Introduction
An Island or Isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Islands may occur in oceans, seas, lakes, or rivers. A group of islands is called an archipelago. Islands may be classified as either continental or oceanic. Oceanic islands are those that rise to the surface from the floors of the ocean basins. Continental islands are simply unsubmerged parts of the continental shelf that are entirely surrounded by water.
Important Facts about World Largest Islands:
- Largest River Island is Majuli (Assam).
- Most populated Island is Java (Indonesia).
- Largest Island of India is Middle Andaman.
- Greenland is the world’s largest island covering 2,175,597 [latex] km^2[/latex].
List
List of the World Largest Islands including the Name, Location, Political Affiliation and Area:
| Name of Island | Location and Political Affiliation | Area ([latex] km^2[/latex]) |
|---|---|---|
| Greenland | North Atlantic (Danish) | 2,175,597 |
| New Guinea | Southwest Pacific (West Papua [Irian Jaya], Indonesia, western part; Papua New Guinea, eastern part) | 800,311 |
| Borneo | West mid-Pacific (Indonesian, south part; Brunei and Malaysian, north part) | 744,108 |
| Madagascar | Indian Ocean (Malagasy Republic) | 587,931 |
| Baffin | North Atlantic (Canadian) | 507,451 |
| Sumatra | Northeast Indian Ocean (Indonesian) | 473,605 |
| Honshu | Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) | 230,966 |
| Great Britain | Off coast of NW Europe (England, Scotland, and Wales) | 229,979 |
| Victoria | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 217,291 |
| Ellesmere | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 196,236 |
| Sulawesi(Celebes) | West mid-Pacific (Indonesian) | 189,218 |
| South Island | South Pacific (New Zealand) | 151,215 |
| Java | Indian Ocean (Indonesian) | 132,189 |
| North Island | South Pacific (New Zealand) | 115,778 |
| Cuba | Caribbean Sea (republic) | 110,860 |
| Newfoundland | North Atlantic (Canadian) | 108,860 |
| Luzon | West mid-Pacific (Philippines) | 104,688 |
| Iceland | North Atlantic (republic) | 103,082 |
| Mindanao | West mid-Pacific (Philippines) | 94,631 |
| Ireland | West of Great Britain (republic, south part; United Kingdom, north part) | 84,426 |
| Hokkaido | Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) | 83,515 |
| Sakhalin(Karafuto) | North of Japan (Russian) | 76,405 |
| Hispaniola | Caribbean Sea (Dominican Republic, east part; Haiti, west part) | 75,887 |
| Banks | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 70,028 |
| Tasmania | South of Australia (Australian) | 67,858 |
| Sri Lanka(Ceylon) | Indian Ocean (republic) | 64,491 |
| Devon | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 55,247 |
| Tierra del Fuego | Southern tip of South America (Argentinian, east part; Chilean, west part) | 48,187 |
| Axel Heiberg | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 43,178 |
| Melville | Arctic Ocean (Canadian) | 42,149 |
| Kyushu | Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) | 42,018 |
| Southampton | Hudson Bay (Canadian) | 41,214 |