A subdivision is a large area of land that has been divided into smaller portions, or lots. Subdivisions are often used to divide an area into sections that can be sold to developers, or they may be used by local governments to control the development of land. There are many large subdivisions on Earth, but these twelve stand out as particularly enormous.
Yakutia
Yakutia is the largest subdivision in the world. It is located in Russia, and it’s a federal subject of Russia with a population of 1,622,869 people as of 2018.
Western Australia
Western Australia is the largest state or territory of Australia. It’s also the world’s largest and most isolated island, with over 2 million square miles of landmass covering almost one third of Australia’s total area. Western Australia was first explored by Europeans in 1688 when Dutch sailors landed at what is now known as Cape Leeuwin. The Dutch named their discovery “Westeelgeest” after an imaginary person named Cornelis de Houtman who had supposedly sailed there before them (it turned out he hadn’t). The first permanent settlement in Western Australia was established at Albany on King George Sound in 1826 by Captain James Stirling RN who arrived aboard HMS Success with some convicts who were tasked with building up a new colony there while others were sent southward toward Port Jackson (now Sydney).
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai is the largest subdivision of Russia. It is located in Siberia, which means it’s cold and snowy there most of the time. The population of Krasnoyarsk Krai is around 2.5 million people, while its capital city has a population of about 730 thousand people. Krasnoyarsk Krai was established on January 1st 2007 when it separated from Tomsk Oblast; this was done because Tomsk Oblast had become too large for one province to manage everything effectively (for example there were too many different industries).
Greenland
Greenland is the world’s largest island and an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. It has an area of 2,166,086 km2 (836,330 sq mi), which makes it almost 20 times bigger than Ireland. Greenland has a population of 56,000 people with only 12% being indigenous Inuits who speak Greenlandic language as their first language. About 85% of Greenlanders live in towns along its west coast where they work at fishing or tourism related jobs while 15% reside in smaller villages scattered across its interior.
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest subdivision of Canada, with an area of 1,971,000 square kilometers (760,000 sq mi). It was created in 1999 from part of the Northwest Territories. Nunavut comprises a large portion of Northern Canada, making it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world. Its capital is Iqaluit (formerly called Frobisher Bay), on Baffin Island’s western coast. The territory includes parts of Quebec province to its south and east; Hudson Strait borders Ungava Bay in northern Quebec and Labrador to its north; Davis Strait separates Baffin Island from Greenland at Qikiqtarjuaq while Lancaster Sound separates Ellesmere Island from Devon Island; M’Clintock Channel separates Melville Peninsula from Axel Heiberg Island; Prince Regent Inlet connects through to Bellot Strait which opens up into Foxe Basin via Lancaster Sound then finally opens into North Atlantic Ocean at Jan Mayen island where it meets Denmark’s territorial claim line.
Queensland
Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It has a total area of 1,799,768 square kilometres (690,606 sq mi), about two-thirds the size of Europe. The capital city is Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city with a population of 2 million people.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States and one of the most sparsely populated. It’s also home to Denali National Park, which is both a subdivision and a national park. The capital of Alaska is Juneau, but Anchorage is its largest city with over 300k people living there.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is a large, resource rich and sparsely populated region in the northwest of China. It is an autonomous region of China which borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Amazonas
Amazonas is the largest subdivision of Brazil, located in the northern part of the country. It’s name comes from its location on top of Brazil’s Amazon River and features numerous tributaries that flow through it. The area has a wide variety of wildlife including jaguars, piranhas and anacondas.
Quebec
Quebec is the largest province in Canada, with an area of 1,541,056 km2 (594,000 sq mi). It is also the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population (74.1%). The provincial capital is Quebec City and its largest city Montreal. The name “Quebec” comes from an Algonquian word meaning “where the river narrows”. In 1608 Jérôme Lalemant was given permission by Samuel de Champlain to build Fort Saint-Louis in what would become Quebec City; he built it at the narrowest point on the St Lawrence River where it meets Lake Saint-Sacrement (now called Lake Ontario).
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is the second largest subdivision of Australia. It is located in the north of the country and has a population of about 244,000 people. It also has an area of 1.34 million sq km (520,000 sq mi). The capital city is Darwin.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is the largest subdivision of Canada, covering an area of 1,355,437 square miles (3 million square kilometers). The Northwest Territories has no coastline and its population is about 45,000 people.
The earth is a fascinating place with many diverse ecosystems, animals and people. It’s important to remember that while the list above shows some of the largest subdivisions in our world, there are still many other amazing places out there waiting to be discovered by you!
