Isle of Wight Geography and Wildlife

The Garden Island IOW Isle of Wight is approximately diamond in shape and covers an area of 147 square miles (380 square km). Slightly more than half of the island, mainly in the west of the iow, is designated as the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The iow has 99.6 square miles of farmland, 20 square miles of developed areas, and 57 miles of coastline.

Shaklin Chine IOW The landscape of the Isle of Wight is remarkably diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description of "England in Miniature". The West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the famous chalk downland ridge, running across the whole island and ending in The Needles stacks — perhaps the most photographed aspect of the Isle of Wight. The highest point on the island is St Boniface Down, at 241m/791ft, which is also a Marilyn.

IOW The rest of the iow landscape also has great diversity, with perhaps the most notable habitats being the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are spectacular features as well as being very important for wildlife, and are internationally protected. The River Medina flows north into the Solent, whilst the other main river, the River Yar flows roughly north-east, emerging at Bembridge Harbour on the eastern end of the island.

Confusingly, there is another entirely separate river at the western end also called the River Yar flowing the short distance from Freshwater Bay to a relatively large estuary at Yarmouth. Where distinguishing the two becomes necessary, each may be referred to as the eastern or western Yar. The south coast of the Isle of Wight adjoins the English Channel. Without man's intervention the island may well have been split into three with the sea breaking through

1) At the west end of the island where a bank of pebbles separates Freshwater Bay from the marshy backwaters of the Western Yar east of Freshwater.

2) At the east end of the island where a thin strip of land separates Sandown Bay from the marshy basin of the Eastern Yar east of Sandown.

Yarmouth itself was effectively an island with water on all sides and only connected to the rest of the island by a regularly breached neck of land immediately east of the town. The Isle of Wight wildlife is remarkable, thought to be the only place in England where the red squirrel is flourishing, with a stable population. Unlike the rest of England, no grey squirrels are to be found on the island, nor are there any wild deer but, instead, rare and protected species, such as the dormouse and many rare bats, can be found. A competition in 2002 named the Pyramidal Orchid as the Isle of Wight's county flower.

One of the Isle of Wight Attractions to visit is Shanklin Chine.