# Major cities off the mainland



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Scba said:


> I think the largest in the US, outside of Hawaii, are Key West FL and Sitka AK.


Kodiak, Alaska is much larger than Sitka and is also located on an island.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island only has about 58,000 people but it is also a provincial capital.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Porlamar is located on Isla Margarita in Venezuela has about 100,000 people living there, and is also a huge tourist destination.


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## hadrett32 (Dec 8, 2010)

Properly speaking, all Japanese cities are "off the mainland" ...


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## i_am_hydrogen (Dec 9, 2004)

*Anchorage, Alaska *(291,826 / 374,553 metro)








http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=37695


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## Resident (Aug 18, 2006)

Ponta Delgada, Portugal. It's not major outside of the Azores but it is 1,550 km (930mi) from Lisbon. 

Could not find a great pic.hno:


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

The largest urban area of France outside the mainland.
*Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe* : 177,113 inhabitants









http://guadeloupedecouverte.pagesperso-orange.fr/html/GRANDE-TERRE.htm









http://balawou.blogspot.com/2010/08/pointe-pitre.html


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

i_am_hydrogen said:


> *Anchorage, Alaska *(291,826 / 374,553 metro)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Anchorage is located on the mainland and is connected to the rest of the US/Canada via the Alaska Highway.


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## Santa_ (Dec 3, 2010)

Palermo, Italy - about 700,000


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

diablo234 said:


> Porlamar is located on Isla Margarita in Venezuela has about 100,000 people living there, and is also a huge tourist destination.


Yes!  ...some other pics of *Porlamar, Venezuela:*


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

^^ I should have posted those pics instead. kay:


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## i_am_hydrogen (Dec 9, 2004)

diablo234 said:


> Anchorage is located on the mainland and is connected to the rest of the US/Canada via the Alaska Highway.


It doesn't have a contiguous border with the US mainland.


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## Mekky II (Oct 29, 2003)

London is surely the best example outside EU mainland !


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## limerickguy (Mar 1, 2009)

Does Dublin count? Population around 1.6 million


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## travelbug (Oct 7, 2009)

I think what the OP meant is abundantly clear. He meant cities that are geographically not contigious with the mainland of their respective countries. Dublin is not one because it is contigious with the rest of it's country, the Republic of Ireland. Belfast is one because it is not contigous with the mainland of its country, the UK. 

Japan has a main Island, the main Islands that make up the vast majority of the area are probably Japan 'proper' and Okinawa is seperate and geographically removed from the 'mainland/s' of Japan. 

I think there are few that are not major cities like Port Stanley, Hagatna, Reunion, Funchal, Hobart, the cities on Hainan Island and there is a large city on an Island some way off South Korea as well.

Honolulu is perhaps the best example so the thread was over as soon as it began really!


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## OhioTodd (Jul 25, 2006)

travelbug said:


> I think what the OP meant is abundantly clear. He meant cities that are geographically not contigious with the mainland of their respective countries. Dublin is not one because it is contigious with the rest of it's country, the Republic of Ireland. Belfast is one because it is not contigous with the mainland of its country, the UK.
> 
> Japan has a main Island, the main Islands that make up the vast majority of the area are probably Japan 'proper' and Okinawa is seperate and geographically removed from the 'mainland/s' of Japan.
> 
> ...


What about Kaliningrad, Russia? completely cut off from mainland mother Russia. Population over 400,000 also.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

travelbug said:


> Belfast is one because it is not contigous with the mainland of its country, the UK.
> 
> Japan has a main Island, the main Islands that make up the vast majority of the area are probably Japan 'proper' and Okinawa is seperate and geographically removed from the 'mainland/s' of Japan.


This is where I had the issue with the definition of "main island". Given that Honshu contains 103 million of 127 million people that make up Japan one has to view the other islands as peripheral. Therefore, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu should be counted separately especially if you consider Northern Ireland as separate.


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## travelbug (Oct 7, 2009)

Kaliningrad is also a great example. 

I think in assessing the Belfast thing has to be seen in light of the fact there has been, until recently, a war about the independence of that part of the UK. That is why there is no way it can be counted as a normal part of the UK but just geographically removed.

Japan has, as far as I know not had an independence movement for any of the smaller Islands, so it is easier, like New Zealand, to see it as a contigious nation in an archipeligo.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

travelbug said:


> Kaliningrad is also a great example.
> 
> I think in assessing the Belfast thing has to be seen in light of the fact there has been, until recently, a war about the independence of that part of the UK. That is why there is no way it can be counted as a normal part of the UK but just geographically removed.
> 
> Japan has, as far as I know not had an independence movement for any of the smaller Islands, so it is easier, like New Zealand, to see it as a contigious nation in an archipeligo.


This isn't really the case in NZ where the North (113,729 km²) and South (151,215 km²)Islands are remarkably similar in size, though the population is unevenly distributed between the two with the North Island having 75% of the population of NZ. 

Honshu (227,962 km²), however, is markedly larger than Kyushu (35,640 km²), Hokkaido (83,453.57 km²) and Shikoku (18,800 km²) and possesses 81% of Japan's population with the rest divided between Hokkaido (4.33%), Kyushu (10.41%), Shikoku (3.26%) and Okinawa (1.08%). 

Thus you see, Honshu is clearly the mainland compared to the other islands, so to count the other islands as part of the "mainland" still seems odd and arbitrary to me.

Also, despite separation by other nation states, Kaliningrad is still part of the same land mass as the rest of Russia.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

The big four islands of Japan are all linked by bridges/tunnels so I might be tempted to classify it all as the 'mainland' with Okinawa, Sado etc being 'not mainland' :dunno:

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk would be one for Russia.


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## dustin.feroz (May 24, 2011)

this one is in the mainland of the country where it belongs, but i think this should belong in this thread.


Male, Maldives by LMGM: Liz Murphy Global Media, on Flickr


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## dustin.feroz (May 24, 2011)

Male, Maldives by Sidkochar, on Flickr


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## dustin.feroz (May 24, 2011)

Male' - 05 Sept afternoon (3) by Neesham, on Flickr


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## dustin.feroz (May 24, 2011)

this one looks mad


Male, Maldives by michaelpratt, on Flickr


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

^^ I wouldn't recommend anyone to go there, actually not so interesting once you are there.


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## Karl1587 (Jan 10, 2011)

Malé, Capital of The Maldives... what would you class as the main island of the Maldives? lol, i'd say Malé would be the mainland too =) its crazy how it just fills up the entire island!


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## Karl1587 (Jan 10, 2011)

*Mombasa, Kenya*



















^^^ i'm going here next thursday!!


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## dustin.feroz (May 24, 2011)

Karl1587 said:


> Malé, Capital of The Maldives... what would you class as the main island of the Maldives? *lol, i'd say Malé would be the mainland too* =) its crazy how it just fills up the entire island!


i know right?!!:lol: it's the mainland of maldives but it just fits in than most other cities which are supposed to be "technically" more appropriate!:lol:


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Karl1587 said:


> ^^^ i'm going here next thursday!!


how is Mombasa a major city off the mainland? its got a bridge that connects it to the rest of the country. Its as off from the "mainland" as Manhattan


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## Karl1587 (Jan 10, 2011)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> how is Mombasa a major city off the mainland? its got a bridge that connects it to the rest of the country. Its as off from the "mainland" as Manhattan


i get your point actually... Mombassa's outlying boroughs are on the mainland, just the main centre of the city is on the island.. hmmmm i made a mistake! I just saw a city on an island and decided to post it lol


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## Karl1587 (Jan 10, 2011)

*.:: HOBART, TASMANIA // AUSTRALIA ::.*
Tas; Hobart; City Skyline; by ozehols, on Flickr​


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

Hobart isn't really a major city. The only 'major' cities to Australians are "The Big Five" (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide". The rest are just cities/towns.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

brazilteen said:


> *Nyc isn't Manhattan an island??*


By that definition, Montreal would qualify as well. It's on an island in the St. Lawrence River.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

NYC doesnt really count. The whole point of this thread is about cities that are more cut off than normal from the mainland, and islanded *far away*, not ones *merely separated by rivers or narrow straits* (like Sicily, Kyushu).

What's getting everyone posting stuff is that the fact remains there aren't any real big examples of large vibrant cities islanded *far away* from their countries respective mainland. *I think it should be regardless as to whether the island is the more densely populated from the mainland* - but with common sense, especially with regards to nations made up of archipelagos - otherwise Jakarta, 'islanded' on Java (population 140 million) could count. It doesnt smack of a place far removed from the central mainland of a country's landmass.


Eg Malabo a good example:










Copenhagen/ Kobenhavn


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

I think so far we have, in terms of cities (not towns) far enough removed from the mainland (despite tunnels etc):

In order of population


Haikou, China 2 million










Sapporo, Japan 1.9 million











Copenhagen, Denmark 1.2 million (1.9 million metro)











And that's it folks. The only 3 cities in the world islanded far enough from their respective country mainlands.


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## Cal_Escapee (Jul 30, 2010)

Not so major, but nice:

*Key West, Florida*








http://www.roritravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/KeyWestAerial1.jpg

*Avalon, CA*








http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Lightmatter_Avalon_Bay.jpg


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## clockworkpedro (Mar 21, 2013)

Since there are only a few major cities that fits into the description, I will contribute with some smaller cities:










Jeju City, South Korea
Pop. 410,000

Located in an isolated island 150 km south-west of mainland. Seoul-Jeju City currently holds the title of busiest passenger air route in the world. Jeju island have its own dialect, very distinct from the one spoken in mainland.










Heraklion, Greece
Pop. 180,000

Located in island of Crete and fourth largest city in Greece.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Cariad said:


> Not major on the world platform but they are major cities for their region
> 
> Belfast UK
> Hobart Australia


I don't know if I would include Belfast as it is a complex thing, different from Honolulu, the island was not annexed as a whole (not in the long run at least) but most of the Island is a country in its own right nowadays and Belfast, national borders or not, is strongly linked to the rest of the Island. Which creates a sort of bidirectional orientation, one towards London, the other southwards on the same Island.


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## Babser (Feb 13, 2011)

the spliff fairy said:


> NYC doesnt really count. The whole point of this thread is about cities that are more cut off than normal from the mainland, and islanded *far away*, not ones *merely separated by rivers or narrow straits* (like Sicily, Kyushu).
> 
> What's getting everyone posting stuff is that the fact remains there aren't any real big examples of large vibrant cities islanded *far away* from their countries respective mainland. *I think it should be regardless as to whether the island is the more densely populated from the mainland* - but with common sense, especially with regards to nations made up of archipelagos - otherwise Jakarta, 'islanded' on Java (population 140 million) could count. It doesnt smack of a place far removed from the central mainland of a country's landmass.
> 
> ...


I think Malabo is a good example. But I think your city-compilation of Sapporo, Haikou and Copenhagen fail to live up to your own definition. The Tsugaru and Qioungzhou Straits as well as the Great Belt are not much more than 20 km wide - all bridged or tunnelled as far as I know. Auckland might fit the description better. 

Kuala Lumpur might be the only city to live up to the definition of being (far) off the mainland of their respective countries, considering East Malaysia is larger than West Malaysia - and IF you disregard population density. But of course it is not islanded, but I don't know why this should be a condition. Copenhagen could also be considered because Greenland constitutes a far off bulk of Danish land area. Though Greenland certainly _feels_ even less like mainland than the Jutland peninsula.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

I think 20km away on an island is enough, but hey, that's just me (Hainan is actually more like 30km away). It's still an island, enough to warrant being an island (as opposed to one separated by a river or strait 3km wide) imo.





























AS for Copenhagen, it may be connected up by a series of islands (archipelago) but it's still 180km distant from the mainland.

Anyhoo, get rid of these dividing lines and youre left with one city in the world - Sapporo. The rest are provincial towns normal for an island province / state.


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## maylos (Dec 8, 2012)

*Malabo ,island capital of Equatorial Guinea*


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## maylos (Dec 8, 2012)




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## Erran (Feb 10, 2010)

Okay, I assume that mainland for "archipelagic" country like Indonesia is the island where most population of the country live in, no matter how big the area is. So, it's definitely Java Island, where more than 50% of total Indonesia's population settle.

*Makassar, provincial capital of South Sulawesi.
Distance : 1,413 km away from Jakarta*


PoetraDaerah said:


> Small village from the east





PoetraDaerah said:


>





anno_malay said:


> lanjut..ke arah kanan lagi
> 
> makassar skyline by ANNO MALAY, on Flickr
> 
> ...


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## Erran (Feb 10, 2010)

*Balikpapan, 2nd city of East Kalimantan
Distance : 1,243 km from Jakarta*


IlhamBXT said:


> :applause:





anno_malay said:


> kilang pertamina
> 
> 
> kilang pertamina by ANNO MALAY, on Flickr
> ...





anno_malay said:


> Balikpapan by ANNO MALAY, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Balikpapan by ANNO MALAY, on Flickr


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## roe5745 (May 24, 2010)

Cebu City, Philippines (Population of 870,000, Metro Area 2 million) It is off the mainland if the mainlands are considered to be Luzon or Mindanao


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## boringpasta (May 29, 2012)

clockworkpedro said:


> Since there are only a few major cities that fits into the description, I will contribute with some smaller cities:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If I'm not mistaken that picture of Jeju you posted is actually a picture of the western part of Busan and is taken from here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Korea-Busan-Busan_Tower-01.jpg


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Do Hong Kong and Macao count?


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## Babser (Feb 13, 2011)

^^ yeah I think Hong Kong - seen in relation to SAR - is the best example of a city off the mainland. But I don't think places like Cebu, Balikpapan or Kuala Lumpur really count. 

And yes I know I brought up Kuala Lumpur myself but that was because I tried to follow Spliff Fairy's definition. I have been trying to think for a definition myself and I think this might be a better way of understanding the OP:

*separated by a large distance in relation to the size of the country* and where 
*the geographical entity (island, enclave, archipelago etc.) of the city is substantially smaller size and population wise than the geographical entity of the main land*.
So I think Hong Kong, Anchorage, Honolulu, Kaliningrad, Naha, Malabo, Palma de Mallorca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Iraklion are within the definition, and of these probably only Hong Kong and maybe Honolulu can be considered cities (with more than 1 m inhabitants). Maybe Kaliningrad could also be considered a city for historic reasons. Palma has a metro line and also feels like a city.

PS. Anybody got an idea of what game OP is referring to?


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## Lindemann (Sep 11, 2002)

*Las Palmas de Gran Canaria* (Spain), pop. 380.000, 600.000 in metro area.

It's also the largest EU city outside Europe.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Most of Hong Kong is on Mainland China. Only Victoria and sparsely populated Lantau aren't, and they're less than a km away from the Mainland. In other words it's the equivalent of a Manhattan.


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## Babser (Feb 13, 2011)

Seen in relation to China I agree Victoria is not very far off the mainland. But in relation to the much smaller Hong Kong SAR Victoria is definitely off the mainland (Kowloon and New Territories) though continuous landfills might end that soon.


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