kids encyclopedia robot

List of islands of Wales facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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:

Name Where it is
Anglesey (Ynys Môn) Irish Sea
Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) Gwynedd
Barry Island (Ynys y Barri) Vale of Glamorgan (it was connected to the mainland in the 1880s)
Burry Holms Gower
Caldey Island (Ynys Bŷr) Pembrokeshire
Cardigan Island (Ynys Aberteifi) Ceredigion
Carreg Onnen Pembrokeshire
Carreg Rhoson Pembrokeshire
Carreg yr Halen Anglesey
Cei Ballast Porthmadog (made from old ship ballast)
Church Island (Ynys Dysilio) Anglesey
Cribinau (Ynys Cribinau) Anglesey
Daufraich Pembrokeshire
Denny Island (Ynys Denny) Monmouthshire
East Mouse (Ynys Amlwch) Anglesey
Emsger Pembrokeshire
Flat Holm (Ynys Echni) Bristol Channel
Gateholm Pembrokeshire (a tidal island)
Grassholm (Gwales/Ynys Gwales) Pembrokeshire
Holy Island (Ynys Gybi) Anglesey
Maen Gwenonwy Llyn Peninsula (a tidal island)
Middle Head Gower (a tidal island)
Middle Mouse (Ynys Badrig) Anglesey
Middleholm (also called Midland Isle) Pembrokeshire
Mumbles Head Island (Y Mwmbwls) Gower (a tidal island)
North Stack (Ynys Arw) Anglesey
Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol) Anglesey
Ramsey Island (Ynys Dewi) Pembrokeshire
St Catherine's Island (Ynys Catrin) Pembrokeshire
St Margaret's Island (Ynys Farged) Pembrokeshire
St Tudwal's Island East (Ynys Tudwal Fach) St Tudwal's Islands
St Tudwal's Island West (Ynys Tudwal Fawr) St Tudwal's Islands
Salt Island (Ynys yr Halen) Anglesey
Sheep Island (Ynys y defaid) Pembrokeshire (a tidal island)
The Skerries (Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid) Anglesey
Skokholm (Ynys Sgoc-holm) Pembrokeshire
Skomer (Ynys Skomer) Pembrokeshire
South Stack (Ynys Lawd) Anglesey
Sully Island Vale of Glamorgan (a tidal island)
Thorn Island Pembrokeshire
Tusker Rock (Ynys Twsgr) Vale of Glamorgan
West Mouse (Maen y Bugail) Anglesey
Worms Head (Pen Pyrod) Gower (a tidal island)
Ynys Benlas Anglesey
Ynys Beri Pembrokeshire
Ynys Cantwr Pembrokeshire
Ynys Castell Anglesey
Ynys Dulas Anglesey
Ynys Eilun & Pont yr Eilun Pembrokeshire
Ynys Faelog Anglesey
Ynys Feurig Anglesey
Ynys Gaint Anglesey
Ynys Gifftan Gwynedd (a tidal island)
Ynys Gored Goch Anglesey
Ynys Gwelltog Pembrokeshire
Ynys Llanddwyn Anglesey (a tidal island)
Ynys Lochtyn Ceredigion
Ynys Meicel Pembrokeshire
Ynys Moelfre Anglesey
Ynys Onnen Pembrokeshire
Ynys Welltog Anglesey
Ynys y Bîg Anglesey

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

  • List of the British Isles
kids search engine
List of islands of Wales Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.