Wonders of America: Missing Island Superlatives
June 17th, 2006The US Postal Service has issued 40 stamps sure to excite geographical obsessives, the “Wonders of America“:
Yet I guess you can’t please anyone; people have many complaints of omission (and suggestions); mine is obvious — there is not a single real island superlative.
A few come close:
- “Highest sea cliffs” is credited to Moloka’i (Molokai).
- “Deepest lake” shows Wizard Island in Crater Lake, Oregon.
- “Most active volcano” is Kilauea, on Hawaii.
- “Longest span” shows the Verrezano-Narrows Bridge between Long Island and Staten Island, New York.
- “Longest river system” appears to show one or more islands in the Mississippi.
- “Longest reef” is “off the Florida Keys.”
For the record, here are some American island superlatives:
- Largest island — The largest island of the United States is Hawaii, at 4,021 sq mi / 10,414 sq km, and still growing slowly. The largest (and longest) island of the lower 48 states is Long Island.
- Largest lake island — The largest lake island in the United States is Isle Royale, in Lake Superior, Michigan, at 209 sq mi / 541 sq km.
- Largest volcanic island — The largest volcanic island in the United States is Hawaii, at 4,021 sq mi / 10,414 sq km, and still growing slowly.
- Largest river island — The largest American river island is Sauvie Island, a 40sq mi / 104 sq km island in the Columbia River in Oregon.
- Remotest island — According to the United Nations’ Environment Programme, the most isolated American island is Nihoa, part of the Hawaiian chain, which is about 200 miles from another island and 3,600 miles from the nearest continent.
- Youngest volcanic island –The youngest volcanic island is Hawaii, the southernmost of the Hawaiian islands, and thus the most recent to pass over the hotspot that formed the island chain. It is about years old.
- Most populous island – The most populous island in the United States is Long Island, New York, with 7.4 million inhabitants.
- Smallest with one million inhabitants — The smallest American island on which one million or more people live is Manhattan, in New York City, with 1.48 million inhabitants living in 22 sq mi / 57 sq km (at 67,000 per sq mi / 26,000 per sq km).
- Tallest island — The tallest American island is Hawaii, which rises 13,796 feet / 4,205 meters from sea level to the top of Mauna Kea. It is the second tallest of the world’s islands.
- Largest bridged island — The largest island connected to the mainland by a bridge or causeway is Long Island, New York.
- Smallest divided by borders — The smallest island shared with another country is the west island in Boundary Lake, North Dakota, at about 3 acres / 1.1 ha. It is shared with Canada. [American geography, geographic superlatives]
[Image courtesy of United States Postal Service]