Did you know that the world's largest river island is located in India?  

For most people, island is a land mass surrounded by sea. But actually, a land surrounded by any water body can be called an island. So, we have river islands too! Chongming Island on the Yangtze River (China) and Tupinambarana Island on the Amazon River (Brazil), are among the famous river islands that the world knows of. But very few of us are aware that India is home to the world’s largest river island: Majuli in Assam. Umananda Islands on the Brahmaputra River; Srirangam and Shivanasamudra Islands on the Kaveri River; and Bhavani Island on the Krishna River are among the other river islands of our country. Majuli derives its name from the local term ‘Majali’ that means ‘a land in the middle of two parallel rivers.’ 

How was Majuli formed? 
To beign with, Majuli didn't even exist 300 years ago! In the 18th century, it was known as Ratnapur, a land located between two rivers, the Brahmaputra in the north and Burhi Dihing in the south. But in 1750, due to earthquakes that led to 15-day floods, most of the surrounding mainlands submerged, leaving behind an island. This island came to be known as Majuli.  

In today’s world, Majuli is believed to be born out of the Brahmaputra River. However, geologists add that Majuli further developed due to the tremendous course changes by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, especially Lohit. 

Recognition as the world’s largest river island 
Marajo in Brazil was considered to be the world’s largest river island for a long time. However, after much inspection, in 2016, experts declared Majuli as the largest river island. Let’s read some more exciting facts about this place: 

• Majuli has been on UNESCO’s Tentative List for nomination as a World Heritage Site since 2004 
• Majuli has been a part of the neo-Vaishnavite culture of Assam for a long time. Because of this, 22 satras (religious places) are located on this island. 
• Majuli comprises as many as 230 villages and has a population of 98,457. It includes communities such as Mising, Deori, Ahom, Kachari, and Sonowal. 
• Majuli was the first ever island in India, given the title of a separate district 
• The nearest city from where Majuli is easily accessible is Jorhat 

The largest river island is slowly disappearing 
Earlier, Majuli was a long but narrow piece of land known to cover an area of 1250 square kilometres. Unfortunately, due to constant and severe soil erosion and unexpected growth of the Brahmaputra River, Majuli has now shrunk to less than half its original size. Experts are anticipating the danger of complete submersion of Majuli by 2030, as they think that Brahmaputra’s excessive sediment discharge will soon eat it away. However, the government and locals are trying to devise ways to save the largest riverine island.