In Africa, there are dozens of islands that can surprise not only with their flora and fauna, but also with their size. Some islands outnumber entire European countries, and which of the largest you will learn from this collection.
List
- 10. Ngazija Island, 1,148 km²
- 9. Gran Canaria Island, 1,560 km²
- 8. Fuerteventura Island, 1,660 km²
- 7. Zanzibar Island, 1,660 km²
- 6. Mauritius Island, 1,865 km²
- 5. Bioko Island, 2 017 km²
- 4. Tenerife Island, 2,034 km²
- 3. Reunion Island, 2,510 km²
- 2. Socotra Island, 3,626 km²
- 1. Madagascar Island, 587,000 km²
10. Ngazija Island, 1,148 km²
Island Grand Comor (Ngazija) - The largest of the three islands that make up the tiny country of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, in East Africa west of Madagascar.
The other two islands that make up the Comoros are the Moheli, famous for diving and Anjouan. Despite the small size of Ngazija, there is enough entertainment here to keep you busy for a few days.
Just remember that local transportation is extremely limited, so it is best to rent a car with a local driver to explore the island.
Moroni, the capital, is a mixture of Arabic, French and Swahili culture and history. The historical center of the city - Medina, around the main mosque, is a maze of narrow alleys and ancient buildings of the Swahili period, but, unfortunately, most are in poor condition.
9. Gran Canaria Island, 1,560 km²
Gran Canaria - This is a miniature continent with a wide variety of very unusual landscapes in the middle of the extremely diverse Canary Islands archipelago.
The island has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to support the conservation of natural treasures. Half of Gran Canaria is part of this reserve.
8. Fuerteventura Island, 1,660 km²
Fuerteventura - An island with an ancient history, which has the longest beaches on the entire archipelago with beautiful fine sand. Only a narrow channel separates Fuerteventura from the African continent. This is a paradise for relaxing on the beach, and for fishing. There are excellent beaches, even very close to the island's capital, Puerto Rosario.
Fuerteventura is an ideal place for surfers (the island occupies an important place on the World Cup windsurfing track) and for diving enthusiasts thanks to the caves, tunnels, ledges and rock formations that can be found at the bottom of the ocean. It is part of the Canary Islands and belongs to Spain.
7. Zanzibar Island, 1,660 km²
Zanzibar located a few steps from mainland Tanzania, and although it is officially part of the East African country, in almost all aspects - politics, religion, culture, food - life is different there.
As a base for merchants from the African Lakes region, India and the Arabian Peninsula, Zanzibar became a center for trade in slaves and spices in the region hundreds of years ago.
Most residents consider themselves Zanzibari, not Tanzanians, and their territory has its own leader and governing bodies.
Mainland Tanzania is a mixture of Christian, Muslim, and local groups, but Zanzibar, ruled for centuries by the Sultanate of Oman, is almost completely Muslim.
6. Mauritius Island, 1,865 km²
Mauritius, an archipelago in southern Africa in the Indian Ocean, approximately 900 km east of Madagascar and 200 km northeast of Reunion. The island country includes the main island of Mauritius, the island of Rodriguez 600 km further east, the two outer islands of Agalega, 1,065 km to the north and the Kargados-Carajos-Shoals archipelago (Saint-Brandon), 430 km to the north-east.
Mauritius, Rodriguez and the nearby Reunion (170 km south-west) are part of the Mascaren Islands. The country's total area of 2,040 km² is about one fifth less than in Luxembourg, or about half the size of the American state of Rhode Island. The population of the archipelago is 1,234,000 people (in 2017), Port Louis is the capital and largest city.
5. Bioko Island, 2 017 km²
Island Bioko in Cameroon is a mass of land of volcanic origin with a surface area of just over 2000 km². It is located in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Cameroon and Gabon.
There are two seasons: dry (from November to March) and the rainy season (from April to October). The average annual temperature is 25 ° C. The amount of precipitation varies from 1930 mm in the north to 10990 mm in the south. About 40% of the island is not accessible by land due to the dense rainforest. About 90,000 people live on Bioko Island.
4. Tenerife Island, 2,034 km²
Five is the magic number for the island Tenerife. Because five million people come here every year, which makes it the main destination in the Canary Islands (Spain), and because five senses are not enough to appreciate everything that is here.
Moreover, Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and the only one with two international airports, which means that the flight time from mainland Spain and the rest of Europe is no more than two to four hours.
Also here is the highest peak in Spain - the breathtaking Mount Teide, 3,718 meters. The average annual temperature is 22 degrees: that is why December and August are better here than anywhere else.
3. Reunion Island, 2,510 km²
Reunion (Mascarene Islands) looks different, authentic, and it is clear that this is an island that primarily belongs to its proud people.
The island is located off the coast of Africa, and Madagascar is its closest neighbor. It falls under French rule with citizens residing on the mainland.
2. Socotra Island, 3,626 km²
Socotra It is home to the bloody dragon tree, which is said to bring magical and healing benefits to those who drink its red juice. Socotra is a geographically, politically and biologically “other” island.
The archipelago is the only transcontinental territory in the Middle East - it is located 240 km east of the coast of Somalia, which makes it physically part of Africa, but since its unification in 1990 it was ruled by Yemen.
Socotra is also famous for its biodiversity: more than 700 endemic species of flora and fauna live here, so it is not surprising that the island received the nickname "Galapagos Islands of the Indian Ocean, and in 2008 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
1. Madagascar Island, 587,000 km²
Madagascar - The largest island of Africa, located in the Indian Ocean, about 450 km east of the coast of Mozambique.
The fourth largest island in the world has been isolated for about 88 million years, and many of its plants and animals are unique. The prehistoric collapse of the supercontinent Gondwana separated the land of Madagascar-Antarctica-India from the land of Africa-South America about 135 million years ago. Madagascar later separated from India about 88 million years ago, which allowed plants and animals on the island to develop in relative isolation.
With an area of 587,041 square kilometers, the island is slightly larger than France, or nearly twice the size of the US state of Arizona.
Madagascar is geographically close to the Comoros, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion and South Africa. Madagascar has a population of over 22 million people. The capital and largest city of Antananarivo. Spoken languages - Malagasy and French.