{"id":798144,"date":"2026-08-01T22:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T22:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/798144\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T22:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T22:03:15","slug":"the-9-largest-natural-islands-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/798144\/","title":{"rendered":"The 9 Largest Natural Islands In The United States"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The United States is home to roughly 18,617 natural islands, located everywhere from the Caribbean and South Pacific to the Great Lakes and rugged coastline of Alaska. Some are bustling destinations with colorful cities and world-famous beaches, while others are remote wildernesses where brown bears, whales, and seabirds far outnumber people. The nine largest islands in the U.S. showcase a wide range of landscapes, cultures, and outdoor adventures, from tropical rainforests and volcanic peaks to secluded fishing villages and vast wildlife refuges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While humans have created artificial islands for\u00a0millennia,\u00a0the country’s largest islands\u00a0are all natural and vary dramatically in character.\u00a0Hawaii Island (Big Island) is the largest in the United States at\u00a04,028 square miles. Meanwhile,\u00a0the smallest of the top nine is the 1,571 square mile\u00a0Unimak Island in Alaska. Alaska takes the crown for having the most of any U.S. state, with a grand total of 2,670 islands. Maine follows with 1,906 islands, yet \u2014 due to the sheer number of Alaskan islands \u2014 Maine doesn’t even scrape the country’s top nine largest.\u00a0America’s five states with the most islands<\/a> are all on the East Coast, with the exception of Alaska.<\/p>\n

To determine the nine largest natural islands in the United States, we ranked them by total land area in square mileage.\u00a0Every island on this list is larger than\u00a01,570 square miles, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Some are home to millions and have a booming tourism industry, while others are reachable only by ferry and offer little more than unspoiled wilderness.<\/p>\n

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Big Island, Hawaii<\/p>\n


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Pawel.gaul\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The largest island in the United States is Hawaii Island (Big Island). Covering\u00a04,028 square miles and home to roughly 201,000 people, it’s nearly twice\u00a0the size of\u00a0Delaware. Despite its size, Big Island is less crowded than Oahu or Maui, making it a fantastic destination for those seeking a more relaxed Hawaii getaway. Visitors can watch lava landscapes at\u00a0Hawaii Volcanoes National Park<\/a>, snorkel in the crystal-clear waters of Kealakua Bay, relax on black sand beaches like Punalu’u, or stargaze from the summit of Mauna Kea.\u00a0The island is easily reached by flying into Ellison Onizuka Kona or Hilo International Airports.<\/p>\n

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Kodiak Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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Kodiak Island is the largest in Alaska at 3,588 square miles. While the island is remote, it’s home to the vibrant fishing community of Kodiak, along with scenic hiking trails, wildlife cruises, and world-class sportfishing. Nature lovers can explore parts of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which spans Kodiak and neighboring islands, and is home to roughly 3,000 Kodiak brown bears. If you visit, be mindful of the island’s abundant bear population and follow wildlife safety guidelines. Travelers arrive by ferry or by flying into Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport from mainland Alaska.<\/p>\n

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Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico<\/p>\n


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eskystudio\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico is the largest of the U.S. Caribbean islands at\u00a03,425 square miles, and the most populated on this list with\u00a03.1 million residents. The 500-year-old\u00a0capitol, San Juan, is the island’s\u00a0historic and cultural hub, and an excellent base for exploring. Visitors enjoy hiking through the El Yunque Rainforest \u2014 the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, relaxing on white sand\u00a0beaches, exploring the colorful streets of Old San Juan, and\u00a0sampling Puerto Rico’s\u00a0vibrant local cuisine. An easy flight from major cities, it’s a popular destination where U.S. citizens enjoy a tropical vacation without a passport.<\/p>\n

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Prince of Wales Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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Prince of Wales island (known locally as P.O.W.) measures\u00a02,230 square miles and boasts more than\u00a0990 miles of coastline \u2014 just 62 miles shorter\u00a0than the combined coastline of the Hawaiian Islands. Travelers reach the island by ferry\u00a0or small plane\u00a0into the town of Ketchikan,\u00a0a lively cruise port known for its colorful waterfront, salmon fishing, and nearby Misty Fjords National Monument. Visitors can kayak along the rugged coastline, hike through old-growth forests, fish for salmon or halibut, explore sea caves and secluded beaches, and visit small communities showcasing the island’s rich Alaskan Native heritage.<\/p>\n

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Chichagof Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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Alaska’s Chichagof Island has an area of 2,100 square miles and is among the 1,100 islands of the Alexander Archipelago. This sprawling Alaskan island is home to charming small towns, fishing adventures, and breathtaking scenery<\/a>, with famed whale watching from Point Frederick. Travelers reach the island by ferry or small plane into\u00a0Sitka, one of its more popular communities and the backdrop of\u00a0the\u00a02009 film, “The Proposal.”\u00a0Pop culture aside, Sitka is a tourism town with\u00a0unique Alaskan culture, local seafood, unbeatable hiking, and ample outdoor recreation and tours both on and off the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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St. Lawrence Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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St. Lawrence is the largest island in the Bering Sea,\u00a0measuring\u00a01,792 square miles with a population of about 1,400 people. Over\u00a095% of the island’s population\u00a0identifies as Alaskan Native, and many still speak\u00a0Siberian Yupik as their first language. The island’s remote setting has played a role in preserving the\u00a02,000 year old Yupik culture, while its location along the Bering Sea makes it a world-renowned birding destination. Travelers can reach the island by regional flights from mainland Alaska to the villages of Gambell and Savoonga.<\/p>\n

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Admiralty Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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A\u00a0hemlock-blanketed island in the Alexandra Archipelago,\u00a0Admiralty Island spans\u00a01,664 square miles\u00a0with 678 miles of coastline. Here, the\u00a0Admiralty Island National Monument\u00a0preserves nearly one million acres of old-growth rainforest, alpine tundra, and rugged coastline, according to\u00a0Travel Alaska<\/a>. Visitors can hike, kayak, fish, and explore the island’s pristine wilderness, but its biggest draw is wildlife.\u00a0Only about\u00a0650 people live here, but the island supports\u00a0North America’s largest density of brown bears with a population exceeding 1,000, making the ratio of humans to bears roughly 1:3.\u00a0Travelers typically reach Admiralty Island by boat or floatplane from nearby Juneau.<\/p>\n

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Nunivak Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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Nunivak Island is another Bering Sea giant\u00a0measuring\u00a01,631 square miles. The seismically-formed island sits in the delta formed by the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers and has a population of only about\u00a0200 people, along with nearly three times that of muskoxen \u2014 a stocky game animal that closely resembles the North American bison. The island isn’t a traditional tourism destination, but visitors come for\u00a0the regulated muskox hunting season, which runs from August through September and January through March, and is best experienced with a knowledgeable guide.\u00a0Travelers can reach Nunivak Island by small plane from Bethel.<\/p>\n

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Unimak Island, Alaska<\/p>\n


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The crown of the Alaskan Peninsula, Unimak Island measures in at 1,571 square miles and is home to the protected Unimak Wilderness.\u00a0Dense forest covers almost 93% of the island \u2014 one of the most volcanically active places in the U.S., with 27 of the country’s 46 most active volcanoes.\u00a0Unimak is stunning, and a perfect destination for wilderness lovers<\/a>, especially those chasing snow-capped volcanoes, remote wildlife, and untouched landscapes. Visitors might spot brown bears, caribou, and marine wildlife while exploring this remote corner of Alaska.\u00a0Reaching Unimak is challenging \u2014 one of the only options is a ferry running just twice per month in the summer.<\/p>\n


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