The word for an island in Spanish is isla and it is derived from the classical Latin word insula of the same meaning.
Latin American Pronunciation
European Spanish Pronunciation
It is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- la isla (the island)
- las islas (the islands)
- una isla (an island)
- unas islas (some islands)
Las islas can form in three distinct ways. The first occurs when continental plates (las placas continentales) collide and push land above the ocean’s surface. The second happens when underwater volcanoes (los volcanes) consistently erupt in a specific area, creating land. The third method involves the accumulation of sand (la arena) resulting from erosion.
Quiero visitar una isla tropical.
I want to visit a tropical island.
Spain itself isn’t an island, of course, but it is surrounded by many of them, the most famous being the Balearic Islands (Las Islas Baleares) which are Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza.
Spanish is also the most widely spoken language in the Caribbean Islands (las islas del Caribe), including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
The noun isla is closely related to the verb aislar meaning to isolate, which is precisely what an island is – an isolated body of land surrounded by water.
A person who lives on an island can be called an islander or isleño (masculine) / isleña (feminine) in Spanish.
El isleño se sintió aislado en la isla desierta.
The islander felt isolated on the desert island.
A traffic island in the middle of a road can be known as an isla peatonal in Spanish (or more commonly rotonda), and kitchen island in Spanish is isla de cocina. In architectural term, a block of houses is called una isla de casas.
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