When I launch a new Windows EC2 instance I am given a 30 gig root EBS volume.

I'm trying to make sure I understand the EBS terminology and want to make sure I understand this correctly:

Q: What happens to my data when a system terminates?

The data stored on a local instance store will persist only as long as that instance is alive. However, data that is stored on an Amazon EBS volume will persist independently of the life of the instance.

What exactly does "instance is alive" mean? If I write files to the root volume and reboot the instance will the files remain? Or do I physically have to terminate (delete) the instance for the root volume to go away?

Thanks