Water all around: the world's largest island

A piece of land surrounded on all sides by an ocean, lake, or sea is called an island. Its size may change slightly at high or low tides. Although islands differ in size from continents, some may be of significant size.

Today, people have learned how to build bulk islands and place hotels and other infrastructure on them. Artificially created ones are not included in our ranking of the largest islands on planet Earth.

Rating of islands in the world by area

Islands form in both salt water and fresh water. Land areas in fresh water are either sedimentary or eroded. As a rule, they are not large in size.

Oceanic objects by origin are divided into the following types:

• volcanic;
• continental.

The latter are extensions of the mainland, the land formation being due to wave activity. When the rock is studied, it is found to have a similar composition to the nearest coastal zone of the mainland.

As for the volcanic types, they are found in the transition zone, remote from the continents, also found in the oceans. The basis of origin - volcanoes and corals.

Let's compare the size of the islands and answer the question of which one is the largest on Earth.

Greenland

Greenland Island is the largest in the world, with an area of 2175600 km² and is located at northern latitudes near the mainland of North America. Covered by 81% of ice, the island belongs to Denmark. If you move from the coast to the center of Greenland, the level of the glacier will gradually rise.

Greenland's population centers are located along the coastline, which is washed by the waters of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. If you clear the island from the glacier, it turns out that inside it there is a huge lake. The shores are highly indented, in the west lies Ellesmere Island (Canada), the tenth largest in the world.

2. New Guinea

The second largest island on Earth lies in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, its western part. The area - 786 thousand square kilometers, more than the size of Turkey. Divided between two states: Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. From Australia, the island is separated by the Torres Strait, which at its narrowest point is 150 kilometers.

In ancient times, New Guinea was part of Australia, after the water level in the ocean rose. The first settlers were immigrants from Asia. The climate is warm, a combination of equatorial and subequatorial. On the territory there are unique natural complexes.

3. Borneo (Kalimantan)

The right to Borneo is assigned simultaneously to three states:

• Brunei;
• Indonesia;
• Malaysia.

The territory has an area of 747984 km²In the local dialect the name means "hot weather island", the average temperature for the calendar year is 26 ° C. Borneo - the largest in Asia, it is covered by tropical forests, which are home to rare plants and animals. The area is mountainous, in the north-east are the peaks up to 4000 meters high.

In Russia

Russia is the largest country on the planet, and it owns hundreds of islands. Some of them are formed into groups. They may be named according to the location of the land parcels:

• ridge - are sequentially arranged one after the other;
• archipelago - lying chaotically close to each other.

Consider the largest islands in Russia.

1. Sakhalin

Washed by the waters of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin stretches 948 kilometers north from the Japanese island of Hokaido. The area is estimated at 76600 square kilometers. There are thousands of drainless lakes, birds, and animals. Vegetation is poor, but Sakhalin is rich in natural minerals.

The population exceeds 500,000. The largest city is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

2.

Second place on the list is North Island, part of the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, which belongs to the Arkhangelsk region. The area - 48904 square kilometers, which exceeds the size of a number of European countries: Estonia, Switzerland, Slovakia.

The surface is half covered by glaciers. It is the largest ice sheet in Europe. It is currently used by the military as a base. Notably, the island was previously inhabited primarily by the Nenets, but they were evicted after powerful weapons testing began. It was on the North that the most powerful hydrogen bomb was detonated.

3. southern

The Matochkin Strait separates the North Island from the third largest in Russia, the South Island, with an area of 33275 km²In the mid-20th century, Yuzhny was actively used by the military to build facilities for nuclear testing.

Today the island is actively studied by ornithologists and other scientists.

Islands of the Kuril Ridge

Near Japan is the Kuril Ridge, which is of great economic, military and political importance to Russia. Here is a list of the two largest areas of land.

1. iturup

Iturup is the largest in terms of area and its name translates as "jellyfish". Japan disputes the right to the territory from Russia. Iturup stretches 200 kilometers in length, there are 2 dozen volcanoes on the territory, earthquakes are frequent. The vegetation is coniferous forests. There are bears, foxes, sable.

2. Paramushir

In translation from the Ainu language the name means "wide". It is noteworthy that the width is equal to 30 kilometers. In ancient times, before the rise of the world ocean level was connected to Kamchatka, which makes the flora and fauna similar in origin.

In Japan.

The Land of the Rising Sun is a densely populated island nation with a number of large islands.

1. honshu

The area of Honshu is 227969 km²Part of the Japanese archipelago, it is home to all the major cities of the country, including Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo. The relief is mountainous, the type of origin - volcanic. On Honshu is the hallmark of Japan - volcano Fujiyama. It is not the only volcano within this land area.

Native to the Ainu people, the people were forced to move to neighboring islands after the territory came under Japanese control.

2. hokkaido

North of Honshu lies Hokkaido, surrounded by the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The central part and extremities are mountains and volcanoes.

Most of the state's minerals are concentrated in this stretch of land. The largest city is called Sapporo.

3. kyushu

With an area of 35640 square kilometers, Kyushu Island is the third largest in the country. Separated from Honshu by a narrow strait, connected by tunnels and a bridge. Kyushu is the center of Japan's timber industry, with tropical forests in the south under logging.

Population - 12 million people. The Japanese archipelago is formed by the activity of ancient volcanoes.

4. shikoku

If you compare the size of island areas in the world, Shikoku ranks 50th. The area is flat with hills and the largest peak, Ishizuchi volcano (about 2 thousand meters). The population is engaged in agriculture and heavy industry. Shikoku is economically underdeveloped.

In Africa

Madagascar is the fourth largest land area surrounded by water in the world. It was formed tens of millions of years ago by the breakup of the continent Godwana. Previously territorially adjacent to India, which affected the flora and fauna. It lies in the waters of the Indian Ocean, separated from Africa by the Strait of Mozambique.

In Europe.

O. Great Britain, on which Scotland, England and Wales are situated, is the largest in Europe. It is the 7th largest in the world, larger than Japan's Honshu, with a relief of plains, hills and mountainous areas. The coastline is indented.

In Australia.

Australia is a continent with adjacent island zones. The largest is Tasmania Island, located in the southeast. The indigenous population, the Aboriginals, now make up 11.401 km.²Geographically, it is an extension of the mountainous continental system of Australia.

The biggest river island

Bananal Island is the largest island, located in the waters of the Araguaya River in Brazil. Area - 19162 km²It is noteworthy that the size of the European country, Slovenia, is slightly larger. The indigenous population is the Karazha Indians.

Private islands

Some islands are partially or completely transferred by countries to private ownership. This allows you to open a business, bringing their state tax revenue. Let's talk about the largest private island-type estates on earth.

1. lanais

One of the largest in the Hawaiian archipelago, Lanai has been privately owned since 1870.The land (364 km.²) was bought out gradually. One of the last owners, David Murdoch, head of the agricultural company Dole Food. On Lanai he grew pineapples. The plantations were founded in 1985 by another businessman, and at that time they were the largest in the world.

There are no traffic police, traffic lights, but there are private resorts. There are about 3,000 residents.

2. Lisbon Island

The land area of 1200 hectares is unpopulated, separated by hundreds of meters of water from the capital of Portugal, the city of Lisbon. It has no name, as well as roads and other infrastructure. The capital authorities are selling this land into private hands. The purpose is to develop tourism.

3. patroklos

Dozens of islands are part of Greece. Patroklos Island is separated from Athens by 65 kilometers. It is uninhabited, represented by hilly terrain, with an area of 2.8 km.². was sold into private hands. Vegetation - pine and olive trees, there are beaches. construction is difficult.

4. Castaway Key

One of the many Bahamian islands that has been given into private hands. Today it is considered one of the most expensive in the world. It is inhabited. Notably, Castaway Cay has an airport built for seaplanes and private aviation. The airstrip is not used because since 1997 the site is owned by Walt Disney, which equipped it as a theme park.

5. rang yay

Travelers who have been to Phuket in Thailand sometimes visit Ko Rang Yai, an area of 44.5 hectares of land in the Andaman Sea, officially owned by Richy Island Phuket, which uses the area to develop eco-tourism in the region and has a farm for the cultivation of artificial pearls.

Uninhabited Islands

Not all land areas are inhabited by humans. Consider the Top Uninhabited Island Zones.

Kingdom of Tonga

In the Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia there is a state on 177 atolls. The archipelago has the same name, some of the sites are not inhabited. They are of volcanic and coral origin.

Republic of Kiribati

Of the 33 atolls that make up the Republic, 20 are uninhabited. Located in an area of dry equatorial climate, it is hot and stuffy year-round. Settlement was difficult, living on an area of land for a long time without fresh water is difficult.

Cook Islands

It is noteworthy that the name of the group of atolls was given by the Russian explorer and navigator I.F. Kruzenstern. Manuae, Takutea, Suvorov are not large in size, have no permanent population. Only on Suvorov Island hermits lived temporarily.

Federated States of Micronesia

Located north of New Guinea, it has an association with the U.S. Of 607 islands of varying size, 65 are inhabited.

Marshall Islands

Of the 34 tracts of land, 8 are uninhabited, forming a separate state in the Pacific Ocean with a hot tropical climate.

Conclusions

1. The largest island on the planet is Greenland, located off the coast of Canada, but belonging to Denmark.
2. The largest by area in Russia is Sakhalin Island, which is shaped like the outlines of a fish.
3. The largest private piece of land is Lanai Island of the Hawaiian archipelago, an area occupied by pineapple plantations and hotels.
4. The largest in Japan is Honshu Island, where the capital and the volcano Fujiyama are located.
5. The Kuril Ridge is a Russian territory; the largest island here is Iturup, with Paramushir in second place.
6. The states of Polynesia and Micronesia include large uninhabited atolls. People do not inhabit the territories because of the lack of fresh water sources and underdeveloped economy, remoteness from the continents.
7. The largest islands: in Africa - Madagascar, in Europe - UK, in Australia - Tasmania, river - Bananal Island in Brazil.