Which island of the earth has the largest area. The title of "The world's largest island" goes to...
When talking about the largest islands, as a rule, they mean the islands with the largest area. We will not break the tradition and give the top of the largest islands in the world by area.
Recall that the island differs from the mainland in smaller size, but it must be surrounded on all sides by water, and at high tide at least part of it must remain on the surface.
10 Ellesmere
Ellesmere is the tenth most big islands Earth. It belongs to Canada and is part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands.
Ellesmere is all cut up by fjords and one-third covered with ice. Living conditions are very harsh: in winter the temperature is up to -59 degrees, and in summer it rarely exceeds +7 (although it can also be +20); the polar day and night last for 5 months, and there is so little precipitation, so that 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 Peary caribou and the Melville island wolf (smaller, with white or silver hair).
It's another one north island belonging to Canada. Still, it is not located in such high latitudes, so its nature is more diverse, and its population is larger (about 1,700 people).
The reason for this is the high humidity: the whole 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 excellently. On the island you can meet many birds, 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 walk in the waters off the coast of the island. There are also many commercial fish (herring, tuna).
8 Honshu
And here we have a quite 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.
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It is here that the most big cities Japan: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Yokohama. The whole island is covered with mountains, volcanoes predominate (for example, Fujiyama, and Asama is active volcano), and he himself lies at the junction of the formation plates, which provokes frequent earthquakes.
Devastating typhoons are not uncommon here in autumn. The climate of Honshu is defined as monsoonal: in summer the temperature is about +25, in winter it is rarely below -5. The rainy season starts in June-July. The flora and fauna of the island is very rich. Forests cover more than 2/3 of the area.
In the spring, Honshu is extraordinarily beautiful because of the blooming azaleas, sakura and peonies, and in the autumn the most favorite flowers of the Japanese bloom - chrysanthemums, to which even the traditional festival is dedicated.
The animal world includes many relict and endemic species: white-breasted bear, Japanese crane, giant salamander, big-billed crow and others. But Honshu is especially rich in fish and seafood, because 700 species of fish and more than 1000 species of shellfish live off the coast.
7 Great Britain is one of the largest islands of the 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 UK 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 rainy days in a year. Although there are areas in which it is much drier.
Forests and large animals in Great Britain, unfortunately, are almost exterminated: magnificent beech and hornbeam groves occupy no more than a tenth of the island.
Of the animals, mostly not very large mammals survived, but more than 130 species of birds and a lot of fish, as well as seals and whales
6 Sumatra
Hot tropical island, which occupies the sixth largest in the world, is at the same time the fourth in terms of the number of people living on it.
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. This is where 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, and a good dozen of them are active. However, this does not frighten numerous tourists who want to see medieval buildings, windsurf or dive, enjoy beach holiday on the coast, almost everywhere covered with dark (volcanic) sand.
And here you can also walk in the equatorial forests of tree ferns, palm trees 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 Island
Listing the largest islands in the world, it is impossible to ignore Baffin Land, an island of large area and very bizarre shape, belonging to Canada.
Baffin Island is, in fact, a continuation (geologically) of the Canadian Shield, so the mountains on the island should be considered part of the Andes. And there are many mountains, including quite high ones.
The island is not rich in population: the climate here is harsh, a significant part of the island is located beyond the Arctic Circle, frosts are not uncommon even in summer.
For a long time it was believed that the island was discovered by Baffin. But the latest data archaeological sites allow us to assert that the island was known to the ancient Vikings and is mentioned in their sagas under the name Helluland.
The harsh climate does not allow much development of vegetation, the flora here is poor. Of the animals, there are arctic foxes, polar bears, lemmings, reindeer, polar hares and, of course, walruses and seals. hits the island and big amount birds, including snowy 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. At present, the island is independent republic 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 who robbed the ships of merchants hurrying to India.
The climate in Madagascar is tropical and monsoonal, which allows many plants to flourish, including many endemics. And the most famous is the fire tree (royal delonix) - a ten-meter tree of extraordinary beauty, strewn with bright scarlet flowers.
Among the animals there are also many endemic ones, for example, fossa is a cross between a puma and a mongoose.
There are also such interesting animals in Madagascar as lemurs (there are more than fifty species of them!), bristly hedgehogs, chameleons, viverras, turtles, a huge number of insects, fish (for example, the famous moray eels), birds. It’s a pity that you won’t be able to swim here: the coast is full of sharks.
3 Kalimantan
The island of Kalimantan, which occupies the third place in the ranking, is often called Borneo - after the name of the state of Brunei, which was once big and powerful, and now occupies only a small part of the island. The rest is divided between Indonesia and Malaya - Kalimantan is the only island on Earth that belongs to three states at once.
Over the centuries, various parts of the island passed under the rule of one or another state; in different places and different time the British, and Holland, and even Japan were noted here. And only in the period from the middle to the end of the last century, 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 have not yet been properly studied. Orchids and carnivorous plants, king cobra and reticulated python, proboscis and giant flying foxes - you can't list them all!
Huge hot island pacific ocean 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 there is an impenetrable (it can only be overcome by canoeing) strip of mango forests.
In New Guinea, expanse of flora and fauna: there are 11 thousand species of plants (various palm trees, bananas, melon tree, 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 that are not at all afraid of humans.
1 The largest island is Greenland
Which country owns the most big Island in the world? Answer: Denmark. Greenland is its autonomy.
More than 80% of the island is covered by glaciers; from the west and east, outlet glaciers (descending tongues into the sea) form, which give rise to icebergs. In the east of Greenland is also the most high mountain Arctic - Gunbjorn. Its height is 3700 m.
The climate is not very severe, but changeable: in winter the temperature is up to -11 degrees, in summer - about +20, but it is not uncommon for years when the thermometer does not overcome the zero mark for the whole summer!
Plants can be found in areas free from the glacier. These are mainly meadows, crooked forests, junipers. But polar animals, fish and insects are quite widely represented: walruses, whales, seals, polar bears, polar deer, seagulls, sharks and dozens of unique endemic beetles (700 species of insects in total).
Islands are small areas of land that are found in almost every body of water, including rivers. They can have a different origin - there are volcanic hills, which are generated due to the magma released during eruptions, and there are others created from land areas cut off from the coast.
The process of the formation of new islands and their absorption by waters is constantly taking place, every now and then new heights appear and old ones disappear, and this is completely normal. However, the largest objects remain unchanged. Having considered the top largest islands world, you can find out which of them are the most stable - they are all inhabited by people who are in no hurry to leave their homes.
Fifth place - Baffin land
An exception is, perhaps, Baffin Island, which is the fifth largest island on the planet, and is located somewhat west of Greenland. The population here is no more than 11 thousand people, and the central part of the territories is still little explored. The reason for this is the harsh climate that distinguishes this place. The area of the island is 508 thousand sq. km, and the name was given in honor of William Baffin, the first person to describe the territories. It's just here amazing nature and fabulous views, and besides, there are places where a person did not have time
visit.
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Fourth place - Madagascar
The island of Madagascar is located near Africa, and today it is known even to children, due to the cartoon about animals. On this island there is a separate state of Madagascar, which has sovereignty, and the area of \u200b\u200bthis piece of land, which is not of volcanic origin, is 587040 sq. km. It has its own flora and fauna, formed in isolation, the island is rich in endemic species. And there are many minerals here. By the way, the name Madagascar itself is translated from the local dialect as Boar Island.
Third place - Kalimantan
Island - Kalimantan The same island is known as Borneo. Its area is 737 thousand square meters. km, which allows him to get the third largest size in the world. This island is located at a real sea crossroads, it is washed by 4 seas and 2 straits at once. It is almost completely covered with forests, up to 80 percent of the territory is impenetrable jungle. There are 3 states on the island at once, which receive large profits from the timber industry, and are mainly engaged in this business. But wood, including precious species, is not everything, there is also oil, diamonds, gas, so the subsoil and natural reserves of this place are only pleasing. And its name is translated as Diamond River - it speaks for itself. After all, profit here brings recreational resource, tourists and vacationers come here.
The largest island in the world is Greenland. This conclusion was unanimously reached by all researchers and scientists, as a result of numerous expeditions and analysis of available data. By a strange coincidence, the island of the largest area, less than half populated. The thing is that the territory of Greenland is 80 - 85% covered eternal ice, which are several kilometers thick. The spacious territory allows villages and cities to be located here at a significant distance. The most interesting thing is that between settlements completely missing any transport system. There are no railroad tracks or highways.
Despite the rather cold climate and the monotony of the surrounding landscape, the largest island is very popular with tourists. They come here to get vivid impressions, to see the stunningly beautiful " northern lights and long white nights.
The most common occupation of local residents is fishing, its processing and sale. This remains the main activity of the entire (almost 60,000 population). In addition to fish, the island has a large number of polar predators. There are plants that are not afraid of the cold.
Temperature fluctuations on the island are quite significant. At the height of summer it is +10 degrees, and in winter it can be minus 45. Large reserves of oil and gas are hidden under the ice. Recently, their development has been actively engaged.
The largest island in the world belongs to Denmark and is washed by the oceans on both sides - the Atlantic and the Arctic. The capital of Greenland is the city of Nuuk, which is also the largest on the island, which is also an autonomous region of Denmark.
It is believed that Greenland is the final point of any round-the-world tour. Experienced travelers they say that those who have not been to Greenland have not seen anything interesting. After all, every self-respecting tourist is obliged to conquer the cold, but at the same time beautiful island. Another interesting fact it is believed that the literal translation of the word Greenland is “green land”, but in fact there is practically no greenery there.
The next largest island in size rightfully occupies the Pacific New Guinea. Its popularity among tourists has won a warm climate, rich colors and rich flora and fauna. Dendrologists, ornithologists and entomologists have been studying the animals and plants of the island for years. However, every year more and more new representatives of flora and fauna appear on the largest island.
New Guinea was discovered in the 16th century, but until 1871 it was practically not visited. The inhabitants of the island had a reputation as cannibals, and there were no people who wanted to visit this green kingdom. Only in 1871, thanks to the efforts of the Russian scientist Miklouho-Maclay, did the attitude towards the islanders change.
It is worth bearing in mind that the inhabitants of this island are of various nationalities. Even the fact that at present the large island constantly meets tourists, tribes live in its depths that have never encountered fair-skinned people. By the way, the Papuans consider white people dangerous. That is why, tourist trip can be filled with real adrenaline.
Green Kalimantan
The third largest island in the world is Kalimantan. It is also known as Borneo. Its territory also has a uniform coverage, but, unlike Greenland, these are green forests and tropics. Centennial, majestic trees adorn the entire island. This makes it possible to develop the forestry and woodworking industries. In addition, the island has serious deposits of oil and gas. All this makes a significant financial contribution to the three states between which its territory is divided. Another profitable industry here is the long-term mining of diamonds, which are quite numerous on the island. This direction made it possible to call Borneo the "diamond river".
Animal and vegetable world very varied here. It is on Kalimantan that one of the most beautiful plants grows - the black orchid.
The predominant part of the inhabitants of the island are Chinese, Malaysians and Aborigines (who live according to the customs of their ancestors). In general, residents are quite positive about tourists and show themselves to be hospitable hosts.
Madagascar is a holiday paradise
Biggest tourist island- Madagascar. Its population is over 20 million people. Geographically, it is located in eastern Africa, located in the tropical zone, has a warm climate. The island is famous for its breathtaking sunsets. There are also several dozen small but very beautiful waterfalls.
Locals call their native home "boar island" or "red". The last name is associated with the color of the soil. Its fauna is very diverse. Many rare exotic animals and insects live there. It is a paradise for scientists and explorers. In the tropics of Madagascar, a rare species of spiders lives, from the webs of which various items of clothing are woven.
The inhabitants of Madagascar are engaged in hunting and fishing. Animal meat is eaten, but turtles are especially preferred. From her turtle meat, extraordinary dishes have become the pride of the local cuisine.
Baffin Island - rugged beauty
Baffin Island is the largest Canadian island in the world. A huge area, more than 500,000 square kilometers and very few people living here (about 12 thousand people). This situation is connected with the fact that the island is located in the Arctic Ocean and has a rather cold climate. You can get here only by air, and you can only engage in hunting or fishing there. There are a lot of fresh lakes on the island, some of which are quite large.
severe climatic conditions do not affect the fact that the island is visited by tourists. Local residents have managed to create all the necessary conditions for extreme tourism. In addition, there are a certain number of people who want to celebrate a wedding or other celebration in such unusual conditions.
This largest and cold island peace on its territory historical park. It contains various household items of all tribes and peoples living in a harsh area.
Each island has a number of advantages and features. Some have a hot climate beautiful beaches and the purest ocean water, and on others stunning wildlife and rare natural phenomena. It is impossible to say which of the islands is better. All of them are big, mysterious and bewitching. The same applies to the population. On all the islands, the indigenous people have their own cultural characteristics, interesting traditions and customs.
Good day, dear readers of the site "I and the World"! Today we want to tell you about the islands and we will definitely highlight the largest island in the world. Even the largest of them differ from the continents in their size - they are smaller than the continents and are surrounded on all sides by water. But even during high tides, they are not sinkable, because. are above sea level.
We present you the top 10 largest islands, and which is the largest and what is the name, you will find out by reading the article to the end.
In 10th place - Ellesmere - 196,236 sq. km
Snow, eternal glaciers, the remains of prehistoric animals - this is how Ellesmere Island can be described. The map shows that this is the northern island of Canada with a population of only 150 people.
It was discovered by the English sailor and traveler William Baffin in the 17th century. It is difficult to live here because of the very harsh climate.
To the nearest Canadian city difficult to reach - 3578 km. Even the North Pole is much closer - 817 km, but local residents, for sure, there is no need.
The next on the list is Victoria Island - 217,290 sq. km
English navigators were very brave, since they discovered many territories. Victoria was also discovered by the Englishman Thomas Simpson in the early 19th century and named after his queen.
At first, only meteorologists lived here, and only by the end of the 20th century, the Eskimos began to move here, engaging in fishing activities.
On the area of the island, for example, a small country of Belarus can fit.
8th place - Honshu - 227,970 sq. km
According to legend, in the old days the Gods decided to divide the ocean and cut the water with a huge sword. And when the sword was raised, 4 drops slowly fell down and formed islands. The largest turned into an island, which was named Honshu. It is a pity that the drops fell on seismically unstable places, because earthquakes are frequent on the island.
famous volcano Fujiyama rises here. Currently, about 103 million people live on the island and they are not crowded anywhere.
It is here that major cities are located: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima - and all this is Japan.
7th place - Great Britain - 229,848 sq. km
Great Britain is also an island, and in Europe it is the largest.
The beginning of the history of the island is considered to be 43 BC. e. Since ancient times, the people of Noto lived here, later the territory began to be populated modern people. A chain of white chalk cliffs stretches along the island. It is said that because of the white color, Great Britain began to be called the Roman word Albion (white).
The territory is densely populated and more than 61 million people live here.
In 6th place is Sumatra - 471,066 sq. km
Located in one part of Indonesia. The equator crosses the territory almost in the middle, so Sumatra is located in two hemispheres at once.
There are quite often tsunamis and earthquakes here, but you can see 50 million people living here, this is not too disturbing.
73,000 years ago, the Toba volcano exploded here, which led to 1,800 years of ice age.
There are many minerals in the lands of Sumatra: gold, nickel, tin, iron, coal, oil, but all these riches belong to Indonesia. Go on a trip to the shores of Sumatra, fly better by plane: pirates are angry on the waters.
5th place - Baffin Island - 507,451 sq. km
We are back in Canada again! And again the English discoverer is William Baffin. In the 17th century, he was looking for a way to the shores fabulous India. Well, before reaching the destination, he accidentally discovered the island and the nearby sea.
Everything was named after a sailor. What is good in the land of polar cold?
Of course, the rich world of animals: deer, polar bears, polar owls, white wolves, arctic foxes. Well, as many as 11 thousand people! Many do not like the polar cold and frost even in July.
Madagascar is in 4th place - 587,713 sq. km
This is both a state and an island, the shores of which are washed by the waters indian ocean and is home to more than 24 million people.
Madagascar has recently become known to the whole world for the cartoon of the same name. Look, it's very funny!
Scientists believe that the island broke away from Africa on one side, and from India on the other, so there is a very rare flora and fauna here. And there are a huge number of different spices, for example, cylanindimilakhi pepper.
3rd place belongs to the island of Kalimantan - 748,168 sq. km
It was divided by three states at once: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. How many countries, so many preferences. Some call it Borneo, others - Kalimantan - translates as "diamond river", because there is a huge amount of diamonds here. Of course it's not private island one of the states. They just have an influence.
The first people settled here about 40,000 years ago and now the population has increased to 20 million people.
The territory is also called a river, because here the longest river flows from the island rivers - the Kapuas River (1143 km).
Residents of one of the cities walk here every day along the equator, as if along a boulevard, because the city is located just on the equator line. Beautiful sand beach attracts many tourists.
2nd place is occupied by New Guinea - 786,000 sq. km
There are few continents in the world, and although Australia is its smallest continent, it claims many nearby territories. So New Guinea belonged to this country until the middle of the 20th century, but then it nevertheless granted independence. Until now, there is an uninhabited corner that attracts researchers with rare specimens of plants and animals.
In some places in New Guinea, primitive life has been preserved. It was not an Englishman who discovered these lands, but a navigator from Portugal in the 16th century. According to legend, he looked at the curly hair of the natives and called new land Papua - "curly". The current population is 9.5 million people.
And finally, 1st place - Greenland - 2,130,800 sq. km
The green island - Greenland, belongs to Denmark - the largest of the world's islands.
Why green is not clear, because there is a lot of ice around. History is silent on this. About 57,000 people live in Greenland, but most of it is covered by glaciers and therefore uninhabited.
Local Eskimos have been fishing since ancient times. But the first Europeans settled here in 875.
Greenland passed from Denmark to Norway several times. You ask: what country does it belong to now? Little Denmark. And if to its 43,000 sq. km to annex Greenland, then Denmark will be the 13th largest in the world. Now the local population is engaged not only in fishing, but also breeds deer and sheep, and also extracts oil.
Tourism is well developed here - every year about 20,000 tourists come here. It is high time to recognize Greenland as a mainland, because it is only three times smaller than Australia.
I would like to tell you more about the Greek island of Crete
Here legends and myths live side by side with modern reality. Every year up to 4 million tourists visit these Beautiful places.
And many people want to become owners of local real estate, and the quality of these houses is excellent. They say: “Greece has everything”, but Crete also has everything - a wonderful climate, a huge number of attractions, calm beaches and, of course, shopping.
We talked about the largest in area and amazing islands planets. List beautiful places can be increased, but we will stop at ten. This picturesque corners nature. But there is a concept artificial island created by man. That's about it in the following articles. Follow our publications and advise your friends to read. In the meantime, we say goodbye, until we meet again!