Japan’s 7,000 islands stretch for over 2,400km, and cover an incredible range of climates. Winter in the central and northern islands can be savage, but summer in the sweltering southern islands couldn’t be more different. Armies of crabs patrol steamy mangroves, while on sub-tropical 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 1,000 river islands and stretch along a 1,000km 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 Canada’s tallest waterfalls, and an endless network of rivers and creeks provides the ideal habitat for one of the world’s most important fish – the pacific salmon.

The Philippines are a chain of around 7,000 tropical islands in the western Pacific. Plants-turned-predators line the edge of the forests, while rivers help carve one of the world’s 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 Falkland’s bleak, battered and windswept archipelago lies 460 km from the South American mainland. Rugged mountains and expansive pristine coastline remain unspoilt by human development, making it a unique home for wildlife – especially for one of the world’s most iconic flightless birds.