Some facts about important island of the world - Study Notes

What is Island?

An island can be defined as a piece of land that is surrounded by water. An island in a lake or river may be called an eyot or holm. A group of geologically or geographically related islands is called an archipelago.

Here are some facts about important island of the world

Greenland: The largest island in the world, lying to the northeast of North America and mostly within the Arctic Circle. Its total population is about 60,000. Its capital is Nuuk (Godithab). It was discovered and named by the Norse explorer Eric the Red in 986 A.D. and settled in coastal pockets by Norse colonies. Only five per cent of its area is habitable. The economy of Greenland is largely based on inshore and deep-water fishing.

New Guinea: New Guinea, the second largest island of the world is an island of the east Malay Archipelago to the north of Australia. It is divided between the independent state of Papua-New Guinea in the east and the Indonesian province of West Irian in the west.

Kalimantan: A region of Indonesia, comprising the southern part of the island of Borneo. It comprises of the Saba province of Malaysia, the country of Brunei and the Kalimantan province of Indonesia.

Madagascar: The fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar, lies in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa from which it is separated by the Mozambique Channel. Antananarivo is its capital. Rich in mica, graphite, and chromite, its chief exports include vanilla, coffee, clove and sugar.

Baffin: This is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest in the world. It is situated at the mouth of Hudson Bay. The western part largely remain covered with ice with extensive glaciers. Coastal fishing stations include Frobisher Bay, Cape Dyer, and Cane Dorset.

Sumatra: It is the seventh largest island of the world, separated from the Malaya Peninsula by the Strait of Malacca. Its largest city and port is Medan. It produces rubber and timber for export and its oil and other minerals provide three-quarters of Indonesian's income.

Honshu: It is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya are situated in this island. The highest mountain of Japan (Mt. Fuji - 3776 m), and the largest Lake Biwa lie on this island.

Great Britain (Britain): England, Wales, and Scotland considered as a unit is known as Great Britain. The name is also often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom.