Maarg Manthan · Topic 15.7

Major Islands and Peninsulas of the World

Geography › World Physical and Regional Geography · Topic 15.7

Islands are land masses smaller than a continent that are surrounded by water, and peninsulas are land masses surrounded by water on three sides. Greenland is the largest island of the world, with about 2.16 million sq km, followed by New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar and Baffin Island. The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula, with about 3.2 million sq km, followed by Southeast Asia's Indo-China, the Indian peninsula, the Iberian and the Scandinavian peninsulas.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · World Physical and Regional Geography

At a Glance

Largest island Greenland, about 2.16 million sq km
Largest peninsula Arabian, about 3.2 million sq km
Island shared by 3 countries Borneo
Island shared by 2 countries New Guinea
African island Madagascar
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: World Physical and Regional Geography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the important canals and covers the land-water shapes along coasts. It uses the coastal landforms in Coastal Depositional Landforms: Beaches, Dunes, Bars, Barriers, Spits and plate movement in Plate Tectonics: Major and Minor Lithospheric Plates as its base, and it links with Indian islands in Coastal Plains, Coral Reefs and Islands of India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep). Previous topic: Red Sea, opened 1869 Panama Atlantic to Pacific, opened 1914 Kiel North Sea to Baltic, opened…">Important Canals of the World (Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Kiel Canal). Next topic: World’s Major Physiographic and Natural Regions.

Which Are the Largest Islands of the World?

Island	Location	Area (approx.)	Notes
Greenland	North Atlantic and Arctic, an autonomous territory of Denmark	2.16 million sq km	Mostly covered by an ice sheet; population on the coast
New Guinea	South-west Pacific; Indonesia (west) and Papua New Guinea (east)	About 786,000 sq km	Mountainous; second largest island
Borneo	South-east Asia; Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei	About 743,000 sq km	Equatorial rainforest, oil and orangutans
Madagascar	Indian Ocean off south-east Africa	About 587,000 sq km	Many unique species, such as lemurs
Baffin Island	Arctic Canada	About 507,000 sq km	Largest island of Canada
Sumatra	Indonesia, western end of the archipelago	About 443,000 sq km	Volcanic; palm oil, coal and the Strait of Malacca coast
Honshu and Great Britain	Japan; United Kingdom	About 227,000 sq km; about 209,000 sq km	Densely populated, industrial islands

Islands are of several types. Continental islands, such as Great Britain and Madagascar, were once part of a continent. Oceanic islands, such as Hawaii and Iceland, rise from the sea floor by volcanic action. Coral islands and atolls, such as the Maldives, are built by coral polyps (see Minor Relief Features: Mid-Oceanic Ridges, Seamounts, Submarine Canyons, Guyots, Atolls). Australia is considered a continent, not an island, because of its size.

Which Are the Major Peninsulas and Why Are They Important?

Peninsula	Location and countries	Features
Arabian	South-west Asia; Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain	Largest peninsula; about 3.2 million sq km; desert with the world’s largest oil reserves; bounded by the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf
Indian	South Asia	Triangular peninsula between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal; Deccan plateau
Indo-China	South-east Asia; Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia	Rivers such as the Mekong and Irrawaddy; rice and monsoon climate
Scandinavian	Northern Europe; Norway, Sweden and part of Finland	Fjords, forests, hydropower and iron ore
Iberian	South-west Europe; Spain and Portugal	Meseta plateau; Mediterranean climate; cork and olives
Others	Italian, Balkan, Korean, Kamchatka, Labrador, Yucatan, Florida, Anatolia and Alaska peninsulas	Italy is boot-shaped; Korea is between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan; Anatolia forms most of Turkey

Peninsulas are surrounded on three sides by water, so they have long coastlines, good access to the sea and a maritime influence on climate. Many of them, such as the Arabian and Indian peninsulas, are bounded by gulfs and bays discussed in Major Gulfs, Bays and Seas of the World.

How Should They Be Learned?

Ranks: remember the first five islands in order: Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar and Baffin Island.
Shared islands: Borneo is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, and New Guinea by Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Hispaniola is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Ireland by Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Origin: separate continental, volcanic and coral islands; most peninsulas are formed by fault, drowning or folding.
Resources and strategy: Arabian oil, Iberian minerals, Scandinavian hydropower, and the Strait of Malacca coast of Sumatra, which links to Important Straits of the World (Strait of Malacca, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Gibraltar, Bering Strait, Bosphorus).

Areas are approximate and exclude smaller offshore islands.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Ranking Largest island and peninsula
Origin Continental, volcanic, coral
Link Gulfs, seas and straits

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the major physiographic and natural regions of the world. Next topic: World’s Major Physiographic and Natural Regions.

Key People and Terms

Peninsula Land with water on three sides
Continental island Island on a continental shelf
Oceanic island Island rising from the sea floor
Atoll Ring-shaped coral island
Archipelago Group of islands
Isthmus Narrow land strip between larger lands

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Greenland is the largest island.
The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula.
Borneo is shared by three countries.
Madagascar is the largest island of Africa.
Australia is a continent, not an island.

Do Not Confuse With

Island and peninsula Water on all sides versus three sides
Greenland and Australia Largest island versus smallest continent
Scandinavia and Denmark Peninsula versus part of Jutland peninsula

Memory Hook

Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, then Madagascar and Baffin: the five biggest, one after another in a row.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for island types and the role of peninsulas. These points add depth.

Types Continental, oceanic, coral
Location Strategic and trade value
Climate Maritime influence

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Describe the major types of islands with examples and discuss the geographical advantages and strategic significance of peninsulas.”

How to Answer

Define Island and peninsula.
Types Continental, oceanic, coral.
Examples Greenland, Iceland, Maldives.
Significance Coast, trade, resources.

GS Relevance

Prelims: largest islands and peninsulas, location and countries; map-based questions. GS Paper 1: world physical geography.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest island in the world?

Greenland is the largest island in the world, with an area of about 2.16 million square kilometres. It lies between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and is covered mostly by an ice sheet, so its people live along the ice-free coast.

What is the largest peninsula in the world?

The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world, with an area of about 3.2 million square kilometres. It lies in south-west Asia between the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and holds Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the UAE and other countries with large oil reserves.

Which island is shared by three countries?

Borneo is shared by three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. With an area of about 743,000 square kilometres it is the third largest island in the world and is covered by equatorial rainforest. New Guinea, the second largest, is shared by two countries.

What is the difference between a peninsula and an island?

A peninsula is a land mass surrounded by water on three sides and joined to the mainland on the fourth, as with the Indian, Arabian and Iberian peninsulas. An island is a land mass smaller than a continent that is surrounded by water on all sides.

Is Australia an island?

Australia is treated as the smallest continent and not as an island, because of its great size of about 7.7 million square kilometres. Greenland, with about 2.16 million square kilometres, is the largest island, and the line between island and continent is drawn by size and convention.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Madagascar is the largest island of Africa.

True

It lies off the south-east coast in the Indian Ocean.

2 Borneo is shared by India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

False

It is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

3 The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.