Peninsula
![](http://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20220503071956im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Scandinavia_M2002074_lrg.jpg/250px-Scandinavia_M2002074_lrg.jpg)
A peninsula (Latin: paeninsula from paene 'almost' and insula 'island')[1][2] is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders.[3][4][5] A peninsula can also be defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three sides.[3][6] Peninsulas exist on all continents.[7][2] The size of a peninsula can range from tiny to very large.[7] The largest peninsula in the world is considered to be the Arabian Peninsula.[8][9]
Definitions[edit]
Peninsulas can exist in multiple forms and situations. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and the body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea.[10] A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey, United States.[5] A peninsula may be connected to the mainland via an isthmus, for example, in the isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula.[11] If a peninsula is located in an inland body of water (lake, river) it is also referred to as an "inland peninsula".
There is no precise definition distinguishing peninsulas from less prominent extensions, and extensions conventionally considered peninsulas are not always named as such; they can also be referred to as a headland, cape, island promontory, bill, point, fork, or spit.[12] A point is generally considered a piece of land projecting into a body of water that is less prominent than a cape.[13]A form of the peninsula is the headland and the particularly narrow spit that has been washed up.[14][15]
Formation and types[edit]
Multiple natural factors can play a part in the formation of peninsulas. For example, in the case of Florida, continental drift, sedimentation, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape.[16] Some peninsulas may also be formed from glaciers or volcanoes.[17] In the case of formation from glaciers, (e.g. the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod) the sedimentary rock comprising the peninsula was deposited from glaciers or streams.[18] It becomes a peninsula if a hill of till formed near water but still connects to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago.[19] In the case of formation from volcanoes, if a volcano is erupting magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g. the Alaskan Peninsula).[18]
A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula).[20] Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean, the sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula.[21]
Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may variate, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels.[22] Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels can make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather can make them appear larger.[23] Sea level rise from global warming may permanently reduce the size of peninsulas over time.[24]
Notable peninsulas[edit]
Europe
- Apennine Peninsula
- Balkan Peninsula
- Brittany
- Cornwall
- Iberian Peninsula
- Istria
- Jutland
- Calabria
- Crimea
- Peloponnese
- Fennoscandia
- Kola
- Wirral Peninsula
Africa
Asia
- Arabian Peninsula
- Sinai Peninsula
- Indochinese Peninsula
- Kamchatka
- Anatolia
- Korean Peninsula
- Malay Peninsula
- Shandong Peninsula
- Liaodong Peninsula
- Chukchi Peninsula
- Indian Subcontinent
Australia
Americas
- Alaska Peninsula
- Florida
- Labrador
- Baja California Peninsula
- Nova Scotia
- Yucatán
- Gaspé Peninsula
- Ontario Peninsula
- Delmarva Peninsula
- Lower Peninsula of Michigan
- Upper Peninsula of Michigan
- Southern Cone
- Washington Land
- Cape Cod
- San Francisco Peninsula
Antarctica
References[edit]
- ^ "pen·in·su·la". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ a b Nadeau 2006, p. 5.
- ^ a b HMH 2004, p. 216.
- ^ "Definition of peninsula". Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ a b Kersey, Paul (23 July 2021). "What is a Peninsula?". Infoplease. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
- ^ "list of peninsulas". Britannica. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
- ^ a b Society, National Geographic (2011-01-21). "peninsula". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
- ^ Mis 2009, p. 20.
- ^ Niz 2006, p. 19.
- ^ Heos 2010, p. 15.
- ^ Heos 2010, p. 9.
- ^ "List of peninsulas". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ "Fourah Point / Fourah Point, Northern, Sierra Leone, Africa". travelingluck.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Headland Landforms". Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ heart; Working, When He Is Not; Life, He Is Probably Exploring the Secrets of (2019-06-07). "What is a Spit Landform in Geography? How are Spits Formed and 7 Most Famous Spits on Our Planet". Earth Eclipse. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Heos 2010, p. 8.
- ^ Mis 2009, p. 6.
- ^ a b Nadeau 2006, p. 6.
- ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 9.
- ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 10.
- ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 13.
- ^ Niz 2006, p. 7.
- ^ Niz 2006, p. 13.
- ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 21.
Bibliography[edit]
- Heos, Bridget (2010). The creation of peninsulas (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Pub. ISBN 978-1-4358-5301-0. OCLC 277466133.
- Mis, Melody S. (2009). Exploring peninsulas (1st ed.). New York: PowerKids Press. ISBN 978-1-4358-2711-0. OCLC 230802567.
- Nadeau, Isaac (2006). Peninsulas (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Pub. Group's PowerKids Press. ISBN 1-4042-3125-0. OCLC 57068647.
- Niz, Ellen Sturm (2006). Peninsulas. Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press. ISBN 0-7368-4308-6. OCLC 57366483.
- Word Histories and Mysteries: From Abracadabra to Zeus. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2004. ISBN 978-0547350271. OCLC 55746553.