What is the difference between an island and a peninsula? How does an island differ from a peninsula: comparison, difference, similarity. What's bigger: an island or a peninsula? Sakhalin, Crimea, Kamchatka, England, Phuket, Yamal, Alaska, Sicily: is it an island or peninsula
They are very diverse in both their shapes and sizes. Some are very large, occupying a significant part of the planet, called continents. Others are not visible at all on the world map without the proper scale, called islands and archipelagos. However, in nature there is also such a thing as a peninsula, which seems to be washed by seas or oceans on all sides, but is still attached to one of the continents. And in order to understand this issue, now we will look at how an island differs from a peninsula and where similar landforms can be found.
General information
Each of us understands and knows where on Earth the main archipelagos (most often tourist centers) are located and what the climate there is. But in order to understand how a peninsula differs from an island from a geographical and scientific point of view, it is necessary to derive precise definition each of them. Let us note right away that both types of such relief can be located anywhere, either near the equator or at the poles, therefore only their origin can unite them, but in no way any other factors.
Brief description of the island
So, an island is a small part of land, which is surrounded on all sides by waters belonging to the World Ocean. In concept modern man This type of relief can be large in size (but not exceeding the parameters of all currently known continents) or extremely small. The first category includes such significant tracts of land as Greenland, Madagascar, Cuba, Java, Victoria, and Honshu. The second group will be occupied by archipelagos, which are formed by small elevations above the level of the world ocean. These are Hawaii, Seychelles, Bahamas, Maldives. In these there are the main, the largest, in which cities are built. All the rest may have a width and length of only a few kilometers.
Characteristics of the peninsula
Analyzing the question of how an island differs from a peninsula, we will create a brief scientific description of the second. The peninsula is the land that small area sushi is connected to some continent. This type of relief is washed on three sides by seas or ocean waters, and if the structure of the peninsula is such that it forms a bay, then it is washed on four sides (an example is Labrador, located in Canada). Similarly, peninsulas can be located at any latitude and longitude, but they are always tied to large lands.
Compare and discuss differences
It turns out that the main difference between an island and a peninsula is its attachment to the mainland. Islands exist completely autonomously and can be located both in large seas and in ocean waters. Of course, among them there are archipelagos and isolated plots of land that were formed by alluvium, so their geographical location will be close to one of the parts of the world. Oceanic groups of islands are most often formed by volcanism, so staying on them is always unsafe.
Fluctuations in the waters of the World Ocean
The question of how an island differs from a peninsula can also be answered from a geological point of view. As mentioned above, many islands that are located close to the continents have the same structure as big lands. This means that due to many years of high tides in the ocean, a significant part of the earth went under water, leaving a rise in the form of an island, separate from a certain part of the world. Based on this, it can be assumed that the former peninsulas could become islands, since they geological structure the same.
Conclusion
It is important for every educated person to know how an island differs from a peninsula, what are the features of each of these lands, and what are their similarities.
On our planet there is different areas land surrounded on all sides by water. The largest of these are planetary landforms called continents or continents. Smaller areas of land are called islands.
ISLANDS
The difference between the islands is not only in size, but also in origin. What raised them above the surface of the sea? In some cases, islands are raised parts of the shelf (underwater margin - approx. If they do not reach the surface, shoals and banks appear; rising from the water, they become islands. Scientists have found that due to fluctuations in the level of the World Ocean, many shoals often became islands and vice versa.
The islands of Madagascar and Socotra off the coast of Africa, the island of Newfoundland off the coast North America- these are areas of land with the same geological features as the continent itself.
The largest island in the world - Greenland - is quite comparable in area to the smallest continent - Australia.
Numerous islands of the central and southwestern parts of the Pacific Ocean are united into an entire island country called Oceania. Groups of islands are combined into archipelagos. Sometimes they consist of 2-3 islands, sometimes of countless small islands, as in Indonesia. In the transition zones between continents and oceans, chains of island arcs often stretch - archipelagos, located along the edge of deep-sea trenches. These are the Aleutian, Kuril, and Japanese islands. Essentially, these are the tops of underwater ridges created by volcanic processes - approx.. In such areas, seismic danger is increased, earthquakes and eruptions are frequent. It’s not for nothing that these island arcs are part of the famous “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
Volcanic islands are the tops of underwater volcanoes that rise above sea level. These are, for example, the islands: Santorini in the Aegean Sea, Hawaiian, Galapagos, Easter, Tahiti in Pacific Ocean, Azores, Iceland island in the Atlantic. The Canary Islands have continental-type crust at their base, on which volcanic cones are planted. Islands Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Sicily: Vulcano, Lipari, Stromboli, and Madeira are also of volcanic origin. There have been cases in history when an underwater volcano, having awakened, created a structure in the form of a cone or rock above the ocean surface, which was immediately destroyed by waves.
PENINSULA
Peninsulas are areas of land surrounded on three sides by water, extending far into the waters of the seas and oceans. They have different shape. If these areas of land are narrow, with a pointed end, then they are called capes. Often there are lighthouses on capes, warning with their light about nearby land, about possible reefs and shoals.
In the north of Russia, long elongated peninsulas received the characteristic name “nose”, for example, the Kanin Nos Peninsula.
Sometimes peninsulas are washed by the waters of several seas, for example, the Scandinavian Peninsula is washed by the waters of the Baltic, North, Norwegian, Barents seas, and the famous Capes Horn and Good Hope separated by great oceans.
Each peninsula is unique in its shape, such as the Apennine peninsula, which looks like a boot, or the Somali peninsula, nicknamed the “Horn of Africa”.
When the sea floods depressions on land or river mouths, bays are formed. This is the origin of the estuary - a funnel-shaped bay at the mouth of a large river. The most famous estuaries are the Gironde on the Garonne River in France, La Plata - the estuary of the Parana and Uruguay rivers in South America.
Sometimes the sea waves themselves, moving huge masses of pebbles and sand, create islands and peninsulas - spits, embankments that separate secluded bays and estuaries from the land. Some of these peninsulas change their shape several times a day under the influence of sea tides.
REEFS AND ATOLLS
The picturesque atoll islands are composed of corals. Coral reefs, as a rule, form in tropical shallow waters (from 50 m to the first hundreds of meters - approx..
An atoll is a coral island in the form of a continuous or broken ring bordering a shallow pool - a lagoon. Coral islands are especially numerous in the Pacific Ocean. In the Indian Ocean, almost all islands are atolls. The snow-white sand of the beaches of such islands is destroyed coral material. Although the island is composed of coralline limestone on the surface, its base may be volcanic. Corals begin to settle on the remains of destroyed underwater volcanic calderas, which are located near the surface of the ocean.
The largest coral structure is the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia.
On planet Earth, landscapes are vast and picturesque. Meadows and fields, rivers and seas, mountains and plains create a unique relief on it. It would be nice for a traveler to have with him not only a high-quality camera, but also a map of the area. And in order to navigate on the map, you need to remember at least the basic concepts from school geography.
For example, how do you differentiate between an island and a peninsula? Of course, the plane pilot and bus driver know where the tourists have been brought. But will tourists be able to understand where they are? After all, behind the concepts there are not only dry formulations, but also whole line differences.
Defining the island
The island is washed by waters on all sides, while towering above them. The largest island in the world is . It is located in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans and belongs to the state of Denmark. Island Madagascar washed by waters Indian Ocean, smaller in size than Greenland, and contains the entire country of Madagascar with its capital Antananarivo. There are many large islands on which two states are located. For example, the islands of Cyprus, Haiti, Kalimantan and Timor are divided between neighboring countries.
What types of islands are there?
Islands are born from continents, volcanoes and coral reefs. Thus, the British Isles once separated from Eurasia, and Canadian Arctic Archipelago- from North America. Islands of continental origin are composed of the same rocks as the mainland that gave birth to them. Outwardly, even their relief is similar.
Islands of volcanic origin are found only in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. They arise from the part of the volcano that rises above the water. Sometimes such islands are formed by the spreading of lava that erupted from a vent.
(locally known as Rapa Nui) is a famous island of volcanic origin, washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is the farthest inhabited island from land. All the soil on it is formed from the collapsing slopes of a volcano, so practically nothing grows there. Most tourists have heard about moai idols, for which they visit the island. So these statues were created by residents from volcanic ash, compressed natural processes in the vents. Even local lakes are formed in the craters of volcanoes, and there are no rivers here at all.
Sometimes the volcano that gave birth to the island itself destroys it. For example, this is what happened to the island that rose off the coast of Iceland on November 19, 1963 after the eruption of an underwater volcano. By the end of October 1965, the island was lost. Iceland itself is also an island of volcanic origin, and the largest in the world.
The coral island, or atoll, is a narrow ridge in the shape of a ring. They form around warm lagoons of coral skeletons. The process of compacting coral remains with new polyps takes a long time and leads to the formation of picturesque coral reefs. Atolls are more common in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Previously, when there was no special navigation technology, such reefs posed a serious danger to sailors.
The most famous atoll islands are those on which the state of the Maldives is located. The chain of twenty atolls is slightly elevated above the water, so this state is the lowest located above sea level. The Maldives lagoons are filled pure water azure color.
Islands located in rivers are formed from sediments that water brought to the mouth of the river or the lower reaches of its mouth. But there are also floodplain islands that arose when a new channel was formed in the floodplain of the river.
The most famous river islands in Russia are located in St. Petersburg. Hare Island has an area of 28 hectares, is located in the bed of the Neva, separated from Petrovsky Island by the Kronverk Strait. The largest island in the Neva delta - Vasilievsky. Petrovsky, Kamenny, Aptekarsky and Elagin islands are also located in the Neva delta. Each of them contains magnificent architectural monuments of the city.
Differences of the peninsula
A peninsula on one side is attached to a continent or island, and its other three sides are located in the waters of the sea, lake or river. The world's largest peninsula - Arabian, whose area exceeds 3 million km². The Arabian Peninsula is located in Southwest Asia and contains seven countries. Almost all of it is covered with sand, but it is rich in oil, which is the source of prosperity for the Arabian states.
Types of peninsulas
Peninsulas are divided into attached, detached and accumulative.
The annexed peninsula does not have a common origin with the mainland to which it is annexed. For example, a peninsula Hindustan is a piece of the Indian platform that joined the Eurasian continent.
The separated peninsula is geologically similar to its mainland. The Crimean Peninsula is the southern part of Russia, and the Kola Peninsula is the eastern part of the Baltic Shield.
Accumulative islands are located in the waters of rivers and lakes. They are formed when sediment accumulates on the bridge between the island and the mainland. The largest accumulative peninsula is the Veslovsky Peninsula on Kunashir Island, part of the Kuril Nature Reserve.
How to designate a small piece of land at the very end of an island, peninsula or coast? This protrusion is called a cape.
Now it’s easy to understand why you can get from the peninsula to the mainland by land, but not from the island. After all, the island is separated by water.
An island is a small part of land located separately from the mainland, which is completely washed (on all sides) by water. Water means any body of water, for example, ocean, sea, lake, river.
Examples of islands: Greenland, Madagascar, Kalimantan, Sri Lanka, Great Britain.
A peninsula differs from an island in that it is connected to the mainland. Moreover, its territory protrudes significantly into the ocean, sea, lake, etc.
Examples of peninsulas: Arabian Peninsula, Taimyr, Kola Peninsula, Labrador, Yucatan.
From school course In geography, we know that an island is a piece of land that is surrounded on all sides by water. The peninsula is connected to the mainland by an isthmus (that is, it is, as it were, attached to the mainland) and is partially washed by water.
As they told us at school, the peninsula is surrounded by water on all sides; there is no land road to get to it. But the peninsula is adjacent to water only on several sides, and there is a road to the mainland. Everyone knows and loves Crimea - it is a peninsula.
The island is surrounded on all sides by water.
The peninsula is connected to the continent on one of its sides. Purely intuitively - no more than a quarter of its perimeter. And at least, even a very narrow isthmus.
Island - Madagascar, Japanese Islands.
Peninsula - Crimea, Kamchatka.
Island is an isolated piece of land, which is surrounded on all sides by water, and at least slightly rises above it. An island is a small continent that can have other geological origin than the nearest continent. Sometimes islands have gigantic size, for example, Greenland, which can even be confused with the mainland.
Peninsula geologically it is the same continent, in which part of the land is pushed out into the expanses of water. Only one side The peninsula is connected to the mainland, while the rest of the land is washed by water.
The island is washed away from all sides by water, the peninsula is partially washed.
An island is a separate piece of land surrounded on all sides by water. There are islands that are more or less stable, and there are those that, being in the zone of activity, can either appear or disappear.
A peninsula is the same island, partially connected to the mainland. The nearest large peninsula is Crimea.
Interest Ask. And it’s not as complicated as it seems at first glance
An island is a piece of land that is washed on all sides by water.
The peninsula is washed by water on only a few sides. Simply put, a peninsula is part of the mainland
As you can see, nothing complicated.
An island is a small part of land (much smaller than the mainland), which is washed on all sides by water, and a peninsula is surrounded by water only on three sides and must be connected to the mainland.
If there is even a slight connection between the island and the land, then it is no longer an island, but a peninsula.
For example (in the picture) the Crimean peninsula is connected to the territory of Ukraine by a small strip of land and therefore it is a peninsula.
And in this picture there is an ISLAND - it is washed by water on all sides.
If we answer strictly according to the terminology accepted in geography, then the island differs from the peninsula in that it is surrounded by water on all sides. The peninsula always maintains a connection with the mainland or any other larger landmass. Sometimes this connection is clearly visible and the peninsula then appears as a long protrusion of land into the body of water. Sometimes this connection is barely noticeable and then the peninsula can be connected to the mainland by a thin isthmus. but in any case this connection exists. Moreover, the world is full of cases when an isthmus can become an island, for example, during high tide, and after the water recedes it again becomes a peninsula. And one more difference: if there can be more than one peninsula on an island, then there can never be an island on a peninsula.
An island is a small piece of land, compared to continents, surrounded on all sides by water. The island may not belong to any of the continents and may be located at a considerable distance from them. Sizes can vary, from a small island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean to Greenland, whose size approaches the size of a continent. A peninsula usually belongs to some continent and is surrounded by water on several, but not all sides, i.e. has land connections with the continent. The sizes of peninsulas can also be very different.
An island is a piece of land washed on all sides, that is, a piece of land in the ocean or sea. A peninsula is simply a part of land that strongly protrudes into the ocean or sea, that is, one side of the peninsula is attached to the mainland. The name itself says - PENINSULA
If you hear the question: what is larger on Earth - an island or a peninsula - then, most likely, you will probably say that the island, of course, is larger. Because, you will say, an island is a whole island, but a peninsula is only half of an island. But, of course, it is neither necessary nor correct to say so. First, take and look at a geographical map. Do you see, in the very north of America there is such an island as Greenland? This is one of the largest islands in the world. Now look at southern Asia. Here, near Africa itself, you will find the Arabian Peninsula. Compare it with the largest island, Greenland. Do you see the difference? That's it. Although it is a peninsula, it is more like the largest island.
What's the matter here? How can this peninsula be larger than the whole island? The fact is that the peninsula is not at all half the island, as you might have thought at first. It received the name of the peninsula because it is not completely surrounded. After all, an island is a part of land that is surrounded on all sides by water, and a peninsula, on one side, is attached to the mainland, so on this side it has land, not water.
Do you know what a mainland is? This is also a part of the land, which is washed on all sides by and, but, unlike an island, it is not called an island. And why? But because it is a very large part of the land. Even the island of Greenland, which is larger than all the islands in the world, is three and a half times smaller than the smallest continent. And Australia is considered our smallest continent. But why, you ask, can’t Australia be called an island? And all for the same reason that it is a very large part of land, although it is surrounded by water on all sides, just like an island.
The Mystery of the Six Continents
Just as thinkers argued in ancient times, so today, wise heads wrestle with the question of what it looked like a long time ago. Look at the modern one, and you will see how far the continents are located from each other. On them, on all six continents, they dig up the bones of land animals that lived on Earth millions of years ago. But the question is, how did we end up on the continents, if all these continents are separated from each other by seas and oceans? After all, they clearly could not swim from continent to continent. Therefore, one day scientists came up with the idea that once all the continents were close to each other, or even made up one whole continent. And then slowly, gradually they parted ways different sides, along with all of ours. Of course, this process was in an extremely slow state. The continents diverged only a few centimeters per year, but gradually, they all diverged from one another, and took on their present form.
To finally verify their hypothesis, scientists cut out all the continents from geographical map, and put them together. And an amazing thing! All the continents fit together so well that there was no doubt. Previously, there was only one continent.
And to see this for yourself, you can do it together with your parents, cut out contour map all the continents, sign their names, and, placing them on the table, begin to bring them closer to each other until they converge.
Of course, paper continents are easy to move. And what incredible forces actually pulled the continents apart? You can find out about this yourself when you grow up and become famous scientists and inventors.