Top 10 LARGEST ISLAND IN THE WORLD

According to Wikipedia, an island or island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water but is not a continent. More specifically, according to Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is defined: "An island is a natural area surrounded by water, which is still above water at high tide". Based on the above two definitions, the following are the largest islands in the world. To see its vastness, remember the area of Vietnam is 332 690 km2.

Monday, June 26, 2023

1. Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Although geographically and ethnically it is an arctic island nation linked to the North American continent, historically Greenland has had close ties to Europe. The Atlantic Ocean surrounds Greenland to the southeast; Greenland Sea to the east; Arctic Ocean in the north; to the west. It is also home to the largest national park in the world.

About 81% of Greenland's surface area is covered by ice, known as the Greenland ice cap, the weight of which has compressed the central land mass of the continent to form a basin that lies less than 300 meters below sea level. Almost all Greenlanders live along fjords in the southwest of the main island, where the climate is milder.

The majority of Greenlanders are descended from both the Kalaallit (Inuit) and Scandinavian people and speak Greenlandic (or Kalaallisut) as their primary language. Greenlandic is spoken by more than 50,000 people, larger than the entire Eskimo-Aleutian language group combined. A Danish minority who immigrated here speaks Danish. Both are official languages, while the western Greenlandic dialect is the official form of Greenlandic.

Area: 2,130,800 km2
Constituent country: Kingdom of Denmark

2. New Guinea

New Guinea located in the Southern Hemisphere is the second largest island in the world, after Greenland, with an area of 786,000 km². It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Malay Archipelago, and is sometimes counted as part of the larger Indo-Australian archipelago.

Geologically, New Guinea and Australia are part of the same tectonic plate. When the global sea level was low, the two places shared a common coastline (now located 100 to 140 meters below sea level), combined with parts of the land that are now submerged to tectonic up the Sahul continent, also known as the Sahul continent. is Greater Australia. The two continents were separated when the area that is now the Torres Strait flooded after the end of the last ice age.

Anthropologically, New Guinea is considered part of Melanesia. Politically, the western half of the island consists of two Indonesian provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of the island forms the mainland part of the nation of Papua New Guinea. The island has about 7.5 million inhabitants, the population density is only 8 people/km².

Area: 785,753 km2
Constituent countries: Indonesia (Papua and West Papua) and Papua New Guinea

3. Borneo

Borneo or Kalimantan is the third largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. The island is an island in Southeast Asia, located to the north of Java island, west of Sulawesi island and east of Sumatra island. Politically, the island is divided between three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the northern part, and Indonesia in the south.

About 73% of the island of Borneo belongs to Indonesian territory. The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak make up 26% of the island's area. More than half of the island of Borneo is located in the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo has the oldest rainforests in the world.

The island has many names, internationally called Borneo after Brunei, originating from European contact with this kingdom in the 16th century. The name Brunei may be derived from the Sanskrit word varuṇa, meaning "water", or the Hindu god of rain Varuna. Indigenous Indonesians call the island Kalimantan, derived from the Sanskrit word Kalamanthana, which means "hot weather island".

Area: 748,168 km2
Constituent country: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia

4. Madagascar

Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of mainland Africa. The country that includes the island of Madagascar also has many smaller peripheral islands. After breaking off from the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar separated from India about 88 million years ago, leaving native plants and animals to evolve relatively isolated. As a result, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot.

The Austronesians were the first settlers in Madagascar, from 350 BC to 550 AD, they came from the island of Borneo by rowing boats. Around the year 1000, the Bantu crossed the Mozambique Channel to migrate to Madagascar. Over time, other groups continued to settle in Madagascar, each making lasting contributions to the island's cultural life. The Malagasy people are often divided into 18 or more subgroups, the largest of which are the Merina people of the central highlands.

In 2012, Madagascar's population was estimated to be over 22 million, 90% of which live on less than $2 a day. Malagasy and French are both official languages of the island nation. The majority of the population adheres to traditional beliefs, Christianity, or a mixture of both. Ecotourism and agriculture, along with greater investment in education, health and private businesses, are key elements of Madagascar's development strategy.

Area: 587,713 km2
Constituent country: Madagascar

5. Baffin Island

Baffin Island (Canadian territory of Nunavut, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Baffin Island has an area of 507,451 km2 (195,928 sq mi) and a population of approximately 11,000 (estimated 2007). The island is named after the English explorer William Baffin, the island was probably known to the Norse people of Greenland and Iceland from pre-Columbian times and possibly the location of Helluland, mentioned in the Icelandic saga. Saga Erik Red and Saga Grœnlendinga.

Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is located on the southeast coast of the island. Until 1987, the town had the same name as Frobisher Bay on which it was located. South of Baffin Island is the Hudson Strait, separating the island from the mainland province of Québec. To the south of the island's westernmost tip are the Fury and Hecla Straits separating the island from the mainland's Melville Peninsula. To the east are Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, and Greenland on the other side. The Foxe Basin, Boothia Bay, and Lancaster Strait separate Baffin Island from the rest of the archipelago to the west and north.

The Baffin Mountains run along the northeastern coast of the island and are part of the Arctic Mountains. Mount Odin is the highest peak on the island, with the lowest elevation being 2,143 m. Other notable peaks include Mount Asgard, located in Auyuittuq National Park, with an elevation of 2,011 m. Mount Thor, at 1,675 m, is said to have the largest purely vertical slope on Earth, at 1250 m. The two largest lakes on the island are located in the south-central part: Lake Nettilling 5,066 square kilometers and Lake Amadjuak further south. The Barnes Ice Cap is located in the middle of the island.

Area: 507,451 km2
Constituent country: Canada

6. Sumatra Island

Indonesia is known as the paradise of islands. In addition to Bali, another island that is equally famous in Indonesia is Sumatra.Sumatra is a large island in western Indonesia belonging to the large Sunda archipelago. It is the largest island entirely belonging to Indonesia, and the sixth largest island in the world with an area of 473,481 km². The population of Sumatra is mainly concentrated in the northern and central parts of the island in the provinces of North Sumatra, South Sumatra and Lampung.

Sumatra is located in the northwest - southeast direction. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean as well as the neighboring islands of Simeulue, Nias and Mentawai to the west. To the northeast is the Strait of Malacca separating the island from the Malay peninsula. To the southeast is the Sunda Strait separating Sumatra from Java. North of Sumatra is close to the Andaman Islands, Bangka and Belitung.

This island has a special weather compared to other regions of Indonesia. The reason lies in its special location. Sumatra is located above the equator. The equator becomes the boundary separating the two regions of the island. In the North, from October to April next year is the rainy season. The rest of the time is the dry season. In the South, the rainy season lasts from December to February next year.

Area: 473,481 km2
Constituent country: Indonesia

7. Honshu Island

Honshu Island is the largest island, with about 60% of the territory extending from Aomori Prefecture to Yamaguchi Prefecture, Honshu covers an area of 227942.41 km2. This magnitude is equivalent to Romania. The length of the coastline is 10,084 km, if you are passionate about traveling to Japan, traveling by bicycle will take about 1 month. Honshu is the largest island in Japan and the 7th largest island in the world. The coastline surrounding the island is about 5,450 km long.

Facing Honshu in the Tsugaru Strait to the north is the island of Hokkaido, connected by the Seikan Tunnel. Opposite Honshu in the Kanmon Strait in the Seito Naikai Sea to the southwest is the island of Kyushu. The Kanmon Bridge, the Kanmon Tunnel (only for trains) and the Shin-Kanmon Tunnel (only for Shinkansen bullet trains) are the three lines connecting Honshu and Kyushu.

Area: 227,942.41 km2
Constituent country: Japan

8. Victoria Island

Located off the Pacific coast of Canada, the city of Victoria is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Even many Victorian tourists consider this place the most charming pearl island in the land of red maple.

Victoria Island is a large island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago between the border of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the 8th largest island in the world and with an area of 217,291 km², it is Canada's second largest island. It is almost twice as large as Newfoundland, larger than the British Isles.

It is almost twice as large as Newfoundland (111,390 square kilometers (43,008 sq mi)), larger than Great Britain (209,331 square kilometers (80,823 sq mi)). Here, there is the largest island located on an island on an island. The western third of the island is in the Inuvk region of the Northwest Territories; the rest belongs to the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. Located in the Mediterranean region, the city of Victoria has a mild and pleasant climate. Therefore, any season of the year is also an ideal time to visit Victoria.

Area: 217,291 km2
Constituent country: Canada

9. Great Britain Island

Great Britain or Great Britain is located in the northwest of mainland Europe. This is the 8th largest island in the world, and the largest island in the British Isles as well as in Europe. With a population of about 60.0 million in mid-2009, it is the third most populous island in the world, behind only Java and Honshu. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands.

All of Great Britain is the territory of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and most of Britain's territory is Great Britain. Most of the territories of England, Scotland, and Wales are located on Great Britain, and their capitals are also on the islands: London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, respectively.

The diversity of flora and fauna on the British Isles is relatively limited due to the island's size and the fact that wildlife has had little opportunity to flourish since the last ice age. High levels of urbanization have contributed to the British Isles having a species extinction rate 100 times higher than the Earth's overall extinction rate.

Area: 209,331 km2
Constituent country: United Kingdom

10. Ellesmere Island

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

Ellesmere Island (Inuit: Umingmak Nuna, literally "land of musk cows") is part of the Qikiqtaaluk region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the island is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being Canada's northernmost point of land.

The island, about 300 miles wide and 500 miles long (500 km wide x 800 km long) and 75,767 square miles (196,236 sq km), is the most rugged of the Canadian Arctic Islands, with high mountains. towering (especially in the north), vast ice fields, and a deep concave coastline. It was sighted by explorer William Baffin in 1616 and named in 1852 by Sir Edward A. Inglefield's Expedition (who navigated the coast at Isabel) for Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere.

Area: 196,235 km2
Constituent country: Canada

The islands that I introduced above are more than half larger than Vietnam. Hopefully such a little comparison will help readers better understand their vastness.

See more: TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURAL LANDSCAPES IN THE WORLD