The largest island on earth in a nutshell. The world's largest island

Islands are the most exciting and mysterious geographical features. Imagine: a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water. You can sail or fly to it and live completely alone, without depending on civilization. Perhaps this is what attracted and attracted people to itself at all times.

It’s enough to remember how many times they were mentioned in art: Mysterious island, Doctor Moreau's Island, Treasure Island, Avalon, desert island Robinson Crusoe, Neverland... But few of them can contain as many secrets and mysteries as the real ones. And the larger the island, the more secrets and mysteries it contains. And just imagine how much the largest islands can accommodate... That’s what we’ll talk about today.

Greenland, 2,130,800 km²

This largest island is larger in area than most modern states. It is only three times smaller than Australia, albeit the smallest, but still a continent.

This geographical miracle belongs to Denmark, which is several times smaller than its island, occupying an area of ​​just over 43 thousand square kilometers. Such an island could significantly increase the area of ​​the state, if not for its climate and topography: more than 80% of its area is covered by an ice sheet. Which is not surprising, given that it is located in close proximity to the North Pole and is washed by the waters of the Arctic and partially Atlantic oceans.

And this is not photoshop

This makes it one of the most beautiful, majestic, vibrant - and uninhabited places in the world, with only 15 thousand people living there. The landscapes of Greenland take your breath away, they are so beautiful. But few people will be able to live there, because even in summer the temperature rises slightly above zero. And there’s nothing to say about winter; -40-50 degrees is normal.

Nevertheless, tourists from all over the world come here to admire the landscapes and see with their own eyes majestic ice, observe the living worlds of this harsh, inhospitable, but such beautiful island. The summer months are especially good for this, when you can admire the white nights.

New Guinea, 786,000 km²

New Guinea is a completely different matter, because this big island located entirely in the western Pacific Ocean. Tropical climate, bright, varied and rich nature, warm sea, exotic tribes - this island can offer entertainment to everyone’s taste.

Interestingly, New Guinea is one of the few islands divided between states. Some of this beauty went to Papua New Guinea, and some to Indonesia. Each of these states would like to get everything, but even half is not bad either.


It even has its own volcano

New Guinea can be called one of the last unexplored corners of the world on Earth. Only recently, scientists discovered an area on the island that they called New Eden. Here dozens of unknown or previously considered extinct species of animals and plants were waiting for them. It is interesting that the inhabitants of this Garden of Eden were not at all afraid of people.

Kalimantan, 743,330 km²

Another champion island, occupying an honorable third place thanks to its 743,330 square kilometers of area. In terms of area, it is slightly behind New Guinea, but not in terms of the beauty of the landscapes and the richness of nature.

Its area is divided between three states: Indonesia got more than 70%, Malaysia took almost the entire rest, and Brunei received only a small area.


If there is heaven on Earth, then it is probably here

The equator passes through Kalimantan, and its climate is appropriate - humid and hot. Therefore, more than 80% of its area is occupied by wild tropical forests, in which the same wild tribes of headhunters live. True, now they have become more civilized, they don’t rush at tourists, but they are happy to show them martial dances and sell souvenirs.

Madagascar, 587,041 km²

What modern person has not heard about Madagascar? After the release of the animated film of the same name, this largest island of the Indian Ocean became the dream of many travelers.

The main attraction and wealth of Madagascar are its inhabitants. Flora and fauna are 80% endemic - species that are found only here and nowhere else. Numerous lemurs (and their majesty King Julian!), giant fossas, bats and ordinary mice, geckos, chameleons and turtles - botanists and zoologists are thrilled with delight, publishing study after study. But still, reports regularly appear about the discovery of another new species.

But even if the animal flora If you are not too interested, beaches with crystal clear waters will give you a truly heavenly holiday.

Baffin Island, 476,000 km²

This cold and inhospitable island rounds out the top five largest islands by area. But in terms of climate, it rather resembles the first one - just as frosty and windy, but at the same time bewitching and attractive with its harsh beauty.


Cold, windy, frosty, uncomfortable. But how beautiful!

Like many other large islands, it is extremely sparsely populated. It is home to only about 15 thousand people who were able to call it home.

This island belongs to Canada, but besides Canadians, other “inhabitants” live here - Scandinavian gods. Mount Thor is one of the highest cliffs in the world. It is unlikely that the god of thunder actually lives on this peak, but who forbids thinking so? And there’s nothing to say about the Asgard table mountain.

Of course, these are not all the largest islands. They are scattered around the world, some belong to Indonesia, others belong to Japan. Smaller ones are scattered around the world. But each of them has its own special nature, its own character and its own soul.

It would be even more interesting to visit the largest peninsula, but this is a goal for the next trip. And it will definitely happen, but a little later.

12/1/2015 at 00:40 · Pavlofox · 27 620

Top 10 largest islands in the world

An island is a piece of land separated from other continents. There are more than half a million such land areas on planet Earth. Moreover, some may disappear, others may appear. So the youngest island appeared in 1992 as a result of a volcanic eruption. But some of them are striking in their scale. In the ranking largest islands in the world the 10 most impressive positions in .

10. Ellesmere | 196 thousand sq. km

Opens ten the most big islands planets. Its territory belongs to Canada. It is the third largest island of this state with an area of ​​just over 196 thousand sq. km. This piece of land is located north of all the Canadian islands. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, it is sparsely populated by people (the average number of inhabitants is 200 people), but is of great value to archaeologists, since the remains of ancient animals are constantly found there. The land has remained covered in ice since the Ice Age.

9. Victoria | 217 thousand sq. km



Ninth place among largest islands on earth takes . Like Ellesmere, Victoria belongs to the Canadian Islands. It got its name from Queen Victoria. The land area is 217 thousand sq. km. and is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean. The island is famous for its numerous lakes fresh water. The surface of the entire island has virtually no elevations. And only two settlements are located on its territory. The population density is very low, as just over 1,700 people live in this zone.

8. Honshu | 28 thousand sq. km



Eighth in the ranking largest islands located, belonging to the Japanese archipelago. It covers an area of ​​228 thousand sq. km. The largest Japanese cities, including the capital of the state, are located on this island. The most high mountain, which is the symbol of the country - Fuji is also located on Honshu. The island is covered with mountains and has many volcanoes, including active ones. Because of mountainous terrain The climate on the island is very changeable.
The area is densely populated. According to the latest data, the population is about 100 million people. This factor puts Honshu in second place among the islands in terms of population.

7. UK | 230 thousand sq. km



, ranked seventh on the list largest islands in the world by area, is also the largest among the British Isles and in Europe as a whole. Its territory occupies 230 thousand sq. km., where 63 million people live. Great Britain owns the bulk of the United Kingdom. The high population makes Great Britain the third largest island in the world in terms of population. And this is the most densely populated region in Europe. The capital of the Kingdom, London, is also located on the island. The climate is more temperate than in other lands in this natural area. This is due to the warm Gulf Stream current.

6. Sumatra | 43 thousand sq. km



settled in sixth position in the ranking largest islands on the planet. The equator divides Summata into two almost equal halves, so it is located in two hemispheres at once. The island's area is more than 443 thousand sq. km, where more than 50 million people live. The island belongs to Indonesia and is part of the Malay Archipelago. Sumatra is surrounded by tropical vegetation and washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. It is located in an area of ​​frequent earthquakes and tsunamis. Sumatra has large deposits of precious metals.

5. Baffin Island | 500 thousand sq. km



Opens the top five largest islands. This is also the largest island in Canada, whose territory exceeds 500 thousand sq. km. It is covered with numerous lakes, but is only half populated by people. The population of the island is only about 11 thousand people. This is due to severe climatic conditions Arctic. The average annual temperature remains at -8 degrees. Here the weather is dictated by the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Baffin Island is cut off from the mainland. The only way to get to the island is by air.

4. Madagascar | 587 thousand sq. km



Next on the list the most impressive islands in terms of area - Madagascar. The island is located east of Africa, it was once part of the Hindustan Peninsula. They are separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel. The area of ​​the site and the state of the same name Madagascar is more than 587 thousand sq. km. with a population of 20 million. Locals call Madagascar the red island (the color of the island's soil) and the wild boar island (due to its large wild boar population). More than half of the animals found in Madagascar cannot be found on the mainland, and 90% of the plants are found only in this geographic area.

3. Kalimantan | 748 thousand sq. km


Third level of rating largest islands in the world occupied with an area of ​​748 thousand sq. km. and with 16 million inhabitants. This island has another common name - Borneo. Kalimantan occupies the center of the Malay archipelago and belongs to three states at once: Indonesia (most of it), Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo is washed by four seas and covered with dense tropical forests, which are considered the oldest in the world. The most important attraction of Borneo is high point Southeast Asia- Mount Kinabalu with a height of 4 thousand meters. The island is rich natural resources in particular, diamonds, which gave it its name. Kalimantan means diamond river in the local language.

2. New Guinea | 786 thousand sq. km



- second place on the list largest islands in the world. 786 thousand sq. km. located in Pacific Ocean between Australia and Asia. Scientists believe that the island was once part of Australia. The population is approaching 8 million people. New Guinea is divided between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The name of the island was given by the Portuguese. "Papua", which translates to curly, refers to the curly hair of the local Aboriginal people. There are still places in New Guinea where no man has ever been. This place attracts flora and fauna researchers as they can meet rare species animals and

1. Greenland | 2130 thousand sq. km


The largest island in the world is Greenland.. Its area exceeds the area of ​​many European countries and amounts to 2130 thousand sq. km. Greenland is part of Denmark, and is several dozen times larger than the mainland of this state. Green, as this island is also called, is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Because of weather conditions most of it is uninhabited (about 57 thousand people live) and is covered with ice. Glaciers contain huge reserves of fresh water. In terms of the number of glaciers, it is second only to Antarctica. Greenlandic national park considered the northernmost and largest in the world.

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There are hundreds of thousands of islands on our planet. They arise in the middle of rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and are surrounded on all sides by water. They could easily be compared to the continents, but the main difference between the islands is their size. They are all much smaller than continents. Which island is the largest on Earth? Where is it?

The largest islands on Earth

Some islands are very tiny. For example, Pontikonisi in Greece or Visovac in Croatia do not exceed 200 meters in length. Others stretch for hundreds of kilometers, housing numerous cities and towns.

Islands are found in any body of water. In rivers they most often arise from accumulations carried by currents. In the seas and oceans they are formed due to volcanoes or the activity of corals. Alternatively, they may be part of the continental crust that rises above the surface of the water.

The largest island on Earth, Greenland, is also of continental origin. It covers an area of ​​2.130 million kilometers and is home to 56 thousand people. From geological and geographical points point of view it refers to North America, but administratively belongs to Denmark.

Of the largest islands on the planet, Greenland is the furthest north. You can see the rest of the world record holders in the table:

New Guinea

Papua New Guinea, Indonesia

Kalimantan

Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia

Madagascar

Madagascar

Baffin Island

Indonesia

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

"Green Country"

In Greenlandic, the name of the largest island on Earth is “Kalaalit Nunaat”, or “land of people”. But another name has taken root in the world - Greenland, or “green country”, which was given to it by Eirik the Red. Why the navigator called the island covered with ice green, no one knows for sure. However, there are several versions on this matter.

Eirik the Red is considered the discoverer of the largest island on Earth. He went there in 980, after being expelled from Norway and Iceland for committing several murders. He landed on southwest coast island, which in summer is covered with flowering vegetation. Seeing a lot of greenery on the seemingly icy land, the navigator came up with the appropriate name.

According to another version, Eirik liked the island so much that, upon returning from exile, he began inviting Icelanders there. To be more convincing, he gave it the name Greenland. One way or another, volunteers were found to develop the island. Under the leadership of Eirik the Red, they founded the first European settlement near modern Kassiarsuk.

Greenland

The largest island on Earth is only three times smaller in area than Australia and almost 50 times larger than Denmark. It is located between Iceland and Canada, washed by the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

Most of Greenland is located beyond the Arctic Circle - a zone of permafrost and permanent snow. Only 137 days a year the usual change of day and night occurs here; the rest of the time you can observe the polar night or polar day.

It should have been called “ice land”, because 84% of the territory here is covered with ice. The non-melting cover reaches several kilometers in thickness. If it melted, the level of the World Ocean would rise by 6-7 meters. The largest glacier is Jakobshavn. At 7 kilometers per year, it is the fastest moving in the world.

Despite the abundance of ice, Greenland is not devoid of life. The island is home to many butterflies, spiders, beetles, partridges, gulls and eiders, deer, musk oxen, lemmings, polar wolves and polar bears. The surrounding waters are home to fish, shrimp, whales, seals and walruses.

Climate

The lands of the largest island in the world are covered with vegetation only near the coast. It is very poor and is represented by dwarf trees, mosses, lichens, heather and tundra grasses. This is not surprising, because Greenland has arctic and subarctic climate types. For the most part it is harsh, continental; near the coast it is softer, maritime.

On the coasts the weather is very unstable, snowstorms often form, winds blow, and precipitation occurs. The most favorable conditions are in the southwest of the island. There, average temperatures range from -7 °C in January to +10 °C in July, and fog often occurs in summer. It is coldest on the eastern and northern coasts, where the temperature drops to -35 °C.

Population

Greenland is one of the few countries in the world where the majority of the population is indigenous. About 90% of the population is Eskimo (Inuit), and only 10% is Danish and other Europeans.

The ancestors of modern Greenlandic Eskimos arrived on the island around the 13th century. Before that, it was inhabited by peoples close to the Aleuts and Chukchi, as well as the Vikings. But for some reason they all disappeared. Perhaps due to the inability to adapt to a sharply deteriorating climate (it is assumed that in the early Middle Ages it was much warmer).

Greenlandic culture is a mixture of Inuit traditions and European ones. Eskimos still believe in spirits and build houses from ice blocks and needles. Folk clothing is now considered festive. Seal skin capes have long replaced sports jackets, but many people wear national shoes.

Europeans brought writing with them, teaching the local Inuit. They built cities on the island and brought with them medicine, education and Christianity. With their arrival, some traditional Eskimo occupations disappeared, but fishing and musk ox breeding remained. Many Inuit work in industry, transportation, and service jobs.

Life in Greenland

The country covers not only the territory of the largest island on Earth, but also the adjacent islands: Ymer, Holm, Kun, Claverin, Eggers and others. It received autonomy within Denmark back in 1979. After a referendum in 2009, it received even more rights and opportunities for self-government. Official language is Greenlandic, but all citizens must also learn Danish. The currency used here is the Danish krone.

There are no railway tracks on the largest island on Earth, and there are no roads between cities. You can get from one point to another by airliner or ship. There are other options, such as snowmobiles or dog sleds.

All settlements on the island are located on the southern and western coasts, on a narrow strip between eternal ice and the ocean. The largest of these is the capital Nuuk, which has a population of 16,500.

Greenland is considered the most sparsely populated country. But this does not prevent her from being one of the world leaders in suicide. Approximately every fourth resident of the country attempts to commit suicide.

Attractions

Endless ice of bizarre shapes, winding fjords and drifting icebergs. If this is not enough, don’t worry, Greenland still has something to boast about. The largest island on Earth is home to the largest national park in the world. Its area is 970,000 km2.

Tourists are offered to explore the local fjords and see how icebergs are “born” on passenger ships, and there are always kayaks for extreme sports enthusiasts. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding and climbing are available all year round in Greenland. icy mountains. On the island you can see northern lights. Best time for this purpose it occurs in December and January, when the polar night falls on Greenland.

After enjoying all the natural beauties of the island, you should head to the city of Nuuk. In the capital you can see typical Greenlandic architecture, visit museums, and most importantly, meet Santa Claus himself. Here, on the shores of the cold Baffin Sea, is his home.

What is an island? For many, these are resort areas like the Maldives, Sicily or Crete. For others, pictures from action-packed adventure films appear before their eyes. Indeed, the islands of the world are full of secrets and mysteries, and scientists never tire of publishing unusual facts about these small pieces of land, surrounded by water on all sides.

So the youngest island recently came of age. He is 21 years old. He was born in July 92 after a volcanic eruption near Bogoslov Island in the Aleutian Islands archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Its length is 400 meters and its height is 90 meters.

TOP 10: largest islands in the world

However, the island cannot always be measured in hundreds of meters. There are many on the world map that represent entire maritime states.

Let's talk about the latter. . By tradition, we’ll start with the last line of the hit parade.

10th place - Ellesmere Island

10th place goes to the Canadian island Ellesmere. This part of the land with an area of ​​203 thousand square meters is located in the Arctic Ocean.

9th place - Victoria Island

In 9th place is another Canadian island with beautiful name Victoria. Its area is slightly larger than the previous one - 213 thousand square meters. It is located next door, in the ice of the same Arctic.

8th place - Great Britain island

8th place is rightfully given to the island United Kingdom. It is located on an area of ​​230 thousand square kilometers. Washed by the Atlantic Ocean. From unusual facts It is worth noting that a huge number of people live on this island. More than 60 million islanders live on the island of Great Britain.

7th place - Honshu Island

7th place on the list Japanese island Honshu. It has an area of ​​just under 230 thousand square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean. The largest Japanese cities are located on the island of Honshu: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc. According to the latest data, its population exceeds the British one. About 100 million people.

6th place - Sumatra island

By the way, Indonesia is called the “country of a thousand islands”. Scientists have counted more than 13,500 islands on the territory of the state. 12,000 of them are uninhabited. Moreover, most of these small pieces of sushi don't even have geographical names.

5th place - Baffin Island

5th place was taken by another Canadian island - Baffin Island. It is located on an area of ​​507 thousand square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean.

4th place - Madagascar island

In 4th place is the island, which became especially famous after the animated film of the same name. Madagascar. It occupies just under 600 thousand square kilometers in Indian Ocean.

The most interesting things are ahead. Let's move on to the top three. Who is included in the list of the three largest islands in the world?

3rd place - Kalimantan island

3rd place goes to the island of Kalimantan, or Borneo in other words. It is also located in the Indian Ocean and belongs to three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Its area is 743 thousand square kilometers.

2nd place - New Guinea island

New Guinea takes silver. It occupies 786 thousand square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean. By the way, from the point of view of the residential area geographical feature, this island could claim first place. Two countries have spread their possessions on this piece of land: Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

1st place - Greenland island

The title of “World's Largest Island” goes to an amazing country – Greenland . Its area is 2 million 131 thousand square kilometers. The island is located off the northeastern coast of America. It is separated from Canada by the Smith and Robson Straits in the northwest, the Baffin Sea and Davis Strait in the west, and the Labrador Sea in the southwest. On the northern side, Greenland is washed by the Arctic Ocean, or more precisely, the Lincoln Sea. To the northeast of the island is the Greenland Sea, to the southeast is the Denmark Strait. On the south side is the Atlantic.

Climate

The climate in Greenland is different: marine, subarctic, arctic and even continental arctic. Cyclone is the most frequent guest on the island. This means that there are constantly strong winds, sudden changes in weather and precipitation.

The average temperature on the coast in winter is from - 7 to - 37 degrees Celsius. In the interior of the island, conditions are completely harsh: up to -47. In summer, the temperature does not rise above +10 along the entire coast, and in the depths it remains below zero.

Flora and fauna

Plants here can only be found in areas free of glaciers. On these tiny pieces of the island there are birches, willows, rowan trees, alder and even juniper. As for animals, they are exclusively northern on the island. No surprises: polar bears, bowhead whales and seals, walruses, polar wolves and reindeer.

How could this place get a name that literally translates as “green land”?

Legends of history

The island of Greenland was discovered by the Vikings. They came here in the 10th century. There are even several legends about how the name appeared. Some believe that in medieval times the island had a completely different climate, warm. Blooming greenery gave this name to its land. Others express their opinion about the cunning of the first settlers. Supposedly they gave the island this fabulous name to lie down here people.

Since 1536, Greenland was considered Danish territory. This was due to the fact that Norway was under the yoke of the Danes, and the countries were united into a single state. However, in 1905 Norway gained independence and claimed the island for itself. But Denmark was not going to give up Greenland without a fight. The issue was resolved through the Permanent Court of International Justice. She made a decision: to leave Greenland as a Danish colony.

The largest island in the world, Greenland, belongs to Denmark to this day. 84% of the territory is solid ice. But, despite this, there are settlements on the island. The largest is Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The city is located on the west coast. Just over 15 thousand people live here.

There are a great many islands on the world map. Namely, about 500 thousand. They are all completely different sizes. There are small ones that can literally fit a couple of people.

But there are also those whose area is comparable to entire countries. What are the largest islands in the world?

Ellesmere

Canada's Ellesmere Island is the third largest in the country (after Baffin Island and Victoria). And it is one of the ten largest islands on the planet. Ellesmere's area is 196 thousand square kilometers. Very few people live in this territory - only 170.

But traces of prehistoric inhabitants were often found on it. Ellesmere itself is located in the north of the country, further than the other Canadian islands. However, it belongs to the province of Nunavut. Moreover, it is part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Ellesmere is washed on all sides by the Arctic Ocean.

Victoria

Victoria occupies ninth position in the list of the largest islands. The island is located in Canada and, naturally, occupies a larger area than Ellesmere. Namely, a little more than 217 thousand square kilometers. For a more visual representation, Victoria is about 500 kilometers in width and length. Exactly 1,707 people live on the island. That is, each person has a fairly impressive plot of land. There are very few hills on the island, and all of them are no more than one kilometer above sea level.


Victoria, like Ellesmere, belongs to the province of Nunavut, as well as the Northwest Territory of the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The island boasts only two settlements - Holman and Cambridge Bay. On land there are numerous lakes, including Taha, Tahiryuak and Ferguson.

Honshu

This is the largest island of the Japanese archipelago. And it is the eighth largest on the planet. The area of ​​the island of Honshu is almost 228 thousand square kilometers. And on this territory (which, by the way, is not too strikingly different from Victoria Island) 103 million people settled. However, this is not surprising for Japan. By the way, Honshu occupies a little more than half of the territory of the entire country. The island has a mountainous terrain. In addition, there are quite a lot of volcanoes on it. The mountains dictate their weather conditions, so in the southeast and northwest the difference in climate is obvious. It is worth noting that Honshu is home to the most large mountain and the permanent symbol of Japan is Fuji. Its height is 3 kilometers and 776 meters.

UK Island

Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles. The land area is about 230 thousand square kilometers. And 60 million people live here.


England, Scotland, Wales - Great Britain contains most of the entire United Kingdom (its area is 244 thousand square kilometers). The highest point on the island reached 1,344 meters into the sky.

Sumatra

The sixth largest island is called Sumatra. The equator divided it into two almost identical parts. Therefore, it turns out that the island is located in both earth’s hemispheres. Sumatra is located in the west of the Malay Archipelago and belongs to Indonesia. Its area is 473 thousand square kilometers. Lives in an area of ​​50 million people. Coastline Sumatra is almost deserted; near the coast you can see beautiful coral reefs.

Baffin Island

From the equator we will be transported again to the Arctic Ocean. It is home to the fifth largest island in the world. Its name is Baffin Island. This island is Canadian territory. And it is the largest of the country's islands. The area of ​​Baffin Island is 507 thousand square kilometers. And most of the land now remains uninhabited. This happened due to unfavorable weather conditions. In total, 11 thousand people live on the island. The people mostly settled in the province of Nunavut. By the way, there are many freshwater lakes on Baffin Island. Two of them are of impressive size. These are Nettilling and Amajuaq.

Madagascar

The island of Madagascar is located east of Africa. Its area is 587 thousand square kilometers. And this allows the island to take fourth place in the list of the largest islands in the world. Lives in paradise 20 million people.


They thrive in tropical climates. Madagascar is separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel. By the way, local residents They nicknamed their homeland the island of boars.

Kalimantan

Malay Borneo or Kalimantan. It is the third largest island in the world. It is located in southeast Asia in the very center of the Malay Archipelago. The island's area is about 743 thousand square kilometers (about 16 million people settled on it). The land was divided among three states: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Most of Kalimantan is under Indonesia (which is divided into four provinces). But the part that belongs to Malaysia is divided into two states.

New Guinea

So, the second largest island on Earth. This is New Guinea with an area of ​​786 thousand square kilometers. 7.5 million people found their homeland here. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean and is a link between Asia and Australia. New Guinea is separated from Australia only by the Torres Strait.


The island is divided equally between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is worth noting that the Indonesian part belongs to Asia.

Greenland

Well, the largest island in the world. Greenland has a record size - 2 million 131 thousand square kilometers, but not a record population - more than 57 thousand people. And not surprisingly, most of the land is occupied by glaciers, which make it difficult for people to live on the territory.

Greenland. The largest island in the world

The shores of the island are washed by two oceans: the Atlantic and the Arctic. Greenland belongs to Denmark and is an autonomous unit. The biggest locality Islands - Nuuk. It is located in the western part. Well, the highest point in Greenland, Mount Gunbjorn, rises to 3 thousand 383 meters. By the way, until 1921 it was believed that a cape called Morris Jesup on the island was the part of land closest to the pole.
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