• Islands are landmasses surrounded by water. Inland, rivers and lakes surround them and offshore, oceans and seas surround them.
• The biggest island in the world is Greenland, at 2,670 km long and 1,210 km wide. It is owned by Denmark, but is 50 times bigger. Greenland is also not very green as 85% of it is covered by ice!
• The Pacific is the world’s largest and deepest ocean. There are thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean, many of which are ringed by coral reefs. Sometimes a volcanic island sinks, and all that is left is a ring of coral, called an atoll.
• The most remote, but inhabited island in the world is Tristan da Cunha.
• In the heart of New York City, USA is Manhattan Island. A Dutch settler bought the island in 1626 from some Native Americans for a few dollars-worth of trinkets.
• The biggest archipelago of islands is Indonesia, with more than 13,000 islands.
• Many islands are home to fascinating plants and animals that have changed in unique ways to suit their environment. Galapagos is the Spanish word for tortoise! Tortoises from the Galapagos Islands are much bigger than tortoises from other parts of the world and they can weigh as much as 3 adults.
• Fastest growing island in the world: Surtsey Island, off the coast of Iceland.

Sursey Island