Wildest: Islands

Lying 40 km off the east coast of Tanzania in Africa the Zanzibar Archipelago has been labeled the most exotic island chain in the world Pristine sands and azure blue sea make it a much loved holiday destination but bizarre creatures many of enormous size also roam the islands The worlds largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk

Between the continents of North and South America is a tropical paradise the Caribbean This archipelago of over 7000 islands and reefs lies within the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea From just a few metres wide to hundreds of kilometres across every island is different and each has its own unique wildlife

Situated 1000km west of Ecuador in South America the Galapagos archipelago contains 13 main islands and a hundred or so smaller rocks and reefs The regions wilderness is so pristine and rich in life it altered our entire view of the natural world It was the Galapagos islands finches and mockingbirds that proved key to Darwins theory of evolution

Lying like a teardrop in the Indian Ocean Sri Lanka is an island that defies convention Poised just six degrees above the equator its less than 75000 km sq in size But it has enough wildlife to rival a continent and its all down to its complicated climate and geography

Lying just off the coast of west Scotland the Hebrides archipelago is made up of more than 500 islands and islets Isolation from the mainland has made it the perfect breeding ground for millions of creatures making it home to some of the largest gatherings and greatest spectacles on the planet

Japans 7000 islands stretch for over 2400km and cover an incredible range of climates Winter in the central and northern islands can be savage but summer in the sweltering southern islands couldnt be more different Armies of crabs patrol steamy mangroves while on subtropical beaches macaques prove the depth of their intelligence and adaptability by washing sandy food before they eat it

The Anavilhanas and Mariua archipelagos consist of more than 1000 river islands and stretch along a 1000km stretch of the Rio Negro deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest Flooded for 6 months of the year the islands are a fortress of submerged trees and wandering vines and home to some of the most unusual creatures in the world

Vancouver island is the largest island off the west coast of North America Its glaciers fuel the flow of some of Canadas tallest waterfalls and an endless network of rivers and creeks provides the ideal habitat for one of the worlds most important fish ndash the pacific salmon

The Philippines are a chain of around 7000 tropical islands in the western Pacific Plantsturned predators line the edge of the forests while rivers help carve one of the worlds most spectacular cave systems And we meet an animal so small it would sit in the palm of a human hand but has the largest eyes relative to body size in the animal kingdom

The Falklands bleak battered and windswept archipelago lies 460 km from the South American mainland Rugged mountains and expansive pristine coastline remain unspoiled by human development making it a unique home for wildlife ndash especially for one of the worlds most iconic flightless birds