². The largest island in the country is located near Greenland and is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The shores are washed by the Arctic Ocean and are heavily indented by the glacier, which has created many lakes on its territory. The relief is mountainous; the climate is polar, very harsh. Only 13 thousand people live on the island, mainly on the coast.
