Peninsula facts for kids

A peninsula in Croatia

A peninsula is a region of land that sticks out in a body of water. It is also defined as a piece of land with water on three sides.

Many countries are on peninsulas, and may either take up part of a peninsula (such as Portugal) or all of it (such as India). Parts of a country may also be on a peninsula. For example, Jutland is a peninsula, as is Baja California in Mexico.

If Eurasia is considered a continent then the continent of Europe is technically a peninsula. In this case, the great peninsulas of Europe, the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas would technically be peninsulas within peninsulas. The area of the European Peninsula, comprised of Europe minus Russia, Fennoscandia, and any islands, is roughly 4.4 million square kilometers.

The Arabian Peninsula is usually cited as the largest peninsula in the world with an area of 3,237,500 square kilometers.

Images for kids

Eurasia’s largest peninsula, Europe.
The Horn of Africa also known as the Somali peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East
Map of Anatolian Peninsula, the Asian part of Turkey
The Balkan Peninsula, as defined by the Soča–Vipava–Krka–Sava–Danube border.
Satellite view of the Iberian Peninsula
Satellite view of the Italian Peninsula
Fennoscandia including the Scandinavian Peninsula and Kola Peninsula
Southwestern England and the English Channel. France's Brittany Peninsula is also shown at the bottom of the picture.
Au peninsula, Lake Zürich, Switzerland
The Yucatán Peninsula
Cape Cod, a peninsula of Massachusetts
NASA satellite photo of Otago Peninsula and Otago Harbour. The city of Dunedin is located at the isthmus at lower left.
South India (Peninsular India)
Yorke Peninsula in South Australia is the central, boot-shaped peninsula above Kangaroo Island and between the two inlets
The Floridian Peninsula, shown by a NASA satellite image
Mid-Atlantic shoreline showing, from the upper right, the Cape May Peninsula of New Jersey, Delaware Bay, the Delmarva Peninsula, and Chesapeake Bay. Also visible are the peninsulas of Maryland and Virginia along the Chesapeake's shores.
The large Michigan Peninsulas from space, showing both the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula
Long Island, New York, with its North and South Forks
A beach on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria