Island nation
An island nation is a country that is wholly confined to an island or islands. Forty-seven of the world's countries are island nations, including most of the smaller ones.
Island nations can be divided in two approximate groups. There are those that are large heavily populated and usually close to a continent. Countries such as this would included the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Madagascar. These countries are not dissimilar from their continental neighbours sharing cultural and political similarities. Their island status has sometimes been an important advantage that has isolated them from invasion and made them important in regional trade because of their locations and the maritime abilities of the population. Australia can be considered this category of nation taken to an extreme: an island nation so large it is considered a continent.
Smaller island nations such as the Comoros, the Bahamas, Tonga, or the Maldives tend to be very different from continental nations. The small size usually means there is little agricultural land and rarely many natural resources. However in modern times smaller island nations around the world have become centres for tourism, which in many is today the dominant industry.
Some island nations are centered on one or two major islands, such as the United Kingdom or Fiji. Others are spread out over hundreds or thousands of smaller islands such as Indonesia or the Maldives. Some island nations share their islands with other countries such as Papua New Guinea or the Republic of Ireland.
The opposite of an island nation is a landlocked one.
See also
