Island

An island is a landmass completely surrounded by water and smaller than a continent. Islands occur in oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers.

Continent: A major continuous landmass, conventionally distinguished from smaller islands. The distinction between an island and a continent depends on size and convention, not water alone.
Volcanic island: An island formed when volcanic activity builds land above the water surface. Submarine eruptions can pile up lava until a volcano emerges from the sea.
Island biogeography theory: A theory predicting species richness from island area and isolation through immigration and extinction. Its predictions connect an island's size and remoteness with the species it supports.
Island gigantism: The tendency of some small animals on islands to evolve unusually large body sizes. Reduced competition or predation can favor larger body size in certain island populations.
Archipelago: A group of islands, often arranged across a sea or ocean. Many islands form parts of larger island groups rather than standing alone.
Hotspot (geology): A region of persistent volcanic activity associated with rising hot mantle material. A moving tectonic plate over a hotspot can produce a chain of volcanic islands.
Endemism: The condition of a species being native to and restricted to a particular geographic area. Long isolation allows island species to evolve in place and occur nowhere else.
Island dwarfism: The evolutionary reduction in body size seen in some large animals on islands. Limited resources can favor smaller descendants of mainland animals.
Sea level: The average height of the ocean surface relative to a reference level. Changes in sea level can connect islands to continents or separate them.
Mid-ocean ridge: An underwater mountain chain where tectonic plates move apart and new oceanic crust forms. Ridge volcanism can build islands where the ridge reaches the surface.

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