Biggest Island
It is not easy to identify the biggest island in the world. There is no agreement as to when a landmass can be considered an island or a continent. This guide will include the continental landmasses for comparison purposes.
Continental Landmasses
The biggest would be Afro-Eurasia at 84,400,000 km or 32, 500,000 sq mi. Next would be the Americas with a total area of 42,300,000 sq km or 16,400,000 sq mi. The third is Antarctica at 13,000,000 sq km / 5,000,000 sq mi.
The fourth biggest is Australia, 7,600,000 sq km or 2,900,000 sq mi. Note: Australia is three times the size of Greenland. However, it is generally regarded as a continent.
Islands Bigger than 250,000 Sq Km
Excluding the continental landmasses, the biggest island in the world is Greenland. It measures 2,130,800 sq km / 822,706 sq mi. Next is Papua New Guinea 785,753 sq km / 303,381 sq mi. The third biggest is Borneo 748,168 sq km / 288,869 sq mi.
The fourth biggest is Madagascar at 587,713 sq km or 226,917 sq mi and the fifth is Baffin Island with an area of 507,451 sq km or 195,928 sq mi. Sumatra is the sixth largest at 443,066 sq km / 171,206 sq mi.
At number 7 is Honshu at 225,800 sq km or 87,182 sq mi. Victoria Island is at number eight with an area of 209,331 sq km 80,823 sq mi. Great Britain is the ninth largest island with an area of 209,331 sq km or 80,823 sq mi. Rounding off the top ten is Ellesmere Island with an area of 196,236 sq km of 75,767 sq mi.
The eleventh largest island is Sulawesi which has an area of 180,681 sq km or 69,761 sq mi. The twelfth biggest is South Island with an area of 145,836 sq km or 56,308 sq mi.
Java Island is at number 13 with an area of 138,794 sq km or 53,589 sq mi. At number 14 is North Island which has an area of 111,583 sq km or 43,082 sq mi. Luzon is the fifteenth biggest at 109,965 sq km or 42,458 sq mi.
Notes
If Australia is regarded as an island and not a continent, it would be the largest island, not Greenland. If the ice on Antarctica is regarded as water, it cannot be regarded as a one landmass.
The figures given for the biggest islands in the world are approximates only. However, their ranking as listed will not be affected even if the more precise figures are used.
