What’s the world’s biggest island?

When we think of islands, we often picture palm trees and turquoise seas, but the world’s biggest islands tell a very different story. Some are remote and icy, others densely populated and rich in biodiversity.

Here’s a closer look at the largest islands on Earth, from the vast expanse of Greenland to the familiar shores of Great Britain.

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What actually is an island?

An island is a piece of land that is entirely surrounded by water – but it is smaller than a continent. Great Britain is an island, for example, but it’s not the biggest. That particular honour goes to another island…

What is the world’s biggest island?

The world’s largest island is Greenland, with a landmass of over 2 million square kilometres. It is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, by far the largest of the three parts of the kingdom – metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands.

Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The population of Greenland is sparse, with around 56,000 people living on the island. For a comparison, the second largest island in the world is New Guinea, with an area of 785,753 square kilometres – less than half the size of Greenland, yet home to 265 times as many people. New Guinea has a population of 14.8 million.

What's the biggest island in the UK?

The biggest island in the UK is Great Britain (made up of England, Scotland and Wales). According to Ordnance Survey, the next-largest island by area is Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

What are the world’s other biggest islands?

This is a list of the world’s biggest islands in order from the largest land mass, with the nation(s) they are part of.

1. Greenland, Danish Realm
2. New Guinea, Indonesia/Papua New Guinea
3. Borneo, Brunei/Indonesia/Malaysia
4. Madagascar, Madagascar
5. Baffin Island, Canada
6. Sumatra, Indonesia
7. Honshu, Japan
8. Victoria Island, Canada
9. Great Britain, United Kingdom
10. Ellesmere Island, Canada
11. Sulawesi, Indonesia
12. South Island, New Zealand
13. Java, Indonesia
14. North Island, New Zealand
15. Luzon, Philippines
16. Newfoundland, Canada
17. Cuba, Cuba
18. Iceland, Iceland

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Top image: The colourful Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, Scoresbysund, Greenland (credit: Getty Images)