Travel and Leisure's 10 Best Islands in the World

1. Visit the Galapagos Islands ECUADOR

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km (525 nmi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature. The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of around 23,000.

The Galápagos Islands are home to giant tortoises that can live over 100 years.

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2. Visit Bali INDONESIA

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. The province covers a few small neighbouring islands as well as the isle of Bali. With a population recorded as 3,891,428 in the 2010 census, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority.

Don't miss the breathtaking Uluwatu Temple sunset and traditional Kecak dance performance in Bali.

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3. Visit the Maldives MALDIVES

The Maldives, or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka.

The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with an average ground level of just 1.5 meters above sea level.

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4. Visit Tasmania AUSTRALIA

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is 240 kilometres (150 mi) south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania, the 26th largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of 507,626 (as of June 2010), of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart precinct.

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5. Visit Santorini GREECE

Santorini, also known as Thera is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. It is composed of the Municipality of Thira (pop. 12,440) and the Community of Oía (Οία, pop.

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6. Visit Moorea FRENCH POLYNESIA

Moʻorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km (roughly 9 mi) northwest of Tahiti. Moʻorea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian. An older name for the island is ʻAimeho, sometimes spelled 'Aimeo or ʻEimeo (among other spellings misunderstood by early visitors with no knowledge of the language).

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7. Visit Maui HAWAII

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the State of Hawaiʻi and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and unpopulated Kahoʻolawe. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444, third-highest of the Hawaiian Islands, behind that of Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.

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8. Visit Kauai HAWAII

Kauaʻi or Kauai, known as Tauaʻi in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km), it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 105 miles (169 km) across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park.

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9. Visit the Great Barrier Reef Islands AUSTRALIA

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish, making it a diver's paradise.

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10. Visit Malta

Malta /ˈmɔːltə/, officially the Republic of Malta, is a southern European country and consists of an archipelago situated centrally in the Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily and 288 km east of Tunisia, with the Strait of Gibraltar 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria 1,510 km to the east. Malta covers just over 300 km² in land area, making it one of World's smallest and most densely populated countries. Its de facto capital is Valletta and the largest city is Birkirkara.

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