Translation of the name Aljazeera

The translation of the name as al jazeera means (the Island) and not the peninsula as it said in the article. In Arabic شبه جزيرةShibih Jazeera (lit: sub-island)= Peninsula.

I have no way of knowing which is correct, but can we find a source for the translation? Preferably this would be a page about Al Jazeera that contains a translation, rather than a dictionary. --

Iraqi Guy's translation is correct. الجزيرةmeans island, شبه جزيرةis a Peninsula. شبهmeans roughly "similar to, to resemble".

However, الجزيرةcommonly also refers (in its plural form الجزائر) to the country Algeria (refering to four islands just off Algier's coast), in singular to its capital Algiers (just as مصرrefers to Egypt if used outside of Egypt but commonly to Cairo if used inside of Egypt)(depending on the context of course), the part of Syria which is north of the Euphrates Al-Jazira,_Mesopotamia, the affluent island Gezira in Cairo between two branches of the Nile, as well as the Satellite News Station. I may have forgotten a meaning or two...

Source of the translation: Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Arabic Libraire du Liban, Beirut,

I think we should mention both. Dictionaries aren't the only way to translate things. Yes, الجزيرةmeans Island literally, but in context, it means peninsula. Al-Jazeera covers the Arabian Peninsula, it is not located on an Islands. Algeria, and other places follow this pattern. So literally, it may mean Island, but that translation misses a lot of context and common Arabic twists in meaning. So, maybe say something like, "peninsula--literally: island" or something like that.

In what context does it mean peninsula? Furthermore, I can't think of any example of الجزيرةbeing used in a sentence to mean Peninsula except if its prefixed with شبه. In this case its not. If you want to talk about the context of Aljazeera, then go ahead, but the translation of Aljazeera is simply the Island. No more no less.

I just looked it up in a scholarly dictionary and found that it means both "island" and "(Northwest) Mesopotamia". I added the new find and cited the source.

It obviously means 'peninsula', as in 'Arabian Peninsula', which was the target audience for Al Jazeera when it launched. Everyone in Qatar, where Jazeera is headquartered understands the word jazeera to mean the Arabian Peninsula, and there is even an English-language newspaper in Doha called the Peninsular, and an Airline called Jazeera, neither of which has anything to do with islands

Amen! Dictionaries are worthless if you don't know the culture. He/she is right.

Recently, there are a few anonymous individuals trying to edit the meaning of Al Jazeera. Yes, it may mean "the island", but in this context it should be "the peninsula". I just wonder about the best way to clarify this, without being long-winded.