-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Total number of islands in the world]]
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:21:39 -0500
From: Roger L Payne <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
We at the Geographic Names Office do not agree.  The rock, regardless of
size, will be classified as an island by us if it is completely surrounded
by water.  Further, scale is not relevant, which means a rock or sandbar
one foot wide is an island as is Greenland an island.  I do not believe our
Canadian colleagues at the Geographic Names Board of Canada would agree
with the two tree criterion.

Once again, there are no official definitions in the Federal government or
anywhere; rather it is based upon one's perception or as needed by
application.

Roger L. Payne
Manager, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
<http://geonames.usgs.gov>
703.648.4544


|---------+---------------------------->
|         |           "Johnnie D.      |
|         |           Sutherland"      |
|         |           <[log in to unmask]
|         |           >                |
|         |           Sent by: Maps and|
|         |           Air Photo Systems|
|         |           Forum            |
|         |           <[log in to unmask]
|         |           UGA.EDU>         |
|         |                            |
|         |                            |
|         |           12/22/2004 12:49 |
|         |           PM               |
|         |           Please respond to|
|         |           Maps and Air     |
|         |           Photo Systems    |
|         |           Forum            |
|         |                            |
|---------+---------------------------->

 >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
   |
                                                           |
   |       To:       [log in to unmask]
                                                           |
   |       cc:
                                                           |
   |       Subject:  Re: Total number of islands in the world]]
                                                           |

 >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|




-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Fwd: RE: Total number of islands in the world]
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 14:59:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Roger Wheate <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
On Tue, 21 Dec 2004, Johnnie D. Sutherland wrote:

> How big does a piece of exposed rock have to be before it is classified
as
> an island?
> Richard Dean

In (lower) Canada, I recall it has to have 2 trees on it to be an island.
hence the area in the St. Lawrence known as the '1000 islands' (also the
salad dressing), actually has over 1700 islands. This definition though
does not work in the artic. There is no single answer, as it depends on
scale, just as there is no exact answer for the length of a coastline.

Roger Wheate