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This list includes all islands in the world larger than 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi). For size and location reference, the four continental landmasses are also shown.
Continental landmasses are not usually 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. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this list, mainland Australia along with the other major landmasses have been listed as continental landmasses for comparison. The figures are approximations and are for the four major continental landmasses only.[Note 2] The artificial Panama and Suez canals are disregarded, as they are not natural waters that separate the continents.
| Rank | Continental landmass[Note 3] | Area | Nation(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (sq mi) | ||||
| 1 | Afro-Eurasia | 79,810,726[Note 4] | 30,815,094 |
126 countries |
48 countries on mainland Africa[Note 5] and 78 countries on mainland Eurasia (38 countries on continental Asia[Note 6] and 40 countries on continental Europe[Note 7]). Two states on mainland Africa and four states on mainland Eurasia (two states on continental Asia[Note 8] and two states on continental Europe). |
| 2 | Americas | 37,699,623[Note 9] | 14,555,906 |
22 countries |
Ten countries on mainland North America[Note 10] and twelve countries on mainland South America. An overseas department and region of France, located on mainland South America. |
| 3 | Antarctica | 12,272,800[Note 11] | 4,738,600 | None | Seven countries have made eight territorial claims. All territorial claims in Antarctica are in abeyance under the Antarctic Treaty System. 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.[5] 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,[6] although this would in part be counteracted, and in some areas of the continent overtaken, by eustatic rises in sea level.[7] |
| 4 | Australia | 7,591,608[Note 12] | 2,931,136 | Australia | Mainland Australia is more than three times the size of Greenland, the largest island.[9] Australia is sometimes dubbed "The Island Continent" or "Earth's largest island, but its smallest continent".[10] |
| Rank | Island | Area[11] | Nation(s) | Subnational divisions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (sq mi) | |||||
| 1 | Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) (main island) | 2,130,800[12] | 822,700 | Danish Realm (Kingdom of Denmark) | Greenland | The largest island in the world.[9] |
| 2 | New Guinea | 785,753[13] | 303,381 | Indonesia Papua New Guinea | Papua and Central, Highland, South, West, and Southwest Papua Highlands, Momase, and Southern regions | |
| 3 | Borneo | 748,168 | 288,869 | Brunei Indonesia Malaysia | — Central, East, North, South, and West Kalimantan Sabah and Sarawak | The largest island in Asia. The only island shared by three UN member states. |
| 4 | Madagascar (main island) | 587,041[14] | 226,658 | Madagascar | The largest island in Africa. | |
| 5 | Baffin Island | 507,451[15] | 195,928 | Canada | Nunavut | The largest island in the Arctic Archipelago. |
| 6 | Sumatra | 443,065 | 171,068 | Indonesia | Aceh, Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, Riau, North, South, and West Sumatra | |
| 7 | Honshu | 227,938[16] | 88,007 | Japan | Chūbu, Chūgoku, Kansai, Kantō, and Tōhoku regions | |
| 8 | Victoria Island | 217,291[15] | 83,897 | Canada | Northwest Territories and Nunavut | |
| 9 | Great Britain | 209,331 | 80,823 | United Kingdom | England, Scotland, and Wales | The largest island in Europe. |
| 10 | Ellesmere Island | 196,236[15] | 75,767 | Canada | Nunavut | |
| 11 | Sulawesi | 180,681 | 69,761 | Indonesia | Gorontalo, Central, North, South, Southeast, and West Sulawesi | |
| 12 | South Island (Te Waipounamu) | 145,836 | 56,308 | New Zealand | Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, Otago, Southland, Tasman, and the West Coast | The largest island in Polynesia. |
| 13 | Java | 138,794 | 53,589 | Indonesia | Banten, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Central, East, and West Java | The most populous island. |
| 14 | North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) | 111,583 | 43,082 | New Zealand | Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Northland, Taranaki, Waikato, and Wellington regions | |
| 15 | Luzon (main island) | 109,965 | 42,458 | Philippines | Bicol, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Cordillera, Ilocos, and Metro Manila | |
| 16 | Newfoundland | 108,860[15] | 42,030 | Canada | Newfoundland and Labrador | |
| 17 | Cuba (main island) | 105,806 | 40,852 | Cuba | The largest island in the Caribbean. | |
| 18 | Iceland (main island) | 101,826 | 39,315 | Iceland | The largest volcanic island in the world. | |
 |
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| Rank | Island | Area[11] | Nation(s) | Subnational divisions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (sq mi) | |||||
| — | Smyley Island | 3,287 | 1,269 | Antarctica | Antarctic territorial claims by Chile and United Kingdom. It is 61 km (38 mi) long and between 13 and 34 km (8.1 and 21.1 mi) wide.[45] | |
| — | Fletcher Island | 1,580 | 610 | Antarctica | Antarctic territorial claims by Australia. Island has a diameter of 0.40 km (0.25 mi).[46] | |
| — | Charcot Island | 1,500 | 580 | Antarctica | Antarctic territorial claims by Chile and United Kingdom. Island is 48 by 40 km (30 by 25 mi).[47] | |
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