Which are the largest islands and island groups of Europe?

Europe features a diverse array of islands and archipelagoes, ranging from large landmasses to smaller island groups across its northern and southern reaches.1

The continent's largest islands and island groups include:

• Northern and Atlantic Islands: Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.1
• British Isles: This group off the northwestern coast includes the two main islands of Great Britain and Ireland, along with smaller groups such as the Hebrides, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Isles of Scilly.2
• Mediterranean Islands: Major islands in the Mediterranean include the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Crete, and Cyprus.1

While some island groups far to the north and west—such as the Madeira and Canary islands—are considered European, Greenland is conventionally allocated to North America despite its political ties to Denmark.1