Continental IslandWhat is a continental island? As opposed to a coral cay, a continental island is an island that is built of landmass that is part of a continental shelf. It is not accumulated coral material like in coral cays, or the coral ring that is left after a volcano sinks down to the ocean like in atolls. It is simply on the same land as the adjacent continent, a higher part of the continental shelf that is sticking out of the water. Those islands are often larger than coral cays and atolls. They also tend to be hillier (if it's in a hilly area of course), and they sometimes have more and thicker vegetation. Some continental islands in Australia are Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia, Fraser Island off the coast of Hervey Bay, Great Keppel Island off the coast of Rockhampton, Magnetic Island outside Townsville, Hinchinbrook Island outside Cardwell, Dunk Island off the coast of Mission Beach, and Fitzroy Island off the coast of Cairns.
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