Islands are one of the most interesting features of the Earth. The islands present great diversity in terms of size, age, inhabitants and origins. Islands may be oceanic when they are the product of volcanism, such as Hawaii, or they may be connected to part of a continent, thus making them a continental island such as Madagascar. Continental islands comprise fragments of the continental shelf because they were connected to a continent directly or indirectly via a land bridge. Narrow, shallow waters separate continental islands from continents. Separation from continents may occur as a result of postglacial sea level rise. Rising sea levels lead to the isolation of species already present on the island from those on the mainland and since the island originated 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The island of Madagascar is a continental island that is located in the Indian Ocean and is 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 Gondwanaland broke up two rift events occurred. During 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 on this island range from ancient Gondwanan lineages to species that invaded after separation from the continents and have undergone speciation. Grub, 2003, noted important characteristics regarding the fauna and flora of Madagascar. The high degree of endemism is the result of the historical isolation from Africa which lasted approximately 125 million years. The humid vegetation areas of Madagascar are rich in woody plant species. 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 bamboo were due to the humid climate experienced in the past and present. There is an area of ​​dry evergreen forest where trees have developed fire-resistant bark as an adaptation to frequent ground fires. Another thing to take into consideration was the dense vegetation and succulents instead of grass in the drier areas, probably as a result of the limited chance of rain throughout the year. Oceanic islands are the result of volcanic activity in the ocean. Submarine volcanism can occur in hot spots and mid-ocean ridges or subduction zones. This type of island has never been connected to another landmass and therefore all the species present came from somewhere else and may have undergone speciation. These islands do not exist for long, and although some exist for millions of years, they will eventually erode and sink into the ocean. The Hawaiian archipelago lies within the tropics of the central Pacific and is 4000 km from the nearest continental land. which is the west coast of North America. These islands have never been connected to the mainland as their geological history ensures continued isolation. The Hawaiian Islands are made up of various volcanoes that developed sequentially from the ocean: the oldest are located on the northwest side, while the youngest island is located in the southeast. The Hawaiian Islands have been isolated throughout history and have therefore experienced a restriction in the number and diversity of organisms establishing themselves on the mainland. The restriction was caused.