Instead of presenting you with the world’s largest islands by land area, today we take a look into the 11 Largest Islands in the World by Population. Some of us may think of islands as tiny specks on the world map, with white sandy beaches, a few inhabitants and a rural vibe. In contrast to the 10 Most Remote Inhabited Islands in the World, most of the islands in this list will be huge, hosting millions of people and a variety of flora and fauna.
There may be correlation between the largest islands in the world by land area and the largest in the world by population, as most of the entries in this list have 20 largest islands in the world by land area. It makes sense as for you to have a large number of inhabitants, you would also need a large area, and with it a suitable ecosystem, environment and abundant natural resources. These three things may have been the ones responsible for the huge number of people living in these islands.
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Rank for each island was determined by computing the estimated population for 2014. Most of the countries on this list have 2010 as their recent census, thus the population estimates in this list were either obtained from different government agency websites of manually computed based on the 2010 population census and the annual population growth rate. Sources of data for 2010 population came mostly from Wikipedia, with additional information such as population growth percent coming from each country’s census bureau. CityPopulation was also used for individual region populations. For some entries with adjacent islands, the population of the islands was subtracted from the general population to some up with a more accurate number. Australia was not included in this list as it is generally agreed upon that Australia is a continent.
With that said, let us take a closer look at the 11 largest islands in the world by population.
11. Sri Lanka
Population: 20,860,000
This teardrop-shaped island is also the name of the country that governs it and is just in the South of India. A land bridge was used to connect the island to the Indian Subcontinent until the 15th century, but rising water levels and numerous strong cyclones deepened the channel.
10. Borneo
Population: 21,258,000
The largest island in Asia and the 3rd largest in the world, Borneo consists of 3 countries: Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. Before the end of the last Ice Age, Borneo was connected to mainland Asia, and with the islands of Java and Sumatra, formed the highlands of a peninsula. The island also has an extensive cave system, and the Borneo forest is one of the oldest at roughly 140 million years old.
9. Hispaniola
Population: 21,396,000
The second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba, Hispaniola’s name comes from the Spanish word La Isla Espanola, which means “Spanish Island”, and was named by Christopher Columbus when he settled on the islands in 1492, making it the first European settlement in the Americas. Today, the island is divided between two nations: The Dominican Republic in the east and Haiti in the west.
8. Madagascar
Population: 22,434,000
Madagascar is an island country off the Southeastern coast of Africa, and is the fourth-largest island in the world. The island was previously connected with India but separated at around 88 million years ago. This long period of isolation has allowed different plants and animals to evolve in the island. It has been estimated that up to 90% of the plants and animals in Madagascar are found nowhere else in the world, with lemurs as its most distinct fauna.
7. Mindanao
Population: 22,771,300
Home to the boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines. It measures 104,630 square kilometers, and is larger than around 120 countries. Although the general terrain is mountainous, it is considered that the Philippines’ food basket as a majority of the agricultural commodities exported by the country is grown in the island. It is also home to the country’s highest peak, Mt. Apo, at 2910 meters.
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6. Taiwan
Population: 23,176.524
Controlled and governed by the Republic of China since the end of the Chinese civil war, Taiwan has grown into one of the most populous islands in the world. Unlike the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan has a multi-party democracy as its political system. Its ties with the former had been strained ever since the end of the Chinese civil war when the Chinese nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek lost and relocated its government to the island. Its international status as a sovereign state is currently recognized by only 21 UN-member states.
5. Sumatra
Population: 50,826,215
An elongated island, Sumatra is 1709 km long and is the 6th largest island in the world. Being a border of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Sumatra has a number of volcanoes, mostly located in the Great Sumatran fault which runs along the western portion of the whole island. The island is also the biggest producer of Indonesian coffee, producing mostly Arabica and Robusta beans.
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4. Luzon
Population: 51,966,519
Another island of the Philippines, Luzon is the 15th largest island in the world, and is home to more than half of the country’s population. It is home to the country’s capital, Manila and where most of the economic and industrial activity is located. It is also home to one of the most perfectly shaped volcanoes in the world, Mt. Mayon.
3. Great Britain
Population: 62,700,000
The largest island in Europe and the 9th largest in the world, Great Britain is actually composed of three countries: England, Scotland and Wales. The island makes up most of the United Kingdom and with Northern Ireland, these countries are better known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the United Kingdom for short. Its name actually comes from the work of Ptolemy, wherein he described Ireland as Little Britain and its neighbor Great Britain.
2. Honshu
Population: 103,320,209
Roughly the size of Great Britain, Honshu is the largest and most populous island in Japan. The island is mostly mountainous, so most of the island’s inhabitants reside in the lowlands. A number of Japan’s important cities are located on this island such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Kobe, to name a few. The island also experiences a numerous earthquakes, the last of which occurred in 2011 and caused destruction not only in Japan but also in countries hit by the resulting tsunami.
1. Java
Population: 139,448,718
Although it is only the 13th largest island in the world, Java is home to 139 million people, making it the most populous island on earth. Also forming a border of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Java was formed from numerous volcanic eruptions over millions of years, and is thus home to a number of volcanoes, the most active of which is Mount Merapi. It is also where the first coffee beans in Indonesia were grown, and where the country’s capital, Jakarta, is located.
