worlds biggest islands

Sulawesi, an Indonesian island east of Borneo, comprises 4 peninsulas radiating from a mountainous center. It s known for its coral reefs and famed dive sites, such as Bunaken Marine Park, the Togian Islands and Wakatobi Marine Park. Lembeh Strait is popular for muck diving. The islands largest city is Makassar, home to Fort Rotterdam, a former Dutch fortification now housing 2 museums.

New Zealand s South Island is renowned for its mountains, lakes and glaciers, ski fields and hiking trails. Divided by the Southern Alps mountain range, it s home to Aoraki Mt. Cook and several national parks. Eastern Christchurch is a garden city recovering after earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The TranzAlpine scenic railway crosses the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth.

Java, lying between Sumatra and Bali, is a volcanostudded island that s at the geographic and economic center of Indonesia, and home to more than half its people. Java s largest city is modern, sprawling Jakarta, the nation s capital. Its home to the expansive National Museum, an old town, Kota Tua, with Dutch colonial buildings, as well as upscale hotels, malls and nightspots.

North Island is one of New Zealand s 2 main islands, known for its volcanic activity, national parks and cosmopolitan cities. Its home to about threequarters of New Zealand s population. Harbourside capital Wellington, home to the Te Papa national museum, is at its southern tip. Northern Auckland has 2 major harbours and is known as the City of Sails.

Newfoundland and Labrador form the most easterly province of Canada. On Newfoundland island, the medieval Norse archaeological site LAnse aux Meadows is famous as the reputed settlement of Viking explorer Leif Erikson. Gros Morne National Park, on the Gulf of St Lawrence, has dramatic cliffs, waterfalls and glacial fjords. Hilly capital St. John s, in the southeast, is known for 17thcentury Signal Hill citadel.

Cuba, a large Caribbean island nation under communist rule, is known for its whitesand beaches, rolling mountains, cigars and rum. Its colorful capital, Havana, features wellpreserved Spanish colonial architecture within its 16thcentury core, Old Havana, loomed over by the prerevolutionary Capitolio. Salsa emanates from the citys dance clubs and cabaret shows are performed at the famed Tropicana.

Luzon sits at the northern end of the Philippines, and is the country s largest and most populous island. It s known for its mountains, beaches, reefs and scuba diving, and is home to Manila, the sprawling Philippine capital. Set on a deep bay with famed sunsets, the city offers Spanishcolonial landmarks, national memorials and monuments, a centuriesold Chinatown and a diversity of museums.

Iceland, a Nordic island nation, is defined by its dramatic volcanic landscape of geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, glaciers and blacksand beaches. The capital, Reykjavik, home to the majority of the population, runs on geothermal power and offers a renowned nightlife scene as well as Viking history museums. The glaciers in Vatnajkull and Sn

Mindanao is the second largest and southernmost major island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, consisting of the island of Mindanao and smaller outlying islands.

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St Georges Channel.