The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. King of ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ 00:46, 13 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Nigger Head Island (Queensland) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) (delete) – (View log)

Google doesn't seem to know anything about this small island other than WP scrapings. The only reference is now dead. Aside from verifiability, does having an offensive name make a small island encyclopaedic? Delicious carbuncle (talk) 20:44, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The existence of the island has been established, so please !vote based on the notability, not verifiability, of the article. Thanks. Delicious carbuncle (talk) 12:59, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• G3 Appears to be a hoax, no info exists at all on this island. So tagged. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • ^{(Broken clamshells•Otter chirps)} 21:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Delete (possibly speedy) if this location cannot be confirmed in any atlas (whether paper or online). Note: It has been created by a user who has been around for more than two years with more than 1000 edits. Sebwite (talk) 21:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Redirect:It is possible that this is a more obscure name for a place better known by another name. If So, it can be redirected to that.Sebwite (talk) 07:54, 11 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment It may not be a hoax, although it looks a lot like one. If it isn't a hoax, it still needs to meet the same notability guidelines as everything else. I suggest editors !vote on the notability, rather than the possibility that it is a hoax. Delicious carbuncle (talk) 21:55, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Delete Google Maps shows uninhabited islands (probably coral reefs) at that location. Nothing interesting on Google Books. It may be true, but it's not notable enough. --h2g2bob (talk) 22:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Speedy Delete A hoax? Honestly, does anyone believe that a place with that name would exist? Ecoleetage (talk) 22:32, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Looks like the egg is on your face this time, Ecoleetage. Hesperian 23:22, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep .. a quick search of Queensland's official placenames here shows that this Island does exist, and the name is both approved and official. Bruceanthro (talk) 23:01, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep A search of Geoscience Australia's place name data base indicates that this exists. Given that sources can be found it is surely notable. -- Mattinbgn\^talk 23:05, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep - it's a real geographic place—presumably named after a "Nigger Head", an obsolete term for a winch used on commercial fishing boats.(Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English, 1996) - Peripitus (Talk) 23:15, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Speedy keep. Real place, as confirmed by the Gazetteer of Australia.[1] Hesperian 23:21, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Speedy keep. All gazetted geographic locations are notable. Hesperian 23:13, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep Obviously a real place, as shown above and even mentioned, albeit briefly, in the news.[2] There is some notability in the fact that the name is allegedly racist. --AussieLegend (talk) 23:31, 8 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Note: After a request from the nominator and further consideration, I have reopened this debate. Inhabited places are considered inherently notable; this island, however, is uninhabited, so notability must still be established. —Travis^talk 13:39, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep Real named geographical feature recognized by the government of Queensland. I added it to the category uninhabited islands, which has over 300 entries. Edward321 (talk) 14:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep. Verified geographical locations are inherently notable. That includes towns, villages, lakes, mountains, and islands. 23skidoo (talk) 15:58, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone point me toward the appropriate guideline? The closest thing I could find was Wikipedia:Notability (Places and transportation) which didn't help at all. Delicious carbuncle (talk) 16:57, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep the island in question clearly exists. All geographical locations are notable, including all islands (providing they are not just a very tiny lump of rock, then it becomes more difficult to assess) Wikipedia is not just a general encyclopaedia, but also a specialist encyclopaedia; and an encyclopaedia on Australia's coastline would surely mention such an island. I don't enjoy bringing OTHERSTUFFEXISTS to the table, but we have precedent for hosting hundreds (maybe thousands?) of articles on uninhabited islands. EJF (talk) 21:49, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment (I was caught in an edit conflict but) I understand that all formally named geological features including mountain tops, lakes, rivers, and islands are sufficiently notable in themselves to warrant an article on Wikipedia (whether remote, uninhabited or not) .. and I have not encountered any notability guidelines to suggest otherwise!? Bruceanthro (talk) 21:55, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep - Unfortunate name, but not a hoax as per government source. --Oakshade (talk) 01:59, 10 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep - Wikipedia is supposed to include everything that appears in a gazetteer. It is definitely official, and because it looks like a hoax but isn't means there is a double reason to keep it. By the way there is also one in Tasmania. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 06:09, 10 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment: Apparently, there are other geographical names that contain this particular ethnic slur; see Nigger#Names of places and things for some context. I'm not sure why this unfortunately-named island in Australia hasn't been the subject of debate, as have some of the United States locations, but maybe there's a source of the etymology of the name of this island. --Elkman ^(Elkspeak) 15:38, 10 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Comment It has been the subject of debate—see AussieLegend's comment above. -- Mattinbgn\^talk 01:01, 11 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep The Government of Australia's web site confirms it exists. The name is unfortunate today but perhaps it was not meant as a pejorative term when the island was first named but just a reference to black people. Artene50 (talk) 08:57, 11 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep, real, verifiable location. I have a feeling this discussion would not be occuring were it not for the perceived offensiveness of the island's name. Lankiveil ^{(speak to me)} 13:00, 11 June 2008 (UTC).[reply]
• Note: This debate has been included in the list of Australia-related deletion discussions. -- Fabrictramp | talk to me 18:02, 12 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.