World Facts

Which Are The Island Countries Of The World?

Indonesia, an archipelago in Southeast Asia, is the biggest island nation both by population and by the size of land area.

Indonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia and it is the biggest island nation both by population and by the size of the land area. Throughout history, island nations have been vulnerable to the rivalry between nations, maritime greed, as well as political upheaval. Due to their position, island countries have had to depend on sea and air lines of communication rendering them susceptible to invasion from larger mainland countries. Most of the island countries are small in size and are home to relatively low populations.

What Is An Island Nation?

An island by definition refers to a land mass surrounded by water. An island nation denotes an independent state consisting of one or more islands. An island country does not border other countries except where they control their islands with other countries as in the case of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and are therefore not borderless. Some island countries including Madagascar govern one or more islands and are thus described as borderless. An island country can cover an archipelago such as in the case of the Philippines.

Indonesia: The Biggest Island Nation By Size And Population

Indonesia is situated in Southeast Asia, strategically between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The island country stretches for 1,760 km from north to south and 5,120 km from east to west. The number of islands making up the archipelago has been estimated to be over 18,000. There are five major islands namely Sulawesi, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, and Sumatra and two primary archipelagos: The Maluku Islands and Nusa Tenggara as well as sixty smaller archipelagos. Some of the islands are shared with other countries including Borneo (Brunei and Malaysia), Timor (East Timor), and New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). The country’s land area totals to 1,904,569 Km2, with a population of 255,461,700. Java is the most populated island in the archipelago as well as in the world.

Does Australia Deserve A Position On The List?

Australia’s geographical characteristics render it a continent rather than an island nation. Its large land mass, calculated at 7,692,024 km2, automatically makes it a continent. Australia has its tectonic plate known as the Australian Plate, one of the criteria required by a region garnering for continental status. Other criteria that Australia meets are having its unique flora and fauna, cultural uniqueness, and a significant population which believes it is a continent.

Privileges Enjoyed By Island Nations

The unique locations of island nations enable them to bank lucratively on tourism. The states have stretches of coastlines, tropical climates, and historical and cultural significance which are some of the factors that drive tourism. The nations are also strategically located for maritime trade as their economies mostly rely on imports and exports. Most of these nations boast numerous natural resources such as fisheries, arable land, minerals, and forestry.

Global Warming: How Can It Affect Island Countries?

The geographical location of island nations makes them particularly susceptible to the effects of global warming. The rising sea level is threatening to submerge the nations. Other adverse effects which have been witnessed in the countries include typhoons, cyclones, tides, floods, and droughts which have had a devastating effect on people’s lives, infrastructure, and vegetation.

Which Are The Island Countries Of The World?

Rank Name Population Area (km²)
1 Indonesia 255,461,700 1,904,569
2 Madagascar 20,653,556 587,041
3 Papua New Guinea 6,732,000 462,840
4 Japan 127,433,494 377,873
5 Philippines 101,398,120 300,000
6 New Zealand 4,691,194 268,680
7 United Kingdom 60,587,300 244,820
8 Cuba 11,245,629 109,884
9 Iceland 316,252 103,000
10 Republic of Ireland 4,588,252 70,273
11 Sri Lanka 20,277,597 65,610
12 Dominican Republic 10,652,000 48,442
13 Solomon Islands 523,000 28,400
14 Haiti 9,700,000 27,750
15 Fiji 859,178 18,274
16 East Timor 1,212,107 14,874
17 Bahamas 392,000 13,878
18 Vanuatu 243,304 12,190
19 Jamaica 2,847,232 10,991
20 Cyprus 858,000 9,251
21 Brunei 393,372 5,765
22 Trinidad and Tobago 1,299,953 5,131
23 Cape Verde 518,467 4,033
24 Samoa 179,000 2,831
25 Comoros 784,745 2,235
26 Mauritius 1,244,663 2,040
27 São Tomé and Príncipe 163,000 1,001
28 Kiribati 98,000 811
29 Dominica 71,293 754
30 Bahrain 1,316,500 750
31 Tonga 104,000 748
32 Singapore 5,469,700 718.3
33 Federated States of Micronesia 101,351 702
34 Saint Lucia 173,765 616
35 Palau 20,000 459
36 Seychelles 87,500 455
37 Antigua and Barbuda 86,295 440
38 Barbados 285,000 430
39 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 120,000 389
40 Grenada 110,000 344
41 Malta 404,500 316
42 Maldives 329,198 298
43 Saint Kitts and Nevis 51,300 261
44 Marshall Islands 62,000 181
45 Tuvalu 12,373 26
46 Nauru 13,635 21

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