THE GEOGRAPHY OF ISLANDS SUMMARY

THE GEOGRAPHY OF ISLANDS
SUMMARY
JIŘÍ PREIS
1 ORIGIN OF PUBLICATION
„Geography of Islands“ seems to be quite an unusual subject to study at the
West Bohemia University in Plzen, located in the midst of Europe. Our
department has been, however, dealing with the topic of islands at least for 10
years, since the time, when an expedition to Iceland had been set up. The head
of department at that time, Doc. RNDr. Stanislav Mirvald, CSc., insisted that if
we get to know the specific attributes of the far-away islands, it will not only
deepen our knowledge of the regional geography, but above all it will help us to
perceive the geographical reality in a new way.
The main goals of the expedition to Iceland in 1997, were to make there a global
geographical research, to arrange scientific contacts with Iceland University in
Reykjavik, and to get some tutorial materials. We made public acquaintance
with the results of the expedition in a scientific journal, in media and on the
nonfiction itinerant exhibition. „Geography of Iceland“ was offered to students
as a facultative seminar. The issue of volcanic islands captivated us so much,
that our department has organized other expeditions to Azores (2000), Liparian
islands (2001) and Canary Islands (2003). We also visited Faroes Islands, Great
Britain, Ireland and the island of Skye with our students. Other islands all over
the world were discovered when people of the Geography department staff did
their own private trips.
2 GOALS OF PUBLICATION
The submitted publication „Geography of Islands“ is the result of expeditions
mentioned above and the study of literature. Its main goal is to zoom in specific
conditions of an island environment to both students and other interested
persons. The publication is divided into general geographical topics. The authors
first try to characterise islands generally, then a case study follows. In most
cases observations from Iceland or Canary Islands are presented, but in certain
chapters there are case studies focused on Azores, Philippines or islands of the
Titicaca lake. In spite of the fact, that we are mainly focusing on volcanic
islands close to Europe, a reader will also be able to find detailed studies from
different islands.
This learning text should be above all a guide and a working manual for students
studying a seminar „Geography of Islands“, but it could be useful as an
additional literature for different subjects of general and regional geography as
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well. Review and motivation questions serve as a starting point for each chapter,
while the last section of each chapter contains questions or ideas for follow-up
self study.
We believe that construed text can significantly help teachers of geography with
their lesson preparations. If we want to reform a tuition of regional geography,
then one of the tools is an orientation of the tuition on model regions. A model
region should be a suitably specified region, on which we can demonstrate basic
geographical phenomena. Alongside, students are getting to know selected parts
of the world and thus they are complementary to their regional geography
proficiency. This approach enables us to teach both general and regional
geography all at once. Islands with general as well as unique features are often
suitable model examples in geography teaching.
Construed „Geography of Islands“ is a very first publication with such a topic
published in the Czech Republic. Our inspiration was not only our expeditions
but plenty of study materials too. Most of them are on the Internet. A reader can
continue in studying the islands while using those sources. Lots of research
teams including specialized workplaces abroad have been studying the island
environment in detail, such as Institute of Island Studies at University of Prince
Edward Island, Islands and Small States Institute at University of Malta,
University of the South Pacific, University of West Indies. We believe, that our
learning text will broaden both general and regional geographical proficiency of
readers, but will also inspire the self-recognizing of island environment.
3 ABSTRACTS OF THE CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1: CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF ISLANDS
One of the most fundamental demarcation of the „island“ term we can find in
the United Nations Convention on the Sea Law from 1982. §1 says: „An island
is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above the
water at high tide.“
According to other authors for continents there are broadening criteria. Islands
are located not only in seas or oceans but we can find them also on the earth –
lake islands or river islands.
Islands represent separate physiographical units. Their formal connection to
continents could be a problem. Majority of the islands in the Pacific ocean have
no connection to any continent, thus they are described as a separate region –
Oceania.
Island nations want to have international impact on the world and that’s why
some of them signed a treaty. The most significant political alliance is The
Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS.
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CHAPTER 2: LOCATING OF ISLANDS
There are thousands of islands that can be divided into several groups according
to their origin, belonging to the ocean, continent, country, litospheric plates or
hemispheres based on geographical coordinates. The most important
information about the location of each island is provided by the index of
isolation. Its value is a sum of square roots of destinations to the closest island,
to the closest archipelago and to the closest continent. Locating of islands is
influencing different human activities and also fitting them into time zones.
CHAPTER 3: GENESIS OF ISLANDS
Basic genetic classification classifies islands into the following categories: those
occurring on the earth crust (resp. on the shelf), those, that are of biogenetic
origin (especially coral-islands) and volcanic islands. The genesis of biogenetic
islands are related to a creative activity of maritime organism. Volcanism
partakes in genesis of islands too as a most typical endogenous power (festoon
islands, islands on „hot spots“). The changes of the world‘s ocean level depend
on the climate fluctuations, which are typical for the whole Cenozoic
(Quaternary and Tertiary). These fluctuations caused the changes of the world
ocean level and thus significant parts of the earth crust were periodically both
diving and surfacing.
CHAPTER 4: COASTLINE
The contact zone between the ocean and the earth, generally called the coastline,
is an important phenomenon of the islands. Just a contact of terestric and marine
environment makes a coastline one of the most dynamic geosystems. The
coastline has also specific features from the socioeconomic point of view. More
then a half of the world population lives 60 km or less from the coastline and
this concentration is continuously increasing. The length and the type of the
coastline are very significant. The absolute length of a coastline depends on the
total area of an island, but the level of the coastline influence depends primarily
on the shape of the island. The interaction between ocean and island is thus
influenced by the type of the coastline, but, on the other hand, the coastline is a
result of this interaction as well.
CHAPTER 5: CLIMATE
Characteristics of the climate on islands are primarily influenced by the oceanic
climate. These effects are summarized into the term „oceanity“ (or marine
characterisitic of climate.) The ocean influences temperature, amount of
precipitation, humidity, air pressure, air circulation, and other weather factors.
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CHAPTER 6: HYDROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC
Hydrological features are determined by both endogenous and exogenous
processes, that work together. Endogenous processes are closely related to
genetic typology of the islands. Specifics of exogenous processes on islands are
mainly influenced by marinity of climate features. Both elements have an impact
on the character of fluvial processes (or glacial processes), that form the surface
of islands.
CHAPTER 7: BIOGEOGRAPHY OF ISLANDS
Islands are depleted options of the continent from the species diversity point of
view. On the other side we can say, that on the islands there are such species,
which don’t exist on the mainland – island endemites. Ecology of island
ecosystems is so specific, that a separated science – Insular Ecology – deals with
this topic. Basic literature is „An equilibrium theory of insular zoogeography“
by MacArthur and Wilson (1963).
CHAPTER 8: NATURAL THREATS
Islands are more accessible to natural threats, that take place in the oceanic
environment, such as tropical cyclones or tsunami. Due to intensive rainfalls
there are very active fluvial processes on some islands and thus some threats
(floods, landslides, or erosion) are related to them. Some threats are typical for
coastline, besides tsunami there are stormy tides or landslides. Danger is
generally higher, because of the sea-level rise. Other threats are connected with
processes based on endogenous activity, such as volcanism and earthquake.
Some island nations had to get used to being permanently threatened and have
them, nowadays, as a traditional part of their cultures.
CHAPTER 9: GEOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ISLANDS
Geopolitics took the islands very seriously in the past. World powers waged
wars against each other in order to capture islands with convenient strategic
positions. Historical and political development of the Pacific Ocean or the
Mediterranean sea shows typical examples of those conflicts. Areas, where there
are natural assets (especially oil or gas), are considered to be the most strategic
oceanic areas. Besides that islands close to main tankers routes are important as
well.
CHAPTER 10: POPULATION
Three factors have the most significant impact on the geographical characteristic
of population of islands: location (especially a distance from the continent,
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expressed by the index of isolation), typology of an island and the colonial
history. Location, distance and position toward a continent influenced mainly
colonizing of the islands by original people groups. Islands, that are very close
to the continent were places, where races and tribes became mixed. Colonial
powers then were bringing different values systems, world views, religions and
life styles, and usually violently forced the indigenous people to receive them.
Colonizers were also getting mixed with the indigenous tribes too and local
languages were influenced, or even replaced, by the language of the colonizers.
CHAPTER 11: ECONOMY AND ITS POTENTIAL
The economical system of an island works in mutual interactions of natural and
socioeconomic spheres and is significantly influenced by the island’s
geographical location and geographical potential. Sea is the most important
impulse for economical development, the space of contact with surrounding
regions and the environment for development of sailing, that is crucial for
island’s countries. Structure of industry on islands consist not only from the
transportation, but also from the cargo or fisherman’s ships construction and
reconstruction. Fishing and processing and utilization of the seafood is very
often the corner stone of economical structure of the island states. The sea
(and/or bottom of the sea) is a potential source of natural assets.
CHAPTER 12: TRANSPORTATION
Due to the huge diversification of the islands only basic and main features
influencing the quality levels and kinds of transport could be mentioned. These
factors then in concrete combinations and different levels of impact create the
whole transport situation on the islands. Harder accessible islands could be
reached only by a plane or a ship, on the other hand those ones close to the
continent could be linked with a tunnel or a bridge and thus make them
accessible for train or road transport. Generally, it could be said that, the closer
the island to the continent is, the more accessible and more frequent mutual
connection exists.
CHAPTER 13: TOURISM
In the context of islands the importance of tourism increases, because transport
is becoming quicker and thus accessibility, from both time‘s and cost’s points of
view, is easier. Other factors that influence the importance of tourism are the
improving of the transportation infrastructure along with more leisure time and
finances that people are willing to invest in travel. Systematic tourism
development brings not only economic benefits, but it has a positive impact on
keeping cultural traditions and environmental protection. It is possible to say,
that with a growing destination from developed countries (whose citizens mainly
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contribute to the tourism industry), the visit rate in absolute figures decreases.
Yet, the relative importance of tourism for smaller and less developed islands
could be crucial anyway.
CHAPTER 14: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLANDS
Specific conditions of life on the islands significantly influence possibilities of
further development. The main limiting factor of development is shortness of
both natural and human resources. Especially, small islands deal with the lack of
their own resources by import of goods or services. Small island states with
specific needs realize the importance of sustainable development and they try to
coordinate their activities mutually and internationally. They discuss this issue
together, exchange experience and mutually support in solving different
problems. The most important act on this field was a proclamation of the
Barbados declaration in 1994.
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