The Largest Islands in Asia

What is the largest island in Asia? The Largest Islands in Asia include Borneo, Sumatra, and Honshu. Among them, Borneo is considered to be Asia's biggest island, which is the third-largest island in the world. Let's read on to know more about these three islands, or you can contact us to know more about Asia's islands.

Borneo

• Area: 743,330 km²
• Highest Elevation: 4,095 m
• Countries: Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

Borneo is the only island in the world to be politically administered by three countries at a time, which is divided among Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Covering a total area of 743,330 km², Borneo is the largest island in Asia and the third-largest island in the world. There are almost 73% of the island belongs to Indonesia, and the part in Indonesia is called Kalimantan Island.

Borneo is located in the southern part of the Eurasian Plate so that its geology is relatively stable, and the seismic zones are mainly on the south coast. The middle of the island is mountainous, surrounded by plains. The terrain in the south is very low, and it becomes a large wetland, and few people go in, only some primitive tribes live in the forest.

Many areas of the island are covered by virgin forests. The tropical rainforests of the Amazon River Basin in South America are the largest in the world, followed by the tropical forests of Borneo. Borneo has one of the world's oldest rainforests, which are about 140 million years old. Besides, there are all varieties of tropical plants and animals on the island.

Borneo has a tropical rainforest climate, so that the climate on the island is hot and humid, and there are mainly two seasons. The period from October to March is the monsoon period, with a lot of rain, and the rest is summer.

Sumatra

• Area: 473,481 km²
• Highest Elevation: 3,805 m
• Country: Indonesia

Sumatra, as the second-largest island in Asia and the sixth-largest in the world, has a total area of about 473,481 km². To the northeast of the island is across the Strait of Malacca from the Malay Peninsula, to the west is the Indian Ocean, to the east is the South China Sea, to the southeast is across the Sunda Strait from Java Island, and to the north is the Andaman Islands.

There are more than 90 volcanoes on the island, of which the highest peak is Mount Kerinci, with an elevation of 3,800 meters. Due to the influence of volcanic ash, the land in some areas is fertile and beneficial to agriculture. There are many lakes attributed on the island, the most famous of which is Lake Toba in the north of the mountain range, covering an area of 1,140 square kilometers. It is the largest freshwater lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world.

Sumatra Island has a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperature and rain throughout the year, so that the temperature difference is not large on the island, and there are obvious differences in rainfall. Meanwhile, there are obvious dry season and wet season.

Sumatra is the largest island that is entirely Indonesian territory, and the second-most populous island of Indonesia, with a population of more than 58,455,800. Medan, as the largest city in Sumatra by population, is the most developed city with the largest number of visitors each year. The three national parks on the island were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2004, including the Leuser, Kerinci Seblat, and Bukit Barisan Selatan.

Honshu

• Area: 227,960 km²
• Length: 1,300 km
• Width: 50-230 km
• Highest Elevation: 3,776 m
• Country: Japan

Honshu, the third largest island in Asia, ranks the seventh among the world's largest island. Honshu faces Hokkaido (the second-largest island in Japan) across the Tsugaru Strait to the north, Shikoku (one of the major islands in Japan) across the Seto Inland Sea to the south, and Kyushu to the southwest across the Kanmon Strait.

Honshu has three major metropolitan areas in Japan, namely the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Osaka Metropolitan Area, and Nagoya Metropolitan Area. Japan's population, famous companies, universities, etc., tend to concentrate in these three metropolitan areas. As the largest island in Japan, Honshu, with a population of about 104 million, is the most populous main island of Japan. The population of Honshu Island is mainly concentrated on the Kanto Plain. Important cities on the island include Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kobe. Among them, Tokyo is Japan's political, economic, and cultural center.

Honshu has rugged terrain, and it is located on the extinct boundary of the Asia-Europe plate and the Pacific plate, so there are still active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes on the island. The highest point of Honshu Island is Mount Fuji, which is an active volcano with a height of about 3,776 meters, so that Honshu is considered to be the seventh-highest island in the world.

Mountain ranges along the northern part of Honshu Island extend from northeast to southwest, and it causes the big climate difference between southwest and northeast of the island. Most areas on the island have a temperate marine monsoon climate, with rain in early summer and typhoons in autumn. And the climate of these areas is mild and humid, but there are obvious differences from region to region.