Portal:Islands

Mersea Island /ˈmɜːrzi/ is an island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south-east of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word meresig, meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautological. The island is split into two main areas, West Mersea and East Mersea, and connected to the mainland by the Strood, a causeway that can flood at high tide.

The island has been inhabited since pre-Roman times. It was used as a holiday destination in Roman Britain for occupants of Camulodunum (Colchester). Fishing has been a key industry on the island since then, particularly oysters, and along with tourism makes up a significant part of the island's economy. The Church of St Peter & St Paul in West Mersea is thought to have existed since the 7th century, while the Church of St Edmund in East Mersea dates from around the 12th or 13th century. The island became popular with smugglers from the 16th to the 19th century. It became a focal point for troops in both world wars, and a number of observation posts can still be found on the island. Tourism remains popular, and there are a number of beach huts and holiday parks on the island. A week-long festival of boat racing, Mersea Week, takes place every summer. (Full article...)

Okinawan cuisine (沖縄料理, Okinawa ryōri) is the cuisine of the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan. The cuisine is also known as Ryūkyūan cuisine (琉球料理, Ryūkyū ryōri), a reference to the Ryukyu Kingdom. Due to differences in culture, historical contact between other regions, climate, vegetables and other ingredients, Okinawan cuisine differs from mainland Japanese cuisine. (Full article...)

• ... that Pan Am executive Bill Mullahey was nicknamed "Mr. Pacific" for his work promoting tourism to Hawaiʻi and other island destinations?
• ... that more than 100 traps were set to catch a single stoat on an otherwise predator-free island in Taiari / Chalky Inlet in 2022?
• ... that when the U.S. government wanted to remove Chain Island, a group of "California capitalists" offered to do it for free, recouping expenses by mining it for gold?
• ... that in the surreal art game Islands: Non-Places, a bus stop may become an egg incubator and a fountain may conceal a vast underground space?
• ... that Little Island at Pier 55, a new artificial island park in New York City, was described as being "in the theatrical vein of 18th century English garden follies"?
• ... that Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility is listed on the National Register of Historic Places?

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