The body of water in between is called a lagoon. Near cities, marinas are often located in a lagoon to protect boats from wind and waves. Some coastlines contain no beach at all because the land is almost vertical where it meets the water, and the water is too deep to allow sediments to accumulate. Many of these coastlines are accessible only by boat. This is the case of the Hawaiian Islands.
Volcanoes can also form islands near land or in the middle of lakes.
A drop in sea level, possibly during an Ice Age, could reconnect the land masses. 33 Lakes Lakes are low areas that are natural catchments for surface water. In wet regions lakes will have streams or rivers that both enter and exit the lake. In dry regions there is usually no river exiting the lake because the water evaporates before the catchment basin in filled. Dry lakes, salt pans, and playas are formed where the amount of precipitation is only occassionally greater than the amount of evaporation.