Editing Island (section)

== Definition ==
{{Fuller projection with largest islands.svg|1=right{{!}}upright=1.0}}
An island is an area of land surrounded by water on all sides that is distinct from a continent.<ref name=":5" /> There is no standard of size that distinguishes islands and [[continent]]s. Continents have an accepted geological definition – they are the largest [[landmass]] of a particular [[list of tectonic plates|tectonic plate]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Continent |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/Continent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716045120/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continent/ |archive-date=July 16, 2019 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org |language=en}}</ref> Islands can occur in any body of water, including [[lake]]s, [[river]]s, [[sea]]s.<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |title=Island |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/island |access-date=July 13, 2024 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org |language=en}}</ref> [[Low-tide elevation]]s, areas of land that are not above the surface during a [[Tide#Characteristics|high tide]], are generally not considered islands.<ref name=":21">{{Cite book |last=Baldacchino |first=Godfrey |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70884504 |title=Bridging islands: the impact of fixed links |date=2007 |publisher=Acorn Press |isbn=978-1-894838-24-5 |location=Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |oclc=70884504}}</ref> Islands that have been bridged or otherwise joined to a mainland with land reclamation are sometimes considered "de-islanded", but not in every case.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pigou-Dennis |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Grydehøj |first2=Adam |date=2014 |title=Accidental and ideal island cities: islanding processes and urban design in Belize City and the urban archipelagos of Europe |url=https://islandstudiesjournal.scholasticahq.com/article/81626 |journal=Island Studies Journal |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=259–276 |doi=10.24043/isj.305|doi-access=free }}</ref>