List of islands by area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This list includes all 332 islands in the world larger than 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi). For size and location reference, the four continental landmasses are also included. All landmasses are arranged in descending order.
Dymaxion map (Fuller map) showing the continental landmasses (I, II, III, and IV) and the largest islands (1–30) roughly to scale
Map of the world showing the 25 largest islands
Continental landmasses
Generally, the continental landmasses are not all classified as islands despite being completely surrounded by water.[Note 1] However, because the definition of continent varies between geographers, the Americas are sometimes defined as two separate continents while mainland Australia is sometimes defined as an island as well as a continent.[Note 2]
Nevertheless, for the purposes of this list, mainland Australia along with the other three major landmasses have been listed as continental landmasses for comparison. The figures are approximations and are for the four continental landmasses only.[Note 3]
| Rank | Continental landmass[Note 4] | Area | Nation(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (sq mi) | ||||
| I | Afro-Eurasia (Africa-Eurasia) |
79,810,726[Note 5] | 30,815,094 |
126 countries |
48 countries and two de facto states on mainland Africa.[Note 6] 78 countries and four de facto states on mainland Eurasia: - 38 countries and two de facto states on continental Asia.[Note 7][Note 8] - 40 countries and two de facto states on continental Europe[Note 9] |
| II | America (landmass) | 37,699,623[Note 10] | 14,555,906 |
22 countries |
Ten countries on mainland North America.[Note 11] Twelve countries and an overseas department and region of France on mainland South America. |
| III | Antarctica | 12,272,800[Note 12] | 4,738,600 | None[Note 13] | Antarctica is a special case, for if its ice is considered not as land, but as water, it is not a single landmass, but several landmasses of much smaller area, since the ice-bedrock boundary is below sea level in many regions of the continent.[6] If its ice cover were to be lifted, some rocks that are currently below sea level would rise as the weight of the ice would be removed,[7] although this would in part be counteracted, and in some areas of the continent overtaken, by eustatic rises in sea level.[8] |
| IV | Australia (landmass) | 7,591,608[Note 14] | 2,931,136 | Australia | Mainland Australia is more than three times the size of Greenland, the largest island.[10] Australia is sometimes dubbed "The Island Continent" or "Earth's largest island, but its smallest continent".[11] |
Islands with areas of 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) or greater
See also
- Lake island
- List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
- List of countries and dependencies by area
- List of countries by largest island
- List of divided islands
- List of islands by highest point
- List of islands by name
- List of islands by population
- List of islands by population density
- Lists of islands by continent and country
- Recursive islands and lakes
- River island
Notes
- The United States Geological Survey is a notable exception. The United States-based scientific agency classifies all landmasses (including all continental mainlands except Antarctica) surrounded by water as islands. Under their definition, Africa, Australia, Eurasia, North America, and South America are classified as continental mainland islands.[1]
- Physiographically, there are only four continents (including offshore continental islands which sit on the nearby continental shelves) that are completely surrounded by the ocean: Africa-Eurasia (57% of the global land area), the Americas (28.5%), Antarctica (9%), and Australia (5%). The remaining 0.5% is made up of remote oceanic islands, mostly scattered within Oceania in the central and south Pacific Ocean.[3]
- Including continental landmasses which are above water and over 2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi). The submerged continent of Zealandia (approx. 5,000,000 km2 (1,900,000 sq mi)) is excluded.[4]
- Figure derived from the Global Islands Explorer website, by adding the areas of mainland Africa (29,370,907 km2 (11,340,171 sq mi)) and mainland Eurasia (50,439,819 km2 (19,474,923 sq mi)).
- Egypt has a small portion of its land located on mainland Eurasia.
- Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey each have a small portion of their land located on continental Europe. Malaysia has a significant portion of its land located on an island.
- Abkhazia and South Ossetia are both located south of the Greater Caucasus watershed, and thus they are geographically parts of Asia.
- Russia has a big portion of its land located on continental Asia. Denmark's capital city is located on an island.
- Figure derived from the Global Islands Explorer website, by adding the areas of mainland North America (20,090,075 km2 (7,756,821 sq mi)) and mainland South America (17,609,548 km2 (6,799,084 sq mi)).
- Depending on the definition, a significant portion of Panama (land east of the Panama Canal) could be considered a part of mainland South America.
- Seven countries have made eight territorial claims. All territorial claims in Antarctica are in abeyance under the Antarctic Treaty System.
- Figure derived from the Geoscience Australia website, the area of mainland Tasmania (64,519 km2 (24,911 sq mi)) has been deducted.[9] The Global Islands Explorer website has given a slightly larger figure of 7,618,696 km2 (2,941,595 sq mi) for the area of mainland Australia.
- A dispute exists between the governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom concerning the sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The disputed territory is described as "Falkland Islands (Malvinas)" by the United Nations.