An island /ˈaɪlənd/ or isle /ˈaɪl/ is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or an island in a lake may be called an eyot /ˈaɪ.ət/ (also ait /ˈeɪt/), or holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago.
An island may still be described as such despite the presence of an artificial land bridge, for example Singapore and its causeway, or the various Dutch delta islands, such as IJsselmonde. Some places may even retain "island" in their names for historical reasons after being connected to a larger landmass by a wide land bridge, such as Coney Island. Conversely, when a piece of land is separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, for example the Peloponnese by the Corinth Canal, it is generally not considered an island.
There are two main types of islands: continental islands and oceanic islands. There are also artificial islands.
Read more about Island: Etymology, Size, Difference Between Islands and Continents, Natural Vs Artificial Islands
Other articles related to "island, islands":
... The main town of Fermanagh is Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann, 'Ceithleann's island') ... The island town hosts a range of attractions including the Castle Coole Estate and Enniskillen Castle, which is home to the museum of The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 5th Royal ... Attractions outside Enniskillen include Belleek Pottery Castle Archdale Crom Estate Devenish Island Florence Court Lough Navar Forest Park Marble Arch Caves ...
... Hispaniola (Spanish La Española Haitian Creole Ispayola) is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti ... The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt ... It is the ninth-most-populous island in the world, and the most populous in the Americas ...
... United States, Norway, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Great Britain, France, and northern Spain ... For their nesting colonies the Great Auks required rocky islands with sloping shorelines that provided access to the seashore ... Only six breeding colonies are known Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands, St ...
... Most of the Earth's islands are natural and have been formed by tectonic forces or volcanic eruptions ... However, there are also artificial or man-made islands ... An example of an artificial island is an island in Osaka Bay off the Japanese island of Honshu, on which Kansai International Airport is located ...
... Achill Island Ashford Castle Ballindine Ballintubber Abbey Blacksod Lighthouse Broadhaven Bay Burrishoole Abbey Céide Fields Clare Island Clew Bay Croagh ...
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“That island of England breeds very valiant creatures; their
mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“An island always pleases my imagination, even the smallest, as a small continent and integral portion of the globe. I have a fancy for building my hut on one. Even a bare, grassy isle, which I can see entirely over at a glance, has some undefined and mysterious charm for me.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Beyond this island bound
By a thin sea of flesh
And a bone coast ...”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)