Thousand Islands may refer to Thousand Islands (Indonesia)

The Thousand Islands are a chain of islands that straddle the U.S.-Canada border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner Lake Ontario. The islands stretch for about 50 mi (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario. The U.S. islands are in the State of New York. The islands, which indeed number over a thousand in all, range is size from over a hundred square km to smaller islands occupied by a single residences, to even smaller uninhabited uncroppings of rocks that are home to migratory waterfowl.

Geologically, the islands are located where a branch of the Canadian Shield runs south across the river to join with the Adirondacks. The islands have long been popular with boaters.

Around twenty of these islands form the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, the smallest of Canada's national parks. The Thousand Islands - Frontenac Arch region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2002. The U.S. islands include numerous New York state parks, including Robert Moses State Park - Thousand Islands, located on an island in the St. Lawrence.

In the late 19th century the islands were a popular destination for wealthy vactioners. It was during this era that many older upscale vacation homes were built on the smaller privately-owned islands. Many of the islands still contain vacation homes from this time.

The islands are crossed by the Thousand Islands Bridge at the southern end near Lake Ontario. The highway north of the bridge provides automobile to one of the islands on the U.S. side.

The islands are not to be confused with the Rivière des Mille-Îles in southwestern Quebec.

The islands gave name to a popular salad dressing, unsurprisingly called Thousand island dressing.

External link

• St. Lawrence Parks Commission (Ontario) (http://www.parks.on.ca/home.htm)