State whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or a part of an island
"Island nation" redirects here. For the Taiwanese TV series, see Island Nation.
For a more comprehensive list, see List of island countries.
Not to be confused with Iceland.
An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries.[1] Island countries are historically more stable[1] than many continental states but are vulnerable to conquest by naval superpowers. Indonesia is the largest and most populated island country in the world.[2][3]
There are great variations between island country economies: they may rely mainly on extractive industries, such as mining, fishing and agriculture, and/or on services such as transit hubs, tourism, and financial services. Many islands have low-lying geographies and their economies and population centers develop along coast plains and ports; such states may be vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially sea level rise.
Remote or significant islands and archipelagos that are not themselves sovereign are often known as dependencies or overseas territories.
^ abOtt, Dan (1996). Small is Democratic. Routledge. p. 128. ISBN 0-8153-3910-0. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
^Chepkemoi, Joyce (April 25, 2017). "Which Are The Island Countries Of The World?". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
^"Population, total 2015-2019". World Bank Open Data. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
An islandcountry, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately...
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archipelagic country comprising a stratovolcanic archipelago over 3,000 km (1,900 mi) along the Pacific coast of East Asia. It consists of 14,125 islands. The...
islandcountry in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America, and is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands...