Island

[[image:Island.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A small island in the Adriatic Sea]] An island is any piece of land smaller than a continent and larger than a islet, that is completely surrounded by water. Very small islands are called islets. Although seldom adhered to, it is also proper to call an emergent land feature on an atoll an islet, since an atoll is a type of island. A key or cay is also another name for a relatively small island. Groups of related islands are called archipelagos. There are three main types of islands: continental islands, river islands, and volcanic islands. There are also some artificial islands. The word ''island'' derives ultimately from the Norse word ''igland''. It was originally spelled phonetically: ''iland''. The letter "s" was added to attempt to link it to the Latin ''insula'' (which is not etymologically related), Latin being considered a more prestigious language at the time. == Continental islands == Continental islands are bodies of land that are connected by the continental shelf to a continent. That is, these islands are part of an adjacent continent and are located on the continental shelf of that continent. Examples include Greenland and Sable Island off North America, Barbados and Trinidad off South America, Sicily off Europe, Sumatra and Java (island) off Asia, New Guinea and Tasmania off Australia. A special type of continental island is the microcontinental island, which results when a continent is rift (geology)ed. The best example is Madagascar off Africa. The Kerguelen Islands and some of the Seychelles are also examples. Another subtype is the barrier island: accumulations of sand on the continental shelf. == River islands == River islands occur in river deltas and in large rivers. They are caused by deposition of sediment at points in the flow where the current loses some of its carrying capacity. In essence, they are river bar (landform), isolated in the stream. While some are ephemeral, and may disappear if the river's water volume or speed changes, others are stable and long-lived. == Volcanic islands == Volcanic islands are built by volcanoes. Mid-ocean examples are not ''geologically'' part of any continent. One type of volcanic island is found in a volcanic island arc. These islands arise from volcanoes where the subduction of one plate under another is occurring. Examples include the Mariana Islands, the Aleutian Islands, and most of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean. Some of the Lesser Antilles and the South Sandwich Islands are the only Atlantic Ocean examples. Another type of volcanic island occurs where an oceanic rift reaches the surface. There are two examples: Iceland, which is the world's largest volcanic island, and Jan Mayen—both are in the Atlantic. The last type of volcanic island are those formed over volcanic hot spots. A hot spot is more or less stationary relative to the moving tectonic plate above it, so a chain of islands results as the plate drifts. Over long periods of time, this type of island is eventually eroded down and "drowned" by isostasy, becoming a seamount. Plate movement across a hot-spot produces a line of islands oriented in the direction of the plate movement. An example is the Hawaiian Islands, from Hawaii to Kure Atoll, which then extends beneath the sea surface in a more northerly direction as the Emperor Seamounts. Another chain with similar orientation is the Tuamotu Archipelago; its older, northerly trend is the Line Islands. The southernmost chain is the Austral Islands, with its northerly trending part the atolls in the nation of Tuvalu. Tristan da Cunha is an example of a hotspot volcano in the Atlantic Ocean. An atoll is an island formed from a coral reef that has grown on an eroded and submerged volcanic island. The reef rises above the surface of the water and forms a new island. Atolls are typically ring-shaped with a central, shallow lagoon. Examples include the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and Bora Bora in the Pacific Ocean. == See also == *List of islands *List of islands by area *List of islands by population *Reef *Tidal island *List of artificial islands *Skerry *Hallig ==External links== *[http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part8.htm Definition of island] from United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Islands Landforms Geography os:Сакъадах ms:Pulau nds:Insel simple:Island th:เกาะ

Island

Where do lake islands like Manitoulin Island belong in this classification? --User:Rodii 02:07, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC) :An island is an island, and there really is no differentiation based upon salinity of the surrounding water. The same "problems" exist with respect to using 'islet' vs. 'island', which is a classification of sorts if that is what you are referring to. I do see a problem considering certain land areas in river deltas that are "surrounded" by river channels, although these are typically considered islands as well. And then see, for another "interpretation", Copper Island.- User:Marshman 17:27, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::Hmm, sorry I wasn't more clear. My point wasn't about salinity, but about the leaky classification scheme. The article text says "There are three main types of islands: continental islands, river islands, and volcanic islands" (and continental islands are "part of an adjacent continent and are located on the continental shelf of that continent"). But there's a whole class of islands on inland bodies of water that are none of these, like Manitoulin Island, which is the largest freshwater lake island in the world. So I'm suggesting that the classification scheme needs to be adjusted to take islands like that into account. (Or am I just being a nerd?) --User:Rodii :::OK. I see. Well the island of which you speak would be a continental type. The classification scheme relates to the mode or origin. River islands are formed as sedimentary material, carried by the flow, accumulates in bars and islands; continental islands are composed of the same material as the surrounding mainland and are islands by virtue of having water separating (usually by erosion, possibly by submersion) the island from the mainland (thus, if you drain Lake Huron a bit, it would be evident that geologically Manitoulin is just a part of Ontario); volcanic islands arise as undersea volcanic activity proceeds until the land appears above the water surface. The scheme is complete, although maybe not presented all that clearly - User:Marshman 23:43, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::::Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I'm new enough that I'm not editing anything yet, but some of that might go nicely in the article. --User:Rodii 20:47, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Island

Hi people! ab:User:Island ce:User:Island hy:User:Island ka:User:Island

Island

==Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers to the Wikipedia== I noticed you were new, and wanted to share some links I thought useful: *Wikipedia:Tutorial *Wikipedia:Help desk *M:Foundation issues *Wikipedia:Policy Library *Wikipedia:Utilities *Wikipedia:Cite your sources *Wikipedia:Verifiability *Wikipedia:Wikiquette *Wikipedia:Civility *Wikipedia:Conflict resolution *Wikipedia:Neutral point of view *Wikipedia:Pages needing attention *Wikipedia:Peer review *Wikipedia:Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense *Wikipedia:Brilliant prose *Wikipedia:Featured pictures *Wikipedia:Boilerplate text *Wikipedia:Current polls *Wikipedia:Mailing lists *Wikipedia:IRC channel Feel free to contact me personally with any questions you might have. Wikipedia:About, Wikipedia:Help desk, and Wikipedia:Village pump are also a place to go for answers to general questions. To read up on the latest wikinews, have a look at the Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost. You can sign your name by typing 4 tildes, like this: ~~~~.

(User:Sam Spade | user_talk:Sam Spade | Special:contributions/Sam Spade) 14:12, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

== India == Thanks for the interwiki on the India page =user:Nichalp (User Talk:Nichalp)= 11:15, May 25, 2005 (UTC) :And thanks again for my name in armenian and georgian. PS is it possible you also link India to the hy: wikipedia? Thanks. =user:Nichalp (User Talk:Nichalp)= 07:53, May 28, 2005 (UTC) ::Thanks =user:Nichalp (User Talk:Nichalp)= 14:28, May 28, 2005 (UTC)

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