The Earth has somewhere between 2,000 and 40,000 islands, ranging from bare rocks to tropical paradises. And all are beautiful.
Some islands emerge from the sea, from a volcano growing in eruption after eruption, or a reef built by a colony of corals. Others are part of a larger landmass, cut off by rising seas or eroding shores. Humans have even made a few artificial islands above the waves. But they all have one thing in common: NASA has spied them out with its swarm of satellites.
Wake Island
Wake Island is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, 4,000 kilometers west-southwest of Hawaii and 2,400 kilometers northwest of Guam. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
Cat Island
Cat Island is one of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets in the Bahamas. The smaller Little San Salvador Island in the bottom left is a private island, awaiting the construction of a fantastic tropical lair. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
Garden Island & Hog Island
Garden and Hog Island in Lake Michigan are the resistant remains of rocks scoured by glaciers thousands of years ago. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
Onekotan Island
Onekotan Island is a dramatic, picturesque volcano in the Russian Federation. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
Four Mountains
Four Mountains are three islands in Alaska. Carlisle and Herbert are independent islands, while Tana and Cleveland are connected together under the clouds to form Chuginadak Island. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
Artificial Islands in Dubai
Dubai takes building islands to a whole new level, pulling palm trees, dolphins, and even even a recreation of the continents off the coast. Image credit & read more on NASA/Earth Observatory.
