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Peninsula

January 17, 2023

"Peninsular" redirects here. For the Spanish caste, see Peninsulares. For other uses, see Peninsula (disambiguation).

A peninsula (from 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 is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its 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 the Arabian Peninsula.[8][9] Peninsulas form due to a variety of causes.

Floridian Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula
Somali Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Satellite photos of some of the most notable peninsulas on Earth.

Etymology

Peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula, which is translated as 'peninsula'. Paeninsula itself was derived from paene 'almost', and insula 'island', or together, 'almost an island'.[3] The word entered English in the 16th century.[3]

Definitions

A peninsula is usually defined as a piece of land surrounded on most, but not all sides,[5] but is sometimes instead defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides.[6]

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]

Formation and types

Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift, glacial erosion, glacial meltwater, glacial deposition, marine sediment, marine transgressions, volcanoes, divergent boundaries, and/or river sedimentation.[12] More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula. For example, in the case of Florida, continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape.[13]

Glaciers

In the case of formation from glaciers, (e.g. the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod) peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion, meltwater, and/or deposition.[14] If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since the glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed a basin.[14] This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula.[14]

In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines, which act as dams for the meltwater.[14] This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas.[14]

If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock, which was created from a large deposit of glacial drift.[15][16] The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago.[17][18]

Others

In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g. the Alaskan Peninsula).[15] Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when the volcano erupts near shallow water.[19] Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone.[20] A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula),[21][22] while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent).[23] 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.[24]

Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels.[25] Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger.[26] Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce the size of some peninsulas over time.[27]

Uses

Peninsulas are noted for their use as shelter for humans and Neanderthals.[28] The landform is advantageous because it gives hunting access to both land and sea animals.[28] They can also serve as markers of nation's borders.[29]

Abridged list of peninsulas

Main article: List of peninsulas

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Australia

Europe

North America

South America

See also

 
Look up peninsula in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ "peninsula". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  2. ^ a b Nadeau 2006, p. 5.
  3. ^ a b c d HMH 2004, p. 216.
  4. ^ "Definition of peninsula". Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Kersey, Paul (23 July 2021). "What is a Peninsula?". Infoplease. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  6. ^ a b "list of peninsulas". Britannica. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  7. ^ a b Society, National Geographic (2011-01-21). "peninsula". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  8. ^ Mis 2009, p. 20.
  9. ^ Niz 2006, p. 19.
  10. ^ Heos 2010, p. 15.
  11. ^ Heos 2010, p. 9.
  12. ^ Mis 2009, p. 6.
  13. ^ Heos 2010, p. 8.
  14. ^ a b c d e Heos 2010, p. 31.
  15. ^ a b Nadeau 2006, p. 6.
  16. ^ Heos 2010, p. 32–33.
  17. ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 9.
  18. ^ Wyckoff 1999, p. 328.
  19. ^ Heos 2010, p. 44.
  20. ^ Heos 2010, p. 21–23.
  21. ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 10.
  22. ^ Heos 2010, pp. 43–44.
  23. ^ Heos 2010, p. 40.
  24. ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 13.
  25. ^ Niz 2006, p. 7.
  26. ^ Niz 2006, p. 13.
  27. ^ Nadeau 2006, p. 21.
  28. ^ a b Heos 2010, p. 45.
  29. ^ Heos 2010, p. 48.

Bibliography

  • 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.
  • Wyckoff, Jerome (1999). Reading the earth : landforms in the making. Mahwah, NJ: Adastra West, Inc. ISBN 0-9674075-0-8. OCLC 43274886.

January 17, 2023
peninsula, redirects, here, spanish, caste, other, uses, disambiguation, peninsula, from, latin, paeninsula, from, paene, almost, insula, island, landform, that, extends, from, mainland, surrounded, water, most, borders, peninsula, also, sometimes, defined, pi. Peninsular redirects here For the Spanish caste see Peninsulares For other uses see Peninsula disambiguation A peninsula from 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 is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its 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 the Arabian Peninsula 8 9 Peninsulas form due to a variety of causes Floridian PeninsulaScandinavian PeninsulaArabian PeninsulaAntarctic PeninsulaSomali PeninsulaCape York PeninsulaSatellite photos of some of the most notable peninsulas on Earth Contents 1 Etymology 2 Definitions 3 Formation and types 3 1 Glaciers 3 2 Others 4 Uses 5 Abridged list of peninsulas 6 See also 7 References 7 1 BibliographyEtymology EditPeninsula derives from Latin paeninsula which is translated as peninsula Paeninsula itself was derived from paene almost and insula island or together almost an island 3 The word entered English in the 16th century 3 Definitions EditA peninsula is usually defined as a piece of land surrounded on most but not all sides 5 but is sometimes instead defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides 6 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 Formation and types EditPeninsulas can be formed from continental drift glacial erosion glacial meltwater glacial deposition marine sediment marine transgressions volcanoes divergent boundaries and or river sedimentation 12 More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula For example in the case of Florida continental drift marine sediment and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape 13 Glaciers Edit In the case of formation from glaciers e g the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion meltwater and or deposition 14 If erosion formed the peninsula softer and harder rocks were present and since the glacier only erodes softer rock it formed a basin 14 This may create peninsulas and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula 14 In the case of formation from meltwater melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines which act as dams for the meltwater 14 This may create bodies of water that surround the land forming peninsulas 14 If deposition formed the peninsula the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock which was created from a large deposit of glacial drift 15 16 The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23 000 years ago 17 18 Others Edit In the case of formation from volcanoes when a volcano erupts magma near water it may form a peninsula e g the Alaskan Peninsula 15 Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when the volcano erupts near shallow water 19 Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone 20 A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics e g the Arabian Peninsula 21 22 while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas e g Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent 23 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 24 Marine transgressions changes in sea level may form peninsulas but also may affect existing peninsulas For example the water level may change which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels 25 Similarly wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller while dry weather make them appear larger 26 Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce the size of some peninsulas over time 27 Uses EditPeninsulas are noted for their use as shelter for humans and Neanderthals 28 The landform is advantageous because it gives hunting access to both land and sea animals 28 They can also serve as markers of nation s borders 29 Abridged list of peninsulas EditMain article List of peninsulas Africa Cape Bon Cape Peninsula Cape Verde Peninsula Ras Nouadhibou Somali PeninsulaAntarctica Antarctic PeninsulaAsia Anatolian Peninsula Arabian Peninsula Chukchi Peninsula Indian Subcontinent Leizhou Peninsula Indochinese Peninsula Kamchatka Korean Peninsula Liaodong Peninsula Malay Peninsula Shandong Peninsula Sinai PeninsulaAustralia Arnhem Land Cape York Peninsula Jervis Bay PeninsulaEurope Apennine Peninsula Balkan Peninsula Brittany Calabria Cornwall Crimean Peninsula Fennoscandian Peninsula Iberian Peninsula Istria Jutland Kola Peninsula Peloponnese Scandinavian Peninsula Wirral PeninsulaNorth America Alaska Peninsula Baja California Peninsula Cape Cod Delmarva Peninsula Floridian Peninsula Gaspe Peninsula Labrador Peninsula Lost Peninsula Lower Peninsula of Michigan Nova Scotia Ontario Peninsula San Francisco Peninsula Upper Peninsula of Michigan Washington Land Yucatan PeninsulaSouth America Guajira Peninsula Paraguana Peninsula Paracas Peninsula Paria Peninsula Valdes PeninsulaSee also Edit Geography portal Look up peninsula in Wiktionary the free dictionary Barrier island Cape Headland Promontory Salient SpitReferences Edit peninsula The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 5th ed HarperCollins Retrieved 2016 05 01 a b Nadeau 2006 p 5 a b c d HMH 2004 p 216 Definition of peninsula Cambridge Dictionaries Online Cambridge University Press Retrieved 1 May 2016 a b c Kersey Paul 23 July 2021 What is a Peninsula Infoplease Retrieved 2022 04 30 a b 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 Mis 2009 p 6 Heos 2010 p 8 a b c d e Heos 2010 p 31 a b Nadeau 2006 p 6 Heos 2010 p 32 33 Nadeau 2006 p 9 Wyckoff 1999 p 328 Heos 2010 p 44 Heos 2010 p 21 23 Nadeau 2006 p 10 Heos 2010 pp 43 44 Heos 2010 p 40 Nadeau 2006 p 13 Niz 2006 p 7 Niz 2006 p 13 Nadeau 2006 p 21 a b Heos 2010 p 45 Heos 2010 p 48 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 Wyckoff Jerome 1999 Reading the earth landforms in the making Mahwah NJ Adastra West Inc ISBN 0 9674075 0 8 OCLC 43274886 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Peninsula amp oldid 1134032871, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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