Top 10 Largest Islands in the World 2024

List of Top 10 Largest Islands in the World: An island is a landmass that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent. It can be found in oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. A group of islands is called an archipelago. Islands can be classified as continental or oceanic. Continental islands are part of continental shelves and are located near continents. Oceanic islands rise from the ocean floor due to seismic or volcanic activity.

The Top 10 Largest Islands in the World are Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, Baffin Island, Sumatra, Honshu, Victoria Island, Great Britain, and Ellesmere Island. Greenland is the world’s largest island with a land area of 2,166,086 square kilometers, located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is famous for its vast tundra and immense glaciers.

In this article, we will look into the List of the Top 10 Islands in the world. We will also discuss the location, surface area, and characteristics of these islands.

What is an Island?

An island is a piece of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent. Islands can be found in oceans, seas, lakes, or rivers. Islands can be classified as either continental or oceanic. Very small islands can be called islets, skerries, cays, or keys. An island in a river or lake island may be called an eyot or ait, and a small island off the coast may be called a holm. Islands have been important for ships to take on supplies and for their crews to rest. They also became part of ocean trade routes, linking distant parts of the world.

List of Top 10 Largest Islands in the World

The following table provides the list of the top 10 largest islands in the world:

Islands	Area (km2)
Greenland	2,130,800
New Guinea	785,753
Borneo	748,168
Madagascar	587,041
Baffins Islands	507,451
Sumatra	443,065
Honshu	227,938
Victoria Island	217,291
Great Britain	209,331
Ellesmere Island	196,236

Largest Island in the World – Greenland

Greenland is the world’s largest island, with an area of about 2.2 million square kilometers (836,000 square miles). The island is largely covered by ice and has the world’s second-largest ice sheet. It’s part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but its home-rule government is responsible for most domestic affairs. It is also known as Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language.

• Greenland is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, Smith Sound, Baffin Bay, and the Davis Strait to the west, and the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans to the east. 
• It’s home to Kaffeklubben Island, the world’s northernmost undisputed point of land.
• Greenland is a continental island that formed over four billion years ago. It’s part of the North American tectonic plate, and its geological development includes mountain-building periods from 3800–1600 million years ago.
• Greenland is known for its glaciers and tundra. Around 80% of the island is covered by an ice cap, and the rest is permafrost.
• Greenland is home to about 56,600 people, with around 19,600 living in the capital, Nuuk.

Second Largest Island in the World – New Guinea

New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, after Greenland with an area of 317,150 square miles. The island is about 1,500 miles long and 400 miles wide at its widest point. It is located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean and is divided between the countries of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The island is located on the southern rim of the “Ring of Fire”, a belt of volcanoes and tectonic plates that runs around the Pacific Ocean.

• Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, it is located 100 miles north of Australia. It is separated from the Australian mainland by the Torres Strait.
• It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north and the Coral Sea to the south.
• It was formed when the Australia-New Guinea tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate about 25 million years ago. The collision pushed up the ocean floor, forcing it to form the islands of New Guinea and the Wallacean Islands.
• The island is divided into two roughly equal halves, with the western half comprising six Indonesian provinces and the eastern half comprising Papua New Guinea.
• New Guinea is known for its diverse coral life, with 1,200 species of fish and 600 species of reef-building coral. 

Third Largest Island in the World – Borneo

Borneo is the world’s third-largest island, covering 287,000 square miles. It’s located in the center of the Malay Archipelago, the world’s largest group of islands. It is located in Southeast Asia and is divided between the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Borneo is divided into four political regions: Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak and Brunei. Borneo is mostly mountainous, but it also has extensive lowlands, especially in Central Kalimantan and Sarawak. 

• Borneo is a high island that was formed by volcanic activity.
• The island’s base is made up of continental fragments from the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, but the island itself is largely made up of magma.
• Borneo is located in the “ring of fire”, which contains most of the world’s volcanoes and the island is crossed by two main mountain chains, which divide the island into four watersheds. 
• The largest mountain on Borneo is Kinabalu, located in the north of the island.
• Borneo is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests and is known for its beaches, and biodiversity. 

Fourth Largest Island in the World – Madagascar

Madagascar is a large island in the Indian Ocean, located off the southeast coast of Africa. It is the world’s fourth largest island, and the second-largest island country. It has a total area of 587,040 square kilometers and is about 450 km east of the coast of Mozambique. It stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean and is located within the Somali plate. It is bounded by the continents of Asia and Australia to the west and the Americas to the east.

• Madagascar was formed in two stages. It was originally part of the Gondwana supercontinent, which broke apart around 165 million years ago.
• Madagascar’s west coast was formed when Africa broke off from Gondwana, and the island eventually broke off from India around 88 million years ago.
• A 2020 study suggests that the island is breaking up again, this time into smaller islands.
• Madagascar is known for its unique wildlife and biodiversity. The island is home to over 11,000 species of plants and animals, many of which are endemic to the island.

Fifth Largest Island in the World – Baffins Islands

Baffin Island is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest in the world with an area of 507,451 square kilometers. It is 1,500 kilometers long and 200–700 kilometers wide. Baffin Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and is located in Nunavut, Canada. It is uninhabited except for a few small coastal settlements, including Iqaluit, which is located along Frobisher Bay.

• Baffin Island is a continuation of the Canadian Shield’s eastern edge. The Canadian Shield tilts upward in the east, forming a mountainous spine that slopes into plateaus and lowlands in the west.
• Baffin Island is famous for being the largest Arctic island in Nunavut and also the largest member of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
• The island is indented by many fjords and has a mountainous backbone with peaks up to 7,045 feet in height. It also has many freshwater lakes and rivers, but they are only thawed for a short time in the summer.

Sixth Largest Island in the World – Sumatra

Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world with an area of 475,807.63 square kilometers. It is located in western Indonesia and is the largest island that’s entirely within Indonesia’s territory. It includes nearby islands like the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, and Krakatoa archipelago.

• Sumatra is a volcanic island. The same forces that create earthquakes in the area also created the island, its volcanoes, and the nearby islands.
• Sumatra is a Sunda Island in western Indonesia and is the second largest island in Indonesia, after Borneo.
• Sumatra is separated from the Malay Peninsula by the Strait of Malacca and from Java by the Sunda Strait. The Indian Ocean borders the island’s west, northwest, and southwest coasts.

Seventh Largest Island in the World – Honshu

Honshu is a mountainous island in Japan. It is the largest island of Japan’s four main islands and second most populated island in the world. The island is home to 40 active volcanoes and is located on the Ring of Fire. Honshu is 1,300 km long and 50–230 km wide. It has a total area of 227,960 km sq and is slightly larger than Great Britain, which is 209,331 km sq.

• It’s located between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. It is home to Japan’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, and its largest lake, Lake Biwa.
• It forms a northeast–southwest arc, and is located between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean.
• Honshu is home to Japan’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, its largest lake, Lake Biwa and also contains Japan’s longest river, the Shinano River.
• It’s known for its natural resources, including timber and oil and also home to Japan’s three largest industrial regions, which produce most of the country’s tea and silk.

Eigth Largest Island in the World – Victoria Island

Victoria Island is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago. It is located on the border of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the eighth largest island in the world and Canada’s second largest island with an area of 217,291 square kilometers. Victoria Island is about 320 miles long and 170–370 miles wide.

• It is located north of the Arctic mainland and is surrounded by the Amundsen Gulf to the west, Viscount Melville Sound to the north, and M’Clintock Channel to the east.
• The island’s bedrock is made up of sedimentary rocks with a belt of Precambrian rock on the west coast and another on the south coast.
• Victoria Island is peninsula-shaped with a strongly indented shoreline and several inlets.

Ninth Largest Island in the World – Great Britain

Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, separated from the European mainland by the English Channel and North Sea. It’s the largest island in the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland, and Wales. 

• The island of Great Britain formed around 9,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene ice age. 
• Great Britain became an island when sea levels rose due to the combination of melting glaciers and the subsequent isostatic rebound of the crust.
• Great Britain is not a country, but rather a landmass. It is known as “Great” because it is the largest island in the British Isles
• Great Britain also includes the smaller surrounding islands, such as the Hebrides, the Orkney Islands, and the Shetland Islands.

Tenth Largest Island in the World – Ellesmere Island

Ellesmere Island is the tenth-largest island in the world and third-largest island in Canada with an area of 196,236 square km. It is 300 miles wide by 500 miles long. It is the most mountainous island in the Arctic Archipelago, with the highest and longest mountain ranges in eastern North America. It also has vast ice fields, a deeply indented coastline, and ice caps and glaciers across 40% of its surface.

• Ellesmere Island were established by a period of uplift and faulting that occurred before the Pleistocene era. 
• The island is known for its jagged mountains, fjords, and ice shelves. It’s also one of the remotest places on Earth, home to herds of musk oxen, caribou, and polar bears. 

Summary – Top 10 Largest Islands in the World

Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is almost three times the size of New Guinea, the second largest island. The other largest islands are Borneo, Madagascar, Baffin Island, Sumatra, Honshu, Victoria Island, and Great Britain. Greenland is part of the Danish Realm and is located in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. New Guinea is located in the Malay Archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. Borneo is also located in the Malay Archipelago, but in the eastern Indian Ocean. Madagascar is located in the western Indian Ocean. Baffin Island is located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Sumatra is located in the Malay Archipelago in the eastern Indian Ocean. Honshu is located in Japan. Victoria Island is located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Great Britain is located in Europe.

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FAQs on List of Top 10 Largest Islands in the World

What are the 10 largest island in the world?

The 10 largest islands of the world are Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, Baffin Island, Sumatra, Honshu, Victoria Island, Great Britain, and Ellesmere Island.

What is the largest island in Asia?

Borneo is the largest island in Asia and the third-largest island in the world. It covers an area of 743,330 square kilometers and is divided between three countries: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.

Which country has 7000 islands?

The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia that contains over 7,000 islands. The Philippines is located about 500 miles off the coast of Vietnam in the western Pacific Ocean.

What is the smallest island?

Bishop Rock is the smallest inhabited island in the world, measuring 46 meters long and 16 meters wide, with an area of 0.0007 square kilometers. It’s located off the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. 

What is the 2nd world’s largest island?

New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, with an area of 785,753 sq km. It’s located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Which is the biggest island in India?

The Great Nicobar Island is the largest island in India and is the southernmost point of India.

What is the 4th largest island in the world?

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, with a total area of about 226,658 square miles and also the largest island in the Indian Ocean.