# Countries with exactly one island state/province **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2022, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556 "2022-09-14T10:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/41 "2022-09-14T21:12:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Nobody outside of the state cares one way or the other about any of this history. As an outside observer, I get the impression that references to Rhodes Island in American media are mostly as a non-standard unit of measurement. As in “Forest fires destroyed an area half the size of Rhodes Island.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/42 "2022-09-14T21:57:16Z")
[Trying to refrain from being a pedantic twit . . .] [Failing] Nitpick: The U.S. state is Rhod **e** Island. No “s”. Rhod **es** Island is part of Greece. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/43 "2022-09-15T06:39:52Z")
The original post left out that the country should have a continental mainland, since island countries (the opposite of continental countries) necessarily must be confined to islands, and there are MANY island countries. sidetrack… Is there an island country with a little bit on a continent ? Guinea Bassau has a province that is islands, the Bolama province. Greece, really the Hellenic Republic, famously has an archipeligo … it has 4 island provinces. Ionian, Crete, North Aegean and South Aegean. Malaysia has part of Borneo - the only Island with (proper parts of ) three countries on it, but that part is not all or most of Borneo. I don’t know how its Borneo part is organised. By area, it may be an island country with a bit on the continent, but not politically so, the capital and the bulk of the population is on the continent. Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina is a province only on the island Terra del Feugo… apart from the dodgy claim to Antarctica, I think we can excuse that, as irrelevant. Chile’s southern province is half on the continent and a number of small islands and that bit of Terra del Feugo that isnt Argentinian. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/44 "2022-09-15T07:19:14Z")
Chile has the communes of Cabos Hornos (Cape Horn) and Isla de Pascua (Easter Island). Communes are smaller than provinces, but provinces are grouped into regions, so it may or may not quite fit. However, Ecuador has a complete island province with lots of weird animals (e.g., blue-footed boobies). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/45 "2022-09-15T08:15:23Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > so those considered autonomous or overseas regions are out. It’s your OP, but I don’t understand why you have this division? Especially since the nomenclature and connotation don’t always match up. A country can be subdivided in different levels which are given different labels, that don’t agree with the definitions of other countries. Case in point: > [@dtilque](#): > > Spain - Balearic Is, Canary Is All regions in Spain are autonomous. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/46 "2022-09-15T09:28:37Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The original post left out that the country should have a continental mainland, since island countries (the opposite of continental countries) necessarily must be confined to islands, and there are MANY island countries. See post 31 for rules about island countries. > [@Isilder](#): > > Guinea Bassau has a province that is islands, the Bolama province. That one looks good. > [@Isilder](#): > > Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina is a province only on the island Terra del Feugo @Schnitte already contributed Argentina–Tierra del Fuego. > [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > so those considered autonomous or overseas regions are out. > > It’s your OP, but I don’t understand why you have this division? I should have spelled this out better. Autonomous Regions are out if they are different from the regions of the mainland. Or perhaps this would be a better way to put it: If the island or island group is treated legally as different than the 1st level administrative units of the mainland, then that country is out. So if the mainland units are all provinces/regions/prefectures and the island group is an autonomous region, then it’s right out. In the case of Spain, all the 1st level units are Autonomous Regions. I didn’t notice the contradiction with what I said elsewhere in the OP. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/47 "2022-09-15T09:55:38Z")
Minor background about Spain. It’s a unitary state, not a federation, traditionally divided into provinces that do not have statehood. When it adopted its democratic constitution in the late 1970s, the idea was to grant only some regions a special status as autonomous communities. Within a few years, however, a whole range of autonomous communities was formed, and they cover the entire territory of Spain (plus two “autonomous cities”, Melilla and Ceuta on continental Africa). So the autonomy status is indeed the standard first level subnational division, even though it was not originally intended to be. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/48 "2022-09-15T14:34:29Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Indonesia: Bali, the Bangka Belitung islands. Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands. The larger ones are divided into multiple provinces. The smaller islands are grouped together into separate, mutliple provinces. Bangka Belitung province has two main islands (Bangka and Belitung) and numerous smaller islands. There’s also the Riau Islands that form their own province, as well as Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara. Even the province of Bali comprises the largest island Bali as well as several smaller neighboring islands. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/49 "2022-09-15T14:36:20Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > When it adopted its democratic constitution in the late 1970s, the idea was to grant only some regions a special status as autonomous communities. To continue this side track briefly. This was done in an effort to keep the separatists in Basque country and Catalunya at bay. It can certainly be argued that it was enough since the country is still intact. OTOH, the troubles caused by ETA, less in later years, combined by the continuing effort of the Catalans for independence, say that maybe it wasn’t enough. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/50 "2022-09-16T04:04:10Z")
France could qualify … Corsica is a very important part of France. Notionally five overseas territories are listed as being departments, the same as an internal department but four are very small islands, and then there is French Guiana ([French Guiana - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana)) … These five do operate with the character of a special overseas department,eg because the french federal government imposes on these five areas changes of governmental structure… Its just a department in name, due to anachronism and attitude… that they were making it french back then…the intent to make it equal… A real department is much more stable and unlikely to be rearranged by Paris ,without changes of borders to require changes. Even French Polynesia is correctly labelled as a special overseas area despite having the large island of New Caledonia, suggesting the 5 overseas departments should also be treated as special not regular. (But also because they don’t want to grant the natives french citizenship ? ) ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/51 "2022-09-16T04:22:50Z")
Cuba has Isla de la Juventud. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/52 "2022-09-16T04:30:57Z")
> [@whc.03grady](#): > > Cuba has Isla de la Juventud Which, according to Wikipedia, is a Special Municipality and not a province. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/53 "2022-09-16T07:16:48Z")
Hair splitting. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/54 "2022-09-16T07:36:53Z")
We’re a bunch of pedants in this message board. Hair splitting is what we do. OK, we also nitpick a lot. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556/55 "2022-09-16T11:18:03Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Malaysia has part of Borneo - the only Island with (proper parts of ) three countries on it, but that part is not all or most of Borneo. I don’t know how its Borneo part is organised Two of its states comprise it: Sabah, and Sarawak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-exactly-one-island-state-province/971556.md?page=2)