List of islands of Wales facts for kids
Wales is a country that's part of Great Britain. It has many islands dotted around its coast! This article will tell you all about these islands, including some that are only islands at certain times, like Sully Island. These are called tidal islands because you can walk to them when the tide is out, but they become surrounded by water when the tide comes in. We won't be talking about places like Shell Island, which might sound like an island but are actually connected to the mainland.
Here's a list of the islands you can find around Wales:
Contents
Biggest Islands in Wales
Here are the largest islands in Wales, ranked by their size:
| Rank | Island | Area (square miles) | Area (square kilometers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglesey | 260.37 | 674.36 |
| 2 | Holy Island | 15.22 | 39.44 |
| 3 | Skomer | 1.12 | 2.90 |
| 4 | Ramsey Island | 0.99 | 2.58 |
| 5 | Caldey Island | 0.84 | 2.18 |
| 6 | Bardsey Island | 0.79 | 2.06 |
| 7 | Skokholm | 0.41 | 1.06 |
| 8 | Flat Holm | 0.21 | 0.33 |
| 9 | Ynys Llanddwyn | 0.19 | 0.3 |
| 10 | Puffin Island | 0.11 | 0.28 |
| 11 | Cardigan Island | 0.06 | 0.15 |
It's interesting to know that Holy Island and Anglesey are often thought of as one big landmass. This is because they are separated by a very narrow channel of water.
Islands in Lakes
Wales doesn't have any really big islands inside its lakes. However, there is a special artificial island called a crannog in Llangorse Lake. A crannog is a type of ancient island home, often built on stilts or piles in a lake.
You can also find smaller islands, called islets, in some of Wales's reservoirs. These include Llyn Brenig, the Elan Valley Reservoirs, and Llyn Trawsfynydd. Llyn Trawsfynydd has the most and largest islets, though some of them are connected to the land by paths called causeways.
Places Called "Island" That Aren't Really Islands
Sometimes, places along the Welsh coast are called "island" or "ynys" (which means island in Welsh), but they aren't true islands. This can be a bit confusing! While "ynys" usually means island, it can also mean other things.
Some of these places used to be islands, but over time, the marshy land around them dried up or was filled in, connecting them to the mainland. Others are actually peninsulas (land almost surrounded by water but still connected to the mainland) or just coastal towns.
Here are a few examples:
- Barry Island: This was a tidal island until the Barry Docks were built in the 1880s, connecting it to the mainland.
- Berges Island: This is a peninsula at Whitford Burrows in Gower.
- Dinas Island: A peninsula on the Pembrokeshire coast.
- Farchynys: A place next to the Mawddach estuary in Bontddu, Gwynedd.
- Little Island: A peninsula at the western end of what used to be Barry Island.
- Shell Island: Despite its name, this is a peninsula.
- Traeth Mawr: There are many places with "ynys" in their names around Traeth Mawr. This area used to be a wide estuary (where a river meets the sea) but is now drained land. Examples include Hir Ynys, Ynys y Gwely, Ynys Ceiliog, Ynys Fawr, Ynys-fach, and Ynys Fer-las.
- Ynys: A small village on a raised area of land called Ynys Llanfihangel-y-traethau at Morfa Harlech, Gwynedd.
- Ynys and nearby Ynys-fach: These are on the coast south of Dinas Dinlle, Gwynedd.
- Ynyslas: A place at Borth, in north Ceredigion. There are also many places with "ynys" in their names around the Dovey estuary, such as Ynys Tachwedd, Ynysfergi, Ynys Greigiog, Ynys-hir, Ynys Edwin, Ynys-Eidiol, and simply 'Ynys'.
- Ynys Leurad: A small peninsula near Four Mile Bridge, Anglesey.
See also
