Top 10 Largest Islands in the World

Madagascar, officially known as the Republic of Madagascar, is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa. The country includes Madagascar Island along with several smaller surrounding islands. After breaking away from the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar separated from India around 88 million years ago, allowing its native plant and animal species to evolve in relative isolation. This unique evolutionary history makes Madagascar a biodiversity hotspot.

The first settlers of Madagascar were Austronesian people who arrived around 350 BCE to 550 CE from Borneo by canoe. By around 1000 CE, Bantu people migrated across the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar. Over time, other groups also settled, each contributing to the island’s rich cultural heritage. The Malagasy people are typically divided into 18 or more subgroups, with the largest being the Merina people from the central highlands.

As of 2012, Madagascar's population was estimated at over 22 million, with 90% living on less than $2 per day. Malagasy and French are the official languages of the island nation. The majority of the population adheres to traditional beliefs, Christianity, or a mix of both. Eco-tourism, agriculture, and greater investments in education, healthcare, and private enterprises are central to Madagascar's development strategy.

• Area: 587,713 km²
• Country: Madagascar

Baffin Island, located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Baffin Island spans an area of 507,451 km² (195,928 square miles) and has a population of about 11,000 people (as of 2007). The island is named after the British explorer William Baffin, and it is believed to have been known to the Norse people of Greenland and Iceland during the pre-Columbian era. It may even be the location of Helluland, mentioned in the Icelandic sagas, including the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders.

The capital of Nunavut, Iqaluit, is located on the southeastern coast of the island. Until 1987, the town shared the same name as Frobisher Bay, where it is situated. To the south of Baffin Island is the Hudson Strait, which separates the island from the mainland of Québec. The western tip of the island is separated from Melville Peninsula by Fury and Hecla Strait, while to the east, Davis Strait and Baffin Bay separate the island from Greenland. The Foxe Basin, Boothia Bay, and Lancaster Sound separate Baffin Island from other islands in the northern and western regions.

The Baffin Mountains run along the northeastern coast of the island and are part of the Arctic Cordillera mountain range. The highest peak on the island is Mount Odin, reaching 2,143 meters. Notable other peaks include Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park, standing at 2,011 meters, and Mount Thor, at 1,675 meters, which is known for having the Earth's largest vertical drop, extending 1,250 meters. The two largest lakes on the island are located in the central and southern parts: Nettilling Lake (5,066 km²) and Amadjuak Lake further south. The Barnes Ice Cap is situated in the middle of the island.

• Area: 507,451 km²
• Country: Canada

Indonesia is often called a paradise for island lovers. Apart from Bali, another highly famous island in Indonesia is Sumatra. Sumatra is a large island located in the western part of Indonesia, part of the Greater Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely belonging to Indonesia and the sixth-largest island in the world, covering an area of 473,481 km². The population of Sumatra is primarily concentrated in the northern and central regions, particularly in the provinces of North Sumatra, South Sumatra, and Lampung.

Sumatra stretches from northwest to southeast. It borders the Indian Ocean to the west and is adjacent to several smaller islands including Simeulue, Nias, and Mentawai. To the northeast, the Malacca Strait separates Sumatra from the Malay Peninsula. To the southeast, the Sunda Strait divides Sumatra from Java. To the north, Sumatra is near the Andaman Islands, and the Bangka and Belitung islands.

The island has a unique climate compared to other regions of Indonesia, due to its specific geographical location. Sumatra lies just above the equator, and this is the dividing line between the two climatic regions of the island. In the northern part, the rainy season lasts from October to April, followed by a dry season. In the southern part, the rainy season typically runs from December to February.

• Area: 473,481 km²
• Country: Indonesia

Honshu Island is the largest island of Japan, comprising about 60% of the country's total area, stretching from Aomori Prefecture in the north to Yamaguchi Prefecture in the south. Honshu covers an area of 227,942.41 km², which is roughly the size of Romania. The island has a coastline that stretches for 10,084 km, and for those who love cycling and adventure tourism in Japan, it would take about a month to cycle the entire length. Honshu is not only Japan's largest island but also the seventh-largest island in the world. The coastline of the island measures around 5,450 km in total.

To the north of Honshu, across the Tsugaru Strait, lies Hokkaido Island, connected by the Seikan Tunnel. To the southwest, across the Kanmon Strait in the Seto Inland Sea, is Kyushu Island. The Kanmon Bridge, the Kanmon Tunnel (for trains), and the Shin-Kanmon Tunnel (for Shinkansen bullet trains) are the three major connections between Honshu and Kyushu.

• Area: 227,942.41 km²
• Country: Japan

Situated off the Pacific coast of Canada, Victoria is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Many visitors even regard it as the most charming island in the land of the red maple leaf.

Victoria Island is a large island located in the Arctic Archipelago of Canada, positioned between the borders of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. It is the eighth-largest island in the world and, with an area of 217,291 km², it is the second-largest island in Canada. It is nearly twice the size of Newfoundland and larger than Great Britain.

The island is almost double the size of Newfoundland (111,390 km² or 43,008 square miles) and larger than Great Britain (209,331 km² or 80,823 square miles). Victoria Island is home to the largest island on an island, with one of its smaller islands located in the middle of another. The western third of the island belongs to the Inuvik region of the Northwest Territories, while the remainder is part of the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. The city of Victoria, located in a Mediterranean-like climate zone, enjoys mild and pleasant weather, making it an ideal travel destination year-round.

• Area: 217,291 km²
• Country: Canada

Great Britain, located to the northwest of mainland Europe, is the eighth-largest island in the world and the largest in the British Isles and Europe. With a population of around 60 million in 2009, it is the third most populous island in the world, following Java and Honshu. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands.

The entire island of Great Britain is part of the sovereign nation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and it forms the majority of England's territory. Most of the regions of England, Scotland, and Wales lie on Great Britain, with the capitals of these regions also located on the island: London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, respectively.

The island's biodiversity is relatively limited due to its size and the fact that wildlife has had less opportunity to evolve since the last Ice Age. The high level of urbanization on Great Britain has contributed to a higher extinction rate of species, with the rate of extinction being more than 100 times higher than the global average.

• Area: 209,331 km²
• Country: United Kingdom

Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk region of Canada's Nunavut territory. Located in the Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia marking the northernmost point of mainland Canada.

The island, known as Umingmak Nuna (meaning 'land of muskox' in Inuit), spans about 300 miles wide and 500 miles long (approximately 500 km by 800 km) and has an area of 75,767 square miles (196,236 km²). It is the most rugged island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, featuring towering mountains, vast ice fields, and a deeply indented coastline. First sighted by explorer William Baffin in 1616, it was named in 1852 by Sir Edward A. Inglefield's expedition, who navigated its shores, in honor of Francis Egerton, the 1st Earl of Ellesmere.

• Area: 196,236 km²
• Country: Canada

Greenland is a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Geographically and ethnically, it is considered an Arctic island nation connected to North America, yet historically, Greenland has strong ties to Europe. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, the Greenland Sea to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and Baffin Bay to the west. The closest countries to Greenland are Iceland to the east across the Atlantic Ocean and Canada to the west across Baffin Bay. Greenland holds the title of the world's largest island and is also home to the largest national park on Earth.

Approximately 81% of Greenland’s surface area is covered by ice, forming what is known as the Greenland Ice Sheet. The weight of the ice has compressed the central land area, creating a low basin that lies 300 meters below sea level. Most of Greenland's population resides along the narrow fjords on the southwestern part of the island, where the climate is more temperate.

The majority of Greenlanders are descendants of both the Kalaallit (Inuit) and Scandinavian people, and they speak Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) as the primary language. Over 50,000 people use Greenlandic, making it more widely spoken than the entire Eskimo-Aleut language group. There is also a small Danish-speaking minority who migrated to Greenland. Both languages are official, with western Greenlandic dialect being the standard form of the language.

• Area: 2,130,800 km²
• Country: Kingdom of Denmark

New Guinea, located in the Southern Hemisphere, is the second-largest island in the world, after Greenland, with an area of 786,000 km². Situated in the southwestern Pacific, east of the Malay Archipelago, it is sometimes considered part of the larger Sahul or Australasia continent.

Geologically, New Guinea and Australia are part of the same tectonic plate. When sea levels were lower, the two regions shared a common coastline (now submerged 100 to 140 meters below sea level), and were once part of the same landmass known as the Sahul or Greater Australia. The two continents became separated when the area now known as the Torres Strait was flooded at the end of the last Ice Age.

Anthropologically, New Guinea is considered part of Melanesia. Politically, the western half of the island is divided into two provinces of Indonesia: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half is the mainland of Papua New Guinea. The island has a population of around 7.5 million people, with a low population density of only 8 people per square kilometer.

• Area: 785,753 km²
• Countries: Indonesia (Papua and West Papua) and Papua New Guinea

Borneo, also known as Kalimantan, is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. Located in Southeast Asia, it lies north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra. Politically, the island is divided among three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the north, and Indonesia in the south.

Approximately 73% of Borneo's landmass belongs to Indonesia, while Malaysia’s states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy 26%. More than half of Borneo is situated in the Northern Hemisphere, including the regions controlled by Malaysia and Brunei. The island is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests.

Borneo has various names, with the international name originating from Brunei, named by Europeans after their contact with the kingdom in the 16th century. The name Brunei might derive from the Sanskrit word váruṇa, meaning “water” or the Hindu rain god Varuna. The indigenous Indonesians call the island Kalimantan, derived from the Sanskrit word Kalamanthana, meaning “the island of intense heat”.

• Area: 748,168 km²
• Countries: Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia