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Dan MacMeekin         Attorney at Law        Washington, DC, USA

Table of Contents for Island Jurisdictions Index

The Island Jurisdictions Index collects basic information on the location, political status, population, and land area of island jurisdictions worldwide.  The Index also provides links, where available, to fundamental legal documents for particular island jurisdictions.

The emphasis is on jurisdictions.  Many islands, alone or in archipelagoes, are independent nations.  These include Indonesia, the fourth-most populous nation in the world, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and Malaysia, but also tiny Nauru and the Republic of Palau.

Some islands are shared by more than one jurisdiction.  Hispaniola, for example, is divided between the Dominican Republic and Haiti while Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei each have a part of Kalimantan (Borneo).

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Table of Contents for Island Jurisdictions Index

Many islands are colonies, territories, "possessions", or otherwise under the sovereignty of a national government in which the islanders do not play a significant role. Other islands, though distant from the mother country, participate in national affairs much the same as do other regions of the country.

Numerous islands—some quite large—are uninhabited or occupied only military bases, meteorological stations, or visiting scientific personnel.

The Island Jurisdictions Index does not purport to include every island, rock, and cay in the world.  It does attempt to include every independent island nation. Islands that are not part of an independent island nation are included if they have local self-government.  Other islands have been included because they are large in land area or in population or because they are particularly well-known for one reason or another.

Arbitrarily, Australia is considered a continent rather than an island and, so, is not included.  Greenland is the largest island in the Index.

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Table of Contents for Island Jurisdictions Index

Some jurisdictions include both islands and mainland areas. If the island is predominant, as with Hong Kong, the jurisdiction is included in the index. If the mainland is predominant, as with the United States, the jurisdiction is not included. Islands pertaining to mainland jurisdictions, like the U.S. State of Hawaii, may be separately included, especially if they have their own subordinate governments.

Sources for the basic information on each island are given and other useful websites are indicated.  Information is available at the listed websites in English unless otherwise indicated.

The Island Jurisdictions Index relies on two sources in particular. Much of the information on island location and size in the Index is from the United Nations Environment Programme’s Earthwatch Island Directory.  That Directory covers many more islands than does this Index and provides useful information on the environments of these islands.

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Table of Contents for Island Jurisdictions Index

The United States Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook provides basic facts about many of the world’s islands, with useful information on the economy, politics, government, and international situation of these islands.

For a more comprehensive listing of websites pertaining to particular islands jurisdictions, see the metasites listed under Island Links ... Research Links on this website.

Suggestions for inclusion of additional information, corrections, and updates for the Island Jurisdictions Index are most welcome.

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Table of Contents for Island Jurisdictions Index

  Dan MacMeekin  2000 -2008            Disclaimer  - the fine print                February  24, 2008