Difference between revisions of "Island country"

Revision as of 17:26, 15 April 2007

An island country is a country that is completely confined to an island or island group. There are two basic types of island countries: (1) borderless countries, and (2) island countries that share borders with other island countries. The island countries that share borders with other island countries also often share similar cultural and social histories, though the political division between them may also be the result of a long standing political difference (which may have resulted in many wars).

The size of the islands can be very small or extremely large. In many cases, island countries are located close enough to a continental land mass, that bridges or tunnels can be constructed to effectively connect these countries to their continental neighbors. In other cases, islands may be located far away enough that they are effectively isolated from their neighbors and completely dependent upon nautical and air transportation for trade.

Smaller island countries often lack many natural resources, including viable agricultural land, and thus support smaller populations. These nations have traditionally turned to the ocean as a means to sustain their growth. In more recent times many smaller island nations have also become dependent upon tourism to bring in economic sustainability.

The opposite of an island country is a landlocked country. Though it is believed that there are more island countries than landlocked countries in NationStates, due to the nature of the multiverse this is difficult to confirm. The following is a list of island countries:

List of island countries

Flag	Country	Region	Borders
	Asgarnieu	10000 Islands	Land borders with many small enclaves
	Khenas	Swilantis	No land borders, Ocean border with Swilatia
	United Island Empires	Lesser Antilles	Single land border with Caseia