Islet facts for kids
An islet is a very small island. Think of it as a tiny piece of land surrounded by water, but too small to be called a full-sized island. For example, Ortac is a small islet in the English Channel, and the Senkaku Islands are a group of islets in the East China Sea. The word "islet" comes from an old French word meaning "small island." It's used for very small islands, but there's no exact rule for how big an island can be before it's no longer called an islet.
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Types of Islets
Islets come in many different forms, depending on how they were created and where they are located. Here are some common types:
Cay or Key
A cay (pronounced 'key') is an islet made of sand that builds up on top of a reef. These are often found in warm, tropical waters.
Motu
A motu is a type of islet found around atolls. It's made from broken coral and sand, forming part of the ring around a central lagoon.
River Island
A river island is a small piece of land in the middle of a river. These islets are completely surrounded by the river's flowing water.
Rock Islet
A rock (as an islet) is a small, rocky piece of land in the ocean. It usually has no people living on it and very few plants. It's basically a large rock sticking out of the water.
Sandbar Islet
An exposed sandbar is also a type of islet. It's a ridge of sand that rises above the water, often changing shape with the tides and currents.
Sea Stack
A sea stack is a tall, thin piece of rock that stands vertically out of the water. It's usually formed when parts of a coastline erode away, leaving a column of rock behind.
Skerry
A skerry is a small, rocky island, often found in areas like Norway or Scotland. They are usually too small for people to live on permanently.
Subsidiary Islets
Sometimes, very small land features located just off the shore of a larger island are called subsidiary islets. Any land that sticks out of the water in an atoll is also called an islet.
Tidal Island
A tidal island is an island (which can sometimes be an islet) that is connected to the mainland at low tide. When the tide comes in, the connecting land is covered by water, and the island becomes separate.
Other Names for Islets
Islets are known by different names in various parts of the world.
- In the Caribbean and West Atlantic, islets are often called cays or keys. Examples include Rum Cay in The Bahamas and the Florida Keys off Florida.
- In the Channel Islands, a small islet might have the suffix -hou in its name. This comes from the Norse word -holm, which also means a small island.
- In Scotland and Ireland, islets are sometimes called inches. This word comes from the Gaelic word innis, which originally meant island. In Ireland, they are also often called skerries.
- In and around Polynesia, islets are widely known as motu. This term describes the coral-rubble islets common in that region.
- Along the River Thames in England, small islands are known as aits or eyots.
Images for kids
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Mōkōlea Rock in Kailua Bay, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) off North Beach, Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
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Rockall, located west of Ireland and Scotland.
See also
In Spanish: Islote para niños
