The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word SRI LANKA
S
R
I
L
A
N
K
A
More clues leading to the result SRI LANKA
- Drunken larks in a far country
- Ask Iran possibly to absorb large island state
- . Thin air’s not exactly encompassing where fine sapphires are found
- State extremists in Syria transfixed by row about Israel’s borders
- Ian larks about in South. Asian republic
- Interior of Sark, island confusedly taken for another
- Larks in a changing nation
- Larks in a strange land
- Country songs sent up having limp content
- Dilapidated kraals in country
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "island state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case island state = sri lanka.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.