island country

An island country or an island nation is a

country

whose primary territory consists of one or more

island

s or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries were island countries.

Politics

Historically, island countries have been less prone to political instability than their continental counterparts. The percentage of island countries that are

democratic

is higher than that of continental countries.

War

Island countries have often been the basis of maritime conquest and historical rivalry between other countries.
Island countries are more susceptible to attack by large, continental countries due to their size and dependence on sea and air lines of communication.
Many island countries are also vulnerable to predation by mercenaries and other foreign invaders,
although their isolation also makes them a difficult target.

Natural resources

Many developing small island countries rely heavily on fish for their main supply of food.
Some are turning to renewable energy—such as

wind power

, hydropower, geothermal power and

biodiesel

from

copra oil

—to defend against potential rises in

oil

prices.

Geography

Some island countries are more affected than other countries by climate change, which produces problems such as reduced land use,

water scarcity

, and sometimes even resettlement issues. Some low-lying island countries are slowly being submerged by the rising water levels of the

Pacific Ocean

.
Climate change also impacts island countries by causing natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, flash floods and

drought

.

Climate change

Economics

Many island countries rely heavily on imports and are greatly affected by changes in the global economy. Due to the nature of island countries their economies are often characterised by being smaller, relatively isolated from world trade and economy, more vulnerable to shipping costs, and more likely to suffer environmental damage to infrastructure; exceptions include Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
The dominant industry for many island countries is

tourism

.

Composition

Island countries are typically small with low populations, although some, like

Indonesia

and

Japan

are notable exceptions.

Some island countries are centred on one or two major islands, such as the

United Kingdom

,

Trinidad and Tobago

,

New Zealand

,

Cuba

,

Bahrain

,

Singapore

,

Iceland

,

Malta

, and

Taiwan

. Others are spread out over hundreds or thousands of smaller islands, such as

Indonesia

, the

Philippines

, The Bahamas,

Seychelles

, and the

Maldives

. Some island countries share one or more of their islands with other countries, such as the

United Kingdom

and

Ireland

;

Haiti

and the

Dominican Republic

; and

Indonesia

, which shares islands with

Papua New Guinea

,

Brunei

,

East Timor

, and

Malaysia

. Bahrain, Singapore, and the United Kingdom have fixed links such as bridges and tunnels to the continental landmass: Bahrain is linked to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway, Singapore to Malaysia by the

Johor–Singapore Causeway

and Second Link, and the United Kingdom has a railway connection to France through the Channel Tunnel.

Geographically, the country of

Australia

is considered a

continent

al landmass rather than an island, covering the largest landmass of the Australian continent. In the past, however, it was considered an island country for tourism purposes (among others) and is sometimes referred to as such.

List

See also

*Archipelagic state
*Effects of climate change on island nations
*Landlocked country
*List of Caribbean island countries by population
*List of island countries
*List of islands by area
*List of islands (by country)
*List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania
* List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean
*Microstate
*City state
*

Pacific Islands Forum

*Small Island Developing States
*Thalassocracy

* ''''
* ''''

References

{{Lists of countries and territories by continent

Island nation
Country classifications

is:Eyríki