Islands are one of the most interesting features on Earth. The islands experience great diversity in their size, age, inhabitants and origins. The islands are either oceanic when they originated from volcanism, like Hawaii, or they could have been connected to part of a continent, which would make them a continental island like Madagascar. Continental islands are made up of fragments of continental shelf, as they were once connected to a continent directly or indirectly by means of a land bridge. Narrow, shallow waters separate continental islands from continents. The separation of continents may occur as a result of postglacial rise in sea level. A rise in sea level leads to the isolation of species already present on the island from those on the mainland and, as island originates from a continent, the biological and geographical characteristics would be similar. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The island of Madagascar is a continental island located in the Indian Ocean and separated from Africa by the Mozambique Channel. With an area of ​​581,500 km2, Madagascar is one of the largest islands in the world. After the dissolution of Gondwanaland, two divisive events occurred. In the first event, 180 million years ago, India and Madagascar separated from Africa. The second event separated India from Madagascar 88 million years ago. Organisms located on this island range from ancient Gondwanan lineages to species that invaded after the continents separated and underwent speciation. Grub, 2003, noted important features regarding the fauna and flora of Madagascar. The high degree of endemism is the result of Africa's historical isolation for approximately 125 million years. The humid vegetation areas of Madagascar are home to many species of woody plants. During the Pleistocene, Madagascar experienced a “species pump,” unlike other places where mass extinctions were occurring. The species richness and abundance of palms, tree ferns and bamboos was due to the humid climate then and now. There is an area of ​​dry evergreen forest where trees have developed fire-resistant bark to adapt to frequent ground fires. Another thing to consider was the thick vegetation and succulents instead of grasses in the drier areas, probably due to the limited chance of rain throughout the year. Oceanic islands are the result of volcanic activity in the ocean. Underwater volcanism can occur either from mid-ocean hotspots and ridges, or in subduction zones. This type of island has never been connected to another continent and therefore all the species present came from elsewhere and could have undergone speciation. These islands do not exist for long and although some have existed for millions of years, they will eventually erode and fall back into the ocean. The Hawaiian archipelago lies in the tropics of the central Pacific and is located 4,000 km from the nearest mainland. which is the west coast of North America. These islands have never been connected to the mainland because their geological history ensures continued isolation. The Hawaiian Islands are made up of various volcanoes that developed from the ocean in a sequence: the oldest are located on the northwest side, while the younger islands are on the southeast. The Hawaiian Islands have been isolated throughout history and have therefore experienced restriction in numbers and.