is portsmouth an island

[ben_sfc]

is portsmouth an island?

[hevs]

yes !...i believe it is....i moved to portsmouth over a year ago and have been informed it is an island !

[Lonnie]

The short answer is no, there is a Portsea Island, but Portsmouth itself was known as 'The Spice Island', when Smugglers used it.

I got that from this link, very interesting. www.portsmouth-uk/old_portsmouth.html

[Lonnie]

That didn't work, I went onto 'ask jeeves', clicked uk only, and put in 'Is Portsmouth an Island' and got the info fron the 'unofficial History' link.

[lilposhgirl]

I swear it is an island. Ive bin to school there all my life and i have always been told its an island, also how come there are only 2 ways off it if its not? xxxx

[littleoldme]

Portsmouth is indeed on Portsea Island (well, in fact it pretty much covers it). It is of course connected to the mainland by road and rail, but you can't get to it or away from it without travelling over water.

[ben_sfc]

cheers guys, a lil bet with the family over that!! i texted this magazine question thing and it replied:

most of the city of portsmouth is located on portsea island making portsmouth technically, the UK's only island city

[shammydodger]

Rather critical, that "most" bit, wouldn't you say? That is, not all.

[Lonnie]

Just to be a bit pendantic, Portsmouth is not an island, to be an island, it has to be completely surrounded by water, and Portsmouth definately isn't.

[lilposhgirl]

Ok go on google a type portsmouth, then go on the google map thing, zoom in a few times and then try telling me its not surrounded by water..........

[littleoldme]

Just to be even more pedantic - Portsmouth is on Portsea Island which IS an island (there's a clue in the name, Lonnie). As I say, whichever one of the three road links
or one rail link you take out of it, you have to cross over water.

Having finally found how to get on to the page Lonnie is trying to link to, I find it says:

Portsea Island (Portsmouth) is an Island, what you didn't know that either, Yes, it is totally surrounded by water be it only a small moat to the north of the island.

OK, the author's grammar is less than perfect, but you get the gist.

Still, what do I know? I've only spent a large part of the last twenty years living, studying or working in the city, after all! :-)

[ben_sfc]

lol cheers guys!

i'd be a bit embarressed if i was Lonnie, jus like my bro who totally disgreed with me!!

yup it certainly is on an island and surrounded by water

[Lonnie]

OkeyDokey, to all those that said it was, I apologise, I was wrong.