Island

An island or isle is any piece of land smaller than a continent and larger than a rock 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.

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 off Asia, New Guinea and Tasmania off Australia.

Related Topics:
Continental shelf - Greenland - Sable Island - North America - Barbados - Trinidad - South America - Sicily - Europe - Sumatra - Java - Asia - New Guinea - Tasmania - Australia

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A special type of continental island is the microcontinental island, which results when a continent is rifted. The best example is Madagascar off Africa. The Kerguelen Islands and some of the Seychelles are also examples.

Related Topics:
Rift - Madagascar - Kerguelen Islands - Seychelles

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Another subtype is the barrier island: accumulations of sand on the continental shelf.

Related Topics:
Barrier island - Sand

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