That the nation of Greece is made up of over 6000 islands? Only 227 are inhabited.
I found this information on page 84 in the book Mythlopedia: Oh My Gods by Megan E. Bryant. This book is full of fun little stories about the Greek gods and their “personality traits.” Poseidon was very greedy. The water wasn’t enough for him… he battled several of the other gods for control of some of the islands. If you would like to visit the Greek Isles yourself, I recommend taking a travel guide. Greece: Athens and the Mainland is just one of the books available at the library.
There are about 180,000 islands on earth! Some islands are very well-known for one thing or another. The Galápagos Islands are famous for their animals. Galápagos: Preserving Darwin’s Legacy by Tui De Roy is a fantastic book of pictures and history of the islands. Ellis Island was the heart of immigration for Europeans. Angel Island in San Francisco Bay is where many Asians immigrated into the USA. You can read more about the immigrants in these books by Elaine Landau and Russell Freedman.
We have many islands right here in the Pacific Northwest! Whidbey, Orcas, Bainbridge, Lopez and Camano just to name a few. We have a series of books called Images of America that are put together by historical societies and have lots of pictures and anecdotes from a wide variety of Northwest places.
The Hawaiian Islands are probably some of the most visited islands. Mountains, forests, waterfalls, volcanoes, beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, golf courses, hiking, swimming…. The water is safe to drink and no passport is needed. Need I say more? Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed by Andrew Doughty has gorgeous pictures of places you can visit and Hawaii the Big Island: the Ultimate Guide Book also by Andrew Doughty is the best travel book I have seen. Aloha!
Another ‘island’ is the kind in people’s kitchens. 150 Best New Kitchen Ideas by Manuel Gutiérrez shows picture after picture of beautiful kitchens; some with islands, others with design features such as angular cupboards, open shelving and herb gardens.
And lastly, islands are the theme in many fiction books and movies. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio, The Island by Elin Hilderbrand, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille and Lord of the Flies by William Golding are just the tip of the iceberg… which, by the way, reminds me that Greenland is covered in ice, and is the world’s largest island!
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