What is the largest island in terms of area. What is the largest island in the world

uninhabited islands almost gone. But the soul of a tourist still asks for extreme sports. Would go to the most big Island on the ground!

And better - the three largest. And it does not matter that they are located where it is either very cold or too hot. You can embrace everything with an inquisitive tourist soul.

Greenland (2,130,800 km²): land of glaciers and fjords

It is not known whether this island was the "Green Land" when discovered by the Vikings in the 10th century. But today it would be more correct to call this land "White Land".

It is over 80% covered eternal ice, and the 58,000th population lives only on the coast of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Proximity to the North Pole is an extreme for the modern tourist. There is no ancient cities and amazing architectural monuments. The most icy and largest island on Earth is a paradise for connoisseurs of unusually bright and majestic northern landscapes, the beauty of icebergs and white nights, unique flora and fauna.

This is interesting:

1. Icebergs. On drifting in the sea ice mountains reflecting all the colors of the rainbow on their sides, you can watch for hours.
2. Thermal springs. Great pleasure - to swim in the Arctic Circle in crystal clean water, heated to 40 ° C, among icebergs.
3. Colorful cities of Greenland. Probably, only here people paint their houses so earnestly, which look like the scenery of a northern fairy tale. And it's great to see the polar lights here!
4. Festivals of Ilulissat. Having visited the main attractions of the city (Knut Rasmussen Museum and the Cold Museum), it is worth going to dance festival local aborigines. You will definitely enjoy racing dog sledding and polar bear hunting!

New Guinea (786,000 km²): Tropical Eden

This is the largest of the islands divided between different countries.

Known to us, first of all, from the travels of Miklouho-Maclay, the island still amazes the traveler with its fantastic nature how he struck the famous Russian pioneer of the 19th century. New Guinea still belongs to the poorly studied corners of the Earth.

In general, if you look for a real lost World, then it's here. Recently, a vast area was discovered on the island, where plants and animals unknown to science blithely live. Moreover, the inhabitants of New Eden (as they called this paradise) are not afraid of people at all.

This is interesting:

1. Surfing and diving. This is the only way to enjoy the views of the most picturesque coral reefs on the planet. Useful inspection of numerous ships and aircraft that sank during the Second World War. Best Places dives - Rabaul, Kimby Bay, Madang.
2. Varirata National Park. Numerous viewing platforms, suspension bridges- a great chance to fully appreciate the beauty of the surrounding hills and rainforest. It is recommended to visit the "Tree-house", the center of cult worship of the Papuan tribe Koyaris.
3. Bayer - river reserve. Being on the most beautiful mountain slopes, this nature reserve gives rise to several island rivers and wild trails where exotic birds of paradise, cassowaries, kangaroos and possums roam freely.
4. Art gallery and National Museum papua new guinea. The island is rich not only in nature, but also cultural monuments. Here are collected tens of thousands of unique anthropological and archaeological exhibits, relics of the military past and masterpieces of contemporary local art.
5. Turtle Beach. A whole kilometer is dazzling white sand and gentle sea. There are all amenities.

Kalimantan (743,330 km²): an ethnographer's paradise

Divided between three states (Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), the island attracts lovers of tropical sun and warm azure sea. Travelers are offered exquisite service.

In the local impenetrable jungle, covering 80% of the area of ​​Kalimantan, wild tribes of aborigines live. The terrible traditions of cannibalism and hunting for human skulls, which rampaged in these places several decades ago, have been replaced by original songs and martial dances.

In any case, Kalimantan has a lot of interesting things for lovers of folklore, and for "hunters" of active volcanoes, and for those who prefer to spend time peacefully on ecologically clean sea beaches.

This is interesting:

1. City of Pontianak. focus the most interesting museums and architectural monuments, including the ancient mosque of Abdurrahman, the palace of the Sultan Kadriah, the Pontianak Museum, which contains ancient porcelain and ceramic products made by indigenous tribes.
2. Banjarmasin. A city of slender minarets, canals and floating markets.
3. diamond mines. Here and today in reality you can see how in the very recent past the islanders were hard to mine precious stones.
4. cannibalou - national park . Unforgettable sensations are promised by a leisurely walk through its territory. Here you can see many rare plants and animals, the most beautiful 10-meter waterfall Kippungit, plunge into the pool with healing springs.

This is just a small part of the tourist treasures that the largest islands in the world have. Let the rest of the sights remain a secret for tourists, which is recommended to be explored on your own, having set off.

When talking about the largest islands, as a rule, they mean the islands with the largest area. We will not break the tradition and give the top of the largest islands in the world by area.

Recall that the island differs from the mainland in smaller size, but it must be surrounded on all sides by water, and at high tide at least part of it must remain on the surface.

10 Ellesmere

Ellesmere is the tenth largest island in the world. It belongs to Canada and is part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands.

Ellesmere is all cut up by fjords and one-third covered with ice. Living conditions are very harsh: in winter the temperature is up to -59 degrees, and in summer it rarely exceeds +7 (although it can also be +20); the polar day and night last for 5 months, and there is so little precipitation, so that in many places there is not even snow, only bare rocks.

The population does not exceed 150 people. The vegetation is exclusively herbaceous; blooming poppies, saxifrage and other polar flowers form a picturesque carpet in summer. There are many animals on Ellesmere, among them the rare Peary caribou and the Melville island wolf (smaller, with white or silver hair).

It's another one north island belonging to Canada. Still, it is not located in such high latitudes, so its nature is more diverse, and its population is larger (about 1,700 people).

The reason for this is the high humidity: the whole island is covered with swamps, lakes, streams and rivers. In summer, the temperature is up to +12, in winter - an average of -20 degrees, and the wind is very strong and gusty, which creates extremely uncomfortable living conditions.

Vegetation in Victoria is not rich: grasses, polar tree species, mosses. But animal world presented excellently. There are many birds on the island, including snowy owls, as well as polar bears and wolves, arctic foxes and musk oxen.

Seals and walruses rest on the coast, and killer whales and whales walk in the waters off the coast of the island. There are also many commercial fish (herring, tuna).

8 Honshu

And here we have a quite densely populated island, main island The Japanese archipelago, where the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun is located and about 75% of its population is concentrated.

Interested in

It is here that the most big cities Japan: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Yokohama. The whole island is covered with mountains, volcanoes predominate (for example, Fujiyama, and Asama is active volcano), and he himself lies at the junction of the formation plates, which provokes frequent earthquakes.

Devastating typhoons are not uncommon here in autumn. The climate of Honshu is defined as monsoonal: in summer the temperature is about +25, in winter it is rarely below -5. The rainy season starts in June-July. The flora and fauna of the island is very rich. Forests cover more than 2/3 of the area.

In the spring, Honshu is extraordinarily beautiful because of the blooming azaleas, sakura and peonies, and in the autumn the most favorite flowers of the Japanese bloom - chrysanthemums, to which even the traditional festival is dedicated.

The animal world includes many relict and endemic species: white-breasted bear, Japanese crane, giant salamander, big-billed crow and others. But Honshu is especially rich in fish and seafood, because 700 species of fish and more than 1000 species of shellfish live off the coast.

7 Great Britain is one of the largest islands of the Earth

The island of Great Britain is densely populated island, according to this indicator, it ranks third after Java and Honshu. Most of the UK is located here.

Scientists believe that the first people appeared on the island 800 thousand years ago: this is how the stone tools found on its territory are dated. The ancient Romans mentioned Great Britain in the 3rd century BC.

The climate on the island is maritime, which ensures mild winters, comfortable temperature summer and more than half of the rainy days of the year. Although there are areas in which it is much drier.
Forests and large animals in Great Britain, unfortunately, are almost exterminated: magnificent beech and hornbeam groves occupy no more than a tenth of the island.

Of the animals, mostly not very large mammals survived, but more than 130 species of birds and a lot of fish, as well as seals and whales

6 Sumatra

The hot tropical island, which is the sixth largest in the world, is at the same time the fourth largest in terms of the number of people living on it.

The island is part of the Malay Archipelago and belongs to Indonesia. Sumatra is an extremely humid island. It has a huge number of rivers, streams, lakes. This is where the most big lake South-East Asia- Toba. It is located in the caldera ancient volcano and so great that there is an island on it, on which there is also a lake.

Sumatra is very rich in volcanoes: there are many of them, and a good dozen of them are active. However, this does not frighten numerous tourists who want to see medieval buildings, windsurf or dive, enjoy beach holiday on the coast, almost everywhere covered with dark (volcanic) sand.

And here you can also walk in the equatorial forests of tree ferns, palm trees and ficuses, marveling at the richness of the Sumatran fauna. There are many endemic species here. For example, the Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros, as well as the rare woolly wing, the Indian elephant, the pig-tailed macaque and others. There are even 450 species of birds on the island!

5 Baffin Island

Listing the largest islands in the world, it is impossible to ignore Baffin Island, the island large area and very bizarre outlines, owned by Canada.
Baffin Island is, in fact, a continuation (geologically) of the Canadian Shield, so the mountains on the island should be considered part of the Andes. And there are many mountains, including quite high ones.

The island is not rich in population: the climate here is harsh, a significant part of the island is located beyond the Arctic Circle, frosts are not uncommon even in summer.

For a long time it was believed that the island was discovered by Baffin. But the latest data archaeological sites allow us to assert that the island was known to the ancient Vikings and is mentioned in their sagas under the name Helluland.

The harsh climate does not allow much development of vegetation, the flora here is poor. Of the animals, there are arctic foxes, polar bears, lemmings, reindeer, polar hares and, of course, walruses and seals. hits the island and big amount birds, including snowy owls.

4 Madagascar

Talking about which island is the largest in the world, it is impossible to ignore Madagascar, located near Africa and only recently emerged from the protectorate of France. At present, the island is independent republic Madagascar, the government in which is replaced every now and then as a result of various upheavals and military coups.

However, the history of Madagascar is also full of such events. There were also attempts to seize the island by force, and various tricks. For some time, Madagascar was even a base for pirates who robbed the ships of merchants hurrying to India.

The climate in Madagascar is tropical and monsoonal, which allows many plants to flourish, including many endemics. And the most famous is the fire tree (royal delonix) - a ten-meter tree of extraordinary beauty, strewn with bright scarlet flowers.
Among the animals there are also many endemic ones, for example, fossa is a cross between a puma and a mongoose.

There are also such interesting animals in Madagascar as lemurs (there are more than fifty species of them!), bristly hedgehogs, chameleons, viverras, turtles, a huge number of insects, fish (for example, the famous moray eels), birds. It’s a pity that you won’t be able to swim here: the coast is full of sharks.

3 Kalimantan

The island of Kalimantan, which occupies the third place in the ranking, is often called Borneo - after the name of the state of Brunei, which was once big and powerful, and now occupies only a small part of the island. The rest is divided between Indonesia and Malaya - Kalimantan is the only island on Earth, which belongs to three states at once.

Over the centuries, various parts of the island passed under the rule of one or another state; V different places and in different time the British, and Holland, and even Japan were noted here. And only in the period from the middle to the end of the last century, the modern political status of Kalimantan was established.

The equatorial climate and high humidity are favorable for a huge number of plants and animals, many of which are endemic and have not yet been properly studied. Orchids and carnivorous plants, king cobra and reticulated python, proboscis and giant flying foxes - you can't list them all!

A huge hot island in the Pacific Ocean is divided between the states of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The climate is equatorial, there are quite high (up to 4900 m) mountains, and along the coast there is an impenetrable (it can only be overcome by canoeing) strip of mango forests.

In New Guinea, expanse of flora and fauna: there are 11 thousand species of plants (various palm trees, bananas, melon tree, etc.) and more than one and a half thousand animals, including marsupial badgers and birds of paradise. On the island, scientists have found a place that they called the "Garden of Eden": there are many unseen creatures that are not at all afraid of humans.

1 The largest island is Greenland

Which country owns the largest island in the world? Answer: Denmark. Greenland is its autonomy.

More than 80% of the island is covered by glaciers; from the west and east, outlet glaciers (descending tongues into the sea) form, which give rise to icebergs. In the east of Greenland is also the most high mountain Arctic - Gunbjorn. Its height is 3700 m.

The climate is not very severe, but changeable: in winter the temperature is up to -11 degrees, in summer - about +20, but it is not uncommon for years when the thermometer does not overcome the zero mark for the whole summer!

Plants can be found in areas free from the glacier. These are mainly meadows, crooked forests, junipers. But polar animals, fish and insects are quite widely represented: walruses, whales, seals, polar bears, polar deer, seagulls, sharks and dozens of unique endemic beetles (700 species of insects in total).

Before talking about which is the largest island on Earth, you should understand what an island is in general. Some, when they hear this word, draw images in their imagination resort areas, for example, Crete, Maldives, Sicily, for others, pictures from action-adventure films immediately pop up before their eyes.

The small and large islands of the world really keep a lot of mysteries and secrets, and new interesting facts are still being discovered about these pieces of land, surrounded on all sides by water.

The largest island on earth. Name

In total, there are over 500 thousand islands on our planet. They all have different sizes: there are tiny ones, and just huge ones. Do you know which is the largest island in the world? Many mistakenly believe that this is Australia. It would seem that everything is correct - this piece of land has an area of ​​\u200b\u200b7600 thousand square meters. km and is surrounded by water on all sides. But still, Australia is considered to be and not actually an island. Then what is Greenland, which is three times smaller than Australia, but larger than most modern countries. Below we will tell about it in more detail.

Greenland - the largest island on Earth (+ photo)

The area of ​​this part of the land is 2130.8 thousand sq. km. The geographical miracle belongs to Denmark and could significantly increase the area of ​​​​the specified country, but this is hindered by the relief and climate: more than 80 percent of the earth's surface is covered by an ice sheet. And this is not surprising, because Greenland is located in close proximity to the North Pole, and it is washed by the waters of the Arctic and partially Atlantic Oceans. All this makes Greenland one of the most unusual, vibrant, majestic and beautiful places on our planet. The landscapes of the island are so beautiful that only few people can live there, because even in summer the air warms up to a temperature slightly above zero degrees. What can we say about winter, when frosts down to -50 Celsius are considered normal!

Still harsh weather do not stop tourists, and many come to the island to see with their own eyes majestic ice, to observe the unique wildlife of the harsh, but so beautiful Greenland. It is recommended to visit it in the summer, when, in addition to everything, you can also admire the white nights.

Here it is - the largest island in the world. But on our planet there are many other significant areas of land surrounded by water. They are also interesting, so we will continue to consider the largest islands of the Earth.

New Guinea

This is the second largest island (786 thousand square kilometers) in the world. Unlike Greenland, it is located entirely in the Pacific Ocean, in its western part. Accordingly, the climate here is completely different. Tropics, rich and diverse nature, warm and gentle sea - this is what New Guinea can offer travelers. Interestingly, this island ended up being divided by two countries, which is rare. One lot belongs papua new guinea, and the other - Indonesia.

Of course, each state would like to have the entire island at its disposal, but even half is not bad! Scientists consider New Guinea to be one of the last places on the planet that has not yet been fully explored. Not so long ago, an area later called New Eden was discovered on the island, with dozens of unknown or thought to be extinct plants and animals. And, most surprisingly, the inhabitants of the "Garden of Eden" were not at all afraid of people.

kalimantan

Of course, when describing the largest islands of the Earth, one cannot ignore this part of the land. Kalimantan has an area of ​​743.33 thousand square kilometers and, like New Guinea, is distinguished by the richness of nature and the beauty of landscapes. The island belongs to three states at once: Indonesia controls more than 70% of the territory, Malaysia owns almost the rest, and only a small area went to Brunei.

Since Kalimantan crosses the equator, the climate here is appropriate: hot and humid. Most of the area (over 80 percent) is occupied by rainforests where they live Now they have become more civilized and are happy to demonstrate their martial dances to tourists, as well as sell souvenirs.

Madagascar

After the release of the animated film of the same name, everyone probably knew about Madagascar. Since then, this large island, with an area of ​​587.041 thousand square kilometers, has become the dream of a large number of travelers. He spread out into Indian Ocean, and its main attraction and wealth are amazing inhabitants, most of which are endemic, that is, they are not found anywhere else. These are numerous lemurs, and chameleons, and giant fosses, and geckos, and bats, and turtles. Zoologists and botanists are simply thrilled to come here and discover more and more new species of representatives of fauna and flora. Well, for those who are not very interested in the flora and fauna, it will be more interesting to enjoy magnificent beaches Madagascar!

baffin land

The five largest islands in terms of area are closed by this inhospitable and cold part of the land, which belongs to 507.451 thousand square kilometers). The climate here is similar to that of Greenland, it is just as windy and frosty, but at the same time attractive and mesmerizing with its severity. In addition to a few residents, they also live here, and at least no one forbids thinking so! Baffin Island is known for its mountainous features: one of the highest cliffs in the world, Thor, and the mesas of Asgard.

Sumatra

It so happened that some of the largest islands of the Earth, if not entirely, then at least partially, belong to Indonesia. So Sumatra, which has an area of ​​473 thousand square kilometers, is controlled by this country. This island is almost equally divided by the equator, respectively, it is located in two hemispheres of our planet at once.

Sumatra is located in the western part of the Malay Archipelago and is part of the group of large Sunda Islands. Coastline here it is slightly indented, and not far from the coast there are coral reefs.

Great Britain

The area of ​​this piece of land, surrounded by water, is 229.848 thousand square kilometers. Like the other largest islands on Earth, Great Britain is very interesting to see. Scotland, England and Wales are located here. The coastline has a length of 966 kilometers from north to south, and the width of the island reaches 483 kilometers.

Honshu

This is the eighth largest island in the world (227.97 thousand square kilometers) and the largest in Japanese archipelago. It accounts for 60 percent of the area of ​​all of Japan. The relief here is mountainous, so there are many volcanoes. There is also the permanent symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun - Mount Fuji.

There are countless islands in the world. They differ from each other geographic location relatively, methods of formation and sizes. On insular territories account for 6% of the Earth's land area. No matter how large the islands are, they are significantly smaller than the smallest mainland. This article provides a list and short description ten largest islands of the planet in ascending order of area.

10 Ellesmere

Area 196,235 km². The island is located in northern Canada. The length is 830 km, the width is 645 km. The origin of Ellesmere is continental, it lies on the Canadian Geological Shield. Most of The island is covered with glaciers, in the northern part is located Hazen. The vegetation is dominated by mosses and lichens, trees and shrubs are absent. The animal world is represented by polar hares, deer Caribou Piri. In summer, many birds nest on the island. The population does not exceed two hundred people. The island belongs to Canada.

9. UK

Area 209,331 km². The island is located in the northeast Atlantic, it has mainland origin. woodlands occupy one tenth of the territory. Most often there are pine and birch forests. Now 56 species of mammals live on the island. The territory belongs to the state of Great Britain, and is inhabited mainly by the British, Scots, Irish and Welsh.

8. Victoria

Area 217,291 km². Like Ellesmere, Victoria is in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The length of the island is 700 km, and the width varies from 564 to 623 km. By origin, Victoria is a mainland island. The flora is scarce due to harsh climatic conditions. You can find mosses, lichens, non-flowering plants. Victoria is home to polar bears, arctic foxes, musk oxen. Seabirds nest on the coast. The population is represented by the Eskimos; Anglo-Canadians and French-Canadians serve at the border outpost. The island belongs to Canada.

7. Honshu

Area 225,800 km². Honshu is one of four major island Japan. The length is 1300 km, the width varies from 50 to 230 km. The island was formed thanks to the activities underwater volcanoes. The flora of subtropical forests grows on Honshu: pine, cypress, arborvitae, oak. In the northern part you can see maple, linden, elm, ash. The small composition of the animal world is explained by the isolation of the island from the continent. Honshu is inhabited by brown bears, raccoon dogs, wild boars, badgers, and foxes. The population is over one hundred million people. The island belongs to Japan.

6. Sumatra

Area 473,481 km². The island is located in Western Indonesia, it is part of Malay archipelago. It is 1790 km long and 435 km wide. Sumatra is an oceanic island in origin. Due to the humid climate, tropical forests predominate. They grow oak, laurel, chestnut, ficus and palm. The animal world is very diverse. There are 196 species of mammals, 250 species of reptiles. The territory is densely populated, Indonesians, Thais, Chinese, Vietnamese live here. Sumatra belongs to Indonesia.

5. Baffin land

Area 507,451 km². The territory is located in northern Canada. Like other islands in the Canadian Archipelago, Baffin Island is of continental origin. Due to the cold climate, the flora is quite scarce. The animal world is represented by seals, walruses, arctic foxes, lemmings, reindeer and polar bears. The territory belongs to Canada. Most of the population are Eskimos. Anglo-Canadians and French-Canadians come to watch.

4. Madagascar

Area 587,041 km². The territory is located at southeast coast Africa. The length exceeds 1500 km, the width is 400 km. The island is of continental origin. Millions of years ago, Madagascar separated from the continent of Gondwana. Here reigns tropical climate. The island has preserved unique representatives of flora and fauna. The symbols of Madagascar are baobabs, fire trees, pandanuses. Lemurs are considered the most recognizable animals of the island. The entire territory of the island is under the control of the Republic of Madagascar. Most of the population is Malagasy.

3. Kalimantan

Area 743,330 km². The island is located in the eastern part Pacific Ocean. The length is approximately 1100 km. Kalimantan was formed as a result of the movement of the continents, and has a continental origin. The average annual temperature is +26°C. The island has high humidity, it often rains. These conditions made it possible for numerous plants to develop. There are 2000 species of trees and palms here. Rhinos, elephants, tapirs live on the island. Unique animals are flying dogs, dwarf anoa bulls, Malay bears. The world of birds and reptiles is diverse. Kalimantan is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. More than three hundred ethnic groups live on the island.

2. New Guinea

Area 785,753 km². The island is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. The length exceeds 1600 km, and maximum width is about 700 km. New Guinea is of continental origin. The island is dominated by evergreen savannas. They grow ficus, bamboo, mango, breadfruit. New Guinea has a lot of reptiles, crocodiles, chameleons, alligators. The world of mammals has 180 species, most of them are. The island is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Most of the population are Papuans.

1. Greenland

Area 2,130,800 km². Greenland is located in the northeast of, and is the largest island on Earth. The island is 2600 km long and 1200 km wide. The island is of continental origin. The subarctic climate passes on the coasts to the sea. In the south you can see dwarf birch, mountain ash and willow. Closer to the north, the surface is covered with mosses and lichens. Musk musk ox is isolated from animals, polar bear, polar wolf, arctic fox. On the coasts, walruses and harp seals haul out. Bird markets are arranged by eiders and gulls. The island belongs to Denmark. The population, represented by the Greenlandic Eskimos, lives on the western coast.

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The largest island in the world is Greenland. This conclusion was unanimously reached by all researchers and scientists, as a result of numerous expeditions and analysis of available data. By a strange coincidence, the island of the largest area, less than half populated. The thing is that the territory of Greenland is 80 - 85% covered with eternal ice, the thickness of which reaches several kilometers. The spacious territory allows villages and cities to be located here at a significant distance. The most interesting thing is that between settlements completely missing any transport system. There are no railroad tracks or highways.

Despite the rather cold climate and the monotony of the surrounding landscape, the largest island is very popular with tourists. They come here to get vivid impressions, to see the stunningly beautiful " northern lights and long white nights.

The most common occupation of local residents is fishing, its processing and sale. This remains the main activity of the entire (almost 60,000 population). In addition to fish, on the island a large number of polar predators. There are plants that are not afraid of the cold.

Temperature fluctuations on the island are quite significant. At the height of summer it is +10 degrees, and in winter it can be minus 45. Large reserves of oil and gas are hidden under the ice. IN Lately are actively involved in their development.

The largest island in the world belongs to Denmark and is washed by the oceans on both sides - the Atlantic and the Arctic. The capital of Greenland is the city of Nuuk, which is also the largest on the island, which is also autonomous region Denmark.

It is believed that Greenland is the final point of any round-the-world tour. Experienced travelers they say that those who have not been to Greenland have not seen anything interesting. After all, every self-respecting tourist is obliged to conquer the cold, but at the same time beautiful island. Another interesting fact it is believed that the literal translation of the word Greenland is “ green earth”, but in fact there is practically no greenery there.

The next largest island in size rightfully occupies the Pacific New Guinea. Its popularity among tourists has won a warm climate, rich colors and rich flora and fauna. Dendrologists, ornithologists and entomologists have been studying the animals and plants of the island for years. However, every year more and more new representatives of flora and fauna appear on the largest island.

New Guinea was discovered in the 16th century, but until 1871 it was practically not visited. The inhabitants of the island had a reputation as cannibals, and there were no people who wanted to visit this green kingdom. Only in 1871, thanks to the efforts of the Russian scientist Miklouho-Maclay, did the attitude towards the islanders change.

It is worth bearing in mind that the inhabitants of this island are of various nationalities. Even the fact that at present the large island constantly meets tourists, tribes live in its depths that have never encountered fair-skinned people. By the way, the Papuans consider white people dangerous. That is why, tourist trip can be filled with real adrenaline.

Green Kalimantan

The third largest island in the world is Kalimantan. It is also known as Borneo. Its territory also has a uniform coverage, but, unlike Greenland, these are green forests and tropics. Centennial, majestic trees adorn the entire island. This makes it possible to develop the forestry and woodworking industries. In addition, the island has serious deposits of oil and gas. All this makes a significant financial contribution to the three states between which its territory is divided. Another profitable industry here is the long-term mining of diamonds, which are quite numerous on the island. This direction made it possible to call Borneo the "diamond river".
Animal and vegetable world very varied here. It is on Kalimantan that one of the most beautiful plants grows - the black orchid.

The predominant part of the inhabitants of the island are Chinese, Malaysians and Aborigines (who live according to the customs of their ancestors). In general, residents are quite positive about tourists and show themselves to be hospitable hosts.

Madagascar is a holiday paradise

Biggest tourist island- Madagascar. Its population is over 20 million people. Geographically, it is located in eastern Africa, located in the tropical zone, has a warm climate. The island is famous for its breathtaking sunsets. There are also several dozen small but very beautiful waterfalls.

locals call their native home"boar island" or "red". last name associated with the color of the soil. Its fauna is very diverse. Many rare exotic animals and insects live there. It is a paradise for scientists and explorers. In the tropics of Madagascar, a rare species of spiders lives, from the webs of which various items of clothing are woven.

The inhabitants of Madagascar are engaged in hunting and fishing. Animal meat is eaten, but turtles are especially preferred. From her turtle meat, extraordinary dishes have become the pride of the local cuisine.

Baffin Island - rugged beauty

Baffin Island is the largest Canadian island in the world. A huge area, more than 500,000 square kilometers and very few people living here (about 12 thousand people). This situation is connected with the fact that the island is located in the Arctic Ocean and has a rather cold climate. You can get here only by air, and you can only engage in hunting or fishing there. There are many on the island fresh lakes, some of which are quite large.

severe climatic conditions do not affect the fact that the island is visited by tourists. The locals managed to create everything the necessary conditions For extreme tourism. In addition, there are a certain number of people who want to celebrate a wedding or other celebration in such unusual conditions.
This largest and cold island peace on its territory historical park. It contains various household items of all tribes and peoples living in a harsh area.

Each island has a number of advantages and features. Some have a hot climate beautiful beaches and the purest ocean water, and on others stunning wildlife and rare natural phenomena. It is impossible to say which of the islands is better. All of them are big, mysterious and bewitching. The same applies to the population. On all the islands, the indigenous people have their own cultural characteristics, interesting traditions and customs.