“Nights and days came and went, summer, winter and rain. And it was nice to be a small island. A part of the world and a world unto itself. All surrounded by the bright blue sea.” to Margaret Wise Brown. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What is an island? 10% of the world's population comes from islands. A piece of land surrounded completely by water is called an island. Islands vary in size as they can be found in oceans, lakes, rivers, or seas, so they can be relatively small or hundreds of square miles in size. There are various types of islands as the formation can vary from a volcanic eruption to artificial islands. Types of Islands: Continental Islands: Pieces of land that were once connected to a continent but have become separated due to shifting tectonic plates. Those get surrounded by water thus making it an island. Examples are Greenland and Madagascar, very large islands that formed under those conditions.Ocean islands: Mostly of volcanic origin. When tectonic plates move in a subduction zone, volcanic eruptions may occur leading to the formation of an island. The Japanese islands were formed this way. The country of Japan is located at the site of 4 tectonic plates. Two of these plates, the Eurasian and North American plates, are connected to the continental shelves. These plates are lighter than the two oceanic plates, namely the Pacific plate and the Philippine plate. Therefore, during tectonic activities, heavy oceanic plates are subducted beneath lighter continental plates, leading to volcanic activities and the formation of islands. Artificial islands: Artificial islands, created for multiple purposes such as extending habitable land, for agriculture or tourism. An example of this can be seen in Dubai the World, Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali. Barrier Islands: Islands parallel to the coast and dividing the ocean from the mainland. These islands are useful as coastal protection from storms and strong waves. Barrier islands can be formed by the deposition of sediments such as gravel or sand. It can also be made up of billions of coral exoskeletons. An example of such an island is the Outer Banks Island off the southeastern coast of America. Coral Islands: Built of coral, these islands are usually found in the warm waters of tropical oceans. As corals grow into colonies, they expand, and as they grow in size, they emerge above the water to form coral islands. Sand and cement are used to strengthen the structure of those islands. Examples of such islands are the Bahamas. Tidal Islands: Continental islands that are submerged under water at high tide. The land is not cut off but rather a part is filled with water making a particular part look like an island. The island of Mont Saint-Michel in France is an example of a tidal island. Utilities of Islands: Islands can be used for various purposes, from being used as a fortress or as plantation land. Here are some examples: Islands of civilization: Great Britain, Japan, Madagascar. Settlement islands: Australia and New Zealand. Plantation islands: Mauritius and Reunion. Islands as fiefdoms: Sicily and Haiti. Islands as Fortress: Singapore during the Interwar Period. Entrepot Islands: SingaporeRefuge islands: Cuba (USA), Taiwan (China).Islands as strategic places: Chagos, Diego Garcia.