Editing Isle of Wight (section)

== Geography and environment ==
[[File:IsleOfWight2022OSM.png|thumb|left|Detailed map of the Isle of Wight]]
The Isle of Wight is situated between the Solent and the [[English Channel]], is roughly [[rhombus|rhomboid]] in shape, and covers an area of {{convert|380|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}. Slightly more than half, mainly in the west, is designated as the [[Isle of Wight AONB|Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]].  The island has {{convert|258|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} of farmland, {{convert|52|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} of developed areas, and {{convert|57|mi}} of coastline. Its landscapes are diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description as "England in miniature".  In June 2019 the whole island was designated a [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|UNESCO Biosphere Reserve]], recognising the sustainable relationships between its residents and the local environment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-48692295|date=19 June 2019|access-date=20 June 2019|website=www.bbc.co.uk|title=Isle of Wight joins Unesco's network of biosphere sites}}</ref>

West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the [[chalk]] [[downland]] ridge, running across the whole island and ending in [[the Needles]] stacks.  The southwestern quarter is commonly referred to as the [[Back of the Wight]], and has a unique character. The highest point on the island is [[St Boniface Down]] in the south east, which at {{convert|241|m|ft|abbr=on}} is a [[Marilyn (hill)|marilyn]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Bathurst |first= David |year= 2012 |title= Walking the county high points of England |location= Chichester |publisher= Summersdale |isbn= 978-1-84-953239-6 |pages= 60–64}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=9547|title=St Boniface Down, England |author=Staff writer(s)| date=1987–2012| publisher=Peakbagger.com |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> The most notable habitats on the rest of the island are probably the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are scenic features, important for wildlife, and internationally protected.

The island has three principal rivers. The [[River Medina]] flows north into the [[Solent]], the [[Eastern Yar (river), Isle of Wight|Eastern Yar]] flows roughly northeast to [[Bembridge]] Harbour, and the [[Western Yar (river), Isle of Wight|Western Yar]] flows the short distance from [[Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight|Freshwater Bay]] to a relatively large estuary at [[Yarmouth, Isle of Wight|Yarmouth]].  Without human intervention the sea might well have split the island into three: at the west end where a bank of pebbles separates Freshwater Bay from the [[marsh]]y backwaters of the Western Yar east of Freshwater, and at the east end where a thin strip of land separates [[Sandown Bay]] from the marshy Eastern Yar basin.

The [[Undercliff (Isle of Wight)|Undercliff]] between [[St Catherine's Point]] and [[Bonchurch]] is the largest area of landslip morphology in western Europe.

The north coast is unusual in having four high tides each day, with a double high tide every twelve and a half hours.  This arises because the western Solent is narrower than the eastern; the initial tide of water flowing from the west starts to ebb before the stronger flow around the south of the island returns through the eastern Solent to create a second high water.<ref name="Miscellany"/>

===Geology===
{{main|Geology of the Isle of Wight}}

The Isle of Wight is made up of a variety of rock types dating from early [[Cretaceous]] (around 127 million years ago) to the middle of the [[Palaeogene]] (around 30 million years ago). The geological structure is dominated by a large [[monocline]] which causes a marked change in age of strata from the northern younger [[Tertiary]] beds to the older Cretaceous beds of the south. This gives rise to a [[Strike and dip|dip]] of almost 90 degrees in the chalk beds, seen best at [[the Needles]].

The northern half of the island is mainly composed of [[clay]]s, with the southern half formed of the [[chalk]] of the central east–west downs, as well as Upper and Lower [[Greensand]]s and [[Wealden Group|Wealden]] strata.<ref name="Hopson">{{cite journal | url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/15996/1/Hopson_IoW_Geo_History_PGEOLA-D-11-00048R1.pdf | title=The geological history of the Isle of Wight: an overview of the 'diamond in Britain's geological crown' | author=Hopson P. | journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association | year=2011 | volume=122 | issue=5 | pages=745–763 | doi=10.1016/j.pgeola.2011.09.007| bibcode=2011PrGA..122..745H }}</ref> These strata continue west from the island across the [[Solent]] into [[Dorset]], forming the basin of [[Poole Harbour]] (Tertiary) and the [[Isle of Purbeck]] (Cretaceous) respectively. The chalky ridges of Wight and Purbeck were a single formation before they were breached by waters from the [[River Frome, Dorset|River Frome]] during the [[last glacial period|last ice age]], forming the Solent and turning Wight into an island. [[The Needles]], along with [[Old Harry Rocks]] on Purbeck, represent the edges of this breach.

All the rocks found on the island are [[sedimentary]], such as [[limestone]]s, [[mudstone]]s and [[sandstone]]s. They are rich in fossils; many can be seen exposed on beaches as the cliffs erode. [[Lignite|Lignitic coal]] is present in small quantities within seams, and can be seen on the cliffs and shore at [[Whitecliff Bay]]. Fossilised [[mollusc]]s have been found there, and also on the northern coast along with [[fossil]]ised [[crocodile]]s, [[turtle]]s and [[mammal]] bones; the youngest date back to around 30&nbsp;million years ago.

The island is one of the most important areas in Europe for [[dinosaur]] [[fossil]]s. The [[Erosion|eroding]] cliffs often reveal previously hidden remains, particularly along the [[Back of the Wight]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/island-guide/isle-of-wight-activities/fossil-and-dinosaur-hunting/ |title=Fossil and Dinosaur Hunting|publisher=redfunnel.co.uk |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> [[Dinosaur]] bones and [[ichnite|fossilised footprints]] can be seen in and on the rocks exposed around the island's beaches, especially at [[Yaverland]] and [[Compton Bay]], from the strata of the [[Wessex Formation]]. As a result, the island has been nicknamed "Dinosaur Island" and [[Dinosaur Isle]] was established in 2001.

The area was affected by sea level changes during the repeated [[Quaternary]] glaciations. The island probably became separated from the mainland about 125,000 years ago, during the [[Eemian|Ipswichian]] [[interglacial]].<ref name="Booth&Brayson">{{cite journal | url=https://core.ac.uk/download/files/79/386230.pdf | title=Geology, landscape and human interactions: examples from the Isle of Wight | author=Booth K.A. & Brayson J. | journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association | year=2011 | volume=122 | issue=5 | pages=938–948 | doi=10.1016/j.pgeola.2011.01.004 | bibcode=2011PrGA..122..938B | access-date=10 March 2016 | archive-date=12 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312112130/https://core.ac.uk/download/files/79/386230.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Isle of Wight OS OpenData map.png|[[Ordnance Survey]] map of the island
File:IOW geology.svg|Geological map of the island
File:Blackgang Chine c1910 - Project Gutenberg eText 17296.jpg|[[Blackgang Chine]], circa 1910
File:Isle of Wight coastline.jpg|A view of [[the Needles]] and [[Alum Bay]]
</gallery>

===Climate===
Like the rest of the UK, the island has an [[oceanic climate]], but is somewhat milder and sunnier, which makes it a holiday destination. It also has a longer [[growing season]]. [[Ventnor|Lower Ventnor]] and the neighbouring [[Undercliff (Isle of Wight)|Undercliff]] have a particular microclimate, because of their sheltered position south of the downs. The island enjoys 1,800–2,100 hours of sunshine a year.<ref>{{cite web|url-status=dead |url=http://uk.weather.com/weather/climatology/UKXX1881 |title=Isle of Wight Climate Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421204642/http://uk.weather.com/weather/climatology/UKXX1881 |archive-date=21 April 2008  }}</ref> Some years have almost no snow in winter, and only a few days of hard frost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?WMO=03866&CONT=ukuk&LAND=UK&ART=FRT&LEVEL=162&MOD=tab |title=Frost Days data 2000–2008 St Catherine's Point |author=weatheronline.co.uk|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The island is in [[Hardiness zone]] 9.<ref name="hardinesszones">{{cite web | year = 1999 | url = http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/europe/ | title = Hardiness Zone Map for Europe | publisher = GardenWeb}}</ref>
{{Weather box|location = Shanklin
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 8.5
|Feb high C = 8.3
|Mar high C = 9.8
|Apr high C = 12.1
|May high C = 15.0
|Jun high C = 17.3
|Jul high C = 19.4
|Aug high C = 19.9
|Sep high C = 15.4
|Oct high C = 15.0
|Nov high C = 12.1
|Dec high C = 9.5
|Jan low C = 4.8
|Feb low C = 4.3
|Mar low C = 5.4
|Apr low C = 7.0
|May low C = 9.8
|Jun low C = 12.4
|Jul low C = 14.6
|Aug low C = 15.1
|Sep low C = 13.5
|Oct low C = 11.1
|Nov low C = 8.0
|Dec low C = 5.6
|Jan precipitation mm = 76.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 56.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 47.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 46.8
|May precipitation mm = 44.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 42.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 40.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 50.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 57.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 87.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 87.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 88.1
|unit precipitation days = 1.0
| Jan precipitation days = 12.1
| Feb precipitation days = 10.2
| Mar precipitation days = 9.0
| Apr precipitation days = 8.5
| May precipitation days = 7.5
| Jun precipitation days = 7.0
| Jul precipitation days = 6.6
| Aug precipitation days = 7.8
| Sep precipitation days = 7.9
| Oct precipitation days = 11.8
| Nov precipitation days = 13.5
| Dec precipitation days = 13.2
|Jan sun = 68.2
|Feb sun = 89.8
|Mar sun = 132.9
|Apr sun = 201.4
|May sun = 241.1
|Jun sun = 247.7
|Jul sun = 262.3
|Aug sun = 240.9
|Sep sun = 173.1
|Oct sun = 122.3
|Nov sun = 82.6
|Dec sun = 60.7
|date=1981-2012 averages
|source = Met Office Climate Averages, St Catherines Point, 1991–2020 (Sunshine hours from 1981–2010 stats)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gbzpdrr83 |title=St Catherines Pt. (Isle of Wight) UK climate averages |publisher=Met Office |date= |accessdate=29 June 2022}}</ref>}}

===Flora and fauna===
The Isle of Wight is one of the few places in England where the European [[red squirrel]] is still flourishing, as no competing [[eastern grey squirrel|grey squirrels]] are to be found there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwight.com/living_here/environment/operation_squirrel.asp |title=Operation Squirrel |publisher=Iwight.com |access-date=25 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628055035/http://www.iwight.com/living_here/environment/operation_squirrel.asp |archive-date=28 June 2009 }}</ref> Other mammalian species on the island include the [[European badger]], [[European hedgehog|hedgehog]], [[least weasel]], [[red fox]] and [[stoat]], with the hedgehogs proving to be quite popular amongst locals and visitors alike; in 2019, a rescue and rehabilitation group was organised to assist them, called '''Save Our Hedgehogs Isle of Wight'''.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 January 2021 |title=2020 WAS RECORD YEAR FOR HEDGEHOG RESCUES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT |url=https://www.iwradio.co.uk/news/isle-of-wight-news/2020-was-record-year-for-hedgehog-rescues-on-the-isle-of-wight/ |access-date=20 June 2022 |publisher=Isle of Wight Radio}}</ref> The island is also home to several protected species, such as the [[dormouse|European dormouse]] and several rare [[bat]]s, including the [[western barbastelle]].

There are several species of [[deer]] on the island, both [[endemic]] and [[Invasive species|non-native]], all of which are monitored and surveyed annually by the organisation '''Isle of Wight Deer Conservation'''. According to the '''British Deer Society''' (BDS),<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Isle of Wight Deer - a Position Statement from the British Deer Society, October 2017 |url=https://bds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Isle-of-Wight-Deer.pdf |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=British Deer Society |quote=The British Deer Society understands that the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Group wishes to designate the Island as a ‘deer-free zone’. Red and Roe deer can be considered indigenous to the Island and, despite periods of absence, both species are continually recorded as swimming to the Island from the mainland. Their presence may therefore be considered to be natural and part of a rich biodiversity. Our ancient woodlands were shaped in the presence of deer, and browsing by deer is an important and beneficial factor in creating diverse woodland structure. As wild deer, these species have a clear entitlement to remain within their natural range and it is manifestly inappropriate to write them out of the Island’s natural history. If management is required, then both species are readily managed with human intervention.}}</ref> the '''Isle of Wight Biodiversity Group''' would like to see the island's ecosystems and flora preserved, one method being to keep the island "deer-free"; however, of the five types of deer documented, the [[Red deer|European red deer]] and [[roe deer]] are truly native species, having been known to swim to the island from the mainland. 

The diminutive Chinese [[Reeves's muntjac|Reeve's muntjac]] or barking deer—so-called due to its signature dog-like "bark" when threatened—is one of the smallest deer species on Earth and is present on the island. The Asian [[Sika deer|sika]] (the second-largest species on the island) and [[European fallow deer|Eurasian fallow deer]] also will journey to the island from the mainland, generally seen in very small herds, in pairs, or alone. Ultimately, all five of the deer species seen on the Isle of Wight are adept swimmers, thus any that are observed may or may not be long-term Island residents. Nonetheless, the island deer (that are present at any given time) tend to remain strategically hidden and are generally thought of as being difficult to spot, even on such a small island. Besides deer, there exists a colony of feral [[goat]]s on Ventnor's downs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/deer-could-damage-island-warning-34277.aspx |title=Deer could damage Island warning |publisher=Iwcp.co.uk |date=17 August 2010 |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011074550/http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/deer-could-damage-island-warning-34277.aspx |archive-date=11 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/red_deer.html |title=Natural History of Red Deer |publisher=Wildlife Online |date=27 April 2010 |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bds.org.uk/index.php/documents/deer-species/12-muntjac-deer-poster/file |title=Archived copy |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-date=8 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908145039/http://www.bds.org.uk/index.php/documents/deer-species/12-muntjac-deer-poster/file |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

The [[Glanville fritillary]], a species of butterfly, has a distribution in the United Kingdom largely restricted to the edges of the island's crumbling cliffs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=cinxia | title=Glanville Fritillary| publisher=UK Butterflies | access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>

A competition in 2002 named the [[pyramidal orchid]] as the Isle of Wight's [[county flower]].<ref name="plantlife">{{cite web | url=http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/pyramidal_orchid/ | title=Pyramidal orchid | publisher=[[Plantlife]] | access-date=10 March 2016 | archive-date=10 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310220230/http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/pyramidal_orchid/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The occurrence of species and habitats of conservation importance in the island's waters has led to the designation of a suite of [[marine protected area]]s seeking to protect these features, including [[Marine Conservation Zone|marine conservation zones (MCZs)]] and [[Special Area of Conservation|special areas of conservation (SACs)]]. The island's marine environment also forms a component of its UNESCO [[Biosphere Reserve]], and is part of the Western English Channel Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA). 
[[File:Isle of Wight population pyramid.svg|thumb|Population pyramid of the Isle of Wight in 2021]]

===Settlements===
{{Main|List of places on the Isle of Wight}}
[[File:Newport High Street top.JPG|thumb|High Street in [[Newport, Isle of Wight|Newport]], the [[county town]]]]
<!-- Note: don't add more detail to these brief entries, put them in the main entry for the town itself -->
* [[Newport, Isle of Wight|Newport]] is the centrally located county town, with a population of about 25,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newportwight.org.uk/|title=Newport Parish Council, Isle of Wight, Official Website|website=Newport Parish Council – Isle of Wight|language=en-US|access-date=7 March 2016}}</ref> and the island's main shopping area. Located next to the [[River Medina]], Newport Quay was a busy port until the mid-19th century.
* [[Ryde]], the largest town with a population of about 30,000, is in the northeast. It is [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] with the [[Ryde Pier|oldest seaside pier in England]] and miles of sandy and pebble beaches.
* [[Cowes]] hosts the annual [[Cowes Week]] and is an international sailing centre. 
* [[East Cowes]] is famous for [[Osborne House]], [[Norris Castle]] and as the home from 1929 to 1964 of [[Saunders-Roe]], the historic aircraft, flying boat, rocket and hovercraft company.
* [[Sandown]] is a popular seaside resort. It is home to the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, formerly the [[Isle of Wight Zoo]], the [[Dinosaur Isle]] geological museum and one of the island's two 18-hole golf courses.
* [[Shanklin]], just south of Sandown, attracts tourists with its high summer sunshine levels, sandy beaches, [[Shanklin Chine]] and the old village.
* [[Ventnor]], built on the steep slopes of St Boniface Down on the south coast of the island, leads down to a bay that attracts many tourists. Ventnor Haven is a small harbour.
[[File:Brading Church Graveyard, Isle of Wight.jpg|thumb|Graveyard on the grounds of the church in the town of [[Brading]]]]